Desert Raider Background

Tallarn is a harsh planet, with endless sulphurous deserts and constant raging sandstorms. It was the site of the largest tank battle fought during the Horus Heresy, the grave of thousands of Chaos heretics, and the home of some of the hardiest warriors in the Imperial Guard – the Tallarn Desert Raiders.

Name: Tallarn
Classification: Deathworld
Region: Segmentum Tempestus

Battle Style

The Tallarn are mobile guerrilla fighters, evasive and opportunistic. They are well known for their hard-fighting Sentinel Squadrons and are masters of hit-and-run warfare.

Their chief strength lies in their skill in guerrilla warfare, which makes use of various mounts as well as numerous Sentinel squadrons to remain highly mobile on the battlefield, harrying their opponents mercilessly before disappearing into the background. Noted marksmen, Tallarn forces employ a unique style of lasgun which is longer and more fluid in shape than the standard Imperial Guard issue.



Some Tallarn Rough Rider squadrons ride large alien mounts, called Mukaali. These desert-dwelling herbivores are originally indigenous to the vast equatorial deserts of Goru-Prime. Many Mukaali have been transported to other desert worlds, including Tallarn itself, because they are well adapted to arid environments.

History dictates the future, and Tallarn is no exception to this. Following the desecration of their homeworld during the Horus Heresy by the Iron Warriors, the Tallarn have been forced to make use of Mechanised Armour and APC's in order to safely move their infantry across the barren wasteland of their homeworld.

As well as infantry, artillery and armoured companies, it is not uncommon for Tallarn regiments to include one or more patrol companies (sometimes referred to as recon or long range companies).

Appearance & Uniform

Owing to the harsh climate and the constant raging sandstorms of their homeworld, the Tallarn have a distinctive desert combat garb consisting of light, loose cottons, a wraparound head-scarf and canvas boots. They make use of curved knives. Possibly based off middle-eastern culture.

Weapons & Equipment

As special weapons, the Tallarn prefer the plasma gun and the missile launcher. Both weapons suit the Tallarn preference for hit and run attacks, and are prized for their ability to deliver a crippling blow as well as for their relative ease of transport.


History:

First discovered by Imperial settlers in the 29th Millenium Tallarn was then a fertile Agri-world bathed in the gentle orange light of its twin suns. Oceans, plains and lush jungles covered its surface, and its people prospered.

In a devastating surprise attack, the Iron Warriors Chaos Space Marines struck the planet. Thousands of virus bombs rained down on Tallarn and the people ran to the enviro-shelters deep beneath the surface. As they hid, safe from the devastating bio-infestation, the deadly coils of DNA mutated as they were programmed to do. Animals, plants, even insects died as the virus did its work, destroying the planet's eco-system and leaving an empty shell.

After seven weeks of isolation the virus had run its course and the remaining people of Tallarn emerged upon the surface. They found a world covered with the acrid slime of plants and corpses not yet decayed – for the world was completely sterile, without even bacteria to aid the decomposition of its dead.

The Iron Warriors sent their task-force to repossess the world for the Dark Gods of Chaos. From underground bunkers the Tallarn forces emerged to do battle with the invaders. Soon, reinforcements from both sides arrived, rival space fleets bringing vast armies to fight over the worthless remnants of the dead planet.

The Battle of Tallarn raged for many months and was the largest armoured conflict of the Horus Heresy. Outbreaks of viral infection from rogue DNA residue made it almost impossible for infantry to operate outside their protective shelters. The battle was finally decided by armies of tanks. When the fighting ended the empty, putrid wastes of Tallarn were littered with the wreckage of more than a million shattered vehicles.

A Hollow Victory

Chaos was driven from Tallarn at great cost, yet for all the millions that died there seemed little gained from the fight. The planet was destroyed and rendered useless for large scale habitation, industry or agriculture. The armies of the Imperium might well have given up Tallarn had their commanders realised the extent of the devastation, but once the armies were in motion there was no going back.

At the time the Chaos attack made little sense. It seemed insane that even the fickle Gods of Chaos should expend such energy fighting over a devastated world of no particular strategic significance. But in the aftermath of the Horus Heresy there were few left to ponder such questions. Amongst the evils of the time it was just another demonstration of the random destruction of Chaos.

Tallarn Survives

Within a thousand years of the Horus Heresy Tallarn evolved into a very different world from the prosperous planet of former times. Deserts of sulphurous sand stretched from pole to pole and all water disappeared except for a thin residue in the atmosphere. No vegetation remained on the surface exposed to the blistering, wind-blown sands. All that grew was the carefully husbanded crops of the Tallarn themselves, sheltered in their protective horticultural domes.

The surviving Tallarn now lived in domed towns or in natural caverns hollowed out in the planet's rock. Fierce winds drove the Tallarn into their shelters, corrosive sulphur storms made all travel risky, and eventually a system of tunnels was built to facilitate travel beneath the surface.

Above their settlements the Tallarn built vapour traps to catch water from the thin atmosphere. These tall towers still stand above their domes to this day, and all the water they use is caught by these cunning devices and channelled into subterranean holding tanks.

A Secret Uncovered

During the construction of an arterial tunnel, Tallarn miners struck an outcrop of hard black rock. They were unable to break through this strange substance which was quite unlike any other they had encountered. After some days they decided to divert their tunnel to go around it. As they did so they discovered something very strange. At first the black wall seemed like a natural formation, but soon they realised they had uncovered a deliberate construction.

The initial excavations revealed a huge wall of strange black rock carved over its entire surface with weird entwined figures. The figures were human sized yet not entirely human, possessing a grace and beauty which rendered their grotesquely inscribed cavorting all the more perverse. Giant earth movers were brought in to dig out the layer of sulphur sand in which the wall was buried, and bit by bit it was slowly and painstakingly exposed to the daylight.

The Tallarn soon discovered the wall was not straight but curved, in fact part of a huge circle. Carefully their most skilled technicians worked to uncover the entire thing, a huge ring-shaped mound almost half a mile across.

The Danger Awakes

It was not until the whole circle was exposed that the disaster happened. With a blast of power the circle screamed and writhed, its inert form turned suddenlyto moaning flesh. Where before there had been carvings now there were the creatures themselves, Eldar creatures, yet twisted with an uncanny evil, locked together by some sorcerous bond into a sickening embrace of depraved passion.

Within the circle itself, blackness boiled and stars wheeled – stars that belonged in another part of the galaxy altogether.

The Black Library

In the Black Library of the Eldar a custodian shivered as he felt an unaccustomed surge of power. Adrift from time and space his mind searched the endless strands of probabilities and found the thread that led to Tallarn. After so long it had been discovered: the Cursus of Alganar, legend of evil from before the Fall, vortex of unimaginable power, one of the three mythical Gateways of the Gods.

His mind shifted into synchronicity with the Farseers of his race, tracing the paths that linked his mind to the Craftworlds of the Eldar. When that knowledge touched the Farseers the Avatars of Khaine would wake. And Khaine would recognise the work of his ancient destroyer Slaanesh – Bane of the Eldar, Prince of the Chaos Gods.
Eldar Attack

The Eldar struck from the skies without warning or explanation. To the Tallarn it was an unwarranted act of aggression. Little could they imagine that the fate of the entire Eldar race was bound up with their strange discovery. To the Eldar there was no time for explanation or discussion. They couldn't know whether the Tallarn were in league with Chaos or whether the fierce desert people were unwitting pawns in the Dark Gods' game. As far as they were concerned the only option was to attack, to destroy the Cursus if they could before it was too late.

The Tallarn fought back with characteristic ferocity. Years of living upon the burning sulphur deserts had honed them into resilient fighters. To the Eldar the deserts were an unknown quantity. Even the hardy Aspect Warriors died under the heat of the sun, whilst the Eldar Guardians fell to the lightning raids of the human fighters. But the Eldar did not give up. They could not afford to abandon their attack. The survival of the galaxy depended on it.

The Dark Gods Awake

But it was already too late. The gateway that was the Cursus grew in power by the minute. Its screams and wails filled the desert as the dark light brightened and fluxed within its core. Lights and stars swirled and clashed, fountains of spinning incandescence spat into the night sky. The laughter of gods rebounded across the sulphur dunes and Eldar and humans alike shuddered in terror.

From the Cursus poured the minions of Chaos. There were things indescribable to men. Things that awakened primal terrors in Eldar hearts – horrors of slime and flame that cackled and bounded into battle, transparent bodies of pure energy dividing and reuniting in a cascade of colours, vile fleshy things that pulsed with inner power and sucked at the air with poisonous lips. Long-legged abominations carried slender and elegant creatures upon their backs, beautiful and yet sickening to look upon. It was as if all the daemons of hell had fallen upon Tallarn.

The Battle for the Cursus

The human commander called a truce and hurried to the Eldar lines where the alien Seers sat waiting. Knowledge had finally opened their eyes. The runestones lay cast upon the desert floor. Hope in union was predicted. Division would lead to damnation, darkness and death. With their fates so clearly predicted, the Eldar and Tallarn joined forces.

The two races fell back before the Chaos onslaught. Many were caught and destroyed in the early confusion, but the Chaos advance was slowed by the merciless hit and run tactics of the desert raiders. Humans led Eldar jet-bike riders into the attack, and soon the Tallarn and Eldar were able to regroup.

As the daemon hordes advanced beyond the Cursus their power waned, as if they were dependent upon its proximity for their power. And so it was, for the tendrils of Chaos though long are very tenuous, and only blood-letting and victory can sustain the link between the Dark Gods and their minions.

Chaos Defeated

With skill and cunning the Tallarn drew out the Chaos battle lines. Choosing their targets carefully the Tallarn launched one attack after another, always retreating before the Chaos hordes could turn to meet their fire. It was a tactic calculated to drain the power of the horde, and it worked better than even the wily sons of the sulphur desert could have hoped.

The Eldar Seers saw the runes change, saw the opportunity develop. The daemons were fading fast, their glittering bodies growing ever more transparent, their cries ever weaker. Now was the time to hit them hard.

With a furious charge the Eldar and Tallarn threw their remaining strength against the gibbering horde. It was a last effort that would result in absolute victory or utter defeat. The Chaos hordes shuddered and the bodies of the daemons seemed to fade and dull. The crackle of energy died and the spark of life vaporised into the oily air.

Many lay dead, human and Eldar, gored by monstrous claws, crushed by the sensual caress of a poisoned tongue, or torn apart by razor sharp teeth. Many Eldar waystones were collected from the field, and many Tallarn taken back to their domes to surrender the water from their bodies to the hydro-tanks. But it was victory nonetheless.

The Cursus

Once the Eldar had departed in peace, and the people of both races had exchanged their promises of friendship, the Tallarn returned to the Cursus. They found the black stone cold and lifeless once more, just as it was when they had first uncovered it. However, they knew now that the stone was not dead but merely sleeping, awaiting its time again, waiting for the call of its evil masters.

The Tallarn buried the Cursus beneath the sulphur sands once more and placed within its circle the mysterious devices that the Eldar had given them for that purpose. Then they sealed the surface with plascrete and turned their backs upon it.

Current Tallarn Forces and Notable Units

Deep Desert Planetary Patrols

In Tallarn society there is no conscription of troops into the Tallarn Regiments but due to their strong sense of history and duty at least one male child from each family will traditionally serve in the Regiments. This leaves the Regiments a large pool of recruits and maintains enough men to continue the difficult Tallarn expansion of their world; underground. This also explains the lack of any conscripts in Tallarn formations.

In Tallarn society the women play a central role. With the men spending so much time constructing new bio-domes and training Regiments to serve the Emperor the women control much of the home life. Women are required to maintain the household and raise the children in accordance with the traditions of the Tallarn. This central part in the society of the Tallarn eventually led to women becoming more and more influential in the politics of Tallarn, culminating in the election of several women to the post of Planetary Govenor.

While most women accept their central role in the affairs of the Tallarn people there are those who reject it. Women who, for whatever reason, decide to that they want to fight with the Regiments. The Tallarn society long ago learned how to accommodate such individuals, and though it is not encouraged, it is accepted. Tallarn women who are head strong and individualistic are given positions in the women’s auxiliary corps. These individuals patrol the cavern systems and conduct civil enforcement duties. Occasionally there are women who cannot be satisfied with the duties of the auxiliary corps; these individuals are formed into units of ‘Deep Desert Planetary Patrols.’

The main role of the Deep Desert Planetary Patrols is to monitor activity in the areas around the Bio-domes on the surface of the planet. In these units they become highly self-reliant and learn to conduct themselves with little supervision in the dangerous deserts of the surface. Here they hone their tracking skills watching for signs of any planetary intruders and learn the skills that will allow them to survive without support in the desert environment. It is in these units that individualistic young women learn to trust and rely on their fellow soldiers and gain confidence in their weapons and equipment.

Tallarn Regiments differ from most Imperial Regiments in the way in which their units are managed. Because all Tallarn are raised to be experts at riding a mount; the majority of the Tallarn soldiers who reach the status of veteran, unless they are given a squad leader position, are moved into the Rough Rider units where they can put their veteran knowledge to good use with other veteran riders. This leaves a vacuum in the force structure of the Tallarn Regiments in that there is not a large supply of veteran infantry squads available to commanders. Another difficulty for the Tallarn is that due to their individualistic nature, when you grab ten veterans and put them in a squad; they don’t work well together.

This problem was solved by introducing the Deep Desert Planetary Patrol squads into Tallarn Regiments to fill the void of tough, veteran infantry squads. The women of the Deep Desert Planetary Patrol squads typically serve for at least four years together before being deployed forward to a Regiment in the field or a Regiment just mustering up. These squads have a reputation in the Regiments for being highly individualistic; even some Commissars have given up on controlling them. Highly lethal; their ability to infiltrate and cause absolute chaos at the drop of a hat is unmatched. Highly territorial; the Tallarn men of the Regiments have long sense given up on the idea that the women of Deep Desert Planetary Patrols are anything less than capable killing machines.

These veteran squads are given the toughest, most dangerous and critical missions in the regiments. Trained for years to operate in small groups with only their squad members to rely on; these women fill the vacuum and form the core of the Tallarn Regiments veteran infantry squads.



The Battle of the Broadsword

One of the Tallarns' most famous victories in a large engagement was during the Chaemos Rebellion of the late 38th Millennium. One of Chaemos' lords, Duke Mormant, had overthrown the rightful Imperial commander. With Tallarn located only ten light years from Chaemos, it was unsurprising that the bulk of the Imperial retribution force sent to quell Duke Mormant's uprising came from there. Six full Tallarn regiments were sent to eradicate the forces of the usurper Duke, combined with three Chaemosian Royal Guard regiments that remained loyal to the exiled Imperial commander.

Duke Mormant wanted to demonstrate his total rule of Chaemos and gathered his forces, some 30,000 men, upon the plains west of the capital of Chaemos. Amongst this number were several dozen large artillery guns, which far outmatched anything the Tallarns could bring. However, the Tallarns did have a sizeable force of Rough Riders, giving them a distinct advantage over the infantry arrayed before them. The battlefield Mormant chose was the ground between the confluence of two rivers, known locally as the Broadsword due to its long, pointed shape. For a whole day the armies marched to their chosen position, no more than a mile from each other and in plain sight of their foes. That night the campfires blazed across the tongue of dry land and the picket sentries could hear the calls of their opposite numbers.

Duke Mormant began his attack just before noon and for the next four hours his army advanced on the Tallarn positions, which came under a constant pounding from the Chaemosian big guns. After brief skirmishes, the Tallarns would fall back from the enemy attack. As General Akkir of Tallarn had planned, the rebels' pursuit left them more and more strung out and isolated from their supporting formations. A couple of hours before sunset, Akkir counter-attacked. He formed over half of his companies into one unstoppable division that crushed each of the enemy formations piecemeal. At the same time, his 3,000 Rough Riders encircled the Chaemosians' left flank and pounced on the artillery, cutting down the gun crews and setting them to rout. The cavalry then smashed into the rear of the remaining Chaemosian companies, who were caught between the chainswords and flailing hoofs of the Rough Riders and the volleys of lasgun fire from the Tallarns. The firing became so fierce at one point that the grass caught fire and the battlefield was wreathed in thick black smoke, choking the soldiers of both sides. As Akkir's infantry and tanks pressed forward, the renegades' retreat became a full rout. Within a matter of days the few remnants of Mormant's rebel army was entirely stamped out by the pursuing Tallarns.

Notable Units:

LURENZ'S GRAVEDIGGERS:

As well as infantry, artillery and armoured companies, it is not uncommon for Tallarn regiments to include one or more patrol companies (sometimes referred to as recon or long range companies). The first of these was an ad-hoc formation created by Captain Lurenz of the Tallarn XVI, whilst fighting the Eldar on Holon Prime in 762-765.M35. The unwieldy Tallarn Companies were having great difficulty dealing with the speed and flexibility of the aliens they faced and by the time they mustered their forces to respond to an attack, they arrived too late. It was Lurenz who took the Armoured Fist squads from four of the other Companies and asked the Techpriests to strip down the armour on their Chimeras. This gave Lurenz's raiders a transport that could carry them quickly across the dunes (other vehicles had a tendency to get bogged down in the sand flows), but which still boasted a powerful armament. Many of the other officers laughed at Lurenz's plan and called his formation the 'Gravediggers' after the skeletal appearance of their vehicles. Lurenz did not mind this at all and claimed that it would be Eldar graves they would be digging soon.

The first test of Lurenz's idea was to be a raid on an Eldar position many leagues from the Tallarns' defensive 'boxes' (the desert offered little in the way of cover, so the XVI had created protective 'boxes' with razorwire, trench works and bunkers). Lurenz and his men set out just after nightfall and took a circuitous route to their objective – a rocky valley where orbital augurs had detected the heat auras of several Eldar vehicles. As they neared their target, the Gravediggers used improvised means to muffle their Chimeras' engines as much as possible. From the eastern ridgetop, Lurenz was glad to see the outlines of half a dozen Eldar grav-tanks, two of them the formidable super-heavy Scorpions. With Lurenz leading in his half-track staff car, the Gravediggers set off down the slope. They were barely two hundred yards from the Eldar sentries when the alarm was raised. Lurenz shouted the order for a full speed attack and the Chimeras' engines roared into life, hurtling across the open ground due to their lighter weight. Multi-laser and heavy bolter fire filled the air and three of the Eldar vehicles were enveloped by flames and smoke before the Gravediggers reached them. Spilling from their Chimeras, the Tallarns began setting melta bombs to destroy the remaining tanks, but as they moved between the hovering vehicles the surviving Scorpion sprang into life and lifted off the ground.

The massive pulsar atop the super-heavy tank opened fire on the Tallarns, devastating blasts of laser energy tearing craters into the packed desert floor. Seeing only one chance, Lurenz leapt back into his staff car and directed the driver to steer under the Scorpion. As they passed beneath the immense war engine, all that could be seen was the continuous flash of the vehicle's pintle heavy bolter. With a strange slowness, the Scorpion began to tilt sideways, its anti-grav engines disabled along one side. As it crashed into the desert floor, Lurenz and his driver raced from the billowing clouds of smoke and dust. Their mission complete, the Gravediggers leapt into their Chimeras and sped off, leaving only four of their number dead.

Lurenz's continued attacks seriously hampered the Eldar army, forcing them to keep units in reserve to combat his rampaging patrols. This denied them forces which they sorely needed for the main battles and in the end the Tallarns' superior numbers proved decisive. Since Holon Prime, the First Patrol Company of the Tallarn XVI has always been known as the Gravediggers.

Tallarn Unit Identification:

Typical Example of a Tallarn Chimera:

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Typical Tallarn Long Range Recon Vehicle, referred to as a ‘Rat Rig’:

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Unit of Tallarn Rough Riders on ‘Xeno Mounts’: