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This article, Tirri's Silver Knights, was written by Petrus Tyrannus. Please do not edit or 'acquire' this fiction without the writer's permission. |
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This article, Tirri's Silver Knights, is currently under active construction. The author, Petrus Tyrannus, apologizes for the inconvenience. |
- "Many do not understand our motto, the tenets by which we live, fight and die. We are the Imperium's first and last line of defence against the horrors that lurk beyond. Each enemy we slay is another breath of life to humanity. So keep these words in mind and do a good job, otherwise this battle shall be mankind's last."
- — Colonel-commissar Peter Valdor, leader of the Tirri's Silver Knights regiment
The Tirri's Silver Knights is a regiment of the Imperial Guard created in the feudal-world of Tirri, a frozen, technologically inadvanced planet located in Segmentum Solar. This regiment is widely known for its discipline in combat, as well as for their pompous uniforms resembling knightly armors.
This fighting force is solely composed of male soldiers, all being the firstborn sons of Tirri's nobility, as tradition demands. For this feudal ancestry, the soldiers of this regiment act as chevaliers, partaking friendly competitions when not in battle.
Being a member of the Silver Knights means defending their homeworld without ever coming back to it. This policy was established by the planetary officer in order to prevent alterations in the cultural balance from planetary "outsiders". Even so, the Knights defend their origin world fiercely, allowing no threat to reach the icy surface of their home.
Regiment History[]
The Tirri's Silver Knights were created just after the ending days of the Ancient civil war known as Horus Heresy, to aid in the defense of Segmentum Solar. After the conflict, not only the now Adeptus Astartes were depleted and weakened, but the Imperial Army sustained serious losses as well, both to war and heresy.
Thus, with the intent of replenishing the Imperium's fighting force, the knights came to be. Hailing from the icy planet's nobility, the Silver Knights quickly rose to be reckoned with great reverence and respect by other regiments of the Imperial Guard.
Receiving great military training, they wage war relying on the strategic approach that allows for the highest enemy per friend death ratio. Throughout time, they were known for their selfless bravery, holding the gourd against a miriad of enemies, the most notable being the Orks and Eldar that constantly try to seize control over Tirri.
Regiment Organization[]
Officer Ranks[]
- Colonel-commissar - this regiment is uncommonly commanded by a colonel-commissar, a high ranking member of the commissariat responsible for both formulating the regiment's next steps and assuring his men's morale.
- Company-captain - the Knights are divided in companies of a thousand-men each. These formations are controlled by a captain that is, usually, the oldest member of the regiment, thus the most experienced soldiers. These officers will rarely go to war, but when doing so are going to be accompanied by their company's finest, most well equipped guards. Captains receive different names according to their company's specialization, such as henry-infantry captain, artillery captain and so on.
- Platoon-lieutenants - each company is divided in platoons, comprising a fighting force of a hundred men. These are the highest-ranking officers most soldiers will see in the battlefield. Their role is to organize the platoon's squads during combat and coordinate with the other company's platoons.
- Squad-sargeants - Platoons are even further divided into ten-men squads, the smallest of the regiment's operational forces. Heading each squad is a sargeant whose objective is achieving the objective dictated by his lieutenant the best way possible.
Non-Officer Ranks[]
- Commissar - every platoon in the regiment will have, at least, one commissar whose objective is to keep the troops' morale when engaging terrible enemies that would make any common man turn his back on the fighting and flee.
- Artillery operator - men that controll the artillery companies' death machines. They are specialized in operating the guns in almost any circumstances, having at their disposal an auxiliary group responsible for making the calculations of the best that in the situation present.
- Vehicle operator - the regiment's pilots. responsible for driving the vehicles operating their weapon systems. They are also proficient in performing small fixes in battle, as long as the damage sustained by the machine is not too bad. Imperial mechs' operators are also included in this category.
Regiment Recruitment Practices[]
The Tirri's Silver Knights recruit from their planet and it's moon, Leno. The recruits are always the noble families firsthorn men, as tradition has demanded for thousands of terran years. The soon to be soldiers live with their parents until they reach maturity at seven Tirri's years or around sixteen terran years, their whole lifes being taught martial lessons of combat and strategy. When the time to depart arrives, the boys partake an oath in front of the captain responsible for the company he's going to join, swearing never to lay foot in his home ever again, and to stop anyone willing to do the same. He also swears eternal fealty to the regiment, to its code of honor and to the God-Emperor of Marking. After this, the newcomer will be considered a Silver Kright.
Regiment Training Practices[]
Once indoctrinated in the regiment, the new soldiers will be allocated to Verun, a temperate world in Tirri's solar system with aproximate gravity and year duration to those of Holy Terra. There, they are going to train for a whole local year, learning how to utilize the Imperium's military equipment. They will also be instructed in better identifying xenos threats and how to handle them. After this training period, they are placed in one of their designated company's platoon and squad, the only family these brave men of the Imperium will probably know for the rest of their lives. Even though many consider this training style slow and resource-consuming, the Silver Knights astonishing victory counting and impressively low death ratio is enough to make up for any bureaucratic inconvenience.
It is worth noting that, while in periods between military campaigns, festivals of prowess such as duels and target shooting are held among the knights, another way to improve their skills to better defend the Imperium.
Regiment Combat Doctrine[]
This regiment of the Imperial Guard places great value in its members lives. For this reason, the officers of the Silver Boys will enact and adapt their strategies to assure the highest enemy per friend death ratio. Most commonly, this will include a rapid strike of heary infantry in strategic targets as the demoralize the opposite force, usually under the cover of artillery and armored vehicles.
Through this battle method, the opposing leaders are quickly subdued, spreading chaos through enemy line and allowing the Knights for a swift victory without many friendly losses. This way, the Tirri's Silver Knights are able to constantly fight the Imperium's threats with no need to replenish their numbers as often as other regiments.
Wargear[]
The Tirri's Silver Knights are most commonly known to wear a military uniform that resembles medieval armor, in most cases well polished and decorated with the soldier's heraldry and colours. The amount of plating depends on the man's occupation in the regiment, weather he is from a heavy or a light infantry company or another one. Usually, the best suits of armor are used to high ranking officers for the times their presence in the battlefield is necessary.
The weapons used by this regiment are very varied and dependant upon their disposability to them by mechanicus forces responsible for replenishing them. The most notable ones are the melta guns several patterns used by the regiment's heavy infantry companies, sometimes changed for flamethrowers when closer engagement is necessary. The light infantry companies use the standard lasgun as their primary weapons for its durability and safety in almost any circumstance. It is not uncommon to see light soldiers wielding plasma weaponry in combat as well.
Vehicular companies main machine is the Leman Russ tank in almost all its variants. Besides this iconic tank, they are also known for employing Rapier Laser Destroyers and, more rarely, Shadowsword tanks in a multitude of variants. The artillery companies tend to the more common ballistic long-ranged weapons, although plasma cannons have been used when extremely high firepower was requested, some situation so dire that would make up for the tremendous power consumption of this destructive gun.
Notable Companies[]
- Fifth 'Infamous Swords' infantry company - the Infamous Swords are an infantry company known for their stealthness in combat. They use modified lasgun patterns especially designed for long-range confrontation. Their first platoon's forth squad sargeant, Folland Rossoia, is said to be one of the most well-accomplished snipers in the Imperial Guard, with over four hundred confirmed kills and many more urconfirmed.
- Second 'Light Rangers' light infantry company - this company's main objective, as with all light infantries, is to transport invaluable packages and command orders through the chaotic battlefield. The Light Ranges became famous during the battle of Sulo, an agri-world in the border of , when they carried several crates of ammo and supplies to the worn-out frontline defenders of the planet against a devastating wave of Orks, ensuring jimperial victory.
- Eighth 'Death Knights' heavy infantry company - the regiment's most famous henry infantry company, the Death Knights earned their nickname while fighting an insurgency in the planet of Sulo. The rebells were chaos cultists who refused to aknowledge the God-Emperor as their lords. The eighth company was deployed with heavy flamers, burning the heretics alive. While they ran, they yelled in Low Gothic "Death! Death has come !", then giving their names.
- First 'Armored Ones' mechanized infantry company - the Armored Ones are equipped with some of the best mechs the Imperium can provide them. They are widely known for their aggressive tactics in combat, usually working as human shields for less protected units, this, of course, while delivering heavy firepower upon the enemy.
- Ninth 'Death Rain' drop company - When a confrontation is about to begin, usually drop pods are the first to get to soil, holding the line until the restof the regiment can arrive and withdrawing just after. For the Death Rain company, this could not be closer to the truth. These brave men have the particular habit of falling not close to the enemy, but on the enemy. For such reason, they are both respected for their bravery and mocked for their stupidity. Nonetheless, the Ninth Drop (as they are also called) has time and again finished combats before they even started.
- Third 'Tank Riders' armored company - Piloting the most modified versions of the Silver Knight's vehicles, the Tank Riders are regarded as the testing ground for heavy mobile tactics and devices. The first ones to reach enemy lines, they usually utilize close-combat weaponry in their tanks, such as mounted machineguns and flamethrowers, relying upon their tanks rigid carcasses to keep them safe. If this fails, however, they will not hesitate to detonate the machines, avoiding loss to inimical hands and taking as much as they can with them.
- Seventh 'Plasma Lords' artillery company - The Plasma Lords are, for sure, the best equipped of all artillery companies in the regiment. They use exclusively the devastating plasma cannons, and will only be deployed when the circumstance requires the greatest firepower the regiment can deploy. For this importance, many members of the lords consider themselves better than other companies' soldiers, viewing them as beggers for the Seven's power.
- Fourth 'Imperial Warriors' siege company - The most skilled of the regiments siege companies, the Imperial Warriors are specialists in all aspects of siege warfare, from building fortifications to cutting enemy supply routs. This company is famous not only for their mighty victories, but also for being the former company in wich Colonel-commissar Peter Valdor served during his early days in the Regiment.
- Sixth 'Hell Bringers' shock troopers company
Notable Regiment Members[]
Regiment Appearance[]
Regiment Colors[]
The soldiers from this regiment wear uniforms that resemble medieval plate armor. Their colors are, besides the metallic silver, white cloths under the platings for confort of the user. Somewhere in the uniform, usually the chest on the shoulder, the heraldry of the soldier's family is inscribed, not only to honour them in combat, but also to identify the man's body in case of death in action.
Regiment Insignia[]
The Tirri's Silver Knights insignia is that of a silver shield topped by a shining, golden halo. This is said to depict the regiment's readiness to defend the Emperor of Mankind and all his glorious, sacred work that is the Imperium and its citizens. Many banners showing this honoured symbol are carried to battle by the commissars to bolster troop morale, to show them that their fight is for something bigger than themselves.