Against the Savages - BACKGROUND

• Skrynne has a long history of struggling with Ork infestations and despite repeated attempts to eliminate the alien threat, the Orks have reappeared several times.
• The last Ork incursion and cleansing on Skrynne occurred 145 years ago. After the battle, the northern continent was cleansed with fire and radiation. The colony spent all their reserves to eliminate the threat. Since then, the population has grown to nearly ten million and the colony has achieved self-sufficiency.
• In the last ten years, two major events changed Skrynne’s stability and outlook. The first was the discovery of vast promethium reserves during a visit from Rogue Trader House Gibrahan. The reserves were estimated to be sufficient to fuel the core worlds of the sector for the next century.
• The initial celebrations of the discovery of promethium reserves on Skrynne were cut short when all but one member of the mining expedition were killed by an Ork assault. Further research revealed that hundreds of thousands of Orks were thriving in the jungles on the northern continent. House Gibrahan began working with the planet’s garrison to eliminate the new threat.
• The planet’s human defenders pushed the Ork infestation to the brink of annihilation through orbital bombardments and tactical strikes. As battles against surviving Orks continued, the planetary government and House Gibrahan negotiated terms for control of promethium mining and distribution rights. The population prepared to celebrate their freedom from the Orks and newfound wealth.
• Skrynne’s hopes for salvation were dashed when an armada of Ork ships arrived in the system. House Gibrahan’s vessel fled, leaving Skrynne without effective orbital support. Warboss Grimmsnikk Tufgob of Waaagh! Grimtoof seized the world and declared his intention to destroy all traces of human civilization. The surviving colonists fought a losing battle against overwhelming Ork forces.
• House Gibrahan pleaded for assistance from the Departmento Munitorum High Command and bartered away a large portion of Skrynne’s promethium reserves in exchange for the reassignment of the 4th Brontian Longknives light infantry regiment. The Imperial Guardsmen landed on Skrynne to engage Warboss Tufgob’s forces while a squadron of Imperial Cruisers engaged the Ork fleet. The planet’s human population was decimated, with only a few hundred thousand survivors remaining.
• Over the next seven years, the Imperial forces and Orks waged a brutal stalemate on Skrynne. Despite significant losses on both sides, neither faltered. Regimental command sent repeated requests for reinforcements, but all were stonewalled for unclear reasons. Skrynne’s promethium reserves represent a substantial resource that could be valuable to the Imperial forces.