The Gannach Crusade
"His will is a tempest. May it be at our backs."
(Voluntatem eius tempestas est. Ut sit in dorso nostro.)
History
Founded in Fire
Answering the faint and dated hails of Mechanicus Explorator Fleet Lambda-Omegon Z6 came the Adeptus Astartes of the Black Templars in the organisation of the Gannach Crusade. The High Marshal was eager to put the freshly-bolstered ranks, courtesy of one Marchmagos Belisarius Cawl, to the test and saw it appropriate to assist the very agents that had assisted in the conception of the Rubicon Primaris. Helbrecht declared the Gannach Crusade to be a mighty bulwark of the Black Templars and of the imperium into the Gannach sector, with the newly promoted Marshal Reinhardt at it's boss after crossing the Rubicon, himself.
However, it was to be a bloody first conflict for the newly inducted Marshal. Obscured by rad-storms and surges in warp activity that left a sizeable force of the crusade's navy MIA upon the fleets arrival into the sector, the initial force of the crusade was left in a weakened state. Eager to demonstrate his capabilities and blinded by his ambition, Reinhardt declared occupation of Cryptus Secundus, the source of the hails. It was to be a bloody massacre as astartes drop-pods and thunderbirds were pulled from the sky by automated pylons of arching green energy before most of the Black Templars could even step foot upon the planet's rad-scorched soil. Those that did were met with scores of soulless automata as vision in all directions was obscured by a curtain of gauss blasts the burning wreckage of imperial armour. The Necrons had awoken.
Shamed and frustrated, Marshal Reinhardt withdrew what remained of his brothers and sought to consolidate his forces elsewhere. He had been punished for his hubris and, while honourable, pressing the offensive would be a foolish and unfruitful endeavour.
📑 Cryptus II
Whispers of Betrayal
After the tactical failure in the skies of Cryptus Secundus, the confidence in the Gannach Crusade was shaken. It was only a matter of time until the seeds of doubt began to blossom. Questions began to arise between the veterancy. Such a blind and rash landing force was more than a meer oversight. With the bulk of the landing force being comprised of the first-borns of the chapter, as was the most of the casualties, some began to question if this was the work of planned obsolescence. With the arrival of the grey shields and the curious quick acceptance of the Primaris Astartes into the chapter, was it not unreasonable to assume that biologically inferior brothers of the crusade would be squeezed out?
To Walk Amongst Gods
Heraldry and Iconography
The Gannach Crusade mostly follows the standard Black Templar Iconography and armour patterns, with a few exceptions. One would very rarely see a number indicating a brother's company, based on the Crusade's rather atypical structure (see: Organisation). Additionally, Sergeants and Sword Brethren of the Gannach Crusade have been noted to often wear Red Helms, though this is not always the case and serves no distinction between them and their peers. One or both knees of some Sergeants and Sword brothers have also been noted to be painted red. Though, again, this serves no distinction between them and their peers.
Organisation
While the crusade is functionally very similar to most other Black Templar crusades, with the Marshal delegating command of various Fighting Companies to his Castellans, the Gannach Crusade's fighting companies are assembled in a very ad-hoc manner to suit the situation and environment. Squads and companies are frequently reshuffled and rotated to better divert resources and specialists to where they are needed.
This method of organisation was adapted from the standard formulae by Marshal Reinhardt himself to better suit the wide array of environments and enemies within the Gannach Sector. The Marshal realised quickly after the Cryptus II Slaughter that static fighting companies would only lead to defeat in the long run.
The Crusade traverses the sector via the use of it's fleet, the flagship of which is the Strike Cruiser, Hammer of Purity. The fleet makes liberal use of local imperial resources such as any navy assets specific to each imperial system or world.
Command Staff
Castellan Karl
Castellan TBD
Castellan TBD
Castellan TBD
Apothecarion
Reclusiam
Chaplain Jörge
Armoury
Master of the Forge, Wernher
Techmarine TBD
Dreadnought TBD
Dreadnought TBD
Repulsor TBD
Impulsor TBD
Brothers of Note
Canon Characters
High-Marshal Helbrecht
Chaplain Grimaldus
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