The Prosperitas Crusade and High Command

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Once, the Prosperitas Crusade was the entire reason for the Sector's existence, but several shameful performances from its leadership and the loss of multiple prominent Leaders have seen it lose the support of Terra and of the Prosperitas Nobility in recent years.

It endures, but its existence has long-hung on the knife edge, kept alive by skilled commanders. But with a resurgent Archenemy it becomes all the more important to the survival of the Sector. Without the forces of the Prosperitas Crusade dedicated to the liberation of the Sector from the grip of heresy and the expansion of the Imperium's frontier, the Prosperitas Sector would still be a cesspit of foul heretic cults and wayward xenos powers.

Five Things To Know About the Prosperitas Crusade

It is under-resourced. Fighting on the frontier of Imperial space the ships and equipment of the Prosperitas Crusade are far from the finest that the Imperium has to offer, many Regiments rely on local-made vehicles that the famous patterns of battle tanks found elsewhere in the Imperium, and many vessels are aging things often taken as prize-vessels during the taking of the sector.

It is stretched thin. It would nice to imagine the Prosperitas Crusade surrounding the frontiers of the Sector like an iron wall against the threats beyond, but this is fantasy. The Crusade is too few to cover every region and the sector vast enough for enemy fleets and raiding parties to slip through to attack vulnerable worlds defended only by system defences and PDF forces.

It is locally raised. It would be common in most Crusades to see forces raised from worlds well beyond the sector from famous worlds such as Harakon, Savlar, such storied regiments are not found in the Prosperitas Sector however and the majority of personnel are raised from worlds of the Prosperitas Sector.

It is a mark of pride to serve. Though many who serve in the enlisted ranks soon discover the brutal reality of Crusade service, the duty is still desired especially by many of Noble birth who can often 'purchase' a commission due to ancient rights of birth. To have served in the Crusade is a mark of status no matter your birth and many citizens desire it.

It is autonomous of the Prosperitas Administratum. Though it has had to fight off attempts by the nobility of the Prosperitas Sector to take control of it, the Crusade has traditionally been rigidly independent of the Sector Governor's Office and recently this has shielded it from internal strife between the ruling Houses of the sector.

An Overview of the Imperial Military

Though it can call on elite forces such as those of the Adepta Sororitas and the Adeptus Astartes, the Hammer and Sword of the Imperium are its Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy. These are ordinary men and women who fuel the massive war machine of the Imperium, conquering worlds, putting down rebellions and sometimes being called upon to deliver the ultimate sanctions. Without the Imperial Guard and Navy the Imperium would likely fall to pieces, because for all the legends of the might of the Emperors chosen warriors, alone of them the elite forces of the Imperium would be overwhelmed by its myriad foes.

Drawn from a billion worlds, across the Imperium, the Noble Regiments of the Imperial Guard are vast in number and range from whole units of technologically superior soldiers, to vast tribes of savages barely capable of maintaining the weaponry they are expected to carry into battle. The Imperium is a vast place, and many of the vast cultures are reflected in the bizarre variety of regiments within the Imperial Guard. To an outsider, in a galaxy of horrors, the Imperial Guard might seem like cannon fodder, but the truth is that many members of the Imperial Guard are the product of the elite of the militaries on their homeworld, the cream of the crop mustered to support the vast might of the Imperium's fighting forces.

The High Guard, the Void Nobility, the Imperial Navy is a culture unto itself, many of its Officers and Crew are born aboard the vast city-sized Battleships, and the leadership of many vessels is often determined by a combination of merit, breeding and heritage. Every ship has it's own community, and every Fleet its own culture. The Ships of the Imperium are truly deadly things, each carrying enough firepower to utterly destroy anything from a city, to an entire planet.

Coordinating the movement of the Imperial Navy and Guard, the Adeptus Munitorum are responsible for ensuring that logistics and strategies are in place to unify the movements of the Imperial Guard and Navy, with distances as vast as the Galaxy has, this is a near impossible task, and it is testament to the endless work of the Logisticians and Quartermasters of the Munitorum that the lines of supply have not completely collapsed.

A sub-division of the Adeptus Munitorum worth making note of, the Commissariat is responsible for ensuring the morale and loyalty of both the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Navy. Commissars are a breed of fanatical disciplinarians whose loyalty to the Emperor is often seen as unshakable, and the few Military Officers who hold rank and power over both Guard and Navy when it comes to matters of discipline, loyalty and morale.

The Purpose and Origins of the Prosperitas Crusade

When Jacinta Durovera first discovered the Prosperitas Sector it was beneath the rule of an enemy who raised the banner of the Arch-Heretic of Legend, Horus. The initial conquests of the Sector were far more motivated by the unbridled devout hatred of the Imperium for the unholy forces of the Archenemy as they were motivated by desires for territory. For the Imperium may claim every world in the Galaxy it does not concern itself with their occupation until there is a reason for it to. But as time went on and the Sector was carved at the frontiers of Imperial space the reasons for keeping the Crusade ongoing began to dwindle, the threats became mundane and too distant for Terra to care about any longer and the Prosperitas Crusade lost prominence, just another war front beyond the interest of the Lords of the Imperium, important only to locals.

The discovery of the Cadian Corridor however has raised the Sector's profile in petitions to the High Lords, this trade route into the vital fortress-sector of Cadia which defends against the horrors that emerge from the warp storm known as the Eye of Terror allows for a rapid flow of resources to support Cadia proper, should this route through the storms and eddies of this region ever close, it is sure that the Sector would once again be ignored by Holy Terra as just another light in the vast Empire that humanity has claimed.

The Warmaster

The rank of Warmaster is something of a cursed one in the Imperium, it is an ancient rank, giving an individual authority over all of the fighting forces of the Imperium - it is only ever bestowed in times of great need, or to establish a single united leadership for the massive military operations that are an Imperial Crusade. It is a role that balances political acumen against military leadership, and more often than not most Warmasters die long before they see the end of their Crusade. Such can be said for the Warmaster of the Prosperitas Crusade, of which there have been no fewer than ten individuals to hold that title, some have died in battle, some have been assassinated, some have resigned in shame after embarrassing failures but none have held the position for long

As of 595.M41 Sarina Khan, styled Warmaster Khan I, has held the post of Warmaster with the approval of the distant High Lords of Terra. Of native Ruwwad ethnicity, Khan is the first native of the Sector to hold the title of Warmaster and is considered by many to be too young for the post.

Her position is precarious, though, much like the Inquisition in the Prosperitas Sector: she has few trustworthy and loyal allies, many of those are of political convenience, and she has her enemies in the form of Traditionalist factions of Crusade High Command, and many other commanders who were once her peers.

Worse still, although it is not publicly acknowledged, the Nobility resent having someone in a position of supreme military power who is not one of them. Though they will court the new Warmaster they will have their knives out for her. None more so than House Durovera, who have taken Terra’s decision as an affront to their honour.

Without aid or allies, Khan could fall to treachery faster than the Archenemy can reach her.

The Ordos Prosperitas, has chosen to back Khan privately, and has instructed all Agents to cooperate with the Warmaster’s office to the best of their abilities.

Crusade High Command

It might be grumbled by the average trooper on the ground that the Officers of Crusade High Command are detached from the reality of the suffering that is to serve on the front lines of the grinding conflict that is the Prosperitas Crusade. The term 'Lions Led By Donkeys' might be bandied around by the ill-educated who seek to venerate the average trooper and denigrate the Officers who must consider the wider strategic position. It is popular to think that Crusade High Command treat human lives as a currency paid for victory, that the poor bloody Imperial Guard Trooper is not valued by their superiors as more than cannon fodder. But that is a fiction spread by recidivists and heretics who seek to undermine faith in their Superiors.

In truth the High Command of the Prosperitas Crusade respect the bloody prices that Ships and Regiments must pay in every battle, perhaps in this Sector more than most for with limited resources it behooves a good commander to preserve fighting strength where it can be found, each regiment has its roles and specialities, the Imperial Guard are not disposable forces but the best that their worlds have to offer the Crusade, and they are not squandered lightly.

Crusade High Command is made up of a staff of senior Generals, Admirals and their adjutant Officers supported by the grim-faced Commissariat that see to military law, discipline and morale, and the efficient Quartermasters of the Adeptus Munitorum who religiously seek to ensure that supplies are kept high and dispatched to the right units. As with any war front that covers multiple star systems there are bound to be inefficiencies, sometimes the wrong ship receives orders to go to the wrong front, sometimes a regiment receives las-packs unsuited to the pattern of lasgun they are issued with...these issues occur because of the scale of even a frontier campaign like the Prosperitas Crusade.

This is not to say that there are not issues with Crusade High Command, Officers drawn from the Noble Houses of the Prosperitas Sector find themselves torn between their loyalty to duty and their loyalty to House. Officers are relentlessly politicised, courted by various citizens who would seek to influence them. There is an ongoing battle for the soul of the Prosperitas Crusade and always those who would seek to bend it towards their influence and benefit. This is, in many ways, the duty of the senior members of the Commissariat, but that too has been riven in recent years by doubt and internal strife.

Crusade High Command along with the Warmaster are traditionally garrisoned on Polarnus Station where the Crusade has many of its stores and resources and where Fleets and Regiments are mustered and dispatched to the reaches of the Sector.

Other factions are represented in Crusade High Command, various emissaries of the Noble Houses lobby for attention when their worlds suffer the predation of Imperial foes, representatives of the three forges of the Mechanicus barter with the Departmento Munitorum over the correct cost of the supplies their worlds provide, and even the Adeptus Arbites has representation working closely with the Crusade to ensure that the internal law and order of the Sector is maintained behind the battle lines.

The grim Inquisitor Corvinus, current Inquisitor-Militant is the Ordos Prosperitas’ highest liaison to the Crusade, his offices are located on Polarnus Station alongside those of Crusade High Command. Agents wanting to present themselves to the Crusade are requested to liaise with his office before approaching High Command.

Defenders of the Prosperitas Sector

Defence of the Prosperitas Sector and prosecution of the Prosperitas Crusade takes immense manpower to achieve, though it can count upon a number of allied forces that have pledged their aid to the Crusade the Crusade cannot rely upon these entirely as their aid is granted and can be retracted at any time, to this end defence of the sector falls to several military forces.

The bulk of the Crusade's ground forces are found in the Loyal One Hundred, the Regiments raised from the best fighting forces the Prosperitas Sector has to offer to serve loyally within the Crusade. These are supported by the Void Nobility of the Imperial Navy who form the Battlefleet Prosperitas with their vast vessels.

But these are not the only defenders of the Prosperitas Sector as there are many regular forces who see to the defence of various worlds, these are the Planetary Defence Forces (or PDF) and the System Defence Fleets.

The composition of Planetary Defence Forces varies from world to world in the Prosperitas Sector, some are largely volunteer militia called up in times of strife and armed with surplus military equipment, others are more well coordinated and augmented so called 'House Guard' of the Noble Houses that rule a particular world. PDF forces are well equipped and capable of dealing with minor threats to their worlds but only on the most prominent worlds of the Prosperitas Sector can they be considered 'true' fighting forces. On most planets in the frontier of the Prosperitas Sector these forces are considered strategically little better than 'speed bumps' when facing planetary invasion.

Similarly less provisioned are the System Defence Fleets that defend each world, under-equipped and under resourced often with vessels converted from civilian craft to fulfill a military role the System Defence Fleets are supposed to protect worlds and in-system shipping from pirates, and to see that criminals such as smugglers cannot operate, to the great dishonour of such fleets most Imperial Governors rely on agreements with Privateers and Rogue Trader Captains to protect their worlds often ensuring ties to the Rogue Trader Houses if the Nobles that claim the world cannot provide their own fleets to protect their holdings.

To this end many worlds of the Prosperitas Sector rely on such agreements with 'mercenary' individuals to sustain law and order on their planets.

Other Forces

In the wake of the Temple uprising and Ecclesiarchy civil conflict that raged from 594-597.M41, the Battle Sisters of the Order of His Sanguine Tears found themselves hard-pressed to meaningfully contribute to the Prosperitas Crusade in any more than small numbers. Many in the Crusade hope that now the forces of the Fidelis Militia have been returned to Imperial control and the Ecclesiarchy's internal strife is over, the Sisters will once more return to battlefronts across the Sector.

The Astartes of the Void Hounds and Lions of Nemea are more reliable allies, though the latter seems to studiously avoid warfronts where the savage Hounds deploy their forces. Either through rivalry or some unknown history it seems the Lions are in no rush to meet their fellow Astartes on the battlefield, or otherwise. Neither Chapter seems to be present in significant enough numbers to deploy an awe-inspiring battle company, but even a squad of such warriors serves as a vital asset in these dark times.

The Skitarii, Titans and Knights that form the fighting forces of the Adeptus Mechanicus, have continued to operate largely at the whims of the Forges to which they pledge loyalty to - this makes them unreliable allies at best as their focuses have fallen upon supporting Explorator fleets where new discoveries have been made on the Prosperitas Frontier.

Polarnus

With Salient forces scattered by the Silence, it was Polarnus Station which held out as a beacon of hope when other worlds and stations failed. The Station has become the heart and soul of the Prosperitas Crusade, and is considered a safe haven by Guard and Navy alike. It is rare to find a Crusade unit who will not enthusiastically embrace the Sector's informal battle-cry, Polarnus Stands.

Notable Figures of the Prosperitas Crusade

Warmaster Sarina Khan is the Warmaster of the Prosperitas Crusade. As an Admiral, Khan was a brilliant but eccentric commander, favouring lightning-fast decisions and reversals of strategy to confuse the enemy. Her detractors say that she was promoted too early – she was a Commodore only a few years ago – and that she delegates too much to her subordinates. Her loyal generals and Navy Captains revel in the freedom she gives them to carry out her missions in whatever way they see fit. In 595.M41 Khan, styled Warmaster Khan I, was granted the post of Warmaster with the approval of the distant High Lords of Terra. Of native Ruwwad ethnicity, Khan is the first native of the Sector to hold the title of Warmaster and is considered by many to be too young for the post.

Her position is precarious, she has few trustworthy and loyal allies, many of those are of political convenience, and she has her enemies in the form of Traditionalist factions of Crusade High Command and many other commanders who were once her peers. Worse still, although it is not publicly acknowledged, the Nobility resent having someone in a position of supreme military power who is not one of them. Though they will court the new Warmaster they will have their knives out for her - none more so than House Durovera, who have taken Terra’s decision as an affront to their honour.

Despite these threats, Khan has done her best to plot and plan a strategy to see the Crusade to victory.

Warmaster-Emeritus Dragos Ulian, the third Warmaster to hold the title, was a legendary commander from the early 300s until the Lash of the Eye devastated Subsector Quartus in 331.M41. He vanished along with his flagship, the Lion of Terra, and hundreds of other Imperial vessels lost to the Warp-Storm. Miraculously, both vessel and Warmaster - presumed dead for more than two centuries - were recovered by an Imperial Navy expedition in 595.M41. Since his recovery, he has acted as an advisor and morale ambassador to Warmaster Khan. His legendary status makes him a touchstone of hope for Crusade forces across the Sector.

Admiral Ridea Holz is the Director of Naval Intelligence. Holz is a shadowy figure. She favours deception and surgical strikes on key Archenemy command nodes, and has an utterly ruthless dedication to safeguarding the secrecy of her plans and the information security of the Crusade. In person, Admiral Holz is reportedly polite, charming and humble, but the lack of publicly available information on her previous career – coupled with a tendency for her political rivals to suffer embarrassing or lethal accidents – makes her fellow commanders extremely nervous in her company. She is responsible for the eponymous 'Holz Protocol' that implemented military rule on several vital worlds of the Prosperitas Sector. Once a salient commander, she now is the official Director of Naval Intelligence and sits at the side of Warmaster Khan as one of the most powerful commanders in the Prosperitas Crusade.

Lord-General Militant Ruprecht Janus is Aide-de-Camp to the Warmaster. A dogmatic, perfectionist officer, Janus is infamous for poor relations with his officers; while in command, he refused to give them the freedom to act independently, requiring that every minor engagement and routine transport mission be executed to his precise and exacting specifications. He is known to deliver harsh punishments to those found wanting. General Ruprecht’s mother, Heta Janus, was a famous war hero under the previous Warmaster who died while personally leading a suicide charge on an enemy General’s command vehicle. Since being retired from salient Command he has been kept in Crusade High Command as an 'advisor' - although many know that Warmaster Khan is eager to reassign him away from a command role, perhaps as the commandant of a military academy.

General Adora Astara is a senior commander in the Crusade. General Astara made a notable departure when she was under the command of Lord-General Militant Janus by seizing the initiative and pushing the Henlock front in late 593.M41; the pedantic Lord-General Janus was left fuming at her temerity. Adora is charismatic and incredibly popular with both Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy personnel. She favors the use of a Capitol Imperialis-class landcrawler, the Virtutem Gladii, as her headquarters, maintaining a close presence to the front lines. Since the opening of the Machine War on Henlock she has earned the favour of Warmaster Khan, who, after seeing her performance, nominated General Astara commander of the Cerastes Salient of the Prosperitas Crusade. Inspiring, young, and full of ideas, her good assets are tempered a little by a reputation for being hot-headed and a bit of a technophile - her forces are well-equipped, but some of that technology is untested and dangerous.

Commodore Haridax Kirill, the Void Wolf, is a former pirate brought under the wing of Warmaster Khan many years ago. Kirill has a dread reputation among Naval commanders: he is seen as the enforcer of the Warmaster and few dare speak against him, despite his chequered past. Kirill is seen as the long arm of the Warmaster, directing the fighting in the Jaculus Salient. He favours, as she does, the same unorthodox tactics that saw her rise so meteorically in the ranks of the Crusade. Many irregular and unusual formations operate under his Salient command, and he has demonstrated his knowledge of the pirate havens and secret passages of the Prosperitas Sector to great effect when leading forces on his Salient.

Vice-Admiral Rycus Frolan is a Naval officer of classic breeding, who straddles the line between the Traditionalist factions of the Crusade and the newer philosophies of officers like Warmaster Khan. Frolan fancies himself a warrior-philosopher, and has dedicated his life to revisiting the great works of the Imperial military. Of all the Salient commanders, he is the most ambitious, and would dearly love to be Warmaster one day. By reputation, Frolan favours more traditional troop formations and to him falls the fighting on the Hydros Salient. Many view Frolan as a compromise appointment; favoured by Traditionalist individuals like Lord-General Militant Janus, he is the Warmaster's one acquiescence to her rivals.

Admiral Denita Chandier is Commandant and de-facto ruler of Polarnus Station; she maintains command over the various scattered Crusade elements based there, as well as remnants of Fleet Arm Geryon limping home, defence ships from Kydos that refused to surrender to di Firro rule, and many others. A considerable if ragtag fleet has gathered under her command.

Colonel Giancarlo Firenze is the Hero of Persephon IV. A native of the once-bountiful Agri-World, the former veterinarian volunteered for the Guard when Waagh! Gazbag descended upon his home planet, and distinguished himself in service as a Medicae over the many years of gruelling war against the Greenskins. When Warmaster Armelius Durovera's reticence to engage left Persephon’s forces unsupported, the then-Major spent the wilderness years lobbying Crusade High Command for further support, culminating in being trapped aboard during the 592-593.M41 siege of Polarnus Station. With the recovery of artifacts of St Leonidas of Persephon at the breaking of the siege, Firenze ultimately returned to the planet at the head of a rallied force of the Persephonian diaspora and other faithful citizens. Since them, he has been hailed as a role model of the dutiful Guardsman across the sector, and his face plastered across posters and pict-films to inspire similar deeds of tenacity and virtue. In 595 the Colonel retired from public life, a War Hero to be remembered.

Captain-General Brianna Twine [missing since 592.M41] was an aggressive, idealistic commander from old aristocratic stock. She earned her stars as the commander of a Leman Russ tank regiment, and had the reputation for carefree arrogance typical of a senior cavalry officer. She is currently missing in action, believed killed or captured by Weeping Eye forces during the Fleet’s disastrous counter-attack during the occupation of Polarnus Station.

Commissar Demelza Quinn is the Governor of St Sebastian's Redoubt, since orchestrating a rebellion in 597.M41 which overthrew a Templar occupation led by Arch-Militant Scyre Parnassus. Rumour has it that the Officio Praefectus intend to bestow the rank of Lord Commissar for her prevention of yet another case of potentially devastating corruption of a Schola class by heretical agents.