The Battle of Kemlik Square!

'The Tanks of the Warrick 1st Rifles and The Black Scorpions rumbled through the streets of the ruined captial. They had been skirmishing around the outskirts all week. Finally the Sons of Keraz had commited to a battle. Their headquarters were discovered and would defend it at all costs. Chaplain Vorenus watched the commencing battle from afar.... He was sure Centurions Ramius and Cassius would crush the traitors but something did not seem right in the cathedral, it was ruined yet still mighty but it's glory was gone, there was an eerie silence...something was not right. He shook the doubt from his mind. He was here to avenge a defeat from long ago. Gorius,... he will die today!'

The chaplains intuitions would prove to be right as a warp rift opened up in the Church. The miasma of the warp streaming through. The Librarian immediately felt the presence of evil. Evil beyond his wildest nightmares!

Elsewhere the 6 objectives would be as follows. Two terrified stranded soldier with vital information, one hiding the in the fountain/momunment, the other hiding in the 'Jolly Goblin' Tavern. Two drums of Kerofuel, one in the church, the other near the Precinct. A crate of unstable vortex grenades, vital to the war effort, was hidden amongst the traitor barricades. The last objective was the remains of Governor Gaius Thotarn, who was slain on the roof of the regional PDF headquarters (the beige building to the right)

The Battlefield: Kemlik Square - The Great monument to an ancient knight named Augustus Kemlik

The Capital, In ruins after the initial battle, The city would be flames again soon enough.

Turn 1

The Imperial tanks crashing toward the Chaos lines across the open square.

The Imperial Guard tanks remained still, ready to fire into the chaos lines. The Ancient Baneblade 'Thor' leading the charge. Three Basilisks where stations at the rear, ready to hammer the traitors. The Black Scorpions moved up the right flank with three dreadnoughts and two tactical squads. The were followed by the Mega Dreadnought! A superheavy walker! 3 Predators and a Hellhound began moving toward the abandoned Arbites Precinct. As the Space Marines deployed a squad of Traitor Chosen Marines had infiltrated into the rear near the church. Luckily Chief Librarian Stokahn (mephiston) was nearby. One of the predators diverted towards this new threat.

The hapless conscripts are sent toward the Superhuman Space Marines by the ruthless commander.

The line opened fire with a thundering barrage! Artillery rained down upon the traitors damaging a Basilisk's Earthshaker cannon. The leman russes, dreadnoughts, mega-dreadnought  blasted the traitors with shells, heavy bolters plasma and searing inferno cannons. The sheer amount of fire mowed down around 30-40 guardsmen. Some traitor soldiers still stood due to the heavily fortified barricades granting a 3+ cover save. The Mega Dreadnought fired its Hellstorm Missile Launcher at the manticore. The missiles struck home, igniting the massive manticore ordnance vapourising the tank! A leman russ scored a hit agains the foremost Chimera, wrecking the tank. The crew exited, coughing and spluttering.

'Bail out!'

 

The Traitors lines reel from the onslaught!

The evil Chosen marines at the rear broke cover and quickly realised their mistake. The waiting predator lived up to it's named and opened up with everything! A hunter killer missile splattered one marine. A storm bolter, auto cannon and two heavy bolters rattled off a storm of shots taking 5 marines down! Their ancient armor failing them!

Stokan marched forward, blasting a foul marine's head off with a well placed plasma shot. He moved in for the kill, screaming in rage he cut down the last three with ease.

 The imperials had opened the game with a bang, destroying a manticore, a chimera, about 40 guardsmen. Now it was the Chaos turn! They would avenge their fallen brethren.

The Traitor lines replied with a scheduled bombardment! Shells rained down like thunder destroying a predator.

'ARGH!'

The rhino pushing forward received incoming missile fire which was ineffective but the autocannons slammed home, wrecking the rhino. Tactical squad Cassius exited, standing in front of a whole line of angry soldiers ready to gun them down. Mortars, grenades, las guns, and plasma slammed into the squad. The horrific fire knocked down 5 marines. the second rhino was also holed by a missile, Squad Ramius were then fired upon by the conscripts. 2 marines fell.

Squad Ramius exit the flaming rhino. They would slaughter the fools who dared to stand agains the Astartes!

The rest of the traitor line fired with a demolisher missing the mark and a leman russ shaking a loyalist russ. Otherwise the fire from the traitors this turn was sporadic and unlucky.

Turn 2

The imperial line surges forwards, determined to wipe out and take the objectives controlled by the enemy.

A tactical squad moves in from the edge and takes the objective, setting up a lascannon on sniper duty

The line in the middle surges forward. A large platoon reinforces the artillery battery, knowing something would be coming through the rift soon. 

 
Up at the top of the battle the line again opens up on the traitors. The mega dread and dreadnoughts firing a torrent into the soldiers. More men are mowed down. One dreadnought annihilates a chimera showering shrapnel around it. Two men are decapitated by searing shrapnel. The basilisk rain down death again, smashing the traitor basilisk to pieces.

The right flank looks ready to collapse, bodies and gore litter the battlefield.

Squad Cassius move into the ruins whilst the mega dread covers their advance

 Ramius charges headfirst into the conscripts. They are slain to a man with viciousness and brutality.

'This is where they DIE!For the EMPRAH!

 

The squad surges forwad, eager to slay the mortar squads occupying the regional headquarters.

The Chaos forces play another trump card. Strategic redeployment. The regional HQ empties, tanks dissapear only to appear almost behind the imperial lines. The commanders of the Imperial forces react with trepidation. These so called 'sons of keraz' were no mere cultists. A brilliant military mind lay behind these plans. Another wave of conscripts marched onto the field along with a chimera, a platoon and a mighty baneblade!

The redeployed forces surprise the imperials! The chaos forces blow off an autocannon and stun another predator!

'Take Cover!!!!'

A chaos assassin also appears out of nowhere (counts as Sly Marbo) This dastardly assassin threw a demo charge at the basilisks, it scatters slightly killing several troopers.

The chaos assassin appears from nowhere!

 The baneblade unleashes fury! Firing all weapons that can see the platoon on the other side of the church. 10+ men are vapourised!. A mental cultist wielding a massive chainsword charges into the stunned predator but in his fury he swings too wildy, missing the mark.

The field of battle is looking favourable for the Imperials! But what awaits in the warp rift?

'Chaplain Vorenus stood solemnly, looking at the view screen of the makeshift camp. He could hear the booming sounds of battle. He was ready to join the battle at a moments notice. He would bid his time. The mysterious librarian had reported  warp rift in the church. A soldier from the Warrick rifles ran towards the towering chaplain. 'My Lord, the battle is going well! General Sir Richard Teabibbler
reports the right flank secure and that the regional HQ will be ours imminently!
'SILENCE!, The regional HQ is of no consequence!' roared the Chaplain, the soldier cowered before the skull-helmed chaplain. Vorenus turned to his honour guard, his most trusted marines. 'Brothers, Something is happening here, the traitors have laid a trap I'm sure of it... Make your peace with the Emperor... whatever comes throught that rift will the most evil and powerful of foes! Be ready!' 

Turn 3

Things had changed in a heartbeat, the battle that was all but won was now heading in a different direction. The Baneblade must be neutralised. A land raider and sternguard squadron enter the battle near the Baneblade. Chaplain Vorenus enters the battlefield with his honour guard, moving closer to the Warp Rift.... waiting.

The veterans enter the fray at the right time! Prepare for Glory!

The second platoon enters the battlefield to secure the objectives

Sir Richard Teabibbler: 'I say chaps, Things are tickety boo here!'

The sternguard open fire. 5 close range melta shots pummel the baneblade. Despite this ferocious firepower the ancient tank proves too strong. The tracks are severely melted and the crew panic a little but little else is achieve. The landraider sprays searing flamestorm over the advancing troopers, killing 8. The redeployed troops now face the full fury of the Imperial Guard. A Vulcan Macharius sprays massive shells into the ranks, decimating the soliders. two demolishers are also lobbed across killing a whole command squad.  The assassin meets his maker by torrents of flame.

Dakka Dakka Dakka

To the north the remaining traitor faces are gunned down down, now only some disabled tanks and crippled hulls remain. The battle seems to be won with 4 objectives firmly in control of the Imperial forces. The Terminators charge into the baneblade, clambering over the frazzled surface. The powerfists and chainfists go to work. The damage is superficial but panics the crew so much that the Baneblade will be unable to move or shoot next turn. The demolisher cannon is also ripped to pieces.

'Bring it down!'

With few forces remaining things look grim for the chaos forces. But then the trap was sprung. As the majority of the army was in the north, taking the enemy objectives... the warp rift pulsed and rumbled. The librarian felt the presence of unimagible evil, he prepared himself for the worst.

Gorius enters the field, a priority target for the Black Scorpions

At first, the reinforcements seemed manageable. Hideous chaos spawn shambled onto the field, another wave of useless conscripts marched forward, a Rhino containing the arch-slayer Gorius, Nemesis of Chaplain Vorenus finally entered the fray. Chaplain Vorenus was instantly informed, he would not be able to engage him in combat, but he vowed he would be slayed. He opened comms to the mega dreadnought

'Brother Aquinas, the rhino is the priority target. The contents are decreed to be threat level Alpha. It's Gorius.... I order you to sh...' The chaplain was interupted by the beasts emerging from the warp rift.

Then, with a terrible thunder and crackling the daemons appeared!

First through the rift! An'Grath the Unbound! 

Truly is can be said that these Chaos forces have long been planning such a move. The many souls of the city sacrificed for the blood god!

And Skarbrand himself!!!, The priest still had faith in the Emperor... The emperor could not help him now!

An'Grath, Skarbrand, a Bloodthirster named, Gar'than and The Skulltaker with 3 squads of Bloodletters ripped their way into reality, The Chaplain's fears had come true. This was all a ruse... sacrifice the millions of souls of Kesahl and use this final grand battle to summon these terrible creatures, this sector would surely fall without the help of the grey knights!

Without much to fire the traitors moved forward, determined to take some imperial dogs down with them. Some sporadic fire wounded some terminators but the sanguiary priest was on hand to heal them. A shot from the missile launchers on the precint blow up a leman russ, another squad blew the turret of a hellhound. The arrived daemons could not yet charge into combat, their physical forms not yet complete.

'We cannot hope to stand!, Run away I say, run aw...*Shot by the commissar'

Turn 4

The mega dread pummeled the rhino with punisher cannons as ordered. The endless amounts of shells eventually stripped the rhino of all it's worth. The squad exited the wrecked vehicle. The mega dreadnought then fired it's rockets at the squad killing 4 marines. The vindicator also fired at the squad killing them all in a fiery blast! Gorius' shredded body was thrown high into the air, landing with a thump. In the North the remaining hulks were ripped apart by the dreadnoughts and the rest of the marines their. With little shooting to do, all that remained was the assault phase. Nobody on the imperial guard side was looking forward to that.

The Chaplain opened the comms to the army.


'Brave men of the Imperial Guard, Brothers of the Scorpion! We face death incarnate, The true horror of the warp. We cannot win against such a foe! Withdraw from the battlefield, you shall fight another day! I shall delay these warp spawned filth... Withdraw!

'The chaplain and librarian attempt to delay the God of Death'

 The Chaplain and his honour guard charged into the huge bloodthirster, Librarian Stokahn also joined the fray, his experience fighting daemons would surely help them? Despite his immense strength he could not wound the greater daemon. The Chaplain and the librarian were slain to a man by the skulltaker and the bloodthirster. The last thing the Chaplain saw was the Stokahn being flung across the church floor, bloodied and rended.

The Baneblade was ripped to shreds by the terminators, most of the weapons were destroyed and it was immobilised.

And so the chaos turn began, the daemons plowed through the hapless guardsmen. An'Grath leapt over the battlefield, attacking another held objective, he slew 5 marines and forced them to withdraw.

With that final act of brutality the Chaos forces held 2 objectives, the Imperials held 2 and the remaining two were contested. A draw.... but an EPIC draw at that!

'Vorenus awoke in a fit of rage, the final moment of the battle still fresh in his mind. The sounds around him were dulled and distant, he was choking and writhing. He was in an amniotic rejuvenation tank, he realised both his legs and one of his arms were gone, his midsection was a mess of stiches and pipes. He could see apothecaries milling about in front of him. He heard a voice, a familiar voice!. It was Librarian Stokahn, lying on a surgeons table, badly injured.
'Vorenus, you are gravely injured, do not struggle. The apothecaries are preparing your body. Chapter Master Kane has deemed you fight on!, I agree with him.'
'A dreadnought?' pondered Vorenus 'It will suffice'
'Indeed Vorenus, you have many more enemies to slay'
'What of Gorius, what of the battle?' asked Vorenus eagerly.
'Gorius is dead Vorenus, his body shattered beyond recognition. Gunner Adivarius scored a direct hit with his demolisher cannon. Vorenus smiled, he had not slain him personally but it pleased him to know he died in such an ignominious fashion.
'After the daemons appeared we withdrew quickly, we lost brothers but the battle it was not in vain. We recovered Governor Thotarns body. It contained his personal diary, detailed information about the so called 'Sons of Keraz'. It contained force dispositions, battle tactics and commander names. We dealt them a hammer blow indeed but they sacrficed a large portion of their army to bring that Daemon into being. We have alerted the Inquisition. They assure me reinforcements are enroute. This sector will fall if we do not stop them. Rest now Vorenus, Your chance will come again. Next time we will be ready....'

Dawn of War!

Chaplain Vorenus sat solemnly is his dark chamber. He thumbed the activation button of his crozius nervously. His gnarled face was bathed the cold glow of the view screen.

The various files scrolled down and he flicked through the information, contemplating what was to come.

The battle barge, Altar of Judgement had received calls for aid. The planet Kesahl had rebelled. Elements of the PDF had defected, cultists rose up and a brutal warwas raging. The remaining loyal PDF had been beaten back to a remaining few cities, the planet would fall soon.  The 1st Warrick rifles and elements of the 212nd Skitarii Binary had already heeded the call. Vorenus knew they would handle the situation. Although aloof and haughty, the 1st Warrick rifles were famed for the determination and battle skill. Space marine intervention was deemed to be unecessary until Vorenus examined new info-packets that were received. Disturbing reports of daemonic entities and ancient enemies. Amongst the many names, one stood out. 'Gorius - The Arch-slayer, Beast of Helmus, Herald of Violation'.

Vorenus hissed the name. Decades ago they had met on the bloody fields of Velanus IV. The duel was fierce and brutal, each blow filled with 10000 years of hatred. The chaplains brutal strength was matched by Gorius' elegant swordsmanship, neither gaining the upperhand. Before the duel could end a nearby Baneblade was vaporised as it's reactor overloaded. Vorenus and Gorius were blown across the battle field. Vorenus later awoke finding his quarry escaped. The name of Gorius would rise in infamy as he murdererd and pillaged his way across the sector. Vorenus blamed himself for every soul lost, every city burned. Now he had a chance to avenge them! Vorenus ordered the Legion to make ready, The Altar of Judgement would join the campaign. His legion would aid in the destruction whatever filth was on Kesahl....and he would find Gorius... and slay him.