Vostroyan Firstborn
The Vostroyan Firstborn are Imperial Guard Regiments. Vostroya is a world in the Halo Zone beyond the Eye of Terror, which swore allegiance to Mars during the Age of Strife. It is now ruled by a committee of Techtriarchs, a mix of Mechanicus Magi and more traditional Imperial planetary government. During the Horus Heresy, Vostroya refused to provide regiments to the Emperor, preferring instead to reserve the population in the manufactoria blanketing the world. After the Heresy, the Vostroyans, out of guilt, agreed to supply every family's firstborn son to service with the Imperial Guard.[5]
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Contents
Recruitment & Training
According to Vostroya's Offering of the First Born, the eldest son of every family must enlist in the Regiments. There are no exceptions to this law, which applies even to the Techtriarchs and the most noble families. For most Vostroyans, it is an honour to join the Firstborn, as great importance is attached to the payment of the debt owed to the Emperor millennia ago.[5]
Unlike other Imperial Guard regiments that are raised en-masse, the Firstborn get a steady flow of new recruits from their homeworld. As a result, the Firstborn regiments have existed unbroken since they were first created.[5] This is not always easy to organize, but ensures that Vostroyan regiments maintain their highest potential, as well as ensuring there is a core of veteran warriors. One consequence of this method is that the Firstborn are considered a brotherhood of warriors and are proud to train the recruits according to their own exacting standards. Few Imperial Guard regiments have a stronger brotherly bond than the Vostroyans. The Firstborn are trained in very difficult conditions among the ruined industrial areas of their homeworld.[Needs Citation]
Battle Style
Vostroyans are disdainful of Imperial Guard regiments which they consider to be less devoted than themselves. They are strictly disciplined and act as a warrior brotherhood when in the field. They specialize in urban and winter style combat.[Needs Citation]
Appearance & Uniform
Being away from centralized control of the Imperium, Vostroyan soldiers and officers retain a very archaic appearance compared to the rest of the Imperial Guard. Their weapons are passed down from firstborn to firstborn and are usually worth more than the guardsmen who carry them.[5] Firstborn use long and very ornate rifles. Officers bear lasguns integrated with axes. Standard bearers bear ancient tribal sabers and daggers, and ritual scars on their upper torsos.[Needs Citation]
Weapons & Equipment
The Vostroyan Firstborn prefer to use Plasma Guns and Heavy Bolters. Their pattern of Lasgun, produced on Vostroya, is known for its fine hand-crafted detail.[1]
Notable Regiments
Notable Campaigns
- Nimbosa Crusade
- Spinward Front
- Fall of Medusa V
- Battle of Eagle Gate
- Pandorax Campaign
- Fall of Shadowbrink
- Battle for Sularian Gate
- Fall of Karak Prime
- Liberation of Kurkaris
- Eighteenth Great War of Vostroya
- Cryptus Campaign
- Obsus Prima Uprising
- Xenos War
- The War of Beasts
Notable Vostroyan Firstborn Members
- Lord Marshal Graf Harazahn - The Fall of Medusa V[2]
- Lord Marshal Graf Toschenko - Nimbosa Crusade[4][5]
- Colonel Illyich Szradislav - The Fall of Medusa V[3]
- Colonel Maxim Kabanov - A colonel in the Vostroyan 68th regiment, he served on Danik's World.[6]
- Tank Commander Dymetrin
- Captain Gregorious Sebastev - A captain in the Vostroyan 68th regiment, he and his 5th company were the only survivors of the regiment after two crushing defeats on Danik's World.[6]
- Grigory Maksim - Armor-Captain that fought for Nectavus VI.[8]
- Zhaebin, Lieutenant, see also his quote[7]
- Corporal Devakov - The Fall of Medusa V[2]
- Tank Commander Astrov Yemenev - Tank ace
Miniatures Range
Inspiration
The Firstborn are based in appearance on the real world Russian Cossacks and the Czarist Russian army, whereas the Valhallan Ice Warriors are based on Russia's Soviet Red Army.
See also
Sources
- 1: White Dwarf 317 (UK), pgs. 44-53
- 2: The Fall of Medusa V (booklet), pgs. 32-33
- 3: Medusa V World wide Campaign
- 4: Warhammer 40,000: Cities of Death p56,57
- 5: Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition) pgs. 18, 22
- 6: Rebel Winter (Novel) by Steve Parker, [Needs Citation]
- 7: FFG Teaser for "Jungles of Nectavus", supplement for Conquest Card Game (last accessed 3 March 2016)
- 8: FFG Teaser for "Slash and Burn", supplement for Conquest Card Game (last accessed 10 April 2016)