>>5116837
>531st Cadian (hardened veterans serving under a half-mad commissar)

Unless the 1st Happy Ending came from that one pleasure planet defended by a PDF Leader name Princecock. Then I'll choose the Happy Ending.

>>5116837
>Catchatan, Male


I'm feeling lucky tonight, plus I'd like to shiv some xenos.

>>5116837
>3rd Ravenholm Grenadiers (arrogant aristocratic heavily armed/armored commandos)

>male

>>5116837
>>78th Risian Light Infantry (bottom of the barrel conscripts with an unlucky streak)

>Male

>>5116837
>78th Risian Light Infantry (bottom of the barrel conscripts with an unlucky streak)
>Male

>>5116837
>3rd Ravenholm Grenadiers (arrogant aristocratic heavily armed/armored commandos)
>Female

>>5116837
>3rd Ravenholm Grenadiers (arrogant aristocratic heavily armed/armored commandos)

>Male

>>5116837
>>3rd Ravenholm Grenadiers (arrogant aristocratic heavily armed/armored commandos)
>>Female

>>5116837
>>Armageddon 1337th Steel Legion (standard Guardsmen, except they ride in a Chimera)
>Male

File: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA(...).gif (87 KB, 192x197)

87 KB GIF

>>5116837
>1st Happy Ending (bunch of rich dudes and resort workers get sent to the front line)

>>5116837
>>78th Risian Light Infantry (bottom of the barrel conscripts with an unlucky streak)

>man

at least we wont have to die next to some rich asshole

>>5116837
>Catachan XIII (jaded mavericks who only answer to their own)
>Female

>>5116837
>Catachan XIII (jaded mavericks who only answer to their own)
>Male

>>5116837
>Catachan XIII (jaded mavericks who only answer to their own)
>Male

>3rd Ravenholm Grenadiers (arrogant aristocratic heavily armed/armored commandos)
>Male

File: Scintillan_Fusilier_trooper.jpg (250 KB, 803x1122)

250 KB JPG

>>5116837
>1st Happy Ending (bunch of rich dudes and resort workers get sent to the front line)

Time to show them our bling.

>>5117085
>male
Forgot that one

>>5116837
>1st Happy Ending (bunch of rich dudes and resort workers get sent to the front line)
>Male

File: 1.gif (65 KB, 220x202)

65 KB GIF

>>5116837 (OP)
> Armageddon 1337th Steel Legion (standard Guardsmen, except they ride in a Chimera)

> The Fucking Chimera's Machine-Spirit
I'm mainly proposing this just to slightly reduce the chance that anons derail the quest with gayass relationshit and waifuwars. However, I also think that this perspective might be really fun - or at the very least, interesting - to play through.

>>5116837
>3rd Ravenholm Grenadiers (arrogant aristocratic heavily armed/armored commandos)
>Male

>>5116837
>>3rd Ravenholm Grenadiers (arrogant aristocratic heavily armed/armored commandos)

Male

>>5116837
>Armageddon 1337th Steel Legion (standard Guardsmen, except they ride in a Chimera)
>Male

>>5116837
>1st Happy Ending (bunch of rich dudes and resort workers get sent to the front line)
Makes me think of the peacock.

>>5116837
>3rd Ravenholm Grenadiers (arrogant aristocratic heavily armed/armored commandos)
Thumbing your nose at plebian Guardsmen as you wreck the enemies of man with your noble bros, yes.

>>5116837
>1st Happy Ending (bunch of rich dudes and resort workers get sent to the front line)
>Female

>>5116837
>3rd Ravenholm Grenadiers (arrogant aristocratic heavily armed/armored commandos)

>male

Cause I like good grubbins and want shinny loot

File: Ravenholm Grenadier.png (329 KB, 800x1143)

329 KB PNG

>3rd Ravenholm Grenadiers (arrogant aristocratic heavily armed/armored commandos)
>male

Pick your personality (one from each):
>Hot blooded (braggart, obsessed with honor, quick temper), OR sardonic (droll, cynical, dry sense of humor), OR cold (borderline emotionless, calculating, ruthless) OR faux debonair (charming, confident, but secretly jaded)
>By the book, OR improviser
>Taste for luxury - puritan, OR in moderation, OR dissolute

Pick your motivation:
>Purge the unclean (no interest in politics, just want to kill heretics and xenos)
>Hero of the Imperium (loves fame for the sake of fame, not above stealing credit occasionally)
>War Hero on the Rise (seeks to improve reputation in order to move up the ranks militarily, and ultimately politically)

Pick your experience level (note, everyone in the company is technically an officer, but rarely command men except when on loan):
>Ensign (new recruit to squad, you spend years being trained by the best, but have seen little actual combat)
>Lieutenant (fairly average member of squad, lots of successful combat missions)
>Captain (best fighter in the squad, second in command and point man)
>Major (squad leader, hardened veteran)

Pick your relationships (as many or as little as you want):
>Father is the General
>Sister is the Sanctioned Psyker
>Uncle is the Chief of Intelligence

Pick your specializations during combat (as many or as little as you want):
>Firepower (plasma, melta)
>Pyro (flamer, melta, meltabombs)
>Demolitions (grenade launcher, missile launcher, demo charges)
>Stealth Killer
>Duellist
>Sniper
>Vox-Specialist
>Pistols
>Rifles
>Brawler

Pick your specializations outside of combat (as many or as little as you want):
>Tactical advisor
>Recon bike driver
>Liaison

>>5117576
>Hot blooded (braggart, obsessed with honor, quick temper)
>Purge the unclean (no interest in politics, just want to kill heretics and xenos)
>Ensign (new recruit to squad, you spend years being trained by the best, but have seen little actual combat)
>Sister is the Sanctioned Psyker
>Firepower (plasma, melta)
>last choice: null

>>5117576
faux debonair (charming, confident, but secretly jaded)
improviser
>War Hero on the Rise (seeks to improve reputation in order to move up the ranks militarily, and ultimately politically)
>Major (squad leader, hardened veteran)
>Uncle is the Chief of Intelligence
>Duellist
>Pistols
>Tactical advisor
>Liaison

>>5117576
>faux debonair
>moderation

>War Hero on the Rise

>>Major

>>Father is the General
>>Uncle is the Chief of Intelligence

>>Duellist
>>Pistols

>>Liaison

>>5117588
>>5117576
I forgot two traits of our personality like the dumbass I am
>improviser
>in moderation

>>5117576
> faux debonair
> improviser
> moderation
>War Hero on the Rise (seeks to improve reputation in order to move up the ranks militarily, and ultimately politically)
>Major (squad leader, hardened veteran)
>Uncle is the Chief of Intelligence
>Stealth killer
>Duellist
>Pistols
>Sniper
>Vox specialist
>Liaison

We will be a long range and recon liaison without peer and hopefully take point in creating or working on counter sniper detachments and integrated cas and arty liaisons and vox specialists. Plus who doesn’t want to be a sniper who can defend themselves up close

>>5117576
>faux debonair (charming, confident, but secretly jaded)
>improviser
>dissolute
>War Hero on the Rise (seeks to improve reputation in order to move up the ranks militarily, and ultimately politically)
>Major (squad leader, hardened veteran)
>Father is the General
>Sister is the Sanctioned Psyker
>Uncle is the Chief of Intelligence
>Firepower (plasma, melta)
>Pyro (flamer, melta, meltabombs)
>Demolitions (grenade launcher, missile launcher, demo charges)
>Stealth Killer
>Sniper
>Vox-Specialist
>Rifles
>Brawler
>Tactical advisor
>Recon bike driver
>Liaison

>>5117576
>faux debonair (charming, confident, but secretly jaded)
>War Hero on the Rise (seeks to improve reputation in order to move up the ranks militarily, and ultimately politically)
>Major (squad leader, hardened veteran)
>Uncle is the Chief of Intelligence
>Stealth Killer
>Duellist
>Pistols
>Liaison

>>5117576
Personality
>faux debonair (charming, confident, but secretly jaded)
>improviser
>>Taste for luxury in moderation

Motivation
>War Hero on the Rise (seeks to improve reputation in order to move up the ranks militarily, and ultimately politically)

Experience Level
>Captain (best fighter in the squad, second in command and point man)

Relationship:
>Father is the General
>Sister is the Sanctioned Psyker
>Uncle is the Chief of Intelligence

Pick your specializations during combat (as many or as little as you want):
>Sniper
>Vox-Specialist
>Recon bike driver

>>5117576

>Debonair

>Improviser

>Moderation

>Hero of the Imperium

>Lieutenant

>Uncle is Chief of Intel

>Pyro

>Tactical Advisor

File: map 1.png (370 KB, 951x900)

370 KB PNG

>Personality: faux debonair, improviser, moderation
>Motivation: War Hero on the Rise
>Rank: Major
>Relations: All three
>Major Combat Specializations: Duelist, Pistols
>Minor Combat Specializations: Vox, Sniper, Stealth Killer
>Non-Combat Specializations: Tactical Advisor, Liaison

Without hesitation, you stroll into your father’s command room, located in the heavily fortified command bunker located on the north side of Mount Rhyo.

Commander-General Augustus Simeon Drakkenspire, more commonly known as the “The Black Drake”, is giving his final briefing to the assorted lesser generals of the First Ravenholm Army Group, as well as other... interested parties, many of whom are attending via hololith.

The hololithic command board before him showing the locations of units in the Groxbridge theatre has changed little in the past two months.

Not long before your arrival, the Iron Warriors and their allies launched a surprise assault on this world, destroying many key installations from orbit, then invading dozens of seemingly unrelated sites. Most ended up being the locations of ancient Dark Age of Technology Era constructs, but in the case of the City of Groxbridge, they have instead shown great interest in excavating an old mine tailings dump south of the city.

Some, particularly the Krieger General and the Admiral, simply wanted to destroy the enemy via overwhelming artillery or orbital bombardment, but here, like in most locations occupied by the enemy, it was determined by the Inquisition and the Adeptus Mechanicus that the risk of destroying ancient relics was too great, so instead the quarter million men of the First Ravenholm Army Group encircled the city, then slowly ground the enemy down with raids and probing attacks while more important assets were occupied elsewhere.

However, someone, somewhere, no doubt the Inquisition or the Adeptus Mechanicus, has decided that the city is an important target after all, or at least the Iron Warrior excavations south of it. Six regiments of armor and mechanized infantry from prestigious worlds like Cadia, Armageddon, and Praetoria have been called in to spearhead the assault, supported by a demi-company of Marines from none other than vaulted Ultramar itself.

With all the conflicting interests nipping at his heels, your father was only able to come up with a rudimentary strategy.

At 30 minutes to noon today, the armored and mechanized regiments, as well as the Marines will spearhead an attack directly at the main Iron Warrior encampment located south of the city, followed by 50,000 infantry.

The assumption is that the Iron Warriors will use the superior mobility of their slave armies to throw everything they have at us piecemeal in a series of rushed counterattacks, at which point our superior fighting skills will wipe out the bulk of their forces, and allow us to take the city and its environs with minimal loss of infrastructure.

File: The Black Drake.jpg (423 KB, 1280x1664)

423 KB JPG

>>5118081

That is how it is supposed to work in theory anyways...

In order to reach the main encampment, Imperial forces will have to push through four kilometers of fortified trench work. It is also estimated the Archenemy has 100,000 Thorakara and Royal Nines (collectively known as Traitor Guard, though not strictly speaking accurate), backed by another 100,000 local cultists. Not to mention dozens of Iron Warriors and who knows how many daemonic creations.

Depending on how quickly the Archenemy is able to move its assets to counteract the spearhead, there is a very real chance we will bite off more than we can chew.

As the briefing comes to an end, most of the attendees file out of the room, or wink out of existence, leaving just some key support staff and bodyguards.

There are more than a few familiar faces in the group, nepotism is a tried and true Imperial Guard tradition...

“Ech, they aren’t telling us something, Inquisitors Zeke, von Rosen, and their pet Magos Errant.” - Grumbles your father. A grizzled man whose piercing green eyes and white hair contrasts with his sober black and gold uniform, your father rarely has to speak loud to command attention.

“This world is riddled with ancient corruption and filth, only radicals and heretics will find items of interest here.” - Rasps your sister. Ten years your junior but looking ancient hunched under the weight of her countless ritual charms and fetishes, Obsidia Drakkenspire may not seem like the most reliable sort, but she is Sanctioned Psyker of unnatural power and is rarely wrong. No wonder your father pulled so many strings to get her assigned to his staff. Still, she is an unclean thing like all psykers, and is in no place to cast doubt on other’s character, even those as questionable as Zeke and von Rosen.

<I love you too Big Brother> Says Obsidia via telepathy, scanning your mind as always.

<Get bent, Little Sister> You reply mentally.

“Major, I want you to accompany this spearhead into battle, if they find anything... unnatural, I want to be the first to know. Take the Drake’s Claws” – Commands your father.

“Yes Sir!” - You reply, and leave the room, knowing full well you are dismissed.

Despite his nepotism, Augustus isn’t the sentimental type, and thinks nothing of sending offspring or relatives into danger. Luckily you have a large family.

As per his command, you head back to your own bunker and rally the five members of your squad, the Drake’s Claws. Even in a regiment full of nobles, the Drake’s Claws are of unusual skill and pedigree, the bluest of the blue bloods.

Consisting of weapon specialists Krassis and Rourken, demolitions expert Nyazzar, champion brawler Ravven, and all around generalist Ebonsoule, they have all fought with you for several campaigns, in some cases much more.

With a few curt orders, you mobilize your squad and load everyone up into your Taurox Prime.

File: Little Sister.png (55 KB, 351x709)

55 KB PNG

>>5118088

As you navigate your way through the foothills of the mountain, you are gifted with impressive views of battlefield.

The Imperial lines consist of a four kilometer deep maze of trenches and fortifications cut into what was once grazing land, but is now an expanse of dry mud, pockmarked by countless mortar and artillery shell impacts.

Already in the wider trenches, several super-heavies, hundreds of Russes, and over a thousand Chimeras are getting into position to form the spearhead of the advance. The Archenemy clearly knows we are coming, they are tossing far more shells than usual this morning.

Further away, the Chaos lines look much the same, except in the middle of them is Clipper Ridge, the largest of several such obstacles formed by ancient defensive walls, now largely buried beneath piles of soil to form dangerously effective earthen works.

Your Taurox Prime jockeys itself into position to begin the advance, your father pulled some strings in order to ensure you would be near the front, among the first wave of mechanized companies from the Steel Legion.

It is now 1100 local time. The advance doesn’t begin for another 30 minutes.

Suddenly you hear gunfire from the front lines less than 100 meters away.

Clearly someone has decided to launch a counter-raid, or at least a sabotage mission. Disabling a Baneblade, even temporarily is well worth the risk.

>Hold position, the front line troops should be able to handle it. If not, you will pick it up on the vox.

>Get out and investigate, you can signal the rest of your squad to join you if the fight is worthwhile.

>Disembark your full squad, it is not like the advance will begin for 30 more minutes anyways, might as well earn some extra glory.

>>5118081
Holy shit, the effort pic.

>>5118092
> Hold position, the front line troops should be able to handle it. If not, you will pick it up on the vox.

>>5118092
>Hold position, the front line troops should be able to handle it. If not, you will pick it up on the vox.

We have our orders, we are not here to footslog and duke it out with enemy elements performing a spoiling attack, we are to report any "unnatural" phenomena.

>>5118092
>Hold position, the front line troops should be able to handle it. If not, you will pick it up on the vox.

>>5118092
>>Hold position, the front line troops should be able to handle it. If not, you will pick it up on the vox.

>>5118092
>Hold position, the front line troops should be able to handle it. If not, you will pick it up on the vox.

>>5118092
>>Get out and investigate, you can signal the rest of your squad to join you if the fight is worthwhile.

>>5116873
Glad you havent forgotten ;^)

>>5118092
>Disembark your full squad, it is not like the advance will begin for 30 more minutes anyways, might as well earn some extra glory.

>>5118171
It is actually an altered version of a pre-existing map from the greentext threads upon which this quest is based. I meant to give credit to Stannimposter, but apparently I forgot.

I also forgot to give people the opportunity to name the character. Or we can just go with a nickname or title of some sort (probably drake related). Keep in mind that the character's last name is likely Drakkenspire unless he changed it for some reason.

>>5118092
>>Hold position, the front line troops should be able to handle it. If not, you will pick it up on the vox.

File: alwayswatching.jpg (56 KB, 354x275)

56 KB JPG

>>5118092
>Hold position, the front line troops should be able to handle it. If not, you will pick it up on the vox.

>>5118381
You'll be hearing from my lawyer soon, thieving scum.

I can draw more maps for you later if you have any requests

>>5118092
>Disembark your full squad, it is not like the advance will begin for 30 more minutes anyways, might as well earn some extra glory.

>>5118381
suggest a name for qm, otherwise with id changing it might not be the same, Will you post one update every day if you can ?

>>5118381
Drake related??

OvO
Toronto

>>5118466
Thanks for the offer, but most of the action from thread 1 takes place in a fairly small area, so I should be good for now.

>>5118711
I generally don't bother with names. My ID only changes every month or so, and it is usually pretty obvious which ones are my posts since there will always be greentext, followed by several paragraphs of black text, then more greentext.

I will try to update every day, but sometimes I have other plans or am just not interested.

File: Taurox Primes.jpg (76 KB, 800x600)

76 KB JPG

>Hold position, the front line troops should be able to handle it. If not, you will pick it up on the vox.

You decide to hold position for now and instead check the vox.

It is the usual mess of contrary orders, but it quickly becomes clear that the Archenemy has launched a full scale counter assault on Imperial lines in order swarm the tanks while they have little room to maneuver in the trenches.

An interesting move. Charging through no-mans land will cost them dearly, they must desperately not want us near their encampment. On the other hand, it sounds like some daemons are among the enemy forces, including a Greater Daemon of some sort, and no one wants to be stuck in a trench with one of those.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it becomes apparent listening to vox chatter that the tank commanders want to advance rather than get swarmed in the trenches, but some of the Praetorians are dogmatically refusing to abandon the official schedule. Furthermore, Inquisitor Xeke is demanding that the advance be postponed until his favored regiment, the 70th Armageddon/Krieg Armored, is in position, which they won’t for at least another ten minutes. In the meantime, mechanized infantry in the first wave are being ordered to disembark and reinforce the front lines.

Major Jacheral, your platoon commander and nominal commanding officer confirms over the vox that these orders apply to the Grenadiers as well, particularly as the Archenemy has already broken through the front lines in this sector anyways.

Looks like it is fighting time...

You say a few inspirational words to your squad for show, then draw your paired master craft hot-shot laspistols. Although not quite as powerful as bolt pistols, they are hooked up to a large battery on your back good for 800 shots.

After departing your Taurox, it only takes a short time to encounter the first of the enemy, a group of Thorakara Shock Troops climbing a Steel Legionnaire Chimera. There are plenty of Steel Legionnaires in the vicinity, but they are all struggling with their own life and death fights with Thorakara and cultists.

According to the Inquisitors and Intelligence, Thorakara are soldiers named after the auxiliary formations that once fought alongside the Iron Warriors in ancient times. The Thorakara have many branches, of which the shock troops are the most numerous. Shock troops are often recruited from those favored by Khorne. Although aggressive and bloodthirsty, their bloodlust is tempered (most of the time) by discipline, intense focus, and decent tactical knowledge.

>>5119409

They wear grey uniforms, in most cases supplemented by partial carapace armor of dark iron, but some instead go bare chested to show off the mark of Khorne cut into them. All wear medieval looking dark iron helmets that resemble those on the Iron Warrior’s banner, and those favored by Khorne sometimes smear their masks in blood. Heavy, high caliber autoguns similar to the Armageddon pattern are the main weapons, but some carry chainswords and high caliber autopistols instead. A few Khornates have heavy chains around their arms, waists, shins, torsos, and or necks, perhaps to lock them in place if they lose control.

Unofficially, Thorakara are seen as equal man-to-man with standard Guardsmen, perhaps slightly superior at close range like this. Although Ravenholm Grenadiers definitely outclass them, they shouldn't be taken lightly.

>Find a relatively defensible position and defend it against all takers with your squad.

>Draw your power sword and engage the Thorakara in melee.

>Split your squad into pairs, and have them engage targets as they present themselves.

>>5119414
>>Find a relatively defensible position and defend it against all takers with your squad.

>>5119414
>Find a relatively defensible position and defend it against all takers with your squad.

>>5119414
>>Draw your power sword and engage the Thorakara in melee.

>>5119414
>Find a relatively defensible position and defend it against all takers with your squad.
Firing positions.

>>5119414
>>Draw your power sword and engage the Thorakara in melee.
Blood for the bloodgod!!!!!

>>5119414
>>Draw your power sword and engage the Thorakara in melee.

>>5119414
>Find a relatively defensible position and defend it against all takers with your squad.
>>5119733
Stop falling to chaos, we did that last time !

>>5119414
>Draw your power sword and engage the Thorakara in melee.

>>5119801
KILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL

>>5119414
>>Find a relatively defensible position and defend it against all takers with your squad.

>>5119414
>Find a relatively defensible position and defend it against all takers with your squad.
we aren't stupid.

>Find a relatively defensible position and defend it against all takers with your squad.

A stray bullet glances off your shoulder and knocks you into a parked Chimera.

Ugh, that is going to hurt tomorrow...

It is a useful reminder though that you are far from invulnerable.

Pretty much the best armor money can buy short of power armor or a forcefield, each Ravenholm Grenadier wears a mesh body glove under their uniform, and a suit of light weight but extremely durable interlocking plates over their uniform. Together they provide a level of protection similar to “standard” Tempestus armor, while only weighing half as much.

However, at close range, the 9mm rifle rounds that most Thorakara Shock Troopers use as standard will punch right through mesh armor, and a direct hit will badly dent even the armor plates, breaking bones and damaging organs beneath.

You decide to find a defensible position and quickly spot a Scout Salamander whose crew has seemingly abandoned their post. You order your squad to head over to it, firing at any target that presents itself as you lead them.

Although your armor provides some measure of protection against fire from the Thorakara, the reverse is definitely not true.
Shots from your hot-shot laspistols burn straight through carapace armor, flak coats, and mortal flesh with ease. If anything, you are a bit worried that you may accidentally kill an ally by firing a shot straight through an enemy.

In addition to the Thorakara, some cultist fodder from the “Iron Revolution” are present. The most numerous of the local cults, they dress in lower class clothing and carry scavenged weapons or industrial tools. The only thing that really distinguishes them is their tendency to wear black items of clothes, and to a lesser extent, wear broken gears as medallions and sometimes the conical straw hats favored by local indentured laborers.

For several tense minutes, your squad holds its position.

Weapon specialists Krassis and Rourken use their sidearms to avoid wasting their specialized weapon’s ammo on such dross, while the rest lay in with their hot-shot lasguns.

The other soldiers in the area, mostly Steel Legionnaires, start to rally. Although not hardened veterans like the Krieg or the Cadians, the Steel Legionnaires are solid professionals with above average equipment, and can generally go toe-to-toe with the Thorakara without caving, unlike some of the PDF and off-world conscript regiments that make up a large portion of your father’s army group.

However, there are worst things on the battlefield today then cultists and traitor guard.

From the slightly higher vantage point provided by the Salamander, you spot a daemon engine known as a venomcrawler perched on a parked Chimera about three vehicles ahead of you in the trench.

>>5121745

Meanwhile, a wedge of chaos spawn is pushing its way into the Steel Legionnaire lines outside the trench on your right. Following them are flamer equipped Thorakara Shock Troops firing down on the trench, particularly at open-topped vehicles. They will soon be in position to flank your squad.

Together, they are definitely taking a toll on Imperial forces in the immediate area, and serve a major threat to your squad.

>Use the Salamander’s autocannon to fire on the venomcrawler. It will take quite a few shots to put it down though, the autocannon has limited traverse, and there is no room to maneuver the Salamander.

>Get out of the Salamander and try to sneak up on the venomcrawler. Krassis’s meltagun should be able to take it down with a few shots, and leaving the Salamander means you don’t have to worry about the flamers anymore, but getting close to a daemon engine is dangerous.

>Get out of the Salamander and out of the trench to attack the chaos spawn head on. With your superior weapons you should be able to put down the spawn much easier than the Steel Legionnaires, then expose the flamer-wielding soldiers behind them. Though those spawn look pretty tough, as are the heavy metal plates strapped to them...

>Fall back to your Taurox Prime, the mechanized advance is probably starting soon anyways. Just make sure no commissars see you heading in the wrong direction.

>>5121752
>Use the Salamander’s autocannon to fire on the venomcrawler. It will take quite a few shots to put it down though, the autocannon has limited traverse, and there is no room to maneuver the Salamander.

>>5121752
>Use the Salamander’s autocannon to fire on the venomcrawler. It will take quite a few shots to put it down though, the autocannon has limited traverse, and there is no room to maneuver the Salamander.

>>5121752
>>Use the Salamander’s autocannon to fire on the venomcrawler. It will take quite a few shots to put it down though, the autocannon has limited traverse, and there is no room to maneuver the Salamander.
The Salamander being open-topped is stress-inducing, but let's use what we have. Besides, it won't take all of us for the autocannon. Can't the others take our best weapons and engage the spawns ? I mean, our attack on the venomcrawler will have them target us regardless, so let's do it first ?

>>5121752
>>Use the Salamander’s autocannon to fire on the venomcrawler. It will take quite a few shots to put it down though, the autocannon has limited traverse, and there is no room to maneuver the Salamander.

>>5121745
>9mm rifle

>>5121779
Support

>>5121941
Its a thing:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9%C3%9739mm

>>5121752
>>Use the Salamander’s autocannon to fire on the venomcrawler. It will take quite a few shots to put it down though, the autocannon has limited traverse, and there is no room to maneuver the Salamander.

Also get everyone not manning the gun well away from the vehicle in case she brews up.

>>5121752
>Get out of the Salamander and out of the trench to attack the chaos spawn head on. With your superior weapons you should be able to put down the spawn much easier than the Steel Legionnaires, then expose the flamer-wielding soldiers behind them. Though those spawn look pretty tough, as are the heavy metal plates strapped to them...

>>5121752
>>Use the Salamander’s autocannon to fire on the venomcrawler.

>>5121752
>>Get out of the Salamander and try to sneak up on the venomcrawler. Krassis’s meltagun should be able to take it down with a few shots, and leaving the Salamander means you don’t have to worry about the flamers anymore, but getting close to a daemon engine is dangerous.
Don't want to get baked

File: Iron Warrior Venomcrawler.jpg (929 KB, 2005x2048)

929 KB JPG

>Use the Salamander’s autocannon to fire on the venomcrawler. It will take quite a few shots to put it down though, the autocannon has limited traverse, and there is no room to maneuver the Salamander.

You pivot over to the autocannon and take a closer look.

M34 Pattern.

Just about as primitive a weapon as one can find in the Imperial Guard, the M33 Pattern fires 40mm solid shells from a 12 shell drum feed. Unpopular with officers due to their perceived primitiveness, and unpopular with soldiers for their limited ammo capacity, they do have some strengths like range, penetrating power, and the fact they are as common as fleas among PDF forces throughout the galaxy, meaning ammo and spare parts are always abundant.

Also they are easy to use.

You use the iron sight and draw a bead on the venomcrawler’s head and neck before opening fire.

You burn through all 12 shells in one long burst, but it is tougher than you thought and you seem to have only succeeded in blinding and disorienting it.

Luckily you have also lured into range of Krassis’s meltagun. A shot to the head seems to kill it, but just to be sure Krassis hits it with a second shot to its bloated abdomen, which explodes with unholy fires and shreds a nearby chaos spawn and scatters the flamer armed soldiers.

Krassis then slay a second spawn, while a tank shot from somewhere behind you explodes the third.

The Steel Legionnaires in you vicinity appear to rally and begin pushing back against the Thorakara and Iron Revolutionaries.

The enemy seems on the verge of breaking, when a new wave of soldiers begins to reinforce them.

This time it is members of the treacherous Hydra Omega Royal Ninth Regiment, the “Royal Nines”. An Imperial Guard Regiment who was supposed to be garrisoning the city, they unexpectedly turned traitor just as the Iron Warriors invaded and all but handed the city of Groxbridge to them on a silver platter.

Unlike the Thorakora who tend to favor Khorne, Nurgle, tanks, and daemon engines for their front line forces, the Royal Nines favor Tzeentch, Slaanesh, sorcery, and daemons.

Once dashing figures in their elaborate blue, white, and turquoise uniforms, it is increasingly difficult to tell the Royal Nines from their cult allies as they become evermore deranged and mutated. But no matter how hard they fall, they always keep some elements of their old uniforms, and usually also hold onto their finely crafted wood stocked lasguns and the knowledge of how to use it.

Luckily this group seems to be mostly “ordinary” Royal Nines, along with their main local cult allies, the New Dawn and the Degenerates, however, a few daemons are leading the assault, and you feel begin to feel anxious and hysterical just looking at them.

File: Pink Horror.jpg (59 KB, 640x553)

59 KB JPG

>>5123023

Multi-limbed creatures whose body structures are always in a constant state of impossible flux, the very ground they walk on turns to shiny black rock, shimmering crystals, or flickering multi-colored flames. Lasgun fire seems to be absorbed harmlessly into them more often than not, or be intercepted in a shower of multi-colored sparks before they even touch the flesh of the creatures. Even when one of them is somehow slain, it often bifurcates and spawns to smaller creatures instead.

Meanwhile, the balls of multi-colored flame thrown by the daemons easily transforms both flesh and armor to rock, crystal, glowing liquids, clouds of burning ashes and hazy smoke, clumps of writhing flesh, and all sorts of other strange fates.

You recognize them as Horrors of Tzeentch, and although you have fought the yellow and blue varieties on occasion, you have heard the pink ones are far tougher.

You also remember that uncontrolled emotions are a common by-product of being near daemons, and bring your humors back into balance with the icy resolve of a Ravenholm noble.

As you settle yourself, you notice your vox is alive with conflicting orders, and likely has been for some time.

The 70th Armageddon/Krieg Armored have already arrived about half a kilometer to your east, and has already launched an advance without permission. Several other armored elements have joined in, provoked by artillery barrages and saboteurs. Meanwhile there are accusations of glory stealing, and rumors of friendly fire incidents centered around the 70th Regiment's main thrust, which is also where a Greater Daemon of Tzeentch has been spotted. Despite this, more and more armored and mechanized units are beginning their advance without permission, and even some Steel Legionnaires in your area seem to be falling back to their Chimeras in preparation for an advance.

>Fall back to the Taurox Prime and prepare to sally forth.

>Dismount and head east towards the 70th Regiment’s main spearpoint, Chaos mind games is probably the sort of thing your father wants to investigate.

>Hold your position in the Scout Salamander for now, but get Ebonsoule to get the engine running. Although the vehicles ahead of you are disabled and blocking your route to no-man’s land, the vehicles behind you seem functional, and there is a ramp a short distance back that will allow you to exit the trench and circumvent the blockage ahead of you once the vehicles behind you move out of the way.

>Hold your position, with the knowledge you will be weaving through a lot of tanks as you make your way back to the Taurox once the official orders to advance are given.

>>5123031
>Hold your position in the Scout Salamander for now, but get Ebonsoule to get the engine running. Although the vehicles ahead of you are disabled and blocking your route to no-man’s land, the vehicles behind you seem functional, and there is a ramp a short distance back that will allow you to exit the trench and circumvent the blockage ahead of you once the vehicles behind you move out of the way.

>>5123031

>Hold your position in the Scout Salamander for now, but get Ebonsoule to get the engine running. Although the vehicles ahead of you are disabled and blocking your route to no-man’s land, the vehicles behind you seem functional, and there is a ramp a short distance back that will allow you to exit the trench and circumvent the blockage ahead of you once the vehicles behind you move out of the way.

>>5123031
>Hold your position, with the knowledge you will be weaving through a lot of tanks as you make your way back to the Taurox once the official orders to advance are given.
Without the chain of command, an army is nothing. And I am not interested in potentially getting BLAMMED by a commissar for disobeying orders, general's son or not.

>>5123031
>Dismount and head east towards the 70th Regiment’s main spearpoint, Chaos mind games is probably the sort of thing your father wants to investigate.

>>5123023
>This time it is members of the treacherous Hydra Omega Royal Ninth Regiment, the “Royal Nines”. An Imperial Guard Regiment who was supposed to be garrisoning the city, they unexpectedly turned traitor
NOBODY COULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING
>>5123031
>>Hold your position in the Scout Salamander for now, but get Ebonsoule to get the engine running. Although the vehicles ahead of you are disabled and blocking your route to no-man’s land, the vehicles behind you seem functional, and there is a ramp a short distance back that will allow you to exit the trench and circumvent the blockage ahead of you once the vehicles behind you move out of the way.
Finders, Keepers.

>>5123031
>>Fall back to the Taurox Prime and prepare to sally forth.

Isn't a taurox prime superior to a salamander?

>>5123031
>Fall back to the Taurox Prime and prepare to sally forth

>Hold your position in the Scout Salamander for now, but get Ebonsoule to get the engine running. Although the vehicles ahead of you are disabled and blocking your route to no-man’s land, the vehicles behind you seem functional, and there is a ramp a short distance back that will allow you to exit the trench and circumvent the blockage.

You decide to hold you position and continue to blast away at the approaching wave of Royal Nines, but you send Ebonsoule down into the driver’s seat to see if he can get it running.

Covering fire from the advancing enemy becomes very intense, and your squad finds itself ducked down behind the walls of the Salamander’s open topped back compartment more often than not. It is rather cramped even with just five of you, and you hope none of the Royal Niners have a good grenade throwing arm.

Just as you are worried your position is about to be overrun, you get your orders to advance.

Not wanting to find your way back to the Taurox, you vox the driver and tell her to advance without you, then order Ebonsoule to put the Salamander in reverse when you say so.

It takes a minute or so for the Chimeras behind you to load up, reverse, then take the ramp out of the trenches. However, due to the large number of Chimeras now advancing outside the trenches on either side of your Salamander, the Royal Niner attack is shattered.

As Ebonsoule moves your own vehicle out of the trenches to join the advance, you order Ravven down into the gunner’s seat to man the hull mounted heavy bolter.

Not that you are expecting too much trouble until you rejoined the front of the advance. Ahead of you is a line of Russes, and several waves of Chimeras. Between them and the advancing friendly infantry, the only enemies you see are dead.

A short time later, you Salamander drives right over several shallow front line Imperial trenches, which are now all but abandoned, and join the waves of Imperial tanks and infantry crossing no-man’s land.

The Archenemy seems to have realized its counterattack has failed and redoubles its efforts to shell Imperial forces.

However, you take note of the fact that the enemy commanders still refuse to use the extremely heavy shells and missiles they are widely believed to have. It seems much like certain Imperials, the Iron Warriors feel there is something beneath the surface here worth preserving.

The Imperial advance makes it through several layers of Archenemy forward trenches before becoming bogged down.

Although the first two trenches are nothing but ditches, the next three are deeper, wider, and shored up with scavenged building materials, making them difficult for tanks to cross. Even worse, they are connected to a maze of durable tunnels from which all sorts of enemies pour out of.

>>5124276

Steel Legionnaires dismount their Chimeras and join the Ravenholm Regular Infantry (who had been using the tanks as mobile cover to cross no-man's land) in a vicious melee against the Archenemy forces for control of the trench network.

>Dismount the Salamander and join the melee.

>Stay in the Salamander in case the Imperial tanks try to push deeper into the trench network.

>Dismount, but keep to the edges of the melee and snipe when the opportunity presents itself.

>>5124276
>Even worse, they are connected to a maze of durable tunnels from which all sorts of enemies pour out of.
Do we have a flamer or six?
>>5124281
>>Stay in the Salamander in case the Imperial tanks try to push deeper into the trench network.
Melee is a bad idea as far as our orders go (aka make sure dad knows when we find whatever the Iron Autists are looking for under Groxbridge) because it will reduce our situational awareness to the tip of our nose and we can probably snipe just as well from the Sally.

questions RE: the sally: Does it have a flamer, and does it have a vox amplifier? If yes to the former, get someone to hose down the dugouts; incendiaries basically exist to purge bunker/tunnel complexes of oxygen and suffocate the occupants before they can jump out at you and if yes to the latter, we should get one of our boys on the vox monitoring radio traffic to see if any of the other elements are finding something that shouldn't be in Groxbridge (well, other than chaos space marines and their mortal thralls)

>>5124281
>Stay in the Salamander in case the Imperial tanks try to push deeper into the trench network.

>>5124281
>>Stay in the Salamander in case the Imperial tanks try to push deeper into the trench network.

>>5124320
Your squad has a meltagun and a plasma gun. The Salamander has an autocannon and a heavy bolter.

The situation is currently too chaotic to systematically plug each tunnel entrance with fire. Some of the other Guardsmen and a few of the vehicles in the area have flamers, but the trenches zigzagging WW1 style to reduce sightlines so it is pretty hard to guess where the tunnel entrances are other than looking at where the highest concentrations of enemies are. The situation is currently at a stalemate until enough Guardsmen cross no-man's land to overwhelm the enemies on the surface.

You can generally assume your character is constantly monitoring the main vox network whenever he gets the chance. If you are going to camp out in the Salamander for a bit, then getting someone to monitor other vox networks is a reasonable idea. You are still about four kilometers from the objective, and another two from the city itself, but there may be something interesting in the tunnels, particularly if they connect to the ancient defensive wall buried under Clipper Ridge.

>>5118081
That map is fucking cool

>>5124976
Thanks, like I said before, it is another anon's map from the original thread that I edited.
>>5118381

>>5124281
>>Stay in the Salamander in case the Imperial tanks try to push deeper into the trench network.

>>5124281
>>Dismount, but keep to the edges of the melee and snipe when the opportunity presents itself.

File: Thorakara Regulars.jpg (116 KB, 700x590)

116 KB JPG

>Stay in the Salamander in case the Imperial tanks try to push deeper into the trench network.

You decide to stay in the Salamander for now. The Imperial tanks may decide to try to advance at any moment, and even if they don’t, you see little value in getting sucked into the melee.

Hopefully your rank and special forces status will assure any commissars near by that you are on a special mission and not just shirking from the fight.

You get Ravven to watch the front with the Salamander’s heavy bolter while Ebonsoule stays in the driver’s seat. Meanwhile, you get Rouken to check various regimental and command vox frequencies with the Salamanders vox set while yourself, Krassis, and Nyazzar make sure no enemies approach the Salamander from the flanks or the rear.

The melee in and around the enemy trenches doesn’t look like it will end anytime soon, and judging by the rate at which the Russes are firing their guns, there are probably a fair number of enemy soldiers and vehicles rushing to provide reinforcements via the surface from reserve trenches further back.

The enemy is a motley mix. You can make out Thorakara Shocktroopers with their scowling masks and partial carapace, Thorakara Regulars in their spiked bucket helmets and ragtag uniforms, Royal Niners in their bright turquoise and blue jackets and wood stocked rifles, Iron Revolutionaries with their black clothes and occasional straw conical hats, Degenerates with their chains and piercings, and New Dawn with their (formerly) white silks and obscene mutations.

Largely absent are the Thorakara Trenchers and the Incubatus. The diseases they spread made them among the most dangerous of the enemy forces during the first month of the campaign, but fortunately they were never all that numerous to begin with, and are now a rare sight on the front lines.

There are some rumors that the Nurglese forces have had a falling out with the other factions, but it seems unlikely to you. For such a diverse group, the Chaos forces occupying Groxbridge work together surprisingly well.

>>5125635

Rouken finishes listening to the vox and provides a range of updates:

- As planned, the Imperial Guard advance has engaged Chaos forces along a five kilometer stretch of their trenches. In most places, the advance has stalled so that infantry can gain control of the front line trenches, but in a few places, particularly where Marines and superheavy tanks are present, the advance has pushed several hundred meters into enemy territory.

- Tunnels have been found all along the enemy lines. According to initial investigations, many are shallow and lead to reserve trenches, but some are very deep and lead to some ancient bunker system that may extend all the way to the ancient fortifications under Clipper Ridge.

- Several squads of Imperial Fists have dropped down from orbit to reinforce the advance. A force of Black Templars is also in bound.

- An Ork Kroozer and some unidentified xenos ships have arrived in orbit and are now harassing Imperial ships. There is rumors that the orks may be trying to land troops.

You ponder this information as you think of the next set of orders to give. To your surprise, it looks like the forward trenches are almost under Imperial control, so you will probably have to do something soon.

>Stay in the Salamander, continue advancing along the surface with the tanks. Only about four more kilometers to the Iron Warrior excavations south of the city your father wanted you to investigate. Hopefully a bunch of orks don’t land on your head.

>Dismount and try to find a tunnel entrance that leads to this ancient bunker network mentioned on the vox. If the Iron Warriors are excavating, perhaps this ancient network is what they are interested in.

>>5125642
>Stay in the Salamander, continue advancing along the surface with the tanks. Only about four more kilometers to the Iron Warrior excavations south of the city your father wanted you to investigate. Hopefully a bunch of orks don’t land on your head.
I don't want to be there when they fill up with shit

>>5125642
>>Stay in the Salamander, continue advancing along the surface with the tanks. Only about four more kilometers to the Iron Warrior excavations south of the city your father wanted you to investigate. Hopefully a bunch of orks don’t land on your head.
Alternatively we might want to try and Rendezvous with the taurox and ditch the Sally before someone tosses a grenade in it

>>5125642
>Stay in the Salamander, continue advancing along the surface with the tanks. Only about four more kilometers to the Iron Warrior excavations south of the city your father wanted you to investigate. Hopefully a bunch of orks don’t land on your head.

FYI, for anyone who was following the adventures of Rhea, the new thread is up.

>>5125642
>>Stay in the Salamander, continue advancing along the surface with the tanks. Only about four more kilometers to the Iron Warrior excavations south of the city your father wanted you to investigate. Hopefully a bunch of orks don’t land on your head.

>>5125698
Very cool, thanks.

>>5125642

>Stay in the Salamander, continue advancing along the surface with the tanks. Only about four more kilometers to the Iron Warrior excavations south of the city your father wanted you to investigate. Hopefully a bunch of orks don’t land on your head.

>>5125642
>>Stay in the Salamander, continue advancing along the surface with the tanks. Only about four more kilometers to the Iron Warrior excavations south of the city your father wanted you to investigate. Hopefully a bunch of orks don’t land on your head.

File: Scout Salamander.png (1.22 MB, 1012x579)

1.22 MB PNG

>Stay in the Salamander, continue advancing along the surface with the tanks. Only about four more kilometers to the Iron Warrior excavations south of the city your father wanted you to investigate. Hopefully a bunch of orks don’t land on your head.

You decide to stay in the Salamander for now, it is pretty clear the armored advance will begin again soon, and investigating the tunnels seems dangerous.

Sure enough, orders come through for the Steel Legionnaires to return to their Chimeras, and together with the Leman Russes, the armored units in your vicinity begin pushing deeper into the enemy lines, while the Ravenholm Regulars and Risians continue to fight for control of the tunnel network.

Although not a great driver, Ebonsoule manages to navigate his way around the deeper trenches and groups of friendly infantry in order to follow the armored wave onward to the next line of trenches, which appear to be much more fortified, but hopefully not as manned.

Several times the Salamander comes under fire from heavy bolter, but fortunately its armor plating easily deflects such shots.

Up ahead you sometimes glimpse enemy Russes and daemon engines like Defilers moving into position to support the trenches. Hopefully your own Russes can deal with them, the autocannon on the Salamander was only really meant to deal with enemy recon vehicles and infantry in soft cover, not enemy armor.

Enemy artillery bombardment also seem to be increasing; mortars, heavy mortars, and even a few earthshaker rounds.

Suddenly, the sky lights up, and you see several bright, comet-like objects falling from the sky. At first you are worried they are deathstrike missiles or orbital torpedoes, but as they get closer, you realize they are some sort of landing ship coming in unusually fast.

Just as it seems they will ram directly into the battlefield at full speed, they activate crude, asymmetrical retro-thrusters and anti-grav globes and smash into the battlefield at only moderately fast speeds.

Now that they are on the surface, you can only see the closest one clearly. About 100 meters long, and resembling both an asteroid and a sailing ship, you don’t need to see the giant ork skull and crossbones motif on the side to realize this is an ork landing vessel, specifically one from the piratical “Freeboota” subculture.

The vessel is several hundred meters away, but you imagine it contains enough orks to soon become a threat to your immediate position.

Already both Imperial and Archenemy artillery and armor are bombarding the ork landing craft, though it seems quite durable.

Your company (who you have largely been operating separately from, and who are well behind you by this point) is given orders to divert to fight the orks, but the company of Steel Legionnaires you have attached yourself to has orders to continue moving forward towards Clipper Ridge.

>>5128812

Suddenly, an earthshaker round lands relatively close by, and explodes with enough force to flip your Salamander on its side.

With your head ringing loudly, and more than a few bruises, you pick yourself up off the ground and realize you were thrown a few meters away, as were the rest of your squad who was in the open-topped rear section of the Salamander. The two members of the squad who were in the frontal enclosed sections vox that they are relatively unharmed, and begin worming their way out of the escape hatches.

>Try to find an opening into the tunnel network, the surface is getting dangerous.

>Try to hitch a ride on another Steel Legionnaire vehicle and continue to head towards the excavation site.

>Try to flag down a repair vehicle and get the Salamander operating and head towards the excavation site.

>Try to flag down a repair vehicle and get the Salamander operating and head towards the orks.

>Link up with your Taurox and continue towards the excavation site.

>Link up with your Taurox and continue towards the orks.

>>5128814
>Try to hitch a ride on another Steel Legionnaire vehicle and continue to head towards the excavation site.

>>5128814
>>Try to hitch a ride on another Steel Legionnaire vehicle and continue to head towards the excavation site.

>>5128814
>>Link up with your Taurox and continue towards the excavation site.

>>5128814

>Link up with your Taurox and continue towards the excavation site.

>Try to hitch a ride on another Steel Legionnaire vehicle and continue to head towards the excavation site.

You decide to try flagging down one of the Steel Legionnaire Chimeras slowly advancing up from behind you.

It takes a while, but you eventually attract the attention of a Chimera. It stops and drops its back hatch so you and your squad can get in.

The squad inside is small, but seems to have once been a standard infantry squad that took heavy losses. Likely the only reason they stopped while others didn’t is that they had space for your squad.

You briefly inform the squad sergeant that you have orders to get to the excavation site. There is some brief confusion since the sergeant wasn’t even aware there was an excavation site, but when you clarify it is an industrial site south of the town, he is fine with it since that is where he was heading anyways.

You have mixed feelings about the Steel Legionnaires. Despite the pedigree associated with being from the core areas of the Imperium, and being seen as worthy of such a lengthy trip in the warp to reach this war zone, the Steel Legionnaires themselves are mostly men of low birth. Even the officers tend to come from military families rather than nobility, and some of the enlisted men are from the underhives and semi-feral rural areas of their planet. But they seem professional enough, and none can doubt they are well drilled in mechanized warfare.

The Chimera makes good speed and doesn’t stop for several minutes.

You are informed that the Chaos forces in this region have all but collapsed, and the company captains of the armored and mechanized formations have decided to push towards Clipper Ridge as soon as possible.

The Chimera maneuvers its way through several more overrun or abandoned trenches before reaching the top of Clipper Ridge.

Here, the company commanders decide halt their advance for now, worried about pushing too far ahead of other sections of the advance.

This is just fine with you, now that you are on top of the ridge, you will finally have a chance to lay eyes on this excavation site your father is so interested in.

You dismount and survey the top of Clipper Ridge.

A maze of trenches used for long ranged artillery, anti-air, and observation, they seem surprisingly poorly defended, but perhaps the Archenemy never foresaw such a rapid advance and instead focused on fortifying the front line trenches.

Already Steel Legionnaires are fortifying the trenches facing the town with crew served weapons, however as you survey the area, you notice most of the enemy seem more interested in fleeing for the cover of the buildings in the excavation site then mounting a counterattack.

The excavation site itself is surprisingly dull. From up here it just looks like several dozen large warehouses supported by countless small outbuildings.

>>5130199

You already knew this is what the excavation site looks like from a distance thanks to aerial and orbital reconnaissance, but part of you was hoping for something, anything, of interest to report in case your father gets in touch asking for an update.

Unfortunately it sounds like the Imperial advance has halted again for now. Large pockets of Archenemy soldiers and orks are still marauding behind Imperial lines, taking advantage of the maze of trenches and tunnels to move around unseen. Several large counterattacks are also believed to be in the works, as Chaos forces from elsewhere in the Groxbridge region redeploy to stem the possible breach in their lines.

>Hold position for now and wait until the advance begins again.

>Try to sneak closer to the excavation site by using the surface trenches and shallow tunnels.

>Try to sneak closer to the excavation site by finding an entrance to the deep network of ancient tunnels.

>>5130200
>Try to sneak closer to the excavation site by finding an entrance to the deep network of ancient tunnels.

>>5130200
>>Try to sneak closer to the excavation site by finding an entrance to the deep network of ancient tunnels.

>>5130200
>>Hold position for now and wait until the advance begins again.
Gonna play the conservative here

File: Clipper Ridge Corridor.jpg (372 KB, 2400x1350)

372 KB JPG

>Try to sneak closer to the excavation site by finding an entrance to the deep network of ancient tunnels.

You sigh wistfully as you contemplate the two kilometers of trenches between Clipper Ridge and the excavation site. Most of these are north-south trenches made to protect Archenemy troops from long ranged shelling as they move between the city and the ridge, but some of them are artillery, anti-air, or habitation trenches which seem to still be manned judging by the ordnance being launched from them, while a number of pillboxes and heavy bolter nests prevent safe travel outside the trenches.

If only Valkyries could safely operate here...

A large burning shuttle of Imperial make flies by to your east and crash lands somewhere in Groxbridge, as if to underscore why that is a bad idea.

You decide instead to try to sneak closer to the excavation site by locating an entrance to the ancient tunnels beneath Clipper Ridge.

A risky move to say the least. Is it for glory? Promotion? Getting your father to actually appreciate you for once? Even you are not really sure.

You ask around and are quickly directed to a possible entrance to the underground network.

It is nothing more than a hole in the ground with a ladder leading out of it, but some Legionnaires that went down it report that it leads to an ancient tunnel of some sort.

Never one to shirk from risk, you are the first to clamber down the ladder, and sure enough, after several meters of packed dirt, and about a meter of solid metal, you find yourself in a hallway of unusual construct.

The walls, floor, and ceiling are made out of some sort of metal you don't recognize. Glowing light strips run along the ceiling, walls, and floor which burn with unusual consistency and clarity compared to most light production methods used in the modern Imperium.

There is some dirt on the floor, but the walls are surprisingly clean for something that is thousands of years old. Local records suggest the fortifications of Clipper Ridge have been sealed for ages.

As the rest of your team climbs down the ladder, you notice that the opening in the ceiling was in fact some sort of hatch, not a drill hole as you initially suspected. They must have dug from the inside out.

The Steel Legionnaire scouts come over and report that although this corridor seems empty, to be careful as many rooms branch off the north side, and the south side sometimes overlooks a much larger corridor through which Archenemy soldiers are still moving through in reasonably large numbers.

At both its east and west ends, the corridor terminates with heavy blast doors with no obvious opening mechanisms.

You thank the Legionnaires for the information, and split up your squad to investigations of the doors on the north end of the corridor.

Since stealth is essential, you order your squad to stow their usual weapons, and draw the compact silenced autopistols and autocarbines they carry specifically for this purpose.

File: Clipper Ridge Cross-Section.png (111 KB, 2899x672)

111 KB PNG

>>5131640

Most of these slide open automatically by pushing a light blue button next to the door, but some are locked.

The some of the rooms are empty, but many have clearly been used by the Archenemy as storage or living quarters. A few contain durable, slightly rounded furniture that reminds you uncomfortably of the Tau, though you are fairly certain it is human made, perhaps as old as the Dark Age of Technology if local records are to be believed.

As you travel east, you come to the first of the overlooks the Legionnaires mentioned. A large space some 20 meters wide, and 12 meters tall, it turns parallel to the corridor you are in, and you realize you are on the top of four stacked corridors running along either side of the main corridor.

Streams of Archenemy soldiers are emerging from doors on the south side (presumably leading from tunnels on the now Imperial controlled south side of the ridge), and in some cases are fleeing to the north side, presumably to tunnels beneath you leading to the north side of the ridge facing the city. However, most are being herded eastwards along the main corridor, perhaps massing for a counterattack from below somewhere further east along the ridge.

You pass this information on to the company commanders on top of the ridge before continuing your investigation.

You aren’t too surprised at how big the space turned out to be, after all, although Clipper Ridge has a gentle slope, its top is about 40 meters above the surrounding land. There is likely far more to the ancient complex than what you are seeing right now.

You do some mental math and realize you will need to go down about fourteen floors if you want to find a subterranean tunnel leading to excavation site, assuming one even exists.

Luckily, the next doorway you open leads to a stairwell. You stack up your squad, and proceed down many, many flights of stairs.

After about fourteen levels, you get everyone into cover and open the door.

To your surprise, it is an identical corridor to the one you came from fourteen levels up, which in turn overlooks yet another massive 12 meter by 20 meter corridor, though this one appears empty.

Just how big is this place?

You go down another level to reach the base of the large corridor, and from there are able to locate a north oriented tunnel.
Despite the durability of the construction, signs of water damage are obvious down here. Apparently even peak human technology is not immune to the ravages of this region’s legendary monsoon season and associated flooding.

However, only a few dozen meters down the tunnel is a grisly sight.

Several rotting bodies hang from the ceiling, and the tunnel is boarded up with wood.

Signs on the wood all contain warning messages like “Trespassers Will Be Shot” and “Closed By Order Of The Warsmith”, but perhaps more ominous is the graffiti proclaiming “The Metal Dead Do Not Sleep Easy”.

>>5131642

The tunnel has one side door near the barrier, which is open, and sounds of movement and muttered conversation come from within.

>Ready your silenced pistol and investigate the room, kill all within.

>Withdraw from the tunnel and try to find another leading towards Groxbridge.

>Throw in a flash-bang, try to apprehend someone to interrogate.

>>5131644

>Throw in a flash-bang, try to apprehend someone to interrogate.
There will be necrons down here....

>>5131644
>>Throw in a flash-bang, try to apprehend someone to interrogate.

Tell the squad to prepare, you want efficiency. The mission needs to be completed.

>>5131644
>>Throw in a flash-bang, try to apprehend someone to interrogate.
We are, after all, on a HUMINT mission. Gotta find someone to torture.
Does Major Drakkenspire have any familiarity with the Necrons? If he does, withdrawing and reporting would be prudent, because waking up the cranky old farts could cause a lot of problems for everyone.
I wonder if we'll get the chance to meet a certain pious camp follower in this adventure.

>Throw in a flash-bang, try to apprehend someone to interrogate.

You decide to throw a flash-bang and find someone to interrogate regarding what is going on here.

“The Metal Dead Do Not Sleep Easy” sounds very concerning. Daemon Engines? Necrons? Ancient Men of Iron?

All seem possible given the forces present and the ancient and convoluted history of the planet.

You order your squad to prepare for a snatch and grab.

You holster your pistols and draw your poisoned combat knife.

Ravven readies his armored combat gauntlets, Nyazzar pulls out a flash-bang, Krassis switches back to his meltagun, while Rouken and Ebonsoule keep their silenced autoguns out for support.

As the flash-bang detonates, you and Ravven are the first ones in, moving fast but crouched low so the others can shoot over your head if needed. Your armor automatically negates the effect of the flash and bang on yourself.

As you rush into the room, you do a rapid quick assessment.

Eight Royal Niners, including one that has been transformed into a mutated brute approaching an ogryn in size. There is also another doorway in the far corner that will need a keeping eye on.

You lightly stab the nearest in the gut as you slip past, causing him to drop to the ground thrashing. Even with such a minor wound, the neurotoxins on the blade will kill him within a minute, unless the antidote is administered of course.

You hear a crash as Ravven smashes a second target into the ground, and a burst of suppressed gunfire as Ebonsoule neutralizes a third target, likely the woman with bionic eyes.

You make a beeline for the man in the closest corner, hoping to disable him before he has a chance to reach for the nearby gun. The goal is to non-lethally disable as many targets as possible, you never know who will have useful information, but it is not worth getting shot at close range for.

As you do so, you move past the large mutant, knowing Krassis will kill it the moment he enters the room.

Except he doesn’t.

A female officer with an ornate hellpistol emerges from the doorway in the far corner and kills him with a single expert head shot before ducking back into the room.

You stab your intended target deeply, then vox a “switch to lethal” command to your squad. You can’t afford to mess around with a rampaging mutant brute and a hell pistol wielding sharpshooter in the play.

You sheath your knife and draw your hot-shot laspistols, keeping one aimed at the doorway, while using the other to score head shots on the bird headed freak and the massive mutant.

However, the massive mutant is not affected by the head shot, or the autocarbine fire Ebonsoule, Nyassar, or Ravven are hitting it with.

It punches Ebonsoule into a wall, then turns and smashes Ravven off his feet with a blind swipe.

As it does so, you notice it has two more faces on its torso, presumably one, or both still has a functioning brain behind it.

>>5134058

You shoot one face, but are forced to go into a diving roll as the creature swipes at you.

You end up behind it, and shoot it behind the knee, in the spine, and in the back roughly where you think the face on the front is, which finally seems to kill it.

You spin around and aim your pistol at the doorway, but the officer is still somewhere out of sight in the next room.

Sometime during your fight with the big mutant, the other two enemy troopers were gunned down by Rouken or Nyassar.

Rouken resumes guarding against an attack from the rear while you and Nyassar approach the doorway to the room the female officer came from.

Nyassar readies another flash-bang, but before he can throw it, the woman calls out.

“We are both beings of noble birth. Let us settle this with honor. You draw first blood, and I will tell you what is beyond that door. I draw first blood, and you men will no doubt kill me, but at least you will be dead.” - Yells the enemy officer.

>Pretend to accept, then shot her the moment she comes out.

>Ignore her, get Nyassar to throw the flash-bang.

>Accept, but fight to the death.

>Accept, and try and wound her in hopes she will honor her word.

>>5132692
>I wonder if we'll get the chance to meet a certain pious camp follower in this adventure.
It is definitely a possibility as she is on the planet during this timeframe.

>>5134059
>>Ignore her, get Nyassar to throw the flash-bang.
No point in trying to figure out if a Tzeench worshiper is telling the truth, or whether she'll be able to call our bluff if we lie to her. To be honest I'd skip the flashbang and switch to a concussion grenade if you have one. There's also no reason to humor her so-called "nobel birth," she's a heretic.
>>5134064
Would definitely be a bit of an easter egg

>>5134059

>Ignore her, get Nyassar to throw the flash-bang.
We don't negotiate with heretics.

>>5134059
>>Accept, and try and wound her in hopes she will honor her word.

>>5134059
>>Ignore her, get Nyassar to throw the flash-bang.
Switch to full auto, we have already lost squad members. That s unacceptable for ensure the mission success.

File: Royal Niner Captain.jpg (102 KB, 630x960)

102 KB JPG

>Ignore her, get Nyassar to throw the flash-bang.

You are not in the mood for this. However, it seems both you and Nyassar used up your frag grenades while fighting in the trenches, and you don't want to waste time seeing who else has one when she could be in there voxing for support.

You signal to Nyassar to ready a flash-bang, holster your right hand pistol, and draw your power sword. You depress the activation stub, and the already sharp blade is covered in a shimmering blue energy field that can cut through all but the hardest of substances with ease.

You have a feeling you will need it one way or another.

The flash-bang goes off, and you charge into the other room, weapons drawn.

Somehow you sense, rather than see, the power sword that the female officer sticks out at shin level and leap over it. She must have been crouched next to the door just out of view.

You spin around and aim the pistol in your left hand, only for her to jump up and slash it in half with her power sword while simultaneously hitting the button to shut the door just before Nyassar can enter the room behind you.

You take stock of each other.

She is almost supernaturally fast, but not particularly tall or strong. Not that it matters much since power swords cut through anything short of power armor like a hot knife through butter, but you do have advantages in terms of reach and the ability to overpower her parries.

You do a cautious rush with some downward and horizontal slashes, but she is smart enough to side step or step back from them rather than block. She then launches her own lightning quick assault of rapid stabs, but you manage to adopt a fencer’s pose so she can’t hit anything easily with her shorter reach.

She runs out of momentum and you both give each other space as you consider you next steps.
Unfortunately for her, this gives you time to pull your silenced autopistol from its holster beneath the power pack on your pack and use it to gun her down.

Although reaching your free left hand to retrieve your other hot-shot laspistol from its right side holster would have been suicidal, apparently it never occurred to her you have a third pistol somewhere.

Strangely she never attempted to use her own hellpistol, even though she could have easily slain you as you entered the room given she somehow resisted the effects of the flash-bang.

She must have really wanted that sword fight.

You glance down at the body. No obvious signs of mutation, and her captain’s uniform was in pristine condition before you filled it with bullet holes. Facial features suggest fine breeding, so she likely is noble born as she claims.

You wonder how someone like her may have ended up guarding a blocked tunnel in the middle of a major advance. Punishment perhaps? Or whatever is behind that barrier is extremely important.

>>5135969

There doesn’t seem to be anything of value in this room aside from a few scavenged chairs, tables, an old mattress, and a vox. Like the room where her followers were loitering, this room seems to be nothing other than a sparsely furnished guard post.

You go back to the other room, where Nyassar is checking on Ebonsoule and Ravven, while Rouken continues to monitor the tunnel corridor outside. Both broke a few ribs, and damaged their armor, but are less hurt than you initially thought.

Krassis is unfortunately quite dead.

You never really liked him much, a cruel, sadistic sort with an uncomfortable love of fire, but his skill with the meltagun has saved your squad several times since he joined two campaigns ago.

The enemy soldier you nicked with your poisoned knife has probably expired by now, but the soldier Ravven knocked out should still be alive.

>Interrogate the remaining enemy soldier.

>Destroy the barricade and push onward in case more enemies arrive.

>>5135972
>>Interrogate the remaining enemy soldier.
rapidly

>>5135972
>Interrogate the remaining enemy soldier.
Torture.

>>5135972
>>Interrogate the remaining enemy soldier.
just the basic stuff I guess. Of course the problem is that he's probably another Tzeench worshiper so I doubt that we'l get anything useful.

>>5135972
>>Interrogate the remaining enemy soldier.

>Interrogate the remaining enemy soldier.

You decide to interrogate the remaining enemy soldier.

A solidly built man with a buzz cut, well-trimmed beard, and a mostly intact uniform, you can picture what he once looked like as an Imperial Guardsman, but the effect is ruined by the fleshy growths growing on his left cheek and jaw, and the foul rune branded on his chest. Like most of the Royal Niners in the room, it looks like he favored Tzeentch.

You decide to play into his ego. The Royal Niners have always struck you as a self-important bunch, a bit like the Ravenholm nobility, but without the justification of coming from an ancient bloodline with a flawless record of Imperial service defending the ungrateful dregs and peasantry of the Imperium.

“You going to torture me? Do your worst, you idiots will find out soon enough you are fighting for nothing.” - Says the prisoner.

“Just like you did? Sitting in a basement guarding a blocked tunnel while the real fighting happens up above? I feel as though when I die I will have a lot more to show for it than you do.” - You counter.

“I die knowing that in my own small way, I have helped humanity get one small step closer to securing the knowledge we need to survive against the impossible threats arrayed against us.” - Sneers the prisoner.

“So did you come here trying to find archeotech and stumble on something worse instead? Something that rhymes with Mecron? Seems to me you are only hastening Mankind’s extinction, not preventing it.” - You retort.

The prisoner flinches in surprise, as does Nyassar. In truth, it was a lucky guess. You are a cynical sort, and as Necron seem like the worse possible thing to find behind that barricade, naturally that is the correct answer.

“There is a plan. The Masters have accounted for this!” - Says the prisoner, but you can tell he doesn’t fully believe this.

“Your Masters screwed up. Some things are best left buried, and this ended up being one of them.” - You respond.

Then you shoot him in the head with you remaining hot-shot laspistol.

You aren’t oblivious to the fact that some Imperial factions want to dig into the past just as much as the Iron Warriors and the mysterious Masters of the Royal Niners.

Hopefully finding more concrete proof of a Necron ruin will dampen their enthusiasm.

You send a brief update to your father on a highly encrypted vox channel that only he has access to. Unfortunately it is only one way, and he probably won’t check it until after the battle anyways given he has his hands full coordinating the battle.

Ravven and Ebonsoule are too wounded for you to want to bring them along on what you suspect will be at least a two kilometer jog through the tunnel before you reach any compelling proof of a Necron presence. You order them to guard the room and coordinate with the closest Imperial Guard officers in setting up a cordon.

>>5137365

Then you get Nyasser to take the meltagun off Krassis and burn an opening through the barricade.

As you suspected, it leads to a long tunnel. You order Nyassar and Rouken to follow you.

Periodically you pass doorways on either side, but you continue moving forward, convinced you won’t find anything useful until you approach the excavation site.

Sure enough, you eventually reach the end of the tunnel, where it has been intercepted by a large open pit.

Looking up, you see that the top of the pit is covered in a hangar-like warehouse, and looking down you see an inclined metallic surface at the base of the pit.

At first glance, it could be mistaken for an ancient human structure, but you can make out some small clusters of runes here and there that very much look Necron in origin.

You can’t help but wonder why they stopped digging. You have a hard time believing they needed to uncover such a large portion of the surface to recognize it as Necron, but you also don’t see any signs they dropped their tools to repel the Imperial advance. In fact, there are no tools in the pit, nor ladders or elevators to get out of the pit, which must be several stories deep.

You send another one-way update to your father as you contemplate your options.

>Backtrack, and see if any of the side doors lead to the surface. From there you can investigate the excavation camp further.

>Use your grappling gun to exit the pit and explore the perimeter inside the warehouse.

>Fall back to Imperial lines to report to your father in person.

>>5137368
>>Backtrack, and see if any of the side doors lead to the surface. From there you can investigate the excavation camp further.

>>5137368
>>Fall back to Imperial lines to report to your father in person.

>>5137368
>Fall back to Imperial lines to report to your father in person.
Necron's are a way to big factor to ignore in the future decision making.

>Fall back to Imperial lines to report to your father in person.

You decide you should report back to your father as soon as possible.

Yourself, Nyasser, and Rouken fall back to Clipper Ridge via the tunnel. There, you ensure the cordon that Ravven and Ebonsoule organized will ensure no one enters the tunnel except with permission from the highest levels of command.

You then gather your squad, collect Krassis’s body, and take one of the recently cleared southward tunnels to the south side of Clipper Ridge, where you link up with your Taurox and get driven back to your father’s headquarters.

The drive takes you through two kilometers of recently cleared enemy trenches. Even looking through the narrow slit windows of the Taurox, it is evident that losses were massive on both sides. It is also raining outside now. Despite your usual instincts to the contrary, you can’t help but feel a bit sorry for the commoner Guardsmen who sacrificed so much, for what will likely turn out to be minimal gain.

According to vox updates, the advance was deliberately halted on top of Clipper Ridge, and is in the process of fending off several counterattacks from various directions. Air support has done a few bombing raids on Groxbridge, but probably have done moderate damage to occupied infrastructure at best. Most worryingly, the ever unreliable Jerusalem Crusade of the Black Templars has deployed a company’s worth of marines into Groxbridge itself due to a miscommunication, and some voices on your father’s council are already pushing to resume the advance and assault Groxbridge itself.

By the time you return to your father’s war room, things are already very tense.

Present are all dozen or so lesser generals in the Army Group, no less than three Inquisitors, the Admiral, the Provincial Governor, the Magos Errant Fabricata, and representatives from all three Space Marine Chapters deployed in the area.

Most are attending by hololith, and even a few by vox, but there are enough important people in the room to make it feel crowded.

Evidently, your father has gotten your updates on the Necron situation, as it is one of the topics being discussed, along with whether to advance into the city.

The Krieger General and the Admiral still want to bombard the whole area into oblivion, seeing it as wasteful to continue to fight for such a highly tainted area now that even the prospect of finding archeotech seems dim. They are now supported by the newly arrived Inquisitor named Andreas, who seems a little unhinged to you.

>>5139306

Andreas has outed the secret goal of Inquisitors Zeke, von Rosen, and the Magos Errant, which is apparently to find some legendary device known as The Bident. Supposedly in ancient times, The Bident was discovered by humanity on this world and placed in a fortress. There had been some indication Groxbridge had been that fortress, or at least built on the remains of it, but the presence of Necron ruins throws that theory into doubt. Despite this, von Rosen and Zeke argue that the possibility of finding The Bident remains. In addition, they worry bombardment will awaken the Necron, not destroy them. Instead they want to immediately relocate most of the Army Group to other potential archeotech sites held by the Archenemy, while maintaining a smaller force near Groxbridge to monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, the Black Templar representative simply wants to kill all heretics in the region, in which he has support from the sleazy Regional Governor, the Steel Legionnaire General, and the Imperial Fists, though admittedly the other two seem far more conscientious of causing needless losses with an ill-prepared assault.

Most of the remaining generals stay quiet and wait for your father to express and opinion. The Ultramarine representative mostly just complains about the losses he took to friendly fire.

Your father finally acknowledges your presence and asks to to provide a full report on everything you saw related to the Necron.

>Slant report to emphasize how dangerous the Necron are, and how we should back off most of our forces to avoid waking them.

>Slant report to downplay the likelihood that the Necron ruins you saw were part of a more extensive network, and that the Imperial advance should continue pushing into the city.

>Slant report to suggest there is likely nothing of value at either the excavation site or in the city, and that it should all be bombarded to dust to avoid wasting more lives.

>>5139307
>Slant report to downplay the likelihood that the Necron ruins you saw were part of a more extensive network, and that the Imperial advance should continue pushing into the city.
They ar e here, but if we do it right they won't notice.

>>5139307
>>Slant report to emphasize how dangerous the Necron are, and how we should back off most of our forces to avoid waking them.

we already have two enemy with the orks coming in. A third is not needed. Eliminate the other two first.

>>5139307
>>Slant report to emphasize how dangerous the Necron are, and how we should back off most of our forces to avoid waking them.
obviously something needs to be done about the Necrons, but it certainly does not need to be done any time soon. Adding them to the mix could jeopardize the entire campaign

>Slant report to emphasize how dangerous the Necron are, and how we should back off most of our forces to avoid waking them.

You give your report, emphasizing that only a fraction of the Necron structure was excavated, but it was near the surface, and could easily be disturbed by heavy fighting.

Needless to say this doesn’t go over well with the other factions, but few of the generals seem keen to disagree with a position backed by two Inquisitors.

About 20 minutes into the discussion, the Black Templar representative is informed that xenos raiders have attacked his ship in orbit, and the Black Templars begin to make preparations to withdraw from the city.

Without the need to back the Black Templar assault, support for an aggressive push into the city dwindles rapidly.

Andreas still argues fiercely for orbital bombardment, but is overruled by Zeke and von Rosen.

Somehow you doubt your testimony single handedly won the debate, the fact that two Inquisitors were already backing your position probably had a lot more to do with it, but you definitely made some very powerful friends today, and some very powerful enemies...

------------------------------------------------------------

Two Weeks Later...

You wake up in your bunk bed, in the grim darkness of your room within Clipper Ridge.

Hardly a billet worthy of an officer of noble blood, but much better than being out in the rain.

The region’s monsoon season began recently, and from what you have heard, it will likely be non-stop heavy rainfall for the next two months. And when they say heavy rainfall, they mean heavy rainfall.

Sometimes it feels the only reason the whole region isn’t underwater is the semi-legendary cave network that extends underneath the whole region, and is sometimes said to extend hundreds of kilometers beneath the surface.

The lack of sunlight doesn’t help your mood either, the thick clouds have completely blocked the sun for days, and according to the locals, you are unlikely to see it for months.

After the decision was made to halt the advance, your father pulled the bulk of his forces out of the Groxbridge area to help liberate towns further to the south. He left behind a skeleton force made up of the Kriegers, several PDF regiments, a small detachment of Praetorian armor, and the remnants of a few conscript regiments like the Risians, and assorted camp followers pressed into military service. Strangely enough, a small detachment of Imperial Fists chose to stay in the area as well. About 40,000 men when all is said and done, guarding roughly 50 kilometers of trenches. Luckily due to the mauling the Archenemy took during the assault, their own numbers are probably even less, and it has been days since anyone saw an Iron Warrior or a daemon, some believe they withdrew from the area completely via the cave network. The Orks were wiped out during the battle, but intelligence suggests some teleported out, and their ship has since left the system.

>>5140673

Sighing heavily, you rouse your squad, get your equipment on, and head to the briefing that the Krieger General is giving to the batch of recon teams he is sending into the city, including yours.

In the briefing room is the General himself, as well as a few support staff, and the leaders of the other recon teams.

The Krieger General has no name, and simply refers to himself as “General 112”. Formerly “Colonel 112” he was promoted by your father, who felt that a man commanding a large regiment of hardened veterans should at least be a Major General, in keeping with the naming conventions used on your home world. Apparently Krieg Siege Regiments are stupidly massive due to the inevitably massive casualties they typically take. The 112th Siege Regiment had once consisted of nearly a million men, but the vast majority were lost even before they arrived on Damnatum Lutum. Now barely 10,000 remain.

You can’t help but wonder what those sorts of losses can do to a man’s mind, even fanatics like the Krieg. Though undoubtedly one of the backbones of your father’s army, few like interacting with them, particular their zealous leader. General 112 was low on your father’s list of people to lead the remaining troops in the Groxbridge region, but Inquisitor Andreas somehow convinced Inquisitor von Rosen to go along with it.

Luckily General 112’s briefing is short and to the point. He gives a short sermon on the important of obedience and self-sacrifice before handing over the briefing to your uncle, the Grey Drake.

The Grey Drake is your father’s Chief of Intelligence, and was left behind like yourself and your sister to keep an eye on the Groxbridge situation. A coldly efficient sort, he strings off a series of objectives for each recon team.

Your mission is to confirm the whereabouts of Bragon-Arrnon-Laurenthal, the former Provincial Governor of the Nena Region, who went missing about a month ago after the Inquisitors caught wind of certain...activities.

Rumor has it he snuck into Groxbridge with his core supporters, and set himself up as a warlord of sorts, one of many in Groxbridge now that the Iron Warriors have seemingly abandoned their mortal fodder.

As the briefing ends, you ponder your next steps. You have been given a fair bit of authority to run this mission anyway you want to.

>Talk to your uncle more about the latest intelligence on the forces currently present within Groxbridge.

>Head out to the front lines and talk to the officers there on the best way to enter Groxbridge.

>Go track down your psyker-sister and see if her mumblings are useful for once.

>>5140679
>Head out to the front lines and talk to the officers there on the best way to enter Groxbridge.
They know the best routes.

>>5140679
>>Head out to the front lines and talk to the officers there on the best way to enter Groxbridge

>>5140679
>Talk to your uncle more about the latest intelligence on the forces currently present within Groxbridge.

We need intel. Even if most of the enemy has left, going in blind would be unwise.
We also need other members to fill our special squad Request them, if we didn't already

>Head out to the front lines and talk to the officers there on the best way to enter Groxbridge.

You decide to head out to the front lines to talk to some of the officers there.

You gather your squad, and head out on foot, exiting the north slope of Clipper Ridge, and travelling along a communications trench in a small utility halftrack in order to reach the front lines, nearly two kilometers further north.

As expected, the sky is dark, the rain is torrential, and the soft mine tailings and other fine grained material that covers the region between Clipper Ridge and the south side of Groxbridge is supersaturated with water, creating a vast mudflat.

Only a few trenches, like the one you are travelling on, are still relatively dry (shin deep water), and only because of several layers of flakboard and bracing holding the mud back, and numerous pumps are running non-stop to keep out the rainwater.

Many other trenches have collapsed entirely, while a few along the front lines have become “canals”, almost completely filled with water, but still used by Guardsmen since being submerged in water is better than getting shot by a sniper.

The linchpin to the trench network in this area is the temporary “fortress” constructed by the Imperial Fists. Made up of several interconnected yellow prefabricated bunkers sunk into the mud, protected by numerous Tarantula sentry guns, mine fields, and a portable shield generator, it seems like gratuitous overkill given no one has been dumb enough to attack it. However, the Imperial Fists still worry of the Iron Warriors that may be in the area, not to mention the (now buried) Necron structure located only a short distance away.

There is rarely more than one squad stationed in the “fortress” though, often not even that. Surprisingly gracious by Marine standards, the Imperial Fists allow several of the local companies to billet in the ever expanding maze of new tunnels, ancient tunnels, caves, and other underground structures they have been creating beneath the surface, all of which are kept relatively dry by an elaborate network of pumps.

You decide to go visit Captain Dinn. Despite being from a desert feudal world you have barely heard of despite being nearby, you find he, and other members of the 1st Gomorrah Regiment to be surprisingly resourceful scouts despite the unfamiliar terrain.

Dinn’s “office” is a small pillbox like structure located just east of the Imperial Fist fortress.

A dark skinned female camp follower in traditional garb plastered against her shapely figure by the rain is standing outside. She holds a small dish of water so that those visiting the captain can perform some sort of ritualized face wash. She looks very unimpressed with her situation. No doubt she appreciates the fact that no one really needs a face wash when the region is being hit by 10 cm of rain an hour for most of the morning.

>>5141883

You ignore her and head inside the pillbox while the rest of your squad takes shelter in the nearby bunker.

Inside, Dinn glares at you for interrupting his paperwork, but when you remind him who you are related to, he grudgingly opens up and provides some useful information.

Apparently there is some evidence that by accessing the cave networks deep beneath the region, one can pop up anywhere, though no specific route has been discovered yet.

Instead, most people trying to infiltrate the city either use the shelter of the rain as cover as they move between various ruined buildings between here and the outskirts of the city proper, or travel all the way to the northwestern sector of the Imperial lines, and slip into the city’s poorly defended north.

>Use cave network.

>Move from ruin to ruin.

>Enter the city via the north.

>>5141884
What about the various utility and transit tunnels under the city? It's a rabbit warren with many prospective entrances, and guarding the whole thing is impossible.

>>5141884
>>Move from ruin to ruin.

>>5141884
>Move from ruin to ruin
Caves is just inviting necrons.

>>5141904
We are still about two kilometers from the city proper, in the middle of an old landfill with Necron ruins buried under it, so you would need to get a lot closer to the city to reach any known utility or transit tunnels. The ruins are a mix of outlying industrial structures and abandoned Chaos defenses since the Chaos pulled their forces back almost all the way to the edge of the city, creating a two kilometer no-mans land. You will probably need to use utility/transit tunnels to get past the main enemy defensive line though.

If you take the north route, you will also likely use some utility/transit tunnels.

>>5141884
>Use cave network.

>>5141884
>>Use cave network
What could go wrong?
>>5141883
Poor Namara

>Move from ruin to ruin.

You decide to enter the city by moving from ruin to ruin.

Dinn provides you with some additional information before you go.

The two kilometers of no-man’s land between here and the city is a maze of ruined buildings and wrecked vehicles. Before your father gave the order to cease fire (theoretically to save ammo, but secretly to avoid waking the Necron), the Leman Russes had a field day blowing up enemy vehicles and defences, the remnants of which remain scattered between Clipper Ridge and the city. In addition, there are the ruins of the warehouses that once covered the excavation site, and the ruins of three long abandoned tailings reprocessing plants, a scrapyard, and five fuel tank farms, all of which have been blasted to rubble, but still provide decent cover for infantry.

Both sides regularly send patrols out into the no-mans land, but enemy forces are clustered in the defensive trenches just outside the city proper. Although the Iron Warriors have not been seen for some time, about a regiment’s worth of Thorakara Regulars plus assorted cultists they have absorbed into their ranks still guard the trenches, which are also well fortified by mines, automated turrets, and patrolling servo-skulls, all of which are not as easily fooled by targets trying to use the torrential rain as cover.

But there is at least one way under the enemy front lines, some scouts have discovered an old rain water collection tank which once collected excess water from the city’s municipal run-off system and stored it in a massive underground tank. Although the tank itself is breached and filled with mud, there is just enough space left unclogged for a person to slip into the tank, then crawl into the tunnel that connects the tank to the city.

Not your most favorite plan in the world, but the soft mud has made your preferred method of entering the city, sneaking across one of several stretches of enemy trench known to be poorly patrolled at night, impossible.

You thank Dinn for the information, rally your squad, and head out.

The first kilometer is challenging, but not impossible. You wade through the mud, which is often between knee and waist deep, while taking refuge behind first the remains of the excavation site, then a string of ruined vehicles and bunkers.

Along the way, you encounter a smattering of scouts, sentries, and snipers from the Risian and Gomorrah regiments. They look pretty miserable and wet, no doubt unable to see anything further than ten to twenty meters away in heavy downpour.

Thank the Emperor your suit is environmentally sealed and thus waterproof.

You then make your way over to one of the abandoned tailings reclamation facilities and an adjacent scrapyard. At least that is what it is supposed to be. It is now a pile of rubble and large piles of blasted scrap. According to Dinn, the tunnel into the city is only about a hundred more meters to the northeast.

>>5144855

Unfortunately though, you spot a patrolling Thorakara Regular, no doubt there are others nearby.

>Fight your way through to the tunnel entrance.

>Lie low and hope they go away.

>Try to circumvent the enemy and approach the tunnel from another direction.

>>5144856
>>Lie low and hope they go away.

>>5144856
>>Lie low and hope they go away.

File: Groxbridge Map.png (4.16 MB, 6000x6000)

4.16 MB PNG

>Lie low and hope they go away.

You lie low for a while, and eventually the patrol moves on.

You then make your way to the tunnel crossing beneath enemy lines and travel through it without incident.

You find yourselves in the chemical works section of Groxbridge’s Vaulian Yards industrial district. Long ranged shelling by Imperial forces has badly damaged the infrastructure here, and the stormwater tunnel you were travelling through becomes impassable due to massive amounts of rubble, forcing you to the surface.

You are in some sort of laneway, with warehouses to your east, and chemical storage tanks your your left.

You see a small but morbidly obese creature waddling about nearby and immediately open fire, blasting it to rotting pieces.

Nurgling.

Followers of Nurgle have been thankfully pretty rare during this campaign, and daemons of Nurgle even rarer, but High Command has deemed them to be a high priority target anytime they are encountered due to fears of them spreading disease into the trenches.

So far, disease has been a surprisingly minor factor around Groxbridge. The followers of Nurgle, whether they be Iron Warriors, Thorakara Trenchers, or Incubatus cultist, all seem to worship Nurgle through a mysterious figure known as Steven Armrot, who is seen as an unreliable ally by the other Chaos factions. In fact, there is some evidence that far more Chaos infantry have died of disease thus far than Imperial troops.

Still, Steven Armrot’s followers are seen as one of the potentially most dangerous factions remaining in the city due to the risk they may develop some sort of foul plague that could cripple the Imperial besiegers.

If nurglings are about, cultists of Nurgle are likely around as well.

>Continue with original mission.

>Search area for worshippers of Nurgle.

(Groxbridge city map developed by Stannimposter from the original threads)

>>5148864
>Search area for worshippers of Nurgle.
Mark them on the map for artillery and precise air bombardment attacks. We will not deal with this on our own, neither fight it on our own.
After marking their positions get back to our mission

>>5148864
>>Search area for worshippers of Nurgle.
>>5148923
second

>>5148923

Supporting this.

>Search area for worshippers of Nurgle.

You decide to search the area for worshippers of Nurgle. You don’t want to mess with them yourselves, but you will mark the location for a future raid or bombardment. Heavy artillery is probably off-limits this close to the Necron ruins, but maybe someone will drop some firebombs, or send in a larger commando raid. Though if they want to use firebombs, they will need a lot, the rain continues to fall with impressive intensity, and isn’t expected to let up anytime soon.

You switch to your silenced autopistol and snipe off a few more nurglings as you search for the enemy lair. Nurglings are weak creatures, and only rare specimens can absorb meaningful amounts of damage, but the bright light of hot-shot lasfire can be seen from a distance.

Eventually, you find a warehouse with a few Thorakara Trenchers patrolling outside. Most of them don’t look like anything special in their beige uniforms, off-green armor, and sackcloth gas-masks, but one of them is a towering obese mutant with a flamer-like device that spews diseased filth. You have heard of such creatures and are secretly a bit glad you have no reason to fight one.

You mark the coordinates of the warehouse, before continuing north.

The streets in the Vaulian Yards and Docklands districts are all but empty.

Many buildings have been damaged by Imperial shelling, and others show signs of having been used by Archenemy forces as billets, garages, or stockpiles, but now the only signs of enemy occupation are graffiti, abandoned road blocks and bunkers, loyalists hanging from lampposts, and the occasional small patrol.

Apparently large numbers of civilians still live in the northern and central districts, trying their best to keep off the occupier’s radar, but these districts seem thoroughly abandoned.

Your target is believed to have taken shelter in the heart of the city, Wapper Central, in the large tower that was once home to the former Planetary Governor and the core of his government. No doubt Bragon harbors some fantasies that merely occupying the building is enough to make him Planetary Governor.

It is still a long way from the Docklands to Wapper Central though.

>Take the train tunnels. It is less exposed, but you have heard bad things about what now lives in the tunnels.

>Stick to the main roads. The most direct route, but also high exposure. However, the heavy rainfall is greatly reducing visibility.

>Take the side streets. Not much is known about the current conditions in the slum housing neighbourhoods of Stankonia and Chrysotile, perhaps you may find allies there.

>>5150967
>>Take the side streets. Not much is known about the current conditions in the slum housing neighbourhoods of Stankonia and Chrysotile, perhaps you may find allies there.


Unless there is visible signs of imperial resistance, consider anyone here a possible enemy. Is less likely that there are foes that can fight us here.

>>5150967
>>Take the side streets. Not much is known about the current conditions in the slum housing neighbourhoods of Stankonia and Chrysotile, perhaps you may find allies there.

>>5150967
>Take the side streets. Not much is known about the current conditions in the slum housing neighbourhoods of Stankonia and Chrysotile, perhaps you may find allies there.

>Take the side streets. Not much is known about the current conditions in the slum housing neighbourhoods of Stankonia and Chrysotile, perhaps you may find allies there.

You decide to travel northwest through the side streets of Stankonia. Better known as the Stacks, this grim high density slum houses many of the workers who operate the industrial districts further south.

Made up mostly of poorly constructed concrete apartment complexes 20-30 stories tall, separated by narrow streets lined with the crude shacks of food vendors and black market salesmen, it is a testament to the overcrowded nature of the Imperium that there are many worlds where Stankonia would be considered a paradise by the peons. However, in a small but affluent city like Groxbridge, the conditions were considered to be abysmal, and law enforcers tended to be more interested in keeping crime from spreading to neighboring districts than actually maintaining law and order in Stankonia itself.

No doubt the streets would have once been swarming with unwashed rabble, but now they are empty.

Likely most of the residents fled, while others were enslaved, or joined the cults, particularly the “Iron Revolution”. But you won’t be surprised if some of the area’s least lawful residents stayed behind, relying on their wits to avoid patrols and make a living scavenging and looting.

Of course, another reason the streets are empty likely has something to do with the fact that due to poor drainage, the streets are covered in knee deep water, and in some places the rainwater falls from certain large, slanted roofs with the intensity of a waterfall. The rain itself of course shows no sign of stopping.

As you continue to wade through the streets, you spot a mob of thirty or so individuals coming around a corner and heading your way, accompanied by a large tracked crane. The crane is festooned with banners of the Iron Revolution, and loudspeakers blaring propaganda, leaving little doubt who is in the group.

Although it is hard to tell in the rain, you think there are a few Thorakara in the group, escorting their cultist allies.

They are close enough they can probably see you, but likely can make out your allegiance.

>Cut through the nearest building to get to a different street.

>Split up your squad and take shelter in nearby shacks to lay an ambush.

>Assault the group head on.

>>5154027
>>Cut through the nearest building to get to a different street.

We can kill half of them likely in the first shots, but with some Thorakara there it means they have comms. This is likely not just one group of them doing this conversion attempt, meaning they can call allies or their allies can see them already. While our training and armor isn't crap, it doesn't mean it can survive overwhelming firepower/numbers.

Pray for the souls of the loyal and innocents left, and continue on. Our mission if successfull is more likely to save them than us killing this entire little group.

>>5154027
>>Cut through the nearest building to get to a different street.
Recon not raiders.

>>5154027
>>Cut through the nearest building to get to a different street.

>>5154027
>>Assault the group head on.

File: New Dawn Psyker.jpg (265 KB, 873x1500)

265 KB JPG

>Cut through the nearest building to get to a different street.

You decide to cut through the nearest building to avoid the incoming group of Thorakara and Iron Revolutionaries.

Inside it is dreary and decrepit, but aside from the foot deep water, it is hard to tell how much of this is normal, and how much is due to the enemy occupation. In fact, you wouldn’t be surprised if drainage infrastructure is so bad in this neighborhood, that seasonal flooding is a normal occurrence.

You leave the building, cut across a small courtyard, and enter another building. The lobby in this building is just as bad as the other, but then you notice the distinct banner of the New Dawn hanging from a wall (crude drawing of a sunrise in blue on a white bed sheet), and a foul mutant wrapped up in a bed sheet pops out from behind a corner and attempts to cast some sort of magic before being gunned down by you and your squad.

You can never have too much overkill when psykers are concerned...

Through the large windows on the opposite side of the lobby to you, you can see a narrow street, but also a few mutants in white loincloths loiter around with looted weapons. Apparently this building is a nest for the cult, and no doubt there are more of them on the floors above you, or more likely in the basement (assuming there is a part of it not completely underwater). You have heard reports that despite their name, the New Dawn seem to prefer living and operating below ground. The name itself is a reference to the alleged golden age that will ensue once humanity has embraced mutation and psychic abilities.

Damn heretics, it pains you a bit that such a worthless group of individuals has survived for so long.

Well not this particular group though.

Your squad easily defeats the group patrolling outside, then leave the area as soon as possible to avoid getting bogged down in a fight.

A short time later, you find yourself on the roof of a run down repair garage next to the southern fork of the River Grox, getting the lay of the land.

The river is clearly out of control, and several blocks on either side of it are covered in fast moving flood water. you were only able to get on the roof in the first place because someone made a homemade bridge connecting the roof of the garage to the second level of a parking garage across the street.

Clearly whatever flood control measures are usually in place have been disrupted by the war.

Nearby is Stankon Bridge, which is elevated enough that it rises above the flood waters.

However, the next bridge is likely partially submerged, meaning you will have to travel a fair distance before the next crossing.

>>5160435

Although the slums of Stankonia haven’t been favorable so far, you aren’t sure whether the commercial skyscrapers of Wapper Island will be any better.

>Continue navigating the slums to get into the middle-class Chysotile district.

>Cross the bridge and hope the reduced visibility of the rainfall allows you to travel through the wider and more exposed streets of the Wapper district.

>>5160436
>Continue navigating the slums to get into the middle-class Chysotile district.
If the enemy gets visual of us the mission will become impossible to accomplish, the slums give a lot of cover, and the possibility to run away in confusing patterns among the the myriad of dilapidated houses and shacks of tin, mud and excrements.
Sign on map where the new dawn possible cult headquarter was (since we passed there), then find an optimal way in the slums for reach the position we need to go.
After we have done that check ammo&equipment, team members and if we need a break/meal, also current mission time. Then go.

We are going to have a priest bless us after the mission, we passed through a chaos infested city after all.

I didn't remember to say it so far, but qm you might want to pick a name, anons might get confused if they don't see you with one. Something with Ravenholme. Perhaps Raveholme command ?
Beyond that, i like the quest so far. A small squad doing special missions is nice.

>>5160436
>Continue navigating the slums to get into the middle-class Chysotile district.
We should use the elevated rail line from Chrysotile to Wapper Central to cross the river. Of the three(?) bridges that will be passable right now, it's much more direct and least likely to be watched. Else brave the tunnels, if they're not full of water.
>>5160563
By the way, this is a highrise slum partway between Kowloon Walled City and a dense Northern England council towerblock estate rather than the mud-and-plywood type.

>>5160607
>By the way, this is a highrise slum partway between Kowloon Walled City and a dense Northern England council towerblock estate rather than the mud-and-plywood type.
That s better for our squad safety then

>>5160436
>>Continue navigating the slums to get into the middle-class Chysotile district.

>>5160436
>>Continue navigating the slums to get into the middle-class Chysotile district.

>>5160563

+1

>Continue navigating the slums to get into the middle-class Chrysotile district.

You decide to continue navigating the slums to get to the middle-class district of Chrysolite. The cover provided by the street level shanties and shops will provide good protection if nothing else.

You briefly wonder if you should have waited until dark before launching the mission, but the continued heavy rainfall reduces visibility, and the fragmented nature of the enemy suggests their ability to identify and coordinate against infiltrators is limited at best.

Everything you have seen so far confirms what the briefings have said, the Iron Warriors have disappeared, and their fodder are largely rudderless without them.

Too bad the Imperial forces have decided other objectives on the planet are more worthy of their attention, a decent sized army group with armored support could overrun the city in a day.

But for now, fears of waking the Necrons with a large battle, combined with the mysterious agendas of the Inquisitors and others who have attached themselves to the planetary reconquest, have dropped the liberation of Groxbridge to a very low place on the priority list.

A pity really, from what you have seen so far, much of the city remains free of corruption, and could be fairly easily be restored to provide shelter to the refugees crowding camps to the south. Not to mention getting the factories and transportation infrastructure up and running would be a major boon to the reconquest.

You travel a number of additional blocks before arriving at a modest square where a decent sized crowd has gathered.

You recognize most of them as being members of the Degenerates, a Slaaneshi cult of anarchists, druggies, sex addicts, and gang culture enthusiasts.

However, up on a stage, acting like some minor politician drumming up support during an election, is none other than Bragon himself, with a few other shady figures you don’t recognize immediately.

>Get Ebonsoule to try to take him out with his sniper rifle.

>Figure out how Bragon is likely to leave the “rally”, then ambush him when less people are around.

>>5168845
>>Figure out how Bragon is likely to leave the “rally”, then ambush him when less people are around
too much attention here. We are almost done, once he has less people we take him out maybe see if he has anything on his corpse. After that we leave.

>>5168845
>>Figure out how Bragon is likely to leave the “rally”, then ambush him when less people are around.

>>5168845
>>Get Ebonsoule to try to take him out with his sniper rifle.
Doing it publicly would cause all hell to break loose

File: Bragon's Party.png (1.49 MB, 2632x1600)

1.49 MB PNG

>Figure out how Bragon is likely to leave the “rally”, then ambush him when less people are around.

You decide to lay an ambush for Bragon as he leaves the rally.

You skirt the edges of the rally, not a particularly difficult thing to do as the Degenerates are a disorganized rabble even by Chaos standards.

You work your way to a side street behind the stage, where you spot a large, ornate limo, three fancy cars, and a few motorbikes.

Three guesses how Bragon intends to leave the area...

Loitering around, trying their best not to get too wet in the continuing rain, are several members of the cult known as the “Governor’s Men”. Most wear fancy suits and designer sunglasses, but a few are dressed in biker leathers and enclosed helmets instead. They only carry low caliber autopistols, and at first glance are perhaps not the most threatening of opponents, but intelligence suggests many of them were bodyguards and other security specialists prior to the invasion, and despite some minor mutations and tattoos, they still seem alert and professional.

Careful not to get too close to them, you space out your squad to set up the ambush.

Ebonsoule slips off to a nearby building to set up his sniper rifle, Nyazzar drops some small, remotely detonated (and water proof) demo charges on the road, before heading a block east in order to loop around and mine the north end of the road, and Rourken hides in a shed where he can get his plasma gun warmed up without drawing attention.

Rouken’s main target is the limo itself, but there is always a risk that Bragon has some sort of heavy weight protector you haven’t seen yet. Worst case is an Iron Warrior or two, but that seems unlikely.

Yourself and Ravven find a different building to enter, and set yourselves up in an abandoned second story office space so that you can rain hot-shot lasgun fire down on the road the moment Ebonsoule takes his shot.

After your preparations are complete, you settle in for a long wait, but luckily it is only ten minutes or so before Bragon gets tired of talking to the Degenerates.
Loud pound music starts up in the square, signalling the Degenerates have resumed their partying.

A few minutes later, you spot a small group heading towards the limo.

A Geisha holds a large umbrella for a man in an expensive yet understated business suit. You can’t see his face because of the umbrella, but through the heavy rain you think the skin on his hands looks darker than the planetary average, which fits Bragon’s description.

Also in the group is a senior member of the Governor’s Men, an Incubatus in a biohazard containment suit, and a red painted Khornate of some sort in riot armor, plus a few more Governor’s Men and some aides.

Ebonsoule also can’t see the man under the umbrella’s face, but the closer the group gets to the armored limo, the more difficult it will be to take down Bragon when he reveals himself.

>>5169968

>Get Ebonsoule to take the shot, target (pick a target) first with your own weapon.

>Get Ebonsoule to wait for a clear shot, target (pick a target) first with your own weapon.

>Hold off attack for now, let them run over Nyazzar’s explosives, then rush the survivors.

>Hold off attack for now, try tracking them through the city to pick a better moment to attack.

>>5169968
>>Hold off attack for now, let them run over Nyazzar’s explosives, then rush the survivors.

>>5169970
>>Get Ebonsoule to take the shot, target (pick a target) first with your own weapon
As long as you can shoot him through the umbrella don't worry about it

>>5169970
>Hold off attack for now, let them run over Nyazzar’s explosives, then rush the survivors.

>>5169968
>>Hold off attack for now, let them run over Nyazzar’s explosives, then rush the survivors.
Overwhelm them, hopefully we can wound some of them and kill the rest in their confusion