Iron Rangers

"Please understand. I know you wish to fight us. Consider our words. Should you decide on your futility, we shall not fall to your planet as formations of men and steel. We shall descend as wrathful ghosts in the night. To attack us is to strike at smoke and shadows. You will fail, and you will fall. And I know how. Your defenses will be systematically reduced to rubble. Your officers shall be woken in the night to our knives in their throats. Your peacekeepers shall be murdered by those they once stood to defend. Your palaces shall be torn asunder by those who once built them. But you will see none of it, for you shall be the first to know that our creed speaks true."

This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.

Iron Rangers
Battle Cry	"No one is beyond our reach."
Number	XX
Founding	First Founding
Chapter Master	Cellweirwyr
Primarch	Rogerius Merrill
Homeworld	Profi Tiroedd
Strength	85,000 (estimated)
Specialty	Asymmetrical Warfare and assassination
Allegiance	Chaos Undivided
Colours	Green, Brown, and Black

[WIP] Summary of Legion XX

[this whole legion is currently being renovated and expanded upon.]

Numeration: XX

Primogenitor: Rogerius Merrill

Cognomen (Prior): None. Merrill believed it a disservice to those that came before him to rename the legion.

Observed Strategic Tendencies: Asymmetrical Warfare and Assassination

Light infantry

Legion Combat Doctrine

The Iron Rangers are ruthless pragmatists; they have to be with such a small legion strength, they have to maximise every advantage they can and minimise every weakness. This means the XXth chooses to avoid using the direct and costly assaults associated with space marines, finding a sneaky assassination would get the job done just as effectively. The Rangers are taught to work alone or in small groups, often using guerrilla tactics, or supplementing allied forces. Utilizing these strategies, they have beaten more numerous, and more well-equipped foes that by all rights should have beaten the Rangers.

Treating every enemy like prey to be hunted, the Iron Rangers value efficiency in killing their prey. The XXth Legion waste none of their forces in attrition warfare, protracted sieges, or direct open conflict. Instead they stalk their prey, before striking mercilessly at the enemies head, destroying their foes ability to act, so that the XXth can begin their systematic butchery of the carcass that remains.

To keep with this thinking, the Iron Rangers make a great use of stealth, using their scouts to provide the legion with up-to-date location intel on the key personnel of their enemies, before the rest of the legion can move in a strike hard and fast, leaving none alive before fading away into the fog of war, leaving nothing but death and booby traps in their wake.

It is common for the Iron Rangers to let the local allied forces command the campaign, leaving the XXth Legion to operate in a way that contributes to the overall campaign war effort, but outside control by anyone but their own commanders. The Rangers often roam around and support allied forces when and where they find them, using stealth and surprise to frightening effect, destroying the enemies supply, communication, and command structure.

Pre-Heresy Tactics

The Iron Rangers preferred quick assassinations over brute force. When force was required, they would often merely assassinate individual leaders that opposed them, to reduce collateral damage and make transitions more or less peaceful. When possible, they would use methods harder to trace back to themselves (poison, utilizing local weaponry to make it look like an in-house job). Their predisposition for hunting out and crushing leadership meant that bringing a non-imperial world to compliance would often far longer than a direct assault would do, but no other legion could criticise how thoroughly the worlds conquered by the Iron Rangers were conquered; when the XXth Legion was done, there were no dissenting voices, any who were even privately against the Imperium were quietly removed.

When they were required to be fielded in larger campaigns, they rarely attacked in full. They had a threefold plan for working in Campaigns.

Their Tactical Squads (and some Captains/Command Squads) would split into small teams to bolster and assist whatever allied regular human forces were available, in the form of additional training, better equipment, strategic/tactical advisors, additional, specialized firepower, and the morale boost of fighting next to Space Marines. Their scouts would deploy to set up Observation Posts and various Rally Points and Forward Operating Bases, whilst their Jetbikes, Skimmers, Assault Marines, and Air Power would be delivering hit-and-run missions against enemy Supply and Communications lines, destroying key strategic assets and aiding in assassinations of key enemy personnel.

As a result, in most campaigns the credit went to whatever forces they were allied with, which left them seeming to be the weakest of the Legions, rather than being credited as one of the most subtle and deadly legions.

Legion Organisation

Specialist Squads and Formations

Heliwr Squads The precursor to the role of scouts being more than just reconnaissance, the Heliwyr are highly skilled, many of their members ending up in the Milwyr Cwn. They undertake reconnaissance, deep-infiltration sabotage and guerrilla missions, setting up forward rally points and suitable positions for future forward bases, and even often take part in assassinations, either themselves directly or in support of the Milwyr Cwyn. The Heliwyr are lead and trained by Samwell Bysgotwyr

Ceidwad Squads The Ceidwad are the direct-action units within the Iron Rangers. While outwardly very similar to the common Tactical and Devastator Squads, they are more compartmentalized in order to be able to work in smaller teams. While most commonly seen working with, training, and generally alongside allied Imperial Army units, they are perfectly capable of fighting on their own, and are most often the ones directing and leading any large offensive maneuver. Trained and lead by Rhysart Winters

Gwaed Squads The Gwaed are the most common units in the Iron Rangers' forces. Often seen using jump packs, they are assault troops designed and trained for two purposes: Elimination of hardened positions and disruption of enemy movements. They are also known for taking on lower risk assassination missions. Although not as skilled in stealth as the Heliwr or Milwyr Cwyn, they are still more than capable of getting to within striking range without being seen or heard. Trained and lead by Wilhelm Benavidez

Llychlynwyr Squads The Llychlynwyr are the heavier and faster attack squads of the Iron Rangers forces. They specialise in using their jetbikes and skimmers in conjunction with air support to strike the enemy hard and fast, and support the other elements of the Iron Ranger forces. Operating separate from other forces, they undertake their raids in a roaming support role, often using specialist light transport vehicles to help other formations deploy quickly, catching the enemy unaware in the flank or rear while the Llychlynwyr raid the enemy lines. They tend to attract the more aggressive or bold Iron Ranger legionnaires, not as capable of stealth as the other legionnaires, the Llychlynwyr focus on using the surprise and speed afforded by the nature of their vehicles to catch enemies unaware deep in their own lines.

Milwyr Cwyn

These are the elite of the Iron Rangers. Ruthless and shrewd hunters, hardened to the point of fearlessness, the Milwyr Cwyn are the unstoppable knife in the dark, and the eyes that are always watching. Veterans of uncountable campaigns, and having weathered more daunting odds than any other in the legion and won, these marines are the pinnacle of stealth and tactical skill in the XXth Legion. Featuring the XXth Legions Terminators, as well as some of the best tactical thinkers the Imperium has to offer, the Milwyr Cwyn's name is known to half the Imperium, most shuddering at the thought.

Having an unmatched reputation in being able to reach anyone, the Milwyr Cwyn have never failed to achieve their campaign or operational targets, so impressive are their talents. They epitomise the Iron Rangers doctrine of stealth, assassination, ambush, and hit-and-fade tactics.

Before the Heresy they were lead by the highly respected Cellweirwyr, but after his death during the Heresy, the Milwyr Cwyn are now lead by the ghostly Banadur Ysbryd, a marine renowned for his improbably stealth abilities.

Grym Teigr

The Grym Teigr may just be a battalion, but their reputation far precedes them. Under the command of Dafydd "Slash" Slashworth, the Grym Teigr out-insurgent insurgents.

Having spent time fighting alongside the Children of Armok, Slashworth adopted their counter-insurgency and insurgent tactics and strategies, combining them with the Iron Rangers' own areas of expertise to take his battalion of green recruits and turn them into the much feared formation they are today.

With a reputation for ruthless and brutal efficiency, they strike fear into the hearts of their enemies. However, there are also numerous unconfirmed or sketchy reports of the Grym Teigr being involved in various activities deemed ruthlessly abhorrent or unnecessarily brutal, including but not limited to massacres and torture of civilians believed to be helping the enemy and a prolific number of headhunting trophies.

Their skill at arms was also notable, and despite heavy casualties due to the length of time the Grym Teigr would spend in the field, their reputation and skill always attracted more recruits to their ranks. As time progressed, the Grym Teigr received more and more autonomy in the prosecution of their operations, which fostered a meritocratic and open planning process. This caused a shift from their strictly counter-insurgency role to function more as commandos, undertaking daring raids and infiltration missions.

Eventually, the Grym Teigr would rival the Milwyr Cwyn for most elite formation in the legion, with a friendly inter-legionary rivalry pushing each other to even higher levels of skill and excellence. The Grym Teiger is now under the command of Bedwyr "Knight" Rimau, a former right hand man and captain under Dafydd Slashworth.

Legion Command Structure

Due to the fractal nature of the Iron Rangers' fighting methods, a much more detailed Chain of Command was required. All Chapters are commanded by an Elder. Each Chapter is broken down into roughly 1,000 man fighting units, called Tribes, led by a Grandfather. Each Tribe is divided into 10 Troupes, each led by an Uncle. Troupes are then split into 3 Raids, led by a Huntsman. Raids are split into several 11-man units, roughly equivalent to a squad, called Hunts. Though the leadership of a hunt has no official title, it is considered a slightly higher rank than an average Space Marine Sergeant. Hunts are divided into 2 5-man Teams. Teams consist of one leader, with two individual pairings.

The reason behind such an extensive command structure is ease of use. As opposed to one Company Commander managing 10 squads, he can simply manage 3 Raids. He issues orders to the Huntsmen, who follow his orders in a manner they see necessary, often delegating some authority to leaders of the Hunts, and so on down the line.

The exception to this rule is the Milwyr Cŵyn and the XI Chapter (Recruits). The Milwyr Cŵyn are led by their Elder, Cellweirwyr, and all considered roughly equal in rank to an Uncle. They are rotated during campaigns to keep the number of units being actively used to a minimum. The rank issued is to both allow them to utilize assets from other Chapters as well as to remind them of their responsibilities, as they are largely left to perform their rotations themselves, only communicating with Cellweirwyr or the Primarch only during a crisis or if they cannot perform in a rotation (example: combat losses).

Legion Beliefs and Practices

Like their primarch, the legionnaires of the XXth are all hunters by nature. Whether they were recruited from a massive hive, a vicious feral world, or born of the void, all Iron Ranger marines were selected for the ingrained mentality of a hunter. This means the legions beliefs and practices are rather uniform in concept, even if they differ greatly in practice. All foes are treated as dangerous prey; they are not to be hacked at, or shot at wildly, but simply and efficiently put down, so that the next target can be dealt with. If their prey is too fast the Rangers find a way to cut their hamstrings. If the quarry too powerful the Rangers find a way to weaken them, trap them, and make their advantages become disadvantages. The XXth always find a way.

Their hunter background leads most Iron Rangers to the practice of trophy taking, despite it being in seeming contradiction to the ruthlessly practical and austere manner applied to everything else. Nobody seems to know why they do it, including themselves if remembrancer reports are to be believed, but they will always seek to take some form of trophy for any kill they make, the trophy taken usually linked to their former lives, with those from feral worlds taking different trophies to those recruited from hive worlds and civilised worlds.

It is common for the Iron Rangers to leave 2 things in their wake: booby-traps and an Emperor of Hearts playing card on every dead body they make, decorated with the legions various imagery and insignia. These practices serve as a sort of calling card for the Iron Rangers, and their purpose is twofold: they both serve to mark the legionnaires' deeds and also act as a kind of reverse trophy taking. Through this, their enemies are shown that the Rangers were able to reach them and still can, even if they are long gone.

Post-Heresy these practices still exist, perhaps in an even stronger form. The marines of the XXth legion adorn their weapons and armour with trophies taken from notable kills. The calling cards of veteran marines get more and more twisted over time, in some cases becoming booby traps themselves by depicting images that send the minds of those who view them insane.

The XXth Legion Recruit Induction Trial: Yr Helfa

The hunter mentality is further ingrained in aspiring Iron Rangers by the induction trials of the XXth legion, known as 'Yr Helfa'. In this test, aspirants are dropped onto the feral deathworld of Lofrudaeth.

They are stripped down to their fatigue pants and given a map, a small pack, 3 days worth of food and water, a camo-cloak, a spear, a hunting knife, a grenade, and a needle with thread. They are also unknowingly implanted with a tracking beacon so they can always be located.

Yr Helfa is broken down into 4 week long sections.

The first section is known as the 'Llwybyr' , and starts the second the aspirants set foot on the ground. With only their starting equipment and their wits, they have a day to trek 23 km across the incredibly hostile terrain to a waypoint, avoiding or defeating all the feral world's deadly fauna in the process. Designed to not give the aspirants time to prepare themselves, Yr Helfa forces the aspirants into extreme hardship right from the start of their induction, maintaining a high pressure that only gets harder as it goes on. It also serves the purpose of drilling the ruthlessly pragmatic mindset characteristic of the Rangers into the minds of the recruits, their very survival and success tied to the choices they make. Maybe recruits risk spending some of the little time they have fashioning primitive armour from what they can find, or perhaps they prioritize that time instead on finding a less treacherous route to the next waypoint; the choices are endless and they all have to be weighed.

The pressure is kept on recruits as the Llwybyr portion of Yr Helfa gets harder and harder throughout the week, culminating in 2 waypoints a day that both need to be reached for a success to be considered. Unbeknownst to the aspirants, failure in the Llwybyr section of the trials does not disqualify the recruit, it only impacts their final scores. The Lwybyr takes place across a variety of terrain all the way from mountainous areas, through jungles and forests, to swamps and rocky wastelands. The recruit is expected to use the limited training they have been given prior to their induction to survive in all of these environments. The Lwybyr has a particularly tough final day, this portion takes place in Lofrudaeth's only city, a large abandoned hive that has long since overgrown with the local fauna. This hive, formerly known as Drysfahearn, is a death trap; structurally unsafe buildings, rusted gantries and walkways, exposed and still live electrical wiring, and partially collapsed sewage and plumbing systems. Drysfahearn is also infested with numberless hordes of a violent omnivorous eusocial creatures known colloquially as "Rats", on account of their very vague resemblance toward the ubiquitous rodent. Most recruits will encounter the "Rats" due to their immense numbers, but a few recruits might be fast, stealthy, clever, or lucky enough to escape meeting the hordes that dwell in Drysfahearn.

After the Lwybyr section is over, the recruits enter the unnamed 2nd stage of the trial. This stage is a relatively simple week long survival challenge, starting with the aspirants having to escape the deathtrap that is Drysfahearn. Once out, they must survive in the wildernesses of Lofrudaeth; finding or constructing shelter and hunting or scavenging for food and water.

After this week is complete, the 3rd stage begins. This is known as the 'Gwaed' ', and it is the most dangerous part of the recruits' trial. A capsule is dropped at their location, containing some information on all the fauna of Lofrudaeth. They are also given their mission for this stage: to hunt and kill as many of these creatures as possible. The more prestigious, and dangerous, creatures to hunt take more time to track and kill than other still deadly but less dangerous creatures. Each aspirant must decide whether to go for quality or quantity with their hunts, and this choice will often have a bearing on their role once back in the legion.

Though they are not explicitly told to collect proof of their kills, recruits nearly always do anyway. Unbeknownst to them, a member of Milwyr Cwyn or a master scout will be tracking the progress of the recruits from a distance, and will check every kill made. Any who fail to kill anything in that week are disqualified, though they will not learn this until after they have been returned to the legion.

The trial ends with the stage known as 'Osgoi Talu' . Osgoi Talu is a secret stage, aspirants believe that they are in another week of survival before the next real challenge begins. This stage has marines of the XXth legion, and sometimes a squad from the Milwyr Cwyn, hunting down the aspirants as they go about their day to day survival. Partly a test and partly a thematic way to end their trials, the Osgoi Talu is often a good determinant of what role the aspirant will fill once in the legion, as it demonstrates the aspirants abilities to react to threats under stressful situations. Many who go on to become leaders and heroes of the XXth Legion are those able to last a full week or longer in the Osgoi Talu, utilizing their greater stealth, smarts, or speed.

Eventually, all surviving aspirants are caught and returned to the legion as fully fledged neophytes.

Notable Iron Rangers

Dafydd "Slash" Slashworth

---

Rose up through the ranks from a recruit to a battalion commander. He was offered the position of Chapter Master, but turned it down. He now serves as the commanding officer overseeing the training of recruits, personally leading them in the field as part of their training. Very popular with the troops for his fairness and skills, they nicknamed him "Slash", and he wore that nickname with pride. He also has much respect in the legion as a whole as he rose up from the bottom. Distinguished himself on several occasions, most notably with the Grym Teigr, his battalion that, known for their brutality and skill, are as feared as the Milwyr Cwyn.

Legion Appearance and Equipment

Legion Colours

Notable Campaigns

The Taming of Gethsemane:

In the year M.XX.XX.XX, The Iron Rangers responded to a call for assistance in assimilating the planet of Gethsemane into the Imperium. This was considered an especially difficult task, as the ruling governance was highly resistant to allowing another to control “his planet,” and wars were frequent and harsh between various ruling lords, so all major capitals and strategic locations were heavily defended and fortified across the planet. As was required, Merrill tasked out several iterators to begin discussions with local leadership in an attempt at diplomacy, with one additional instruction: talks must be continued, no matter how staunchly the planet denied them, and use whatever tactics they could to that end.

After sending the Iterators out on their task, Merrill discussed war with the local Imperial Army General initially charged with the task and a representative from the Adeptus Mechanicus. Due to the frequency of internal warring, Gethsemane boasted numerous large military factory complexes, and an abundance of technology. The Mechanicus wished this as unharmed as possible. However, the planet did also boast a large number of workers and soldiers forced into servitude, and the majority of the lower classes were resentful of the current leadership. Thinking this to be the perfect opportunity to test his new elites, the Milwyr Cwyn, Merrill secretly deployed many of them and the Heliwyr to the planet's surface. Over the next couple of weeks, the Astartes forces secretly spread weapons and explosives amongst the downtrodden populace, while giving them basic training and preparing them for Imperial rule. The night talks had finally broken down, Merrill called them into action, using locals and Astartes to selectively assassinate over 700 major leaders and supporters of the prior realm, in what the locals called “The night of daggers.” The remaining major leaders immediately agreed to all terms and conditions, handing the planet over to Imperial rule that morning. The actions created minimal collateral damage, and no Imperial lives were lost.

When Merrill finally stepped foot on the planet, the local military forces all pledged allegiance to him. The Legion recordkeepers were overloaded with volunteers for recruitment into the Rangers. This lead to the permanent pairing with the Gethsemane Iron Corps (named by the planetary natives in honor of their new leadership), and use of Gethsemane as a secondary recruitment planet. However, as Merrill fell, it became clear to the Imperium that they swore oaths to Merrill and the Iron Rangers alone, not the Emperor and Imperial Truth, falling with their beloved Legion.

Homeworld and Notable Planets

Profi Tiroedd Homeworld of the Iron Rangers. An M-Class Feral World, its continents almost completely covered in forests

Lofrudaeth A Deathworld located in the Tiroedd system, utilizied by the Iron Rangers for training and indoctrination. A former aborted Hive World, it was abandoned due to the planet's flora adapting too aggressively for any formal structures to maintain integrity, while the fauna was considered too vicious for normal living conditions.

Gethsemane An M-Class planet bordering between Civilized and Hive World classification. The Iron Rangers' secondary recruitment planet, and home to their allied Imperial Army unit, the Gethsemane Iron Corps.

Images

<gallery> File:Ironranger.jpg|I AM WATCHING YOU SLEEP File:PostheresyIR.png|Post-Heresy Icon File:IRbanner.png|One of the Chapter Banners. Grim. Also, dark.