Sins of the Fathers, A IVth Legion Log (Now with Titans!)

[Phatsquirre1]

Well, they're long overdue, but I present one of my favorite units, Tyrant Siege Terminator Squad Khaur. (What a mouthful...)

 

They've served me well, and although they usually die (to -ing bolters), what else can you ask for? Besides, the IVth Legion has no idea what the word "survivable" means...we prefer either "replaceable", or "expendable". 

++++++++

“With Violent Intent”

Terminator Squad Khaur

Legio IV, Tyranthikhos Elite

 

++++++++

Veteran Brother Skaun could feel his eyes closing, the damage done to his body severe enough to push him towards suspended animation, his sus-an membrane finally managing to override the strength of the adrenaline and morphine in his body.

 

He grunted as he shook himself awake, reloading his sidearm as he did so, the familiar action taking his mind off of the fact that he was likely to die.

 

Not that he truly cared, all things told. Seven traitor astartes lay before him, each taken down by his hands. He remembered killing the first two with the missile launcher that he had been forced to discard, and once that had run out of ammo, he had killed the rest- first with his pistol, then his blade, and finally his hands.

 

That last kill, especially, was enjoyable- he had watched the preening idiot kill off his squad, using warpcraft and that accursed blade. Lucky for Skaun, he hadn’t expected the dying legionary lying at his feet to be holding a krak grenade, and certainly hadn’t expected to find it wedged in his neck-seal.

 

Sure, it had cost Skaun his arm, and likely his life, but what did he care? His job was complete, his service all but ended. All that was left to do now was to fight on until his finally passed out from blood loss.

 

Minutes passed, and he felt his sight dimming as a massive shape hove into view, similar ones taking defensive positions around the figure. He could barely make out the words, although the subsonic rumble he felt assured him that someone was indeed talking.

 

‘Here, apothecary- this one. He’s close to death, but worth the trouble, judging by these mongrels around him.’

 

The apothecary, now kneeling beside him, faintly spoke to Skaun, although he couldn’t make out anything. A moment later, his consciousness leaving him, Skaun felt himself hoisted into the air, the grind of broken bones sending a fresh wave of pain coursing through his systems.

 

Skaun’s eyes snapped open to the sight of one of the Tyranthikos lifting his body up, the power field of his fist sending electricity into Skaun’s hearts. The visor of the brute was eye-level with Skaun’s, and he felt, rather than heard, the monster as it spoke a single word.

 

+Live+

 

He nodded dumbly, and the terminator dropped him unceremoniously, sending another wave of pain into the veteran’s body.

 

‘Get him to the Valkyrie, Apothecary. Make sure he survives.’

 

As the apothecary began to tend to his wounds, Skaun felt the presence of the Tyrant again, his eyes widening as the warrior sent a message directly into the veteran’s mind.

 

+Congratulations, Aspirant Skaun. Your pain has just begun+

 

++++++++

One of the most feared units of the 52^nd Grand Battalion, Khaur Terminator Squad, has earned its reputation for savagery and violence time and again throughout the campaigns of the 52^nd Grand Battalion.

 

 

Seen here escorting an (as of yet) unidentified Spartan Assault Tank during the actions on Khadros, Khaur Terminator, also known unofficially as the “Violent Intent”, has constantly found itself in combat since the outbreak of heresy, seeing an unprecedented amount of conflict since the action known as “First Contact”.

 

In combat, the squad is used without restraint, and without concern over collateral damage, commonly applying excessive force to the war zones they are involved in. Using pinpoint missile barrages to cover their advance to melee range, those few that manage to survive a direct assault call them “Monsters of the Darkest Night”, among other titles.

 

It is not unknown for the squad to engage and destroy targets deemed to be high value to the exclusion of all else, commonly discarding established battle-doctrine in favor of larger kills, leaving more common targets to the numerous heavy and specialist squads that number amongst the 52^nd’s ranks.

 

 

Worryingly, it seems the squad has adopted a non-approved vox system to communicate during combat action, since Jhemek Khaur’s ascendency to command; post-action logs indicating no logged traffic between the squadmembers, only appearing when the unit is contacted by anyone outside of the Tyranthikhos' ranks. Rampant speculation, on the part of many of the auxiliaries attached to the 52nd, hint at some kind of psychic link existing between the squad-members, although no such reports have been confirmed by the upper echelons of the 52^nd's Command.

 

If this psychic link did exist, then it is perhaps fortunate that Khaur Terminator is most commonly seen alongside forces made up exclusively of the 52^nd’s astartes, and are under the direct command of Navarch Vyl, who leads the 52^nd’s Tyranthikos Echelon with a large degree of laxity.

 

What is certain is that combined with a tendency to overlook or ignore the commands of their field officers in favor of those passed down by certain officers, the apparent lack of transparency, rumors, and lack of battlefield discipline has birthed a sort of wariness amongst the allies of the 52^nd, who view such activity with suspicion, and liken the Tyrant elite to be little more than headhunters for the 52^nd's commanders.

 

 

However, disregarding the rumors of men and the issues in tactical command, it is widely held that Khaur Terminator is one of the finest killing machines of the 52^nd, and stand unsurpassed by any of their brethren, though not for lack of trying. Their adoption of the role of headhunter and destroyer by the upper strata of the 52nd's officer corps has not been received well by Kyros Recon and Khrytos Destroyer, who both savagely fight with Khaur Terminator over preferred missions.

 

With that said, the combat record held by the reclusive and silent Tyranthikhos under Jhemek Khaur's command largely quiets any dissenting voices, allowing them their pick of the numerous operations that the 52^nd are engaged in at any given time, allowing them to stay close to their leaders, and out of the internecine politicking of the various Imperial Commanders in the Salient Cluster.

 

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Edited May 5, 2018 by Phatsquirre1

[Phatsquirre1]

Ancient Terakathion

“The Iconoclast”, First Havoc of the 52^nd.

 

++++++++

His lascannons lanced out, the beams of light tearing through the Rhino ahead, its occupants stumbling out of the wreckage as the vehicle’s magazines cooked off and its engines blew.

 

The ensuing inferno charred their crimson armor, turning it into a color reminiscent of their old livery. It crossed Djareq’s mind that there was some dark humor in the  grotesque parody of what-once-was, but the signs of warp-taint yet marred their once noble forms, faint scales on their armor plating and the beginnings of bony protrusions marking them out as truly damned.

 

Their Sergeant was by far the most affected, a single ebony horn jutting out from his helm in a way that reminded Djareq of his time with the Death Guard before his internment. The difference was that unlike those horns, typically grafted onto the armor by the Legion’s artificers, this one was ringed with a fleshy mass, veined and pulsating red, as if the astartes’ blood coursed through it. An intangible stink emanated from the marine, and Djareq knew what it was immediately- prompting the Anicent to move in the Bearer's direction. Regardless of what the warrior might have been in the past, he had to die. There was no honor in what he had become.

 

He slowly moved to the Sergeant, deliberately stepping on fallen astartes as he moved through the remainder of the squad, until only a couple were left alive. Picking up the wounded marine in his fist, he lifted the warrior in the air, ignoring the cries of denial that dimly reached his ears. To his credit, his foe did not yell or struggle, but rather with a calm certainty at odds with his position, lifted his head to the sky, as if seeking salvation from the heavens.

 

‘It is my time then- before I die, know this: You will fall, like the false god you serve. It is written by the Gods above, and enacted by the will of Lorgar. Only the blind ignore the new age Horus and Lorgar bring to fruition.’

 

Djareq glared at the haughty legionary, unmoved as one of the Bearers yelled out, the sound of footsteps betraying his intent. Djareq shot him as an afterthought, his lascannons incinerating the marine before he had made it more than a few steps.

 

+Know this, warp-kin. You- like your sire- are weak. You are meaningless trash, to be used and discarded under the light of this sun. I remember when you once bore the name of Herald, and brought honor to yourselves in your achievements. Now- now you are nothing but empty shells for damnation to inhabit, using a crutch to validate your pathetic lives. Only the stupid ask for what you now possess, and what I give you is far better than you deserve.+

 

‘How typical of the callous IVth, too unimaginative too believe, and too bitter with scorn to see the truth. Faith will guide us to victory, while you wallow in the mud of barbarism.’

 

The Word Bearer looked down as he spoke, and Djareq stared back, entirely focused on the witch in his grasp, his gauntlet-flamer ignited and firing even as he spat back at the marine.

 

+Faith is overrated+

++++++++

 

Captured on vid-stills during the Raid on Khadros, Ancient Terakathion of the 52nd Grand Battalion moves to support his brothers against heavy armor elements in the ruins of the Argohlan Hive-Plate. 

 

 

Known throughout the Battalion as the first master of the Iron Havoc units implemented after Perturabo's unification with the Legion, Djareq Terakathion has earned the name of "Iconoclast" during the Salient Campaign for his utter contempt for the new beliefs of the Word Bearers, going out of his way to destroy the most corrupted of them during combat actions.

 

It is believed that Ancient Terakathion hs taken his hatred of the warp from the same place he took the inspiration for his chassis' armor- the XIVth Legion Astartes, or Death Guard. After a long secondment to them as the attache for the Ghemorran Compliance, in which the 52nd found themselves fighting alongside the XIVth, and their Primarch, Djareq returned to the IVth with an abiding hatred for any manner of psyker, a trait that had caused no shortage of friction until his internment into a Contemptor chassis.

 

 

Tempered by the shackles of the sarcophagus, Djareq awoke to a galaxy beset by fear and betrayal, and the flames of distrust, which had long since dimmed, were fanned by the gruesome displays of sorcery and sacrifice worn proudly by the Word Bearers. To date, his ire for those who abuse the warp has only grown stronger, growing to match the savage displays of murder enacted by the traitor XVIIth.

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Edited May 5, 2018 by Phatsquirre1

[Draakur]

Terrific, once again =) Very much dig the Iconoclast!

 

I love the humanity and mortal folly you allow your characters, I think it allows for a lot of potential for depth. I'd still truly love to create a project like this some day but don't even really know where to start, given I've got little experience with any of the essential elements (modeling, narrative story telling, etc).

 

Any suggestions or tips on where to start or draw inspiration?

[Phatsquirre1]

Thanks Draakur 

 

While I find some of BL's Heresy novels and certain TV shows help me quite a bit with character creation, a lot of the works of fluff here on B&C help inspire me to write about particular characters. I love writing fluff to begin with, and one of my regular stops on the forum (and favorite sources of inspiration)  are Jackdaw's threads- both the "Hanged Man's Tarot" and the "Fall of Seraph" in particular. I can't read them without feeling the need to write a fluff piece of my own, and even if the resulting product isn't very good, it still lets me try using concepts I may not have thought of before and incorporate them into stories later on.

[Phatsquirre1]

On Wings of Fire, Pt. I

“Rarog 2-3”, Xiphon Pattern Interceptor.

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Khastor Laesk gunned the throttle of his Xiphon, pushing its limits in speed as he raced to the combat zone below.

 

Twenty Seconds.

 

To his left and right, lightning fighters and other aircraft peeled off, each squadron engaging in their own air mission. His only companions now were the Battalion’s Fire Raptors, and even they would soon leave him on his own, free to kill as he always had.

 

Fifteen Seconds.

 

Flak burst around him, jarring his aircraft violently, but Laesk paid it no mind. He was focused- his mind in the kill-zone that he had always known. Vox-chatter from the engagement below broke into his comms-net, ident-glyphs marking out the positions of scattered legionaries below, threat runes identifying the squads of Word Bearers that were harassing them.

 

Ten Seconds.

 

His brothers were dying down there, desperate cries of pain mingling with calls for reinforcement that might never come. Laesk couldn’t help but remember the same cries, same pleas, on Auror. He had failed his brothers there- let them die because of his arrogance. It would not happen again.

 

Five Seconds.

 

Laesk flipped the safeties of his weapons, hands tracking and marking targets for his Xiphon’s lascannons and missiles. Cold fury etched its way across his face, passing unseen judgment on those he had watched spit on his brothers’ corpses. His hands gripped the triggers tightly, waiting for the perfect moment to announce his arrival.

 

Zero Seconds.

 

Laesk fired.

++++++++

 

Seen here is Xiphon Interceptor 2-3 of the Rarogii, engaged in combat action on Khadros in support of the 52^nd’s assault. Piloting the craft is Khastor Laesk, a veteran with numerous and notable combat actions under his belt.

 

 

While used typically as a reserve interceptor by most Legions, the Xiphons of the 52^nd have always held a place of honor in the Battalion’s Kheledakos Contingent. Since their first usage, they have been marked as armor-hunters beyond compare, giving rise to the way they are currently employed.

 

 

Lacking the reserves of armor typically granted to a Grand Battalion, the 52^nd Grand Battalion always had to make do with the vehicles they were given. When the Lightning and other Interceptor craft began to replace the Xiphon, the 52^nd received many of these venerable craft, and instead reassigned them, their peerless anti-armor abilities making them prime subjects for dedicated tank-hunter wings, named Rarogii in honor of the Battalion’s Terran ancestry.

 

Now used primarily as an anti-tank attack craft, Pilots usually operate alone in-theater, or in pairs, acting as a reserve air asset in cases of extreme importance, a tactic that has tipped the tide of many engagements in the past.

 

 

Their speed and versatility has also repeatedly allowed stalled orbital assaults to capture ground, and changed the way the 52^nd prosecute massed armor engagements, where their tanks feign retreat, pulling the enemy into the guns of the lightning-fast Rarogii wings.

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Edited May 5, 2018 by Phatsquirre1

[Magos Kasen]

Wow, just discovered this blog and spent some time reading through the whole thing, fantastic work, both on the models and the fluff, it's really excellent. Also nice to see some fellow IW loyalists! 

[Soldier of Dorn]

Dat's a pretty Xiphon. Nice work. :tu:

[Phatsquirre1]

@Magos Kasen- For the Emperor, Brother. Hope to see your Battalion on B&C soon. 

 

@The Psycho- Thanks  She is one of my favorite models (even after a couple of setbacks she suffered through- but that's not her fault) and I'm hoping she reaps a bloody toll this weekend during a couple games I'll be playing. I may even pick up another for my Vth Legion, once my Mechanicum and Solar Auxilia armies are done. (And here I was all happy that I only had 15 more Iron Warriors to paint. )

[Koozzo]

This blog is awesome! I found it last night and have ben totally ignoring homework in order to read it all. I do love loyalist Iron Worriors, and your's are fantasitc, Ninjaman! The narrative behind your work makes for some fine casual reading as well.

[Flint13]

I'm nit a huge fan of the Xiohon in game, but damn does yours look great in weathered iron.

 

Great work Ninja!

[Phatsquirre1]

Thanks guys!

 

@Koozzo much appreciated, and welcome to B&C! 

 

@Flint13 thanks, I'm hoping to replicate the effect on the rest of the 52nd's Vehicles, namely the other fliers they might have.   

[Guiltysparc]

Ninjaman brought his dudes over to my place over the weekend for some gaming and, while they do look good in the photos, they are freakin awesome in person.

[Phatsquirre1]

Thanks man, nowhere near as beautiful as your WE though, despite the fact that your bloody (unkillable) leviathan keeps causing me headaches. 

[Guiltysparc]

you got him with the tech thralls though, lol

[Phatsquirre1]

Only after he cut apart my poor Thanatar... 

[Soldier of Dorn]

Dudes... you guys had a game together? Surely that's something worthy of a batrep... please tell me you made one.

[Guiltysparc]

We started a campaign using the conquest system with some of the retribution flavor plus a custom rule we created that spawns bloodletters which morph into bloodthirsters, lol.  Ninjaman took a bunch of pictures with the intent to start a thread here and once i update the campaign map.  It was a super fun game, and the board looked great with the two armies and some Green Leaf Terrain terrain pieces.

[Phatsquirre1]

Unfortunately not, I took some photos, but we got a little too into the game to remember enough for a full bat rep. 

 

That said, I'll try to get enough photos, etc. for next time we game. That said, here's one of my favorites, and a teaser from the campaign log:

 

-Mid-action vid-still captured from the Lance of Dawn before engagement with XIIth Legion astartes and unidentified xenos creatures. Post-action logs indicate massive casualties on both sides. 

Edited May 5, 2018 by Phatsquirre1

[Flint13]

Yeah bros, the next time you throw down, both of you bring cameras.

 

We might even get a whole bat rep worth of photos between the two of you XD

[Phatsquirre1]

Hey guys,

 

Wanted to give a couple quick updates on where I'm at right now- it's been a bit since I posted last, but work and school have been keeping me pretty busy. That said, I should have a couple games on the 26th set to go, and I'll definitely try to take some photos.

 

In terms of models, I recently bought a Leviathan, Predator, Krios and Storm Eagle. The two were great, the third still on its way, but the fourth... Oh the fourth. 

 

I bought myself a Storm Eagle to flesh out my 52nd with some air support, and because I love the model. I read some of the build reviews on the kit, and thought that I could easily deal with its issues. After all, the Fire Raptor was a piece of cake... this would be too, right?

 

No. Oh no. Warhounds are easier to build than this flying box of evil. Suffice to say I think I now know why Angron was so angry all of the time- it wasn't the Nails, it was from trying to build more than one of these bloody kits. SO MANY PROBLEMS.

 

I'll upload some photos later. Just wanted to vent, and warn anyone thinking of buying one- BE CAREFUL. I'm  hoping FW send me replacements quickly, so I can get this thing built, painted, and never touch one again*.

 

 

*That said, it is pretty damn cool.

Edited May 5, 2018 by Phatsquirre1

[Phatsquirre1]

Okay!

 

So after the "minor" rant I had about the Storm Eagle, how about some more news?

 

First, the bad: I recently resigned from my job, so until this semester is over and I find some more work, I can't rely on a lot of income. I have saved up a bit, however, so I should be able to make a couple more purchases, but it'll definitely be less than the usual.

 

Now, the Good: With that said, I've stockpiled a huge number of purchases over the last month or so, so I should be good to burn through these projects before I NEED (and I say need because I don't really NEED to buy anything more...) to send in a request for resupply. These projects include:

• The Burning of Prospero
• A Leviathan Dreadnought
• Scimitar Jetbikes
• Vorax
• A Krios
• Mr. Predator Executioner (V2)
• That -ing  Storm Eagle (Now that replacements have arrived)

 

And probably a couple others i'm forgetting. All in all, I'm pretty well set, at least until something else shiny is released by FW. (I'm looking at you Caladius  ). That said, I am trying really hard to not start a small army of XVth or XXth. Soooo, we'll see how well I hold up.

 

Another question I have for anyone reading this, is whether or not my Mechanicum should show up on this log, or in another. Do you guys want to see robots?

 

Finally, because pictures are cool, here is a teaser of a VIth Legionary I built from the Geigor model:

 

Jharek Swift-Edge

Veteran Legionary of Secc, VIth Legion Astartes.

 

Edited May 5, 2018 by Phatsquirre1

[Guiltysparc]

i like the reverse grip he has on his sword!

 

I think putting your robots in this thread would be fine, that way all your cool :cuss is in one place.

[Phatsquirre1]

Well, I held up for less than 24 hours. So be it.

 

Also, they look MUCH better in real life. hard to get a good photo using an iPhone unfortunately. 

 

Presenting:

 

Demi-Squad Khameran (Beta)

209th Company, XVth Legion Astartes

 

'We were the last of a dead Legion, listening to nought but the echoes of our solitude.'

-Unknown Legionary, 209th Company, XVth Legion Astartes.

 

- Demi-Squad Khameran (Beta) engaged in Patrol on unknown world.

 

- Legionary Akhaman, 209th Company, XVth Legion Astartes

Edited May 5, 2018 by Phatsquirre1

[Guiltysparc]

oh no you didn't!

 

loving that red.

[Phatsquirre1]

Thanks man, I just wish the photos really did them justice. 

 

Another question for you guys, do you like the black bolters? Or think grey/white would look better? I know most people do white/grey (and make it beautiful...ahem Athrawes and FW), but It always seemed counterintuitive to have a weapon that was colored anything but gunmetal/black.

 

Maybe that's just the Iron Warrior in me...

Edited November 8, 2016 by Ninjaman