Editing Armed Forces of the Tempestus Gap. (section)

== Loyalist Forces ==
Those soldiers fighting against the forces of chaos. This is hardly a complete listing, but provides something of a representative sample.

'''The Jantine Fortressmen'''

Operating out of Forgespace in the Tempestus gap, the Jantine Fortressmen are a force of combat engineers specializing in the rapid transformation of ordinary planets into self-sufficient fortress-worlds. Their method of operation is deceptively simple: they are deployed to worlds within the Gap that are either of strategic significance or will soon come under threat. 

To this end, they have a wide variety of specialized equipment, from a bewildering array of pre-fab fortifications to super-heavy engineering vehicles to the fearsome 'drop citadels', massive forts equipped with over-sized grav-chutes and ablative plating meant to be deployed directly from orbit. However, the true secret of their effectiveness is their logistical genius and powerful propaganda machine. The Jantine are experts in mobilizing every available resource, co-opting the rulership and population of the worlds they land on in the transformation of their planet. The efforts of millions of conscript laborers scar the surface with trench lines, dig massive agri-vaults miles below the surface, build and upgrade weapons factories and fill the orbits with mines. 

Despite their skill, most Jantine-held worlds are over-run. Either they are attacked before the Fortressmen can start their transformation in earnest, or repeated Chaos attacks wear down the defenses over decades. But some hold, becoming outposts of Forgespace within the gap for use as staging grounds in further operations. And even those that fall make the enemy bleed for every millimeter. 

'''Oncolog Hermeticists '''

A force supported by the Forgespace in the Tempestus Gap. The Hermeticists are a specialized anti-Nurglite force. Where the NBC suits of the typical PDF or Guard regiment is bulky, restricts field of vision, makes it difficult to breathe, and chafes badly, the Hermeticists' 'iso-armor' makes use of some of the finest technology in the Forgespace to make it suitable for long-term wear. With its padding, lightweight alloy construction, wide-angle visor, fully sealed air supply, internal supply of liquid rations, and catheters, it is intended to be worn for weeks at a time without ever being taken off. Its sealant-resin layers even prevent small armor breaches from compromising the environmental integrity of the armor, and multiple layers of anti-corrosion coating protect the suit from Nurgle's many metallophages. In short, by almost totally isolating the wearer from the outside environment, the iso-armor removes Nurglite force's greatest advantage. It's not completely perfect, but it's the best you'll find short of Astartes. 

In battle, the Hermeticists naturally use a fuckton of incendiary weapons. The flamer:lasgun ratio is higher than any other force in Forgespace, and hand flamers are the most common sidearm. Their doctrine emphasizes unrelenting, OCD thoroughness; no trace of Nurgle's diseases can be left. Massive formations of artillery and bombers saturate target areas with incendiaries and weaponized antibiotics. Then, vast sweeps of infantry and armor comb the ground, hunting down and pursuing any survivors of the initial bombardments. Once an area has been cleared of active enemy resistance (and it never goes as cleanly as the previous couple of sentences make it sound), engineering teams move in for the deep sterilization. Ground-penetrating microwave and UV arrays, super-heavy pyre tracks, millions upon millions of tons of sterilizing agents; once the Hermeticists are through with a region, it is often left entirely lifeless. This is acceptable; life can be re-introduced, but once Nurgle has his grip on a world, he never relinquishes it.

Notably, none of the Oncolog Hermeticists are actually from Oncolog anymore. A reprisal raid by Second Sons forces, in retaliation for daring to set themselves against Nurgle, destroyed Oncolog entirely. However, by then the concept had proven itself; new regiments were raised on a hundred worlds throughout the Gap, collectively taking the name of Oncolog in remembrance.

'''The Golgorian Dungeon Crawlers'''

A formation supported by, but not officially a part of, the Unyielding Vigil, operating in the Tempestus gap. Golgoria is a hive-world of ancient provenance; it was a hive-world when the Imperium conquered it, a hive-world when Long Night fell, a hive-world when the first human settlers made landfall although the original inhabitants had all gone, leaving vast and empty buildings behind. Although archaeology is not exactly a high priority in the remnants of the sundered Imperium, all indications are that Golgoria has been a hive world for millions of years, across dozens of owners. 

As such, the Golgorian Crawlers are dedicated hive-fighters, mostly recruited from the gangs and militias that effectively control most of the planet's inhabited volume. They are armed for close-quarters fighting in enclosed spaces, storm shields paired with a variety of one-hand weapons: hand flamers, melta pistols, hell-pistols, chainswords. Long-range support weaponry is mostly abandoned in favor of more grenades, demo-charges, and flashbangs. (They do have some to deal with occasional open spaces, but less than what would be expected for a normal heavy infantry unit.) The only vehicle in common use among the Crawlers is a variant of the Rapier weapons platform. 

In battle, Dungeon Crawler strategy emphasizes infrastructure control. Hold the water purifiers, the food distribution centers, the power plants, the transport trunks. Cut off the enemy from these vital functions, and wait for them to die of dehydration and their industries to grind to a halt. Tactically, they make heavy use of breacher charges- why go through a door when you can go through a wall? They also make good use of 3D mobility; Golgoria is a very vertical environment, so all soldiers are equipped with climbing gear and know how to use it. 

This is paired with a strong cadre of infiltration specialists (often abhuman). They are used to scout out enemy positions and seize vital infrastructure in advance of the main thrusts. There are ratlings in the ducts.
Inside hives, the Golgorian Dungeon Crawlers are utterly lethal. Outside of them, they pay for their overspecialization. 

The Dungeon Crawlers originated as a purely defensive unit, slicing apart enemy raiding groups using superior knowledge of the terrain in the endless miles of abandoned construction. Entire armies could be lost without trace in the expanse of abandoned, ancient structure- and were. This changed when Golgoria became a vassal of the Unyielding Vigil, trading basing rights and a tithe of its soldiers in exchange for technical support for its failing industries. This prompted a shift in the composition of the Crawlers, from a light-infantry urban guerilla force to a heavy-infantry urban assault force. Under the supervision of Vigil drill sergeants, the transition went smoothly, and now Dungeon Crawler detachments are a common sight among Vigil expeditionary forces in the Tempestus gap.

'''The Rhadam Raiders'''

A formation of rough riders operating on and around the outskirts of the Unyielding Vigil, recruited from the death-world Rhada. The Rhadam Raiders are specialized as a stay-behind force, placed on planets in danger of falling to the enemy in order to wage guerilla war against the occupiers. Raider units are typically divided up and attached to other regiments to act as advisors and training cadre, teaching other forces their ways of war. For a full regiment of Raiders to be deployed as a single unit is generally a sign that something special is being planned.
In addition to their tactics, the Rhadam Raiders are noted for their animals. Genetically engineered to survive in any environment, half boar and half rat, their mounts are a far cry from ordinary horses, twice as smart and twice as vicious. They are capable of eating almost any organic matter, and give human-edible milk. With their mounts, the Rhadam are capable of operating for extended periods of time in the most desolate environments. 
Despite their undeniable use, the Rhadam Raiders sit uneasy in the overall Vigil force; although their uses are undeniable, their tactics fit poorly with the overwhelming siege focus of the Undying Scions, and as a result Raider detachments tend to drift from one command to another. This lack of consistent oversight leads to discipline problems, which further encourages Vigil generals to pass them off like a hot potato as soon as possible. As a result, the Raiders tend to wind up assigned to some of the furthest and most desolate corners of the Vigil- which is where their tactics work best.