Rynn's World

Rynn's World is an Imperial agri-world that is also the homeworld of the Crimson Fists Space Marines Chapter. The planet is sparsely populated, mountainous, and devoted to intensive agriculture. Due to its distance from other Imperial worlds and its proximity to Ork-controlled space, it is somewhat isolated from the rest of Imperium, with the closest neighbouring human planet being Badlanding. The Crimson Fists' fortress-monastery has stood on Rynn's World for over a thousand years.

Though serving as the Chapter's homeworld, Rynn's World is not owned as a fief by the Crimson Fists, and has its own Planetary Governor. Before a devastating invasion by Orks, the planet was protected by a formidable missile defence system, designed to deter invaders.

Rynn's World is located in the Loki Sector of the galaxy, to the galactic Southeast of Terra in the Ultima Segmentum. Unfortunately, Rynn's World is not so far from the Ork Empire of Charadon.

As the Ork empire grew, Rynn's World began to present a tempting target to Charadon's ruler, Snagrod the Arch-Arsonist. The planet was finally invaded in 989.M41 by Charadonian Orks under the orders of Snagrod. In a freak accident, the Crimson Fists' fortress-monastery was destroyed in the initial invasion by one of the Chapter's own defence missiles that went rogue and the Chapter was all but wiped out. Without the protection of the Crimson Fists, the humans of Rynn's World were quickly slain, and their settlements, with the exception of New Rynn City, the planet's capital, were completely overrun.

Rynn's World was eventually liberated by the Imperium, although it took years of fighting to reconquer the worlds in Loki Sector under Ork domination.

Founding
Upon termination of the Vortigern Crusade in 745.M40, Rynn's World, in the Loki Sector of Segmentum Tempestus, was granted to the Crimson Fists Space Marine Chapter as their homeworld where they soon constructed their fortress-monastery.

Location
The proximity of Rynn's World to one of the Crimson Fists primary recruiting worlds was ideal, and the Chapter constructed their fortress-monastery, Arx Tyrannus, in the middle of the inhospitable Hellblade mountains of the southern continent. Rynn's World, situated in the Rynnstar System, is a remote settlement. There is a considerable Warp-space distance between the Rynnstar System and its nearest human neighbors. Rynn's World is lightly populated, and for the most part given over to intensive agriculture. Unfortunately for Rynn's World, it isn't far through Warpspace from the borders of the Orkish Empire of Charadon.

Battle for Rynn's World
In mid 989.M41, the Ork warlord Snagrod the Arch-Arsonist of Charadon united the warring fictions bordering the Loki Sector and launched the largest WAAAGH! the Peryton 163 Cluster had seen since the Great Crusade, attacking the isolated Imperial agri-world of Badlanding. The Imperial defenders of Badlanding were utterly unprepared for the invasion, and within days the only major strongpoint of resistance was the capital of Krugerport, where the remnants of the 18th Mordian, 24th Lammas and 49th Boros Imperial Guard Regiments, commanded by Commissar Alhaus Baldur, put up a bold, but ultimately doomed, defense. Confident that he had the world in his grasp, Snagrod put out incessant, ranting broadcasts, boasting that his next conquest would be Rynn's World, which lay only a few weeks Warp travel from Badlanding. Chapter Master Pedro Kantor responded immediately, dispatching the 3rd Company under Captain Ashor Drakken to Badlanding to stall the Ork WAAAGH! and determine its strength. The Battle of Krugerport was a tragic defeat for the Crimson Fists who found WAAAGH! Snagrod to be far larger and more aggressive than any could have predicted. In the resulting defeat, the Crimson Fists suffered a loss of 56 Space Marines out of a detachment of 84; Captain Drakken was among the fallen. The handful of Space Marines that survived the battle were able to escape to bring valuable intelligence back to Rynn's World. Upon hearing of the size and strength of the Ork war host, Chapter Master Kantor ordered the immediate recall of all Chapter companies fighting away from Rynn's World, mobilized the Planetary Defense Force, and prepared for the inevitable invasion.

The Incident
When the WAAAGH! Snagrod hit Rynn's World, it was with a force unparalleled by any other Ork invasion since those for the hive world of Armageddon. As the Ork dropships and “Roks” fell through the night sky, the Chapter’s defense systems responded, and all was well until a malfunctioning plasma missile from the Space Marines’ surface-to-space defense system, in a trillion to one malfunction, impacted the Crimson Fists’ fortress-monastery. The errant missile scored an impressively accurate, if altogether unintentional, hit on the fortress-monastery's main Armoury. The arsenal, the fortress-monastery of the Crimson Fists, the mountain, and an area half a mile wide were instantly atomized. The Chapter was almost obliterated in the ensuing holocaust. Only 16 Crimson Fists garrisoned in the fortress-monastery survived, including Chapter Master Pedro Kantor and Captain Alessio Cortez. The surviving Crimson Fists stayed in New Rynn City and held out against the Orkish siege of the city. The Siege of New Rynn City was to grind on for eighteen months, but the Crimson Fists were able to maintain their defenses until Imperial reinforcements could arrive and repel the Orks.

Aftermath
The Ork invasion was costly. All of the planet's cities were destroyed with the exception of New Rynn City, the capital and seat of the world's government, before the planet was brought back under Imperial control years later. Many of the worlds of the Loki Sector captured by WAAAGH! Snagrod, including Badlanding, are lost, remaining in Ork hands to this day.

Sources

* 1 Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader * 2 White Dwarf 94, Skirmish on Rynn's World: The Battle of Jadeberry Hill * 3 White Dwarf 287(us) Index Astartes: Bloodied Fist. The Crimson Fists Space Marine Chapter. by Andy Hoare * 4 White Dwarf 235, Bloodied Fist, The Rynn's World Incident [[Category:R]]