The 898th Verghendak Mechanized Hussars (Fluff)

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Planetary Overview:

Name: Verghendak Prime

Segmentum: Segmentum Obscurus

Sector: Gothic Sector

Subsector: Verghendak Subsector

System: Verghendak Subsystem

Population: 12,000,000 souls

Classification: Death World, Agri-World

Tithe Grade: Solutio Prima

Climate: The climate of Verghendak is mostly temperate, with temperatures rarely exceeding above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. However, 85% of the planets landmass is covered by swamp and marsh due to the near constant rain.

The swamp lands have given rise to deadly fauna and fungi. The animals and insects that inhabit the swamps have grown much larger than their ancient counterparts from other planets in the Imperium.

Occasionally the misty rains will be replaced by a toxic fog that can melt a man’s skin, turn his eyes to jelly and cause his lungs to liquify. These mists take on a yellowish tinge and are caused by the fumes of toxic pits blowing across the landscape. Much of the local fauna is not affected due to evolving around these fumes.

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History: Verghendak was discovered in 901.M31 during The Great Crusade by scouting parties from the Imperial Fleet. Initial scans showed the planet to be teeming with life and due to this, the planet was marked to be an agri-world.

However, after contact was lost with the first few settlements, an imperial response team was sent and discovered that nearly all the initial settlements were gone or destroyed. The only settlement found to be still inhabited, Alpheradon Secundus, had dwindled down to a few thousand survivors and is now known as “The Plague Stricken Hell Hole of Callous Militias.”

More settlers were sent to tame the swamps of Verghandek as the imperium located several valuable plants and fauna used in the creation of medicines and the temperate climate of the planet made it suitable for agricultural uses.

With the majority of the planets landmasses covered in thick, dense swamps, marshes and bogs, the only way for cities to take hold was to build them to float on the swamps.

After nearly 10 millenia, the planet has not yet been tamed. The nearly 12 million souls of Verghendak are split between 8 walled cities scattered across the planets largest landmass.

These cities are connected by a massive network of highways that mosty float on top of the swamps. Air travel on Verghandek is heavily restricted due to large flying beasts that plague the swamps between settlements. The people of Verghendak tried building a tunnel network but the ground is too saturated and collapses were frequent.

Now, the highways are mostly only used by supply caravans, equipment operators for the fungi fields, and members of the Verghandek Planetary Defense Force.

In addition to the harsh realities of living on Verghandek, raiding bands of Chaos Space Marines, Ork war parties and pirates have all paid a visit over the millennia.

Verghendak is by definition a “back water world” and has largely been forgotten by the Imperium. The tithe is largely paid in monies made from the sale of agricultural products and the medicines themselves. Every few decades, Verghendak will raise a few regiments of Imperial Guardsmen to serve off-world.

There is little strategic value for Verghendak save for that it is a refueling and resupply stop for the Imperial Navy but it does not sit upon any major or strategic route.

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Culture: Life on Verghendak is beyond hard. To be born on this hell hole of a rock is to win the galaxies most unfortunate lottery because every day is a test and if you pass that test, your only prize is to take the test again the next day and the next day until you either fail or you grow too old to pass. This is the sentiment of the populace on Verghendak.

Most people born on Verghendak are born in one of the slums, raised inside the walls of one of the cities as there are no permanent settlements outside the cities.

Life inside the cities is like living in any other hive city except on a smaller scale. There is the usual gang violence and risk of raids from pirates, marauding orks or Chaos warbands but then there is the wildlife of Verghendak itself.

Plants that can swallow tanks, winged beasts that spew flame and flesh eating venom fly overhead, worms as big as a man.

Then there is the atmosphere. Due to a large volcanic range in the southern hemisphere of the planet, toxic fumes are almost constantly pumped into the atmosphere. The plants and animals native to Verghendak have adapted to this over the millenia but humans have still struggled. It has caused a type of color-blindness now part of every citizen of Verghendak’s lives.

Because of these toxic fumes, all citizens must wear a rebreather with special red lenses at all times unless in a sealed environment as most of the businesses, factorums and dwellings are on Verghendak.

On the worst days, these toxic fumes become concentrated and cause a thick yellow mist to settle across the swamp lands. In these times, it is required that the people of Verghendak wear long trench coats to keep their flesh from melting off their bones.

Because of these harsh every day realities, the people of Verghendak are some of the toughest you will find within the Imperium. Their harsh way of life has made them hearty and firm believers in the Emperor, for only by his grace so they continue to exist.

Upon reaching the age of 16 every citizen of Verghendak is enlisted in the “Verghendak Legionnaires Auxiliary” which is where they learn basic soldiering and are expected to man guard posts within the cities.

Upon turning 18, they can remain as part time soldiers in the “Legionnaires” which is a step up from the Auxiliary in that they are entrusted with manning the defenses along the walls of the settlements and may be be trained on how to operate military vehciles, depending on their assigned post.

This is still only a part time soldier position and when not doing their service to the God Emperor in uniform they return to work in one of the factories or swamp-Derricks.

Those who go into full-time professional soldiery join the “Verghendak Hussars” or Planetary Defense Force.

The PDF gained the name “Hussars” because of its reputation as a light infantry unit mounted into vehicles. Due to the type of work done by Verghendak’s PDF, they have become quite efficient in the use of mechanized warfare, raid tactics and counter seige warfare.

Due to the low population of Verghendak and how inhospitable the planet is, very few of Verghendak’s regiments make it off world to serve in battlefields across the galaxy.

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Tactics: Due to the infrastructure on Verghendak, the PDF units have had to create their own blend of tactics to ensure humanity continues to push forward in their attempt to tame Verghendak.

Each city on Verghendak is assigned a Patrol Team made up of several regiments of varying specialty (mechanized infantry, armor, artillery, reconnaissance, etc.) Those combat teams are responsible for maintaining and training the Legionnaires and Legionnaire Auxiliary but their primary function is combat patrols outside the walls.

These combat patrols include search and destroy missions of dangerous wildlife, patrols to ensure the highways remain open, protection of work camps outside the wire, convoy escorts, and reconnaissance.

There are always a few units of Hussars assigned to assist in protecting the cities as well. Because of this, Verghendak commanders have become seasoned at planning for sieges and preparing static defenses.

Additionally, a specialist cadre of soldiers get assigned to the PDFs Calvary Corps. A group of soldiers who still charge into combat on the back of a noble steed.

These mounted soldiers play a pivitol role in the Verghendak PDF as they are the only ones besides dismounted infantry that can traverse the marshes and bogs without getting stuck.

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Regimental Organization: Following Departmento Munitorum guidelines on regimental structure, each regiment on Verghendak is specialized towards a specific role and separate from the other. (infantry regiments, mechanized regiments, armour regiments, artillery regiments, and reconnaissance squadrons.)

The numerical designation of each regiment is determined by 3 numbers. The first number represents which city on Verghendak the regiment was raised in. The second number is the unit designation and the 3rd number denotes what type of regiment it is. For example, the 121st Light Infantry Regiment was raised in Alpheradon Secundus (1), the 2nd regiment of its type (2), and its a light infantry regiment (1).

Curiously, officers from off world who fall out of favor with the departmento munitorum are assigned to command regiments on Verghendak as either a form of punishment or in an attempt to get them into shape to command… depending on one’s perception of the sentence.

The 898th Verghendak Mechanized Hussars “The Emperor’s Swamp Sloggers” are currently under the command of Colonel Birk van Stone. and were raised from Gherick’s Folly (8.) They are organized in the traditional fashion of a normal mechanized infantry unit, with a command element, medicae element, and supply element.

Each company/squadron is organized into a command group, 4 infantry squads mounted in transports and a heavy weapons squad mounted in transports as well.

Each company is also lucky enough to have a squad of penal soldiers from the nearby penal planet of “Jagus Quintus” and these men are typically loaded up in a standard imperial Taurox Transports.

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A little pet fluff project I’ve been working on since the 304th Panem Light Rifles sort of fell apart on me years ago. Hopefully it’s okay that I put this up here (feel free to comment or make suggestions.) I do have a couple photos of some armor for the regiment as well that I can hopefully get up in the picture area.

More to come on “The Emperor’s Swamp Sloggers!”