Great Siege of Lesser Damantyne
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The Great Siege of Lesser Damantyne,[1] also called the Siege of the Schadenhold,[2a] was a battle of the Horus Heresy.
Contents
Prelude
Originally the world of Lesser Damantyne was garrisoned by Iron Warriors of Warsmith Barabas Dantioch after its conquest during the Great Crusade.[1] Dantioch's force consisted of Iron Warriors who had been disgraced during the Sak'trada Deeps Campaign; most had belonged to the 14th Grand Company.[1][2b]
However as the Horus Heresy erupted, the Iron Warriors 51st Expeditionary Fleet led by the new, reconstituted 14th Grand Company under Warsmith Idriss Krendl arrived on Lesser Damantyne announcing the allegiance of Perturabo to Horus and demanding Dantioch's forces take part in traitor operations. Dantioch, based from the mighty fortress of Schadenhold, refused.[1]
Battle
A brutal 366-day siege set in, with Krendl's forces backed by traitorous Imperial Army regiments and a Traitor Titan Legion proving unable to breach Schadenhold. Warsmith Krendl attacked first by launching a swarm of Stormbirds from the cruiser Benthos, carrying troops and ordnance. Blasting through the thick cloud of Damantyne’s hostile surface, the Stormbirds tried to reach the cave systems and disgorged their troops on the loyalists' readying position. Against this, Warsmith Dantioch ordered the Orphic Gate to be collapsed in order to stop the traitors. Afterwards, the titans from Legio Argentum strode through the acid hellstorms of Lesser Damantyne, the infamous Omnia Victrum, alongside other two titans managed to stumble to a sinkhole colossal enough to access the caverns. As the traitors entered the cavern, Warsmith Dantioch ordered the giant ground-pumps to life and the lake of crude promethium burst its banks, flooding the floor of the huge cavern with raw promethium and drowning the Nadir-Maru 4th Juntarians and their artillery in a deluge of oil and death.[1]
Meanwhile, the traitor Iron Warriors marched on the pumps through the settling shallows, to sabotage the great machinery. Watching this, Barabas ordered the slick surface of the crude promethium ignited about them, creating a blaze so bright that it not only roasted the Iron Warriors within their plate but brought light to the cavern. As the battle progressed, the fighting between the two forces became more brutal with multiple engagements and kill-zones established throughout the fortress. Eventually, the situation of the Loyalists worsened, with new traitor Imperial Army reinforcements arriving, and the titans advancing upon the fortress led by the Emperor Titan Omnia Victrum. Facing this threat, Dantioch gathered his last forces and guided them to a hidden teleporter. As the loyalists teleported aboard Krendl's own flagship, they detonated hidden explosive charges inside Schadenhold, inflicting heavy traitor casualties, destroying the Emperor Titan, and badly wounding Krendl.[1]
Once aboard the Benthos, the group of loyalists managed to find the bridge of the ship, where after a swift fight, they captured the Sons of Horus captain Hasdrubal Serapis and the traitor Imperial Army Lord Commander Warsang Gabroon. With the vessel under their command, the loyalists escaped.[1]
Aftermath
The pro-Traitor 14th Grand Company was disgraced by its failure during the battle. Many of its troops were censured and reorganised into badly-equipped hunter-slayer units such as "Battle Group Kurghan", tasked with destroying The Shattered Legions warbands around the Wheel of Fire region.[2a] Meanwhile, Warsmith Krendl was rescued from the ruins of Schadenhold and managed to survived, but was heavenly injured. Afterwards, the Warsmith was placed in charge of the Ordinatus siege engines Eradicant and Obliteratus.[4]
Meanwhile, the loyalist survivors of Dantioch's force would continue to fight for the Imperium. His main force would end up on Sotha,[3a] where they would ended up fighting against the Night Lords in the Battle of Sotha,[3b] though another contingent including Khragan fought in the Constantinium Incursion.[2b]
Order of Battle[1]
Imperial
- Loyalist Iron Warriors 14th Grand Company - c. 30, led by Barabas Dantioch[1]
- Loyalist Imperial Army[1]
- Sons of Dantioch[1]
Traitor
- Traitor Iron Warriors 14th Grand Company - c. 1,000, led by Idriss Krendl[1][4]
- Sons of Horus elements[1]
- Traitor Imperial Army[1]
- Traitor Mechanicum[1]
