Ecstasy of Fulmination

Origins
The mining world Cairngorn is a barren, hostile world on the outskirts of imperial territory. It's rocky, mountainous surface features vertical, circular shafts all over it's surface, sometimes several kilometers in width and depth. It is speculated that they are leftover mining efforts of a long-forgotten alien species, though no remains of them have been found.

In mid-M41, the planet was re-colonized as a penal mining colony, the resources intended to be used in the ever increasing war-efforts of the Imperium. Thus, millions of convicts from all over the Segmentum were shipped to Cairngorn, overseen by a comparatively small force of PDF lead by an officer of the Adeptus Arbites.

The number of prisoners was severely thinned out in the first years, given the harsh conditions, accidents, cave-ins and the clash between the more and the less violent convicts. What remained were a hardy, tenacious core of men and women, slowly adapting to their environment.

Peril In The Darkness
When the Imperium was thrown into disarray by the Despoiler's most recent Black Crusade, Cairngorn received less and less supplies, which brought the morale of the population to a dangerous low. Rebellion seemed unavoidable, but the prisoner's ambitions were cut short when a raiding party of Dark Eldar emerged over the planet. Slaughtering the inexperienced and under-equipped PDF, they made their way into the caves and abducted thousands of prisoners before they could organize themselves properly.

Eventually retreating deeper into the tunnels, the prisoners picked up the weapons of their former wardens and prepared what seemed to be a last stand. However, after a costly first weeks, the Xenos seemed to suddenly fall into chaos after the prisoners managed to crush a particular large force of them in an artifically created cave-in. Unknown to them, they had eliminated one of the Raiding Party's leaders, which lead to vicious infighting over the succession of his possession.

Attempting to emulate the tactics of their invaders, a series of desperate counter-attacks was launched and the prisoners actually managed to drive the Dark Eldar back, although suffering great losses. This event, paired with the eventual arrival of an Imperial force sealed the fate of the Xenos and they were largely annihilated when they attempted to retreat into the Webway.

The relief of the convicts did not last for long and neither did their celebration for their presumed liberators. The imperial force had not come to their aid as it first seemed. In fact, they had been entirely unaware of the state of Cairngorn and the presence of the Dark Eldar. They had come to conscribe the prisoners into a regiment to aid in the effort of the Indomnitus Crusade.

The regiment was raised as a penal legion with a focus on supporting roles and sabotage, making use of the prisoners' expertise with explosives and combat in tight surroundings.

Vangelija Atanasov
Carrying herself in an aura of nobility, it is merely a front for the debauched, vain being she has become. A personal entourage of her most loyal followers accompanies her into battle and almost every waking hour, eager to receive their leader's, and in consequence Slaanesh's, favor.

In battle, she claims the enemy's elite as her prey, deeming mere foot soldiers as below her time and instead slaughtering officers one after another. Enemy commanders are an exemption from this rule. The Chaos Champion instead aims to capture them alive and turn them into her personal slaves. Imperial officers report that former commanders were seen accompanying her into battle, their bodies mutilated and their minds broken.

In battle, she carries a Power Spear and a Bolt pistol, throwing herself amidst battle to slaughter enemy soldiers on mass and duel their leaders. The latter are often taken prisoner and made observe the corruption of their men, respectively their execution should the former fail.

Gifts of Slaanesh
Major Atanasov's revenge against the Imperial elite, whom she believed had wronged her, has turned into something entirely else. Thoroughly convinced of her superiority over the Imperium of man, she now lives to prove this claim with every ounce of her being.
 * Aura of Aquiescience: - morphs the bearer into the image of Slaanesh and nearby enemies throw away their own sense of self-preservation in order to do the will of the bearer.
 * One Thousand and One Senses - the gifted is granted with a entirely new and previously unheard of array of sensory perceptions, the merest of which makes those he was born with pale in insignificance.

Carrying herself in an aura of nobility, it is merely a front for the debauched, vain being she has become. A personal entourage of her most loyal followers accompanies her into battle and almost every waking hour, eager to receive their leader's, and in consequence Slaanesh's, favor.

In battle, she claims the enemy's elite as her prey, deeming mere foot soldiers as below her time and instead slaughtering officers one after another. Enemy commanders are an exemption from this rule. The Chaos Champion instead aims to capture them alive and turn them into her personal slaves. Imperial officers report that former commanders were seen accompanying her into battle, their bodies mutilated and their minds broken.

Carrying a Power Spear and a Bolt pistol, throwing herself amidst battle to slaughter enemy soldiers on mass and duel their leaders. The latter are often taken prisoner and made observe the corruption of their men, respectively their execution should the former fail.

As a Penal Legion
Only few legionnaires hope to ever achieve redemption in the eyes of the Emperor. Most commonly, their explained goal is simply to survive whatever mission they are assigned to. To achieve this end, absolutely all means are considered justified. This includes bolstering their ranks with local criminals, press, swindle or gamble spare ammunition, rations and equipment from other regiments or the local inhabitants.

The violent nature of their lifes before and within the legion is always apparent and legionnaires fighting each other over food, ammunition or alcohol is a common sight. Just as common however are these fights with members of allied forces, however, as the slightest provocation, whether intended or not, is often enough to set of a short-fused soldier. Especially the newly assigned members tend to attempt to secure their position with displays of physical strength and ruthlessness. These ambitions are often beaten down mercilessly by the veterans, teaching humility through physical trauma.

After the Betrayal
Now largely free of any kind of restraint, the legionnaires criminal urges run rampant once the heat of battle rises. Initially, the warband acts and fights in formation, going so far as to pose as loyal guardsmen to catch the enemy off-guard.

However, their nature eventually breaks through during a battle, letting the soldiers burst out into fits of destruction and indiscriminate slaughter. Their preference for highly populated planets goes hand in hand with their desire for destruction and subjugation and those who do not die in the blasts of explosions and swathes of fire find themselves abducted from their homes and dragged off-world.

Viewing Major Atanasov as their liberator and savior, the formerly absolute loyalty and trust she received has now turned into slavish worship. Her retinue and herself secure themselves the right to pick any slave or loot captured by the Cult and soldiers will often compete to present the finest pieces to their leader while trying to amass followers for themselves.

Ever since their step into the service of the Dark God, the Slaves tendency for overwhelming violence has reached new heights as they now view themselves free to murder and destroy as much as they want. They favor worlds with a ruling elite, taking active joy in pushing them down and utterly crushing them.

Their expertise with explosives is put to a whole new use as captives are submitted to sadistic games of trial and error, involving the explosive collars once worn by the Legionnaires. Those who survive this treatment are either subjected to indoctrination into the cult to serve as new recruits or face slavery.

Combat Doctrine
Well-versed in the use of explosives, tunnel-warfare and asymmetric warfare paired with their low number, the Finest are usually deployed for special assignments such as destroying enemy infrastructure or sabotaging supply lines.

In combat, the regiment favors asymmetric warfare combined with hit-and-run-tactics. In practice, this boils down to a standard tactic of fake retreats leaving a great number of booby-traps and ambushes behind.

Showing their full potential in confined environments, the Finest exhibit their abilities best in Hives, Mines or even the narrow corridors of Space Ships.

Furthermore, given their criminal background combined with a savagely pragmatic approach to warfare makes them ideal terror and shock troops. Focused on nothing but their own survival, the regiment has little qualms when it comes to suppressing rebellions with brute force.

After the Betrayal
Now largely free of any kind of restraint, the legionnaires criminal urges run rampant once the heat of battle rises. Initially, the warband acts and fights in formation, going so far as to pose as loyal guardsmen to catch the enemy off-guard.

However, their nature eventually breaks through during a battle, letting the soldiers burst out into fits of destruction and indiscriminate slaughter. Their preference for highly populated planets goes hand in hand with their desire for destruction and subjugation and those who do not die in the blasts of explosions and swathes of fire find themselves abducted from their homes and dragged off-world.

Equipment
Barely equipped the minimum amount to reach combat ability, regiments fighting alongside the Finest often find pieces of their equipment missing, either by neglectful supply officers or lost in gamble by over-confident rookies.

Furthermore, the regiment features a number of non-standard and irregular gear, acquired through means other than the Departmento Munitorum's fickle hand.

General Equipment:

 * 9-70 Entrenching Tool
 * Combat Drugs

Weapons:

 * Lascarbines (M-35)
 * Flamers
 * Shotguns

Irregular Equipment:

 * Lascutter
 * Mining Lasers
 * Stub Guns
 * Heavy Stubbers
 * Auto-Guns
 * Shotlas

Explosives

 * Mining Explosives
 * Plasma Charges
 * Shredder Mines
 * Spring Mines

Vehicles:

 * Goliath Trucks
 * Bikes
 * Sentinels
 * Chimaera

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