Haephos was an Imperial Mining World located in the Chalnath Expanse of the nothern Ultima Segmentum in the Imperium Nihilus. It was one of the worlds of that region that was caught up in the multi-sided conflict between the Imperium and various xenos powers that was known as the Chalnath Expanse Campaign.
After the birth of the Great Rift in the Era Indomitus, Haephos was afflicted by numerous uprisings unleashed by Chaos Cults, mutants, Genestealer Cults and an invasion by the forces of the T'au Empire's Fifth Sphere Expansion. Though the effects of the Great Rift on Warp travel and communication had cut off the planet from the wider Imperium, the world's Imperial Commander, Zula Hatiar, is still loyal to the Emperor and has vowed to wipe the Heretics, mutants, Genestealer cultists and aliens from Haephos' surface.
Haephos raised a number of different types of regiments for the Astra Militarum, including the Haephosian Phalanxari, the Haephosian Klibanarii, and the Haephosian Tritons.
History[]
Haephos Containment[]
The Haephos Containment is the name given to the numerous battles fought by the Imperium's defenders on Haephos during the wider Chalnath Expanse Campaign of the Era Indomitus, including against Chaos Cults, a Genestealer Cult, and the forces of the T'au Empire's Fifth Sphere Expansion.
The first of the Mining World's troubles began when the Great Rift caused Haephos to be cut off from the rest of the Imperial space because of turbulence in the Warp that prevented FTL travel and astropathic communications. As panic gripped Haephos' population, Chaos Cults and their associated mutants loyal to the Daemon Primarch Magnus the Red of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion began to commit numerous atrocities across the world's surface. The Haephos Planetary Defence Force and Astra Militarum regiments native to the Mining World were pushed to their limits protecting their homeworld from these attacks and in response, Haephos' Imperial Commander, Zula Hatiar, made a desperate decision.
Against the advice of her council, Hatiar offered imprisoned psykers, bound for the Black Ships as part of the world's Imperial Tithe, their freedom if they aided the world's defenders in the battles against the Chaos Cults and mutants. Those that agreed soon joined the Planetary Defence Force, while those that refused were executed so that they could not be turned to the service of Chaos.
Afterwards, those unsanctioned psykers greatly aided the Haephosian PDF in eradicating the cults, including the Followers of the Red Monarch and Cult of Chalkonides. However, further disaster struck the world when during a purge of a subterranean city of mutants and Heretics, the regiments of the Astra Militarum discovered that the city was also afflicted by a massive Genestealer Cult infestation. Once discovered, the Genestealer Cult began an uprising all over Haephos, and attempted to claim the spaceport of Eletyrio. Not willing to allow the wider Imperium to learn that her world was afflicted with the xenophile infestation and risk a possible Exterminatus action, Hatiar deployed her forces and succeeded in eliminating their efforts to overthrow the planetary government at a great cost in lives and with Eletyrio's destruction.
However, soon after the Genestealer cultists' attack on Eletyrio was repelled, a fleet from the T'au Empire's Fifth Sphere Expansion made contact with Haephos. Envoys of the T'au Water Caste met with Hatiar and offered their aid in repelling the Genestealer Cult provided that the Imperial Commander allowed Haephos to secede from the Imperium and join the xenos empire. At that time, with the Genestealer Cult's assault having nearly bled her regiments dry and still unable to request aid from the wider Imperium, Hatiar was desperate to save her people and nearly accepted the T'au's offer.
This changed, however, when a Haephosian Ecclesiarchy priest suddenly appeared before the governor, after having miraculously survived one of the horrific battles raging on Haephos. The priest claimed that while he fought with an Astra Militarum force against the Genestealer Cult, they had been attacked by the forces of the T'au Empire. The xenos had not discriminated in their fire between the Loyalist troops and those of the Genestealer Cult, who were both slain by the aliens' fire. Upon hearing this, Hatiar spurned the T'au's offer of allegiance, and reaffirmed her loyalty to the Emperor. The Imperial Commander reaffirmed her commitment to destroy all of the Heretics, mutants and xenos infesting Haephos.
Haephos Containment Order of Battle[]
Cleansing of the Eletyrio Spaceport[]
- Haephosian Phalanxari - 13 Infantry Regiments
- Haephosian Klibanarii - 3 Armored Regiments
- Haephosian Tritons - 17 Infantry Companies
- Catachan Jungle Fighters - 2 Infantry Regiments
- Thaxarillian Guard - 3 Infantry Regiments
- Yamnin Volunteers - 4 Artillery Musters
- Riatov Grenadiers - 2 Infantry Regiments
- Riatov Dragoons - 2 Armored Regiments
- Dremian Carronadmen - 4 Artillery Regiments
Defence of the Volushun Shipyards[]
- Haephosian Phalanxari - 6 Infantry Regiments
- Haephosian Klibanarii - 2 Armored Regiments
- Haephosian Tritons - 27 Infantry Companies
- Indigan Praefects - 2 Infantry Regiments
- 16th Paruthan Immortals (The "God Slayers") - 1 Super-heavy Regiment
- Gnarvis Ogryn Auxilia - 3 Brute Regiments
- Formund Scorpions - 2 Artillery Regiments
Sources[]
- Psychic Awakening: The Greater Good (8th Edition), pp. 12-15