Tetuanis Mechanized Infantry

Uniform	Imperial Guard Regiment		Miniature
	Name:	Tetuanis Mechanized Infantry
	Homeworld:	Tetuanis
	Specialties:	Lightning Warfare and Accuracy
	Regiment Type:	Mechanized Mixed
	Appearance:	Urban Grey Fatigues, Light Blue Armor, Dark Leather

Overview

Tetuanis Mechanized Infantry are regiments of the Imperial Guard from the Hive World Tetuanis. Located deep in subsector Confedus, Tetuanis nonetheless has experienced strife and as a result has a strong martial culture with regiments steeped in tradition.

Recruitment and Training

Most standard guardsmen come from the best of the PDF of the hives of Tetuanis, with some volunteering. Others are conscripted by bad luck, others to avoid sentencing, and some are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Regardless of how they joined, all guardsmen go through basic four month training. After basic, most are shipped to warzones, but those who volunteered or impressed training officers can be selected for advanced training. Advanced training teaches enhanced tactics and primes the trooper to become a veteran one day. Advanced training is brutal, with a non negligible rate of casualties for every class, but those who survive may very well earn a place in 1st or 2nd company. With that comes not only a stronger chance for survival with greater support, but better living conditions, food that isn't recycled corpses, and more common luxuries like plentiful recaf and lho sticks. Press gangers lay on the other end, with few guardsmen even bothering to learn their name due to the high likelihood of their death.

Conscripts

Conscripts (Feeder Regiment also known as Pluvium) are drafted populace that utilize sanitized bleached helmets, drab khaki surplus fatigues(zandri dust, agrax,  & tyrant skull) with sanitized bleached armor ( grey seer, and whitescar). They must have at least one confirmed kill and survive two battles to earn their Tetuanis master regiment's colors and markings. Rarely, a conscript can impress their NCOs and earn regimental markings by holding the line or otherwise going above and beyond what they expect from conscripted squads to earn a promotion before mission completion. Multiple conscript squads are attached to a single commissar, who is quick to execute any who falter. Although relatively useless against the stronger foes of nurgle, conscripts make useful stopgaps to either hold the line or, for the more desperate commanders, tie up enemy units to protect more valuable assets. Conscripts are generally used on defensive missions, but occasionally will be brought on an offensive mission if either a meatgrinder is expected or the area denial their large numbers bring would prove useful. During a liberation campaign, conscript regiments will impress local citizens to replace losses sustained during the campaign. The press gangers are put through rushed training, handed excess conscript or requisitioned PDF armor and weapons, and assigned to guard low importance targets. Even low importance targets are frequently attacked, and casualties among press gangers routinely exceed 95%. Any that survive a campaign are officially inducted as pluvium, given standard conscript armor and treated as a normal conscript. Although exceedingly rare, it is possible for a press ganger to impress command elements enough to warrant immediate promotion to Guardsmen. Generally this is reserved for the most brave and courageous, for example, holding a position against overwhelming enemy superiority without breaking. Any who are brave enough to earn this right are immediately inducted into 8th company, and are watched closely to see if they could serve in a more specialized role as shock troopers or specialists. Pluvium are assigned to a conscript regiment which is in turn 'slaved' to a proper regiment to serve them as needed. Feeder regiments are given temporary designations and rarely carry a name for longer than a few battles.

Penal Troops

Sometimes, in lieu of being judged, a prisoner can elect or be assigned to serve in a penal unit. These units are part of the feeder regiment, and are kept in line with explosive collars controlled by a commisar, NCO, or the pluvium commander. Wearing orange prison jumpsuits, penal troops are used where pluvium would be exceedingly wasteful, either minefield clearing or temporarily delaying a vicious foe. The mortality is incredibly high, but those that survive two campaigns are given a full pardon and inducted into an experienced company. Very few ever make it that far, with the 812th only having one that ever received a pardon.

Veteran Squads

Veteran squads were originally mostly comprised of survivors from the regiments involved in the invasion of Hive City Hyacinthum during the Great Rift Heresy, and veterans continue their tradition by being survivors, bringing their experience to maximize the value they provide. Veteran Squads are marked by special markings unique to their company, and all receive a Golden Aquila instead of a silver. Over time, this 'gold' fades to factory silver, which serves as an informal indicator of the squads experience. Veteran squads are given a large amount of leeway with normal standards, with squad dress regulations and organization determined by the Company Command.

Equipment

Tetuanis Guards Regiments are supplied with Kantrael Pattern MGXII Lasguns, Filimars Pattern IEV Laspistols, and standardized flak armor and fatigues though there are some variations dependent on regiment and theater. A wide range of vehicles are utilized by Tetuanis Mechanized Regiments, including standard vehicles like Leman Russ Tanks, Chimeras, and Sentinels, but also more rare vehicles like Colossus Bombards and Cyclops Demolition Vehicles.

Bionics

Though not as advanced as those used by higher ranked members of the Imperium, the most experienced soldiers and officers of the Tetuanis Mechanized Infantry are occasionally augmented. This is always in an effort to save their life for future service versus an efficacy augment.  Bionics have become an informal reference to see who's served in combat the most, for those who have fought many battles it's common to see mismatched bionic limbs. Still, outside of the highest ranking officers, bionics are chosen for quantity over quality and they are just enough to bring the guardsmen back to operational status.

Purity Seals

Awarded by attached Ministorum Priests (to the individual) or by techpriests (to the weapon/device itself) either by their own volition or at the request of a commander, purity seals are common amongst the most faithful or experienced guardsmen or most venerable equipment. Generally affixed to either their weapon (when the weapon's machine spirit is venerated due to a long term of service, especially in plasma or melta weaponry), or the armor of the guardsmen.

Regimental and Company Standard

A source of pride and symbol of faith for a regiment and its companies, each regiment and each company was granted a standard during the regiment's formation. Passed down from commander to commander, the standard is unique to that particular company and will generally follow the same format, a large T for Tetuanis, with company number in the lower left of the T and C in the lower right. Underneath the T is the regimental number, with the backside of the flag having a company symbol.

Elite platoons may also have a Platoon standard granted for great deeds by regiment command, but these are wholly unique and don't follow a particular layout. The standard is normally carried by the company or Platoon commander or a designated bearer that the commander designates, but some vehicle companies will fasten the flag onto their lead or a bearer tank.

Refractor Fields

A mark of major status, refractor fields worn by the 812th's officers normally come from one of two sources - awarded by Eternum sector command as a recognition for exemplary service (or good political connections), or as a gift from Eternum's Inquisitorial conclave (awarded to those who the Lord Inquisitor or his underlings see value in). Ironically it is the Inquisitors who have less pomp and circumstance for the award, and their bequethal is merely accompanied by the Inquisitor who nominated the officer and said officer sharing a Knight Lho stub over a game of regicide and reinforcing that the officer must be willing to sacrifice all his pawns for victory. The sector command award is a festival in of itself, with large number of nobles from across the sector attending the ceremony (and the political battle before and after during feasts and introductions) politicking with the rising star officer to try to curry future favors. A last option for earning their refractor field exists, and it is comprised of those either of noble lineage or popular enough to garner planetary attention in the betting wargame (where nobles bet thrones on outcomes of actions and battles)-a well off family who risked a large amount of thrones may invest in their choice by sending them archeotech and other rare goodies they have accumulated over the millenia. Officers who earn their field this way are not eager to share that fact, and either hide it or come up with a cover story to maintain their image and avoid looking like a pet of the nobles.

Infantry Markings

All guardsmen will have the identifier regimental marker on the left shoulder, and command elements have the regimental command number (founding number-skull-regimental number). Command elements generally persist through reforming, thus they do not utilize the iteration identifier. Conscripts (Pluvium) do not have any regimental markings or status identifiers outside of their default uniforms. Standard guard squads have a squad marking symbol on the right shoulder, with some squads painting the symbol different colors to represent their role and ease identification. The marking varies by company, with some using a colored club symbol, and others using a number or letter. Veterans use the diamond symbol for a non formalized squad, and numbers for formal squads, again painting colors for different purposes or different companies. Some veterans are authorized to wear command squad insignias representing command squad honors. Although most common for command squads, they can also be embedded in standard squads as the situation requires. Heavy Weapons and Special Weapons use a skull (see HWSW section). Due to casualties as battles progress, squads may be merged and squad markings mismatch until the battle or campaign is over.

Abhuman and Psykers Markings

Abhumans and psykers will generally utilize the same general color scheme that corresponds with their role. Astropaths that work closely with the command team will have red robes, bullgryns will have predominantly blue urban schemes, and psykers will have blue coats or uniforms. Some more powerful psykers may have a blue greatcoat with dark red undercoat, and gold regelia. Outside of the blue identification, the rest of the color scheme and markings does not adhear to Tetuanis markings and is for either status representation or to enhance channeling or squad efficacy. While a sanctioned psyker may have red or gold in their regelia, they generally are not authorized to command troops unless given a specific mission with well defined goals and objectives.

Verdis Laurels

The highest award possible for a Tetuanis commander, Verdis Laurels are green laurels draped across their armor. Few have received the award, but those that have command tremendous respect and make up the upper echelon of regimental commanders.

Psykers

Historically Tetuanis regiments made little use of psykers, but with the massive changes wrought by the psychic awakening, that has changed. Several psykers appeared amongst the nobility and underclasses, leading to adoption by certain regiments. While their main role is to focus on denying enemy warp actions and scrying, more and more commanders are taking advantage of the massive offensive potential offered. However, as always psykers teter on the edge of corruption and damnation, and several naive commanders learned the dangers of using the warp when they pushed their psykers too far and they became living portals to the warp. After several companies were wiped out due to psyker possession, a standing order was placed for a commissar to permanently be assigned to a psyker to give them the Emperor's peace if they are found wanting. In practice, the commissars are often needed in multiple places at once, and watching psykers prevents them from enforcing morale on the line.

The standing order is allowed to be revoked on a psyker by psyker basis, but requires the authorization of the regimental commander. While rare, some psykers are veterans of multiple campaigns and they have proven themselves to their commanders and thus receive more autonomy. More autonomy is not complete autonomy, and these psykers are still required to report for examination and debriefing after any assignment. Regimental commanders are very conservative about suspending the standard order, as they know all too well while a psker may be effective and fight well, they cannot ever be fully trusted. Furthermore any failures or casualties caused by revoking the order (the psyker accidentally killing themselves is not enough, they must be possessed and hostile, become a portal to the warp, or commit heresy) are fully blamed on the commander and they will be held accountable. While they do not have a full time commissar attached to them, they can be and are watched by any commissars on the field near them.

Currently there are only a handful of these 'unwatched' psykers, one of which is the 812th's Othar Wukalis. The order only applies to psykers that are exceptionally gifted and classed as primaris, the psykers in training are generally exempt due to their lack of power to cause a serious incident. They still are watched by senior trainers and required to undergo examination and debriefing after battles, but they are not worth the commissars it would take to fully monitor them. As Tetuanis only began producing psykers post great rift, many guardsmen have never seen one before and view them with great distrust, and even the most experienced Guard maintain a healthy suspicion of them.

Ecclesiastical Attaches

The fallout of the Hyacinthum heresy led to an increased presence of Ecclesiastical elements across Tetuanis, and the regiments were not spared this. Ministorum priests, accompanied by Inquisitorial Crusaders, were attached to every regiment to enforce the Imperial Creed and monitor for any signs of deviance. Depending on the regiment, they can either be fully busied putting the regiment through trials or tribulations, or are satisfied with the regiment's level of devotion and instead inspire and reinforce faith. The 812th Tetuanis is an example of the latter, with its priests and crusaders charging into holy melee accompanied by bullgryns and other close range combatants. The priests are especially valued by regiments focused on fighting Nurgle's forces, as their fervor creates a shield of faith that acts as a bulwark against the horrendous diseases that normally spell death for any close range combatants.

The priests and their crusaders are fully protected by faith, while the bullgryns they generally fight alongside are protected by rebreathers (and in the bon'ead's case, Inhalantes augmentations to filter their breath). While the bullgryns are protected, even with their enhanced immune systems they are not completely immune and after battle priests may have to setup holy cleansing stations to fight off the warp while medicae teams work to heal the bullgryn. Sometimes, that is not enough and the bullgryn must receive the Emperor's peace.

Regimental Advisors

Tetuanis regiments generally receive attaches from Imperial organizations as well as designated individuals that specialize in specific tasks. The most common attaches to a regimental commander are flight officers from the Imperial Navy (coordinate deployment and naval support as well as assisting in aerial maneuvers), Astropaths (to supplement vox communications and scry), and Masters of Ordinance (to oversee the Regimental artillery). Only the Master of Ordinance is officially part of the regiment, the rest being attached.