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We continue our exploration of the Astra Militarum regiments with the Necromundan forces in Index Militarum, and more specifically the 7th Necromundian. Already mentioned in our previous article Of Steel and Tracks, it returns today under the spotlight with a fully homemade history that we hope you will enjoy. Don’t forget to support us so we can fund more illustrations of Astra Militarum regiments via PATREON. The illustration is also available in high quality for certain tiers on the platform.
Necromunda is an overpopulated hive world in the Segmentum Solar, perpetually torn apart by vendettas and power struggles between clans as powerful as they are voracious. The notorious indiscipline and roughness of the regiments born on this planet are known throughout the galaxy. Although they share a common origin, each regiment differs greatly from the others, as they are often funded, equipped, and trained by a specific clan according to its resources and martial traditions. This clan rivalry extends into the ranks of the Imperial Guard itself, Necromundan regiments frequently clash with one another, and the Administratum must deploy a significant number of Commissars to contain their chronic insubordination.
Their explosive temper and pronounced taste for alcohol, brawls, and bravado are often scorned by more disciplined regiments, who regard them as uneducated ruffians. Yet none can deny that their birth in the depths of the hive cities has made them experts in close combat, ambushes, and skirmishes in confined environments. Their innate survival instincts, forged in the toxic darkness of Necromunda, make them formidable troops in urban and subterranean operations. Aware of their value but also of the risks posed by their cohabitation, the Administratum generally ensures that only one Necromundan regiment is deployed per sector, or that they are stationed far enough apart to avoid internal conflicts with potentially disastrous consequences.
Necromunda’s titanic population and the abundance of major and minor clans allow the planet to supply the Imperium with a large number of regiments each year. Their strength varies greatly according to the wealth and power of their sponsoring clan; minor houses, unable to raise thousands of soldiers, sometimes form units of barely a hundred men. These small regiments are often highly specialized, becoming elite troops capable of precision strikes, infiltration, or targeted purges. Though these regiments bear the mark of numerous excesses and transgressions, no one can doubt their unwavering loyalty to the Emperor. Forged in their own violence, the Necromundans serve the Imperium with the brutal ferocity of a world where only the toughest survive.
Equipment :
Necromundan regiments display an extremely varied arsenal, the majority of their gear being supplied by the clan of origin for each soldier. This diversity is reflected in their uniforms, often customized with salvaged battlefield equipment or adorned with trophies taken from their enemies. Necromundan warriors proudly bear tattoos, scars, and piercings, all marks of allegiance to the gangs or houses they once served.
Aesthetically, Necromundans stand in stark contrast to the stereotypical Imperial Guard, such as the disciplined Cadians in standardized uniforms. Specialists in urban combat, they favor clothing designed to blend into industrial environments and the ruins of hive cities. Camouflage schemes remain highly personal, each guard adapts colors and materials according to their own preferences or those of their clan.
Incendiary weapons, particularly flamers, are highly prized for their ability to quickly and efficiently clear buildings, corridors, and tunnels. Formidable in close-quarters combat, Necromundan regiments generally possess few heavy vehicles, the Administratum judging that they require them less for their primarily urban operations.
When regiments do possess vehicles, it is often due to the wealth of their clan or through dubious acquisitions on the Underhive black markets. Maintenance remains costly, making them rare and precarious. Among the most valued armored vehicles are the Thunderers, whose short but powerful cannons can easily breach walls and partitions, creating openings through which infantry can swiftly pour in and overwhelm the enemy.
7th Necromundan « Lucky Sevens »
The 7th Necromundan is a regiment sponsored by Clan Escher, naturally inheriting many of its characteristics. In keeping with their founding house, the regiment is composed almost exclusively of women. These warriors, often striking in appearance, resist any external constraint and have little tolerance for Imperial authority, making their command particularly challenging during joint operations. Yet, despite their fierce independence, every soldier of the 7th is renowned for fighting with indomitable ferocity and a visceral hatred for the Emperor’s enemies. Their reputation as relentless combatants earns them both fear and respect among other regiments.
The nickname « Lucky Sevens » was acquired shortly after the regiment’s formation in the M41. During a brutal campaign against the mutants of the hive city Axoto, the regiment was almost entirely annihilated. Nevertheless, the seven survivors of the massacre succeeded in completing their mission and brought a violent end to the insurrection of abominations that plagued the hive’s catacombs. Elevated to the status of local heroes, these veterans were subsequently promoted and helped rebuild the regiment, laying the foundations of its current identity.
In terms of equipment, the soldiers of the 7th wear dark green armor adorned with symbols and talismans associated with luck, a direct inheritance of their history. The rest of their gear is highly personalized, with each warrior modifying weapons and protections throughout her career according to personal taste or the traditions of her former gang. Members of the regiment show a marked preference for plasma weapons. Though difficult to obtain legally, they take great pains to acquire them, through official channels when possible… or by far less scrupulous means when the situation demands.
As unpredictable as they are feared, the 7th Necromundan « Lucky Sevens » has never faced sanction from the Imperium. Their unmatched expertise in confined combat, combined with a fanatical loyalty to the Emperor, seems to have weighed heavily in their favor, sparing them from any administrative wrath.
Notable Campaigns :
Crusade of Cirillo Prime [588.M41] :
The 7th Necromundan was integrated into the Xth Army Corps, tasked with liberating Cirillo Prime. Alongside some twenty other regiments, the warriors disembarked and established makeshift encampments on the thick, water and hydrocarbon saturated mud covering the planet’s surface. The Imperial forces deployed to besiege the planetary capital, held by an armed faction calling themselves the Septkha Rebels. The siege had already been ongoing for several weeks, the 11th of Konig had been nearly annihilated during an attempt to seize the northern gates, and the campaign had bogged down in deadly stagnation. Gradually, a certain routine settled among the Imperial lines. A semi-clandestine life emerged within the camps: games of chance, alcohol, illegal wagers, and various illicit trades intertwined with the exhausting daily grind of combat. The war showed little progress, and the 7th Necromundan earned a poor reputation among other regiments, accused of cheating, theft, and violence.
By the eighth month of the campaign, several groups of Necromundan warriors orchestrated a series of sabotage operations against strategic positions. Likely stemming from a dare between soldiers seeking to prove their valor, these reckless acts culminated in an explosion that brought down a section of wall supporting one of the city’s secondary gates. This breach, though unintended, allowed the Astra Militarum to enter the city and, within two months, overthrow the Septkha Rebels and restore Imperial authority over Cirillo Prime. With a mixture of unease and reluctant respect, numerous regiments had to acknowledge that the victory had been made possible, whether intentionally or not, by the actions of the 7th Necromundan.
Fratricide in the City of Ulroya [802.M41] :
During the Ulroya campaign, a violent conflict erupted between the 7th Necromundan « Lucky Sevens » and the 103rd Necromundan « Evil Dogs ». Even as the war against the Dark Gods’ cultists raged on, the two regiments became embroiled in a brutal altercation over a disagreement on the tactics to be employed for an upcoming assault. Without restraint, the officer commanding the Lucky Sevens expressed her displeasure by summary-executing the captain of the Evil Dogs in front of his own troops. As soon as the body hit the ground, the 7th attempted to seize control of the operation and assert authority over the 103rd Necromundan.
Informed of their officer’s murder, the Evil Dogs immediately opened fire on the 7th’s soldiers. Caught by surprise, the Lucky Sevens responded with devastating force. Superior in numbers and better equipped, the warriors of the 7th Necromundan slaughtered their adversaries until the last survivors surrendered. The other Imperial regiments engaged in the campaign were left staggered by this fratricidal clash, which nearly jeopardized the entire operation. Despite the internal chaos, the assault on the forces of Chaos commenced as scheduled, and the cultists were hunted down and eliminated to the last. Investigations were launched to determine responsibility for the incident, which could have handed victory to the servants of the Dark Gods. Sanctions seemed inevitable in the face of an act of insubordination that cost the lives of so many Imperial soldiers. Yet the matter was ultimately closed without consequence. The Commissars assigned to write the reports vanished without a trace, and the relevant files simply disappeared from the campaign archives.
The Dismantling of the Amber Cult [937.M41] :
The Administratum deployed the 7th Necromundan to the outskirts of the city of Nexos, on the cardinal world of Avignor. The Amber Genestealer Cult had seized control of several cities on the planet, plunging the population into fear and paranoia. Despite the relentless attempts of the Planetary Defense Forces to eradicate these xenos abominations, the cult’s stronghold, hidden deep within the labyrinthine underground of Nexos, remained completely impregnable.
Renowned for their expertise in confined-space combat, the Lucky Sevens advanced into the narrow tunnels beneath the city. Yet the suffocating darkness of the sewers, coupled with the presence of monstrously strong Genestealer Aberrations, forced them to retreat, none of the regiment’s fiercest warriors could match these massive mutants in close combat. Recognizing the stalemate, the officers of the 7th Necromundan adopted a far more radical approach. Without the consent of Avignor’s authorities, they transported hundreds of barrels of promethium to the main entrances of the underground galleries.
A few volunteer condemned soldiers, fully aware that the act might be suicidal, ignited the fuses and set the fuel ablaze. The surviving sappers then rallied to the Lucky Sevens stationed at the city’s outskirts. All watched in silence as a titanic inferno consumed Nexos, reducing the city to purifying flames. According to the regiment, the threat had been contained, flames and ashes had engulfed the cult and everything it had tainted.
Later, Colonel Mahé Veroni testified before Inquisitor Vokmhor, sent to judge the regiment’s actions, stating that she had deliberately chosen to burn the city and its inhabitants to prevent the cult’s spread. No remorse was evident in her declaration; for her, the sacrifice of an entire city was preferable to the fall of a cardinal world. The Inquisitor’s report was never made public.
Notable Character :
Colonel Aya Salat
Proud and arrogant, Colonel Aya Salat has commanded the 7th Necromundian “Lucky Sevens” with an iron fist since the untimely death of the former leader. Orphaned at a very young age, she wandered the alleys of Necromunda for years, surviving alongside a small group of fellow orphans who helped each other endure the harsh world around them. Spotted by a warrior of Clan Escher who took pity on her, she received military training and instruction, developing remarkable expertise in urban combat and ambush tactics. Her rapid rise within the regiment can be attributed to her tactical intelligence, determination, and ability to inspire loyalty and respect, even through fear.
Known for her bold and sometimes ruthless decisions, Aya Salat is both terrifying to her enemies and respected by her peers, always ready to take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the Imperium’s victory and the survival of her troops.
We’ll see you again soon in an upcoming Index Militarum article, where we’ll explore more regiments of the Imperial Guard.
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