History[]
Olea has spent most of its history struggling against Orks. One war after another required that the world's fighting men be called to away to keep the advancing Ork hordes away from Olea. Vast numbers of the male Imperial Guard regiments were called away to fight leaving Olea largely defenseless. In order to survive the women left behind took over the infrastructure, and its defense, raising the light infantry in 644 M41.
In time as one war after another drained Olea of fighting men the entire social structure of the world began to change. Women became the leaders of families, government and industry as most of the men were fighting offworld.
These first wars eventually ended, and the men of the Imperial Guard returned to find a changed planet. Women now occupied most positions of power and authority and had given themselves opportunities, including those of Imperial Guard service.
The all-female regiments were by this point so entrenched into the culture that no attempts to disband them would ever be successful. They were integrated into the Imperial Guard and serve alongside their male comrades but in separate regiments that emphasize speed and mobility over standing and fighting.
Wintercourt[]
Wintercourt-Olea's capital city, is a rough, dirty city built around a massive promethium deposit in the Northern Polar Region. While those who own the drilling rigs and refineries are wealthy the rest of the citizens of Wintercourt are not. There was even less opportunity for poor women in the city, the newly formed Ragged Angels gave them the opportunity they needed. Instead of hunting mutant sewer rats, they would hunt Orks and Chaos cultists.
Notable Battles[]
Iadron[]
The Ragged Angels were sent to Iadron along with the 8th Light Infantry "Nightbirds" the 5th Olea Heavy Infantry, the 14th and 15th Khazamaga Infantry and the 2nd Xomia the "Crag Spiders".
The campaign was meant to retake the city of Centia(Ken-ti-a) abandoned when it was overrun by Orks led by a minor Warboss named "Lugrub". Iadron was an unimportant world but if it fell it would provide yet another Ork held world near the Tricamerate Pact. After several weeks of fighting they were no closer to victory. Battlefleet Medici cleared the way for the Medici 16th Brigade to land and push them back into the region known locally as "The Badlands".
Maravilla Campaign(660 M41)[]
Their best known battle to date is the Maravilla(Mara-vee-ya) Campaign. A Paradise World dedicated to all the hedonistic whims of its masters in the Kanye Cluster, it was secretly home to a Slaanesh cult that revealed itself rapidly taking over the small resort towns that were clustered around the world's capital and only major city, the resort town of Sunport.
The natives quickly called for aid, knowing they had no real hope of defending themselves. The Departmento Munitorum responded quickly sending The Ragged Angels there alongside the 2nd Szerkasian, the Khazamga 4th and 5th Infantry, the 11th Medici Brigade and the Olea 2nd Light Infantry aka "The Frag Dolls".
They found that they had underestimated the Cultists both in numbers and in influence and the campaign quickly bogged down into urban warfare and daily struggles to hold kilometers long beachfront as each side tried to use it as a shortcut to flank the others, a task that the "Szerkasian Starlords" (the Szerkasian 2nd's outriders) took to with almost perverse joy.
It was in Sunport that the rivalry between the 2nd and 3rd Olea light infantry began over some cause long since forgotten. They were eventually able to put aside their differences for the sake of the campaign(though the rivalry persists) after more than three months of fighting scattered over Maravilla's single large landmass the Imperial Guard departed with the job finished.
Maravilla remains in Imperial hands as part of the Kanye Cluster due to the intervention of these Imperial Guard regiments though they remain far more watchful for signs of Chaos.
Objective 16-43(665 M41)[]
The unit was badly damaged and almost disbanded following the disaster at Objective 16-43.
The officer in overall command of all Imperial forces sent the Ragged Angels forward with inadequate support, causing them heavy losses including their Commander, Executive Officer and their Regimental Commissar who attempted to rally the unit only to die herself when an Ork attacked her intending to claim her hat and coat as trophies.
The unit would be rebuilt eventually recovering from their 69% killed or wounded and would fight many other battles over the next century or so but the following generations were never quite the same as the first founding. But the most recent has been able to reclaim a part of their previous glory.
Recent history[]
More recently the latest generation have joined other Tricamerate Pact units in their redeployments along the River of Exiles located in the Exile Sector, the assignment is proving to be unpopular, they don't fit in well on the Ecclesiarchy dominated worlds.
Viora- the battle of St. Xiebos[]
Their skill in urban operations led to them being sent to the fallen city of St. Xiebos which had been conquered by Cultists and remained in their hands. Such an affront could not stand and so they infiltrated the city and opened the gates for the army sent to retake it, doing so in a matter of days. With this victory Viora as a whole is currently free from the taint of Chaos.
Viora-The Rat's Nest[]
The Rat's Nest is a massive complex of underground ruins inhabited by native creatures and mutants who have not been above ground for tens of thousands of years, and believed to be tainted by Chaos. Normally ignored they could not be any longer when they and their equally mutated attack animals began dragging Viora's people into their underground lair.
The Ragged Angels were sent to respond and save them. After six days of fighting underground during which they killed thousands of mutants they reemerged having been unable to save anyone. All they found were human bones stripped clean of flesh. The local PDF answered by pouring thousands of gallons of promethium into the Rat's Nest and lighting it before sealing off all known entrances. They also resolved to be more vigilant in the future, posting patrols and laying minefields at the sealed entrances and searching for any they may have missed.
Structure[]
note: they share this with all other Olea Light Infantry regiments. Commanded by a Colonel and a Major who serves as executive officer
- 4 companies of 300 each commanded by a Captain
- Each company is 10 platoons of 30- each commanded by a Lt.
- Each platoon is 3 squads of 10 each commanded by a Sgt.
- Squad- 10 members broken into
- 2 fire teams- A fire team is composed of a team leader (team 1 is the Sgt.)
- 2 troopers armed with either the M36 Kantrael or Raith Autocarbine
- 1 Meltagunner
- 1 Guardsman (also trained as a field medic)
Mobile Support Unit[]
Each of the four companies receives a Tauros Venator to act as a mobile fire support and to tackle the threats that the infantry can't. They all carry dual mounted lascannons and their crews are trained in the use of heavy weapons, taking either the Marcone or Dresden into battle with them.
Company 1. Winter Knight
Company 2. Winterborn
Company 3. Eagle and Ice
Company 4. Tenebris Domina(Dark Lady)
The names have remained unchanged for more than three hundred years.
Equipment[]
- Olea Ishtar pattern flak armor(including helmet)
- Dresden pattern Meltagun
- M36 Kantrael pattern lasgun
- M36 pattern laspistol
- Raith Pattern Autocarbine
- Olea Combat Shotgun
- Ebony pattern ballistic rifle with mission specific ammunition(explosive, armor piercing, incendiary)
- Olea "Frostbite" Pattern Fighting knife
- Imperial Guardsman's uplifting Primer
- 7 days of rations
- Winter clothes (brought from home by the soldiers in the regiment)
- repair tools for vehicles and weapons
- dogtags
Uniform[]
a typical member of the Ragged Angels
- Red beret with a black shield to symbolize their promise to defend Olea and the Imperium
- Black long sleeved shirt with rank markers
- Sleevless black undershirt
- Black Boots/kneepads
- Long black gloves
- Black trousers with black braces -oftentimes they'll fight without the long sleeved shirt, going sleeveless is still a popular look retained from their founding.
- Officers Lt. and up receive a sleeveless leather surcoat worn over their armor
- Not uniform but many have a black Aquila tattooed into the back of their necks, another tradition maintained since their beginning.
Tactical Doctine[]
Since they are a Light Infantry unit they prefer mobility and maneuver to standing and fighting, hitting hard with missile launcher and meltaguns before retreating into any cover available, drawing their often numerically superior enemies into a battle of attrition, choosing their battles carefully to inflict maximum damage.
Relations[]
- "The women of our world do not fight. That is our way. The Way of the Olea is to fight, we should not think less of any warrior,male or female."
- —a Khazamga soldier
- "My girl is great with a knife, looks fantastic in black leather. Fights like a cornered animal. I like the crazy ones. can't help it."
- —Dobrin Bakal speaking of his paramour Alannah Birch
While largely distrusted by the men of the Olea Imperial Guard they maintained a good relationship with Kashidaan Cluster and still have one with other Tricamerate Pact units.
Szerkasians[]
They especially enjoyed working with Szerkasians - neither group cared much for social niceties, concerned only with fighting and celebrating either victory or simply living to fight another day. In some cases brief romances would develop between them. It was easy to tell who was involved, the Olea women would wear Szerkasian leather jackets and coats when not in battle. However there were rules to this enlisted soldiers were only allowed relationships with other enlisted soldiers, officers were only allowed relationships with other officers.
With the fall of the Kashidaan Cluster many Szerkasian refugees came to Olea, Szerkasian women served in the Imperial Guard for the first time,and in later generations members of the Ragged Angels could claim Szerkasian ancestry.
Viora PDF[]
Their interactions with the Viora PDF are less friendly. The rough minded Ragged Angels do not fit in well on Viora, they see the deeply religious citizens of the Ecclisarchy world as being too uptight and too closed minded, they would rather pray in stuffy churches than actually enjoy a life that is always far too short.
In turn the Viora see them as one step above heretics. They are concerned too little with the horrors of the universe and they believe the Emperor will one day abandon them due to their lack of faith in him.
Honors and Awards[]
- Triple Skull(Imperial Guard)- awarded many times after 16-43
- Infantry Assault Ribbon- though they avoided fighting up close if possible more members of the Ragged Angels than can be listed earned this award. Most think nothing of it, seeing it as an extra bit of finery that might slow them down and get them killed.
- The Order of the Holy Eyes- they earned this award having fought alongside Medici Imperial Brigades throughout their history.
Notable Members[]
Founding[]
Mama Cass(613-665M41)[]
Mama Cass
Cassidy "Mama Cass" Blackthorne was the first commander of the Ragged Angels. She was the first to go before the government of Olea and propose the formation of the Regiment, bringing dozens of women ready and willing to fight with her. She was appointed to fill the ranks any way she could and so she went to the gangs and prisons, easily filling the ranks and meeting Sabrina Rose in the process.
She earned The Winged Skull(Imperial Guard) for the many victories her unit won as the Imperatoris Protectis(Silver). Both wounds were caused by a single autogun and left a pair of scars between her shoulder blades.
Sabrina Rose(?-665 M41)[]
Sabrina Rose
Her surname "Rose" may have been an alias based on the name of the gang she led. In any case she became the XO of the unit because the gangers she recruited would fight under no one else. She carried a tattoo of her gang's symbol-a skull with a rose clutched in its teeth, on her lower back.
Commissar Christina Harro(624-665 M41)[]
The government of Olea requested a female Commissar to keep the Ragged Angels in line, due to their mostly criminal makeup and The regiment received the newly minted Commissar Christina Harro.
The Ragged Angels were her only assignment, one she managed quite admirably. She was often in the thickest fighting, having realized she could only rule through respect and not fear as almost none of the Ragged Angels found her threatening, not after being raised on stories about Orks.
She earned the Imperatoris Protectus (Gold) and The Winged Skull(Imperial Guard) doing so, fighting alongside them, refusing to back down even against Orks many times her size.
All three early leaders were killed at Objective 16-43, Blackthorne died instantly when her Tauros was overturned by a grenade blast, Rose suffered a shrapnel wound that severed her femoral artery and Harro was killed by an Ork who claimed her hat and coat as trophies.
Alannah Birch(630-? M41)[]
Alannah Birch shown here wearing Dobrin Bakal's coat and sunglasses
Alannah Birch, commander of the second company was born to a family of soldiers. Her father, brother, and husband all served in the Olea 22nd Infantry and all three would die fighting Slaneeshi cultists on Grantis IV.
With no means of supporting herself she joined the Imperial Guard herself, burning with hatred for the enemies of man.
Some years later she began a relationship with a Szerkasian officer named Dobrin Bakal, after a drunken argument and ensuing fistfight led to them waking up together(sans uniforms) in the back of a Szerkasian Chimera. Their relationship, though passionate, was short and lasted only a few weeks. It still left an impression on her though, whenever she fought alongside Szerkasians she always tried to find news about him, hoping to rekindle their romance or hear that he had settled down with a good woman.
In the aftermath of 16-43 she would briefly serve as XO for the rebuilt unit before returning to her former position as a company commander. Her final fate remains unknown as she was declared MIA following another lost battle.
Present[]
Bisera Aster[]
The current commander of the Ragged Angels. Like Cassidy Blackthorne she hails from a bad neighborhood in Wintercourt, and like many of the women in the current generation of her unit she can claim Szerkasian ancestry. She inherited their dark hair and dark eyes but also their temper, she once assaulted a priest who dared to question her unit's faith in the Emperor. She is also a calm, capable leader who will not waver in her duty, despite her dislike toward Viora and its people.
Lily "Bright Eyes" Kardazic[]
Born to an Olea mother from whom she inherited blue-green eyes, the source of her nickname, and a Szerkasian father from whom she inherited black hair. She joined the Ragged Angels to escape poverty like many generations of Olea women. Having been raised in the wilds of the Glitterpeak Mountains most she has a natural gift for sharpshooting as she hunted for most of her family's food. She would put this to good use during her early days in the regiment, during the Battle for St.Xiebos.
Hiding in the spire of a desecrated cathedral She put a shot through an enemy commander's left eye, shattering his skull and sending his army into disarray.
Comissar Emmeline Van Doran[]
A graduate of the Schola Progenium facility on Xomia she comes from Serlendor stock, giving her platinum blonde hair and cold blue eyes. Her narrow face is usually set into a scowl. She carries a long white facial scar that runs from under her right eye across the bridge of her nose.
She has learned the lessons of her predecessors- you cannot rule Olea Light Infantry with fear, only respect. As such she is right alongside them, often leading from the front, wearing her coat open over Ishtar pattern armor or taking her turn with a sniper rifle. in such cases she her coat and hat somewhere safe, having taken the fate of Commissar Harro to heart as well.
So far she has earned the Infantry Assault Ribbon and The Imperatoris Protectus (Bronze) for the wound that caused her facial scar.
Trivia[]
- "Mama Cass" was too good a nickname for me not to use. It originally belonged to the lead singer of The Mamas and The Papas.
- Olea Ishtar pattern flak armor is named for the Babylonian goddess of Love and War.
- There's a lot of references to one of my favorite books series in here too.
1. The names "Dresden", "Marcone" and "Raith" all come from The Dresden Files as does "Wintercourt" the first three are characters, the last refers to the Winter Court of the Faeries. "Winter Knight" is a title granted to the Winter Court's mortal champion.
2. The unit name itself is a Dresden Files reference- before he started working for himself Harry Dresden worked for Nick Christian at Ragged Angel Investigations.