Battle of Tholos

The Battle of Tholos was an Imperial castigation campaign conducted by the Forge Templars against a large Iron Warriors Chaos Warband upon the world of Tholos.

History
The forge world of Tholos was assailed by the forces of Warpsmith Morroken to secure a strongpoint for the upcoming 13th Black Crusade. The Forge Templars' 1st and 5th Companies, led by Chapter Master Phidippides, launched a daring assault against the Chaos Forces at Forge-Fane 7G. While the tactical and devastator squads pinned down the advancing columns of daemon engines, the chapter's veterans attacked the back and the flanks of the enemy forces with a massive drop-pod assault.

Amongst the First Company Veteran Astartes, the ancient Leviathan dreadnought Thelon marched once again to war. With an anciente chant of hatred, the dreadnought threw himself against the renegade knight “Ironbane” blasting away the cockpit with his storm-cannon array and shearing the colossus' leg with a mighty blow of his breacher drill. The fell knight exploded crippling Thelon. As the venerable war machine tried to put his systems back online, a couple of Maulerfiends charged him. Seeing the precious relic Dreadnought in danger, Phidippides rushed to his help confronting the steel beasts head-on.

One fell quickly to his thunder hammer, but the other Maulerfiend managed to ensnare the chapter master in his vicious tendrils. Though Phidippides was being torn apart, he never stopped lashing out with his hammer to his killer. The daemon engine was finally destroyed by Aephastus Sarum, Captain of the First Company, who then stood guard to protect his Chapter Master's ruined remains, as well as the venerable Thelon for the rest of the battle. For his valiant deeds Sarum was proclaimed new chapter master of the Forge Templars.