Iron Sultanate
When the Infidels opened the thrice-cursed Gate to Jahannam, unleashing Gog and Magog upon Those Who Believe, it seemed that all was lost and Shay ān would emerge victorious over Dunya. But the Creator of the Universe came to the aid of the Believers, and as had been written, the great Iron Wall of Dhu al-Qarnayn manifested itself in the lands ruled by the Sultan of Rûm.
A call was sent to Those Who Believe righteously, and over the coming decades, the migration of all Believers, second in importance only to the Hijrah of the Prophet himself, took place across Europa, Asia, and Africa. Millions perished on the road and at sea, for the Heretics and their Shayān lords swarmed them as locusts swarm fields of ripe sesame, devouring them and raising vile monuments and statues from their limbs and heads, so they could not be buried as is decreed in the Holy texts. Yet once all those who survived the journey had come, the mighty Gates of al-Qarnayn were closed, and the Great Sultanate of the Invincible Iron Wall of the Two Horns that Pierce the Sky was formed.
The assaults of the slaves of Jahannam against the Sultanate have never ceased since. Each day, new martyrs are mourned as they defend the Wall and confront the Heretics who have overcome its defences. Within the walls, lost knowledge flourishes, and from mosques of white marble and gold, the muezzin call, summoning the Believers to pray for the Sultan’s army as it struggles to protect the lands within the wall and defend the caravan trails that provide the Sultanate with vital trade goods.
The assaults of the slaves of Jahannam against the Sultanate have never ceased since. Each day, new martyrs are mourned as they defend the Wall and confront the Heretics who have overcome its defences. Within the walls, lost knowledge flourishes, and from mosques of white marble and gold, the muezzin call, summoning the Believers to pray for the Sultan’s army as it struggles to protect the lands within the wall and defend the caravan trails that provide the Sultanate with vital trade goods.
The protection of the Iron Wall has had an extensive influence on the Sultanate’s way of war. The conscripted Azebs are experts at feigned flight and skirmish, while the loping Lions of Jabir harass the enemy flanks. All the while, the superb artillery of the Sultan bombards the enemy as they make their tortuous journey across a battlefield littered with traps set by the skilled Sappers. When they reach the ranks of the righteous, the Janissaries, the Sultan’s elite household troops, close in and finish the enemy with a devastating counter-charge led by their iron-willed officers. Dreaded Assassins from Alamut prowl in the winds of time, striking at enemy elites and leaders, while the Alchemists of the House of Wisdom unleash devastating weapons made deadly by their elemental mastery, capable of overcoming the defences of virtually any foe.
Beyond the Iron Wall, forces of the Sultan operate in small, mobile companies, each with a particular mission to accomplish. They hunt down apostates that have gone to serve Shay ān, look for relics from the time of the prophets, and seek to recover lost treasures and books of knowledge from the ruins of fallen Caliphates. Though an understanding between the Church and the Sultanate exists, the commanders of these expeditions will tolerate no interference and do not hesitate to crush those who would hinder their mission. Resentment against the Infidels who released Gog and Magog runs deep in the Sultanate, and matters of honour are swiftly resolved with duels to the death. Woe to those who dare to hinder the mission of Those Who Believe.
Captains
Elite
Infantry
Shovel
| Range | Melee |
Battlefield shovels allow troops to dig in and fight from cover in virtually any battlefield.
Mercenaries
Battlefield Vivisection
Standard Armour
-1 INJURY MODIFIER
With the advancements in metallurgy and technology, both Faithful and Heretic armies are well-equipped with suits of alloy armour that can withstand an impact from a bullet or turn aside the sharpest of blades. Standard armour is usually massproduced, but highly effective even against high-calibre weapons.
Gas Grenades
| Range | 8" |
GRENADE, ASSAULT, GAS, IGNORE ARMOUR, IGNORE COVER, IGNORE LONG RANGE, -1 INJURY DICE, BLAST 3"
Gas grenades are insidious weapons, attacking the lungs and other internal organs with noxious fumes. Devil alchemists of the Fifth Circle are especially clever in creating these fiendish and hated weapons.
Vivisector
| Range | Melee |
| Hands | 2 Hands (Melee) |
CUMBERSOME, BLOCK
This weapon offers both excellent protection by keeping the targets at bay, and its haft incorporates a trigger that injects a horrifying cocktail of holy ointments, chemical toxins, nerve agents and micro-shards of holy relics into any open wound, causing pain that is unbearable to even supernatural enemies. It can also be used to quickly dissect fallen enemies so their organs can be preserved by the Combat Biologist.
Faith is not a passive instrument in the theatre of the Great War, rather it is one that is strengthened, sharpened by knowledge and experience. For the Faithful, Combat Biologists are one of the many whetstones upon which this sharpening occurs, travelling to the miseries of No Man’s Land to capture the enemies of the Almighty, or yield as much data as possible from their corpses. This research helps to manufacture new weapons to turn against the foes of the Church and the Sultanate, with no sinner or hellbeast being beyond the reach of the Combat Biologist’s toxinlaced vivisector.
Combat Biologists are members of the Pontifical Office of Biological warfare, or in the case of the Sultanate, the Al-Bisţāmī School of Ninety-Nine Names, which trains some failed Alchemist apprentices in a similar fashion. These scholars specialise in battlefield vivisections and collecting samples of the most powerful servants of Hell so they can be studied, in the hopes of finding ways to develop weapons capable of driving the servants of the Pit back to the darkness.
Due to their training, hypnotic conditioning and constant exposure to captured specimens, the Combat Biologist enters a battle trance when faced with creatures that normally induce fear in ordinary troopers. They wield vivisectors, polearm blade weapons that combine sophisticated biological warfare agents and the functional brutality of trench warfare.
Jezzail
| Range | 18" |
| Hands | 2 Hands (Ranged) |
These long arms are by far the most common weapons carried by the soldiers of the Sultanate of the Great Iron Wall. Their barrels are smoothbore, which limits their accurate range, but this is more than made up for by the fact that this allows them to be loaded with different types of alchemical ammunition made by the Jabirean Alchemists.
Alchemical Ammunition
Jabirean Alchemists craft these jezzail bullets from the slivers of the Iron Wall. Each such shot is carved with the Seal of Solomon, guiding it with divine aim to its target.
Reinforced Armour
-2 INJURY MODIFIER
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
Combat Helmet
NEGATE SHRAPNEL
The simple combat helmet has proven its value on the battlefield time and again.
| Choose One of the Following |
|---|
| Trench Polearm and Trench Shield |
| Sword / Axe and Pistol / Revolver |
| Mamluk Greatsword |
Combat Helmet
NEGATE SHRAPNEL
The simple combat helmet has proven its value on the battlefield time and again.
Reinforced Armour
-2 INJURY MODIFIER
Reinforced armour is a master-crafted suit made individually for the most important and elite troops. Each one is richly decorated and often carries the personal device of the warrior who wears it.
Armoury
Variants
Promotions
