Only War One-shot - The Purging of the Teygetus Range

     And now for something completely different...

Name: Yunthar IV

Segmentum: Segmentum Ultima

Sector: Badab

System: Yunthar

Population: 2,400,000

Affiliation: Contested - Imperium/Mutant Partisan Forces

Tithe: Solutio Tertius

Class: Knight World/Penal World

One of the earliest settled regions in the Badab sector, the Yunthar system was attractive to the original pioneers due to its proximity to the already established Pireaus system and large quantity of habitable worlds orbiting it's twin stars. Originally an agri-world by dint of it's temperate weather patterns suitable for farming, Yunthar IV was formerly the most densely populated and developed world until the advent of the [REDACTED] caused the population to break into factions. The loyalist forces, led by the knight house Sarkis, were forced to deploy their stockpile of atomic weapons during the subsequent fighting. The planet's two mega-continents, Attacia & Laconia, suffered numerous nuclear salvos and large swathes of both the land and surrounding oceans were rendered uninhabitable. The remaining population was herded into great dome cities which now dot the northern and southern tips of Attacia and Lacnoia. There are two settlements of note, Turnia in the north of Attacia is the ancestral seat of House Sarkis and is the center of the planet's culture, while Amykles on the southern edge of Laconia boasts the planet's only independent space port and is owned by a council of trade consortiums. Yunthar IV has two moons, known as Kythira & Antikythira, both are lifeless hunks of rock. Worship of the Emperor falls within an orthodox interpretation, though there is a particular focus locally on themes of martyrdom and personal sacrifice which borders on concerning to outside observers. Needless wastes of life or material on last stands or rear-guard actions is endemic to Knights or Guard units hailing from Yunthar IV.

The surviving forces loyal to [REDACTED] were enslaved after their surrender and set to repair the wide-ranging damage done to the planet's infrastructure; but as the war consumed the wider sector it was decreed by the Sector Governor that Yunthar IV would be the destination of any rebels captured in the fighting deemed useful enough to serve the Imperium in other fashions. The decree was never lifted, and while the fires of war have been extinguished, Yunthar IV is still the eventual destination of any heretic, mutant or fugitive apprehended in the wider Badab sector who isn't summarily executed. These unfortunates are doomed either to serve as one of those condemned to reclaim the blighted land of the planet and battle the mutant hordes loyal to [REDACTED] who live there, or to be claimed as part of the planet's tithe to the Star Phantom's Adeptus Astartes Chapter as part of the settlement of the [REDACTED] conflict.

Yuntharian society is organized into a rigid caste system. At the top are the hereditary holders of the Questor Imperialis, House Sarkis. The knightly house maintains a relaxed grip on the planet as a whole, the nobles making up the house having forged a close association with the Star Phantoms Space Marines and are largely absent, serving in some crusade or another. The next caste are the families associated closely with the Sarkians, household guards and attendants, cadet houses and the Sacristans who maintain the nobility's machines. They are drawn from the families of the original colonists and maintain strict separation from outsiders, both of their own caste and off-world. The descendants of convicts and freed slaves, the third caste makes up the second largest demographic of the planetary population and have the uneviable task of maintaining and expanding what small amount of arable land exists upon the blighted planet. Members of the third caste live outside the dome cities and are dependent on them for aid and supplies, but are otherwise free to go about their business in whichever manner pleases them. Their work is given incentive by the fact that any land they reclaim or conquer becomes theirs by right, and is passed down to their family in perpetuity. They are also the primary holders of slaves on the planet. The final caste are the newly arrived convicts, mutants and confirmed descendants of rebels which make up the bulk of the planet's population. Recently arrived convicts are dropped off by a ship in either Turnia or Amykles to serve as laborers, but discipline is often lax and escapes into the irradiated wastes are common. Members of the lowest caste have no rights or standing under the law, they may be exploited, enslaved or killed freely by their superiors or members of their own caste.

The young nobility of House Sarkis often organize raids into mutant and convict held territory in the central regions of their continents to cull the population and hone their skills. These sorties are are of interest to the wider sector as a useful training ground for units of the Imperial Guard or Star Phantoms to gain experience fighting against mutants or radioactive environments. Though there are occasional reports of [Redacted] activity, none has been confirmed by Imperial authorities to date. Beyond its use as a proving ground, Yunthar is also a common pilgrimage site for members of the Adeptus Mechanicus interested in the many ruined vehicles underneath the planet's blasted surface.

Prologue

Freed from the terrors of the Badab War, the eponymous sector has largely rebuilt itself from the inferno which gripped it centuries prior, though the legacy and threat of the Blackheart still looms large in those deemed worthy of such knowledge. While subject to an Edict of Obliteration, information about the conflict still filters down to the common folk of the sector in the form of legends and the occasional war machine dragged out of the ground. After the defeat and flight of the Astral Claws into the Maelstrom, governance of the sector was turned over to Star Phantoms chapter, who have spent the intervening centuries rebuilding the shattered remains of the sector. With newfound authority, the Star Phantoms reorganized the structure of the region to fit within their regional goals, reinforcing the northern systems against incursions form the Maelstrom and restructuring the supply lines to support the newly minted ring of fortress worlds. The Yunthar system was not spared these changes, and the devastated seat of the system Yunthar IV was repurposed into a recruiting and training ground for the crusades which regularly originate from the sector into the warp storm to the north. It is common for the Star Phantoms to recruit their initiates from the ever replenishing ranks of the convicts of Yunthar IV, and the penal and knightly household troops from the planet are considered to be the sector's premier mechanized infantry.

The current Chapter Master of the Star Phantoms, a four century old veteran of the Badab War by the name of Kathal has called for a renewed crusade against the traitors lurking within the warp storm known as the Maelstrom, and has ordered the Yunthar system to furnish ten regiments for the war effort. House Sarkis has pledged a number of knights to the effort, and has proffered a full three regiments, one to be drawn from their household guards (such as the Yuntharian 138th Mechanized Infantry, 'Yeoman's Pride'), with the other two to be made up of penal legionnaires drawn from planetary convicts. Wishing to put up nothing but the absolute best that their planet can manage, the Baron of House Sarkis, Spiros has put out an open call to any Freeblades, Mercenaries or other assorted scum of their planet that the units with the highest numbers of bounties collected in the coming annual purge of mutants will be considered for off-world service. The dregs of Yunthar, desperate for a way off of their world have eagerly accepted the challenge.

Briefing

[Hand out copies of Yunthar IV overview for players]

Meeting in the gutted remains of a mutant town with the nine meter tall quartered yellow and green Paladin known as the Titanium Scorn being repai by mechanicum priests on a ridge nearby, the Player's commander, a Mercenary Major by the name of Fuljov Pityeph hoping to get he and his unit off this nightmare of a planet, addresses the troops of the 15th Irregulars with the following encouraging message:

"We were sent here as the the Emperor's castaways. We are those who have been denied his light, his love, his mercy. We have a chance now to redeem not only ourselves or our ancestors, but our descendants, to give them a life beyond this barren hell of a world. We are tasked with eliminating those who offend him by their very existence, and by the will of the Emperor, we shall not suffer the Mutant to live. May your aim be true, and may the Emperor grant you the hate to see you through."

Whatever the composition of their forces, the players have been tasked with engaging the eastern flank of the Mutant partisan forces defending Hopeless, a fortified town on the edge of the Teygetus Range, a mountain chain in the northeastern corner of Attacia, from the ensuing onslaught of one of the knight scions of House Sarkis. The player's unit is to tie up any relief forces which may try to relieve the city from the attack of the Titanium Scorn, and to protect the knight scion from any attempts from anti-vehicle units to destroy it once engaged. The pilot of the Titanium Scorn, Acantha Sarkis is known for her aggressive style, and it is considered a great honor to serve under her.

Fuljov hopes that they may be given an opportunity to distinguish themselves, and has done his absolute best to bribe lower caste members in the area for the best intelligence on Hopeless that one can manage. The local partisan forces, lacking any formal designation, have simply been termed Scum by local and visiting imperial forces. The Scum have been grouped into four platoons, though it is noted by Fuljov that this information should be considered unreliable at best. Two platoons of heavily mechanized infantry riding salvaged or retrofitted vehicles are concentrated in the fortified town of Hopeless itself, one is currently patrolling along the nearby banks of the Rytian river, equipped as a harrying and reconnaissance force, while the last is acting as a reserve force to the north of the town and is rumored to be equipped with a number of vehicles salvaged from the ruins of the last war. The player's unit is to be supported by elements of the Yunthian 138th Mechanized Infantry commanded by Major Rysad Portupolus and the Isinian 389th Artillery ('Lucky Guns') commanded by Lt. Major Turonk Hikata. Fuljov has volunteered the 15th Irregulars to lead the flanking attack, Maj. Portupous' 138th is to shadow the Titanium Scorn and Turonk's 389th will stay in reserve and rain the Emperor's wrath upon targets called out by the knight or the other units. After explaining the plan, the Major dismisses his troops for the night and distributes copies of the minutes to the unit commanders.

Day 1

The attack begins at dawn. The weather is hardly cooperative, with a radioactive sandstorm being whipped up by a system blowing in from the west, dragging visibility down to less than a mile. The mutants take this opportunity to scramble the disposition of their forces, having caught wind of the presence of the Titanium Scorn. Their commander, a daring Scum of indeterminate gender by the name of Drappken, has wheeled around one of their Mechanical Infantry regiments from the city proper into the field to meet the enemy in the chaos of the sandstorm. The storm lasts for four hours, requiring a Challenging (+0) Navigation test to move forward in successfully. Three must checks must be made before the unit finds itself on the eastern approach of the town. After each check (whether successful or not) the encounter table below is rolled upon:

1-7	Nothing
8-9	Mechanized Scum detachment (2d10+2 Mutants equipped with stubbers, split between two ramshackle vehicles each with a mounted heavy stubber)
10	Friendly unit, 25% chance of accidentally opening fire.

Ferocious fighting broke out between the Titanium Scorn and mutant suicide bombers with vests crafted from salvage melta grenades. Though the attack was largely unsuccessful, a toe actuator on the right foot of the Scorn was damaged, but not enough to slow the machine down. Much like the war machine they were guarding, the 138th was bloodied but unbroken, taking heavy casualties from a mutant psyker and supporting infantry before bringing the unit down. The 389th found itself largely useless, the big guns of the Basilisk having no cause to fire even a single time. The approach to town was screened long enough that the mutants were able to retreat down into the tunnels which have been dug beneath the town of Hopeless proper, but rear-guard forces have been left to give the appearance of a fighting retreat. Any attempts to probe into the tunnels is stymied by a number of reinforced durasteel covers which have been pulled down behind the defenders. These will take hours to melt through, even with the heavy weapons mounted upon the Titanium Scorn. The first day ends with a short meeting by the quartet of commanders, then the player's unit is rejoined by Pityeph who explains the situation and bids them goodnight.

Night 1/Day 2

The mutant counter attack comes just hours before dawn. Commando units from the mutant forces creep close enough to nearly penetrate the Imperial picket lines, managing to neutralize several guards before their discovery. The Imperial units have only minutes before the main body of the mutants are upon them, though Acantha never exited her steed, so the Scorn is able to cover the rest of the Imperials as they rouse themselves for battle. Several Scum units with heavy weapons have set themselves up on the remains of the tallest structures in the town and attempt to draw the knight's attention away from the main body of their forces, who are currently weaving their way into the remaining buildings of the town, attacking any troops who have set themselves up in the structures and pressing their attack against the off-balanced Imperials.

Canny members of the player's unit will notice the telltale signs of a warp incursion even before the first daemon bursts from the bodies of the fallen mutants; patches of sudden cold, nosebleeds, visions of horrific planes beyond the material, strange lights in the sky or in the distance or simply whispers barely beyond the character's hearing. Witnessing these requires that the player engage in a Challenging (+0) Willpower and succeed or gain 1d10+3 Insanity points. The daemons quickly stabilize the fortunes of the formerly outnumbered and outgunned Scum, giving them a fighting chance. Though the Titanium Scorn stands as an impregnable bastion, the 138th begins to wither under the concentrated assaults of multiple Chaos Spawn. The Spawn begin to rout the mechanized infantry, some of whom panic and call down strikes from the 389th upon themselves instead of retreating. The artillery obliges. The panicked units cease to be, along with many of their attackers. The chaotic struggle is thrust into the collective hands of the players from this point. The chaos spawn are still attacking the remnants of the 138th, who are either fleeing or attempting to make their final stands. Acantha is being forced to split her attention between the chaos spawn and the heavy weapon units, rendered unable to help the 138th or the PCs. The 389th's Major Hikata chatters desperately for orders and updates on the situation over the vox. The players have several options here, some of which aren't necessarily mutually exclusive:

• Mow down units of chaos spawn until they are able to relieve the beleaguered 138th.

• Fight their way into the city and destroy the Scum's remaining heavy weapon squads, allowing the Scorn to devote its full attention back to the mutants in front of it

• Identify targets for the 389th, raining hell upon them.

If successful, the players are able to break the back of the Scum's forces, though the Drappken and many of the mutants have retreated deeper under the ground in the ensuing chaos. An uneasy quiet settles over the battle as the midday sun bakes the crusaders, little to heard beyond the screams of the dying and the howling of the wind. The quartet has been reduced to a trio, Major Portupolus lost their life during the battle earlier on in the day, but the meeting commences. It is decided that the surviving mutants post too great of a threat to simply allow them to shimmy down into a network of warrens underground. The Titanium Scorn, supported by whatever heavy weapons or vehicles remain, is going to burn holes large enough for members of the guard to crawl through and pursue them into the dark. Fuljov informs his soldiers that he has volunteered them for the honor of being selected for this difficult task. The players are given the pick of whatever equipment they may feasibly wish from the other forces, though truly outrageous requests may require a Requisition test. After three hours of preparation, they're told over the vox by the Scorn that it has burned a hole through one of the hatches large enough for them to crawl through.

The tunnels beneath Hopeless are perhaps more developed than the town above. The walls are lined with ferrocrete and lit with lamps nearly the height of a person set within. There is evidence of habitation as well, cookware, clothing, tents and personal items are strewn about near the walls. Unfortunately there isn't much time given to the players to investigate before the attack is upon them, a wave of mutant infantry, backed up by a handful of suicide bombers who attempt to slip to the player's rear before blowing themselves up. Even if only partially successful, the suicide bombers likely collapse large sections of the upper tunnel network. The players can attempt to burrow through the rubble if they have the necessary equipment, but in all likelihood they are forced to turn back and attempt to go through a different hatch. The process can repeat a number of times, but once they players successfully beat back an attack they may move deeper into the tunnel network.

Deeper into the network it becomes increasingly obvious that there is no way that the Scum constructed these tunnels. They are made of advanced materials, and look to be centuries old. The climate is pleasant, though the air is stale and recycled. Disturbing the sound of klaxons is splitting the air and the lights set into the walls are flashing rapidly between yellow and red. A difficult (-10) Tech-use test allows the party to conclude that the mutants have set whatever reactor powers this place to overload. The players find almost no resistance until they grow close to the reactor. A heavy weapon emplacement has been set up in front of the doors, and the mutants manning it have resigned themselves to dying from the enemy or the atomic fire that they reactor is about to release. If the mutants are overcome, the players have several means to disable or survive the coming explosion:

• Run! If the players vox the rest of the units the nature of the problem and make a break for it as soon as possible, they'll escape in the nick of time.

• Prevent the meltdown through the use of proper procedures. This requires that the players pass four challenging (+0) Tech-use tests.

• Follow the same escape route which the Scum used to flee the tunnels. Taking this option requires the players to make four difficult (-10) Tracking tests.