Klor's Charter
Chapter 1
Upon making planetfall in crumbling abbey grounds located on the largest mountain range of Dowhlea II, the expedition soon locates an ancient and coveted artifact - one of the Lost Scrolls of Listerburg. After dispatching the token force of cultists guarding it, young Lord Klor is quick to call for an audience with Demus XX via subspace transmission, with the secret aim of strong-arming his liege lord into honoring the provisions the Scrolls detail. As conference occurs, hostile forces who have become aware of the new Squat presence make themselves known - Khornate Chaos Space Marines, now charging out of nearby caves. Frini Ӧberhaus commands in Klor's stead, a Vassal Lord of a minor house, as initial contact turns fast to light skirmish then faster still to the frenzied pitch of battle as more and more enemies come pouring out from underground.
In the ensuing first contact combat, the Guildserfs Klor brought are slain to a man and his security Bombardier retinue are reduced to a single survivor, yet two Crawler tanks come through unscathed while the forces of Chaos are utterly routed. The forces of Khorne suffer the loss of many Marines, an Obliterator, and a mighty Heldrake - the last of which fell to the Crawlers only after the Obliterator and Heldrake reduce most of the security retinue to slag smote upon the abbey tombstones. Chaos Marines accompanying a Dark Apostle take out the Guildserfs and manage to puncture Frini’s lung with an axe – and in turn Frini fires a bolt pistol at the Dark Apostle’s head, partially blowing it off. The atmosphere overhead crackles with dark lightning as Khorne intervenes to lend that valued Apostle enough strength to survive, who then chokes down his own blood and recalls his remaining forces, managing to narrowly avoid capture. Rixyr the Bloodpreacher, commander of the hostile forces, is pulled to safety underground after being majorly wounded by Crawler fire far behind the front lines. For his part, by the end of the battle Klor - by playing on the arrogance of all Listerburgs - has convinced Demus XX to quickly dispatch Hearthguard reinforcements once promised long ago. Though hard-earned, strides have indeed been well made for the expeditionary forces, and Klor is proud of his forces despite being deeply frustrated at not being able to take part in the fighting.
Chapter 2
Acting on the rumors & whispers of Rogue Traders as his next move, Klor personally leads a scouting force down the mountain paths towards an overgrown castle at the edge of an Ironbark forest. There, the Squats begin to track down the rotting corpse of a creature of legend - a Trofolidorian of immense size, of whom tales are told of a ravenous hunger for all things shiny & precious. The armored shell of the beast is soon found as Klor's intel proved trustworthy once more, with much being recovered and several transports being filled to near capacity with enchanted gems, polished hydroponic plant filters, and all other manner of items once lost. Still, only a fraction of the treasures and weapons spoken of are recovered, and Klor's temper flares at the thought of looters and smugglers long gone beyond his reach. That is, until Orks emerge from the trees, returning missing silverware to their rightful owners by way of hostile projectile.
Reacting quickly, and with no small amount of foolish courage, Klor takes the fight directly to the Orks. He meets Deff Dreads on the charge as they make their approach under the cover of their own foul smog, enraged by their presence. The few Hearthguard already accompanying him as personal bodyguard fight bravely at his side - but one by one all are crushed, despite their gallantry. Klor himself receives several broken bones for his trouble before being captured by the largest of the mechanical monstrosities. Killsplitta Deffhed cackles maniacally, klaws wrapped tightly 'round his prize as the battlegrounds erupt with Lobba and Kannon shots from deep with the wood. The scouting force, now headless and heavily laden with treasures, decides to cut their losses and retreat to the safety of the old abbey above as Tankbusta rockets detonate nearby, cracking a few transports and disemboweling their precious cargo onto the blood-stained grass. Troopers cover the withdrawal, their well-drilled fire repelling a charge of heavily armored boys approaching the rear of the column. As night falls, the Orks return to the forest, and the Squats to the mountains, each side having paid heavy tolls for the prizes they now clutch tightly in the dark.
Chapter 3
Frini Ӧberhaus and Danof IX Listerburg, the only Vassal Lords under Klor for this expedition, have made good progress at refortifying the old abbey when the scouting force returns with news of Klor's capture. While both are shocked at this setback, neither truly grasps the perilous position they now occupy; the two minor Lords quickly begin to squabble over command, wasting away the night. Only when the light of the morning suns crests the mountain peaks does the heated debated resolve, with Danof IX's honeyed words and family name winning him the title of commander-in-chief despite his modest contributions to the campaign thus far. The gruff and outspoken Frini is resigned to operational control & executive enforcement, yet another member of a minor house . In his first decree as commander, Danof IX instructs the expedition to finish shoring up the abbey defenses rather than attempt rescue of Lord Klor - a cowardly move in the emerald eyes of Frini, who Danof IX eventually tasks with inventory of the treasures recovered down-mountain. No sooner than she sets herself to the glittering mounds however, than a powerful blast rocks the abbey. And then another. Soon, it is as if the very earth is a storming sea - rolling and roiling as one impact after another sends thunder echoing down the halls.
Far overhead, an Adeptus Astartes strike cruiser has unleashed a blistering orbital barrage onto the mountain range below, killing dozens of the Squat expeditionary forces not in cover and significantly damaging the work they had done to shore up the old abbey. Captain Plinius Ainsley of the Silver Strikers Chapter bemoans this accidental bombard of a potential ally, brought about by Forces of Chaos who have infiltrated his ship and temporarily sabotaged controls as he was dealing with an Orkish surprise attack. After clearing his bridge of warp-spawn, he deploys squads of Scouts and Vanguard planetside to make peace and explain that the abhumans have nothing to fear from the Astartes, who are here to investigate reports of new violence against their Chapter's Carthon enemies hiding below.
Back on the surface, the abbey walls cease their vibrations - the robust structure weathered the storm.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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