Learn about Trench Crusade

For three hundred years the Principality of New Antioch has stood defiantly as the focal point of the Church and the Faithful at the very edge of the shadow cast by the Gate of Hell. It is the Home of All Our Hopes, the bulwark against Heretic forces and the first line of defence against the devil’s might. Should New Antioch fall, the Levant will be lost and the path to heartlands of the Church will be wide open.

“ For three hundred years the Principality of New Antioch has stood defiantly as the focal point of the Faithful at the very edge of the shadow cast by the Gate of Hell. It is the Home of All Our Hopes, the bulwark against Heretic forces and the first line of defense against the devil’s might. ”

War has never left this corner of the world. The ancient city of Antioch was destroyed by a mysterious demonic weapon in the year 1545, but the Faithful never gave up their positions in the ruins. Despite the lethal demonic essence emanating from the crater that was left behind, the garrison held on, even as mighty Constantinople fell to the legions of Kimaris, Marquis of Hell.

Before it was destroyed, the ancient city of Antioch was always the first line of defence to be put to test. Thus it is no wonder that in the year 1559 the Sword Congress of Vienna agreed to rebuild and fortify the city, and that a yearly tithe is to be sent to New Antioch by all the Faithful nations, though this levy is rarely in form of coin. Instead, endless supply trains of foodstuffs, tools, ammunition, weaponry, machinery and skilled workers and engineers come from across Europa and the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the African dominions.

1 Lieutenant

Lieutenants are leaders of small squads or platoons of New Antioch’s soldiers, playing a fundamental role on the distant frontlines of the Trench Crusade, displaying unwavering resolve in preserving the unity and morale of their troops. Lieutenants might be the favoured son or daughter of a noble family or gained their rank by impressing their superiors with their exceptional strategic acumen and audacious bravery.

0-1 Trench Cleric

A holy warrior who looks after the souls of the soldiers in the company, the cleric chants inspiring battle prayers and can perform various miracles such as healing or even smiting the enemy. A cleric often carries a portable shrine on his back to denote his faith in the company’s Patron, be that one of the Saints of their homeland, a mighty Arch-Angel or the Lord himself.

0-2 Sniper Priests

These devotees of the Church blind themselves ritually as a devotion to God and use only their faith to strike the enemies of the Church. During the Siege of St. Lux stories were told of a sniper priest killing a target three miles away.

Yeoman

A basic trooper of New Antioch. Brave men and women who have received standard training and sworn an oath to the Duke of New Antioch. What they lack in combat skills compared to more elite troops they more than make up with their numbers and wide selection of weapons available to them.

0-5 Shocktroopers

Assault Troops that specialise in attacking enemy defensive positions. They are masters of rapid assault and melee combat. Experts at combined arms and Fireteam tactics.

0-2 Combat Engineers

The combat engineers specialise in destroying bunkers, discovering minefields and building battlefield emplacements. Casualties are extremely high in the combat engineer units, but they consider it an honour to fight and die for New Antioch and the Church.

0-1 Combat Medic

The Sisters of St. Cosmas are a highly trained elite medical corps, specialising in battlefield first aid and surgeries on the front lines of the Great War.

The Sisters take a modified Hippocratic Oath that compels them to help any wounded soldiers of the Faith, no matter how dire the circumstance, as well as dispatching heretics and other enemies they find on the battlefield without pity or mercy.

Armed with a combat surgical knife that doubles as a Misericordia, they are as equally adept at saving lives as taking them from those they find lying wounded in No Man’s Land. They carry medical kits with a plethora of battlefield drugs that are especially useful for nullifying the pain of even the ghastliest wounds, and getting soldiers back on their feet and back into the fray, even if just for a few moments so they can accomplish their mission or die trying.

The Principality of

New Antioch

Warband Composition

The Officer Core and the Soldiery