Retreating guardsmen of the 133rd Cadian Regiment march past a disabled Stormlord tank (top right) as they retreat from the Alamut Valley on Dozaria.

+ + There can be no forgiveness now. No penitence that will satisfy my sin. + +

Confessions of Logic-Saint Levistian

Iterative transcription recommenced . . .
Incident: Blasphemy of Stormlord Pride of Cadia
Magos Geringius Haym-Zik
6 177 744,M31

At the beginning of the hour-long fight, the Death Guard advance west to drive away the Stormlord’s Skitarii defenders.

Since learning that the Pride of Cadia has been lost to the heretical forces infesting Dozaria, my third micro-cogitator has been malfunctioning—an annoying reminder that my augmented body retains a disturbing vulnerability to physiological stress.

It was only yesterday that I learned that the ancient and most revered Stormlord, Pride of Cadia, was damaged in battle and captured by Death Guard Astartes in the Alamut Valley, 200 kilometers southeast of the Antiem Manufactorum.

The Pride of Cadia has been in service since the mid-31st Millennium, when it was manufactured on the Forge World of Lucius and gifted to the Cadian High Command.

Over the millennium, it has served with Cadian regiments across the galaxy, most recently on the war-torn world of Dozaria in a region of the Segmentum Ultima known as the Corvus Cluster.

At the time of its loss, the Pride of Cadia was operating with 133rd Cadian Regiment in the equatorial region of the planet, defending an agriculturally developed valley that offered an easy route to the Antiem Manufactorum.

A mix of Skitarii Vanguard and Rangers fire upon advancing traitor Astartes.

Severely Damaged

On 6 172 744.M41, the 133rd Cadian Regiment was part of a corp-sized Imperial force deployed to challenge an advancing Death Guard-led army advancing up the valley.

The details of the battle itself are irrelevant, except to acknowledge the total defeat of Imperial forces and a lasgun hit to the Pride of Cadia that damaged the tank’s reactor.

Given the value of the Stormlord, it was ordered to withdraw into the jungle to the west and seek to makes its way back to the manufactorum for repairs. Three PDF regiments were assigned to block any pursuit by the Death Guard.

(Side note: Although the regiments were reported lost with all hands, it appears that the guardsmen  managed to distract the vast majority of traitor forces that gave chase after the Stormlord.)

Alas, the Pride of Cadia could not complete its journey. Only 50 kilometers into its retreat, the tank’s machine spirit suddenly fell silent, its reactor nearly undergoing a catastrophic melt-down only avoided by the diligent efforts of its Enginseer.

Two Sicaran Infiltrators ambush two Death Guard warriors on the flank of the traitor Astartes’ attack.

Assistance Arrives

Unable to revive the machine spirit, or reactivate the reactor, the tank’s crew voxed for assistance. A contingent of Enginseers and support menials were dispatched to the tank’s location, but the fear of pursuing traitors required more immediate assistance: Two squads of Skitarii were rushed to the scene by a squadron of Archaeopter Transvectors.

The Skitarii arrived only hours before a small force of Death Guard Astartes appeared on the scene.

The subsequent fighting lasted less than an hour. The Skitarii deployed in a firing line around the Pride of Cadia, with two Sicarian Infiltrators hidden in the jungle to exploit opportunities for an ambush.

The Death Guard dividied into two forces: One marched down the dirt trail directly at the Stormlord, while the second moved through the jungle to the north with the goal of outflanking our forces.

Death Guard ambushed

After suffering devastating casualties, the Skitarri Alpha ordered the retreat. His failure to recognize the importance of fighting to the last man led to his execution—and the everlasting disdain of the Omnissiah.

The fighting began in earnest to the north. The two infiltrators ambushed several Astartes traitors, one in Terminator armor, who were somewhat isolated from the rest of their squad.

Although one Astartes was killed almost instantly, the other proved difficult for the Infiltrators to best. Despite the power of their taser goads, the Infiltrators found the traitors’ reflexes equal to their own augmented abilities.

It was only with the hasty assistance of three Skitarii Vanguards that the Terminator-equipped traitor was brought down.

Meanwhile, the Death Guard advancing down the road met fierce resistance as they advanced. A mix of Skitarii Vanguard and Rangers, using cover provided by the tank and scattered rubble along the roadside. fired well-disciplined volley into the traitors.

The Death Guard advance into the small village near the Stormlord, driving the Skitarri into dishonorable retreat.

Unstoppable Traitors

This fire was extremely accurate, as indicated by vox recordings, but the armor of the warp-tainted Astartes proved horrifyingly resistant, and even where shots struck exposed parts of their bodies, the bloated and diseased flesh appear to absorb the damage with little effect.

Their tactical protocols forbidding withdrawal, the Skitarii stood their ground around the tank, until the Death Guard charged and slaughtered all they brought into hand-to-hand combat.

As casualties mounted, and his forces to the north locked in melee, tactical analogs clearly indicated that further casualties could not prevent the Death Guard from seizing the tank. The Skitarii Alpha used his command override to erase the defense protocols of his troops—and ordered a retreat.

Although melta charges had been prepared to prevent the tank from falling into enemy hands, Skitarii sensors reported that a transmission of scrap code interfered with the vox command to detonate. One Skitarii died attempting to detonate the charges manually, riddled by boltgun fire.

After the battle, the Death Guard brought up additional forces, making it impossible to launch a second recovery effort. Toxic mists released by the traitors also prevented aerial bombardment to destroy the super-tank.

Incalculable Loss

The Skitarii Alpha was deactivated and destroyed; his defeat making further service to the Omnissiah utterly impossible. The surviving Skitarii suffered various damage to their  cognitive function as a result of exposure to scrap code, but their bodies were salvaged by a mind-sweep.

The survivors no longer have any memory of the battle—or the shameful defeat suffered.

The loss of the Pride of Cadia is both horrific and repulsive in the extreme. Although it may be impossible to cleanse the tank after the blasphemies that will be inflicted upon it by the traitors, every effort is being made to locate the Stormlord’s location.

Whether it can be restored to service, or must be destroyed, the Mechanicus cannot accept that such a sacred symbol of the Omnissiah’s magnificence can remain in the service of the Ruinous Powers.

+ + End Entry + +

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TheGM: This is a very simplistic report of the tactical maneuvers—and thoughtful decisions—of the participating gamers in this battle.

The Skitarii commanders around the battle tank sought to use their advantages of targeting, and they were willing to give some ground to avoid the hand-to-hand combat that clearly would be advantageous to the Death Guard.

The challenge, however, was their Strength 4 guns had a difficult time penetrating the Toughness 5 of the warp-bloated Death Guard. And the traitors also had Strength 4 weapons, while the Skitarii were a squishy Toughness 3.

Even making maximum use of terrain, the Death Guard just rolled over them.

The same was true in the north. The only real success of the Skitarii was through the clever use of their Infiltrators, yet even their excellent hand-to-hand combat skills found it almost impossible to penetrate the Death Guard armor. Victory was only obtained by “puppy-piling” a lot of Skitarii on the traitors.

But their success was too late coming. In the end, the Skitarii losses were too great, and the Death Guard won the day.

Now, every Shorehammer convention game impacts our nine-year-old narrative campaign. So, how will this Death Guard victory affect things?

My solution is to convert a Stormlord kit into a Chaos vehicle—and tempt the Chaos player into selecting the tank in future battles with the bribe: use the tank, and its point cost is halved.

That should do it.

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The Corvus Cluster is a Warhammer 40K blog documenting our gaming adventures in the fantastical sci-fi universe of Games Workshop.