Cleansing of Ybrannis
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The Cleansing of Ybrannis is a famous battle of the Salamanders taking place sometime after the formation of the Great Rift.[1]
Overview
The battle began when the Death Guard assailed the Agri-Worlds of Ybrannis Primus and Ybrannis Secundus, which were known as the bread baskets for the region. Striking while the Imperium reeled from the Great Rift, the Death Guard's 4th Plague Company under the Eater of Lives intended to implant its Eater Plague gifts into the Imperial supply chain.[1]
The Salamanders eventually responded to the Imperial distress call alongside Titans of the Legio Ignis. The Death Guard countered by having their Sorcerers summon Daemons to infest and bring down the Titans. As the Salamanders conducted savage short-range firefights through Ybrannis Primus’ feed-processing cities, the battle upon Ybrannis Secundus had become an agonising test of endurance and will. The Salamanders unflinchingly weathered the foul sorceries flung at them, while the Death Guard stubbornly ignored hideous wounds. The Salamanders made repeated efforts to break the stalemate upon each world and inflict crippling blows to the Death Guard, igniting vast areas to try to drive the enemy out. Nocturne’s warriors believed they had assassinated the Plague Company’s commander more than once, only to be faced once again by the Eater of Lives.[1]
After three months of gruelling war the Salamanders eventually started to gain ground. The Death Guard abandoned Ybrannis Primus and threw their forces upon its contested neighbor, and the Salamanders helped to redeploy the two surviving Titans of Legio Ignis. Salamanders Terminators and Assault Centurions torched entire swathes of contested battlefield. With a coordinated Melta strike, the Salamanders' final reserves detonated the Death Guard's remaining siege engine and opened up the way. Salamanders Terminators embarked on Land Raiders through the breach and the Eater of Lives saw the futility of remaining, content with what it had considered a successful experiment. It extracted its remaining hosts and warriors and escaped back to the Warp. After the battle, the Salamanders discovered the viral vials that had been secreted on both worlds and dedicated themselves to purging this lingering taint.[1]
Sources
- 1: Codex Supplement: Salamanders (8th Edition), pgs. 28-29
