Talk:Iron Rangers

To Do List

• Update Path of the Warrior subheading to reflect changes to IR history

• Fix Wakiya

• Discuss what happened after The Long Hunt. Specifically, Ullanor and go into details regarding their feeling alienated.

• Cover events leading up to the Heresy which caused them to be increasingly isolated

• The Culling

Continuity/Format feedback

Formatting:

• I recommend using one "Notable Campaigns" subheading in each History section. The way you're doing it looks fine at the moment, but it'll flood the index once you start adding other exemplary battles. The Great Crusade section on the Void Angels page is probably my best example of the format I'm proposing.
• I understand why you have the notable characters still on the Legion page, but they are getting a bit long for it. Cysgodol Dawnsiwr in particular is a good candidate for getting his own page - you have enough content on him to make a reasonable stub. Aside from that, I recommend a bullet point rather than sub-heading format for the characters, for the same reason as the campaigns. (If someone is so notable that they need to be linked to, that's an indication that they probably need their own page.)
• The "unique weapons" section is a bit odd. The really unique, one-offs should probably be in war-gear sections for the individual characters. More broadly, I'd be inclined to make this whole wargear section just one entry in the index, and use Bold-face pseudo-headings to break it up rather than level 3 headings the way you do at the moment.
• The recruiting and training section is good but really long. I don't have any clever ideas on what to do with it, though. :)

On continuity, it's inevitable that I end up making some leaps beyond the facts. I'll try to use italics when I'm just making a suggestion rather than pointing something out:

• The Legion numbers indicate order of activation. As #20, I would have thought that the IRs would be relatively late into the field.
• The page mentions a "76th Imperial Army Expeditionary Fleet" in the lead-up to Operation Wakiya. 843.M30 is too early for the IA to have their own Expedition Fleets and the forces were normally just "Xth Expedition Fleet". I don't think this is a major problem, though. You could easily have a Rogue Trader Militant playing the same role as the 76th in this story.

-Actually, considering its value as a Mechanicum sect, I was thinking shifting it to be a Mechanicus fleet that gets overwhelmed. -On a secondary note, the political positioning of the AdMech at the time would make it easier for a communications foul-up to occur. The IR commanders would be less certain of the standing of the AdMech commanders, and would be more likely to carry out orders as they were told rather than performing a thorough investigation themselves. It would also leave the Emperor in a more delicate situation, as he has to either worry about how this would impact the Treaty of Mars.

• Wakiya might be more palatable to some readers if you shifted the date waaay back to c.810.M30, shortly after the Imperium starts expanding from Sol. That makes the Emperor turning up with four Legions highly plausible (none of the Legions are that big). With that early date, you could also use this as the 20th's first operation outside of the Solar system.
• In the Long Hunt there's another "Imperial Army Expeditionary Fleet". Again, this is too early. And again, I think a Rogue Trader Militant could be swapped in without much cost to you.
• At the end of the Long Hunt section, Merrill hands the Imperial Army their system. Better might be to talk about installing an Imperial Governor or handing over to an Imperial Army Compliance Group (garrison/policing force).

-that was more or less implied, but with the addition that Merrill isn't one to stand on ceremony, so he rather unceremoniously dumps it on the commander's lap and calls it a day.

• I would have thought that the Iron Rangers would make special use of the "Spectre"-class Warp Runner.

-Unfamiliar with this vessel

None of this is very high priority, but hopefully it's helpful. --Lumey (talk) 01:34, 23 April 2016 (UTC)

Saving for Later:

Boeotian Lowlands

Many consider the attack on Boeotia to be both the high and low point of the early XX Legion. The attack itself was extremely successful in all its objectives. It gained a considerable amount of glory and honor to the Ash Wraiths. It also started cementing the idea of using the Legion as assassins in the mind of the Imperial Commanders and other Legions. Mikneli himself considered it a tactical success and strategic failure.

Operation Wakiya

814.M30: The 76th Mechanicus Explorator Fleet discovered the Lucius subsector. The subsector already maintained a functional society and political system complete with Forge Worlds and the capability for some interstellar travel. Contact was made and negotiations were attempted. In the end the subsector unified against the Imperium. After several crushing defeats, the commander of the fleet made an official request for astartes assistance. It was answered by no less than 4 Astartes Legions: the XI, XX, XIII, and XIV, led by the Emperor himself.

Fighting was difficult and intense, the locals unleashing numerous weapons from the Dark Age, Titans, and the collected might that only a Forge World could bring to bear. Territory captured was further complicated by all manner of guerilla warfare and insurgencies.

The Ash Wraiths were initially tasked with what was becoming their standard role in a conflict. That of eliminating high-ranking leaders, disrupting communications and supply lines, infiltrating and demolishing fortified emplacements, and disruptive attacks behind enemy lines. However it soon became clear that the standard methodology for dealing with insurgencies and rebellions were not going to work. The enemy were too scattered, too methodical, and the territory and skills too valuable to be simply destroyed. The Mechanicus Forces working to pacify conquered territories were overwhelmed. The Explorator fleet requested to tap into the services of the XX Legion to assist in their efforts and were granted permission. This operation was given the name of Wakiya, after a mythical creature from Old Terra. The Legion was already overstretched at the front lines. The Ash Wraiths paid the list of targets no heed as the mission had been approved by The Emperor Himself and the Mechanicus at large. Astartes from the XX Legion were to infiltrate and assassinate militant leaders and insurgent and guerilla forces. After some time it became clear that a miscommunication had arisen between the Astartes and Mechanicus. Instead of finding, interrogating, and eliminating enemy insurgent leaders and suppliers, the majority of targets turned out to be purely political in nature. Most had no connections whatsoever with insurgent forces or were simply unhappy with the Imperium's methods of expansion. Some were willing to accept the Imperium but were demonstrating against the violent methods used to quell they subsector.

As the campaign came to a close, the governing body of Lucius pushed for a conditional surrender to the Imperium. One of the listed conditions was the return of civilians captured as part of Operation Wakiya, and reparations be made to the families and surviving victims. Confused, the Emperor looked into the matter and found that almost all of the targets captured in the operation were civilian. Almost none of them had any connection whatsoever to insurgencies or fighters. Most were purely political opponents who could have been swayed with diplomacy or silenced with money and resources. Outraged, he called the XX Legion to answer these accusations. Mikneli was confused by the accusations as the list of targets was made specifically by the Mechanicus. If The Emperor wished for a swift surrender and transition he was forced to choose a sacrificial lamb of the Legion or the Mechanicus. He laid the blame for the atrocities squarely on the shoulders of the XX. They would have been disbanded. had Hektor not stepped in to plead for them personally. The damage to their reputation was already done. Other Legions deemed them assassins and Imperial Army troops would refuse to work with them or whisper insults behind their backs.

Disheartened and disgraced, the XX Legion faced harsh censure. In the eyes of the Legion, the largest injury was that they were no longer given credit for conquered worlds. They were only allowed to support other forces. The Legion were further antagonized by several other Legions for their part in the campaign. Some notable historians have pointed to this event the beginning of the Iron Rangers' path towards rebellion and Chaos.

The Long Hunt

873.M30: The Iron Rangers had finally settled their conflicts within the new organization and roles. New squads and formations had been created as a result, and the long-standing offer for a flagship had been decided. A Gloriana class flagship, christened The Emperor's Shadow was in dry-dock. The first test of the new command structure came in the form of an aid request from a nearby Imperial Army Expeditionary fleet. They had discovered a system inhabited by Eldar, where every planet and moon capable of sustaining life had been fully terraformed and was ready to be included in the Imperium. It was considered an excellent find, totaling 4 planets, over a dozen moon, and hundreds of asteroids ready to support human inhabitants. Though the initial surveys reported only one or two small and isolated colonies, their numbers seemed to multiply overnight. It was decided that Astartes would be required to deal with the numbers and scope of the conflict, and the XX Legion were the closest to answer the call. From Merrill's perspective, this seemed the perfect proving grounds for his ideas.

The resulting battle was longer and more drawn out than what was initially expected. As opposed to fighting the xenos in force and outright annihilating them, the Iron Rangers fought them on their own turf and almost by their own rules. The following weeks were a drawn-out series of hit-and-run fighting, infiltration, and sabotage. Each force trying to sneak past the other and eliminate their strong points. In the end it was the XX Legion that stood victorious. Rogerius Merrill walked his men out of the conflict, handed the Imperial Army their system, and promptly contacted his father with a full battle report and a statement that bordered on demanding the return of the Legion's Rite of Conquest. After some thought and inflection, The Emperor agreed and the honor of the Iron Rangers was restored, if only in writing.

Unique Weapons

The Imperial Talon

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The spear wielded by Rogerius Merrill while he remained loyal to The Emperor. It was crafted by the greatest artificers on Mars, to his exacting ideas. The weight, balance, length, even the shaft diameter were all designed based on his specifications. It is as much a piece of art as it is a weapon, with elegant, golden designs and inlays along its silver length. In addition to its regular power field, it incorporates a formidable refractor field along the length of the shaft and a teleportation device from the Dark Age of Technology which allows the wielder to recall it instantly back to their hand. In the battle with Tiran Osoris, the Primarch of the Scale Bearers broke the haft in two, forcing Merrill to find another weapon suitable to his needs. Rumors persist of its continued existence, and questions abound whether it was corrupted by its wielder or remains pure, if it does still exist.

Hollti O Penglogau and Bywyd-Yfwr

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The names translate to "Splitter of Skulls" and "Life-Drinker," they are the twin weapons of Rogerius Merrill after his fall to Chaos. Hollti O Penglogau is a tomahawk, originally a bearded axe for a normal man, possessed by a Bloodthirster. Bywyd-Yfwr is a dagger, and possessed by a Keeper of Secrets. The tomahawk is an ugly, savage weapon. It's design is ragged and crude, an item clearly built with one purpose in mind. The dagger, on the other hand, is sleek and fine, and appears more a work of art than anything. Many have commented that it doesn't look sturdy enough to last a battle, only to find out the opposite is true.

The Last Laugh

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Cellweirwyr's rifle, it is truly one of a kind. The long, heavy barreled bolter fires a special bolt round. Though normal sized, it is fit into a modified Heavy Bolter casing, giving it better muzzle velocity, energy, and range than even some sniper rifles. Combined with its' user's renowned skill with a firearm and a scope with numerous long-forgotten technical marvels, it is both a symbol of both skill and hubris.

PF-38

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The PF-38 was a short-run production of Powerfists created by the Mechanicum during the later days of the Crusades. The model incorporates series of moving, hooked blades in the fingers and palm, designed to help cut and tear through armor plating. Though successful in its design, controlling the blades proved difficult for most who attempted to use it. One exception to that rule was Arth Codital of the Iron Rangers, dubbing his own the "can opener," who excelled with the weapon to the point of refusing the more traditional power spear.