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Mordian Iron Guard

2018-12-27T10:08:58Z

2001:8003:3800:800:6822:17F9:7CBA:27E4: Undo revision 542570 by 85.27.137.240 (talk)

[[File:Mordian_Iron_Guard.jpg|300px|thumb|right|A planet of soldiers wearing [[Commissar]]-level hats. Let that sink in for a second. Note the [[Judge Dredd|Dredd]] pattern frown.]]
{{Topquote|Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.|George Washington}}

The '''Mordian Iron Guard''' are an army of the [[Imperial Guard]], hailing from the planet of Mordian. They are renowned throughout the [[Imperium]] for being right [[Warboss|hard]] bastards, never backing down and prepared to die to the last man as necessary, as well as being from a planet with an adjective for a name (the Earth equivalent would be if Italy were named Italian).

[[Awesome|TL;DR 18th-19th century Prussians mixed with WW1 Italian Arditi in space!]]

They are also renowned for wearing spiffy dress uniforms, although they're not as classy as their equivalents in the [[Praetorian Guard]].
[[File:MordianArmored.jpg|300px|thumb|left|A squad of mechanized Mordians charging from a [[Chimera]]. Also one of the few images of a Mordian with facial hair, looking suspiciously like Union soldiers of the American Civil War.]]
== Tactics ==

There are Imperial Guard regiments that rely on using well-planned strategies and combined arms tactics to overcome their foes. Then there are those that don't rely so much on strategy so much as throwing hordes of guardsmen into the fray, although said guardsmen are often some of the most badass motherfuckers in the entire galaxy. Then there are the Mordians.

The Mordian Iron Guard technically belong in the second category, but are so far around the curve that they start veering back into the first category. The first thing to consider is that they hail from Mordian, a world that actually has two classifications; half Death World, half Hive World.

Normally these two types of worlds are mutually exclusive, since a planet where everything is trying to kill you would put a lot of people off the concept of actually erecting massive towering cities on it. Not so for the Mordians. The planet spins at the same speed it revolves (tidal locked), so one side of the planet is constantly bleach-roasted by the Mordian sun, and the other side lives in zero degree dick-freezing perpetual night, much like the planet Mercury (except that Mercury isn’t actually tidally locked). Additionally, the absence of strong winds on the planet creates a thick and oppressively dark atmosphere (which makes no sense, because temperature differentials that large should cause huge winds as the hot air rises and the cold air sinks -- living in the twilight zone would be like living in a permanent hurricane). The Hive Cities are built on the night part.

Thus, every Mordian native is also a hiver, with years of experience ducking and killing inside narrow corridors where hive gangs exist on every level, and crime is rampant in the places where the sun-don't-shine (i.e. that entire side of the planet). Unsurprisingly, this has earned Mordian the dubious honor of having the highest suicide rate in the Imperium after the destruction of [[Night Lords|Nostramo]]. It got so bad that up until recently there was a notorious chaos uprising and the Mordians had to fight tooth and nail just to keep their semi-hospitable half of the planet from being overrun. Between that and the extremely strict rationing that leaves the planet on the verge of rebellion at all times, the Mordian Iron Guard has learned to practice iron hard discipline (hence their name) and constant regimental routine as part of their secondary role as military police. Nearly every citizen on Mordian has served in the planet's military, as it was the only way to maintain global discipline.

Consequently, [[Commissar]]s find a tour on Mordian as rather boring, and a little intimidating as the Mordians themselves will penalize Commissars that falter in their duties. Again, absorb this for a moment. In [[Krieg|almost]] every other part of the Imperium, Commissar shoots you for lack of discipline or cowardice. On Mordian, You shoot the Commissar for lack of discipline or cowardice. This is then reflected in their form of battle tactics. Rather than ride [[Chimera]]s or wear camouflage, Mordian guardsmen march into battle in brightly-coloured cloth uniforms and bearing equally flashy banners. They then form up into neat firing lines or squares and shoot at their enemies in disciplined volleys. They don't break formation, they don't take cover and they never, ''ever'' retreat. While this is incredibly ballsy even by Imperial Guard balls-of-steel standards, it is also incredibly stupid because on the battlefields of the 41st millennium there are ''oh-so-many ways'' to wipe out massed formations of infantry out in the open. These sorts of tactics were on their way out in the American Civil War (appropriate as Mordians look quite a bit like US Army from that era) when ''caplock minie ball rifles'' and ''rifled muzzle loading cannons'' began to appear. Even [[Space Marines]] will take cover whenever they can. But, somehow, the Mordians still survive their battles and keep going. Considering the horrors the Imperial Guard fights, you have to wonder how their training conditioned them so well. Then again, maybe you ''don't'' want to know.

[[File:Mordian Guardswoman.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Women serve with the Iron Guard as well, and are just as [[-4 Str|hard]] as any of their male counterparts.]]

Although a few sources note that this baffling lack of common sense causes their adversaries to underestimate them, it still doesn't really make up for employing infantry tactics that have long been redundant. That being said, the Mordians do have a few tricks up their sleeves, like flak and carapace armour actually sown into their rigid uniforms (which makes it both elegant AND protective), as well as having heavy armour companies with ''over a dozen'' [[Baneblade]]s '''each'''. They also have 'veteran' companies who wear the incredibly-more-badass darker uniforms who do actually observe real infantry tactics and perform the scout work.

However, one must note that the fact that they're never taking cover means that they're not spending any time not aiming or not firing, meaning that relative to other armies, they could keep you pinned a whole lot more easily. So while they might die off really quickly, they'll do a hell of a lot before they drop. Since their armor has both flak and ''carapace'' armor woven into it, the Mordian Guardsmen are well protected against concussive force, shrapnel, and even against direct fire. So, not only is it a wall of lasers shooting at you, shooting the wall has about as much effect as spitting on a tank. Besides, they probably don't stand in a row, they probably have the first row go prone, the next row squat, the third row crouch, and the fourth row stand. Then they have four rows of lasguns firing in a concentrated barrage at the same target. Supported by a Leman Russ's battle cannon plus sponson and hull-mounted weapons and probably a pintle-mount. Then remember how long and deep the gun line is, given how numerous the Guard is. That isn't even accounting for man-portable mortar teams, vehicle-mounted mortars, basilisks, manticores, and the armored companies of over a dozen baneblades each.

That's scary and is the perfect tactic for the Guard because their reserves have reserves. It also happens to be the perfect tactic against Tyranids and Orks. The Tyranids are simply that numerous and the Orks are specifically stated to miss anything they aim at, so bunching up into a single target is the best defense against them. Maybe good against Necrons, too, since cover really won't protect you against their weapons. Firepower will.

The planet Mordian along with the entire Stygius Sector was invaded by Chaos Forces led by warbands loyal to Tzeentch. The Iron Guard held their ground as reinforcements arrive, but there were too many heretics and slowly the Imperial defenders are being bled dry. (Didn't help that the dead are being raised as zombies or that the Warp claimed several Imperial ships and an entire planet during the conflict.)

Further reinforcements came in as an Eldar Strikeforce from Craftworld Ulthwe aided the Imperium. Being the cryptic pricks they are, they tell the defenders that they can't win and advised them to leave the sector. (Seeing as the Chaos Invasion is led by the [[Thousand Sons]] under [[Magnus]] as well as [[M'kachen]], they are kinda right). Even though the discipline of the Iron Guard kept them from being overrun, they agreed to retreat, and evacuated what they could. It probably stung, but you'll never see a Mordian getting mopey about it.

{{Template:40k-Imperial-Regiments}}

Vostroyan Firstborn

2018-12-27T10:08:25Z

2001:8003:3800:800:6822:17F9:7CBA:27E4: Undo revision 542566 by 85.27.137.240 (talk)

{{Cleanup}}{{Topquote|Soldier, let's go, let's go, let's go! And for you my dear, I have sent you mail from here. Farewell, the trumpet calls, Soldiers - on the march.|V Put (Lets go), Soviet/Russian Drill Song}}
[[File:Vostroyan Firstborn.jpeg|300px|thumb|left|FEEL THE GLORY OF SPACE MOTHER-RUSSIA, BITCHES!]]
[[File:Vostroyan-trooper.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Bow before the might of the Vostroyan Las-bardiche!]]

The '''Vostroyan Firstborn''' are Russian [[Wikipedia:Streltsy|Streltsy]]/Cossacks IN SPESS. They use old weaponry they consider valuable - this being 40k, older is better anyway. They wear richly colored coats and large fur hats.

Vostroyans are experts at urban warfare and firing drills. So they are like the [[Mordian Iron Guard]] with less dress up bullshit. <s>IT'S NOT BULLSHIT, IT'S TRADITION YOU DICKNOGGIN.</s> {{BLAM}} {{BLAM|No infighting between Guardsmen!}} If you remove the coat and look at some art for them, they actually look extremely similar to the pre-Heresy Imperial Army's soldiers, which sort of make sense considering their origins in the Heresy.

The Vostroyan Firstborn are renown for their marksmanship. Given they are using weapons that are quite devastating when used with precision, this results in the predictable outcome of the enemy being butchered (see Cities of Death cover art). Their name comes from the tradition of the first-born child of every family (from the commoners to the nobles) serving in one of these regiments, and they bear the name with pride.

The reason for this tradition dates back to the [[Horus Heresy]]. As the [[Traitor Legions]] made their beeline for [[Terra]], the Loyalists sent out a call for anyone who could bear arms in defence of the [[Imperium]]. The Vostroyan officials declined, explaining that as an Industrial World, Vostroya would be more useful making weaponry for the Imperium than firing them. True or not, after the Traitors were routed, Vostroya was called to account for its actions. The planet was ultimately spared, and as a sign of repentance the Vostroyans swore to pledge their firstborn children to the Imperial Guard from then on.

[[File:B7fbea5adf2d9de019860a8a4ba826f4.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Fuck your [[Sisters of Battle|boob-plate]], this gal's a warrior and won't succumb to your... [[Promotions|Needs]].]]

This idea follows further, being explained that the different regiments are kept with a steady flow of recruits due to the nature of the regiment's recruiting methods. Thus, their regiments have a tendency not to be completely destroyed and have enough veterans kicking around to show newbies the ropes before they are used as a toothpick by a [[Carnifex]] or something. Also it's something of a tradition to serve in your family's particular regiment, i.e. you're likely to wind up in the same squad with your uncle, cousin, great-uncle or whoever. This serves multiple goals: first, you'll become part of the team faster; second - one is more likely to fight bravely and/or hold the line knowing not only his honor, but his family's would be screwed forever otherwise; third - most Vostroyan weapons are relics passed from one Guardsman to another, some of them since the time of Great Crusade, and being able to simply [[Grimdark|pick it up from your relative's cold hands]] simplifies the inheritance procedure greatly. This begs the question - if this method works so well, why is nobody else doing it (or something similar)? The answer is because it's a logistical nightmare.

GLORY TO THE FIRST MAN TO DIE.

Fantasy Flight Games changed it a bit by adding that the first-born daughters often join as well, to cease the angry outburst from women who wish to don bearskin hats and speak like they're in Red October.

== Culture ==
They like their moustaches. Their coming of age is sprouting a four foot long moustache and goatee combo, if male; if female, on your 16th birthday you take a deep breath and pop out breasts like a squeeze toy. Such is their affinity for the mustache that anyone with an aversion to body hair is treated as [[Extra heresy|the most traitorous of scum.]] Presumably Vostroyans drink a lot and dance like this: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiakVUKYCSQ]

Typically they all look like so: [http://i3.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/011/392/manlyman.PNG]

== Vostroya ==
Their home world, Vostroya, lies in the [[Segmentum#Segmentum_Obscurus|Segmentum Obscurus]] and is quite cold. Vostroya isn't a [[Forge World]] nor is it an Imperial [[Hive World]], so it falls in between and gets the award of being an Industrial world. The Mechanicum still gets a fair bit of sway there though, being represented in their government and all, as they were found by Martians during their early exploration efforts, before the [[Great Crusade]], and as such produce almost all wargear for their regiments, including Baneblade variants and some unique patterns, on-planet.

Vostroya isn't exactly a friendly place to live in, as its landscape is bleak and overpopulated, with plant and animal life almost extinct outside of human control. Because of this, the population of 9.3 billion is in a state of constant change over. This also means there is a plethora of firstborn sons to fuel the Vostroyan Firstborns' ranks.

They should be on the look out for the birth of Space Peter the Great/Taras Bulba, whom the Imperium is in desperate need of.

{{40k-Imperial-Regiments}}

Cadia

2018-12-27T10:01:43Z

2001:8003:3800:800:6822:17F9:7CBA:27E4: Undo revision 542556 by 85.27.137.240 (talk) But not helping this wiki

{{Awesome}}
[[File:Cadian Cmdr female.jpg|400px|thumbnail|right|And they say there are no female commanders among the Guard... especially among Cadians. ]]
{{Topquote|Send not your foolish and feeble; send me your strong and your sane — Strong for the red rage of battle; sane for I harry them sore; Send me men girt for the combat, men who are grit to the core.|The Law of the Yukon: by Robert W. Service }}
{{Topquote|The Guard dies and does not surrender!|Pierre Cambronne}}
{{Topquote|Cadia is the end and the beginning.|White Dwarf, January 2017}}

'''Cadia''' is, or rather ''was'' an Imperial Guard fortress world located right beside the [[Eye of Terror]]. Due to being proximate to the only safe warp-passage into and out of the Eye, as well as large Xenos mobilization throughout the sector, it had become a [[fortress world]] and a strategic gem for the [[Imperium of Man]].

==The Planet Itself==
Fortress. That's the one word that can sum up the planet of Cadia. Since it was close neighbors with [[Chaos Space Marines|those nice boys]] from [[Eye of Terror|across the street]], Cadia always needed to be on active defense. All the time one had their [[Lasgun]] shouldered and was twitching from a combination of going 47 hours without sleep and being raised to be paranoid as fuck. Of course, living basically inside the Eye of Terror, it isn't truly paranoia at all, just common sense.

As far as geography goes, Cadia held a temperate climate not unlike the Holy [[Hiveworld]] of [[Terra]]. 70 percent of its surface was covered in bodies of water, and its landmasses were [[Grimdark|covered with bodies of guardsmen]].

If it weren't for the anti-warp pylons holding back the expansions of the Eye of Terror, it would have been subjected to [[Exterminatus]] long before Abaddon crashed his wrecked Blackstone Fortress into it. The place was a hellhole even before its destruction. It ''might'' have been a good vacation spot if you '''LIKE''' trenches filled with bodies and tracer fire lighting up your hotel room... on second thought... fuck that shit!

==Cadia and you==
First, let me start with saying that it [[Khorne|sucked to live on Cadia]]. Oh, you think where you live sucks? Live in a crime infested ghetto or something similar? A couple drive by shootings and a stolen TV are ''nothing'' compared to how much it sucked to live on Cadia. Why does it suck you ask? Oh, not much of a reason at all. Just the fact that it's like, six feet away from the fucking [[Eye of Terror]] (It also sucks to live ''there'', but for many reasons other than Cadia).

==Cadia: A very, ''very'' shitty place to live==
It just sucks to live on Cadia, period. Yes, there are several manly, redeeming qualities (see below) about the planet, but if you live on Cadia you're too busy replacing the power pack in your [[Lasgun|flashlight]] after throwing back Monday's Chaos invasion to notice. A short list includes, but is not limited to:

*Being drafted before you can walk, learning to shoot before you can count, and getting thrown in the the meat-grinder (mostly figuratively, sometimes literally) by age 16.
*Learning how to shoot so young that when you're toilet-trained you're told to aim your dick like it's a lasgun.
*Marauding bands of [[Chaos Space Marines]] and assorted [[Heresy|heretics]] trying to kill you.
*Random WAAAGH!!!s of [[Orks|greenskins]] trying to kill you.
*Stealthy platoons of [[Eldar|Space Elves]] trying to kill you.
*Your own [[Commissar|superior officers]] trying to ki-{{BLAM|'''*BLAM!*'''}}
*No privacy whatsoever for your entire life.
*Constant fear of death before you reach puberty.
*Constant fear of death during puberty.
*Constant fear of death after puberty, but chances are you'll die before this, have your soul sold to/claimed by a chaos deity and for their lolz spend your death in constant fear of puberty.
*Superior officers barking orders down your neck for the 10-16 years that you're alive.
*<s>No time to screw around,</s> you're always on duty. Sometimes said duty is to help train new recruits for their inevitable deaths.
*The top fashions in Cadia are camo patterns and body armor.
*[[Heresy|Heretical]] cults springing up by the dozen every week.
*[[Chaos|Voices]] keep telling you to ditch the duty and [[Slaanesh|relax]], [[Khorne|let loose]], call in [[Nurgle|sick]], or try something [[Tzeentch|different]].
*The fact that the planet's <s>main</s> '''only''' export is Soldiers should clue you in.
*[[Mutant]]s springing up everywhere wanting to try out the new pincer claw they just got on your neck.
*[[Grimdark|Even after you die, Cadia doesn't stop being shitty to you, because once the engraving on your tombstone is illegible, it means you've been dead for so long nobody alive cares about you anymore, so your corpse is dug up and thrown into an incinerator while a fresh corpse is thrown into your hole. And then ''they'' will be dug up and thrown away as well.]]
*Cadia is now destroyed and consumed by the Eye of Terror. If you're still living there, you're either a heretic, a warp entity, fighting a heroic last stand, or really ''really'' unlucky.

Seriously, it just sucks to live there, just take my word for it. Avoid prolonged stays on Cadia at all costs.

==Redeeming Qualities==
[[File:Cadian 8th Regiment-small.jpg|500px|thumb|right|Fuckers so hardcore, they take on fieldtrips on other hellhole planets when their own hellhole planet gets too stale.]]
Yes it sucked to live on Cadia, sucks beyond all Hell, but there are several reasons why it was one of the most [[awesome]] places in the Imperium.

===Cadian Shock Troopers===
First and foremost, the finest (and perhaps most numerous) breed of the [[Imperial Guard]] were born, trained, and lived on Cadia. You see the Cadian as the common model for your generic, garden variety guardsmen figurine, and as such they are the most easily recognized. They fight tenaciously for the [[Empra]] and die with the same degree of vigor. Manliness is never in short order here on Cadia, making it one of the most awesome planets around.

Their [[Stormtrooper|elite troops]] are the '''Kasrkin''', basically the elite of the elite of the Guard. That are separate from the [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Militarum Tempestus(7E)|Scions]] as they aren't trained in cozy little Scholas watched over by Commissars, but are trained right there on Cadia, combining all the battle conditioning and tactics learned by the Cadia Shock Troopers over the course of KILLING EVERYTHING IN THE GALAXY for the last several thousand years. Only [[Space Marines|SPESS MEHREENS]] are better. But the Kasrkin are probably scarier than the Spess Mehreens anyway, because they do about the same on the battlefield, without wearing a concrete wall on every inch of their body and not having [[Bolter|mini-rocket launcher guns]], no, they're just humans with balls of adamantium, both of which have their own pair of balls of adamantium (and that's the women). They don't wear carapace armor, either. Full-bodied flack-armor for these motherfuckers. To be fair though, they get shit done while wearing cardboard instead of the Guardsman's t-shirts, and they still use the older but far more advanced [[Hellgun|Hellguns]] over the Scion's Hot-shot lasguns, they shoot a lot more light than the Guardsman's flashlight. For example, [[Awesome|a Kasrkin Sergeant literally jumps on the back of a rampaging Daemonhost (which has already incapacitated the majority of an Inquisitorial retinue) and stabs it with a regular ol' combat knife to save the life of an Inquisitor.]] Balls. Of. Adamantium. Before the battle even began that [[Eisenhorn|Inquisitor]] admitted to being scared of them, and this is an Inquisitor who has fought alongside Deathwatch Marines against traitor Legionaries of The [[Emperor's Children]] in a warp corrupted landscape, 100 years ago, and has seen and battled Emperor knows what since then. Let that sink in. Now, ''the Kasrkin scared him'', [[Awesome|bad-fucking-ass]].

In conclusion, Cadians are the best troopers, and Kasrkin are the best of the best, well at least when it comes to conventional warfare, other regiments have them beat in specialized roles (Siege and attrition warfare? Send forth the [[Death Korps of Krieg|Death Korps]]. Guerrilla warfare and sabotage? Sneak some [[Catachan Jungle Fighters|Catachans]] in. Rapid insertion and maneuvering? Drop the [[Elysian Drop Troops|Elysians]] on 'em). But when you aren't sure what you'll be up against or are expecting a prolonged encounter with rapidly changing tactical situations then you can't go wrong with the Cadian Shock Troopers. When you need a certain [[Abbadon|failure]] to run away for awhile, catapult a Kasrkin at him.

Perhaps some day the Imperium will realize that careful selection of soldiers could result in the entire Imperial Guard being nothing but Kasrkin (and their equivalents in armored regiments). But again, that would mean the Imperium would win easily and no models would be sold. Without selling models, the Imperium cannot continue fighting the Eternal War and that would be [[HERESY]]. Alternatively massed flashlight are simply far more cost effective then elite shock troupers, especially when needing to garrison millions of worlds. Likewise even a space marine cannot survive being outnumbered 1000 or even a 100 to 1 by cannon fodder standing in front of artillery.

Also confirmed to be so fucking hardcore that their planet broke before they did. In spite of their homeworld's destruction, they've managed to keep going as strong as ever and now fight even harder to avenge its loss.

'''CADIA STANDS!'''

===Defended===
Despite what is said about how much of a hellhole Cadia was due to the constant warfare, because of that selfsame constant warfare Cadia was one of the most well-defended planets in the Imperium. In fact, it was the 2nd most heavily defended world in the Imperium of Man, only Sol System is better defended than Cadia (And maaaaaybe [[Fenris]]). All cities are arranged in interlocking blocks that require roads to snake around buildings with blind corners and are defended by rockcrete and adamantium walls, all to favor the defenders in urban combat. Massive shield generators keep the cities safe from all but the heaviest bombardment, forcing enemies to pay for them meter by bloody meter. All "civilians" are technically Cadian military reservists, and have been through the same life-long military training that all Cadians are subject to. As dangerous as Cadia is, the locals have learned to handle that danger and weather it as well as possible. Given its strategic importance, the Imperium is more than willing to commit substantial other resources to the planet's defense, which means lots of ships patrolling the system and lots of depots stationed in nearby systems to quickly reinforce Cadia at a moment's notice.

===Creed===
[[Creed|CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!!!!!!!!]]
This article has infiltrated your computer. You just got tactical geniused.

===Reproduction===
Birth rate and recruitment rate are synonymous. And if you see [[Grimdark|how many men and women die on the battlefield every day]]... better start doing your part for the Imperium. On Cadia, you were encouraged to fuck around wildly and have your partner push out the kid in a barracks to increase efficiency in recruiting.

===Colonizers===
Cadia's, as you noticed, only real export was soldiers. The thing is, Cadia pumps out so many that they usually form the core cadre of amalgamated units that get clumped into entirely new Imperial Guard armies, and sent to wage campaigns against taken or occupied planets. These armies are never getting sent back home, and are intended, when they win, to form a new government and society, and settle down (as seen in Dawn of War WA and Dark Crusade). As the core is usually Cadian, a lot of the army doctrines and style end up being Cadian, at least for a millennia or so. Hell, they colonize empty planets this way even, especially if it's a dangerous sector of space. Even now, who knows how many planets that are distinct and vital started this way? [[neckbeard|Your DNA could be spread far and wide across the galaxy and you wouldn't even know]].

This is of course to justify why everyone looks like Cadians, aka GW doesn't want to make a dozen different types of guards.

===Violet Eyes===
Ever fancied having more eye color than is standard for man? Move to Cadia and your kids will likely get glowing purple/violet eyes, may explain how purple-eyed animu characters tend to be awesome, they must be Cadians. Have fun explaining (with a bayonet...and a few thousand friends) to mobs of angry locals on other planets that you're not a mutant before they crucify you and burn you alive.

===The Place of Lorgar's Enlightenment===
While the Imperium would consider this quality the highest order of [[heresy]], perhaps the greatest reason for Cadia's importance is that it is, in many ways, the birthplace of the [[Horus Heresy]]. It was on Cadia the forces of the [[Word Bearers]] met with Ingethel the Chosen and were inducted into the service of the Ruinous Powers. As such, Cadia holds tremendous ideological importance and sentimental value for the Champions of Chaos.

==The Fall of Cadia==
{{Template:Spoilers}}

===Business As Usual===

When Abaddon finally launched his [[13th Black Crusade]], Cadia stood ready. Millions perished in the initial attack, but there were still enough Imperial forces to first blunt, then repulse the Chaos incursion. In its wake however was a system on the edge of collapse, its surviving defenders too weary to even try to celebrate. What was worse, Cadia was effectively isolated, with most of its Astropathic choirs either dead or driven insane.

Ursarkar Creed, now Lord Castellan, was worried. Through-out the fighting on-world, there was not even a single report of Abaddon being spotted. As a result he was sure that another assault was on the way, and what was worse it was likely that the Despoiler's own fleet would pass through the system. Unfortunately there was little left of the Imperial Navy present to put up more than a token defense, barring the [[Space Wolves]] battle barge ''Firemane's Fang'', and none of the ships there would be able to chase down Abaddon's ships once they made for deep space.

Preparing for the inevitable, Creed dug in, and set his forces to fortifying Kasr Kraf, which included Marshall Amalrich's [[Black Templars]]. Similar scenes repeated themselves throughout Cadia, with surviving Shock Troops and Astartes companies setting up defenses where they can. The Space Wolves set themselves up in Kasr Jark, while further north the [[Dark Angels]] 4th Company reinforced their own grounded Strike Cruiser ''Sword of Defiance''. In the days that followed the defenders drilled and trained, waiting for the inevitable to come.

===Eye of Terror 2: Electric Bugaloo===

And come it did, because Abaddon was not done with Cadia. Not by a long shot. His Black Fleet was inbound, an angry swarm of Traitor Legion warships, Daemon vessels, and space hulks, with the Blackstone Fortress ''Will of Eternity'' at its core. The remnants of Battlefleets Corona and Scarus, bloodied by the first wave of the Black Crusade, sought to stall the Black Fleet's advance, and paid for their defiance with their lives. Still the Chaos fleet swept on.

News that a Blackstone Fortress was incoming sent Creed's forces' already fevered preparations into a frenzy. Every Tech-adept that could be spared set about restoring Cadia's damaged null-array, which was damaged at the start of the Black Crusade. Even then it would not be enough, because time had finally run out for Cadia.

The Space Wolves however, disagreed. Sven Bloodhowl volunteered to lead his Great Company in boarding the ''Will of Eternity'', and do what they can to slow its advance. Along with them came two hundred other battle-brothers from the various Chapter forces devastated at the start of the Black Crusade, survivors of the Cadian 13th, and a full maniple of [[Skitarii]]. It was the last throw of the dice, but Creed had very few options left.

They failed. Abaddon's vanguard arrived on schedule a day later, soon followed by the Blackstone Fortress. Cheers erupted among the defenders however when its devastation beam dispersed harmlessly across the upper atmosphere. The null array worked! Eeeeeeeexcept it seems that the projection grid now featured xenos tech that wasn't there a day ago...

The cheers were a little short-lived however, as the skies of Cadia Secundus blacked with Traitor drop-ships. Round two had begun, and Abaddon had all the advantages.

The defenders put up a withering amount of fire, but it was not enough. Traitor Legionnaires made landfall, and daemonic reinforcements were summoned. Defense positions were soon overrun, and Creed made the decision to recall defenders back to the curtain walls of Kasr Kraf. The defenders made their fighting retreats, barring Marshall Amalrich's Black Templars, who stubbornly decided to stand their ground, and the Sisters of Battle that had made their defense at the Shrine of Saint Morrican.

Hours passed, then days. Orven Highfell's Ironwolves had counter-attacked the Iron Warriors force threatening Kasr Jark, while the Dark Angels defending the ''Sword of Defiance'' threw off three separate World Eater attacks. Slowly though the defenders were losing ground, and Creed once again ordered a withdrawal to the second curtain wall. The Novamarines 2nd Company sold their lives to stop Possessed from breaching one gate, but the West gate was lost, and with it so too was the 2nd curtain wall lost. Redoubt after redoubt fell, overwhelmed, with even the Dark Angels forced to abandon their grounded strike cruiser and join up with the surviving Space Wolves in their own withdrawal.

Kasr Kraf could not hold forever. An assault by the traitor Legio Vulcanum nearly made its defenses buckle, but the final straw was the assault of the Hounds of Abaddon. Led by newly-ascended Daemon Prince Urkanthos, the Hounds broke through the Kriegan Gates, slaughtering the Kasrkin regiments Creed had sent there to stem the tide. It took Creed himself, leading the Cadian 8th, that finally became the wall that the tide of traitors broke against. The remaining Astartes did what they could, but it was the intervention of the remnants of Marshall Amalrich's Cruxis Crusade ([[Fail|who had finally admitted that he was an idiot in trying to defend AWAY from Kasr Kraf]]) that seemed to give the remaining defenders a chance at more than a final show of defiance.

Urkanthos would not be denied however. His mission from Abaddon was clear: destroy the null array, and Cadia would fall. This was done with contemptuous ease. With its defenders dead and its ancient machinery reduced to cinders, nothing would stop the Blackstone Fortress from scouring the world clean.

===The Living Saint Cometh===

It was then [[Saint Celestine]] arrived, wreathed in the Emperor's own holy fire. Flagging faith was renewed, and strength was once brought to wearied limbs. Aside from this she brought with her reinforcements: five companies of the Order of Our Martyred Lady, long lost in the Warp, and the Imperial Fists that had been on-board the Phalanx during its emergency warp transition.

While Celestine lent aid to those on the ground, the Phalanx thundered into the heart of the Black Fleet, straight at the Black Fortress. Dorn's fist was to be its executioner. With a little help from what remained of Bloodhowl's force ([[Awesome|who had somehow survived to board the fortress, and had been fighting a running battle within for days]]), the Phalanx's planet-busting forward guns fired into a suddenly un-shielded flank (unprotected thanks to Bloodhowl's force sacrificing itself to take out the generators there). The ''Will of Eternity'' broke apart from the bombardment, its death throes throwing a third of gathered Traitor fleet there back into the Immaterium, and scattered the rest, while its broken husk hung in orbit.

The ground war fared better as the defenders threw off Urkanthos' Hounds from the walls, with the Daemon Prince's own corpse being added to the pile. Despite this, the Despoiler's forces still held air superiority, and scattered warbands gathered for yet another assault. This was no victory, but Cadia held off its doom for another day.

Even more surprises, as some last-minute reinforcements were still streaming in: the 5th Company of the [[Crimson Fists]] led by Ruis Tracinto, elements of the Cadian 14th, tanks of the Armoured 51st, Knights of House Taranis. The last but most significant of these latecomers was a Mechanicus Explorator fleet led by one [[Belisarius Cawl]]. It is Cawl that revealed to the gathered defenders the importance of ''not'' abandoning Cadia, and just how deep the Destroyer's plans were.

The last defenders withdrew to the Elysion Pylon fields, where the [[Legion of the Damned]] had manifested to keep watch over, to make their stand. Beyond the atmosphere the Phalanx moved to cover the field with its bombardment cannons, while far below the fields, Cawl and his adepts worked tirelessly to try and get the pylons to ''work'', but nothing he tried made the pylons react even a little. Close to throwing the towel in frustration, it was then that [[Trazyn the Infinite]] decide to make his presence known. The [[Necron]] proposed a truce, and promised to aid Cawl for its own inscrutable reasons.

===The Battle of Elysion Fields===

By this time the Battle of the Elysion Fields began to heat up, as Abaddon's forces slowly strangled the Imperial defenders. Days passed in desperate combat, with the Imperials hanging on just by the slimmest of margins, but that all changed once Abaddon himself teleported in to crush Cadia's last resistance himself. Accompanied by the Bringers of Despair, they assaulted Creed's command directly, and it was only due to the sacrifice of Creed's friend Kell that the Lord Castellan was able to live and fight another day. He, alongside the remnants of the Cadian 8th, made a fighting retreat into the catacombs beneath the Elysion pylons, before being finally pushed back into the deeper chambers that Cawl was still doing his work.

Curious at seeing the end result of Cawl's labors, Trazyn deigned to release some of his "collection" to delay the Despoiler: Heresy-era Ultramarines, Vostroyans, Tanith, Salamanders, an odd Custodian... All joined the battle against Abaddon's forces. All except [[Ordo Hereticus]] Inquisitor Katarinya Greyfax and her bodyguard, that is. Wulfren bearing the sigil of the Ironwolves soon joined the fray, followed by Highfell himself fighting with a near-feral wildness.

It was then that Cawl coaxed the pylons to life. For those battling in the catacombs the effects were immediate, as Daemons were banished back to the Warp, and Possessed roared as their warp-spawned halves returned to the Immaterium. UNFORTUNATELY this also affected the [[Legion of the Damned]], and reduced Celestine's power to a mere Battle-Sister with a power weapon. Whoops.

This proved to be a BIG problem for Celestine, as she had been dueling Abaddon at that point. Creed had to personally intervene, as he saw immediately that if the Living Saint fell, so would the remaining morale of the defenders there. Even Greyfax, for all her distate for the "false idol", acted, and turned her psychic might at keeping the Despoiler at bay. In a moment of arrogance, Abaddon held off the deathblow to Celestine long enough to gloat over his impending success only to take a hit himself. Even depowered, Celestine had inflicted a wound upon the Despoiler which he had not felt the likes of since the Horus Heresy.

High above the effects of the pylons intensified. Against all expectation whatever was being transmitted from Cadia was actually ''causing the Eye of Terror to shrink'', and soon anything remotely warp-based began to waver or outright fail, including the void shields of the warships still glaring at each other beyond the atmosphere. Even teleporting out would eventually be impossible. It was at this point the Despoiler ordered his forces to withdraw, much to the shock and confusion of his ravaged foes. Even the forces on the surface were withdrawing en-masse, falling back to their Thunderhawks and drop-ships, and speeding back to the safety of the Black Fleet.

Something was up, and there was only one thing for sure: the compost was about to hit the rotary impeller, and SOON.

===Ragequit, Despoiler-style===

Once safely back upon the bridge of the ''Vengeful Spirit'', Abaddon set his "Plan B" in motion: if he couldn't have Cadia, '''nobody would'''. As soon as the last of the Traitor forces were retrieved, the Black Fleet pulled away from the planet, post-haste. At that point hidden plasma drives flared into life on the ruins of the ''Will of Eternity'', and slowly the moon-sized mass started to fall in the direction of Cadia. The batteries of the wounded ''Phalanx'' opened up in desperation, but nothing could stop its fall once the Blackstone Fortress was captured by Cadia's gravity well. Like the fist of an angry god, the fortress struck the planet hard, and the world burned.

From his command throne, Abaddon opened up a bottle of vintage wine, raised a cup (made from the skull of the [[Horus]] clone he had killed in the [[Battle of Harmony]]) in toast of an old foe, and laughed.

===Death of a World===

Millions died in the aftermath of the impact, but the worst was yet to come. As mountains crumbled and seas vanished into steam, the ancient Pylons scattered on the planet toppled as well. The ancient network sputtered and died, at which the Eye of Terror roared back into being, stronger and MUCH larger now that its ancient prison was sundered. With the echoing laughter of gods long-denied their prize, the maelstrom finally engulfed Cadia.

Daemons previously banished by the awakening of the pylons once more fell upon the ravaged world. Those who survived the initial inferno now found themselves fighting for their lives. But in that darkest hour, hope also returned. With the destruction of the pylons, Saint Celestine's strength returned, and burning bright with the light of the Emperor, the Living Saint led the survivors out of the catacombs, to witness a world much changed.

===The Exodus of Cadia===

At the sight of all the ruin and destruction, Creed finally despaired. Before his despondence could spread to his men, Greyfax took the initiative, and ordered the planetary evacuation of all surviving Imperial forces. Countless troop transports and landing craft roared upwards to the relative safety of the ''Phalanx'', though many more were lost amidst the burning atmosphere and the winged daemonspawn now infesting the skies.

Back at the Elysion Fields, the evacuation was turning desperate, as the waves of daemons pushed back the defensive lines. Soon there wouldn't be anywhere safe to land, and the evacuation zone would become a death trap.

Something had to be done. The Lord Castellan roused himself from his grief, and announced that the Cadian 8th would buy everyone the time they needed to escape. To their credit, none of the Castellan's Own blanched at the order, despite knowing full well what it meant. They owed Creed their lives anyway, and now was as good a time as any to pay the Castellan back the debt.

The last transports boosted away to safety, with the final one taking within the Knights of House Taranis, Marshall Amalrich's Black Templars, Saint Celestine's Sisters, and Grayfax. As they left that blighted battlefield behind, a clear and proud cry could be heard, over the howling winds and the cannon roar. It was a shout of defiance, bowed but unbroken: '''"CADIA STANDS!"'''

===The Fate of Creed===

Creed, wounded, weary, and about to bleed out, is confronted not by a Daemon, but by [[Trazyn|a metal giant wearing a scaled cloak]]. After that, a promise of eternity before darkness engulfs him, the giant's laughter ringing in his ears.

[[File:Cadiain8th.png|300px|thumbnail|center|...wait, how the fuck did she take off her trousers whilst still wearing her boots? Did she take off her boots, take off her trousers, then put her boots back on?]]

==We're Not Through Yet, Motherfuckers!==

According to the 7e Astra Militarum codex, every single Cadian regiment was recalled back to Cadia by Creed to defend it. Given that there were only 4 million Imperial survivors out of the original 850 million Imperials initially present, the vast majority of Cadian regiments were likely annihilated. Of course, it's unknown just how many Cadian regiments actually managed to get to Cadia in time before the shit hit the fan, but it's safe to say that certain [https://regimental-standard.com/2017/01/18/cadia-another-imperial-victory/ Imperium reports] that 90% of Cadia's Guard forces were off-world at the time and thus have survived the Fall of Cadia are either complete grox manure, or there were just THAT many Cadia guard regiments exported over the centuries. Given how long the Imperium has been around and the staggering size of the Guard, the latter may actually be more likely.

You thought the Fall of Cadia was the end? Well guess what, 8th Edition says otherwise! Curiously the closure of the Cadian Gate hadn't affected Chaos fleets in the slightest, as they've poured out the Eye everywhere across its borders with seemingly no effort while it expanded, no longer contained by the pylon network. This has actually worked out sort of okayish for the Imperium as well. With Cadia dealt with, a lot of warbands have decided to stop listening to the [[Abbadon|armless failure]] and go do their own thing to find things that are easier to kill than Cadia. This presents a bit of a problem for Chaos as Geedubs themselves have said there's still a fucking ton of defenders in the Cadian system and that the Chaos forces are starting to wear thin on the now-worthless planet.

On top of that, Cadia took so fucking long to go down that the Imperium is entrenched deep into neighboring planets waiting for a second coordinated wave of Chaos attackers that is increasingly unlikely to show up. Needless to say, there are more than a few commanders that think having all these forces sitting around essentially doing nothing was a massive waste, when they could instead be bringing the fight to the Great Enemy...

More worryingly, a detachment of the [[Adeptus Custodes]] has been sent there by order of the Captain-General. Specifically, the Custodes in charge of ensuring the Age of Strife-era horrors contained in the Imperial Palace's prisons (the mere knowledge of which could wreck the Imperium should they ever be known about) stay there. Seeing that several of said horrors were scattered across the galaxy by Chaos after the Great Rift opened, odds are that whatever the golden bananas were sent there for is ''very bad news''.

==New Cadia==

In the wake of the Exodus from Cadia, several surviving regiments found themselves in the Agripinaa System. Those lucky enough not to be "volunteered" by into servitor-dom by the neighboring forge-world of Agripinaa still had to fight off pursuing Chaos forces, which included renegade Astartes warbands from the [[Sons of Malice]] and the [[Crimson Slaughter]]. One of these forces, led by General Gruber, made it's last stand on ice moon of Faith's Anchorage. Although they were eventually overwhelmed, the Cadians went down fighting, with General Gruber himself -- an old man noted in-universe to neither be particularly brave ''or'' inspirational -- spitting defiance at his slayers, and doing one final banzai charge with his power sword.

So focused were the Chaos forces on annihilating Gruber's forces that they didn't notice the ''other'' parts of the Cadian Exodus that had translated into the outer system -- which included elements of the battered but unbowed Battlefleet Cadia. Eager for vengeance, the Cadians fell upon the Chaos Fleet, but even with their numbers it was a close thing, due to the damage the Imperial Fleet had already received prior. Then out of nowhere, the Space Wolf [[Strike Cruiser]] ''Stiklestad'' entered the fray, and soon the odds were tipped in the Imperials' favor.

Very quickly, the forces that had destroyed General Gruber's forces found themselves stranded on Faith's Anchorage. With nowhere to go, the Heretics soon found themselves facing regiment upon regiment of very VERY angry Cadian Shock Troopers. It took two weeks to comprehensively clear Hope's Anchorage of Heretic filth.

The Cadians were ''very'' thorough.

In the wake of this, the highest commanding officer of the Cadian military, General Benedikt of the 101st, consolidated his weary and battered forces on Chaeros, the 7th world of the Agripinaa system. It was soon renamed '''New Cadia''', a place to lick wounds and mourn lost comrades, a new place to call home, and a place to strike back from when the time finally came.

{{40k-Imperial-Regiments}}

{{40k-Planets}}

[[Category:Imperial]]

Vostroyan Firstborn

2018-12-27T10:00:47Z

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Mordian Iron Guard

2018-12-27T09:57:06Z

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Catachan Jungle Fighters

2018-12-27T09:57:04Z

2001:8003:3800:800:6822:17F9:7CBA:27E4: Undo revision 542544 by 85.27.137.240 (talk) Poor baby

[[File:26405 sm-2nd Edition, Artwork, Catachan, Copyright Games Workshop, Imperial Guard, Retro Review.jpg|300px|thumb|right|They're kind of like Vietnam War-esque Diet [[Space Marines]] that bench trees and sweat hammers.]]
[[File:CatachanJungleFighters.jpg|300px|thumb|left|This man's knife is as big as his thigh, and his arms are the size of ''your'' thigh. Clearly not a knife to be screwed with. ]]
{{Topquote|War is in your blood. Don't fight it. You didn't kill for your country. You killed for yourself. The gods are never gonna make that go away. When you're pushed, killing's as easy as breathing.|'''Rambo''', Rambo IV}}

The '''Catachan Jungle Fighters''' (also known in the bodybuilding industry as the ABhumans and Diet [[Spess mehreen]]s) are a [[Imperial Guard Regiment|Regiment]] of the [[Imperial Guard]] from the [[Death World]] of Death Worlds, [[Catachan]] (pronounced ''cata-can''). They are mainly noted for having what are quite possibly the largest balls in the entire [[Imperium]], as Catachan is basically [[Death World|Hell]] and pretty much everything can kill you, including the goddamn flowers. Every animal is either carnivorous and/or poisonous, with all carnivores hunting and devouring their smaller counterparts. Basically the [[Imperial Guard]]'s version of [[Marbo|Rambo]]/Schwarzenegger/Chuck Norris hybrids, super-survivalists based on the US Army Commandos/Marines of the Vietnam War. They are the toughest motherfuckers in town who are so ripped some believe they are a race of [[Abhuman|abhumans]]; they are in fact so muscled they can wear flimsy tanktops to show off their muscle and still get the same grade of protection as a [[Cadia|Cadian Shock Trooper]] in full armor, and the most RIPPED of them can get the same degree of protection as Carapace armor from their ROCK HARD ABS.

Keep in mind that flak armor can stop ''lasers'' (well, pretend lasers that make noise and obey ballistic physics rather than photonic physics) and carapace armor can block ''bolter shells from Space Marines''. Wonder why the Emprah didn't create a Space Marine chapter out of these badasses... Oh yes, because Marines are forbidden to command armies of mortals, Chapter Worlds are freed from Imperial Tithe, AND Munitorium is sane enough not to lose the source of guys like [[Sly Marbo]].

To make them even more badass, Catachans were later confirmed to be physically and mentally superior to '''ANY''' normal human; basically, generations of breeding only the strongest and most swole badasses has resulted in these guys getting a free genetic upgrade... truly mini-spess mehreens. The swoleness is so real, that Catachans are nicknamed "Baby [[Ogryn]]s" by other guardsmen, although not usually to their faces, as they would then usually end up getting the beating of their lifetime or just outright killed.

A Catachan's favorite weapon is his trusty, simple, utilitarian and old-fashioned knife. They have created a ridiculous amount of clearly bullshit myths around their knives, as stupid backworlders generally tend to. If you listen to a Catachan then you'd start to wonder why the Imperium bothers with power swords and nemesis force halberds if steel sharpened on a stone is so good. Some of the various lies told by Catachans include: these knives, which every man and woman and child on the planet has made themselves, are prized throughout the galaxy even more so than the "fancy" and overrated chainswords that take too much maintenance, break often, would probably jam in Catachan flora, and can't be used for hunting because the lubricant would soil the meat. Orks absolutely love these guys - any respectable Ork would trade a chainsword or chop off his own arm to trade for their knives. Especially so for their biggest, more a sword really than a knife - its renown among da Orks is known as "Da Cutta". In return, a Catachan would rather give up his knife arm than his knife. Other favoured weapons amongst Catachans are the Flamer/Heavy Flamer, Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, and Demolition Charge. Using a Heavy Flamer in dense foliage is regarded as both safe and manly by the Catachans, who are balls-out rock hard.

Catachans don't like [[Commissars]] that much, mostly considering them to be arrogant, dolled up pussies. Usually most commissars end up "accidentally" walking into a Catachan trap (aka their knives and lasbolts) or "disappear" in different ways. The one individual to escape from this is [[Colonel Greiss]], by merit of being such a balls-out hardcore motherfucker that the Catachans could not help to respect him. Along with the Cadians they're the last kind of Guardsmen who you can buy GW made plastic models for from the source; for everyone else you either go third party or buy from Forgeworld (if they're the Death Korps anyway. Though it's not too hard to use the Death Korps to stand in for the Steel Legion), and while this may sound great; it's worth remembering that Catachan's models are... pretty infamously ugly (although this has more to do with GW's atrocious studio painting back in 1989, compared to other models from that time they're actually quite detailed and dynamic). With Chenkov and Al'rahem's removal they're also the only source of non-Cadian or Commissariat special characters in the codex.

But its not just prissies that Catachans have been known to have issues with (They use the words "Cadian" and "Mordian" as insults, basically meaning uptight pussies.), even tough n' gruff regiments like the [[Armageddon Ork Hunters]] have been known to have problems with them. This is due to the fact that 3 Catachan regiments were sent by badass [[Yarrick]] himself to help the Ork Hunters during the Third War of Armageddon, and ended up being better at killing Orks than the actual ORK HUNTERS. Apparently the night sky around the Ork Hunter's Cerberus Base was almost permanently lit with forest fires, and Orks could be heard screaming in every direction as the Catachans did their thaang. This obviously caused some jealousy with the Ork Hunters, and a bitter rivalry has existed ever since.

And, to top it all off, while everyone else was shitting their Munitorum-issued breeches when the Cicatrix Maledictum was expanding, the Catachans were busy kicking Chaos ass off their planet after it was exposed to a full scale invasion. Meanwhile other regiments like the [[Mordian Iron Guard]] ended up losing their worlds and getting raped by Tzeentchian Daemons. Upon reaching Catachan and discovering that the natives had already wiped out the invasion, the Indomitus Crusade simply made a pitstop to gain even more [[Imperial Guard|fuel units of awesome]] than they had when they left Terra to retake all the overrun precious space.

==Catachan Devils==
{{Topquote|If it bleeds, we can kill it.|"Dutch", Predator}}
Yeah, yeah, we know that Catachan has a big scary monster called this, but the elite of the already elite Jungle Fighters are also known as Catachan Devils, and form into units known as '''Catachan Devil Squads'''. These are the Swole-Kings, the baddest of the bad, the best Rambos on a planet full of Rambos. These elite warriors are basically specialists, masters of virtually every style of warfare, sent into the most dangerous of situations to perform raids, sabotage enemy war efforts and generally fuck up whatever is unfortunate to come their way. Their esteemed ranks include a man who crushed a Tyranid Ravener's neck with his biceps, and a dude who can take on entire armies. Don't know who i'm talking about? Then read on! (also, what's wrong with you?)

These guys were also a unit in DOW 2's Retribution DLC, they quickly became renowned amongst players as "Anti-Everything Sqauds", as they were capable of fucking up virtually any infantry and light vehicle unit if used correctly. They also had a badass voice actor who spouted out a shit ton of 80's action movie quotes, whilst sounding as if he drank gasoline and ate matches every day of his life.

==Catachan: A ''very, very, very, very, very'' shitty place to live==
[[File:Catachan Scout.jpg|300px|thumb|right|There are women with the Catachan Jungle Fighters, and they're even tougher than their male counterparts since they have to raise the bastards! ]]
{{Topquote|Out there beyond that fence every living thing that crawls, flies, or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes for jujubes.|[[Avatar|Colonel Miles Quaritch]]}}

If you think it sucks where you live... well, you know absolutely nothing. Here are just a few reasons why Catachan is the last place in the entire galaxy outside the [[Warp]] or [[Commorragh|certain parts of the Webway]] you would (or should) visit. It is canonically stated as being the worst death world in the '''ENTIRE''' Imperium, nudging out even the likes of Fenris and Cretacia... pussies:

*Humanity is near the '''BOTTOM''' of the food chain.
*Half of the babies are ''eaten violently'' before they are three.
*Half of those survivors are then eaten before they are ten, so you have a 1/4 chance of survival to adulthood.
*You have to be a deadly fighter by the time most humans have learned to spell
*Every living thing on the planet is poisonous, carnivorous, or both. Even the plants, like the Brainleaf that takes over the minds of anyone that comes into contact with its leaves (which it can shoot several yards away), and the Spiker, which turns anyone who is pricked by one of its spines into another Spiker.
*Agriculture is impossible on Catachan's soil. As a result all your food either comes off-world or from whatever animals the hunting party managed to subdue. Do note that because every animal on Catachan is designed to kill, any non-venomous creature you meet will either be a powerful warrior hunter beyond reason or cunningly brutal predator, so dinner is more likely to be the diner when bringing them down.
*Most predators on Catachan aren't just giant monsters like you'd find on [[Space Wolves|Fenris]] or [[Flesh Tearers|Cretacia]]. That would just be too easy. Many of Catachan's most lethal killers are small and seemingly harmless, so they will almost certainly kill you before you even see them. An example of this are the Heretic Ants (named because they start by eating away at men's soles) and the Catachan Barking Toad, which explodes into a cloud of absurdly lethal poison when startled that kills everything within a one kilometer radius- including the toad itself. If that isn't enough, even Power Armour can't protect you. In fact, no known armour can prevent the toads explosion from reducing you and everything else to a pile of steaming goop.
*There is so much dense jungle and so many deadly animals that Catachan does not need a planetary defense system, as the wildlife scares off the Tyranids and the Orks(who actually live there, but try to escape this hellhole as fast as possible). Only Hardcore Khornate Chaos Space Marines were <strike>brave</strike> mad enough to ''attack'' Catachan some time after Great Rift opening, and if you asked them why, they would have said: "Why the fuck not? This planet is fucking amazing for us." Needless to say, all of them feed Catachan's analogue of worms now. The effectiveness of Catachan's ecosystem is ''so'' good that it and the Catachan Jungle Fighters on the planet managed to repel a full-fledged daemon invasion ''when they were caught directly in the middle of the Great Rift''. Yes, not even the reality-bending bullshit of the Warp can stop Catachan and the Devils.
*Some of its wildlife is so deadly, that they have been released on worlds just to prevent invasion. (With hilariously predictable results; Ie: Infestations, killing the poor bastards who were already living there)
*You have to burn the jungle away from your village with a flamethrower at least once a day.
*The planet's major export is soldiers. No, wait. The planet's ''only'' export is soldiers.
*You live at several times Earth's gravity. But it's not THAT many times, or the Catachan people would be a good deal shorter, yet for some reason they are taller than most humans despite having no [[Space Marines|biological modifications]] or [[Adeptus Mechanicus|mechanical modifications]].
*Or in other words: Living on Catachan is like living perpetually in the first stages of a [[Tyranid]] invasion. In fact, some Magos Biologi have theorized that some of the wildlife (such as the Catachan Devils- monstrous half-scorpion half-centipede horrors that are capable of tearing apart tanks on their own) may have actually been Tyranid bio-forms that were separated from the Hive Mind and went feral in the distant past. In an issue of White Dwarf, Games Workshop even had the Catachan Devil as a Tyranid unit.

==Positive side==
There are, however, some positives that balance out all of the bad, bad things about being a guardsman from Catachan. Assuming you live long enough to enjoy them.

*Your muscles will be so thick that you count as having flak armor, even without a shirt on. If you wax your chest and liberally apply oil, it acts similarly to Space Marine armour. Only Catachan veterans know why this works. (it's because almost everything will slide off your abs up to and including battlecannon shells)
*Commissars seem about as intimidating as a grot compared to the horrors you've grown up with.
*You get to kill Commissars
*You are so badass that you use the terms "Cadian" and "Mordian" as an insult.
*You're able to kill [[Orks]] with your bare hands. If that doesn't work, you can use the FUCKHUEG knife you <strike>get</strike> make growing up.
*You might be led by [[Colonel "Iron Hand" Straken|Colonel "I ate a Miral landshark for breakfast" Straken]].
*You might also be led by [[Gunnery Sergeant "Stonetooth" Harker|Gunnery Sergeant "I headlock Tyranid Raveners to death" Harker]].
*You might get surprise help from [[Arden|Trooper "I killed twenty three Orks in one fight with a knife" Arden]]
*You can arm-wrestle a goddamn [[ork]].
*After all you went through growing up on your homeworld, most of the hardships of being in the Imperial Guard will be a joke to you.
*You can make Hollywood Action Heroes look like Justin Bieber by comparison.
*You are better at killing Orks than soldiers who actually specialise in killing Orks.
*Fuckhuge Sword-knife
*[[Sly Marbo]]

==Also see==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ-EOg38t1o Catachan Guardsmen dealing with pesky Eldar]

{{40k-Imperial-Regiments}}
{{40k-Planets}}

Cadia

2018-12-27T09:53:03Z

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{{Awesome}}
[[File:Cadian Cmdr female.jpg|400px|thumbnail|right|And they say there are no female commanders among the Guard... especially among Cadians. ]]
{{Topquote|Send not your foolish and feeble; send me your strong and your sane — Strong for the red rage of battle; sane for I harry them sore; Send me men girt for the combat, men who are grit to the core.|The Law of the Yukon: by Robert W. Service }}
{{Topquote|The Guard dies and does not surrender!|Pierre Cambronne}}
{{Topquote|Cadia is the end and the beginning.|White Dwarf, January 2017}}

'''Cadia''' is, or rather ''was'' an Imperial Guard fortress world located right beside the [[Eye of Terror]]. Due to being proximate to the only safe warp-passage into and out of the Eye, as well as large Xenos mobilization throughout the sector, it had become a [[fortress world]] and a strategic gem for the [[Imperium of Man]].

==The Planet Itself==
Fortress. That's the one word that can sum up the planet of Cadia. Since it was close neighbors with [[Chaos Space Marines|those nice boys]] from [[Eye of Terror|across the street]], Cadia always needed to be on active defense. All the time one had their [[Lasgun]] shouldered and was twitching from a combination of going 47 hours without sleep and being raised to be paranoid as fuck. Of course, living basically inside the Eye of Terror, it isn't truly paranoia at all, just common sense.

As far as geography goes, Cadia held a temperate climate not unlike the Holy [[Hiveworld]] of [[Terra]]. 70 percent of its surface was covered in bodies of water, and its landmasses were [[Grimdark|covered with bodies of guardsmen]].

If it weren't for the anti-warp pylons holding back the expansions of the Eye of Terror, it would have been subjected to [[Exterminatus]] long before Abaddon crashed his wrecked Blackstone Fortress into it. The place was a hellhole even before its destruction. It ''might'' have been a good vacation spot if you '''LIKE''' trenches filled with bodies and tracer fire lighting up your hotel room... on second thought... fuck that shit!

==Cadia and you==
First, let me start with saying that it [[Khorne|sucked to live on Cadia]]. Oh, you think where you live sucks? Live in a crime infested ghetto or something similar? A couple drive by shootings and a stolen TV are ''nothing'' compared to how much it sucked to live on Cadia. Why does it suck you ask? Oh, not much of a reason at all. Just the fact that it's like, six feet away from the fucking [[Eye of Terror]] (It also sucks to live ''there'', but for many reasons other than Cadia).

==Cadia: A very, ''very'' shitty place to live==
It just sucks to live on Cadia, period. Yes, there are several manly, redeeming qualities (see below) about the planet, but if you live on Cadia you're too busy replacing the power pack in your [[Lasgun|flashlight]] after throwing back Monday's Chaos invasion to notice. A short list includes, but is not limited to:

*Being drafted before you can walk, learning to shoot before you can count, and getting thrown in the the meat-grinder (mostly figuratively, sometimes literally) by age 16.
*Learning how to shoot so young that when you're toilet-trained you're told to aim your dick like it's a lasgun.
*Marauding bands of [[Chaos Space Marines]] and assorted [[Heresy|heretics]] trying to kill you.
*Random WAAAGH!!!s of [[Orks|greenskins]] trying to kill you.
*Stealthy platoons of [[Eldar|Space Elves]] trying to kill you.
*Your own [[Commissar|superior officers]] trying to ki-{{BLAM|'''*BLAM!*'''}}
*No privacy whatsoever for your entire life.
*Constant fear of death before you reach puberty.
*Constant fear of death during puberty.
*Constant fear of death after puberty, but chances are you'll die before this, have your soul sold to/claimed by a chaos deity and for their lolz spend your death in constant fear of puberty.
*Superior officers barking orders down your neck for the 10-16 years that you're alive.
*<s>No time to screw around,</s> you're always on duty. Sometimes said duty is to help train new recruits for their inevitable deaths.
*The top fashions in Cadia are camo patterns and body armor.
*[[Heresy|Heretical]] cults springing up by the dozen every week.
*[[Chaos|Voices]] keep telling you to ditch the duty and [[Slaanesh|relax]], [[Khorne|let loose]], call in [[Nurgle|sick]], or try something [[Tzeentch|different]].
*The fact that the planet's <s>main</s> '''only''' export is Soldiers should clue you in.
*[[Mutant]]s springing up everywhere wanting to try out the new pincer claw they just got on your neck.
*[[Grimdark|Even after you die, Cadia doesn't stop being shitty to you, because once the engraving on your tombstone is illegible, it means you've been dead for so long nobody alive cares about you anymore, so your corpse is dug up and thrown into an incinerator while a fresh corpse is thrown into your hole. And then ''they'' will be dug up and thrown away as well.]]
*Cadia is now destroyed and consumed by the Eye of Terror. If you're still living there, you're either a heretic, a warp entity, fighting a heroic last stand, or really ''really'' unlucky.

Seriously, it just sucks to live there, just take my word for it. Avoid prolonged stays on Cadia at all costs.

==Redeeming Qualities==
[[File:Cadian 8th Regiment-small.jpg|500px|thumb|right|Fuckers so hardcore, they take on fieldtrips on other hellhole planets when their own hellhole planet gets too stale.]]
Yes it sucked to live on Cadia, sucks beyond all Hell, but there are several reasons why it was one of the most [[awesome]] places in the Imperium.

===Cadian Shock Troopers===
First and foremost, the finest (and perhaps most numerous) breed of the [[Imperial Guard]] were born, trained, and lived on Cadia. You see the Cadian as the common model for your generic, garden variety guardsmen figurine, and as such they are the most easily recognized. They fight tenaciously for the [[Empra]] and die with the same degree of vigor. Manliness is never in short order here on Cadia, making it one of the most awesome planets around.

Their [[Stormtrooper|elite troops]] are the '''Kasrkin''', basically the elite of the elite of the Guard. That are separate from the [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Militarum Tempestus(7E)|Scions]] as they aren't trained in cozy little Scholas watched over by Commissars, but are trained right there on Cadia, combining all the battle conditioning and tactics learned by the Cadia Shock Troopers over the course of KILLING EVERYTHING IN THE GALAXY for the last several thousand years. Only [[Space Marines|SPESS MEHREENS]] are better. But the Kasrkin are probably scarier than the Spess Mehreens anyway, because they do about the same on the battlefield, without wearing a concrete wall on every inch of their body and not having [[Bolter|mini-rocket launcher guns]], no, they're just humans with balls of adamantium, both of which have their own pair of balls of adamantium (and that's the women). They don't wear carapace armor, either. Full-bodied flack-armor for these motherfuckers. To be fair though, they get shit done while wearing cardboard instead of the Guardsman's t-shirts, and they still use the older but far more advanced [[Hellgun|Hellguns]] over the Scion's Hot-shot lasguns, they shoot a lot more light than the Guardsman's flashlight. For example, [[Awesome|a Kasrkin Sergeant literally jumps on the back of a rampaging Daemonhost (which has already incapacitated the majority of an Inquisitorial retinue) and stabs it with a regular ol' combat knife to save the life of an Inquisitor.]] Balls. Of. Adamantium. Before the battle even began that [[Eisenhorn|Inquisitor]] admitted to being scared of them, and this is an Inquisitor who has fought alongside Deathwatch Marines against traitor Legionaries of The [[Emperor's Children]] in a warp corrupted landscape, 100 years ago, and has seen and battled Emperor knows what since then. Let that sink in. Now, ''the Kasrkin scared him'', [[Awesome|bad-fucking-ass]].

In conclusion, Cadians are the best troopers, and Kasrkin are the best of the best, well at least when it comes to conventional warfare, other regiments have them beat in specialized roles (Siege and attrition warfare? Send forth the [[Death Korps of Krieg|Death Korps]]. Guerrilla warfare and sabotage? Sneak some [[Catachan Jungle Fighters|Catachans]] in. Rapid insertion and maneuvering? Drop the [[Elysian Drop Troops|Elysians]] on 'em). But when you aren't sure what you'll be up against or are expecting a prolonged encounter with rapidly changing tactical situations then you can't go wrong with the Cadian Shock Troopers. When you need a certain [[Abbadon|failure]] to run away for awhile, catapult a Kasrkin at him.

Perhaps some day the Imperium will realize that careful selection of soldiers could result in the entire Imperial Guard being nothing but Kasrkin (and their equivalents in armored regiments). But again, that would mean the Imperium would win easily and no models would be sold. Without selling models, the Imperium cannot continue fighting the Eternal War and that would be [[HERESY]]. Alternatively massed flashlight are simply far more cost effective then elite shock troupers, especially when needing to garrison millions of worlds. Likewise even a space marine cannot survive being outnumbered 1000 or even a 100 to 1 by cannon fodder standing in front of artillery.

Also confirmed to be so fucking hardcore that their planet broke before they did. In spite of their homeworld's destruction, they've managed to keep going as strong as ever and now fight even harder to avenge its loss.

'''CADIA STANDS!'''

===Defended===
Despite what is said about how much of a hellhole Cadia was due to the constant warfare, because of that selfsame constant warfare Cadia was one of the most well-defended planets in the Imperium. In fact, it was the 2nd most heavily defended world in the Imperium of Man, only Sol System is better defended than Cadia (And maaaaaybe [[Fenris]]). All cities are arranged in interlocking blocks that require roads to snake around buildings with blind corners and are defended by rockcrete and adamantium walls, all to favor the defenders in urban combat. Massive shield generators keep the cities safe from all but the heaviest bombardment, forcing enemies to pay for them meter by bloody meter. All "civilians" are technically Cadian military reservists, and have been through the same life-long military training that all Cadians are subject to. As dangerous as Cadia is, the locals have learned to handle that danger and weather it as well as possible. Given its strategic importance, the Imperium is more than willing to commit substantial other resources to the planet's defense, which means lots of ships patrolling the system and lots of depots stationed in nearby systems to quickly reinforce Cadia at a moment's notice.

===Creed===
[[Creed|CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!!!!!!!!]]
This article has infiltrated your computer. You just got tactical geniused.

===Reproduction===
Birth rate and recruitment rate are synonymous. And if you see [[Grimdark|how many men and women die on the battlefield every day]]... better start doing your part for the Imperium. On Cadia, you were encouraged to fuck around wildly and have your partner push out the kid in a barracks to increase efficiency in recruiting.

===Colonizers===
Cadia's, as you noticed, only real export was soldiers. The thing is, Cadia pumps out so many that they usually form the core cadre of amalgamated units that get clumped into entirely new Imperial Guard armies, and sent to wage campaigns against taken or occupied planets. These armies are never getting sent back home, and are intended, when they win, to form a new government and society, and settle down (as seen in Dawn of War WA and Dark Crusade). As the core is usually Cadian, a lot of the army doctrines and style end up being Cadian, at least for a millennia or so. Hell, they colonize empty planets this way even, especially if it's a dangerous sector of space. Even now, who knows how many planets that are distinct and vital started this way? [[neckbeard|Your DNA could be spread far and wide across the galaxy and you wouldn't even know]].

This is of course to justify why everyone looks like Cadians, aka GW doesn't want to make a dozen different types of guards.

===Violet Eyes===
Ever fancied having more eye color than is standard for man? Move to Cadia and your kids will likely get glowing purple/violet eyes, may explain how purple-eyed animu characters tend to be awesome, they must be Cadians. Have fun explaining (with a bayonet...and a few thousand friends) to mobs of angry locals on other planets that you're not a mutant before they crucify you and burn you alive.

===The Place of Lorgar's Enlightenment===
While the Imperium would consider this quality the highest order of [[heresy]], perhaps the greatest reason for Cadia's importance is that it is, in many ways, the birthplace of the [[Horus Heresy]]. It was on Cadia the forces of the [[Word Bearers]] met with Ingethel the Chosen and were inducted into the service of the Ruinous Powers. As such, Cadia holds tremendous ideological importance and sentimental value for the Champions of Chaos.

==The Fall of Cadia==
{{Template:Spoilers}}

===Business As Usual===

When Abaddon finally launched his [[13th Black Crusade]], Cadia stood ready. Millions perished in the initial attack, but there were still enough Imperial forces to first blunt, then repulse the Chaos incursion. In its wake however was a system on the edge of collapse, its surviving defenders too weary to even try to celebrate. What was worse, Cadia was effectively isolated, with most of its Astropathic choirs either dead or driven insane.

Ursarkar Creed, now Lord Castellan, was worried. Through-out the fighting on-world, there was not even a single report of Abaddon being spotted. As a result he was sure that another assault was on the way, and what was worse it was likely that the Despoiler's own fleet would pass through the system. Unfortunately there was little left of the Imperial Navy present to put up more than a token defense, barring the [[Space Wolves]] battle barge ''Firemane's Fang'', and none of the ships there would be able to chase down Abaddon's ships once they made for deep space.

Preparing for the inevitable, Creed dug in, and set his forces to fortifying Kasr Kraf, which included Marshall Amalrich's [[Black Templars]]. Similar scenes repeated themselves throughout Cadia, with surviving Shock Troops and Astartes companies setting up defenses where they can. The Space Wolves set themselves up in Kasr Jark, while further north the [[Dark Angels]] 4th Company reinforced their own grounded Strike Cruiser ''Sword of Defiance''. In the days that followed the defenders drilled and trained, waiting for the inevitable to come.

===Eye of Terror 2: Electric Bugaloo===

And come it did, because Abaddon was not done with Cadia. Not by a long shot. His Black Fleet was inbound, an angry swarm of Traitor Legion warships, Daemon vessels, and space hulks, with the Blackstone Fortress ''Will of Eternity'' at its core. The remnants of Battlefleets Corona and Scarus, bloodied by the first wave of the Black Crusade, sought to stall the Black Fleet's advance, and paid for their defiance with their lives. Still the Chaos fleet swept on.

News that a Blackstone Fortress was incoming sent Creed's forces' already fevered preparations into a frenzy. Every Tech-adept that could be spared set about restoring Cadia's damaged null-array, which was damaged at the start of the Black Crusade. Even then it would not be enough, because time had finally run out for Cadia.

The Space Wolves however, disagreed. Sven Bloodhowl volunteered to lead his Great Company in boarding the ''Will of Eternity'', and do what they can to slow its advance. Along with them came two hundred other battle-brothers from the various Chapter forces devastated at the start of the Black Crusade, survivors of the Cadian 13th, and a full maniple of [[Skitarii]]. It was the last throw of the dice, but Creed had very few options left.

They failed. Abaddon's vanguard arrived on schedule a day later, soon followed by the Blackstone Fortress. Cheers erupted among the defenders however when its devastation beam dispersed harmlessly across the upper atmosphere. The null array worked! Eeeeeeeexcept it seems that the projection grid now featured xenos tech that wasn't there a day ago...

The cheers were a little short-lived however, as the skies of Cadia Secundus blacked with Traitor drop-ships. Round two had begun, and Abaddon had all the advantages.

The defenders put up a withering amount of fire, but it was not enough. Traitor Legionnaires made landfall, and daemonic reinforcements were summoned. Defense positions were soon overrun, and Creed made the decision to recall defenders back to the curtain walls of Kasr Kraf. The defenders made their fighting retreats, barring Marshall Amalrich's Black Templars, who stubbornly decided to stand their ground, and the Sisters of Battle that had made their defense at the Shrine of Saint Morrican.

Hours passed, then days. Orven Highfell's Ironwolves had counter-attacked the Iron Warriors force threatening Kasr Jark, while the Dark Angels defending the ''Sword of Defiance'' threw off three separate World Eater attacks. Slowly though the defenders were losing ground, and Creed once again ordered a withdrawal to the second curtain wall. The Novamarines 2nd Company sold their lives to stop Possessed from breaching one gate, but the West gate was lost, and with it so too was the 2nd curtain wall lost. Redoubt after redoubt fell, overwhelmed, with even the Dark Angels forced to abandon their grounded strike cruiser and join up with the surviving Space Wolves in their own withdrawal.

Kasr Kraf could not hold forever. An assault by the traitor Legio Vulcanum nearly made its defenses buckle, but the final straw was the assault of the Hounds of Abaddon. Led by newly-ascended Daemon Prince Urkanthos, the Hounds broke through the Kriegan Gates, slaughtering the Kasrkin regiments Creed had sent there to stem the tide. It took Creed himself, leading the Cadian 8th, that finally became the wall that the tide of traitors broke against. The remaining Astartes did what they could, but it was the intervention of the remnants of Marshall Amalrich's Cruxis Crusade ([[Fail|who had finally admitted that he was an idiot in trying to defend AWAY from Kasr Kraf]]) that seemed to give the remaining defenders a chance at more than a final show of defiance.

Urkanthos would not be denied however. His mission from Abaddon was clear: destroy the null array, and Cadia would fall. This was done with contemptuous ease. With its defenders dead and its ancient machinery reduced to cinders, nothing would stop the Blackstone Fortress from scouring the world clean.

===The Living Saint Cometh===

It was then [[Saint Celestine]] arrived, wreathed in the Emperor's own holy fire. Flagging faith was renewed, and strength was once brought to wearied limbs. Aside from this she brought with her reinforcements: five companies of the Order of Our Martyred Lady, long lost in the Warp, and the Imperial Fists that had been on-board the Phalanx during its emergency warp transition.

While Celestine lent aid to those on the ground, the Phalanx thundered into the heart of the Black Fleet, straight at the Black Fortress. Dorn's fist was to be its executioner. With a little help from what remained of Bloodhowl's force ([[Awesome|who had somehow survived to board the fortress, and had been fighting a running battle within for days]]), the Phalanx's planet-busting forward guns fired into a suddenly un-shielded flank (unprotected thanks to Bloodhowl's force sacrificing itself to take out the generators there). The ''Will of Eternity'' broke apart from the bombardment, its death throes throwing a third of gathered Traitor fleet there back into the Immaterium, and scattered the rest, while its broken husk hung in orbit.

The ground war fared better as the defenders threw off Urkanthos' Hounds from the walls, with the Daemon Prince's own corpse being added to the pile. Despite this, the Despoiler's forces still held air superiority, and scattered warbands gathered for yet another assault. This was no victory, but Cadia held off its doom for another day.

Even more surprises, as some last-minute reinforcements were still streaming in: the 5th Company of the [[Crimson Fists]] led by Ruis Tracinto, elements of the Cadian 14th, tanks of the Armoured 51st, Knights of House Taranis. The last but most significant of these latecomers was a Mechanicus Explorator fleet led by one [[Belisarius Cawl]]. It is Cawl that revealed to the gathered defenders the importance of ''not'' abandoning Cadia, and just how deep the Destroyer's plans were.

The last defenders withdrew to the Elysion Pylon fields, where the [[Legion of the Damned]] had manifested to keep watch over, to make their stand. Beyond the atmosphere the Phalanx moved to cover the field with its bombardment cannons, while far below the fields, Cawl and his adepts worked tirelessly to try and get the pylons to ''work'', but nothing he tried made the pylons react even a little. Close to throwing the towel in frustration, it was then that [[Trazyn the Infinite]] decide to make his presence known. The [[Necron]] proposed a truce, and promised to aid Cawl for its own inscrutable reasons.

===The Battle of Elysion Fields===

By this time the Battle of the Elysion Fields began to heat up, as Abaddon's forces slowly strangled the Imperial defenders. Days passed in desperate combat, with the Imperials hanging on just by the slimmest of margins, but that all changed once Abaddon himself teleported in to crush Cadia's last resistance himself. Accompanied by the Bringers of Despair, they assaulted Creed's command directly, and it was only due to the sacrifice of Creed's friend Kell that the Lord Castellan was able to live and fight another day. He, alongside the remnants of the Cadian 8th, made a fighting retreat into the catacombs beneath the Elysion pylons, before being finally pushed back into the deeper chambers that Cawl was still doing his work.

Curious at seeing the end result of Cawl's labors, Trazyn deigned to release some of his "collection" to delay the Despoiler: Heresy-era Ultramarines, Vostroyans, Tanith, Salamanders, an odd Custodian... All joined the battle against Abaddon's forces. All except [[Ordo Hereticus]] Inquisitor Katarinya Greyfax and her bodyguard, that is. Wulfren bearing the sigil of the Ironwolves soon joined the fray, followed by Highfell himself fighting with a near-feral wildness.

It was then that Cawl coaxed the pylons to life. For those battling in the catacombs the effects were immediate, as Daemons were banished back to the Warp, and Possessed roared as their warp-spawned halves returned to the Immaterium. UNFORTUNATELY this also affected the [[Legion of the Damned]], and reduced Celestine's power to a mere Battle-Sister with a power weapon. Whoops.

This proved to be a BIG problem for Celestine, as she had been dueling Abaddon at that point. Creed had to personally intervene, as he saw immediately that if the Living Saint fell, so would the remaining morale of the defenders there. Even Greyfax, for all her distate for the "false idol", acted, and turned her psychic might at keeping the Despoiler at bay. In a moment of arrogance, Abaddon held off the deathblow to Celestine long enough to gloat over his impending success only to take a hit himself. Even depowered, Celestine had inflicted a wound upon the Despoiler which he had not felt the likes of since the Horus Heresy.

High above the effects of the pylons intensified. Against all expectation whatever was being transmitted from Cadia was actually ''causing the Eye of Terror to shrink'', and soon anything remotely warp-based began to waver or outright fail, including the void shields of the warships still glaring at each other beyond the atmosphere. Even teleporting out would eventually be impossible. It was at this point the Despoiler ordered his forces to withdraw, much to the shock and confusion of his ravaged foes. Even the forces on the surface were withdrawing en-masse, falling back to their Thunderhawks and drop-ships, and speeding back to the safety of the Black Fleet.

Something was up, and there was only one thing for sure: the compost was about to hit the rotary impeller, and SOON.

===Ragequit, Despoiler-style===

Once safely back upon the bridge of the ''Vengeful Spirit'', Abaddon set his "Plan B" in motion: if he couldn't have Cadia, '''nobody would'''. As soon as the last of the Traitor forces were retrieved, the Black Fleet pulled away from the planet, post-haste. At that point hidden plasma drives flared into life on the ruins of the ''Will of Eternity'', and slowly the moon-sized mass started to fall in the direction of Cadia. The batteries of the wounded ''Phalanx'' opened up in desperation, but nothing could stop its fall once the Blackstone Fortress was captured by Cadia's gravity well. Like the fist of an angry god, the fortress struck the planet hard, and the world burned.

From his command throne, Abaddon opened up a bottle of vintage wine, raised a cup (made from the skull of the [[Horus]] clone he had killed in the [[Battle of Harmony]]) in toast of an old foe, and laughed.

===Death of a World===

Millions died in the aftermath of the impact, but the worst was yet to come. As mountains crumbled and seas vanished into steam, the ancient Pylons scattered on the planet toppled as well. The ancient network sputtered and died, at which the Eye of Terror roared back into being, stronger and MUCH larger now that its ancient prison was sundered. With the echoing laughter of gods long-denied their prize, the maelstrom finally engulfed Cadia.

Daemons previously banished by the awakening of the pylons once more fell upon the ravaged world. Those who survived the initial inferno now found themselves fighting for their lives. But in that darkest hour, hope also returned. With the destruction of the pylons, Saint Celestine's strength returned, and burning bright with the light of the Emperor, the Living Saint led the survivors out of the catacombs, to witness a world much changed.

===The Exodus of Cadia===

At the sight of all the ruin and destruction, Creed finally despaired. Before his despondence could spread to his men, Greyfax took the initiative, and ordered the planetary evacuation of all surviving Imperial forces. Countless troop transports and landing craft roared upwards to the relative safety of the ''Phalanx'', though many more were lost amidst the burning atmosphere and the winged daemonspawn now infesting the skies.

Back at the Elysion Fields, the evacuation was turning desperate, as the waves of daemons pushed back the defensive lines. Soon there wouldn't be anywhere safe to land, and the evacuation zone would become a death trap.

Something had to be done. The Lord Castellan roused himself from his grief, and announced that the Cadian 8th would buy everyone the time they needed to escape. To their credit, none of the Castellan's Own blanched at the order, despite knowing full well what it meant. They owed Creed their lives anyway, and now was as good a time as any to pay the Castellan back the debt.

The last transports boosted away to safety, with the final one taking within the Knights of House Taranis, Marshall Amalrich's Black Templars, Saint Celestine's Sisters, and Grayfax. As they left that blighted battlefield behind, a clear and proud cry could be heard, over the howling winds and the cannon roar. It was a shout of defiance, bowed but unbroken: '''"CADIA STANDS!"'''

===The Fate of Creed===

Creed, wounded, weary, and about to bleed out, is confronted not by a Daemon, but by [[Trazyn|a metal giant wearing a scaled cloak]]. After that, a promise of eternity before darkness engulfs him, the giant's laughter ringing in his ears.

[[File:Cadiain8th.png|300px|thumbnail|center|...wait, how the fuck did she take off her trousers whilst still wearing her boots? Did she take off her boots, take off her trousers, then put her boots back on?]]

==We're Not Through Yet, Motherfuckers!==
According to the 7e Astra Militarum codex, every single Cadian regiment was recalled back to Cadia by Creed to defend it. Given that there were only 4 million Imperial survivors out of the original 850 million Imperials initially present, the vast majority of Cadian regiments were likely annihilated. Of course, it's unknown just how many Cadian regiments actually managed to get to Cadia in time before the shit hit the fan, but it's safe to say that certain [https://regimental-standard.com/2017/01/18/cadia-another-imperial-victory/ Imperium reports] that 90% of Cadia's Guard forces were off-world at the time and thus have survived the Fall of Cadia are either complete grox manure, or there were just THAT many Cadia guard regiments exported over the centuries. Given how long the Imperium has been around and the staggering size of the Guard, the latter may actually be more likely.

You thought the Fall of Cadia was the end? Well guess what, 8th Edition says otherwise! Curiously the closure of the Cadian Gate hadn't affected Chaos fleets in the slightest, as they've poured out the Eye everywhere across its borders with seemingly no effort while it expanded, no longer contained by the pylon network. This has actually worked out sort of okayish for the Imperium as well. With Cadia dealt with, a lot of warbands have decided to stop listening to the [[Abbadon|armless failure]] and go do their own thing to find things that are easier to kill than Cadia. This presents a bit of a problem for Chaos as Geedubs themselves have said there's still a fucking ton of defenders in the Cadian system and that the Chaos forces are starting to wear thin on the now-worthless planet.

On top of that, Cadia took so fucking long to go down that the Imperium is entrenched deep into neighboring planets waiting for a second coordinated wave of Chaos attackers that is increasingly unlikely to show up. Needless to say, there are more than a few commanders that think having all these forces sitting around essentially doing nothing was a massive waste, when they could instead be bringing the fight to the Great Enemy...

More worryingly, a detachment of the [[Adeptus Custodes]] has been sent there by order of the Captain-General. Specifically, the Custodes in charge of ensuring the Age of Strife-era horrors contained in the Imperial Palace's prisons (the mere knowledge of which could wreck the Imperium should they ever be known about) stay there. Seeing that several of said horrors were scattered across the galaxy by Chaos after the Great Rift opened, odds are that whatever the golden bananas were sent there for is ''very bad news''.

==New Cadia==
In the wake of the Exodus from Cadia, several surviving regiments found themselves in the Agripinaa System. Those lucky enough not to be "volunteered" by into servitor-dom by the neighboring forge-world of Agripinaa still had to fight off pursuing Chaos forces, which included renegade Astartes warbands from the [[Sons of Malice]] and the [[Crimson Slaughter]]. One of these forces, led by General Gruber, made it's last stand on ice moon of Faith's Anchorage. Although they were eventually overwhelmed, the Cadians went down fighting, with General Gruber himself -- an old man noted in-universe to neither be particularly brave ''or'' inspirational -- spitting defiance at his slayers, and doing one final banzai charge with his power sword.

So focused were the Chaos forces on annihilating Gruber's forces that they didn't notice the ''other'' parts of the Cadian Exodus that had translated into the outer system -- which included elements of the battered but unbowed Battlefleet Cadia. Eager for vengeance, the Cadians fell upon the Chaos Fleet, but even with their numbers it was a close thing, due to the damage the Imperial Fleet had already received prior. Then out of nowhere, the Space Wolf [[Strike Cruiser]] ''Stiklestad'' entered the fray, and soon the odds were tipped in the Imperials' favor.

Very quickly, the forces that had destroyed General Gruber's forces found themselves stranded on Faith's Anchorage. With nowhere to go, the Heretics soon found themselves facing regiment upon regiment of very VERY angry Cadian Shock Troopers. It took two weeks to comprehensively clear Hope's Anchorage of Heretic filth.

The Cadians were ''very'' thorough.

In the wake of this, the highest commanding officer of the Cadian military, General Benedikt of the 101st, consolidated his weary and battered forces on Chaeros, the 7th world of the Agripinaa system. It was soon renamed '''New Cadia''', a place to lick wounds and mourn lost comrades, a new place to call home, and a place to strike back from when the time finally came.

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[[Category:Imperial]]

Mordian Iron Guard

2018-12-27T09:51:36Z

2001:8003:3800:800:6822:17F9:7CBA:27E4: Undo revision 542533 by 85.27.137.240 (talk)

Cadia