The Battle of Karrik was fought when the 10th Host of the Word Bearers Legion and its auxiliary fleet and army units sought to block the Imperium's relentless pursuit of the defeated 34th Host for long enough to let their fellow Legionnaires escape.

Prior to the battle the 34th Host, fresh from a series of splendid victories in the Segmentum Solar under the Apostle Marduk, had advanced along the Spinward reaches of the Calixis sector, hoping to outflank the Imperial defenders. According to the plan laid down by Choryphaus Kol Badar the 34th Host intended to use Kulth (by many taken to be an auspicious name) as a forward base, recruit additional cult troops from the oppressed masses and mutant hordes of Sepheris Secundus, then press on and take Scintilla in one fell blow. The plan was eerily similar to the one the 10th Host had considered - and rejected.

There was, however, one crucial difference between the plans: The 34th Host under the Apostle Marduk was perhaps the strongest and most successful Word Bearer Host, whereas the 10th was far smaller and less well equipped. Mustering more than 5000 Astartes and innumerable auxiliaries the military prowess of the 34th greatly outstripped that of the 10th. In terms of fleet assets the difference was even more pronounced: Two battle barges; one of them the incredibly massive and powerful the Final Word made up the core of the Astartes ships. Two battleships (one of them a recently captured Imperial vessel) of the 1st Line and no less than twenty-two other capital ships of the 2nd to 4th Line, and many more lesser craft.

The 34th had reached Kulth early in the 6th Year of the 3rd Reaving of Finial. Finding it heavily fortified they invested it thoroughly and began preparations for planetary assault. The enemy resisted doggedly; the presence of Black Templars made a swift spear-head victory impossible. The 34th was forced commit to a full-scale invasion. Meanwhile a powerful squadron was sent to scout out the Golgenna Reach and secure Sepheris Secundus space. The squadron did not return. Without forewarning of any kind the Imperium struck back with the full might of Battlefleet Calixis. Forced to delay their withdrawal to extract their assault troops the 34th was forced into a massive space battle. The enemy admiral proved more capable than any commander Kol Badar had clashed with - and he had clashed with a lot.

After getting most of his men out Marduk began a fighting retreat back towards Finial sector, chased every step of the way by the powerful and quick squadrons of battlecruisers under the Imperium's control. Had it not been for the foresight of Castor of the 10th Host - and his willingness to sacrifice himself and his men to save their brothers - the 34th Host might well have been lost. Instead they found the 10th Host and it's allies present in force on Karrik and its moons. The 34th Host rallied and joined forces with their brothers - the Imperial would have to fight twice as hard as they had anticipated!

The Word Bearers dug in their ground forces on the inhospitable surface of Karrik, keeping their fleet close and safe from long-range attack by careful use of the moons of Karrik.  A phase of naval skirmishing followed, but the Imperials were unable or tease the Bearers of the Word out of their defensive position. Once the bulk of the Imperial fleet arrived their admiral wasted no time; twenty million Imperial Guardsmen were set down on the surface of Karrik, greatly outnumbering their opponents. Next he moved his squadrons of cruisers and battlecruisers into close range, triggering a massive fleet engagement. Despite having ships generally considered too light for Line work like this the Imperials proved unrelenting and audacious. Only the presence of four battle barges kept the Word Bearer fleet in the fight; such vessels are supremely suited for such brital close-combat work.

On the ground the situation grew more dire by the minute, as hordes of guardsmen and their machines of war rolled forward and engaged the Word Bearers. High above the battle barges twisted in unison and dove closer to the planet, launching barrage after barrage of every high-yield strategic weapon in their arsenals. Strange toxins and diseases, nuclear devices of every kind, plasma warheads and more rained upon the troops below. Only Astartes, armored units - and the Titans - had anything more than a slim chance of surviving. The tables were turned; but success did not come cheap - the battle barge Neverending Seremon took a fatal hit and plunged into oblivion.

The remaining barges rose once more and what Astartes remained aboard launched themselves at the enemy flagship. Furious fighting followed, but the Imperial ship had a contingent of Green Knights on board and the assault faltered. Many of the 34th Host were lost, and the Apostle of the 10th was teleported out in the nick of time. The Imperium, finding its Guard armies all but neutralized and the Word Bearers fleet too powerful to risk continuing a close melee with the three remaining battle barges, pulled back. It was a standoff of sorts.

The Word Bearers recovered what men they could from the surface post haste, reconstituted their fleet and made for the safety of the warp. Squadrons of fast light cruisers and frigates hounded the Word Bearers all the way to the jump threshold, picking off several straggling ships in the process. But it was a victory of sorts of the Word Bearers - they had gotten away and the 34th had been saved.

This concludes Chapter 2.

After the Fenksworld raid the 10th settled down into a daily routine of training, repairs and refitting. More ships and men - both mortals and posthumans, even some xenos - filtered out to join the increasingly infamous Apostle Castor and his 10th Host.The Daughters of the Word started to become a real, albeit still small, military force.

The next major target was the Icefang - the secret homeworld of the Tigers Argent, located deep inside the Finial Sector. After a hard-fought battle in space and on the ground the 10th Host was victorious. Many lesser ships were lost and other damaged, and there was quite the death toll among the Astartes. The price paid was well worth it in terms of loot and glory. The entire Icefang was stripped of everything that could be carried away and the 10th now had another battle barge to add to their fleet. Lord Asmodeus was also pleased - with the Tigers gone he released to 66th Grand Cruiser Division to serve with Castor. He also rewarded the 10th with repairs, supplies, and wargear.

When the 10th eventually returned to Diamantina after many long months it was a much stronger force, except perhaps in terms of living Astartes. The Apostle formulated his long-term plan for the survival and expansion of the 10th Host.

The fleet could have gone on to Dwimlicht or Kudrun for more raiding, but instead it set course for naval base at Fenksworld along half-forgotten warp-routes first charted by the Imperium during the Meretech Wars (and revealed to the 10^th by some of its infiltrators on Fenksworld). An all-out attack on a major Navy base was out of the question of course, but Castor figured that most of the fleet was already out chasing him, so a little flag-waving (and mine-laying) wasn’t entirely out of the question.

In the event the True Gods favoured his boldness; the 10^th Fleet came out of the Warp on top of a small Imperial convoy. Chances of that happening are astronomically small. After a brief fight the Guild bulk hauler was seized and much damage was caused to the enemy’s escorts (1 DD destroyed, 2 DD, one warp-capable, captured).

Instead of fleeing back to Diamantina or Consovor Castor decided to test the enemy’s determination and mettle: A course was set for the closest (lightly defended) imperial world, Hilarion, another agri-world and member of the Celestine Alliance. The raid was brief, meant mainly to assess the enemy’s ability to track through the warp and their response time. The world was not bombarded as it was hoped that the cracking open of its defences would make it a tempting target for lesser raiders.

Next came Valor Krin: A feral world so ravaged by terrible ash storms than nothing save a full Exterminatus could make life worse of its scattered tribes of feral humans. A symbolic landing party was set down, but again the main goal was to assess the enemy.

The third target was the agri-world of Percipre, while not a member of the Celestine Alliance turned out to enjoy the patronage of the Adeptus Mechanicus. The world had been fertile once, but had slipped into an ice-age, giving rise to a network of city-sized greenhouses run by Mechanicus Magi. A few long-range strikes were launched at the planet, mostly for symbolic effect.

The Scourge of Elros came as a result of the actions of the Daughters of El, a coven of assassins based on the matriarchal feudal world of Elros. Seven suicide bombers managed to inflict serious internal damage to several 10^th Host vessels and nearly succeeded in killing Apostle. After tracking the killers back to the planet Castor ordered the fleet to assault the planet, wanting to punish the offenders.

It turned out to be something of a trap. The Word Bearers captured the enemy’s primary stronghold and chastised them thoroughly; only to be attacked by hidden atomics. Only those Astartes in terminator armour – Castor included – had any chance of surviving the initial blast; and was teleported to safety from under a mountain (literally) of rubble.

Outraged Castor launched the entire 10^th Host and its attending God-Machines against the natives of Hilarion. While his troops were engaged in slaking their thirst of blood and vengeance Castor received an ominous warning form this Chaos Sorcerers: The arrival of a major Imperil fleet was imminent. Another trap! The Imperium seemed willing to sacrifice an entire world if only the 10^th was cornered and crushed.

Choosing to live to fight another day Castor ordered the nuclear obliteration of all remaining population centres, then pulled out and hauled ass out-system – in the nick of time, as two enemy squadrons number a total of 4 BCs, 6 CAs and 11 DDs (same squadron that came hunting for the 10^th as Ichovor) came howling out of the warp, ready to pounce upon the 10^th.

Following the esoteric warp paths provided by Ribben the 10tharrived at Ichovor in a few weeks. They quickly crushed the feudal world’s meagre planetary defences and descended upon the surface. Essentially a worthless target – especially right after Regulus – the Word Bearers still set out to do what they do best: Spreading the Word (i.e. taking some slaves and murdering the rest). Sergeant Adrotos was eventually located (in a rather bad state). He revealed that the planet has once been an Eldar world, but had become a human colony during the Dark Age of Technology. The humans had taken to the worship of the grandfather during the Age of Strife – but their civilization had fallen into ruin (quite literally). The feudal culture now prevalent wasn’t receptive to the Word; it is possible that they were the descendants of the people that wiped out the Nurglings (or maybe they just died off – it’s been known to happen).

The arrival of a major Imperial fleet seemed to spell the end of the investigation. A total of 4 BCs, 6 CAs and 11 DDs were much more than the 10thFleet could handle. Adrotos volunteered to remain behind in the Temple City of Nurgle, hoping to learn more about why Calixis is important to Nurgle – and thereby come closer to fulfilling his personal quest. Before departing the 10th Host launched a barrage of viral, biological and chemical warheads into Ichovor's murky atmosphere, dedicating the world once more to the service of Nurgle. Then they hauled ass back to Diamantina!

Commander Ribben, Champion of Nurgle, had something of a request for Castor: To send an infiltration team – or alternatively a squadron of ships – to look for Sergeant Adrotos of the Death Guard who had been lost on the planet Ichovor for some time. His own forces were unfit for infiltration and not powerful enough to enter by force. Castor decided to do better; once he had dealt with Regulas, the heart of the Celestine Alliance of agri-world he would take the entire 10th Host to Ichovor.

Regulus fell rather easily, despite its rulers having spent several fortunes on fortifications, defence weapons, privateers, and mercenaries: Turns out privateers run when they see Word Bearers and fortifying an entire world against and Astartes assault…is simply not possible. After filling every hold (and then some) with food and slaves Castor made sure to seed the world with whatever strategic area-denial weapons in his arsenal; Regulus would not provide as much as a bucket of grain for the Imperium until cleansed.

Another boon presented itself; a small Imperial squadron of Battlefleet Calixis was found tracking the 10th Host. Using great sorcerous rituals Castor was able to obscure parts of his fleet as they snuck up on the enemy; as short, vicious battle ensured. No less than two light cruisers were captured by Astartes boarding parties; admittedly one would never fly again and was towed to Diamantina, but it was still a spending victory. One destroyed got away though, probably racing right back to the sub-sector base as Fenksworld to report.

Castor’s first major engagement as Apostle of the 10th: An all-out assault on the Imperial hive world of Samson IV at the fringes of the Hazeroth Abyss. Arguably not the most important or well-defended system in the Imperium, the Samson IV campaign was still a great undertaking. Planned and executed by Warleader Tam Caron: The campaign was ultimately quite successful, reaping a good bit of plunder and numerous slaves, as well as ruining much of Samson’s industrial capacity. It was also very costly; hundreds of Astartes dead and several Host vessels lost. Paved the ground for a major shakeup of the 10th’s chain of command and TOE.

The pleasure world (or should we say perversion world?) of Cyprian’s Gate lies at the far side of the Hazeroth Abyss; literally a sector away from the prying eyes of the Imperium and its dreary laws. It was the first target after Castor took command of the 10th. It was infiltrated by the 10th Host using the Bringer of Faith, posing as a rogue trader come to spend his ill-gained fortune. The most interesting part about the world was the presence of the Brethren of the World. As it turned out they were the descendants of cults created by Lorgar when he passed through this sector some time after its founding.

Imran Dhral - Coryphaeus (war leader) of the 10th Host. Formerly Captain of the 3rd Company. Emerged as the best leader and strategos during the post-Samson war games.

Update: Doing quite well, Castor is mighty pleased with himself for picking him as Warleader..

Nim Gral - Anointed (terminator) Captain of the 1st Company. A child of Colchisian refugees, but not a Great Crusade veteran. The veterans look to him for guidance.

Update: Killed in melee with Tiger's Chapter Master.

Ta'zaak: Captain of the 2nd Company. The most heavily mutated marine in the 10th. Fused with his power armour. Lives only for the Word and War.

Update: Wiped out along with his entire Company during the opening hours of the fight for the Tiger's Battle Barge.

Drosos - Captain of the 3rd Company. Veteran Sergeant under Imran Dhral. Has the misfortune of being named similarly to the Patron of the Calixis Sector, Saint Drusus.

Update: Has performed very well.

Lorgos Tak - Captain of the 4th Company. Promoted by Obel Gar. Highly competent, but bears watching.

Update: Has performed well. Castor believes that he knows the 'identity' of the Gal Vorbak commander. Still bears watching.

Katarn Colchis - Captain of the 5th Company. A Colchisian marine. Devoid of creativity or initiative, but 10.000 years of lead men into battle have made company command a reflex for him. He is also very good at teaching new recruits and seasoning young marines (without getting them killed). Assigned to one of Castor's own companies because he is unflinchingly loyal to whomever is the current Apostle.

Update: Has stoically slaughtered his way through every battle. Still completely unimaginative, but possessing an uncanny ability to kill while remaining alive. More importantly this ability seems to rub off - to an extent - on his subordinates.

Baltus - Captain of the 6th Company. Served as a Captain under Obel Gar, but was an officer long before that.

Update: Lost, along with much of his command during the boarding of the enemy flagship at Karrik.

Tam Caron - Captain of the 7th (Assault) Company. Former Coryphaeus; the merciful Castor let him live on in a role more suited to his nature.

Update: Proved his worth many times over aboard the Tiger's battle barge; with Nim Gral dead at the hands of enemy the assault might have ground to halt were it not for his extreme aggressiveness and willingness to sacrifice the lives of the other marines.

Juron Gaik - Captain of the 8th Company. Recently promoted from the ranks of the veteran sergeants by Castor.

Update: Has performed well. His company has survived better than most thus far.

Tholkis - Captain of the 9th Company. A native of Sicarus. One of Castor's own veterans.

Update: One of the few marines to fall during the ground-based part of the Icefang Assault. Shot dead by a head-shpt from scout-sniper using a lascannon. He was swiftly avenged by one of the Reaver titans.

Jovus Err - Captain of the 10th Company. The only Chaplain to retain command after Castor's reorganization.

Update: Has performed very well. Presumably invoked a daemonic pact to be carried to safety when Castor's assault on the enemy flagship turned sour; maybe that counts as abandoning your men, or maybe it counts as having preserved an important asset?

Anaximander - Captain of the 12th Company. Formerly of the Adeptus Astartes. Turned renegade and worked as a mercenary and pirate for millennia before finding true purpose in the Word. One of the deadliest warriors in the 10th - and a fine leader.

Update: Has performed very well indeed.

Sis Tak - Dreadnaught veteran of the Great Crusade. He spends most of his days slumbering and meditating. He's fairly sane and a source of much wisdom. He also has the ear of many of the older veterans.

Update: Sis Tak is one of two surviving dreadnoughts; the other three having been killed. The good news is that several more dreadnoughts will soon be joining the ranks - the 10th has no shortage of hopelessly crippled marines to entomb!

The Calixis Sector is a tough nut to crack...you warleader has tried as best he can to map out your options. The list is not exhaustive, nor are all the options necessarily exclusive.

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Guten tag, Herr Apostle!

These are your options:

Spinward approach: Indirect approach. Work you way rimward along the spinward side of Calixis, into the unpopulated regions between that sector and Scarus. Once you reach the core of the Periphery region, occupy Kulth, swing to trailing and strike for Scintilla. This option assumes that the Imperium is stilling enganged on the Spinward Front and that the rumors about the Screaming Vortex opening are true.

Pros: Avoids direct confrontation. Buys time to gain power. Possible new allies. Good springboard for attack on Scintilla (via Kulth - staging base - and Iochantos - source of cult troops). It is the route that has the least need for infiltration.

Cons: The route is the longest. It will take several years at best. It also hinges on outside events (the Screaming Vortex and Imperial dispositions on the Spinward front) over which you have no control.

Frontal approach: This option calls for a direct assault on Scintilla by way of the Markayn Marches. Defeat the Imperial navy in space, seize Solomon and use it as a forward base, harves cult troops at Iochantos and launch an allout assault on Scintilla.

Pros: Fast and effective. Least complicated plan. 

Cons: By far the riskisest strategy. You might not even have the nav assets to take Solomon, let alone attack Scintilla.

Back approach: Indirect approach. Seek a route through the Hazeroth Abyss - it is said a stable route exists that terminates at Guytoga. If the route can be found and Guytoga subverted you have both gained a portal for deeper infiltration and a way of late bypassing the main defensive lines of the Calixis sector.

Pros: Avoids direct confrontation. Buys time to gain power. Allows you to use the Word and infiltration for maximum effect. If successfull this is about the only option that could allow for an actual surprise assault on Scintilla, backed by heavy subversion and infiltration. 

Cons: This option hinges on the success of the infiltration teams and finding routes that may not even exist. It also assumes that you can outwit the Haegum and the Emperor reborn (more so than the other options).

Raiding Calixis: Waiting game. Send reinforced raiding groups into Calixis.

Pros: The only region in the Calixis sector worth raiding is the Josian Reach. It's not as well defended as the Markayn Marches (because it has fewer priority targets and offer no easy routes to Scintilla). Here you raiders can actually do something good.

Cons: It's still more dangerous and less rewarding than raiding in the Finial sector, so why bother? It also brings you no closer to Scintilla - it is just a waiting game.

Raiding Finial: Waiting game. Send reinforced raiding groups into Finial sector.

Pros: Offers rich targets and (relatively) little risk (since the Finial fleet is busy with the Reaving). Essentially the best raiding option.

Cons: It's still just raiding. Good for building you up, but it does nothing for your Calixian agenda. It also doesn't contribute one iota towards your deal with Asmodeus.

This is a rough overview of the Astartes of the 10th Host, as it was after the post-Samson Reconstitution, but before the Hazeroth Advance.

Great Crusade Heroes (<10): These are the original Marines from the 10th Host. There are extremely few left and they are all Colchisians (except Castor of course). Includes Castor, 1 elder dreadnaught, 1 chaos champion captain, 1 terminator veteran sergeant, 1 chaplain.

Long War Veterans (200): These Marines are true Veterans of the Long War. Many have been around for a very long time indeed, but some have only been Marines for a few centuries. It is not their absolute age that defines them; what sets them apart is their undeniable skill at arms and the sheer amount of combat they've seen. Equivalent to Space marine Veterans. Roughly half of them serve in the 1st Company, whereas the most of rest serve as officers, squad leaders or hold important support and staff positions (many of the latter have Terminator Honours, and could go into battle as Terminators if so desired).

10th Host Marines (700): These Marines form the bulk of the 10th. They have been around for a while; some of them for thousands of years, others for as little as a few decades. In terms of skill they are (on average) the equivalent of Corpse-God Marines. Their equipment is (generally speaking) inferior to that of their Imerpial counterparts. They are completely fearless (more or less) and extremely zealous (more so than other Astartes, including most Renegades). Their gene-seed has already been harvested.

10th Host Scouts (200): These Marine Scouts are freshly made from the (cloned) gene-seed reserves of the 10th. The candidate material was decent enough, but the creation process has been GREATLY accelerated and the gene-seed used has been forcecloned, which may lead to severe complications down the line. Doctore is overseeing the health of the new recruits, but even he cannot guarantee that all of them will remain viable (but there are more batches coming, so not all of them are required to survive - besides there is a very limited supply of Astartes wargear remaining, so it might actually be a GOOD thing that many will die). Training is inferior to Imperial Marines. Equipment is inferior to standard Scout gear. Morale and loyalty is quite high!

Castor's Veterans (50): These are the handful of Marines that have followed Castor for a while. They loyalty is uflinching. Includes his Command squad and a squad of Anointed (stationed aboard the Bringer of Faith), plus various veterans that now have places in the 10th Host TOE (mostly the 5th and 9th Companies).

Castor's Childer (100): These are the new Marines/Scouts that have been raised by Castor. From captured gene-stock (harvested Tigers Argent battle casaulties and the stasis cache - reconsecrated of course) or from a small quantity of carefully hoarded gene-seed harvested over the years from Castor's own men. These men are still quite fresh to the extent that many (most?) would still be Scouts if they were not sorely needed and the wargear was available. Alfonzo is from this group.

(numbers are approximate - i.e. there are not EXACTLY 200 Veterans)

Congratulations Herr Apostle, may you lead the 10th Host to many victories!

(let us not discuss the manner in which you secured command - it is ultimately unimportant, only the Word is important)

The 10th Host has a long continuous history, stretching all the way back to Terra. It was one of the original Chapters created by the Emperor before the Imperial Heralds left Terra. As such it always contained a large percentage of Terran-born marines. This held true even in the later stages of the Great Crusade, as the 10th was engaged in a distant war when Horus raised the banner of freedom. The 10th's major action during the Crusade was the holding action on Kellgaard against the White Scars led by none other than their Primarch. Losses were massive, but the Khan was halted and the rest of the battered Word Bearers could escape into the Eye of Horus.

Following the retreat the 10th languished in obscurity. It was held in very low esteem by the newly established Council. Probably having to do with their 'lack of faith and fiery action' during the Horus 'heresy'. The number of Terrans still in the ranks were another reason for distrust - over the next few millennia the Terrans all died in battle, had accidents or disappeared. The purge was complete. The only exception is was Castor - he was Terran born, but he's listed in his enlistment papers as being recruited on another world entirely. So he escaped the Terran purges.

The 10th has taken part in its share of wars, crusades and reavings. Both within the Eye and without. It helped bring the accursed 11th Host to justice following their fall into heresy. It helped burn the moon of Amogal in the Sicarus system after it become infested with utterly alien daemonic beings of uncertain origin. It did reasonably well during the 7th and 9th Black Crusades. But it never rose to greatness and none of its leaders are worthy of particular note. Nor did the 10th ever gain the favor of the Council - and thus it was never high on the list of reinforcements and spoils of war.

Until the coming of Apostle Obel Gar. He had the favor of the Council and some of that favor rubbed of on the 10th. He procured some new ships, refitted the Hammer of Faith (the ancient battle barge), secured new recruits and wargear - and got himself a role in the 13th Black Crusade. Perhaps not a very glorious one, but the 3rd Reaving of Finial was just large enough to be important, but small enough for the 10th to play a major role.

Obel Gar quickly became close to Asmodeus, Warlord of the Reaving, providing him with religious and tactical advice - and the might of an entire Chapter of Astartes. The 10th participated in the conquest of no less than 7 major Imperial worlds, the sector capital included, plus countless lesser actions and bombardments. Obel Gar quickly gained a reputation for caution and for preserving his own troops at the expense of his allies.

When Obel Gar died in a shuttle accident there was some confusion in the ranks, but eventually a new Apostle arose - Castor. Castor quickly took his Host with him and departed to parts unknown. The Reaving leadership is said to be greatly dispealeased. They had hoped the new leader would be more than Obel, but he proved to be less. At least that's the rumor in the fleet...

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In the event Castor had taken his Host to the Samson system, a remote system beyond the Hazeroth Abyss in distant Calixis sector. Previosuly scouted and home to the very Navy squadron that had chased Castor from Cyprian's Gate it was to be the symbol of things to come (and symbols are important - especially to Word Bearers). After some initial manuvering and strikes against outlying assets the Navy squarond engaged - and was destroyed (at the cost of one strike crusier and several escorts). Next followed a thorough orbital bombardment of Samson IV - the main world of the system, a small civilized world with a number of smaller hives (the Hammer and several other vessels suffered damage from orbital and ground defenses and much ordnance was expended).

Following the attack the 10th set course of Kazim for repairs and resupply - hopefully the little world can provide some basic services.

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The 10th currently consists of just under 1000 Brothers - the loss of one cruiser and various boarding/landing actions account the the rest.

The 10th has 1 battle barge and 2 strike cruisers, pluss five remaining escort class vessesl. These are in addition to Castor's own raiding forces.