Imperium defeated on Mordecai Tersius

Following the disastrous defeat on Tyranteous in mid-02.013M42, it wasn't long before the strain on imperial resources was keenly felt elsewhere. General Van Dorn was obliged by Veers to surrender nearly a quarter of his forces, as Lord General Roover had decided that the loss of Tyranteous was more important than taking Mordecai quickly. HoweverRoover still expected Veers and Van Dorn to successfully prosecute the war on the agri-world with their reduced resources.

Van Dorn re-arranged his defences and eagerly welcomed the arrival of a Dark Angels company. No sooner had the new astartes forces arrived however than news came of a new offensive on the ground by the Iron Warriors. This faction had been noticeably absent from the assualt in the Zadoc subsector, and now the reason became all to clear. The Iron Warriors forces smashed through Van Dorn's line south of Skrime and tore across the southern plains. Before the Dark Angels could react Danythe had been recaptured by chaos forces and Skrime itself was relieved.

The Dark Angels then dropped into the battlezone from their orbitting strike cruiser, attempting to retake the city. In a bitter firefight the Dark Angels proved a much tougher enemy than Van Dorn's guard regiments, and the shock of their arrival clearly gave the Iron Warriors cause for concern. The battle raged for many hours in Danythe before mounting losses convinced the Dark Angels' commander to evacuate and regroup. Van Dorn had lost his most valuable prize to date and had been pushed back to his day 1 gains. The invasion of Mordecai now hung by a thread.