Heresy.Scot

Knocc

Where Druimm provided the food for the sector and B’einn the industry, on the face of it Knocc didn’t seem to offer a huge amount despite the large size of the planet. Knocc was never deemed to be a high priority world, it did not contain any valuable ores and the land was considered to offer little forage or suitability for farming. As such it was mostly left alone, undisturbed and unexplored.

Nevertheless, some people chose to make the planet home and with a small population spread all over the surface this world has been sparsely defended, the population left to their own devices, mostly ignored by the war. This was the primary reason why the traitors had chosen it as their rendezvous point, to regroup and get the war effort back on track.

Above Knocc the Traitor fleet dropped out of warp to rally. The Loyalist forces had won a pyrrhic victory and held on to Druimm and its people. The Traitors fumed, this had cost them supplies and soldiers far beyond the anticipated levels. Retribution would be at hand as soon as reinforcements were drawn in from B’einn and beyond, the Warmaster was not going to let this part of space fall from his grip. Shuttle transports began slowly moving between the Traitor vessels, carrying crew, supplies and repair parts. 

Unexpectedly, contacts appeared on the sensors of the traitor ships that indicated imminent warp arrival. 

The Loyalist fleet had given chase. 

The Traitor fleet had not accounted for the fury of the Loyalist commanders or that they would follow them to this part of space. Red alert was issued across the traitor fleet.

Vessels began breaching real space, at first just one at a time with a bright flash from the warp translation and immediately these ships began gunning across space firing warheads as soon as their Gellar fields dropped. The tide grew stronger and the gaps between each arrival was shorter. Dozens of ships exploded early in this engagement as both sides vented their fury at one another. “Steel Fury” was destroyed by boarding action, the terminator troops of the Imperial Fists teleporting out at the last second. In return the “Terran Might” was destroyed by tech heresy spread by the Magos of the “James”. Each individual loss would go unrecorded in history but would felt across the entire Imperium as the war continued unabated.

Breaking free from the conflict, one of the Warmasters vessels, the ‘Celestial Truth’, took a calculated risk. Driving low in to the outermost layers of the atmosphere the Slaugher class cruiser attempted to use the gravity of Knocc to allow for an accelerated broadside on the Loyalist supply ships that were kept in reserve. The strain proved too much for the vessel, having taken substantial damage in this skirmish. Power was lost across the entirely of the “Celestial Truth” and it painfully lurched in to the planet gravity and without any grace, was doomed. Ship serfs rushed in a desperate attempt to regain control while important fleet commanders realised the fate of the vessel and headed for the lifeboats. Pulled in by the gravity of Knocc, the ships protective heatplates initially held strong once the ship hit the atmosphere but even they could not withstand the angle of descent and were ripped from the hull of the vessel and with that, she began to break apart.  Within the hour, the “Celestial Truth” had crashed through a rocky outcrop and her remaining parts were spewed across the planet surface leaving a thousand kilometre long scar across the planets desert wasteland.

At first glance from those holed up on the planet surface bastions, it appeared to be a lucky miss – none of the planet’s key logistics were damaged. However, planetary wide systems began to record strange signals emitting from the crash site. Scout forces were deployed to that region and returned with samples of strange wargear, not seen before in sector records. Using high priority messaging means picts were sent to Tech Adepts across the sector and beyond in the hopes of identifying their origin. Ancient human tech in nature these items seemed to be weapon caches of some long lost people with a symbol of The Boney Prince.

Orders came in from the Loyalist fleet, planetfall was to be made by all available ground forces, there was to be a defensive cordon made around that crash site before troops were sent inside to reclaim any relics.

Alpha Legion operatives intercepted these broadcasts and with a reborn cause,  the Warmaster’s forces struck an immediate assault of their own. Whatever lay below Knocc was to be claimed for the greater war efforts and finish this conflict once and for all. 

The battle in space continued but the fury lessened as the two fleets began to withdraw and protect their vessels, disgorging their troop transports under heavy escort towards the planet surface. On the outskirts of combat range they remained ready to react to any movement from the other side.

Result

Loyalist Victory. AI Located on planet destroyed at the cost of the planet itself.

End Lore

++Beatha’sath Conflict Report Ctd – 3/10++

++Known Casualties++

++Assailants List++

++Alpharius – KIA – Unconfirmed++

++Astartes – Estimated at 2,000 Dead++

++Human Elements – Estimated at 5,000 Dead++

++Unknown Entities – Presence Unconfirmed No Bodies Found++

The readout flickers as each line is presented, the text runs across the screen too slowly. The power the communications unit is draining is  precious and was very much required in other parts of the defensive perimeters. However this work was needed, the outcome of the system has to be documented and the fates of these lost souls recorded. These were only estimates at best, the planet tore itself apart and records were extrapolated from satellite picts from before and after the planet was lost. 

Scribbling noises followed by a loud echoing sigh fills the dark, empty chamber. Malcador the Sigilite looks at the screen intently, the soft green light illuminates his ancient face. This is now the 32nd time he has seen that name since Horus turned on his father and upon recovery of the corpse it is never the Alpha Legion Primarch. He muses that one day perhaps Alpharius may be slain and maybe his body would go unrecovered but despite all that had happened in these dark days, a guilty part of Malcador hoped that the reports would always be wrong and he would see the twin one last time before the end. 

Another message appears on the screen. 

++Other – Security Clearance Magenta 54++

++Login Required++

Malcador could feel his interest peak. What was a monotonous job has become more interesting. It was rare that extra clearance would be required for a system such as Beatha’sath. Indeed only a handful of people on Terra would ever be able to see such documentation with this required clearance level. He keys his access code and the system drains even more power from this vicinity, the already dim light in the room begin to flicker as the system thirsted for more power. The room becomes pitch black except for that same green glow from the monitor. 

++Access Granted++

++Schematics 1.STL++

++Schematics 2.STL++

++Schematics 3.STL++

More and more fill the screen. All the way up to 25. But there was more than that, a couple of documents appear on the screen below the Schematic lists but before Malcador can take the titles in, the screen changes Did he see a message “To the Bearer of the Imperium”? Surely only one who has access to the Imperial codes could have sent this. Furious attempts to bend this simple system to his will ends in frustration. All that remains is the following message.

++ERROR Unable to display. ERROR++

Malcador checks that he has keyed his code correctly but the screen never returns to the same list, time and time again he tries. This could only mean one thing. He had seen something that no one else was permitted or meant to see. The Emperor was watching now.

Still, Malcador has more time than Him as of late and so he looks to piece together clues to this mystery. First he begins by moving troops around the sectors that neighbour Beatha’sath – just a few fleet vessels here and there, ones that won’t be noticed. Orders fly across the screen as the old man gets to work. “Let’s begin with Tirna Smarag”

Held 24/25th November 2018 at Common Ground Games, Stirling

Druimm

According to cleared imperial records, the planet Druimm was the third and final world to be colonized in the Beatha’sath sector; a decision made more out of necessity than choice, completed not long before they re-joined the Imperium during the Great Crusade. As the populations of both B’einn and Knocc rose exponentially, space and food became a premium. If the sector was to survive they would have to succeed where their predecessors failed. Historical accords show that there were two previous attempts at colonizing the planet, once upon their arrival in the system all those millennia ago and another just before they were separated from the Imperium of man at the Age of Strife. The reasons for these failures are not documented locally, undoubtedly lost in the bureaucracy that is the administratum or sealed due to critical information. Remembrancer records show this does not stop the people of Beatha’Sath from regaling in legends of their own, the vocal means of sharing history being very important to the people. Tales of unpredictably catastrophic weather, inhospitable terrain and supernatural terrors are not uncommon, though the latter is never spoken of above a whisper, unless the speaker is under heavy synthol inebriation.

For unknown reasons, the third expedition succeeded where the others had failed, all that is known is that a lot of resources were poured in to making sure the colonization was successful, nearly enough to destroy the entire system. The first phase of this colonization was the construction of a space station above the planet. An Suil’acroch would serve two functions; its teleporter matrix was a more reliable method of collecting and redistributing food from the – soon to be – agriworld, and its weapon platforms would serve as a deterrent to any would be raiders. The people of Beatha’Sath opted for this geostationary station in place of a more conventional ground based starport due to the topography of the planet, its rolling hills, jagged mountains and soggy marshland not lending well to hosting large buildings. After decades of work – and countless lives spent – the planet and it’s station were ready for the transformation from hostile wilderness to productive agriworld. The planet’s population live and work in large domed buildings, locally designated as ‘Brochs’, rarely venturing outside and only doing so when absolutely necessary as the planets climate is not kind to most forms of life. The planet’s main export are Caora, unique and highly aggressive fauna, who’s body can be rendered down into a number of usable resources and luckily for those in the system, hardy creatures that can withstand the conditions on the planet.

Once news came to the system that the heresy had begun, the system planets, bar Druimm, were pushed towards manufacturing equipment for the war effort. Druimm, being the only Agriworld in the system, was still tasked with producing enough food to keep the labor forces operating at peak efficiency and building up emergency supplies for the populace.

As the loyalist forces began to limp back from their defeat on Beinn, the Planetary Governor Boudeka, knowing that they – and their station – were just as likely to be the next target as Knocc, ordered the world go into “Taigh’dhubh” – a state of planetary shutdown which means the livestock and equipment are to be rounded up and the population are ordered to fall back to their Broch; much like they would in the face of an oncoming storm. There, in the safety of their armored compounds, they had the best chance of outlasting the enemy.

Now the loyalists have set up a number of perimeters, both on and off world. Hoping that their effort might delay the traitors long enough for reinforcements to arrive.  

Result

Loyalists held An Suil’acroch (orbital platform). Traitors took planet Druimm

Held 26/27th May 2018 at Common Ground Games, Stirling

Intro Lore

On the Northernmost edge of known Imperial territory lies a sector with a vast and colourful history of conquest and reclamation. The people of Beatha’sath have seen war like few other humans in the Emperor’s domain.

Although most of the historical data is missing, or indeed forbidden to all but the highest levels of clearance, all that is known is that the 1314^th Explorator fleet set sail from Terra during ‘The Stellar Exodus’ in high spirits, the human cargo having long harboured grudges at losing both their previous tribal autonomy and at being rolled into the bigger conglomeration that the Terran authority brought. The human colonists were particularly glad to be rid of the Sasainn, having never seen eye to eye with their erstwhile neighbours due to centuries of unrest and civil war between the two groups. The volunteers believed that by escaping from Terra they could live a freer life, even with the hardships that would go with this new challenge and responsibility. 

From the other scraps of information that remain, it is unlikely that many on Terra missed these people or had any form of melancholy as the volunteers boarded their vessels and began their exploration of the stars. The crew that made up the 1314th fleet were described as ‘drunkards’, “intoxicated”, ‘prone to aggressive behaviour’ and blessed with ‘a dialect that only the best crypto-remembrancer in the galaxy could decipher’ in their pre-flight medical reports, though none were failed as unfit to travel – suggesting that perhaps they were allowed on board regardless of condition.

The number of Imperial seals and wards marked with the Biologis department suggests that the path that the people, who would later become known as the Beatha’sathan’s, took was an arduous one. Several heavily redacted records imply not only that they made contact with several xenos races but also that the Beatha’sathan’s were prone to infighting over dogged doctrines and disagreements. One particular report marks their contact with a space faring animal species called the Kilpees, these beasts appeared to have left an impression on the colonists as they later adopted these beings in to their folklore and coat of arms. 

Regardless of their internal struggles, the fleet soon arrived in Beatha’sath, finding the system to be rich in mountainous planets, each teeming with valuable resources. Having travelled through countless barren systems, the decision was made to colonise the hospitable planets, starting with B’einn, followed by Knocc and finally Druimm.

Records suffering from the protection of the highest Imperial remit, point to there having been at least two succession attempts executed by those on the fringe of the newly formed society and supported by those who sought to become an independent state. These rebellions were crushed but at a cost for the survivors who found friends and family permanently lost or excommunicated. One report speaks of a brigand known as “Valice”, who inspired an entire army division to declare Freedom for the region. This rebellion was short lived however as he was betrayed by his second in command who turned him over to the Sector Overseer where he was unceremoniously executed for treason.

For five thousand years the people of Beatha’sath prospered, expanding across the planets in their domain, suffering little from the predations of Old Night. Indeed, expert geologists within the Imperium speculated that something in the rocks may have kept the colonists safe from the dangers that threatened other humans and even species such as [REDACTED] did not invade this system.

The Primarch of the 1 Legiones Astartes, Lion El’Jonson, discovered Beatha’sath during the latter stages of the Great Crusade, having stopped for fleet repairs during the [REDACTED] campaign. He found the people still as argumentative and cautious as ever but they were reported to have given the Primarch a warm reception after the Beatha’sath people heard the announcement that Terra had been re-conquered and their old enemies, the Sasainn had not only suffered gravely but were now wholly destroyed. Ancient bottles, preserved in stasis since the exodus from Terra were opened and consumed to toast the news. The I Legion Primarch was said to have remarked that the liquid was particularly golden in colour, surpassing even those spirits he had sampled from the vaults on Terra that were usually reserved for Malcador’s most favoured guests.

After days of deliberation, debate and concessions, Beatha’sath voted unanimously to re-join the Imperium. Never late with their tithes, the people flourished within the comfort of the Imperium. Beatha’sath had found its niche within the Great Crusade and turned their vast mineral repositories in to useful chemicals and products to help push the forces of the Emperor ever onward.

Less than a decade after the I Legion fleet left the system, Horus’ rebellion set the galaxy aflame and war approached Beatha’sath. Routed forces that are loyal to Terra have begun drifting in to the sector seeking resupply while Traitor fleets snap at their heels, keen to press home their advantage and win a total victory in the Northern Imperium.

Fiercely loyal to the Emperor, the sector shipyards and munition factories had gone into overdrive to provide repairs and aid the Imperial war effort before the Traitor forces invade.

Result

The Traitors pushed the Loyalist forces back from the planet