Howdy all! I'm in possession of every codex and Rulebook past the 2nd Edition as well as every Imperial Armour volume and most of the background books/expansion rulebooks. If you need help finding a citation I'm the guy to ask.
==Siege of Mezoa==
{{Battle
|Name =Mezoan Campaign
|Image =SiegeOfMezoa.jg
|Image caption=The [[Iron Warriors]] battle on Mezoa
|Conflict =[[Horus Heresy]]
|Date =008.[[M31]]
|Location =[[Mezoa]]
|Outcome =Traitor victory
|Combatant1 =[[Mechanicum]]
|Combatant2 =[[Chaos Space Marines|Traitors]]
|Commanders1 =Mezoan [[Magos|Magi]]<br>[[Autilon Skorr]]<br>[[Narik Dreygur]]
|Commanders2 =[[Cassian Dracos]]<br>[[Xiaphas Jurr]]
|Strength1 =12,000 troops total<br>[[Skitarii]]<br>[[Adsecularis]]<br>[[Legio Cybernetica|Cybernetica]]<br>[[Salamanders]] contingent>br>48 [[Imperial Fists]]<br>891st Lethe Cohort [[Solar Auxilia]]<br>[[House Hermetika]]
|Strength2 =12 Capital Ships<br>9,000 [[Astartes]]<br>20,000 Traitor [[Imperial Army]]<br>[[M'Pandex]] [[Taghmata Omnissiah|Taghmata]]
|Casualties1 =Heavy
|Casualties2 =Heavy
}}
The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' was a battle of the [[Horus Heresy]].
==Overview==
Shortly after his capture of [[Port Maw]] in the [[Battle of the Coronid Deeps]], [[Warmaster]] [[Horus]] became determined to destroy the defiant [[Forge World]] of [[Mezoa]]. Two previous attempts had earlier been defeated by the loyalist [[Magos]] of the planet. Horus wished not only to make an example of Mezoa, he also sought to secure his rear as part of the push to [[Terra]]. Ultimately, it fell to the [[Iron Warriors]] 114th Grand Battalion of [[Narik Dreygur]] and the 78th [[Chapter]] of the [[Alpha Legion]] under [[Autilon Skorr]] to undertake the operation. Resentment against the Alpha Legion by the Iron Warriors due to their behavior during the [[Siege of Epsilon-Stranivar IX]] hindered traitor cooperation and saw them compete over resources and prestige.{{Fn|1}}
Within a few short days of the arrival of the lost [[Salamanders]] [[Cruiser]] ''[[Ebon Drake]]'' at Mezoa, the traitor assault began. The first phase of the battle saw traitor and loyalist forces engage in a massive 9 hour void duel that resulted in heavy losses for both sides. Despite the Traitor tactical superiority, they were hampered by the fractured nature of their own force. In the end however the traitors emerged victorious, and began full-scale invasion of the world. At this same time, the Salamanders contingent under [[Cassian Dracos]] met with the triumvirate norn-regents of Mezoa, working out the details of an alliance.{{Fn|1}}
The first wave of the traitor invasion consisted of an aerial landing by the Iron Warriors. Mezoa sent up vast projectiles of bedrock and magma from its furnaces, acting as air defenses which took a toll on the traitors. However they could not maintain this as a constant bombardment, allowing the Iron Warriors to launch a second wave that secured a foothold. The Iron Warriors were then informed by their [[Alpha Legion]] allies that they would be met with fleet fire if they attempted any retreat, leaving the only way forward. A vicious loyalist counterattack was met by the Iron Warriors, who fought with a ferocity resembling the [[World Eaters]]. Narik Dreygur himself slew the [[Imperial Fists]] Champion [[Valtus Moran]], tearing apart his corpse and causing a loyalist retreat. Thanks to the Iron Warriors sacrifice, the traitors had secured a landing zone.{{Fn|1}}
Using landed [[Stormbird]]s [[Void Shield]] generators to create a canopy of protection from loyalist artillery, the traitors unloaded heavy equipment onto Mezoa. The Traitors then used their advantage in numbers to make a major drive on Mezoa's Forges, and Autilon Skorr drove his massed Auxilia into a breach while the Iron Warriors were committed wherever the enemy was strongest. For their part, the loyalists used [[Battle Automata]] and [[Solar Auxilia]] to hold the line while the Salamanders conducted spoiling raids. But the traitors kept advancing, forcing the Tech-Priests of Mezoa to collapse entire regions of the planet's crust to bury enemy lines and hinder progress. Elsewhere, they used suicidal charges of [[Tech-Thrall]]s to draw the enemy into the open before obliterating both sides with blasts of magma. For the next 9 days, Skorr led a bloody siege of Mezoa.{{Fn|1}}
