Cob Wargaming: The Taint of Mechan 44

The Taint of Mechan 44

Overview

Backstory

The Taint of Mechan 44 is a narrative campaign for 40k. It features the armies of Chaos and Space Marines who are warring for control over a planet that has been dead for hundreds of years.

Once a Utopia and a flagship for the power and progression of man, Mechan 44 was attacked by a colossal Chaos Warband that utterly decimated the planet, killing millions and reducing the former planets glory to ashes. The key defenders of the planet were a little known Chapter of Space Marines known as 'The Bloodless' who had established themselves there, and called the planet home. Many centuries have passed and with it the Chaos presence has finally began to subside. The Imperium of Man is cautiously returning to Mechan 44 to reclaim the glory that was lost to them, already an Imperial Guard Outpost has been established there and work is beginning to rebuild the glorious cities that graced the earth's now shattered surface. But Chapter Master Lorentus of 'The Bloodless' knows that his beloved former Home-world harnesses a wealth secrets, knowledge and power that have until now eluded the eyes of Chaos. After centuries of painstakingly rebuilding the shattered 'Bloodless' Chapter, finally he has deemed them ready to go on a glorious campaign to reclaim their long lost Home-world. With the mission of re-establishing themselves there, Lorentus mobilises the entire Chapter on the noble crusade to rid Mechan 44 of the taint of Chaos once and for all...But Lorentus is as secretive as his Chapter and his motives are as little known as the mysterious and reclusive Chapter he governs. 'The Bloodless' has a dark past and Lorentus has a secret, a secret that could spell the disaster for not just 'The Bloodless' but for the entire Imperium...

Campaign Structure

The history of Mechan 44 has long since been forgotten to the Imperium of Man. Mechan was the 44th planet to be claimed in the name of the Emperor by the Iron Hands a millennia ago during the Great Crusade. It thrived over the centuries as a bustling metropolis, and became a permanent base of operations for the Iron Hands 6th Company. As the population grew so did the planets advancements progress exponentially, Mechan 44 became a flagship for technological advancement, and the power of the machine soon became revered and worshipped. So much so that the Iron Hands 6th Company splintered off from their founding chapter to form their own, known merely as 'The Bloodless.

The followers of 'The Bloodless' worked in peace in the seclusion of the distant planet to further their work on bionics and mechanical enhancements to their bodies. After years of painstaking study and devotion to their beloved machinery, they soon came to fanatically worship machines, seeing man's understanding and ability to create machinery as the Emperor's greatest gift. With this in mind, 'The Bloodless' understood that man should not use such powerful machinery flippantly, many of the Iron Hands Chapters willingly removed parts of their bodies to replace with strong bionics. But such barbaric acts are now sacrilege to 'The Bloodless' who believed these intricate and powerful enhancements are blessings that must bestowed by the Emperor himself whilst fighting in the name. The followers of this Chapter return from the horrors of the battlefield and see their shattered bones, hemorrhaging organs, open wounds and amputated limbs as the Emporer's greatest blessings, as they have earned the rite to replace their weak flesh with the strength of the all powerful machine.

Their ultimate goal is to have every part of their flesh destroyed in battle as to immortalize themselves as machines allowing themselves to serve the Emperor for eternity.

For thousands of years Mechan 44 thrived and many brilliant minds and powerful warriors graced it's surface filling it's libraries with untangable knowledge and it's armies with brilliant tacticians and new powerful war machines and weapons.

However the taint of Chaos inevitably finally reached this utopia. A fell Chaos Lord known as Despotus brought one of the largest Chaos Warbands in history to this world on a dreaded crusade of slaughter. The gargantuan fleet arrived without warning, and with no chance of reinforcements arriving before the entire populace would be destroyed only the warriors of 'The Bloodless' stood against them. The entire Chapter took up arms and stood at the fore front of the defences pushing back wave after wave of savage, mindless enemies. But, slowly the world began to fall into Despotus' dark hands, millions were slain and the great and beautiful buidlings were reduced to ash and ruin. The final stand came in the Capital, Caltar. The last remaining Bloodless Companies, the 1st, 3rd and 6th made a final stand covering the extraction of the last surviving civilians on the planet. Chapter Master Boltan stood at the fore of the fighting for four days, slaying countless heretics day and night until finally Lord Despotus himself appeared before him.

Their duel was so fierce that the battle itself ceased around them as the weary combatants from both sides found themselves watching in awe as the two men exchanged blows in a fight that rivalled that of warring Gods. Hours passed, and each warrior's weapon became thick with the other's blood, but the days of fighting had clearly taken it's toll on Boltan who soon began to weaken before his enemies grim determination and hatred. Sensing his opponents advantage the harrowed Chapter Master made a grim and final decision. In one crucial moment Boltan lowered his guard and allowed his opponent to drive his blade through his battered chest plate. As Boltan slipped to his knees before his victorious opponent, Despotus raised his head in a mighty and victorious battle cry that was echoed by the jeers and screams of his fell brethren. Savoring his victory he didn't see as the dying Boltan slipped his Bolt Pistol from it's holster and fired one last desperate shot at his unaware adversary. Despotus' head snapped back in a thick mist of black blood and both men crumpled to the ground simultaneously.

A silence descended over the battlefield as both sides saw their leaders shattered bodies lying atop the pile of corpses. A dark and solemn agreement fell over the two warring sides who each removed their great leaders remains from the battlefield before the fighting began anew. But, for 'The Bloodless' the battle was lost, the entire planet was engulfed in flame, their leader was slain and of the population that stood at 600 million only 4 million had been successfully evacuated.

The remaining warriors of 'The Bloodless' faced a difficult decision, to either flee and preserve their Chapter or die with their Homeworld. The last remaining leader amongst the beleaguered defenders was Captain Lorentus of the 6th Company, and they turned to him in their darkest hour for guidance. Lorentus made the painstaking decision to sacrifice any hope of saving Mechan 44 and instead preserve their Chapter. Lorentus and his last remaining warriors covered the escape of their fellow battle brothers as the tide of Chaos engulfed them on all sides.

Captain Lorentus fought bravely and nobly and was ready to lay down his life in order to save his men, but at the last moment he and his men managed to slip from the deathly grasp of Chaos and escape into the smoke filled stratosphere, the burning ground of Mechan 44 slowly vanishing beneath them burning like a star. With their loyalist counterparts defeated and no more resistance in sight the planet was raised to the ground, it's once vibrant surface left permanently scarred by the devastating touch of Chaos. The great Warband celebrated it's victory but soon, after they had regained their strength and sapped the planet of what little resources it had left to yield, what remained of the fleet moved on to their next target, leaving the scorched earth lonely and abandoned for many centuries.

Over this time 'The Bloodless' worked tirelessly to rebuild their shattered Chapter and try to regain their former glory. After his heroics on Mechan 44 Lorentus became their new Chapter Master and has guided them in their mammoth task of restoring their proud Chapter. The task has been no mean feat. and still the re-birth of their already young Chapter is still in it's infancy. But something disturbs Lorentus about his lost home world, secret that has been kept from even his closest and most loyal Battle Brothers. Lorentus has seen that The Imperium of Man is quietly returning to Mechan 44 and Lorentus knows that under the ever watchful eyes of chaos this will not go unnoticed; he must scramble what of his Chapter he can to return to their lost home world. Although many of his Chapter believe it is a mission to reclaim what what was lost; Lorentus knows that sometimes what is lost should stay lost.

The Taint of Mechan 44 is a BONUS CAMPAIGN.

The campaign consists of 5 missions that are played out before the final mission: The Fate of Mechan 44, which consists of an epic pitched 2000pts battle between the two sides! Each Mission follows the two warring armies vying for control of the planets valuable resources as well as trying to best each other in bitter skirmishes. In each mission the action focuses around the two sides battling it out for these valuable resources, each trying to bolster their forces and drive forward their war effort.

Each mission therefore confers a specific bonus, unique to each mission, to the victor of that particular game, the bonuses are for use in the final show down; The Fate of Mechan 44.

The winner of the final mission; The Fate of Mechan 44 will be the overall winner of the campaign regardless how many Missions that player has won or lost. However, obviously, the player who wins the most games will accumulate the most bonuses and thus will have a better chance of winning the final Mission and securing a victory in the overall Campaign!

Mission 1: The Ruins of Caltar

'The Bloodless' are arriving on the Planet and establishing their HQ in the ruins of the Mechan's former Capital City, Caltar. Chapter Master Lorentus leads the initial landing party into the heart of the city, and into the ruins of an old cathedral where the final cataclysmic battle between Boltan and Despotus took place. Lorentus is searching for an ancient relic, The Blade of Boltan, that was lost in that fight, hoping to recover the powerful heirloom that is not only sacred to his Chapter but vital for his war effort. The Chaos presence is still strong in the area however and they meet heavy resistance. The ensuing battle will not only be to secure the Relic, but to also secure the ruined city for Lorentus to land the rest of his forces.

Mission 2: The Valley of Kings

With Caltar secured, Lorentus lands the rest of his Chapter, and all of his strength is finally concentrated on the ruined planet. However, they are not the only Imperial forces in the area. An Imperial Guard Outpost has been established on the planet, and was a thriving stronghold until it's presence was discovered by Chaos. The Imperial Guard have since been encountering heavy resistance and are in danger of being washed over by a tide of Chaos. The battered defenders on in danger of deserting, surrending or worse...pledging themselves to Chaos. Lorentus takes a force, lead by himself and a newly promoted Captain named Sejanus into the Valley of the Kings, the only real way to access the Outpost on foot, in the hopes of relieving the battered defenders, securing the Outpost, and enlisting the modest handful of men to his war effort.

Mission 3: Hellfire Munitions

Overview:

The Imperial presence is more extensive than first thought. The captured Cadians disclose the location of secret munitions factory where they had been manufacturing Heavy Weapons. The Cadians have since abandoned the factory after encountering heavy resistance in the area, and although they had beaten the attackers back at heavy cost, they had lost their resolve and abandoned the factory including what little weapons they had made. Their greatest of creation however was the construction of a Leman Russ battle tank, which even saw action in the defence of the Munitions factory; but even that had been left behind, such was the speed of the retreat that was beaten by the battered Imperial Guard. Chapter Master Lorentus takes a huge force to the location of the Hellfire Munitions factory, desperate to secure the bounty of weapons that are located their. However, the Chaos attackers have since recovered from their defeat to the Imperial Guard and have also returned with an equally impressive force. A bitter stalemate has ensued; the two sides are well dug in, and neither wants to make the first move on the factory to claim its incredibly valuable weapons cache. The stakes are high, and the Heavy Support will be invaluable to the War Effort and neither side wants to get it wrong. But, after weeks of watching and waiting, both sides spot an opportune yet fleeting moment to seize the factory!

Mission 4: The Minds of Mechan

Chief Librarian Solace of 'The Bloodless' has since played a quiet role in the war effort. One of Lorentus' most trusted advisers has been aloof and mysterious, keeping to his chamber, refusing to eat or even sleep, and instead spending his days in a stony, silent mediation. Unbeknownst to Lorentus, Solace is being plagued by an incredibly powerful Chaos Sorcerer whom is using his superior pyschic abilities to try and rummage through the mind of Solace and secure crucial intel on Lorentus and his war effort. Should this Sorcerer succeed in plundering Solace's mind, Lorentus' battle plans will be compromised, the location and strength of their forces will be known to the enemy, as well as Chaos being gifted the upper hand on the celestial plain, being able to manipulate the sands of time and the winds of fate to bend the future of the war on Mechan to their advantage. Solace is weakening, and in his desperation to be rid of the powerful Sorcerer the two Psyker's telepathically agree a silent accord to meet and settle the matter in person on the battlefield.

Mission 5: No More Talk

The war is reaching fever pitch. More and more Chaos forces are returning to the planet and 'The Bloodless' are being attacked on all fronts. However, the Chaos forces are scattered and unorganised, and their uncoordinated attacks are easily repelled. However, Lorentus knows that should the forces of Chaos secure communication lines and finally organise their scattered forces they will be a formidable force indeed. The Chaos base of operations is already beginning to establish these communication relays and Lorentus entrusts the task of disrupting and destroying these to his newly promoted Captain of the 1st company, Sejanus. Sejanus leads a force to not only destroy the Chaos communication lines but also defend their own.

Mission 6: The Fate of Mechan 44

It has been a long and bloody campaign and the forces of 'The Bloodless' are dwindling. However, the forces of Chaos have also been greatly depleted and finally the general of the Chaos forces lands on the planet and is revealed to be the dreaded Lord Depotus himself, whom 'The Bloodless' believed to have been slain long ago. Spotting the opportunity to end the war and finally destroy their greatest enemy, Lorentus mobilises the entire Chapter, gathering all of their strength including those liberated Imperial Guard forces and captured Heavy Weapons, to lead a final attack on Despotus himself. In what will be the final battle on Mechan 44 that will either see it cleansed of Chaos once and for all, or see 'The Bloodless' Chapter eradicated from history...