Hello everyone this is my first poste and some background fluff for my soon to be imperial guard regiment the Neronian Snowguard. I plan to use armageddon miniatures for them but as this may prove to costly this can change. So for some fluff I'll first upload a bit of history of the regiments homeworld: Neron. Please note my native tongue isn't English so please excuse any spelling and grammar mistakes. Please enjoy and comment. Useful critic is always welcome
History:
When first discovered Neron was a planet not dissimilar from Terra, with one major exception: the large deposits of a radioactive ore that while being an excellent energy source was somewhat unstable. When the adminastratum noticed Nerons almost perfect climate and large mineral resources it didn’t take long before the planet was transformed in a forge/hive world. Like the legendary world of Armageddon Neron began turning out tanks and other equipment for use in the Emperors glorious army. The planet never became the polluted wasteland that Armageddon was however. Using the radioactive ore, named Nuclus, as their main power source the Neronians kept pollution to a minimum.
Ygulthmar, one of the largest hive on the planet, was famous for its research and innovative use of Nuclus. In the deep vaults of the hive Neron scientists worked on illegal experiments to increase the productivity of Nuclus reactors. It was a disaster waiting to happen. Although the exact cause remains a mystery to this day, fact is a disaster took place on the six hundred sixty-six day in the eight hundred eighty eights year after the discovery of Neron. An incredible explosion tore through the underside of Ygulthmar setting of a chain reaction when it reached the power generators of the city. Ygulthmar was wiped from the face of Neron leaving only a deep crater. At the bottom of which lay a crackling sphere of warp energy.
Almost overnight the sun was blocked out of the Neron sky. For a hundred years the dust from the explosion covered the world. During these dark times, as they became known among the local populace, other darker things started to change: dark creatures were spotted around the crater and the Arbites noticed an explosive increase in the number of chaos related cults on the planet. Another mystery that surrounds Neron was the fact that the planet was completely erased from Imperial records. Then one day, a hundred years after the explosion of Ygulthmar, the reactors of most other hives went up in blazes. This was coupled by a general unrest in all major populated areas. Although none of the explosion had the same destructive result of Ygulthmar. The hives were destroyed and only a handful of scattered outposts and villages remained.
The already hardened man and women of Neron became focused on only one thing: survival. Using radiation suites from old laboratories and other places, the hardened inhabitants try to scratch a life out the snow and ice. The humans lived a nomadic life, continually hunted by mutants and other ravenous creatures. Civilisation and comfort were far beyond them. This continued for many years. Until one tribe, known as the snowfoxes, discovered an abandoned military compound stocked with weapons and armoured transports. Using what available data there was the snowfoxes discovered how to operate and maintain the transports and other equipment they found. No longer were the humans the hunted but the hunters. Finding new bases using the charts from their first discovery the snowfoxes became a rallying point for the scattered tribes. It wasn’t long before Neron was unified under the flag of the snowfoxes.
Soon, their was once again civilisation on Neron. Centred around those compounds, outposts or bases that had survived the dark times and everything else. These bases became known as oasis, with each oasis selecting a ‘caretaker’ who basically had unlimited authority when it came to things concerning the oasis. The Neronians prospered. Within a few years there was a government called the confederacy of oasis. The caretaker of each oasis would act as a representative for the council of caretakers. The council decided about things concerning the whole of Neron. Under direct control of the council were the Voluntary Expedition Forces. The VEF were tasked by the council with guarding the oasis’s and finding and retrieving supplies and other things of value from the icy wastes and frozen ruins. Using the chimera transport and clad in hazard suits to guard against the temperature and radiation.
After nearly a thousand year since the first oasis was discovered, contact was re-established with the Imperium. An VEF expedition under the command of Sebastian Astir discovered an ancient transmission station in the ruins of hive Raknarock. The expedition was under heavy attack from mutants and chaos spawns. They desperately tried to contact the council or anybody else. Whether by accident or design they raised a nearby cruiser from the Imperium instead. An excerpt of the communiqués:
‘This is Sebastian Astir of the VEF, we’re under heavy assault from multiple sides and are in desperate need for reinforcements. Please respond Asgard oasis!’
‘This is the imperial cruiser Emperors Mercy please identify yourself.’
‘This is colonel Sebastian Astir of the VEF, who is this. What Imperium?’
At this point a commanding voice, identified as Archibald Pipsqueak captain of the Emperors Mercy, asks what the com officer is doing. The officer can be heard telling the captain that he has raised an unidentified signal. Captain Archibald proceeds to handle communications from this point.
‘This is captain Archibald Pipsqueak from the Emperors Mercy. To who do you answer, colonel?’
‘To the council of caretakers and the father god.’
Whatever captain Archibald thoughts were at this point are unknown. Fact is that he had discovered a planet, which didn’t belong to the Imperium and which, apparently, was infested with mutants. He wasted no time and set course to the origins of the strange signal. When he arrived at the planet he was surprised to find that the signal was still sending. He ordered the Guard detachment on board to prepare for a emergency drop. The mission would be a search and rescue.
The entire Caenir 313th heavy infantry was dropped and began the descent through five kilometres of ice to Sebastian and his man. The 313th was constantly plagued by attacks from mutants and other even more hideous things. Even worse the standard subzero kit of the 313th wasn’t able to deal with the extreme cold of Neron. Nearly fifty percent of the regiment died from hypothermia and many more lost limbs to frostbite. When they caught up with Sebastian and his man both groups were thinned down to a shade of their former selves and the survivors were weak and fatigued. Fortunately they stumbled across an old tunnelling machine used to mine the ore. The enginseers of the 313th were able to get the ancient machine running. Followed by a score of other vehicles, mainly chimera’s and leman russes, the tunneler bored its way to the surface.
When they were out of the immediate danger it was time for questions and answers. Captain Pipsqueak transported down to the surface and together with the commander of the guard commander: Brigadier-general Hayes started talks with the council for the inclusion of Neron in the Imperium. The council agreed seeing this as a chance to greatly increase their supplies of medicine and food and better the standard of living for the Neronians. Within a year Neron was under Imperial rule and a governor was installed. Missionaries were sent to the planet and began to convert the populace, generally meshing the old religion with that of the holy Emperor. Their was however the matter of tithe, Neron had barely enough resources to support itself let alone export them. It was therefore decided to sent the only resource available: men. The hard life on Neron provided soldiers who by the time of their recruiting were more veteran than most guard regiments. This combined with the disciplined life of the oasis’s made for excellent soldiers.
