Crew: 9 (1 commander, 1 Comms Operator, 2 gunners, 3 Loaders, 1 tech adept, 1 driver)
Known Patterns/Subvarrients: I-V (A-E)
Armament:
Main Armament: 2 180mm "Iron Breaker" Super-Heavy Assault Guns (20 Rounds Each), 2 Taurox-Class 112mm Rocket Batteries (5 rockets in each launcher, 20 rockets stored on board)
Secondary Armament: Pintle mounted Storm Bolter or Heavy Stubber (1000-5000 rounds), 2 hull-turret mounted Heavy Bolters (500 rounds each)
Mobility:
Max Speed: 28 km/h
Traverse: 180 degrees (Main turret) and 6 degrees (hull turret)
Elevation: -5 to 18 degrees
Powerplant: MR507 Supercharged V18 Multi-Fuel engine
Dimensions:
Weight: 321 Tonnes
Height: 6.3 metres
Width: 6.4 metres
Length: 13.5 metres
Ground clearance: 1.2 metres
Armour:
Superstructure: 200/200/200mm Faramite Alloy Plate
Hull: 250/100/100mm Faramite Alloy Plate
Gun Mantlet: 200mm Adamantium Plate
Turret: 250/220/220mm Faramite Alloy Plate
Lore: An ancient design created to inspire fear and respect in the emperor's most stubborn enemies, the Helllord has since been one of the most effective heavy assault vehicles ever conceived by the Imperium, outside of the awe-inspiring god machines of the Legio Titanica.
The Helllord's development stretches back to the ancient campaign, waged by the emperor himself, against the Orks on Ulenor. Although the emperor was victorious, the long and gruelling extermination campaign carried out by the Imperial Army demonstrated the extreme difficulties Imperial army groups faced against Ork strongholds with conventional weapons. Each stronghold was almost totally immune to Heavy Artillery and bunker busters of the conventional bomb or gun variety, while flamer attacks often only proved to have a temporary effect as the fortress was re-occupied via subterranean tunnel networks and teleporter arrays. Only the Titan legions, orbital bombardment or continued sustained heavy assault actions over the course of months of fighting proved able to fully silence Ork residence in established strongholds.
Determined to rectify this issue, and reduce dependence on the mechanicum and the titan legions, the Imperial Army petitioned for a new Super Heavy tank. A design that featured heavy frontal armour, even by the heavy standards of a tank of such type, and firepower sufficient to reduce any fixed fortification to dust and suppress any resistance mounted against it. This petition would not be acted upon until after the splitting of the Imperial Army into the Imperial Navy and Imperial Guard, due to the Horus Heresy and War of the Beast and shifting priorities for the Imperium, but the Helllord was the eventual product.
The new Super Heavy lacked the sponsons common to most Imperial Super Heavy tanks, they were deemed to be structural weaknesses that contributed nothing to fortress sieges. Testing also showed the tank was often too wide to exploit breaches with sponsons attached. The frontal hull was also heavily reinforced with additional plates of faramite. Some patterns also included active protection in the form of explosive reactive armour, or had additional space armour plates and armour skirts added in order to defeat las and chemical based weapons. Pattern V even featured an Ion energy shield, similar to Imperial knights, but this is extremely rare.
For weapons the Helllord received a pair of Super Heavy 'Iron Breaker' assault guns and two Taurox Rocket Batteries. The Iron Breaker Cannons were adapted from Imperial Navy Point Defence Cannons, and both Cannons were partially autoloading with a lift system pulling shells up from the bowels of the tank to loading positions between the two guns. The loaders are only required to push the shells onto rails where the shell is rammed into the breach by hydronic pistons. The spent shells are extracted and then ejected out the back of the turret, after the loaders maneuver the pistons out of loading position. When cycled with a skilled crew, this allowed the tank to put out 1 shell every 8 seconds, a withering barrage that few fortifications or armoured vehicles could withstand.
The Taurox rockets added to the brutal power of the Helllord even further. The heavy rockets were simple devices, that were little more than armoured tubes filled with propellant and equipped with various warheads. This means they are very inaccurate, but given the intended target and the high power yield of the various warheads, this limitation barely ever comes into effect. The rockets could be equipped with Plasma or Melta warheads for destroying particularly hard targets; conventional general purpose explosives, shaped charge warheads or even airburst fragmentation for anti-infantry support if the pintel and hull mounted anti infantry weapons are not sufficient.
The storage of 20 rockets being adjusted according to the likely needs of the operation, the rocket pods having internal loading mechanisms for reloading spent rockets, or can be loaded from outside the tank if needed.
The Tank's first large-scale deployment was with the Macharius Crusade. The Paragonion 17th and Belis Coronian 112th Super Heavy Regiments each deployed a brigade of Helllords in support of 3rd Army Group. The Paragonion 'Brass Band' brigade under Erich Lo Marrik would earn renown for its role in the crushing the planetary capital of Heckata. The Helllords blasting apart fortifications that had held for millennia while the Paragonion Baneblades, Stormlords, Leman Russes and Chimeras advancing in the wake of a storm of heavy cannon fire and Taurox Rockets. The Paragonion House Marrik would have the system renamed to Marrikia for the actions of Erich Lo Marrik. The family crest, a lion with a bow: to denote the warrior and hunting traditions of house Marrik, hoisted over the spires of Heckata Prime's Hive cities. The system remains a protectorate of the Marrik Imperial nobel family to this day.
The Belis Corona front under General Stygene also found the tank to be extremely useful in defence. Her regiment was part of the formation deployed to hold the vital ports at Hydraphur Minor, which was a bottleneck that kept the whole of 3rd Army Group supplied ahead of the main body of the Crusade. Hydraphur Minor being the name given to the space and facilities between the twin 'Hydra Stars' and the Hydra planetary system. There, an Ork Waaagh would be narrowly repelled by the heroic efforts of the Belis Corona Guard. The Helllords of the 112th Super Heavy regiment, using airburst fragmentation rockets, narrowly defeated the final Ork offensive on the steps of the Imperial palace on Hydraphur Prime. The 12 Helllords worked in pairs to defend each of the 6 main entrances against millions of Orks. The offensive only broke when the Ork fleet was defeated in space, and orbital bombardment broke the hordes' back. For the efforts of her regiment, Stygene would receive the Order of the Terran Star, which she personally awarded to her Helllord Brigade leader: Major Byran Rigile.
Despite these successes, difficulty in manufacture ensures that only a few regiments have steady access to the super heavy. Only a handful of Forgeworlds produce them in the whole Imperium. But for those lucky enough to have Super Heavy regiments that include the fearsome Helllord, battlefield successes are virtually guaranteed; no matter the operation.