Editing Goda

{{/tg/-Heresy-Head}}

{{Infobox 40k Planet
|name=Goda
|bgcolor=White
|fgcolor=Red
|image=
|class=Knight
|orbdist=
|gravity=
|temp=Temperate and Tropical
|pop=13,000,000,000 As of M41
|governor=Lord Goza
|system=Orochi
|sector=Al-Sherar
|subsector=Goda
|segmentum=Pacificus
}}

''"Goda is war."''
-Karmian poet Gaston Charron

Goda is a [[Knight Houses (Hektor Heresy)|Knight World]] of [[Ghalhal|Ghalhal's]] star realm in the Al-Sherar Sector, and homeworld of the headstrong Goda Imperial Retainer regiments. Before its rediscovery by the Imperium the various lower clans of Goda waged war on behalf of the powerful great clans, houses possessing the gigantic knights used to maintain their domains. Following their contact with and absorption into the Imperium of Man, the planet has been united under the Goza Clan as House Goda, and now provides many forces to the Imperial war effort.

=History=
[[File:Goda Knight.jpg|thumb|left]]
==Early History to the Hektor Heresy==
Goda was discovered during the Great Crusade by Mechanicum explorators. Their knights being worn down by centuries of fighting with other great clans, the Goza Clan bargained with the forge world of Ghalhal to make Goda a vassal if the Mechanicus assisted in the unification of the planet. A great conflict followed, and in its conclusion the great clans agreed to recognize the Goza Clan as the dominant power.

In the Hektor Heresy, Goda threw its lot in with the loyalists as the vassals of ghalhal. As it was a world a log the borders of the Al-Sherar Sector, Goda was a bastion which invaders of the north would have to pass near to reach the sector. To defend itself and the worlds behind it, Goda fortified itself and its moon into a fortress and star-port.

===The War for Goda===
''"Do not insult me by comparing that soulless lump of steel with true armor. Do you see this armor that I wear? It was my father's, and his father's. For generations it has been in my family, ever since the first of my clan commissioned a smith, a true master of his craft, to build this fine armor, carefully overlapping its plates and pouring his soul into every inch of it. I am honored to have inherited from my father, and as he died in honorable combat wearing it, so shall I; and I hope my son shall do the same when I pass the armor to him. You shall not deny me or anyone else in my clan an honorable death, Markian."''
-Lower Lord Oron to a Markian quartermaster.

Both renegade and loyalist efforts were concentrated on the knight world to defend or capture it, and to either continue or end the existence of House Goda. Assigned to the defense and fortification of Goda was Magos Zaman, an esteemed member of Ghalhal's priesthood, commanding elements of the Ordo Recuctor and Legio Cybernetica. As the Al-Sherar Sector was already being assaulted on two sides by renegade Solar Auxilia and Mechanicum, Zaman had limited resources to fortify Goda with early on. Although the might of House Goda counted for much, many of their knights were fighting for Legio Cataegis against Legio Nova. All there was available were token Mechanicum forces, a quarter of House Goda, the lower clans' forces, and exhausted Imperial Army regiments retreating to the sector.

Zaman's first effort was the organization of the rabble of regiments and retainers available to him into a cohesive fighting force. Though seemingly primitive, Goda's warrior caste and their weaponry were fearsome and abiding. Those that didn't carry ancient laslocks wielded mighty bows, or handled large clubs or spears;all of which their masters had spent a lifetime practicing with. What their armor did not protect them against, they shrugged off with adrenaline and courage. The feudal armies of Goda were organized into a mighty forty regiments under forty lords of the lower clans, ten times over the numbers of the other regiments present.

====The Deluge====
It was with a thunder and a fire that the renegade forces descended on Goda. Thousands upon thousands of rebels poured onto the planet's surface, burning the lower lands and setting siege to the eight fortress cities of the Greater Clans, where the Imperial forces holed up to weather the storm. The guns of the heretics hammered day in and day out on the walls, shaking the earth and shattering stone; but throughout the battle not one of the fortresses fell to the enemy, thanks to the ferocity of Goda's warriors. Where the bulwarks were breached, warriors armed with swords and clubs charged in to fill the gap with the enemies' bodies. Where others faltered, Goda soldiers were sure to be standing, even when death was assured. Of all the forces present, those that suffered most after the renegades were the Goda, such that by the end of the siege only a quarter of their regiments remained. One year after the Deluge began, the 99th Army of the Markian Corps arrived with their fleets to slaughter the renegades and relieve the Imperial Army on Goda. This was not the end of Goda's woes, as the destruction wrought by the renegades left many of the peasantry without a home, a family, or a clan. With no place to return to, thousands of Goda residents swore vengeance upon Hektor and his minions, and joined the Imperial Army in a great campaign to cleanse the segmentum of rebellion.

===The Push===

==The Age of the Imperium to the Time of Ending==
Following the Hektor Heresy, Goda evolved from a mere agri-world to an industrial world. Soldiers of the lower clans, having served valiantly as auxilia for the Imperium during the Heresy, returned to Goda to forge a new planetary defense force, the Planetary Retainers, which would serve as the basis for the Imperial Retainer regiments of the Imperial Guard. The old men-at-arms of the Great Clans evolved into the siege retainers, heavy troops and fortress-smashers of the Imperial Retainers. Goda was set on the path of greatness within and without Ghalhal's ward.

=Geography and Wildlife=
Goda is a smorgasbord of environments, from jungles and swamps to plains and forests, populated with exotic flora and fauna. In the northern continent, desert and forest reign supreme; in the south and east, mountains and plains dominate the land; and the west is jungles and plateaus. All around the continent, islands are scattered, filled with jungles, forests, and the like. 

Goda is home to a great many beasts, from man-eating eagles to giant crabs and serpents; but none are so respected as the giant turtles crawling on the surface of Goda. Used by lord and peasant alike as a working animal, the giant turtle continues its service even in the Imperial Guard, their shells amazingly resilient against las and bolter fire. Such is the Goda people's respect for these creatures that their deaths at the hands of the enemy drives soldiers to a fury beyond the usual battle-rage, making up for lost speed and protection with bloodlust and adrenaline.

Goda has one moon, Rabbit. Since the Hektor Heresy, Rabbit has been a fortress and port of Goda, protecting it and accepting goods from around the Imperium. The system defense force is based here, staffed by Imperial Navy officers and defended by siege retainers, as well as House Goda's personal knight fleet.

=Culture=
In some parts of Goda, tradition reigns. In others, it is innovation and new values that drive them. The scale of tradition versus innovation is very visible when traveling from a fortress city to the borderlands; the further from the knights and the adepts you go, the more old-fashioned practices you find. In the fortress cities you will find siege retainers, delinquents and gangsters, and arbitrators; in the further reaches of the domain, there are noble retainers, bandits, and local sheriffs. 

Likewise, life in the island clans is as different from in the lower clans as the lower clans is as different from the great clans. Fishers and boatsmen, mariners and divers, pirates and smugglers, and giant crabs find their homes on the islands beyond the continent. Far from the reign of knights and siege retainers, the island clans lead simpler lives than the rest.

=Military=
Both knights and guardsmen of Goda are noteworthy to the Imperium of Man for their mobility ferocity. Even the tankers of the Retainer forces are swift and brutal in their fighting style. Only the siege retainers show patience and restraint, and they are trained to charge into thick enemy fire. 

==Knights of Goda==
{{Infobox 30k Knights
|Title = House Goda
|Image = 
|Grade = Secundus
|Patent = 
|Domain = Goda
|Cognomen = The Beasts of Ghalhal, The Blades of the West
|Allies = Vassal to Ghalhal
|Loyalty = Loyalist
|bgcolor = White
|fgcolor = Red
}}

As ancient as they are powerful, the knights of Goda are the greatest war machines Goda can provide. These giants of adamantium bear massive armaments, from battle cannons to chainswords, wielding them with a fury matched by few. Indeed, it seems the thrones mechanicus of House Goda have a small quirk not shared by other houses: in addition to duty and honor, the throne also instills into its knight a burning fire that drives them with red hot fervor in battle, to charge the enemy and enter bloody combat as soon as possible. Such a bloodlust shapes their arsenal; they forgo long-ranged weaponry and the bulky Questoris knights in favor of close-ranged weapons and the faster Cerastus patterns, although esteemed commanders use Questoris knights as a symbol of wealth, grandeur, and temperance.

As a house of the Adeptus Mechanicus, knights of Goda are maintained by the techpriests of Ghalhal as opposed to sacristans. Ghalhallan techpriests  are distinct from other scions of Mars, dressed in exotic clothing and followed by Djinn-Servitors wherever they go. As the wardens of knights the techpriests know everything there is about their charge, and take great care in ensuring the continued functioning of suits.

==Retainer Forces==

{{Infobox 30k IA
|Name = Goda Imperial Retainers
|Image = 
|Homeworld = Goda
|Doctrine =  Close Combat and Fast Assault
|Signature Equipment = Sword, flak/carapace armor, turtle
|Colors = Black and Gold
|Associated Legion =
|bgcolor = Black 
|fgcolor = Yellow
}}
Though Goda is a knight world, the lower clans make a point in protecting their right to maintain a disciplined military force to protect the planet and ultimately the Imperium. The lower clans are permitted to raise defense forces to fend off attacks from invaders and protect the outer cities where the Adeptus Arbites is less prominent. To maximize the efficiency of their forces, all lower and island clans of Goda have standardized their militaries as the Goda Planetary Retainers, a Planetary Defense Force equipped with both old and new weaponry. From these ranks the Astra Militarum draws its regiments, the Imperial Retainers of Goda. 

Consisting of the most enthusiastic members of the Planetary Retainers, the Imperial Retainer Regiments are ''aggressive'' outfits that prefer ''aggressive'' advance over defense. Retainer regiments contain alongside infantry extensive cavalry, mechanized, and armored elements. Outfitted for close combat, retainers close the distance to their enemy and engage in close quarters battle, as armored components rush the enemy to shatter their lines. 

A noteworthy element of the Imperial Retainers is the armored force. Though most primitive worlds lack armor, Goda is an industrial world as much as it is a knight world, and so has access to all manner of tanks. Much like the infantry, armored crewmen are vicious brawlers, charging the enemy in fast tanks to overwhelm them. Being a crewman is not merely a matter of being tossed in a metal coffin; Goda has dedicated tank schools, and tankers, distinguished from other retainers by their modern black uniforms, take as much pride in their tank as a noble retainer takes in his sword.

As the Imperial Retainers are bound for the stars and never to return, those close to them often give them what may be their last good memories before their departure. As part of tradition, a retainer’s old platoon and their families have him or her participate in one last festivity, where the retainer’s armor is decorated and the retainer is given presents that are expected to be useful in the coming days. Riders are given the finest steed their unit and family could afford, and a tank crew, hand-picked by its new tank commander from across the world, is given a deep red tank covered in beautiful imagery. A very common gift is simply a sword, crafted with a high degree of skill by a commissioned craftsman or passed down through generations. 

Many retainers are deeply respectful of tradition, and so maintain adherence to the ancient ways as best they can. These "noble retainers" forgo modern weaponry in favor of archaic armor, obsolete close combat weapons, and bows made from strong wood and tough string. Horribly under-equipped for the battlefields of the forty-first millennium, noble retainers must achieve greatness through faith and fury alone.

Though primarily a lower clan effort, only the great clans have the infrastructure to equip the retainer forces. Providing standard gear to the lower clans, the great clans keep the higher-quality materiel to themselves to equip their highly trained siege retainers. An evolution from the old men-at-arms, siege retainers are specialized infantry, analogous to grenadiers of other worlds, clad in carapace armor and armed with hellguns, chainswords, power weapons, or special weapons above the regular forces’, that serve as line breakers or knights' men-at-arms.

{{/tg/-Heresy-Knights}}