Catachan Devil (Warhammer 40,000)

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Rough Riders - Catachans have been known to field unique Rough Rider units. These Jungle Fighters ride into war mounted atop one of the mighty giant reptiles native to the Catachan jungle. The very factors that shape the Catachans into such exceptional warriors also leave them proud, aggressive and insular. Individuality is prized amongst the Catachan infantry regiments, known as Jungle Fighters, and only a handful of traditions are treated as sacrosanct, such as the wearing of red bandanas that symbolise the blood oath sworn by each newly founded regiment. Catachan is one of the most notorious Death Worlds in the Imperium, and its planet-wide jungles are lethal beyond reason. Yet despite the exceptionally perilous nature of the Catachan ecosystem, the servants of the Emperor inhabit this vast world in surprising numbers. Common to all the soldiers of the Catachan regiments are their red bandanas, which are a symbol of the blood-oath that every warrior takes when he joins a regiment and a steel-alloy Combat Knife. A well-honed Catachan combat blade is not only a tool and weapon amongst these soldiers, but also a sign of status.

At night, from Cerbera base, the jungle was lit by hundreds of blazing fires. The screams of dying Greenskins rang out over the howls and hoots of jungle beasts. Most of the troops stationed in Cerbera learned to sleep through this horrendous noise over several painful solar weeks.Catachan IV Regiment - The Catachan IV took part in the Macharian Crusade with varying success. The IV Catachan was wiped out during the invasion of Jucha. Entire regiments may be drawn from small geographical areas. It is not uncommon for many squads to be made up of men related to each other. Cousin fights alongside cousin, brother alongside brother and quite often all serve under an uncle or, in rare circumstances, a grandfather. These close-knit structures have resulted in levels of trust and teamwork that are virtually unparalleled within the Imperial Guard. Shambling Mamorphs of the volcano lands are tough fighters and put up a good fight even against the Catachan Devil. [18]

The myth of Guardsman Marbo has become legendary amongst the Catachan Jungle Fighter regiments, although their tradition of exaggeration is equally well-known. On Pardus it is said that Marbo destroyed an enemy armoured convoy by booby­-trapping an entire ravine, while on Sask's World he captured Command Post Four-Twelve single-handed, slaying the alien leader and all of its tentacled bodyguards with his bare hands (and, it is later said, a ration tin). Each regiment raised is exchanged with the Departmento Munitorum for much-needed medical and military supplies. These in turn allow the Catachan settlements to maintain their daily fight for life. This arrangement has stood for thousands of standard years, and though the Catachans bleed more than most for the Imperium of Man, they would have it no other way.Though their planet's predators, plant life, air, soil and water are all inimical to Human life, these natural warriors not only survive, but maintain a population high enough to raise dozens of new Astra Militarum regiments every year. Though little production occurs in these rough survivalists' few permanent fortified settlements, Catachan is rich in resources it trades for essential goods. Thes einclude bio-specimens, exotic vegetation, toxins and rare chemicals and, above all, the native Catachans themselves, for they are perhaps the most worthy component of their world's tithe to the Imperium. Veteran Assault Teams - Second only to the Catachan Devil Squads themselves, these groups are formed from the bravest and most "Gung Ho" of the regiment's warriors. Assault Teams take the fight directly to the enemy, they bear the brunt of the bloody combat that often occurs in jungle fighting and so are heavily armed with Frag Grenades, Demolition Charges, Flamers, Meltas and Plasma Guns. These fearsome teams consist of a Veteran Sergeant and three to six Catachan Veteran Guardsmen. The world of Catachan was colonised by Humans many Terran millennia ago during the Dark Age of Technology, long before the Imperium was established. When the first exploratory probes arrived in its star system, the planet was a deceptive, calm green orb when scrutinised from orbit, but when the first colony ships crash-landed on the jungle planet and the colonists had no way to escape, they discovered themselves to have arrived on one of the harshest and most dangerous planetary ecosystems in the galaxy. Marbo gained further renown as one of the few survivors who fought during the Dark Eldar incursion on Galabad. The small garrison of Guardsmen stationed on the planet were greatly outnumbered by the vast xenos horde, and were eventually overrun. Many Imperial historians recount the horrific details of long, dark nights of torture, in which the Catachan prisoners were dismembered whilst Wyches and Mandrakes bathed in the blood of their victims. It was Colonel Traupman who led the rescue force that eventually found Sly Marbo, standing alone and armed only with a knife, covered from head to toe in alien blood. Marbo was surrounded by destroyed vehicles, piles of alien bodies and the head of the Dark Eldar's Archon impaled on a spike behind him.