By IGBunker and Colonel hark of 40k online

DO NOT USE WITH OUT PERMISSION!

©2008

Why collect a Tanith First-and-Only Army?

In the midst of the billions of Imperial Guard regiments, the Tanith First are a dying breed. After many years of the bitter fighting against the Forces of Chaos, the memory of the burning nalwoods of their home world stay fresh in their minds. Men of the First Founding were the original members of the Tanith First. Clad in black light armour and camo cloak with a lasgun and a tanith knife, the First-and-Only are the stealth troopers and infiltration teams. With each

death, the Tanith breed shrinks and soon their may be none left from the regiment to find a world they may call New Tanith.

Not all men are from the nalwood world of Tanith. With each victory, hundreds of volunteers flock to join the regiment and keep the numbers up. The first time was on the world of Verghast, where the First was charged with defending the

city of Vervunhive. After weeks of holding the city against Zoican attacks led by the Warlord Heritor Asphodel, the Zoicans finally broke through the walls and the Imperial Guard regiments fought to their last. With nearly all the

Imperial Guard units gone, the citizens of Vervunhive formed scratch companies and were buying back their city with their blood. After Gaunt led a heroic Spike attack on Asphodel's command vehicle, reinforcements from Macaroth finally arrived and saved the remaining defenders of the city. On the day of departure from the world, hundreds of Verghast

people joined the First and left the smouldering ashes of their once great city behind.

Another example of this incident was on the world of Hagia, when Commissar Viktor Hark and Ayatani Zweil joined the Ghosts. The last recorded incident was when the Tanith were joined into one unit with the 81st Belladon Recon. With

these new "Ghosts" the Tanith numbers increased, but the numbers from the original Tanith shrunk.

The Tanith First is comprised of all Light Infantry and will never include tanks because the elite stealthers will be slowed. Being completely made of Light Infantry and any battle will be difficult without support from armoured units. Knowing

that the Emperor is with you, the Tanith will be led to victory under the famous Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt.

Voltis City, Voltemand

Voltemand is described as a temperate world with extensive marshlands around Voltis City, the planetary capital. The

city had fallen to the forces of Chaos and the First along with the Ketzok and Royal Volpone regiments were tasked to

liberate the city. The Ketzok forces consisted of Armoured Companies designed for siege battles and were mainly

equipped with Earthshakers and Basilisks. The Volpone were elite heavy infantry that led the liberation effort under Lord

General Noches Sturm, the commander of the Bluebloods. The First was sent to aid these to regiments in liberating the

capital.

When Gaunt and the rest of the Ghosts began their assault on the city, the First sustained heavy losses and lost some

valuable and valiant leaders such as Sergeant Cluggan. After retreating from the city, Sturm ordered the Ketzok to

bombard the city and the areas around it. The Ghosts were immediately caught between the bombardment and the

Chaos defenders and lost hundreds more. However, Sturm sent in another column of Bluebloods to breach the area of

the city the Ghosts had penetrated. In the aftermath, the city was taken, but at a great cost from the Tanith First. This

is where the rivalry began between the Tanith First and the Royal Volpone "Bluebloods."

Fortis Binary

Fortis Binary is a forge-world, a planet-wide factory that fell to the forces of Chaos. Several Imperial regiments were

stationed on that world as a large liberation force. The most notable are the Vitrian Dragoons led by Colonel Zoren, the

men of the First, and the Jantine Patricians led by Lord Militant General Hechtor Dravere and Colonel Draker Flense. In

effort to wipe out the "barbarians" of the Tanith First. Dravere orders a suicidal charge into the Fortis Binary trench

works and the city itself.

The First managed to charge into the trench works and reach the outskirts of the city. As the Ghosts advanced deeper

into the city, the notice some storehouses filled with strange mechanisms. The Ghosts with support from Zoren's

Vitrians, penetrate the inner city and sabotage a Chaos ritual. This marks the first demonstration of the hatred of

Colonel Draker Flense, the commander of the Jantine Patricians who suggested that Dravere give the assault order, for

Colonel-Commissar Gaunt.

Menazoid Epsilon

A death world on the edge of the Menazoid Clasp, Epsilon was the site of three shrines to Chaos, designated Primaris,

Secundus and Tertius by Imperial tacticians. Beneath Shrine Target Primaris was a Standard Template Construct, a relic

from over ten millennia which made Iron Men, a pattern of robotic warriors. The traitorous Lord Militant General

Dravere, assisted by Radical Inquisitor Heldane, Colonel Draker Flense, and his Jantine Patricians attempted to seize

power and overturn the commander of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, Warmaster Macaroth, using the Iron Men.

After the actions of Fortis Binary of the Jantine Patricians to the Ghosts, Gaunt learned of their treachery and made

contact with Imperial Agent Fereyd and his other ally Colonel Zoren. Gaunt learned of the STC and moved to be part of

the liberation effort on Epsilon. The Jantine also moved in to the liberation force. After penetrating deep into temple

Gaunt ordered Sergeant Blane to keep an eye on Jantine movements. Shortly after, the Jantine attacked and wiped out

all of 7th Platoon. To keep an eye on Gaunt, Flense followed him in and left the Jantine to guard the temple. Furious,

Zoren and the Vitrians attacked and destroyed the Jantine.

When the STC was found, Fereyd showed his true colors to Heldane. Heldane made a puppet out of Fereyd and used him

to find the STC. Gaunt and the infiltration team made short work of them, but Domor lost the use of his eyes during the

action. On their way back to the surface after destroying the STC, they met the Jantine. Flense wanted to avenge his

father General Aldo Dercius, whom Gaunt killed years earlier. The Ghosts defeated the traitors and escaped from Target

Primaris.

Monthax

The planet of Monthax is a jungle world, where Gaunt and his men encounter the Eldar as they struggle to defend their

webway gate against a Chaos marine army thousands strong. The Ghosts have to cooperate once again with the Royal

Volpone 50th under the command of Major Gilbear and with an inquisitor who had accused Brin Milo of witchcraft. Under

the power of the Farseer, the Tanith and Volpone become enraged by their losses and fight with great vigour. Rawne

himself was lost under the spell and fought beside the Eldar defending the webway gate thinking that he was defending

Tanith before it fell.

The team discovered the ancient webway portal leading to one of the Eldar's craftworlds, self-sustaining cities in space,

which Inquisitor Lilith Abferquan, closes after the Farseer guarding the portal dies. The inquisitor departed with the Eldar

and was never seen again. At the end of this war, the Ghosts lost an excellent leader, Sergeant Lerod and many other

valuable Ghosts during that attacks against Chaos.

The Siege of Vervunhive

Vervunhive is a well populated megacity on the planet Verghast that supplies the Sabbats Crusade with arms, supplies,

and tanks in addition to the Imperial Regiments sent to aid in the Crusade. After years of piece and prosperity from the

Trade Wars against another hive Ferrazoica, the Zoicans launch an attack on the city that resulted with thousands of

civilian and military deaths. Macaroth made it a top priority to reinforce the city against the Chaos forces on the planet.

These forces were the Tanith First, Royal Volpone "Bluebloods", Roane Deepers under Colonel Nash, and Narmenian

Tank Armour led by General Grizmund.

Once the Imperial forces arrived, Vannick Hive, another hive city was destroyed by a nuclear explosion. No

reinforcements from that hive would come, but fuel shipments continued to be pumped to city. Forces from the North

Colonies arrived under Colonel Bulwar. With the outer habs in ruins, the Zoicans marched in and claimed the territory,

but staunch guerrilla raids and resistance efforts slowed their advance.

The first battle was The First Storm, in which the Zoicans attack the city from the Curtain Wall and the gates leading into

it. The Imperials held their ground, but lost hundreds of soldiers in the aftermath. The second battle focused on the

gates leading inside that had been severely damaged after the First Storm. The thickest of fighting took place at Veyveyr

Gate. The gates destroyed, but Imperial resistance drove back the Zoicans. However, 2200 from the Vervun Primary

were killed because of Captain Modile's mistake, but Gaunt executed him after the battle. The last attack was a

simultaneous assault that hit the outer defences of the city led by Heritor Asphodel in the "Spike" command vehicle.

Nearly all of the officers were killed in the fighting leaving only Bulwar, Gaunt, Gilbear, and Grizmund standing. Gaunt

was now the commander of all Imperial infantry troops while Grizmund led the armour. The Tanith First, Volpone, and

Kolea's scratch company led a daring offensive on the "Spike." Thousands died in the attack, but Imperial forces held

until Macaroth arrived with thousands of reinforcements to liberate the planet. After the liberation, people who wished to

join the Imperial Guard were folded into the Tanith First. Some of the most famous of these people were Gol Kolea and

Agun Soric. The new draftees left the ruins of the great city of Vervunhive to aid in the Sabbats Crusade.

Shrineworld of Hagia

The Ghosts are sent to the Shrineworld Hagia, religious capitol of the Sabbat worlds and home of the Saint for which

they are named. Their original mission was to aid in the liberation effort on Hagia. Gaunt led the First in the capitol with

armoured support from the 8th Pardus Armoured. In the battle, they engage in battles with the Infardi, led by the

psyker Pater Sin, a more unpredictable, cult-like enemy than the regular Chaos forces they had previously engaged. In

the aftermath, many of the Ghosts were wounded including Colm Corbec, Agun Soric, and "Try Again" Bragg. After

picking up a signal from an incoming Chaos fleet, Lord General Lugo orders a retreat from the planet. Lugo threatens

Gaunt that he will lose command if he doesn't fulfill his new assignment: to collect the sacred remains of Sabbat at a

Shrinehold in the mountains. To make sure Gaunt fulfills his duty, Lugo assigns Commissar Viktor Hark to the Tanith

First.

This assignment was assigned for Gaunt and the rest of the First to be the Saint's Honour Guard. The Tanith First and

some elements from the 8th Pardus embark on their journey to the Shrinehold and have only a little more than 2 weeks

to make it back. The wounded are to remain in the city and be evacuated with the rest of the Imperial forces. The

wounded members of the First are branded for deserters for going to aid Gaunt at the Shrinehold. On their way to the

Shrinehold, Gaunt meets up with Ayatani Zweil and the Priest voluntarily joins the Ghosts and they are attacked by

several groups of Infardi from the captured city of Bevhanger. After liberating the city, Sergeant Baffels is lost while

attacking a Baneblade and the honour guard resupplies.

After a few days of climbing, the honour guard reached the Shrinehold and, against Hark's wishes, Gaunt and the

honour guard remain at the Shrinehold and prepare to defend it with their long lost comrades that ignored the

evacuation and were branded deserters. Once the time is up and the last evacuation ship departs, the Ghosts find

themselves engaging a large army of Infardi 9,000 strong. In order to defend the shrine properly, Gaunt and the others

must find the shrines defence mechanism. After triggering it with the words the Saint had sent to them in dreams, they

found it crawling with Infardi soldiers. The mechanism requires someone to face the Nine Holy Wounds in order to

destroy the Chaos threat. Trooper Vamberfeld becomes the Saint's proxy as the others weren't strong enough to do it.

Vamberfeld initiates the sequence and takes the Nine Holy Wounds and dies after the mechanism is triggered. With the

Shrinehold safe, Gaunt retains command of the First and adds Commissar Hark and Ayatani Zweil to the Tanith

regiment.

Phantine Liberation

The planet of Phantine is a world where most Imperial regiments are daring pilots with Phantine militia volunteers.

Amidst the spires of the lethally polluted world of Phantine, a planet where dwellings are all above the Scald - a sea of

polluted air, the Tanith must make an aerial assault to recapture Ourenberg and retake its valuable promethium

reserves. After liberating Cirenholm, the Tanith are requested to send in infiltration teams to kill the leader of the Chaos

forces on the planet. The Blood Pact along with the Loxatl have resisted for far to long.

Gaunt selects 12 individuals to partake in this endeavour. They would be split into teams of 4. The Operation was called

Larisel. More than half of its teams were killed, but the mission was completed by Mkoll. The city was liberated after the

Blood Pact defence had broken after their leader was killed in action. This is the first time we Cuu's hatred towards

Bragg and Larken. Unfortunately, Cuu stabs Bragg to death during the liberation of Ourenberg.

Sturm's Downfall

When the disgraced General Sturm was captured by the foul forces of Chaos, Gaunt must infiltrate a squad of his most

trusted men deep into enemy territory on the Chaos-held planet Gereon to prevent the General's secrets compromising

the Crusade. Gaunt hand picked the best men in his entire regiment in this suicide mission. Gaunt along with members

of the Gereon resistance cells must make their way to the Lecticia Heartland and kill Lord General Noches Sturm.

Gaunt makes his way into the southern lands of Gereon and makes contact with Major Cirk of the resistance. They both

lead their teams north dodging excubitors and chaos patrols as they try and fulfill their mission. Gaunt leads his men

into the northern marshlands and makes contact with the partisans and gets aid from them with Mkvenner's help.

However, Chaos Marines attacked and Gaunt destroyed them, but at the cost of many partisan lives. Upon arriving in

the Heartlands, Gaunt makes contact with Colonel Noth and rallies an army of 600 resistance fighters in an attempt to

divert security to the resistance fighters while Gaunt kills Sturm. Noth leads his valiant charge on the Heartland Fortress

housing Sturm to eliminate as many of the ordinals as possible. He and his men breach the outer defences, but are

attacked by Magister Sek's version of the Blood Pact, the Sons of Sek. Noth yells the battle cry, "Gereon resists," for the

last time as he and the resistance cells are defeated.

While the resistance is crushed, Gaunt succeeds in his mission when Sturm realizes he's not fit to serve the Emperor and

he executes himself with Gaunt's own bolt pistol. Gaunt must keep his forces and their resistance allies together and

resist the seeping influence of Chaos long enough to achieve their objectives.

Gaunt Returns

returning from a long mission on a Chaos world of Gereon, Gaunt and the infiltration team were accused of being

corrupted for being Gereon for so long. However, the charges were dropped and Gaunt was back in the Imperial Guard.

After the charges were dropped Commissar Gaunt found that the Tanith First have been disbanded and redeployed

under a charismatic leadership of the new commander of the 81st Belladon Recon under Colonel Wilder. The regiment

was then named the 81st/1st Belladon Recon currently stationed on Ancreon Sextus.

When the fighting becomes bitter, Gaunt is finally reunited with his men as the Imperial forces make one last desperate

attempt to hold the line against the invaders. During this time master scout sergeant mkoll discovers a network or warp

gates the forces of chaos have used to transport their fire. After fighting ends, Gaunt was able to take control of the first

after Colonel Wilder was killed in a brave an suicidal rearguard action. It was truly Colonel Wilder's last command.

Shortly after this the planet was destroyed by a orbital bombardment to destroy the warp gates. Though, the First was

remade and it was larger than ever before. Sadly, the Ghosts from the First Founding grew fewer and fewer. Feygor,

who served his entire time with Rawne, was one of those men, but he was killed while setting off explosives to destroy

and open warp gate.

Gereon Resists!

The Imperial crusade decides to send a liberation force to liberate the Chaos held planet of Gereon. The Tanith First are

then sent back to the planet Gereon to join forces with the Imperial defenders and liberate the planet from Chaos. Along

with the rest of the Imperial Guard, the newly rebuilt Gereon resistance cells made remade by Mkvenner aid the

Imperials in liberating their homeworld.

Also, the Inquisition has better things in mind for the people of Gereon. However, the brutality of the liberation pitches

Gaunt into opposition with his commanders, who believe victory must be achieved at any price, no matter how cruel.

During the liberation, the captured Nightwalker and resistance fighters escaped undetected from Imperial custody with

Mkvenner's help. The resistance pronounced Mkvenner dead to protect him from being charged. But while Eszrah Ap

Niht, a Nightwalker that joined the Ghosts during the mission to kill Sturm, he was gathering woad and toxins, he

spotted a man with the clothing of a partisan, but with the remains of a camo cloak on. Even Mkoll smelt Mkvenner

when he was being picked up from the Until during the liberation. Mkvenner may not reappear in the ranks of Tanith

First again, but he remains a leader of the partisans in the Until and founded the Nalsheen within them. By then end of

the liberation, Caffran was wounded by a frightened civilian child and Ayatani Zweil gave him the last rites.

Defending Jago

As the crusade to liberate the Sabbat Worlds continues, Colonel-Commissar Gaunt leads the Tanith First-and-Only into

an unforgiving new warzone – the fortress world of Jago. Lord General Van Voytz tasks the Tanith to defend the Eastern

Flank, using the Hinzerhaus as a base. As the enemy assaults increase in fury, Gaunt and his regiment must face the

terror of the present alongside the ghosts of their past, for only in death does duty end.

Soric is a physical wreck, having been altered to help improve his Psychic abilities including having his ears cropped off

and replaced with psy-augmenters and having his 1 remaining eye sewn shut. He is inadvertently responsible for the

"hauntings" the Ghosts had been experiencing, as he was attempting to contact them. It is here where he informs

Commissar Hark that Gaunt is a prisoner, not dead. He asks for Hark to kill him which he does telling him to make it

'Commissar style' so Hark would not be brought up on charges.

Above fluff and “why to collect a tanith 1st and only army” by Colonel Hark

By Thegoodfish from 40k forums

The message contained precious little information. It had been thrust into Bragg’s hand by one of the battlefield relay

servitors. It said simply to leave the Ghost’s trenches and to make way, urgently, to the quartering area of the Grismas

Gaolers 4th Division. Gaunt had already authorised the request so Bragg immediately dismissed from the Ghosts and

sent on his way. He bumped into Larkin as he walked back from the front lines. The Ghost’s sniper had been concussed

two days previously after the building he was using as a firing position had been demolished by a stray artillery round.

He’d survived more or less intact, but Gaunt had ordered him to Dorden’s sickbay until the medic gave him permission

to leave. As it turned out, Larkin felt that Dorden was being over cautious, and the sniper was going out of his mind with

boredom. As soon as he’d seen Bragg, he’d been over for a chat, and as soon as Bragg told him about his special

instructions, he’d decided to come along too.

They were surprised to find a Chimera waiting to take them to their destination. The driver checked Bragg’s ID,

apparently not bothered than an extra trooper had come for the ride, and waved them into the back. Bragg ducked to

avoid denting his head on the reinforced plating. Larkin, much smaller, and twice as talkative, had no such problem.

“So where we going again, Try?” he asked again.

“My orders are to report to Colonel Hastings. I’ve been seconded,” he let the last word ring out, relishing it. It sounded

important. He knew that Larkin knew it sounded important. “You, on the other hand, are a bored squig-for-brains and

trying to amuse yourself.”

“Aye,” admitted Larkin, peering happily out of the firing holes. “What do you think they want you for?”

“How should I know?” shrugged Bragg. “I’ve never heard of Hastings befo… Oh-“

He paused, recalling something from the last week.

“I know what this is about. Do you remember what Gaunt said about me? When I took out that Ork truck with the las-

cannon? He said he hadn’t seen a better shot.”

Larkin, something of a perfectionist with a rifle, bristled.

“Try, it took you five goes to hit it. It wasn’t like it was small either, and it was painted bright red.”

“All Ork stuff is painted red.”

“Well, it should have been an easy target, then. You’d nearly emptied the battery pack by the time you hit the fething

thing. I seriously doubt you’re here to give marksmanship lessons.”

Bragg sighed. He could have worked out that much himself. There was a reason he was called ‘Try again’. What Larkin

failed to understand was that it was a remarkable feat of strength. Bragg was a large man; exceptionally so for the

typically slender Taniths. The Las-cannon he’d shouldered was usually mounted on a tripod with a two man crew.

Perhaps he was here to teach the Colonel’s men about – what was the word? – ingenuity.

The Chimera rattled and bounced around trenches, tracing a path parallel to the front lines. They were on Van Burg

Prime, as were other units of the Guard, although they hadn’t seen much action so far. The Guard were ostensibly here

to protect the planet from a marauding Waaargh which had launched from the adjoining star system, but already the

fight had gone out of the Orks. Well, that wasn’t strictly true, it was just, as with many Ork war crusades, the greenskins

had turned on each other before they’d even reached their enemies. The Waaargh fleet had splintered apart and Orkish

craft had fallen on planets all over this sector. While none of the individual tribes were going to trouble any of the

planetary systems, Orks had an aggravating habit of spreading spores and multiplying rapidly so several battalions of

the Guard had been deployed across the star system to put down any greenskin threat. The bulk of the fighting was

being done by Hasting’s command, the Grismas Gaolers 4th Division. The Tanith-First-and-Only had been deployed in

support, and apart from the brief action that saw Larkin injured and Bragg’s improvisation with a heavy weapon, there

hadn’t been a lot to do.

Bragg then was in a state of happy anticipation when the Chimera slowed to a halt and the deployment door swung

open. They were surprised to see the officer already there, apparently waiting for them with some impatience.

“Thank the Emperor, you’re here,” said Colonel Hastings by means of introduction. Bragg pushed his bottom lip up, a

gesture intended to let Larkin know that he knew how importantly he was being treated. They clambered out of the back

of the Chimera, Bragg again remembering to duck. Hastings sized him up and apparently liked what he saw.

“Yes, yes, you should do nicely.”

Before Bragg could ask exactly why he was here – Gaunt’s orders had omitted that specific part – the Colonel was

moving off over the training ground, marching at a brisk pace. He still managed to keep the conversation going.

“They’re tearing the place apart. We can’t get them to stop.”

Bragg put a burst on to catch up, with Larkin at his heels. He could see why he’d been requested for this. It sounded like

the sort of work he was good at. He was good at cracking skulls, and he was looking forward to putting down some

greenskins.

He stopped though, suddenly anxious, when he saw the wide grin on Larkin’s face.

“What’s the matter with you?” Bragg asked, feeling very suspicious of anything that made Larks happy.

“Oh, nothing,” said Larks, the picture of innocence. “I’ve just remembered something special about Hasting’s unit, that’s

all.”

“Well, are you going to tell me, then?” Bragg asked Larkin, now feeling very uncomfortable.

Larkin’s eyes sparkled with amusement, but he didn’t answer.

His confusion wasn’t helped by the fact they weren’t headed toward the front lines, but rather towards a Barracks set

about a mile behind the trenches. And already he could hear the commotion inside. A line of troopers stood around the

outside of the Barracks, apparently guarding their own quarters. The Colonel stopped before he crossed the line. The

noise inside was increasing now – loud brays of something bestial and apparently very unhappy.

The Colonel turned back to address Bragg.

“Okay,” he said, catching his breath. “I’ll come in with you, but I’ll be honest: if you can’t get control, then I’m not

sticking around. Ready?”

Bragg had no idea if he was ready or not, but he nodded anyway. The line of guardsmen opened up to let the three of

them through, and then they were at the door to the Barracks. Bragg noticed, with some concern, that the thick steel

had been dented in several places. Apparently from the inside.

“Remember,” whispered Hastings opening the door. “Act like you’re in charge.”

The barracks was probably designed to billet about fifty men. It had undergone some intensive reconstruction though,

some deliberate and some definitely unintended. If there had been twenty-five bunks here once, they’d been removed

and replaced with ten, much larger mattresses. Bragg wasn’t an expert on these matters, but he very much doubted the

beds had been supplied smashed to kindling, or that the wreckage that had been created so that it could have been

wielded around the nine angry Ogryns in the barracks.

“Aw feth,” he said, surveying the damage and the rampaging Abhumans. Bragg had seen Waaarghs that had caused less

devastation than this.

The Ogryns were highly agitated and were expressing this by smashing the barracks, and each other, up. Two of them

were rolling on the floor together, punching and biting, and the ground trembled like it was being struck by artillery fire.

So far they hadn’t been noticed, although in the noise and the confusion it wasn’t that surprising. The Colonel cupped his

hands over Bragg’s ear and shouted to be heard over the mayhem inside.

“They’ve been like this all morning. Ever since their Bone’ead stepped on a mine.”

“Is he alright?” asked Bragg. Ogryns were notoriously tough.

“No, he trod on another straight away. We’re still finding bits of him in the trenches. We told them everything was fine,

and brought them back here, but they’ve figured out he’s not coming back. Duck!”

Bragg didn’t catch the warning at first, coming so naturally into the flow of the Colonel’s conversation, but soon

understood when an Ogryn blasted an enormous hole in the barracks wall with his ripper gun: a clunky, big-bore

automatic shotgun designed especially for the abhumans. The three of them cowered on the floor as the retort echoed

around the room. The Ogryn in question looked at his own gun in a state of confusion, and then turned it so he could

look down the barrel.

“Aw what?” said Larkin, his hands over his head.

The Ogyrn was reaching for the trigger, but was having trouble locating it as he’d reversed the natural position of the

gun.

“Is he trying to kill himself?” said Larkin, his voice whiny and high.

“Probably not,” sighed the Colonel. “They’ve never really understood why the guns ‘go boom’.”

“Then what’s he doing?” shouted Bragg.

“Seeing what blew out the wall and made the noise, I’d guess.”

The Ogryn had now found the trigger, but fortunately for him, was pulling it, instead of pushing it.

“He’s going to blow his head off,” said Larkin.

“Mmm,” agreed the Colonel, making no move to stop him.

“Feth,” swore Bragg, pushing himself to his feet. “Oi!” he shouted

.

It was loud enough to make Larkin’s ears hurt, but nowhere near loud enough to distract the rampaging Ogryns. The

one wielding the ripper gun was now shaking his weapon up and down in an effort to make it fire.

“OI!” screamed Bragg as loud as he could. It worked. The Ogryns stopped as one, including the armed brute, who

dropped his gun in shock. It landed on the floor, pointing directly at the three of them, but mercifully didn’t fire.

Larkin felt sick.

The Ogryns apparently found their unity and rounded on Bragg. The trooper realised then this was the first time he’d

ever been this close to these abhumans and felt a sweat break out on his forehead. Ogryns were the end result of

centuries of life on high-grav planets. They were nearly nine feet tall and nearly as wide, and sculpted out of muscle and

ugliness. Although physically imposing, their evolution had taken several steps back with regards to their intellect and

they were considerably less smart than the average Ork. They were, however, every bit as capable of the Greenskin’s

viciousness and brutality. They ganged up on him, and Bragg, a good head taller than most men, was still an easy two

feet smaller than the brutes crowding him. Fortunately for him, though, and the Imperium in general, Ogryns love the

Emperor and have some understanding that they are on the same side as the Guardsmen.

“What you want?” said the Ogryn who had been about to blow his own head off.

“Yeah!” agreed another wearing a big iron helmet.

For such spectacularly ugly creatures, they were strangely uniform – each had a big squashed nose that looked like it

had been broken and not reset properly (which it probably had), squinty eyes, few teeth and big, gaudy earrings.

“What you want?” said another, apparently not realising the question had already been asked.

“Yeah!” chimed the one wearing the helmet again.

“You Ogryn?” asked another, perfectly innocently.

Bragg flustered, felt his cheeks burn. He’d been called something unpleasant things before but – Sweet Emperor! –

never an Ogryn.

“No!” he said.

He didn’t dare turn around, and he couldn’t hear anything, but he knew – knew – that Larkin was laughing right now.

The Ogryns took this news badly. They stamped nearer to Bragg. The trooper, for his part, was rooted to the ground by

some vague idea it would be a bad thing to run, and sheer fear

.

“For the Emperor’s sake, Bragg, tell them you’re in charge!” shouted the Colonel from behind him.

One of them was stooped over him now. Bragg could smell his bad breath. The reek of his sweat and odour surrounded

him like an aura. He shouted his answer back without daring to turn around.

“But I’m not,” he said, somewhat feebly.

The Ogryn before him was breathing heavily and flexing his considerable muscles. Bragg couldn’t know this but only

some dimly remembered code of conduct was stopping him from dismembering Bragg. The Ogryn was sure that the

Commissars had told him that was a bad thing to do.

“Listen Trooper,” cried the Colonel, “If you can’t get them under control then they’re going to have to be put down. You

look three-quarters stupid and hulking enough to be an Ogryn, why do you think Gaunt sent you? Now just act like one.”

Now he could hear Larkin laughing hysterically. Bragg wished he were anywhere else right now; the Frontlines, a

dropship, the Warp, anywhere but here. He sighed, then sucked in his breath. Think Ogyrn.

“Of course, I’m yer bleedin’ Bone’ead,” he shouted back. His face was angled up and directly into the face of the Ogryn.

The abhuman seemed taken aback. “But you’s too short.”

“Yeah!” That was fething Iron hat again.

Bragg though quickly. “Not too short too stamp all over you!” he said, praying to the Emperor his bluff would hold.

The Ogryn blinked. Then again. Bragg wondered whether he’d break his fingers if he had to punch him

.

Then, to his eternal relief, the Ogryn stepped back into the ranks of the others.

“Better!” shouted Bragg. His throat was getting sore. “Now, you better be ready to follow orders!”

The Ogryn that had been seconds away from pulverising him, beamed happily.

“Ogryn’s follow orders,” he said, showing a few mouldy teeth.

“Yeah!”

By shouting as loud as he could, Bragg inserted himself as the Bone’ead. After much more shouting, and berating, he

managed to get them busy trying to tidy up the brutalised barracks as best they could. There was a lot of shoving and

arguing between them, but Bragg quickly realised he was going to have to accept this. While they were merrily tidying

up, the Colonel slipped over to him.

“Good work, Bragg. I’ll be sure to tell Colonel-Commissar Gaunt how useful you’ve been.”

Bragg thought about the news of this spreading amongst the Ghosts.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t,” he said.

“Oh, don’t be so modest, Try,” said Larkin, appearing at his side. “I think Gaunt, Rawne, Corbec and the others would

love to hear about how you can pass for an Ogryn.”

Bragg looked withering at him, but Larkin didn’t care. The sniper’s smile was so wide it looked like it would break his

face in two.

“Anyway,” said Hastings, dragging the conversation back to its purpose, “there’s another Bone’ead being sent down

from the fleet, but he won’t be here till tomorrow. You’ll have to babysit them till then.”

Larkin laughed so much he had to wipe tears away from his eyes.

“Sir,” asked Bragg quietly, “I request then that Trooper Larkin stays with me till then.”

“Fine,” said the Colonel.

Larkin stopped abruptly. “What? I can’t-“

“Now, now,” cautioned Bragg, “You have your orders, Larks.”

“But look at them!” he whined. “I’ll be trodden on!”

“I’ll take that risk,” said Bragg.

He turned to the officer. “Anything else I need to know?”

Hasting scratched his head. “Don’t think so, should be a quiet night.”

The Officer thanked him again and left. Bragg watched him leave, feeling that the Colonel was going to turn out to be

wrong..

It was late into the night when they finally got some shut-eye. The Ogryns had eventually found a mattress each and

settled down. So far, there’d been a brawl over whose mattress was whose, and then one of them had tried to take his

ripper gun to bed with him and blown a hole in the floor. Bragg had sent Larkin out to frantically explain to the watch

that they weren’t under attack. Finally, torturously, he’d managed to get them all to lie down and close their eyes.

Bragg was exhausted and ready to turn in himself. There was a spare bed as the Bone’ead no longer needed it. He sat

on that, and felt his eyes close all by themselves.

“Boss?” asked one. The Ogryn was making an effort to moderate his voice, but it was still uncomfortably loud.

“Yes?” he said, hoping to convey some of his displeasure with his tone of voice.

“Me want story.”

Oh Feth, thought Bragg.

“Story?”

“Yeah. ‘bout Emperor or somethink.”

“Yeah!” said the usual echo.

Now they were waking up again, and more alarmingly, waving their ripper guns in the air.

“Alright,” sighed Bragg. He couldn’t be bothered to go into the Horus Heresy at this time of night, so he decided to tell

them about another special man.

“I’ll tell you about my Commissar,” he started, forgetting to speak in Ogryn dialect. Fortunately, none of the abhumans

seemed to notice.

“Me like Com-miss-ar,” said one.

“Yeah!”

“Alright, settle down. Commissar Gaunt is the leader – ah, boss, of my regiment: The Tanith First-and-Only…”

In turn, as much as they tried to fight it, the Ogryn succumbed to sleep. Bragg and Larkin sat on the mattress, listening

to them snore and watched the stars twirl slowly in the night sky, courtesy of the gaping hole in the barrack wall.

The klaxons awoke them all with a start. Bragg hadn’t realised he’d dosed off until his ears were crackling with the

sound of the screaming alarm and the Ogryn’s loud braying, apparently in competition.

“What’s going on?” he asked, hand to his head.

Larkin was already lucid, and rummaging for his rifle.

“We’re under attack,” he said. “Greenskins.”

The alarm confirmed it. An Ork raiding party was using the last of the night cover to attack the base.

Bragg didn’t know what annoyed him more; the assault on the base or the fact that all the Ogyrns were awake and

howling after he’d settled them down.

“What do we do?” asked Bragg.

“Why are you asking me?” complained Larkin. “I don’t know. Fight, I suppose.”

“What about them? The Colonel told me to keep them here,” he asked, pointing to the angry mob.

“Sweet Emperor, Bragg. How about we use them instead?”

Bragg wondered why he hadn’t thought of that. He took a deep breath. Larkin covered his ears.

“Ogryns!” he shouted, almost shaking the walls. “Get your guns!”

“Hurry up!” snapped Larkin. The sniper was positioned at the hole in the barrack’s wall. “They’re almost in the base.

Feth, there’s loads of them.”

“Always are with Orks,” said Bragg simply.

“What’s taking them so long?” asked Larkin, but it was obvious. Two of the Ogryns were fighting over their ripper guns,

another had, amazingly, lost his since he’d gone to bed, and another was tangled in his bed sheet. Bragg put his hands

over his eyes, willing himself to stay calm. Then he had another thought: Feth it! It was time he got angry with these

brutes.

“Oi! Get you’s together. You’s not fit to even die for the Emperor!”

It seemed to work. The Ogryns stopped struggled, and the one tied in the bedsheet even managed to sensibly extricate

himself.

“There’s greenskins out there that want to hurt the Emperor,” he said in all earnest.

Two of the Ogryns gasped. An angry growl rose up.

“We gonna let ‘em?” he asked.

The “NO!”s and “AARRRGHH!”s and single , solitary “YEAH!” resounded around the room.

“That’s more like it,” Bragg cried. “This way!”

Bragg charged out the hole in the wall. Larkin had to dive out of the way himself to avoid being crushed by the

stampeding abhumans.

7.

The Orks had pierced the watch defensive line through sheer numbers and made it to the barracks. Across the rockcrete

assembly ground the Guardsmen were scrambling to place and desperately trying to hold back the green tide. The night

sky was filled with colourful flares, throwing bright swatches of colour onto the rockcrete. On the line closest too him,

Bragg saw Hastings shouting encouragement and firing into the Ork ranks.

“Larks, you better find somewhere to shoot from,” said Bragg, jogging alongside his fellow ghost.

“Got it,” acknowledged his friend. He spotted a sentinel at rest in a repair bay. From on top it would give him a good

sniping position over the assembly ground. Larkin veered off, clutching his modified las-rifle as he ran.

Bragg was two hundred feet from the battlelines. He slowed to a halt, looking for any breach to throw the Ogryns into.

For the moment the Guard was holding. Two ranks of Guardsmen were strafing the advancing Orks and dropping them

as fast as they could spill towards them. The horde was creeping closer though, and the twitching Ork corpses were

nearly close enough to touch the feet of the defenders.

Bragg heard the thundered approach of the Ogryns behind him and tried to think what Gaunt would do.

“Ogryns, stop!”

The abhumans reluctantly slowed. Bragg could see they were champing at the bit to get into the fight.

“Right, this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to act in support, and shore up the line wherever the Orks get thro….”

He stopped as he realised he’d totally lost his squad. Feth, he’d stopped talking like an Ogryn. He took a breath and

tried again. He noticed that his squad were peering past him anxiously.

“Right! This is how it’s done. You see a hole in the line – you get in there! Got it?”

Smiles all round.

“Yes, Boss-Sir!”

At that moment the first hole was punched in the line. A Nob squad had weathered the las-fire and pounded their way

through the defenders. Bragg pointed to three of his men. “You three. Get over dere!”

He realised too late he’d expected too much of them. The Ogryns looked at each other, counting on fingers, then

charged past him as one heading for the hole in the line. Bragg watched them kick up dust then raced after after them,

swearing.

The Ogryns collided into the Nob squad like a meteorite striking a planet. The Nobs were hurled back behind the lines,

followed by the snarling and howling Ogryns. The first to reach them was the one that Bragg had stopped from shooting

himself. He’d apparently worked out the problem with his ripper gun and used it to blow out the stomach of a Nob.

Another dragged him down, so the Ogryn dropped his shotgun and starting punching in return. These Orks were larger

and tougher than the average greenskin, and were reasonably well matched in strength with Bragg’s squad. The rest of

the troopers spilled into the fray, some shooting, most missing, and the rest using their shotguns as clubs. The helmed

Ogryn fell into a wrestling match with two of the Nobs. Another of his squad punched a Nob hard enough to decapitate

him. Bragg watched all of this in awe and horror, then remembered he’d better pitch in. He shouted orders for the

defending troopers to hold fire, and then plunged over the line to join his squad.

For the first time in his life, Bragg was the smallest man in the fight. He was also in the way; the Ogryns and Nobs were

fighting with hatchet and club, and he was in as much danger of being squashed by his own men as by the enemy. Then

a Nob rose up before him and cackling, threw itself at him. Bragg pounced forward too, firing on full auto. Three shots

punctured the Ork’s chest, causing it to yelp, but little more. It swung its hatchet down; Bragg blocked with his rifle and

then was left holding the pieces of his weapon. The Nob snapped its knee up; Bragg tried to dance back but was too

slow, and caught most of the blow. His nose snapped first, then the world disappeared as the hefty green knee filled his

face. He was pitched back off his feet. Bragg rolled as soon as he landed, dodging another hatchet swing and kicked out.

He connected with the Nob’s shin, a blow that would have broken a man’s leg, but apparently did nothing more than

irritate the Ork. Bragg reached for his Tanith blade, trying to ignore the warm blood rushing down his chin and into his

mouth. Then an Ogryn, punching a Nob and being punched in return, collided into Bragg’s attacker, knocking him

forward. The Nob fell on Bragg and drove him into the mud of the battlefield. The greenskin was two feet taller than

him, and impossibly heavy and strong. Bragg stabbed it under the arm, then again, then the Nob pinned his wrist with

one arm. The Ork laughed horribly, then pushed its palm over Bragg’s face, crushing broken bone, its hand muffling

most of his scream. Then it was forcing him down, and the mud was claiming him. Bragg freed his leg and kicked as

hard as he could, but the Ork wouldn’t relent. He bit down on the Ork’s fingers to no effect. The mud was around his

ears now. Bragg panicked kicked and thrashed and screamed, his heart thudding in his ears. He couldn’t lift his blade,

but he could turn it in his fingers. Bragg reversed the blade and flicked his wrist to drive the knife into the Ork’s forearm.

The blade bit in deep, and warm, green blood spilled over the steel. Still the Ork held him fast. Bragg couldn’t breathe

now. In desperation he twisted the blade and made a crater in the Ork’s arm. The Nob hissed and broke his grip. Bragg

used his chance, slipped the blade free and then drove it into the Ork’s ear. It snapped against bone, then punctured

through. The Ork howled and reared up. A las-shot scorched a hole between its eyes. The Ork croaked once, then fell

fully onto him. Bragg had just time to mutter thanks to Larkin, when the weight of the Ork started to force him down

into the mud again.

Just before he could drown, the face of one his men loomed over him.

“What you’s doing down dere, boss?”

Bragg had a mouthful of blood and dirt and struggled to answer. He mimed throwing the Nob off him, and after ten

seconds of this, the Ogryn understood. The Ogryn lifted the enormous body with one arm and tossed it aside. He held

out a huge palm for Bragg, but the trooper declined and pulled himself up. Bragg felt his nose and winced. It was

sickening soft under his touch. His men had driven back the Nobs and were now distracted watching the traces of las-

fire whistling around the battlefield. A head-count told him he hadn’t lost any yet, either, which was remarkable.

The troopers here had the upper hand again now and the ranks were holding, but there was a lot of noise coming from a

few hundred metres down the line. He saw that was where most of the greenskins were concentrated, forming a wedge

against the beleaguered lines of troopers. Bragg went to each of his men, patting them on their large backs, and

redirecting them to the melee. They bounded off merrily, some forgetting their ripper guns, and all oblivious to the fact

they were running through the fire of their own side. Bragg saw one of them winged by running into a las-shot. It

scorched the Ogyrn’s arm. The abhuman stopped and scratched itself, and then carried on regardless. Bragg hurried

after them, muttering darkly and keeping his head down.

The fighting here was even more intense, and the Guard was losing. The Orks had broken the front line by throwing

sheer numbers at the Guard until they were close enough to start grabbing the las-rifles out of the Guardsmen’s hands.

The Ogryns piled into the flank, bashing a messy hole in the greenskin’s ranks. Bragg snatched a las-rifle from a fallen

guardsmen and held back. What had he been thinking of diving into hand-to-hand fighting with the Nobs? He sent a

quick prayer thanking the Emperor for his protection, and resolved to be nicer to Larkin when this was over. The Ogryns

cut a swath through the Orks, hurling greenskin bodies into the air all around them. Bragg watched in grim satisfaction,

picking off targets here and there with his own rifle, when he noticed something strange was happening. It seemed like

more and more greenskins were being pitched into the air now, and each time the Ogryns were unleashing a volley of

ripper gun fire to try and shoot the Ork before it landed. It took him a moment to realise his men had invented some

kind of battlefield game. He was slow to see it as well; several of the Guardsmen had stopped shooting and were

cheering the Ogyrns on each throw. Bragg took another deep breath.

“Oi! Stop messin’ about!”

Two of the Ogryns managed to hear him and looked suitably chastened.

He was trying to shout to the rest when he heard a high whine of steel being cut in two, chased by stomping retorts.

Bragg had heard this before, and shivered despite himself. Further into the greentide, and slicing through its own men,

was a Killer Kan. It was stomping straight for them. He shouted another warning to his men, but couldn’t be heard over

the turmoil of the fighting. So again, Bragg flung himself into the fighting.

He waded over dead greenskins until he reached two of his men, the two that had heard him before, who were now

apparently incapable of acting without his orders. The rest of the squad were almost in the centre of the Ork ranks now,

fighting together while surrounded by a wave of greenskins three deep on all sides. The Ogryns were clubbing Orks with

rhythmic blows, and one was even singing, but for each Ork they downed, another would be able to get in a blow with a

fist or hatchet, and his men were being steadily cut down, even if they didn’t know as much. First, then, he had to get to

his squad. Bragg flicked the las-rifle to full-auto and sprayed it into the ranks of greenskins. With some encouragement,

he managed to get the two Ogryns to fire their own ripper guns, and Bragg winced as the enormous blasts flayed huge

holes in the green skin lines. He was known for lugging some particularly heavy weapons around, but Feth! – these

ripper guns were like destroyer cannons. It was like trying to hold back the tide though, and no sooner had they cleared

a hole in the greenskins than more poured into the vacuum. They were sinking further into the battlelines too, and were

being slowly cut off from the rest of the troops. He could hear the snap of las-fire behind him, and hoped that the rest of

the guardsmen were as diligent in their firing as Larkin. He was still fighting to reach his men, when the Killer Kan got

there first.

Greenskins are nothing if not inventive, and the Killer Kan was a typically Orkish counter to the Space Marine

Dreadnaught. They were essentially armour and weapons, mounted on stubby legs and with an Ork wired to the triggers

and welded inside. They shouldn’t work, by rights, but then most Ork vehicles seemed to defy logic in that manner. The

first reached the Ogryns, cutting apart the greenskin his man had been fighting, and scything down with a buzz saw.

The passed severed the Ogryn’s hand at the wrist, then passed easily into his chest and opened his rib cage. Bragg was

approaching from behind, but couldn’t miss the arterial spray that fountained into the air. By the time the Ork machine

withdrew the blade, it was coated with thick, sticky red blood. The other Ogryns saw what happened and reacted

furiously. Two fell onto the Kan, beating large dents into its plating with the butts of their shotguns. The Killer Kan was

staggered under the frenzied assault, but opened up with its rocket launcher, firing point blank into an Ogryn’s stomach

and disembowelling it. The other cried out in fear and turned back, stamping over Orks to escape. A choppa blow took

out its knee, and it fell, to be swarmed over by hatchet-weilding greenskins. The other Ogryns, seeing three of their

teammates killed were on the point of panic. Bragg’s escort swept the final Orks out of their path, and he reached the

rest just in time.

“Listen to me! I’m the boss!” he shouted, between breaths, falling into the middle of their ranks. Bragg paused to shot

an approaching Ork in the mouth, and then continued.

“That’s just an Ork in a can. That’s all. Like your dinner!”

The Killer Kan was still staggering from the heavy blows it had taken and was staggering around drunkenly. The Ogryns

gave it as much attention as they could. Some had been forced back into hand-to-hand again, but were still prioritising

the metal can over the greenskins trying to chop them up. The helmed Ogryn brought his fist down on an Ork’s head like

a hammer, snapping its neck immediately.

“You ain’t scared of your dinner are ya?”

The Ogryns knew the answer to that question, and charged back towards the Kan. Bragg was at the front, and had

never been more reassured in his life than with the thunderous stampede of the Ogyrns at his heels.

He sprayed randomly with his rifle, until the battery pack died, then hurled it at the Kan. It bounced off harmlessly, but

by then the first Ogryn had overtaken Bragg and tackled the Ork machine from behind. It lifted the Kan into the air,

pinning its buzz saw arm down against the hull.

Bragg was still flanked by the two escorts that had got him back into the fight. He slapped one on the arm, “Open him

up,” and then to the other “Get me that gun.”

Working as a team, the first Ogryn started heaving at the top plating of the Kan, pulling welded plates apart and sending

rivets into the air. The other took hold of the rocket launcher, and with a deafening roar, wrenched the barrel and firing

chamber from the machine’s grasp. The Ogyrn handed it to Bragg triumphantly. Bragg was about to thank him, when

another wave of greenskins washed all around them. Bragg used the barrel to break an Ork’s jaw and shouted for the

other Ogryns to get stuck in. Precision las-shots dropped targets around them, and Bragg knew that Larkin was back at

his side. Then, with a triumphant roar, the entire upper casing of the Killer Kan was thrown into the air, accompanied by

bolts and screws.

“Move it!” Bragg cried, hefting the rocket launcher to his shoulder.

The Ogryns thankfully understood this command and dived out the way. The Kan was dropped back to its feet, and span

around to face Bragg. Its pilot could be seen through the exposed hull, a greenskin connected to the machine by a

hundred wires all over its skin. It blinked at Bragg and came at him with its buzzsaw.

It was the best shot of his life. The rocket passed through the hull casing and crushed the Ork to a pulp. Whether or not

Bragg had killed it, he’d never know as it detonated in the next second, blowing the entire machine to junk. All around

Orks were flayed by heated shards of metal. Bragg was struck three times in the flak jacket by shrapnel, and then again

by the concussive force of the explosion and went down. Just before he passed out, he heard the Orks sounding the

retreat.

Later that day, he woke up in the Barracks. The six remaining Ogryns were all stationed around him and glaring angrily

at a small man that was knelt as his bedside. Bragg looked blearily at him, and then hissed with pain. It was a familiar

sensation – fresh wounds with the edge taken off by a good dose of pain killers.

“The Boss ay dead!” said one of the hulking men.

A big finger descended and poked him in the chest. Bragg yelped in pain.

“He def-in-at-lee ay dead,” confirmed the Ogryn.

“That’s enough!” said the smaller man. Bragg’s vision was blurred, but he recognised the medic’s emblem on the man’s

uniform. “Are you trying to kill him?”

“It’s alright,” Bragg managed.

“We brought you back, boss,” said another Ogryn.

“Yeah!”

“That was quite a sight,” said another voice. Trooper Larkin walked into his field of vision. “You were held up in the air

by all six of them. Even through my scope I wasn’t sure if I was seeing things.”

Bragg laughed at the thought. “So we won then?”

Larkin smiled. “Some fething fool nuked the Killer Kan at point blank. The Greenskins lost their nerve after that. Most of

Hasting’s men are out there chasing them down.”

Bragg was about to tell Larkin where to go when he saw how pale the trooper was. Larkin saw that he saw and backed

away, realising he’d let too much show.

Bragg’s nose was reset and bandaged, and then at midday he was officially relieved. Hastings entered with the new

Bone’ead, who immediately set to angrily berating the rest of the men. The Ogryns for their part accepted their new

leader without question. Bragg watched on, feeling, well he couldn’t quite describe what he was feeling; relief, mostly

that his temporary command was over, but also some – if he admitted it – faint sadness and resentment he’d been so

easily discarded.

Larkin was unusually serious too. “Come on, Try, let’s go back to the Ghosts.”

The two men left the barracks. Hasting’s nodded his thanks and offered to escort them back to the Chimera.

They crossed the training ground – stopping to ogle at the enormous heap of greenskins bodies set to be burned – and

waited for the transport to arrive. Bragg found he didn’t want to look back at the Barracks, and he was impatient now to

leave. So distracted was he, that he somehow didn’t hear the pounding footsteps approach behind him.

“Try,” said Larkin softly.

It was one of the Ogryns, he still couldn’t be sure which. The hulking abhuman was strangely quiet, and he was trying to

hide something behind his back.

“Yes?” said Bragg, his tone curt.

The Ogryn was – unbelievably – shy.

“Go on,” said Bragg, softening his voice.

The giant showed what he was hiding. “’ere, Boss, me wants you to have this.”

It was his Ripper Gun. He handed it to Bragg who nearly toppled under its weight. Feth! he could comfortably shoulder

an Auto-cannon but this thing was better suited welded to a Baneblade. With an enormous amount of effort he lifted it

up. What was this thing made of? Then he remembered the Ogryns wielding it like a club in the thick of the battle – it

had probably been over weighted to make it a more devastating hand to hand weapon. He couldn’t well carry this on his

shoulder, and even if he could, he doubted he could reach the trigger at the same time.

“It’s very kind, but I don’t want-“ he started, then stopped.

In just two seconds the Ogryn had gone from jubilant to tearful.

“You’re making him cry,” said Larkin. He looked down at the little sniper expecting to see another piss-taking

expression, but to his surprise Larks was serious.

It was true as well. The Ogryn was visibly distraught.

“You no like it?” he said, between sobs.

Bragg felt deeply ashamed.

“No, no!” he said, straining to lug the Ripper Gun onto his shoulder. “I love it. Really!”

“Yeah?” said the Ogryn, now apparently hurt and shy.

“Yeah!” insisted Bragg. He motioned firing the trigger and made a “BOOM!” noise.

The Ogryn frowned and reached for the gun. “Not like dat!”

Bragg quickly pulled it away before the Ogryn could blow a hole in anyone.

“I get it. I get it,” he said urgently.

The Ogryn considered him carefully, almost closing his eyes with concentration.

“You good boss, boss,” he said, and then stomped off back to his unit.

They watched him leave, stamping his path back to the barracks.

Hastings leaned in closer. “I can always give that to the new Bone’ead if you prefer.”

Bragg set it down with a groan, chipping the rockcrete. “Thanks.”

The Chimera bounced and rattled as it took them back to their own unit. Larkin had been chuckling to himself for the

last fifteen minutes. Occasionally he would look at Bragg, which would inspire him to laugh out loud again.

Just before they were back at the Tanith deployment area, Bragg got his attention by leaning very close to him, so his

considerable bulk was over the sniper’s.

“Larks?”

“Yes, Try,” said Larks looking suddenly worried.

“You tell anyone about this and it won’t be an Ogryn that treads on you.”

And Larkin never did.

Force organisation chart

Compulsory

1 HQ

2 troops

Optional

1 HQ

3 elites

6 troops

2 fast attack

1 Heavy support

Tanith 1st and only army list

HQ

Command squad

Points WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv

Colonel 65 5 4 3 3 3 4 3 9 5+

Major 40 5 4 3 3 3 3 2 8 5+

Tanith Vets +11 4 4 3 3 1 4 2 7 5+

Guardsmen 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 7 5+

Squad- The company HQ consists of one officer and 4 tanith ghosts

Weapons- Officers carry lasguns OR laspistols and close combat weapons and camo cloaks/ frag grenades. Tanith ghosts

are armed with lasguns OR laspistols and close combat weapons and camo cloaks/ frag grenades.

Options-Officers have access to the imperial guard armoury

2 ghosts may form a heavy weapons team. They are armed with one of the following weapons.

Tread fether- 15 pts

Heavy bolter- 10 pts

auto cannon- 15 pts

Heavy stubber- 8 pts

- Heavy flamer- 10 pts

Any ghosts not forming a heavy weapons team may carry

- vox caster- 10 pts

-Melta gun- 10 pts

-Plasma gun

- flamer- 5 pts

- 0-1 medic - 10 pts

Special rules-

Leadership- any tanith unit within 12" may use the command squads leadership

Elites

Tanith master sniper

Points WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv

Tanith master sniper 20 3 4 3 3 1 3 1 8 5+

Squad- up to 3 Master snipers may be taken as a single elites choice

weapons- Long las (sniper rifle), camo cloak

Special rules

Master snipers- All master snipers may re roll failed to wound rolls but must accept the second result

Disappear- You may never move tanith master snipers. during your move phase you may remove the model

representing the sniper retreating back into the shadows so he or she can fight another day. the sniper cant come back

on the board but is NOT counted as killed for victory pts.

Demolition squads 100 pts

WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv

Guardsmen 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 7 5+

Sergeant 3 4 3 3 1 4 1 8 5+

Squad- A demo squad contains 1 sergeant and 9 guardsmen.

Weapons- Lasgun, frag grenades, camo cloak

Options- The guardsmen may be equipped with

krak grenades- 20 pts (for the squad)

Melta bombs- 40 pts (for the squad)

Demo charges- 10 pts (max of 3)

I grew up on Tanith and had know nothing else. I tracked amongst the wondering trees and was contented in that

peace. Then he came, and I felt real fear for the first time in my life. He came to our world to recruit three regiments of

Imperial Guard, to take us away from our home. I was conscripted in with many of my friends, they were all happy and

joyous ready to take on the adventure, I hated this man for taking me from my home.

Then Tanith fell, in fire and flames the daemons came and rent our world asunder. I was panicked like everyone else,

I ran about fearing for my life but he was so cool and calm, he saved us. He personally carried men into the ships, he

saved us. We are all that is left of Tanith now., there was no home for me to want to go back to.

To watch him on the battlefield is to watch a true man of war, his skill with his chainsword is unmatched by any I have

ever seen. He once tore a rogue astartes, twice his size, to pieces in hand to hand combat. But he is more than a warrior

to us, more than a man to learn the ways of fighting from. He is our leader, I have seen other Commisars and they are

unlike him, they rule by fear and intimidation but not him. He has compassion when it is required, and a steely resolve

when that is necessary, and he would only hurt those who would hurt us. He is the greatest leader of men I have ever

known.

But more than just a commanding officer, more than warrior - he is one of us now. He may not have been born on

Tanith but he proudly bears our cameleoline cloak over his black uniform, he is Tanith. He is Colonel-Commissar Ibram

Gaunt, and I would lay down my life for him.

by Camo of 40k forums

Tanith Veterans

Points WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv

Tanith Vet 15 4 4 3 3 1 4 2 7 5+

Tanith vet sergeant 20 4 4 3 3 2 4 2 8 5+

Squad- Tanith vet squads consist of a sergeant and 4-9 tanith vets

Weapons- Sergeants carry lasguns OR laspistols and close combat weapons and camo cloaks/ frag grenades. Tanith

ghosts are armed with lasguns OR laspistols and close combat weapons and camo cloaks/ frag grenades.

Options- A tanith vet squad may have one heavy weapons team. using one of the following heavy weapons

Tread fether- 15 pts

Heavy bolter- 10 pts

auto cannon- 15 pts

Heavy stubber- 8 pts

Heavy flamer- 10 pts

3 Tanith vets not acting as a heavy weapons crewman may carry one of the following

-Melta gun- 10 pts

- Plasma gun- 10 pts

- flamer- 5 pts

A single ghost not forming a heavy weapons team OR special weapon may carry a vox caster at 5 pts

Troops

Tanith platoon

Commander

2-5 Squad

0-1 Fire support squads

Commander

Points WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv

Captain 40 5 4 3 3 2 4 3 9 5+

lieutenant 25 4 4 3 3 2 3 2 8 5+

Squad- The company HQ consists of one officer

Weapons- Officers carry lasguns OR laspistols and close combat weapons and camo cloaks/ frag grenades.

Options-Officers have access to the imperial guard armoury

Tanith infantry squads 70 pts

Points WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv

Tanith Vets +10 4 4 3 3 1 4 2 8 5+

Guardsmen 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 7 5+

Squad- 10 tanith ghosts.

Tanith ghosts are armed with lasguns OR laspistols and close combat weapons and camo cloaks/ frag grenades.

Options- A tanith squad may have one heavy weapons team. using one of the following heavy weapons

Tread fether- 15 pts

Heavy bolter- 10 pts

auto cannon- 15 pts

Heavy stubber- 8 pts

Heavy flamer- 10 pts

A tanith ghost not acting as a heavy weapons crewman may carry one of the following

A single ghost not forming a heavy weapons team may carry

-Melta gun- 10 pts

- Plasma gun- 10 pts

- Sniper rifle-5 pts

- flamer- 5 pts

A single ghost not forming a heavy weapons team OR special weapon may carry a vox caster at 5 pts

Fire Support squad45 plus cost of weapons

WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv

Guardsmen 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 7 5+

Squad- 3 heavy weapon teams

Options- The heavy weapon teams may be equipped with either heavy bolters at 10 pts per or auto cannons at 15 per

Fast Attack

Tanith scouts

Points WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv

Tanith scout 15 4 3 3 3 1 4 1 7 5+

Squad- A scout squad contains between 5-10 scouts.

Weapons- Tanith scouts are armed with lasguns OR laspistols and CCW's and also camo cloaks/ frag grenades.

Special rules-

Move threw cover and scout- see main rule b

Heavy Support

Mortar support platoon

1 Commander

1-3 mortar squads

Commander

Points WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv

Captain 40 5 4 3 3 2 4 3 9 5+

lieutenant 25 4 4 3 3 2 3 2 8 5+

Squad- The company HQ consists of one officer

Weapons- Officers carry lasguns OR laspistols and close combat weapons and camo cloaks/ frag grenades.

Options-Officers have access to the imperial guard armoury

Mortar squad 90

WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv

Guardsmen 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 7 5+

Squad- 3 heavy weapon teams

weapons- Mortars and camo cloaks

Painting the ghosts Items needed

Paint

Chaos black

Codex grey

A nice dark green (I use catachan)

A green highlight, I just goblin

Flesh colour (I use dwarf)

Flesh highlight (I use elf)

Flesh wash

Metal colour, bolt gun or chainmail

A wood brown (I just scorched)

Other

Fine detail brush

A little bigger of one

Basing material

Painting supplies (water, cloth etc)

Matt black spray paint

Step one

Spray the model black

Step two

Touch up any parts were plastics showing threw

Step three

I’ve the entire model a grey dry brush

Step four

Paint the flesh, arms, hands face, chest etc

Step five

Paint all armour (cadian models) or tank tops/ jackets (catachan/ tanith models) green. I paint the strap on the front of

the cadain boots green to. Also paint the cape green

Step six

Give the flesh a wash of flesh wash, water it down a bit. Add dish shop to make it flow if needed

And give the armour a watered down black wash

Step seven

Dry brush the barrel of the lasgun A metal colour. Paint any other metal parts metal. Paint the rifle butt brown

Step eight

Highlight green armour and cape

Step nine

Highlight face

Step 10

Paint stripes on the cape

How to use tanith special characters?

Each special character will have a rank, if its name does not include one then consider them as a normal trooper. To

use these modes you must substitute the character for the model of the same rank. You therefore only pay the points

for the tanith special character not both.

Example, if I wanted Rawne leading my company then id use Rawne’s rules instead of the normal major’s ones. I

just have to pay for Rawne’s cost then I’m free to use him.

Scout Mkvenner

"Ven, there have been rumours about you since the day of the First Founding. There's not a man in the regiment who hasn't heard them. And not a single man who's seen you fight hand to hand that doubts them. Your skill's are like no one else's." "Sir." "The Nalsheen are supposed to extinct, Ven. A memory from the feudal days of Tanith. As I heard it, the Nalsheen were wood-warriors, a fighting brotherhood who dwelt in the nalwoods and who overthrew the old tyrants. Some think them a myth. Some think they never existed at all. But they did, didn't they, Ven?" Yes, sir."

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

28 4 4 3 3 1 4 2 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, tanith knife, frag grenades, camo cloak.

Special Rules

Nalsheen: Mkvenner is the last living Tanith that has been trained in the Nalsheen. He is more efficient in hand to hand

combat than the average guardsmen and has a more improved initiative and attack. These have already been added to

his profile above. In addition Mkvenner can parry incoming blows on a roll of 4+. This represents his training in the ways

of the Nalsheen.

Veteran Sergeant Feygor

"Feygor, if you cant stop being sarcastic, you can shut the feth up." "I wasn't being sarcastic," Feygor said, sarcastically.

"Shut the feth up!" "Its not me, its this fething thing!" he rasped, clawing at the augmetic box in his throat. it was true. He was going to be

sarcastic for the rest of is life. "Maybe he could give a signal for when he's being sarcastic, like raise a hand or something..."

"Oh, that’s a good idea," Said Feygor. Everyone looked at him. Slowly, reluctantly, he raised a hand.

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

27 3 4 3 3 1 3 1 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife, demolition charge.

Special Rules

Loyalty: Feygor and Rawne were some of the original members of the First Founding on Tanith before it was destroyed.

During their service together, both have grown to care for each while on the field. When Feygor and Rawne are within an

assault together. Feygor may swap places for the duration of the combat. Rawne will fight Feygor's opponents while

Feygor fights Rawne's.

Grudge: The Grudge Special Rule can be found in the Chapter Approved Gaunt's Ghosts Page under Major Elim Rawne.

Commissar Viktor Hark

Hark drew his pistol. "Get ready! Ready now! Glory of Tanith! Spirit of Verghast! Fury of Belladon! They're going to come at us and we're

going to give them death! What will we give them?" "Death!' the chorus came back." "That's more like it!"

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

55 4 4 3 3 2 4 2 10 5+

Wargear: Plasma pistol, camo cloak, power sword, frag grenades.

Special Rules:

Commissar Hark follows the special rules of a normal commissar found in Codex: Imperial Guard.

Plasma Gunslinger: When firing his plasma pistol in the shooting phase, Hark's plasma pistol only overheats on a roll

of a 1.

Captain Daur

Out of nowhere, just before nightfall, about a half-hour after the klaxons had stopped yelping, the first shells fell, unexpected, hurled, by long-ranged guns beyond the horizon.

Two fell short on the southern outer habs, kicking up plumes of wreckage from the worker homes.

Another six dented the Curtain Wall.

At Hass West, Daur yelled to his men and cranked the guns around. A target....give me a target....he prayed.

Dug-in Zoica armour and artillery, hidden out in the burning grasslands found their range. Shells began to drop into the hive itself.

A gigantic salvo hit the railhead at Veyveyr Gate and set it ablaze. Several more bracketed the Vervun Primary barracks

and atomised over a thousand troopers waiting for deployment.

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

50 4 4 4 3 3 4 3 9 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo-cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife, Vervunhive Cross.

Special Rules

Vervunhive Cross: Before leaving the planet Verghast to join the Ghosts in the Sabbat Crusade, House Chass awarded

Captain Daur the Vervunhive Cross. This represents Daur's courage in the Battle for Vervunhive as part of the Vervun

Primary. Any unit within 12" of Daur may re-roll leadership checks.

Flame-Trooper Aongus Brostin

There was a double click, dry and solid, and then a whoosh of heat as the night lit up. Corbec winced. Trooper Brostin stood over him, raking the tops of the sandbags and the lane beyond with his flamer. The hurricane force of the flame

gout cut the enemy away like dry grass.

"I was wondering where you'd got to," Corbec said to Brostin. Then he tapper his micro-bead."Medic! Medic!"

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

30 3 4 3 3 1 3 1 8 5+

Wargear: Heavy Flamer, tanith knife, camo-cloak, frag grenades.

Special Rules

"Say hello to the Yellow": Brostin is legendary with his ability to wield and control fire. He may re-roll all failed to

wound rolls with his heavy flamer, and may always take a cover or armor save against flamers or heavy flamers,

regardless of AP values or template rules.

Sergeant Agun Soric

Explosions thundered across the station, throwing some of the men to the ground. One of Soric's freedom fighters was yelling out. "Enemy tanks! Enemy tanks!"

Bulwar and Soric scrambled over to the station's east entrance to see. The huge shapes of Zoican storm-tanks, long-barrelled and heavily armoured, were scythingin towards the station and the surrounding habs. Others, including fast-

moving light assault tanks and squat, super-heavy flamer platforms, were pushing round onto the transit streets leading to the Commercia and the Shield Pylon.

"We have explosives, sir," said Soric, saluting again for good measure. "Mining charges we lifted from the stores behind

the smelteries."

"Static charges with no launchers...against tanks?"

It's how we've been doing it so far, sir: a man takes a wrap of charges and runs with it and anchors it to the tank hull-"

"Suicide!"

Soric frowned. "Duty, sir. What other way is there?"

"How many tanks have you destroyed with that method?"

"Twenty-four, I think."

"How many men has it cost you?"

Soric shrugged. "Twenty-four, of course."

Bulwar wiped his mouth on the back of his glove. Incredible. The devotion, determination. The sacrifice. The workers of Vervunhive, who had built this place with their sweat, were now buying it back with their blood. It was an object lesson

in loyalty and devotion that even the finest Imperial Guard regiment could admire.

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

34 4 4 3 3 2 4 3 9 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo-cloak, frag grenades, carapace shell, tanith knife.

Special Rules:

Carapace Shell: After Soric suffered an injury during the liberation of Phantine, he began to write in his own hand

information that he would need to get an advantage against the forces of Chaos whether it be fighting them or

protecting he and his men. He and the squad he is in may re-roll failed rolls to wound when shooting or the unit may re-

roll failed armour saves showing how the carapace shells shows them incoming danger once a turn.

Sergeant Tona Criid

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

23 3(4) 4 3 3 2 4 1(2) 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, tanith knife, camo-cloak, frag grenades, ganger knife.

Special Rules

Ganger Knife: Before joining the Ghosts, Criid was involved in a gang back in Vervunhive. After the city was relieved by

other Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy forces, she joined Caffran and the Ghosts. Along with her came her two "sons"

that she has cared for during the war. The ganger knife gives Criid +1 to Weapon Skill and Attack.

Eszrah ap Niht

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

30 3 4 3 3 2 4 2 8 5+

Wargear: Reynbow, tanith warknife, frag grenades, woad.

Special Rules:

Reynbow: The Reynbow is a special crossbow that fires poison darts propelled out of the crossbow by an

electromagnet. As long as Eszrah is using this weapon, he may re-roll failed rolls to wound. This weapon follows this

profile:

Range: 12" Str: 3 AP:5 Assault 2

Woad: A special white moth-paste from Gereon that is smeared on the skin before battle. It acts as camouflage and has

the same rules as a camo-cloak.

Bodyguard: Eszrah is Gaunt’s bodyguard, and so never leaves his side. He must always remain within 2’’ of Gaunt, and

may take any wounds in place of Gaunt.

Sergeant Domor

Trooper Domor had lost his eyes on Menazoid Epsilon, and augmetic surgeons had rebuilt his face around a pair of

military gauge optic sensors. The Tanith men called him `Shoggy', after the bug-eyed amphibian they decided he now

resembled. Dorden knew Domor well, and counted him a friend. He

knew that Domor's implants could read heat and movement through stone walls and brick facades.

`You see much?' `It's all empty ahead,' Domor replied, the milled focus rings of

his implants whirring as they moved around on automatic. `Kolea should put me up front. Me and Mkvenner.'

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

22 3 3 3 3 1 4 2 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, tanith knife, camo-cloak, frag grenades, augmetic eyes.

Special Rules:

Augmetic Eyes: After being injured in during the conflict between the Jantine Patricians and the Tanith Ghosts, Domor

lost the use of both his eyes and was given augmetic ones instead. Domor counts this piece of equipment as a Surveyor

as described in Codex: Imperial Guard. In addition, he and the unit he is with see 2D6 times 4 instead of the normal

2D6 times 3 when in a mission using the Night Fighting special rule.

Major Gol Kolea

Enemy infantry was slogging up out of the mist, assaulting the slope. They emerged one by one, but soon became hundreds strong, thousands. They came yelling and baying bayonets fixed.

"All right C company," Kolea said, "like gaunt himself would have wished, up and at them."

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

65 4 4 3(4) 3 3 4 3 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife, family photo.

Special Rules:

Brute Strength: Like "Try Again" Bragg, Kolea has great strength and fights with great ferocity. However, he doesn't

have to "Try Again" when shooting at his target. This results with Kolea having an improved S of 4.

Family Photo: Before he lost his wife and "sons" on Vervunhive, Kolea was a happy miner in the city. However, after

the Beati was revealed on Herodor, he confessed to Tona Criid that he was the real father of her and Caffran's "sons." If

an assault is occurring 12" from Kolea involving Criid, Caffran, or any of his sons, Kolea and the unit he is with must

move into that assault. When in the assault, Kolea may swap places with any Criid, Caffran, or his sons. In addition,

Kolea may take some of the designated characters wounds as long as all wounds have been evenly allocated.

Trooper Caffran

The crack of lasguns and needle lasers began to whip around them from the armoured loopholes on the trench head. Gaunt wrenched caffren back to his feel.

"I think the time has come," Gaunt said. "And I'd like all of my brave men to be in the line with me when we advance."

Spitting out grey mud Caffren laughed, "I'm with you, sir." He said,” From Tanith to wherever we end up."

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

23 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rules:

Bodyguard: After the Battle for Vervunhive, Caffran brought Tona and her "sons" with the Tanith Ghosts. Caffran has

grown to love Tona and thinks of her sons as his own. In an assault, Caffran may swap places with Tona or any of her

kids and fight their opponents and vice versa.

Veteran Sergeant Varl

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

33 4 4 3 3 2 4 2 9 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife, augmetic arm.

Special Rules:

Augmetic Arm: After being grievously injured in the line of duty, Varl was given an augmetic limb to replace his now

useless arm. Since then on, he has always used his new limb in battle as if he had his old arm back. However, he always

had trouble with when he fights in water with his arm. Treat Varl's augmetic arm with the unique bionics rule found in

Codex: Catachans under Colonel "Iron Hand" Straken's profile.

Sniper Nessa Bourah

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

25 3 4 3 3 1 4 1 8 5+

Wargear: Long-las, camo cloak, tanith knife, frag grenades.

Special Rules:

Scratch Veteran: Nessa was part of Gol Kolea's scratch company that launched guerilla raids against the Zoicans

during the Vervunhive War. Her times as a scratcher taught her to use the most of her cover to her advantage when

using guerilla tactics. After she was recruited into the Tanith First, she was made one of the best snipers in the Tanith

regiment. Nessa always has a 2+ cover save regardless of the terrain piece she is on.

Master Sniper: Nessa follows the Master Sniper Special Rule found in the Elites section of the Tanith special rules.

Sniper Jessi Banda

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

25 3 4 3 3 1 4 1 8 5+

Wargear: Long-las, camo cloak, tanith knife, frag grenades.

Special Rules:

Scratch Veteran: Banda was part of Gol Kolea's scratch company that launched guerilla raids against the Zoicans

during the Vervunhive War. Her times as a scratcher taught her to use the most of her cover to her advantage when

using guerilla tactics. After she was recruited into the Tanith First, she was made one of the best snipers in the Tanith

regiment. Nessa always has a 2+ cover save regardless of the terrain piece she is on.

Master Sniper: Banda follows the Master Sniper Special Rule found in the Elites section of the Tanith special rules.

Rawne's Affair: Banda and Rawne have been having a secret affair together that started during the trench warfare on

Aexe Cardinal. In an assault alongside Major Rawne, Banda and Rawne receive +1 to their Initiative.

Captain Flyn Meryn

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

43 4 4 3 3 2 4 3 9 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, tanith knife, frag grenades, krak grenades, tube charge.

Special Rules

Rawne's Apprentice: After Meryn's Larisel team witnesses his ruthlessness during the Larisel mission, some have

begun to think that he was "groomed" by Rawne. To represent this, Meryn has been given tube charge that he may use

normally or he may use it like a krak grenade when assaulting a vehicle.

Picture again by Corax of 40kOnline

Scout Trooper Simen Urvin Macharius "Lucky" Bonin

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

22 3(4) 4 3 3 1 4 2 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rules

Domor's Scout: After Domor was promoted to platoon leader, Bonin was assigned to serve as one of his platoon's

scouts. Bonin must be in Domor's platoon if being played.

"Lucky" Bonin: During his service to the Tanith First, Bonin has had large amounts of luck that have kept him alive

during the most dangerous missions. On Verghast, he fell off the colossal war machine of Heritor Asphodel and was

believed dead during the Spike assault. He survived, thanks to his amazing luck, but now has a steel vertebrae and

pelvic joint due to his extensive injuries. He escaped unharmed from the Ouranberg mission and survived Gereon. Bonin

may ignore the first unsaved wound he has once every turn to show how lucky he really is.

Knife Warrior: One of Bonin's lucky saves was when he personally killed a Stalker with only his Tanith knife. To

represent this, Bonin has +1 A and WS than the average guardsmen.

Sniper Sehra Muril

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

22 3 4 3 3 1 4 1 8 5+

Wargear: Long-las, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rules

Master Sniper: Muril follows the Master Sniper Special Rule found in the Elites section of the Tanith special rules.

Verghast Scout: Muril has been trying to become one of the first Verghast scouts in the Tanith regiment. She was

selected by Mkvenner to be in one of the scout groups during a mission on Aexe Cardinal. If the mission was successful,

Ven would recommend her to Mkoll and she would be one of the first Verghast scouts in the Tanith First. Muril and the

unit she is with may to deploy in ambush using the Ambush Special Rules found in Codex: Catachans.

Medic Ana Curth

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

13 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 8 5+

Wargear: Laspistol, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife, medi-pack.

Special Rules:

Medic: Curth was a doctor on Vervunhive before she was integrated into the Tanith First. She has become the second

medic to the Tanith First and is well like by all. For having much experience being a medic, treat Curth as having the

expert medic special rule in the Chapter Approved Gaunt's Ghosts Characters found under Chief Medical Officer Tolin

Dorden's profile.

Sniper Rilke

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

20 3 4 3 3 1 3 1 8 5+

Wargear: Long-las, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rules:

Master Sniper: Rilke follows the Master Sniper Special Rule found in the Elites section of the Tanith special rules.

Captain Raglon

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

25 4 4 3 3 2 4 2 9 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife, krak grenades.

Special Rules:

Radio Experience: Raglon was once one of the Tanith First's vox operators. He has had much experience with radios

until he was promoted to platoon leader after Adare was killed on Phantine. If Raglon's vox operator is killed, Raglon will

take up the vox caster and may continue to use it.

Sergeant Lhurn Adare

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

21 3 4 3 3 1 4 2 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife, krak grenades.

Special Rules

Guerilla Leader: Adare and many of the original Ghosts from the First Founding were thought to be the backbone of

the Tanith regiment. He is a sharp-witted, confident, strong man, and he was a well-liked in the regiment. He was

chosen to be in many guerilla raids such as Caffran's raid on Oskray Hive and defending the Shrine on Hagia. He and the

squad he is with may deploy in ambush using the Ambush Special Rule found in Codex: Catachans.

Captain Arcuda

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

40 4 4 3 3 3 4 2 9 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife, meltabombs.

Special Rule

Leadership: Any squad within 12" of Arcuda may use his leadership when taking morale and pinning checks.

Sergeant Baffels

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

23 3 4 3 3 1 4 2 9 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rule

Promotion: After hundreds of Ghosts died in the city of Vervunhive, Baffels was promoted to Sergeant of his squad. He

perturbed of his new promotion, but he eager to live up to Gaunt's expectations. This results with Baffels having an

improved Leadership of 9 showing his eagerness to serve Gaunt.

Sniper Raess Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

20 3 4 3 3 1 4 1 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rule

Master Sniper: Raess follows the Master Sniper Special Rule found in the Elites section of the Tanith special rules.

Scout Trooper Caober

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

21 3 4 3 3 1 3 1 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rule

Scout: Caober is one of the best scouts from the Tanith First. While Gaunt and some of the Ghosts were on the mission

in Gereon, Caober became the scout leader during Colonel Wilder's command of the Tanith regiment. Caober and the

unit he is with may deploy in ambush using the Ambush Special Rule found in Codex: Catachans.

Field Medic Lesp

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

14 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife, med-pack.

Special Rule

Field Medic: Lesp acts as one of Dorden's orderlies and has learned the basics of acting as a field medic for the Tanith

First. To represent this, the unit he is in may ignore the first unsaved wound every turn.

Field Medic Chayker

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

14 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife, med-pack.

Special Rule

Field Medic: Chayker acts as one of Dorden's orderlies and has learned the basics of acting as a field medic for the

Tanith First. To represent this, the unit he is in may ignore the first unsaved wound every turn.

Scout Trooper Leyr

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

21 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rule

Scout: Leyr is one of the scouts from the Tanith First and served as Rawne's platoon's scouts. While Gaunt and some of

the Ghosts were on the mission in Gereon, Leyr served as a scout during Colonel Wilder's command of the Tanith

regiment. Leyr and the unit he is with may deploy in ambush using the Ambush Special Rule found in Codex: Catachans.

Scout Trooper Heqta Jajjo Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

10 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rule

Scout: Jajjo is one of the scouts from the Tanith First and is one of the only Verghast scouts in the whole Tanith

regiment. Jajjo and the unit he is with may deploy in ambush using the Ambush Special Rule found in Codex:

Catachans.

Scout Trooper Baen

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

10 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rule

Scout: Baen is one of the scouts from the Tanith First and serves as Varl's personal scout. Baen and the unit he is with

may deploy in ambush using the Ambush Special Rule found in Codex: Catachans.

Scout Trooper Doyl

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

15 3 4 3 3 1 4 1 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rule

Renowned Scout: Doyl is one of the most renowned scouts from the Tanith First and served as Soric's platoon's

scouts. Doyl and the unit he is with may deploy in ambush using the Ambush Special Rule found in Codex: Catachans.

Scout Trooper Baru

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

10 3 4 3 3 1 4 1 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, laspistol, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rule

Scout: Baru is one of the scouts from the Tanith First and he was known as the "Invisible Creeper" in the Tanith

regiment. Baru and the unit he is with may deploy in ambush using the Ambush Special Rule found in Codex:

Catachans.

Scout Trooper Logris

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

10 3 4 3 3 1 4 1 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, laspistol , camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rule

Scout: Logris is one of the scouts from the Tanith First and was Rawne's first scout and even served as an elite with

Baru. Logris and the unit he is with may deploy in ambush using the Ambush Special Rule found in Codex: Catachans.

Sergeant Mkendrick

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

20 3 4 3 3 1 4 2 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, laspistol , camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rule

Scout: Mkendrik was one of the scouts from the Tanith First and was in Rawne's unit before he became a scout.

Mkendrik and the unit he is with may deploy in ambush using the Ambush Special Rule found in Codex: Catachans.

Multiple Ranks: During his service to the Tanith First, Mkendrik has mainly to roles. He was first a scout in Rawne's

platoon, but shortly after became a platoon leader. Before battle commences, Mkendrik may either be a Sergeant or a

Scout, but not neither. If a sergeant, Mkendrik may still use the scout’s special representing that he and his unit has

learned the basic ways of being a scout.

Scout Trooper Wes Maggs

Points WS BS S T W I A LD SV

10 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 8 5+

Wargear: Lasgun, laspistol, camo cloak, frag grenades, tanith knife.

Special Rule

Scout: Trooper Maggs is a Belladon trooper who was brought into the regiment with the influx of troops from the 81-

1st. He was part of a recon squad in the old regiment, so he decided to try and join them in the First and Only. His scout

skills are renowned, he has even paired himself up with Mkoll during the assault on Ancreon Sextus. Maggs and the unit

he is with may deploy in ambush using the Ambush Special Rule found in Codex: Catachans.