The Deathwatch of Sunhod
Summary:
Watch Station Sunhod is on the outer edge of the Skalholm sector, it is a small but defensible station able to house a few kill teams but only one is regularly stationed there. Three to five kill teams are operating in the Skalholm sector at any given time due to heavy Xeno activity, making Sunhod a heavily trafficked station, though few kill teams stay. Sunhod itself is a larger than average station sporting heavy automated defenses, it’s walls are black and bedecked with golden iconography of stars. The rest of the station is littered with hasty and impromptu expansions. “The night is dark and filled with terrors; we are it’s watchers. Yet, we cannot stand alone, we need our brothers, and we must forgive. The wounds of the past may not easily fade but needs demand they must. For if we do not the evil which we have kept at bay for so long shall break free and consume all we hold dear. We are the Deathwatch and I see xenos that need to burn.”- History: Watch Station Sunhod was established in M34 and was left empty for mmillennium, it’s long range sensors ticking away scanning the depths of space. The first threat to Sunhod came tearing from the dark reaches of the Kronous expanse. In M36 a Rak’gol raiding party of unusual size began wreaking havoc in the Halo Stars. Led by the horrific Kelroth -a brutal and cunning fleet commander- the Rak’Gol sacked and butchered hundreds of trade ships. Seeing this threat 2 kill teams were dispatched into the expanse, one of which had already been operating in the area. The two kill teams infiltrated the flag ship, assassinated Kelroth and detonated his ships engines; after evacuating captured slaves and other personnel. The rest of the fleet fell into disarray, without Kelroth’s leadership the pirates turned on one and other. For these heroic actions and annihilation of the xenos threat, the leader of the kill team was exonerated and made a Watch Captain; Watch Captain Irius of the Rainbow Warriors was the first Watch Captain to operate on Sunhod. In M38 the Deathwatch of Sunhod received orders to deploy on Thoresa due to a Lacrymole infestation. The kill team arrived on Thoresa and set about routing the Lacrymole threat, the original cult -discovered by inquisitorial acolytes- was purged quickly but soon the kill team discovered how deep the infestation went. With the planet all but lost to the Lacrymole threat, the kill team had no choice but to pull out. However the Lacrymoles destroyed their transport trapping the team on Thoresa. In response the kill team began conducting a guerrilla war on the Lacrymoles. After weeks of lightning fast raids and explosive sabotage the kill team managed to escape Thoresa. The world was then condemned by the inquisition and Thoresa was bathed in fire. Then in early M40 the sector received an unusual arrival. The Alfa Legion, a group of secretive, borderline heretical band of astartes, claimed the system. The deathwatch were glad at first to have friendly astartes aiding in the area. However relationships began to fray due to the Alfa Legions unorthodox attitudes towards xenos, leading to more than one incident of friendly fire. As if following the Alfa Legion, like a cloak of misfortune came greater and greater threats. First the orks, with WAAGH! Ymir and freeboota fleets. Then Chaos reared it’s ugly twin heads by the names or Augurs and Annihilators. Next came the deathly Necrons of the Pylar dynasty, carrying deadly guass weaponry that tore apart even the greatest of imperial war machines. Followed swiftly by the enigmatic eldar of craftworld Las’vera. Now the Deathwatch of Watch Station Sunhod are hard pressed, having to combat imperial, xenos and traitor alike all in the name of the emperor. WAAAGH! Ymir In the early 41st millennium the Skalholm sector was rocked by WAAAGH! Ymir. The Alfa Legion met the the WAAAGH! with bolter and blade combating the WAAAGH! head on, meanwhile the Deathwatch was sent to take out an ork cruiser called ‘De Forkarupper’. This cruiser was feared by the imperial fleet as it was made from a wrecked battle barge and had several macro cannons strapped along it’s bow. The fire power of this cruiser was astounding to the imperial fleet as it’s shots exceeded all pre-calculated possibilities. Thus a kill team of the Deathwatch was sent to destroy this behemoth. The kill team infiltrated the cruiser but soon found themselves trapped in the impossible architecture of the ship. The squad was all but wiped out by the time they reached the central power generators. After the charges were set the squad sent one last transmission to Watch Station Sunhod, before the ships detonation. “I’ll take the bloody bastards heed! Then I’ll laugh as we watch our brothers purge the scum.”- Watch Captain Angus McGregor A second mission was deployed after the first disastrous actions of the deathwatch during WAAAGH! Ymir. This time it consisted of three kill teams and Watch Captain Angus McGregor of the Storm Wardens. The kill teams made a surgical strike into the center of WAAAGH! Ymir whilst they were engaging the Alfa Legion on Dimidium, the kill teams and captain cut a swathe through the orks vengeful for their fallen brothers. Their kill count was rumored to be numbered in the thousands, till finally McGregor came to face the titanic warboss Ymir. McGregor fought the titanic ork, all the while his kill teams fought to establish landing zones about the battlefield. The two dueled exchanging blow after blow till finally McGregor ran his great claymore through the orks chest, leaving the Captain to revel in his vengeance. However just as the Alfa legion thunderhawks landed, disgorging their contents into the center of the orks, Ymir rose once more. The captain was quick to charge forward once more to fight the monster but this time the beast crushed his skull and threw his broken body aside. Due to the landing zone secured by the deathwatch the Alfa Legion destroyed the orks in quick order. Angus McGregor has his name recorded on both the Deathwatch and Alfa Legion honor rolls, as a sign of respect to the captain's great deeds. The Oh’M’Yun Tio Massacre M41.936, a kill team led by Brother Octavius of the Ultramarines begins a patrol through the Tau colony of Oh’M’Yun, they were tasked with destroying any attempts to contact home. Brother-Techmarine Markus of the imperial fists was tasked on identifying such attempts and gathering information on Tau technology. At the same time Alfa Legion astartes were escorting supplies to the Tau colony, due to xenophobic attacks by the locals steadily increasing. The kill team made good progress through the colony with no incidents till they neared the eastern entrance. Where a young Tau child was shoved out of the way by Brother Geraint of the Black Templars. The father of the Tau child hurried to the boy, a converted pulse rifle on his shoulder -it had been converted into a welder of sorts-, Brother Geraint then executed the Tau with his bolt pistol. Tau fire warriors rushed to the scene as the Tau began to turn hostile to the marines, forming a crowd around them. The fire warriors raised pulse rifles on the crowd at which point Brother Octavius, of the Ultramarines ordered the astartes to open fire on the Tau. At the same time Alfa Legionaries had delivered their supplies and on hearing the shots ran to investigate. At the center of the blood shed the kill team gunned down Tau zealously and began to destroy the Tau buildings, creating large clouds of dust. The Alfa Legion marines entered the massacre and stepped into a hail of bolter fire, the Alfa Legionaries opened fire on what they presumed were xenophobic raiders and began evacuating the Tau civilians. The Deathwatch marines set about gunning down these new attackers, through the obscuring smoke they heard 3 of the 5 attackers fall. Brother-Apothecary Marius of the Novamarines rushed forwards chainsword in hand only to find himself face to face with a badly wounded tactical marine of the Alfa Legion. “You bring disgrace and dishonor to your chapter and the imperium! You have lost your minds and now your souls and I will suffer this heresy no longer!”- Watch Captain Kelese moments before he came to blows with Alfabusa In the months following the massacre, Imperial and Tau relations became strained to the point of snapping. Meanwhile Watch Captain Kelese, of the Dark Hunters was butting heads with Alfabusa, adamant that his marines were acting well within proper guidelines the Captain claimed the Alfa Legion’s actions heretical. This led to the Captain and Chapter Master coming to blows, followed swiftly by an Alfa Legion fleet being sent to Sunhod. The two factions stayed at each others throats for days until finally the Inquisition stepped in and sent Kelese back to his Chapter in an attempt to smooth relations. Afterwards a new Watch Captain was committed to that area, Watch Captain Varvarus Hedrakken of the Salamanders. Augurs and Annihilators In M41 the Deathwatch of Watch Station Sunhod suffered a crippling blow by the Orthrus Annihilators. A deadly raid led by Ionas the Void Lich, he and the Begetters of Ruin blasted their way into Watch Station Sunhod and began slaughtering the inheritance. Luckily Sunhod had 2 kill teams stationed within it along with Venerable-Brother Andromidus ready to repel the raid. The first kill team -squad Guinevere- began testing the Annihilators strength, fighting only at secure choke points which they soon found in short supply as the Begetters of Ruins destroyed them in quick order. Soon the second kill team, squad Galahad deployed at the main entrance to the armory which the Annihilators had made clear was their target. Kill team Galahad was the personal kill team of Watch Captain Varvarus, the Annihilators broke upon the kill team like water on rocks. The Watch Captain himself engaged the Annihilators and tore Rectimus the Insensate -a champion of the Annihilators- apart. However the Annihilators would not be easily dissuade, they collapsed the station around Galahad cutting them off. Kill team Guinevere, now alone was forced into a side chamber of the armory. With their backs to a wall and facing an Annihilators firing squad -led by Ionas the Void Lich himself- the marines made one last stand. The marines were gunned down to a man and their weapons looted. Only Venerable-Brother Andromidus stood between the Annihilators and the stations reliquary and stand he did. After the first squad was pummeled into the floor by his powerful fists the Annihilators had no choice but to gather what weapons they could and flee, as kill team Galahad had broken free. Varvarus found Ionas looting the still warm bodies of his fallen comrades and engaged the heretic in single combat. Varvarus left Ionas with several knife wounds in his abdomen and many broken mechadendrites, in return Ionas gave Varvarus a deep groove in his breastplate and several puncture wounds across his shoulder, some still had mechadendrites writhing within them.The two broke and as quickly as they’d arrived the Annihilators left leaving nothing of their presence but the bloody bodies of loyal marines. Seeing a weak target the Augurs seized the opportunity to attack the Deathwatch. The Inquisition, in request to requests for aid, dispatched a number of kill teams to help maintain Deathwatch control. These teams were slow to arrive and not all were as they seemed, the Augurs of the Serpent struck with false kill teams. Several Augurs kill teams arrived at Watch Station Sunhod before the inquisitorial reinforcements. The teams infiltrated and disabled the bases defenses all the while masquerading as Deathwatch astartes. However soon they were discovered and slaughtered by kill team Galahad and Varvarus but it was too late, the ‘Destined Darkness’ had leapt into orbit and Sunhod was aflame once more. Watch Captain Varvarus rallied kill team Galahad and Venerable-Brother Andromidus to repel the invaders. Varvarus had quickly identified the true target of the Augurs attack as they surged up towards the reliquary. Soon kill team Galahad and Andromidus were engaged with Augurs but they could not stem the tide and soon the Augurs reached the reliquary. Then tearing out of the void came a battle barge carrying three kill teams of elite Deathwatch astartes. The battle barge engaged the ‘Destined Darkness’ as the kill teams landed on Sunhod and rushed to the aid of their Brothers. A great many duels were fought that day of a heroic level: Visby and Metan, Valonox the Eternal and Andromidus all of which ended with the foul heretics either slain or cowed. However one duel overshadowed all others: and Darkminster. The foul sorcerer had stolen Uthane from the stations reliquary. The two astartes fought Uthane enhancing Darkminster’s power immensely but then the blade betrayed him. Darkminster was stunned and Varvarus sent him flying with one swing of his hammer, the sorcerer moments from death used his most powerful spell. was stunned by the dark magic allowing Dark to run a sword clean through his chest. Yet stayed unbowed and sent the sorcerer flying once more. Darkminster let loose a stream of doombolts in frustration, allowing him to escape. However the relic was secure and returned back to it’s holy sheath. The Augurs left bloody and broken, having failed in their mission they learned that the Deathwatch was not so easily cowed. The 1st Company and the Deathwatch The first company of the Alfa Legion and Deathwatch have always had a special relationship. Since the two operate similarly to one another they often come into contest. However the two have often operated together on more dangerous operations. The most famous of these two incidents is the Purging of Pylar and the Hunt for the red pirate. “You may be the best of your legion but we’re the best of the imperium, so do try to keep up.”-Brother Jona During the Purging of Pylar the Deathwatch and Alfa legion 1st company kill teams worked in tandem to infiltrate and destroy key structural points in a Necron tomb. The two teams supported one another as they crept through the crypt taking on tomb spiders and whole squads of Necron warriors. Each team claimed much renown and prowess showing the great skill of both parties. Eventually the two came to a great structure unidentifiable to even the technical expertise of the Deathwatch. Undeterred by this immense structure that had some how avoided all scans the teams began placing charges. As the last charge was set the great structure opened to reveal a canoptek tomb sentinel. The warmachine sent the marines diving for cover as it trundled on hundreds of legs. Even after detonating the charges the warmachine still kept coming and more Necrons joined it. Their mission gone awry the kill teams fell back only to find themselves cut off, by the reanimated bodies of those they’d already slain. As a final act of valor the Deathwatch kill team held the enemy back as the Alfa Legionaries made their escape. After a disastrous raid by the Rak’gol an imperial ship bearing secrets vital to the imperium was ransacked and the information taken. The Rak’gol didn’t know the prize they’d claimed, for the Alfa Legion had taken great care in making the ship unremarkable, to throw off the Augurs and other infiltrative factions. The Alfa Legion deployed a kill team from it’s first company and the Deathwatch offered its aid, one of the many acts Watch Captain has taken in efforts to repair relations with the Legion. The two kill teams operated independent of each other for the most part swapping information only when needed, as both teams wished to spill the xenos blood first. However both sides knew they’d need each others help at the very end, so finding information became a friendly competition. After weeks of hounding the Rak’Gol in an attempt to find the ship which had the stolen secrets the Deathwatch kill team found the ship containing the information. The two kill teams infiltrated the ship and the Alfa legion kill team was said to be the first on the bridge. However on the bridge the kill team experienced heavy resistance. The Deathwatch kill team arrived on the bridge moments later to find the Alfa Legionaries surrounded by foul xenos, the two kill teams fought side by side racing for the prize at the main command center. Both sides claim to have laid hands on it first but all that is sure is that the imperiums secrets were kept secure and the Rak’Gol exterminated. Forces The forces of Sunhod (pre-Annihilators raid): Watch Captain () Kill Team Galahad Kill Team Guinevere Kill Team Lancelot Deathwatch Dreadnought Personal Transports for each kill team 30 Servitors 20 serfs 3 Techpriests Sunhod forces (post Annihilator raid): Watch Captain (Varvarus Hedrakken of the Salamanders) Kill Team Galahad Kill Team Gawain Kill Team Lancelot Kill Team Percival Deathwatch Dreadnought Deathwatch Predator “Indominus Pred” Personal Transports for each kill team Station Staff, Servitors and Astartes Serfs Relics Watch Station Sunhod boasts a great many relics of the Deathwatch these below are the major relics of which the Deathwatch makes use: Firebrand- A great sword said having belonged to Angus McGregor, this sword blade shimmers with peculiar lights and an inner glow permeates the blade. The blade is said to magnify the user's strength ten fold and one of true courage may even make the blade glow white hot. This powerful sword when wielded by a marine of true courage and honor is said to be able to cut through the hulls of super heavies. Uthane- A short gladius gifted to the Deathwatch by a strange rogue trader, the blade sings and sparkles and looks as if made of marble. However every marine said to have wielded it has heard a heavenly singing voice in their head. Psykers have said to be able to hear the words to the siren song and those who begin to chant the words never speak again, yet psykers wield this weapon with the most deadly precision. Never the less the blades speed and deadly edges have cut through the hardest amour and killed the most powerful of foes in a single blow. The Mantle of Command- A bedecked red cloak with gold lining and silver trappings, this cloak is truly an impressive sight to behold. When a marine dons this mantle they become a source of inspiration to all that behold them. The Honorbound Lance- A white lance in the style similar to which the knights of old terra used. This lance is powerful and deadly however it weakens any who do not uphold honour whilst wielding it. Only the most trusted and honourable of the Deathwatch may wield this lance. Kal’thelus- An old archaic bolter with a fearsome bark. This bolter has served in the hands of many a trusted marine of the Deathwatch. It lets loose bolt shells with speed and accuracy all while letting loose a sound capable of making the bravest warriors turn and run. The Oberus Eye- An ancient auspex of peculiar design and great sensitivity. This device is as mysterious as it is infallible revealing even the most heavily cloaked targets. This device was famously used to kill Lacrymoles, Slaughts and other shapeshifting races without them even realising they’ve been discovered. Notable Members Watch Captain Varvarus Hedrakken Watch Captain Irius Watch Captain Angus McGregor Watch Captain Kelese “Well, this was unexpected but if any of you boys take one more step, you’re head will be missing by your next.”- Watch Captain Irius Notable Locations Watch Station Sunhod |