Tempestus Scions
Tempestus Scions, also known as Storm Troopers in Low Gothic, are the elite shock troops of the Imperial Guard and Militarum Tempestus.[1] They are trained to carry out special operations such as deep strike assaults, reconnaissance and infiltration beyond enemy lines. Storm Troopers are the very best soldiers the Guard can call upon, being trained to the peak of human perfection, their combat skills are unmatched.[2]
Contents
Overview
Either as part of an Imperial Guard regiment or as the Militarum Tempestus Scions are used to enact missions that the regular Guardsmen can not handle and often form an elite core entrusted with carrying out important missions such as spearheading assaults into heavily fortified positions or infiltrating behind enemy lines. Scions have undergone a brutal training regime and are armed with the very best weaponry available to the Guard. Their violent potential is enhanced by rigid discipline as a result of Ordo Tempestus training and they will carry out any order regardless of how inhumane it may be. Fully prepared to give their own lives for the Imperium, Scions are indoctrinated with a sense of obedience and duty that overrides any instinct of personal safety.[1a]
They are often dropped into the thick of combat from Valkyrie Assault Carriers.[2] Once deployed to the field, Scions typically use the Ryza-pattern Hotshot Lasguns and Hotshot volley guns. They frequently operate from Taurox Prime armored vehicles and Valkyrie aircraft.[1a]
Organisation
Tempestus Scions form a single regiment, which is unique in that it is a permanent unit, receiving a constant influx of new recruits to keep it up to full strength. By virtue of its members having been recruited from the Progena of the Schola Progenium, the regiment is made up of soldiers from worlds throughout the Imperium. With up to ten thousand men under arms at any one time, the regiment is also larger than most other regiments. This huge force can fight solely under the Militarum Tempestus and in some rare instances several squads of Storm Troopers will gather for the objective of annihilating a target rather than a take and hold. This task force is referred to as a Storm Trooper Strike Force. However it is also common practice for individual companies or battalions to be sent to war zones and from there have individual Scion squads join Imperial Guard regiments as required.[2][3]
Several regiments commonly employing Scions (or Storm Trooper equivalents) are:
The regiments to which these elite troops are attached to often regard the inimitable dedication and better equipment of the Scions with a certain amount of animosity, referring to them by such names as 'Glory Boys' and 'Big Toy Soldiers'. Regardless of the opinion of the average Guardsman, none who witness Scions in action can deny their effectiveness.[2][5a]
Ranks
- Tempestor
- Tempestor Prime
Recruitment
Having been orphans raised by the Schola Progenium, Progena are then taken by the Ordo Tempestus to be schooled in its harsh and miserable training camps. While here they are instilled with a strong sense of loyalty to the Imperium, taught superior battle tactics and the use of more advanced equipment than the average Guardsmen.[2][5a] They are homogenised and mentally broken, then rebuilt as perfect soldiers. Many cadets will undergo mental reconstruction that erases memories of their past lives. Once their basic training and mental reconstruction is complete, cadets undergo the Trials of Compliance. This is a trial of diverse nature that tests how cadets can process commands, regardless of how dangerous, inhumane, or complex they may be. Only those who pass the trials may become Tempestus Scions.[1]
The training Scions receive usually begins after they have already completed their primary education at the Schola Progenium, ensuring an individual knowledgeable in Imperial lore as well as Imperial history. However on rare occasions a senior official (such as an Inquisitor) can use their authority to have an adult undergo Scion training. Such a selection usually happens only after some act of outstanding courage and dedication, along with whatever the senior official's own agenda happens to be. Such candidates are examined carefully by the Drill Abbots for developed martial skills, a deep faith in the Imperial Creed and a strong mind capable of resisting the horrors of the 41st Millennium. Even should the candidate already have years of combat experience they will be treated by the Drill Abbots no differently than if they were a new recruit, the traditional progena will consider them as an outsider only granted the honour of training with them due to their patron.[6]
Equipment
The Scions standard equipment is superior to regimental Guardsmen and generally includes Carapace armour (superior to the standard Flak armour in use by regimental Guardsmen) as well as the Hotshot Lasgun (sometimes referred to as a Hellgun), a higher powered lasgun which incorporates a targeter. They are equipped with both frag and krak grenades as well as the option to carry Melta bombs. Scions can also be issued special weapons including Flamers, grenade launchers, Meltaguns, plasma guns and Hotshot volley guns. Scion leaders can also have access to other advanced weapons such as power weapons, Bolt weapons and plasma pistols. An even greater variety of specialised equipment can also be deployed by scions depending on the nature of a mission, some of these include grav-chutes for preforming aerial insertions and Chimeras or Taurox Primes for ground transportation.[2][5]
Variations of Scions and equivalents
Several Imperial organisations, particularly the Imperial Guard, are known to employ Scions or in-house Scion equivalent's such as:
Kasrkin
Kasrkin are the elite of the already highly trained Cadian Shock Troops, dedicated utterly to the preservation and security of Cadia with an ethos of duty and honour both impressive and intimidating. Pronounced "Kas-er-kin", these elite soldiers are picked up while serving as Whiteshields in the Cadian Youth Armies, then sent to a number of military academies modeled on the Schola Progenium. More than a match for Imperial Scions, Kasrkin squads are allocated to Shock Trooper companies to provide a cutting edge in battle as well as conducting special operations.[7] Whereas the standard Scions can be looked down upon in envy by Imperial Guardsmen, the standard Kasrkin is admired, particular in their own regiment, for their cool-headed composure during combat.[8] They are well versed in destroying the enemies of the Imperium (especially the forces of Chaos) and will lead the charge in the defense of Cadia. To be a Kasrkin is to hold a position of honour which is recognised by all Cadians.[Needs Citation] While still Storm Troopers, Kasrkin operate with their own unique pattern of Hellgun and Carapace armour.
Inquisitorial Storm Troopers
The Inquisition maintains a number of fortresses throughout the galaxy, both secret and known to the inhabitants of the Imperium. The Inquisitorial Storm Troopers have the duty to protect and provide security to these fortresses and the Inquisitorial Black Ships, they can also be called upon to assist an Inquisitor on active assignment. They are recruited from the Schola Progenium as well as certain families with a tradition of service to the Inquisition. Their training and equipment is equal to the Scions and Storm Troopers found throughout the Imperial Guard, furthermore they undergo rigorous purity and incorruptibility tests prior to their induction.[9][10]
Grenadiers
Although comparable to Scions, Grenadiers are fully part of their regiment, having been recruited into the regiment at the time of its creation along with the rest of the Guardsmen. Those individuals who prove themselves to be superior soldiers are given special training and equipment that can be equal to a Scion and formed into their own squads. Unlike Scions though, Grenadiers do not deep-strike or infiltrate, instead fighting alongside their fellow Guardsmen.[5b] Grenadiers often make up part of the ranks of the more elite and shock oriented regiments, most notably the Cadian Shock Troops and the Terrax Guard.[5c]
Famous Scion Formations
- 394th Deltic Lions - Often used to battle Orks[1a]
- 55th Kappic Eagles - Famous Regiment under the command of Tempestor Prime Magnus Krassus[1b]
- 133rd Lambdan Lions[1b]
- 34th Psian Vipers[1b]
- 29th Zetic Tygers[1b]
- 32nd Thetoid Eagles[1b]
- 33rd Deltic Phoenixes[1b]
- 9th Iotan Gorgonnes[1b]
- 86th Deltic Dragons[1b]
- 62nd Rhoin Cobras[1b]
- 50th Kappic Eagles - Under Tempestor Prime Salem Whitlock.[11]
- 54th Psian Jakals[1b]
- 88th Alphic Lions[1b]
- 73rd Epsilic Eagles[1b]
- 101st Betic Dragons[1b]
- 22nd Thetoid Gryphonnes[1b]
- 55th Alphic Hydras[1b]
- 43rd Iotan Dragons[1b]
- 68th Deltic Lions[1b]
- 34th Betic Centaurs[1b]
- 196th Iotan Gryphonnes - Raided Bork'an[1c]
- 709th Storm Trooper Company - Took part in the Taros Campaign.[4]
- 1344th Storm Trooper Company - Took part in the Taros Campaign.[4]
- 2378th Storm Troopers company - Operation Deathblow: Three volunteer squads led by Colonel Scheja attacked the headquarters of the Tau Army near Tarokeen in order to kill the alien leader, Ethereal Aun'Vre.[4]
Images
See Also
Sources
- 1: Codex: Militarum Tempestus (6th Edition)
- 2: Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition), pg. 46
- 3: Codex: Imperial Guard (2nd Edition), pg. 21
- 4: Imperial Armour Volume Three - The Taros Campaign, pg. 109
- 5: Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex)
- 6: Dark Heresy: Ascension, pg. 43
- 7: Codex: Eye of Terror (3rd Edition), pgs. 37-39.
- 8: Gunheads (Novel), by Steve Parker, [Needs Citation]
- 9: Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition), pg. 28
- 10: Codex: Daemonhunters (3rd Edition), pg. 19
- 11: Sanctus Reach: The Red Waaagh! - Tempestor Prime Salem Whitlock
Tempestus Scion Forces | |
---|---|
Command | Commissar • Militarum Tempestus Command Squad |
Troops | Tempestus Scions |
Vehicles | Taurox Prime • Valkyrie |
Imperial Guard Infantry | |
---|---|
Command | Company Command Squad • Platoon Command Squad • Scion Command Squad • Tank Commander • Regimental Advisors • Commissar • Primaris Psyker • Tech-priest Enginseer • Priest |
Specialists | Master of Ordnance • Breacher • Scout • Medic • Vox-Operator • Weapons Specialist • Sharpshooter • Operator |
Troops | Infantry Squad • Heavy Weapons Squad • Special Weapons Squad • Armoured Fist Squad • Veteran Squad • Scions Squad • Canids • Penal Legion Troopers • Ogryn Squad • Ratling Squad • Psyker Battle Squad • Rough Rider Squad • Field Ordnance Battery • Jump Trooper • H-Grade Combat Servitor |