The Ramparts

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.

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"Our empire shall be built upon the debris of the last so that we may never forget their mistakes."

Attributed to Highcastle Indomitus at the conclusion of The Crucible.

The Ramparts
Battle Cry	"Stand strong and abolish fear!"
Origin	The Bulwark
Base of Operations	Sebastion's Folly
Strength	2,000 at the end of the Heresy.
Specialty	Siege and Colonization Specialists
Colours	Sandstone and Light Slate

A Sergeant of the Ramparts.

Summary of Warband

Warband History

The mighty empire of the Bulwark had fallen. Shattered by the combined forces of the Silver Cataphracts and the Steel Marshals, the Bulwark never quite recovered. After the Heresy had run its course, the empire rose again, but it wasn't quite the same. Some planets seceded from the union and the vastly undermanned Bulwark simply could not stop them. Without their Primarch, they could not continue to expand their borders and prosper, as they had before. Instead, they fought every day simply to retain a semblance of their once sprawling empire.

Sebastion's last great act as Primarch had been to hollow out one of the moons of Arelon to form an impregnable fortress of rock and ambition. During the events of the Crucible, Sebastion ordered the entire 1st Bastion into the fortress, which came to be known as "The Folly of Rex" or simply "The Folly." Seeing this act as cowardly, many officers stayed on the battlefield and died with their Primarch. However, the captain of the 1st Bastion, whose name has been lost in the annals of history, was one of the few who chose to enter The Folly.

Emerging days later to scenes of devastation, the captain and the remains of his company wept bitter tears for the loss of their brethren. It took several weeks to merely collect the gene-seed of their fallen allies and enemies. During this time, the remains of the Bulwark splintered into factions; some wanted to leave to find their own path, some to surrender to the Loyalists, and others to side with the Traitors. The Tower of the 1st company, the most trusted equerry of his Primarch, only sought one thing; to build his own empire upon the ashes of the last. Seeing no other course of action, the Chapter Master assumed the title of Highcastle and took a new name; Indomitus. Indomitus would go on to become Emperor of a new domain as his forces reconquered worlds that had once been under their Legion's control.

The Bulwark had failed. Its mighty defenses had been breached and its mighty leader slain. Seeking to distance his empire from that of his failed predecessor, Indomitus renamed his Legion; they were now to be known as the Ramparts, the mighty crowns upon the towers of order.

Notable Members

Indomitus The Impenetrable, Highcastle of the Ramparts

Indomitus atop his throne

Appearance

Various records are in confliction as to exactly how Indomitus looked and stood, but most agree that he stood head and shoulders above most of his brethren. Some state that he stood at a solid 9 feet tall, while more extreme cases cited a monstrous 13 feet. Throughout these various records, however, his other attributes are fairly constant. Clad in MkIII power armour that only further augmented Indomitus's already imposing figure, the only ornamentation he allowed himself was the crest atop his helmet.

Equipment

While still his Primarch's Equerry, Indomitus was known to have fielded a boarding shield and a thunder hammer, a common combination for Bulwark assault troops. However, the boarding shield was modified to feature an integrated meltagun for assaulting enemy fortifications.

History

An intense and powerful man, the Marine who would eventually be known as Indomitus lead every major assault upon enemy ships and fortifications, constantly coming away unscathed while the rest of his men perished. Formerly the Equerry of Sebastian Rex, some records indicate he may have been a form of Assault Captain, but others conclude that this may be misinformation. Nonetheless, as Equerry to the Hidden Rex, this figure often acted as liaison between the Bulwark's forces and the will of the Primarch himself.

During the Heresy, Indomitus was placed in charge of fortifying Arelon itself; the heart of Sebastion's empire needed to possess the most complex and fortified emplacements, and as such needed to be properly overseen by someone with extensive experience in both manning and destroying fortifications.

Post-Crucible, Indomitus hung up his hammer and shield to reform the shattered remains of his Legion and forge a better empire than his former lord. A cunning strategist, Indomitus has reclaimed the majority of what was once the Bulwark Empire by any number of under-handed or overt methods such as brain-washing and carpet-bombing.

The Magistrate of Destruction

A relic from a bygone era, the Magistrate is a Contemptor-class Dreadnought that is only awoken in times of dire need. Never speaking, only performing its allotted task, none but the Chapter's Highcastle know of its origins. Armed with a multi-melta, twin-linked heavy bolters, and a Cyclone missile launcher, the Magistrate is very thorough in its deployments, devastating enemy troops, armored support, and air support alike.

Its heavily modified armor bears the scars of thousands of battles, denoting its ancient nature; rumours abound that it fought in The Heresy, the Great Crusade, and even the Unification Wars. The nature of these rumours has been dismissed as nothing but scuttlebutt by the Chapter command, but the troops still look upon the Magistrate as an ancient hero of legend. Those who have fought beside it often question why it constantly yells with such undying hatred whenever awoken, but no answer comes.

Towers

• Yakobus - Tower (Captain) of 1st Bunker (Company), former Tower of the Bulwark's Artillery Division

• Ghurayus - Tower of 2nd Stronghold

Warband Combat Tactics

"The only way to ensure victory is to eliminate any and all resistance." - Indomitus, Highcastle of the Ramparts

While the Ramparts practice a combat doctrine very similar to that of their Founders, they differ in that instead of focusing on attrition-based siege warfare, the Ramparts focus on artillery barrages to conquer worlds. Via orbital bombardment, the Ramparts clear an LZ for their pre-fabricated fortresses to touch down. If the enemy has a stranglehold on the space around a planet, specialty fortresses come to the fore; akin to Kharybdis drop pod but the size of a Storm Eagle, these towers are dropped from orbit in groups of 3-5. Each tower, called a Node, houses a squad of 8-12 Marines.

Each Node possesses a modular defense system that can be configured with various different heavy weapons, such as heavy bolters or plasma cannons. Once at least 3 Nodes have touched down, void shields are transmitted between them, creating an isolated section of enemy real estate.

Pointing their weapons inward, the squads would then clear a beachhead within their void shields. Once several of these beachheads have been made, their void shields would be linked to create a much larger staging area for the rest of the occupation force to land.

Once this LZ has been established, the artillery barrages begin. Battery after battery of Manticore Missile Platforms and Earthshaker Cannons bombard the area around the LZ, clearing a path between Node groups in order to further reinforce their positions. Any assaults upon the Node forts are repulsed with heavy weapons fire; the Ramparts need never step foot outside their defence lines. Eventually, these Node forts will encompass large portions of the combat zone. Instead of attacking their enemies, the Ramparts will simply continue to launch Nodes further and further into enemy territory until there is nothing left.

Resistance is met with overwhelming force; unlike other forces who must use their supplies wisely, the supply lines of the Ramparts extend however far they need to, ensuring they never run out of ammunition or other supplies. In this way, while a barrage of Deathstrike missiles would likely be sufficient against a major hive city, the Ramparts might issue two or three of said barrages to completely devastate it.

However, no evidence of this mass destruction is ever left behind; due to the thriving empire at the heart of the Ramparts, they export populaces as others might products. Transplanting a populace that is already loyal to them, the Ramparts effectively instantly colonize a world with pre-fabricated, self-sustaining cities that will eventually expand into the planet beyond. In this way, instead of spending years colonizing planets, then fortifying them, the Ramparts form Fortresses from each of their conquests; what was once an offensive defense is now a defensive offense.

Warband Homeworld

The Folly, a former moon of Arelon that has been hollowed out and made into a fully autonomous space station.

Warband Appearance

Like their predecessors, the Marines of the Ramparts are stout and solid, favouring heavier armour than Space Marines usually opt for. Clad in sandstone and slate coloured power armour, the Ramparts have shattered all aquilas upon their armor, declaring their secession from the Imperium.