Timeless Winter: To Arms

Timeless Winter: The Saga Continues

“Success is measured in blood; yours or your enemy‘s”

To Arms

“You carry the Emperor's will as your torch, with it destroy the shadows.”

    After encountering a very resilient guard regiment and flanked by Space Wolves shortly after, Shas’o Strongwill decided it was time to make a tactical retreat in order to regroup and strategize. He had a plan that would hopefully turn the tide of the next battle in his favor. The Ch’arr Sept would be the aggressor, which would hopefully throw his opponent off guard since it was typically out of character. Quick thinking and an iron will had him map out the battlefield in an instant. The plan was simple…engage the enemy long enough for the rest of the Cadre to withdraw. The Commander was willing to lay his own life on the line to ensure the success of the mission.

“Advance, Guardians of Good! We are not dead yet!”

    The Shas’la slowly advanced on the Imperial Stronghold with their pulse rifles ready. As the snowy mist began to clear, the skies crackled to life with terrifying blasts upon the terrain.  The 81st was used to the psychotic weather  of this planet. They weren’t even phased by the promise of combat Strongwill threatened. They responded to this open display of war with dozens of krak missiles.  They may be mere mortals, but they have combat experience against Tau now. Almost simultaneously with the blasts from the sky, one could hear the collision of missiles with Crisis suits. They evaporated almost instantaneously. armour.

“Though our tanks and artillery are mighty, it is the vast ranks of Imperial Guardsmen that shall trample the enemy to dust - let them come.”

     The Crisis team and Fire Warrior squad that chose to march right up the midfield proved to be nothing but a diversion. The savage Kroot Carnivore squad showed some tactical prowess by using the distraction to outflank the main generator assembly for the base while Remora drones fighters and Barracudas zoomed into the fray full force. The 81st Asgardian Regiment had planted to massive blobs of infantry at the front gates to discourage a ground attack, but they weren’t prepared for an aerial assault.

“As the Emperor protects, so must we.”

    While the guardsman’s eyes were averted toward the multiple flyers overhead, the Kroot capitalized and felled a few guardsman. Once in range the automated Heavy Bolter turrets installed throughout the perimeter began to fire at the flyers to no avail. They simply couldn’t track their targets efficiently. Despite their lack of success in disabling the flyers, it was more than enough to help the 81st focus. They immediately resumed focus on the targets on their doorstep. Another salvo of missiles impacted the rest of the Crisis team, but they weren’t good enough to fell the old veteran himself. While he fired his jetpack to dodge the incoming fire and find temporary shelter, the Kroot were almost all mowed down.

“And the bounties of the Emperor shall go to those who have worked hard in his service.”

    Not to be outdone by Commander Strongwill’s fancy footwork, the Remora Squadron and two Barracudas circled the late arriving Vendetta like a deep sea predator stalking its prey…almost toying with it. The lone Vendetta pilot proved his worth by remaining alive and avoiding their advance. Before he could pat himself on the back, he was had.  It was merely a diversion. One of the Barracudas broke formation and unleash a vicious payload of ionic weaponry at the generator. Though armored, it didn’t stand a chance from the superior firepower Tau are known for. Upon it’s complete annihilation, all but one insanely heroic Kroot and a handful of guardsman from the nearest platoon were wiped off the face of Asgard.

 “Beat your thoughts to the mould of your will.”

    With red mist intermingling with the snow drifts and the crash of lightning threatening all without prejudice, the 81st Company Commander was the only one with the sense of self preservation to retreat. He felt he would be much better suited barking orders from within the fortress. While he regrouped, he left his squad behind. Almost as a result of his cowardice, they were struck dead by mother nature. With numbers dwindling on both sides, it was hard to tell if Strongwill’s plan was going according to plan or not.

“A friend of death, a brother of luck and a son of a bitch!“

    With the generator inoperable and the battlefield in shambles, it seemed like all was lost. From the darkness the remaining dogfighters continued their skirmish with furious intent. As the squadron of Remoras narrowed their approach to the main gate, it would appear the Emperor does protect. The Vendetta managed to team up with mother nature on the final assault. They each destroyed one of the two remaining drones.

“I hate last stands, there's never time to practice them.”

    Meanwhile, across the battlefield, Strongwill was nowhere to be found. All that remained were black and red smudges on the pure white canvas slowly being erased into nonexistence. It’s safe to say they will see him again. Strongwill is an appropriate name, for he is the most stubborn foe the Asgardians have tested their mettle against. The 81st needs to make time to replenish their supplies as well as ranks before the Ch’arr forces reengage. Who will strike first? And where?

Winter Is Coming.

The epic continuation of the Timeless Winter campaign is about to commence again. Saga of the Crimson Storm and the 81st Asgardian Regiment are on the prowl in search of the Ch'arr Sept they've recently repelled. There's no home-field advantage this time. Who knows what will happen or who will intervene.

Skirmish: Ch'arr Sept vs Kabal of the Oblivion Rift

Skirmish: Tau vs Dark Eldar

“Success is measured in blood; yours or your enemy‘s”

Ch'arr Sept vs Kabal of the Oblivion Rift

Dawn of War/Annihilation

     As daylight crept, there is minimal movement. It appears they're both aware of each other as they steadily creep into position. A Devilfish and two Hammerhead gunships maneuver the backfield for optimal firing position. A fleet of Raiders and Razorwing jetfighters wasted no time hitting the throttle as they advanced.


    The Tau may not have the speed of the Dark Eldar, but they aren't exactly lacking in the firepower department. As we've seen in the past, a Crisis team appeared in the enemy's backfield and outflanked the nimble Eldar. There isn't much that can survive a barrage from a Crisis team. Fortunately for the the occupants, the Raider took the brunt of the blasts to hell with it. In support of the downed Raider, a Razorwing alters course and unleashes it's entire payload of monoscythe missiles on the Crisis team, but they weathered and came out with minimal injuries. No casualties.


    A Hazard team manages to slip in behind the advancing jetbikes and wipe them out before they noticed them. Even turbo boosting they couldn't outrun the high velocity shots into their rear. Unsatisfied, the Hazard team felt the need to turn their aim to the Warriors that were forcibly disembarked by their counterpart team and almost wiped them out as well. Not to be outdone a squad of Wyches makes their way to the Hazard team and assaults them, but they managed to slip out of combat unscathed.


The Tau Commander finally appears and he knows how to make an entrance. With freakish precision, he launched an EMP halfway across the battlefield and felled a Razorwing with ease. As the wreckage sizzled, he managed to fade into the darkness.


In an outlandish display of weaponry, they whittled each other down, but not enough to give either an advantage. Rail guns. Dark Lances. Explosions. Oh my! With pointless losses occurring on both sides, wise decisions were made across the board. Tactically withdraw and engage when you have the upper hand.

Timeless Winter: Dawn of War

Timeless Winter: The Saga Begins

“Success is measured in blood; yours or your enemy‘s”

Dawn of War

“You carry the Emperor's will as your torch, with it destroy the shadows.”

    Spoiling for a fight and a chance at glory, numerous packs from the Crimson Storm set off in search of Xenos scum. Masters of the hunt. Adept at tracking through the most hazardous conditions. They follow their acute senses seeking grandeur through the demise of the intruders.

“Follow me, Sons of Russ! This night our enemies shall feel the fangs of the Wolf!”

    Delusions of grandeur is more like it. The Wolves found their prey, but they were prepared. Shas’o Strongwill was not going to make the same mistake twice. What appeared to be fleeing the battlefield turned out to be a tactical retreat to gain a calculated advantage. The Wolves were ambushed. Being a Space Marine doesn’t make you invincible, but it doesn’t hurt. The Wolves of Fenris are a hardy people to boot. They weathered the heavy barrage of sophisticated weaponry as it popped and hissed when coming into contact with their power armour.

“Fenris breeds heroes like a bar breeds drunks - loud, proud and spoiling for a fight.”

     Minimal losses aside from a few reckless Blood Claws. The veteran Grey Hunters utilized what little cover was around to save their hides. The Blood Claws that did survive the initial salvo were so caught up in rushing headlong into the enemy that they forgot to shoot before wildly flailing their chain swords like mad men! Fueled by Fenrisian rage and inexperience they felled all three Crisis suits.

“Camouflage is the colour of fear... I have no need to hide from my foes... I have no fear of death. My colours I wear openly, they proclaim louder than any words, "I am proud to live - I am proud to die".”

    In a mad dash across the front lines, a lone wolf advanced. Atop this monstrous wolf was an equally massive man wielding a gigantic thunder hammer. Hrikson, trusted Wolf Guard Battle Leader, moved as one with his colossal wolf Delilah. In a flash, he swung his gigantic hammer at what appeared to be thin air. A broken body appeared as it was dismembered. The noble wolf knight managed to fell all five invisible suits before the red mist dissipated.

“The answer, always, is the Wolves of Fenris, because they are clinically insane.”

    Meanwhile, the rash Blood Claws suffered more unnecessary deaths due to tunnel vision. They did well in cleaning up the Crisis suits, but failed to notice the Devilfish battle tank advancing towards them. Too late to do anything, the pressurized environment hissed as a squad of Fire Warriors disembarked. The planted their feet and let loose a volley that wiped out nearly half.

 “Look at me! As long as you the have strength to stand, you have the strength to fight. As long as a Wolf of Fenris has the strength to fight, he will never know defeat!“

    Fortunately for the young ones, their mettle outweighed their inexperience. Their training served them well. The feisty Blood Claws weathered the worst and executed a successful counter-charge. Retaliation was more than enough to fell the small squad of Tau. Victory leads to more experience, but with fewer numbers. They may very well be on their way to become Grey hunters some day…if they survive.

“Beat your thoughts to the mould of your will.”

    In the meantime, across the combat zone, a solitary Land Speeder caused a nuisance for a unit of Fire Warriors just out of range. This tactic served as a perfect diversion for the Thunderwolf Cavalry deployed to effectively outflank them and slaughter as only they can. With the Xenos invaders wiped out, what comes next for the glory starved Wolves? Will they continue to pursue the remnants until there are none left? Once the planet is free of Xenos, where will the next theater of war be?

Timeless Winter: Deliverance

Timeless Winter: The Saga Begins

“Success is measured in blood; yours or your enemy‘s”

Deliverance

“Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”

    Whilst engaged elsewhere, 81st Asgardian Regiment managed to send a distress signal at the first sign of imminent attack. Company Command quickly ordered their defenses be reinforced in preparation of a Xenos incursion and prepared to confront the assailant. The men of 81st Asgardian Regiment have weathered the elements of Asgard their entire lives, so they stand the best chance of holding their ground until reinforcements arrive.

“Give me a gun, a google-eyed alien to shoot it at, and I’ll die a happy man.”

    Meanwhile, the distress beacon was retrieved by a nearby unit from the Crimson Storm Great Company. In a race for time, they postpone their current mission and plot a course for Asgard. Unfortunately, the Tau force was able to intercept them before they could provide the much needed support 81st Asgardian Regiment required. Taking evasive actions, they managed to successfully launch a few Drop Pods.

“We are coming. Look to the skies for your salvation.”

    In the distance, one could hear the faint scream of something massive making planet fall. The intimidating roar of retro burners firing. The thunderous crash of life-shattering impact. The hiss of pistons flexing and doors bursting open and slamming into the ground.

“Raise the flag high. Let those degenerates know who comes to claim their lives this day!”

    From darkness they emerged. The flash of bolter fire illuminated them as they stormed out of the drop pod. The hulking mass of Tactical Dreadnought Armor crunched the snow beneath them. Their heightened senses and menacing gaze scoured the landscape to track their prey.

“In the name of Russ and the Allfather, I shall smite my foes!“

Staunch in stance, warriors of the Fire Caste brace for the inevitable impact staring them down. Before the Wolves of Fenris could unleash their fury, three giant robots hovered into the fray and let loose a barrage of screeching plasma shots. Despite the heavy gauge plasteel plating and thick sheets of ceramite, the high velocity shots were still more than enough to tear through and fell a warrior.

“To admit defeat is to blaspheme against the Emperor.”

    The violent approach of Terminators flailing a myriad of exotic power weaponry is a daunting scenario. Multiplied by the loss of a Wolf Brother, they destroyed the Crisis suits with no remorse. It served as a precursor to what was to come. Mere moments after felling the robots, another drop pod crashed into the surface of Asgard. The doors pounded the ground with the ill-fated stomp of five more giant men ready to pounce.

“Through the destruction of our enemies do we earn our salvation!”

    In spite of losing the Crisis suits, the Ch’arr Sept were better prepared for the next onslaught. They planted their feet, stared in the face of terror, and let loose. Fortunately for the Tau, it was enough to slow them down.  In retaliation and only half strong, they launched their storm bolters and missile launchers into the mob of Fire Warriors awaiting their assault to no avail.

“Do not fail your Brothers. Though their bodies die, their spirit must return to the Chapter. That is your charge.”

    Not to be outdone, Asgard struck just as barbaric as the Space Wolves and as potent as the Tau. In a flash, the immobilized drop pods were annihilated. Units were pelted with icy death barely surviving to fight each other. The harshness of the environment proved to be a competitor in their grudge match and nothing would be settled without it’s frigid input.

“Ride the Lightning!”

    The impregnable Hammerhead Gunship decided to make it’s presence known by relentlessly launching hellish blasts that could decimate the thickest armor with ease. Somehow the Wolves of Fenris evaded the nightmarish rounds from the rail gun and returned fire with the only thing in their arsenal that could even dent the massive hover tank…shoulder-mounted cyclone missile launchers. In defiance of the Xenos technology that projected false images in order to hide it’s real whereabouts, one miraculous krak missile managed to connect with the actual vehicle…a vulnerable area to boot. Consequently, the Tau Gunship was eradicated, thwarting the enemy reinforcements. Can the Crimson Storm rendezvous with the 81st in time?

Timeless Winter: Outreach

Timeless Winter: The Saga Begins
“Success is measured in blood; yours or your enemy‘s”

Outreach

“Even when broken, a sword may still cut.”

    Forever in search of the outcast Farsight, Shas’o Commander Strongwill of the Ch’arr Sept encounters a small planet in the Ultima Segmentum. Being a Third Phase expansion, Strongwill is no stranger to the Imperium. A wise commander treads carefully in this part of space because it is unknown what lies around every corner. In Tau tradition of furthering the Greater Good, Strongwill opts to send a scouting party to survey the area consisting of one of his most trusted bodyguard and a few allies specialized in scouting. If you want something done right, you leave no room for error…especially when dealing with the possibility of enemies.

“Today, more than ever before, we fight for the Greater Good! And we will triumph!”

    Unbeknownst to Strongwill, the small planet they stumbled upon was Asgard. It is one of the planets the Great Company Crimson Storm uses to house one of its armories, as well as, hone their skills on the path of the Wolf. Wolf Lord Ansgar Stormwind allows the 81st Asgardian Regiment use of the facilities and in return they lend their services to keep everything in working order. With it’s close proximity to the Eastern Fringe, the 81st Asgardian Regiment has to always be on guard whilst maintaining the planet. Wolf Lord Stormwind doesn’t station a pack full time on Asgard, but wolves never stray for long from their den. The 81st Asgardian Regiment is well-equipped to counter anyone foolish enough to engage them in their own territory. They are a durable people bred in the harshness of a lifetime of winters.

“A good soldier obeys without question. A good officer commands without doubt.”

    At the sight of the Xenos incursion, the first platoon to engage the enemy unleashed a hale of gunfire. Lasguns pulsing flashes of light. The harshness of winter obscured vision, but they continued nonetheless.

“Sir, we’ve engaged some sort of robot. We let loose but it’s still advancing.“

    Amidst the darkness, a shadowy figure emerged unscathed. This automaton-like thing seemed to only have minor scratches and STILL kept advancing. Whatever it is, it’s carrying more weapons than a mere man could muster the strength to haul AND still move.

    Merely meters away, yet out of sight of the first platoon, several savages laid in wait. The next platoon had better luck with the feral-looking beasts. They mowed down half of them at first glance. Moments pass, but in the heat of battle it can seem like a lifetime.

“Give me a gun, a google-eyed alien to shoot it at, and I’ll die a happy man.”

Relentless in their barrage, the guardsman continued to whittle down the savages with pointy sticks and old-fashioned rifles. All that remained were the big one with some ritualistic mask and the ones on all fours. Despite losing the majority of their horde, they were unaffected in their pursuit of man. They possessed a hunger in their eyes no man should have to witness.

    On the other front, even over the roar of heavy gun fire and hot pulsing screeches of plasma weaponry, one could hear the dropship in the distance dropping off reinforcements. The 81st knew they had the home advantage, but they needed to do something before the risk of becoming overrun became inevitable.

“This is the moment of truth. You will not fear. You will not falter. You will not give a single step to the enemy.“

    Knocking on the front door, a smaller robot appeared out of nowhere shortly before making a mad dash toward the gun line. Almost simultaneously the big machine and the savages all engaged. Clearly this wasn’t some ragtag group, but an organized assault. This seemed out of character for the Tau one hears about.

Contact! I repeat, contact! Hold the line. We are Asgardians!
   
    The dog looking beasts attacked first and didn’t hold back. They went for the throat without remorse, while the big one ferociously flailed blades in an attempt to decapitate anything and everything within reach.

    If things could get any worse, a gigantic tank fell from the sky. It was some sort of hovering gunship. It immediately fired a gigantic pulse of energy that lit the air on fire. It narrowly missed the nearest unit capable of engaging it, which happened to be a small squadron of Scout Sentinels. Brave men in the heat of battle, despite the frigid temperatures unleashed their payload of hunter-killer missiles and Autocannons in response to the death shriek that barely missed blasting them into oblivion.

“How in the hell did we miss!? Be glad he did too.”

    Apparently Asgard doesn’t take too kindly to visitors. The storm that rages all night and day began to pick up. Icy death pelts vehicles, stunning gun crews and ceasing operating systems for a few moments. For those unfortunate enough to be outdoors, it was simple. Dodge or die, whether it was hail or bullets. If not, Asgard dragged their corpses to meet their maker.

“We fought too hard to lay down and die now. We’ve weathered storms worse than this.”

    Favorably for the 81st, they were used to this harsh environment. With the combined might of Asgard and the iron will of man, the foe was kept at bay. But at what cost? And for how long?