Castellan Draco Click to enlarge

raco first rose to prominence as part of Marshal Ludoldus' Sword Brethren during the bitter Vinculus Crusade. A once-mighty Inquisitor Lord, Vinculus had fallen and succumbed to the ways of the heretic and the Daemon worshipper. Both the Black Templars and the Battle Sisters of the Order of the Bloody Rose, who had been the Inquisitor's former allies, combined to crush the cancer of Vinculus' treachery before it could spread. They finally cornered the arch-traitor in the volcano-mines of the Pelergon IV, with Draco leading the Sword Brethren in assaulting the heart of the heretic's power. In Vinculus' blasphemous temple, hidden deep within the mine network, the Astartes and the Battle Sisters encircled the enemy so none could escape. For hours, Draco and his battle-brothers held the breach against waves of blood-cultists and their mutated beasts. Eventually though, even the mighty Black Templars began to fall. The survivors became ever more zealous in their fury, determined to hold until the last. It was then that the Khornate Daemon that wore Vinculus' flesh came forth to destroy the blood-soaked champions. In the brutal battle that followed, the terrible Daemon slew the remaining Sword Brethren only to fall at last with Draco's blade piercing its black heart. With the death of their master the cultists fled into disarray and their resistance collapsed, as did the walls of the temple. The Black Templars and Sororitas made short work of purging the outer galleries of the tainted filth and it was Marshall Ludoldus himself who fought his way to the breach where Draco's brave band had fought. Draco's smashed and broken body, burned by the fires of the Warp and shattered by the stones of the fallen temple, was recovered miraculously still alive from the ruins. He was carried with great reverence back to the Marshal's strike cruiser and heralded as a living paragon of righteousness.

"Heralded as a living paragon
of righteousness."

Slowly and painfully reconstructed with the finest bionics the Chapter's apothecaries could devise, Draco was bestowed with the rank of Castellan and given a relic suit of the Chapter's finest armour. This suit was his badge of honour, and Draco was further recognised when presented with the former Inquisitor's blade as a mark of gratitude from the Ordo Hereticus.

Since then, Draco's career has gone from strength-to-strength. He has earned both the respect of his peers and much glory, leading numerous heroic boarding action in the Isaac Cluster Pirate Wars and against the splinters of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Currently, he is charged with his own independent command, leading a crusading force of his brethren against the incursions of the xenos Tau.

SCENARIO: ASSAULT ON TOWNSHIP 7
PLANET ETORRAS – EASTERN FRINGE

Castellan Draco and his Black Templars have been charged with conducting punishment raids against human colonies that have fallen under the alien influence of the Tau. The assault on settlement of Alpha 7 illustrated here represents one such conflict where the Tau have managed to respond in force to the incursion, aided by the by the legendary Commander O'Shova.

One side is designated as the attacker and the other as the defender. Both players should roll a D6 – the player who scores highest may choose which to be.

Historical Re-fight: If you are playing this scenario as a historical re-enactment, you should use armies of 2,000 points. The Black Templars, led by Castellan Draco, will always be the attackers, while the Tau, led by Commander Farsight (including his special rules for army selection), are always the defenders.

Play the Seek and Destroy mission from page 82 of the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook and include the following rule for all scenario levels.

Dust Storm: Due to the nature of the planet and its erratic orbit, it is often beset by violent dust storms that scour the very surface of the world, forcing the inhabitants to take cover in shelters. These storms have been known to last for days at a time or even disappear as suddenly as they started. Indeed, it was these storms that were responsible for delaying much of the Imperial forces present on the surface.

Roll a dice at the beginning of each players turn. On the roll of a 4+ the rules for Night Fight (page 84, Warhammer 40,000 rule book) will be used for that players turn as all visibility is lost as the sand storms lash the surface of the planet. All skimmers, Jetbikes, jump infantry and jet pack troops must make a Dangerous Terrain test if they move as the sand clogs jet intakes and plays havoc with gravitic engines.

SPECIAL EDITION MINIATURE

Castellan Draco is a special edition miniature available for the Black Templars from the Online Store. In limited supply, be sure to add yours to your collection, while stocks last!

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