Tahnel
Tahnel is an Ocean World located in the Segmentum Solar, close to the Forge World Phaeton.[1]
| Map | Basic Data | Planetary Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Name: | Tahnel | 
|
| Segmentum: | Segmentum Solar | ||
| Sector: | Unknown | ||
| Subsector: | Unknown | ||
| System: | Unknown | ||
| Population: | Unknown | ||
| Affiliation: | Imperium | ||
| Class: | Civilised World / Ocean World | ||
| Tithe Grade: | Unknown | ||
Overview
Tahnel lies in Segmentum Solar, very close to the forge world of Phaeton. It is a large world compared to Terra and is mostly covered with rolling oceans. Dotted across the surface are thousands and thousands of islands, some many hundreds of miles in diameter, some less than a mile. Rocky outcrops dominate these islands with flat fen land lying on the low ground. On most of the larger islands are vast sprawling cities, built above the swampland on enormous struts, housing millions of people each. These islands have many ports for the massive trawlers, which roam the teeming seas of Tahnel. With the mass of water on Tahnel it rains pretty much all the time, but it is generally a temperate climate.[2]
The planet's merchant sector relies on draining its vast oceans for food to process and transport throughout the sector, and in part this goes towards its Imperial tithe. But Tahnel is also known for meeting its tithe by supplying the Imperial war machine with men; millions of men, hundreds of regiments of the Tahnelian Airbourne, with one regiment founded every year.[2]
History
Lying in Segmentum Solar, the planet has been under Imperial rule since very early in the Great Crusade. From that time the planet has been under its sway, but there was a time when the planet nearly fell - during the dark days of the Horus Heresy...[2]
The deeds of those dark days are well known, and the heretical cancer of Horus spread far and wide. The forge world of Phaeton was a prime target for Horus' forces, home of one of the mighty Titan Legions. Thousands of rebellious troops stormed the Adeptus Mechanicus stronghold. On Tahnel all contact was lost with its sister world.[2]
Tahnel High CommandIt was not long though before Chaos spread from Phaeton to the other worlds in the system including Tahnel. The initial invasion caught the defenders off balance, as the forces of the betrayer choose to assault the weaker defended islands en massse, hence avoiding the thick air defences of the major cities. Tahnel was ill prepared for such an invasion on its own soil. It was used to sending hundreds of regiments away to fight in other theatres of war, most unlike Tahnel. It was quantity of infantry rather than training and equipment. With armies of infantry and artillery, the Tahnelians tried to reconquer their lost islands travelling to each on the massive Ocean trawlers. They died in thousands as Chaos fighters and bombers took their toll on the easy targets of the troop ships. Deploy troops from these behemoths was also slow and arduous. Tahnel High Command realised they were losing the war. Double the islands were being taken for those took back, their loses were horrendous – they were running out of options...[2]
In desperation they changed their tactics. Air freighters normally used for lifting dozens of tonnes of seafood were forced into commission. Innovative templates recently brought over from Phaeton before the war – grav-chutes – were given to the factories of the major cities still left. The industry needed to create these devices at the pace High Command demanded of them turned those islands black with pollution and made what was left of the civilian population into husks of their former selves from exhaustion. The remaining regiments were trained quickly in the use of the grav chute.[2]
Troops on the wayEven with this superlative effort, High Command knew they had little chance of winning back the lost islands quickly enough. Only a determined attack at the source of the Chaos command and beachhead would stem the tide and give the defenders any hope of winning the war.[2]
On their maiden jumps, hundreds of thousands of Tahnel troops deployed onto the air freighters. A third never made it to the Landing Zone. Chaos Fighters intercepting the air armada early on. The noble sacrifice of what was left of Imperial Navy Thunderbolts and Lightnings eased the loss. Another fifth were lost above the LZ, either from misuse of their jumping equipment or the veritable firestorm coming up to meet them.[2]
Despite these losses, despite the fanaticism of the Chaos troops – it was enough – just. The centre of the Chaos command was obliterated. The cost though was massive. A Guardsmen without some form of injury was rare. The Tahnelian regiments had taken a pummelling. It gave High Command that most precious of commodities - time, as the remainder of the rebellious Chaos scum were now without direction or will. Over the coming years the Tahnelians slowly took back those islands lost.[2]
Such is the way with Chaos though that it never really leaves a planet once it is there. To the present day covens of Chaos cultists are found on remote islands, congregating round some ancient relic or eyeaching Chaotic markings. Sometimes these flare up, and it is such that the Ordo Hereticus has a permanent base on the planet to monitor the situation.[2]
As for the Tahnelian military – they vowed never to be caught off guard again. All Tahnelians are now trained in the use of the grav chute and practise mass drops at company level regularly. With the mysterious re-communication with Phaeton after the Heresy, Tahnel resupplied itself with more aircraft – specifically the new Valkyrie and Vulture for its elite troops. Tahnel still deploys the same amount of men it did ten millennia ago – except now they are trained and always try to gun towards the Chaos.[2]
Notes
Created by Owen Rees of the Uk Web Team
Related Articles
Sources
- 1: White Dwarf 318 (UK), pg. 94
- 2: GW site - Arming for Damocles
