Clever Girl... - Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge

[Greyall]

Vroom vroom...

 

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/021/8/a/enzho___knightrider_of_the_white_scars_by_greyall-d5s9w8z.jpg

The red and steel tide surged closer to the Spaceport, their desecrated armours and flags now visible though their roars and threats had filled the defenders' ears for hours.

 

'Enzho', thunder rumbled on his vox, and he, a son of storms, felt serene hearing his father.

 

'My Khan', Enzho replied, 'The traitors are in sight, they'll be within reach of the Spaceport defenses very soon, though that will make little difference. I count seventeen Land Raiders, Lord'.

 

'Hunt the beasts, my son. Force them to be in reach of as many weapons as we have and target the tanks first.', Jaghatai Khan answered, his attempt at a neutral tone betraying his will to be at every battlesite, fight every enemy and kill each traitor to the Emperor.

 

'It will be done. We will keep the infantry occupied while we destroy the tanks. Strike true, Lord'.

 

'Strike fast, Enzho'.

 

The vox silent, he turned to his brethren, each leaning in expectation against their his steed. They didn't need a word from their commander to know it was time to ride. Enzho commanded only four squads, two of Scimitar Jetbikes and two of Attack Bikes, and a single Tank, the Predator Smilodon. In terms of hierarchy, this put him somewhere between a Khan and a more conventional Sergeant, which was nothing new among the White Scars, who frequently organized into hunting bands rather than strict squads. Enzho's force organization, though, wesn't a matter of tactical convenience, like many others. This was a group that had lasted untouched for more than a century. Whole squads had been wiped, yet were quickly replaced, made up of those Legionnaires who offered the best chances to form an almost telekinetic link with their hunting mates.

 

'We're drawing the larger beasts into our line of fire. Infantry is overwhelming, so move in large arcs, throw them into disarray and trample any you can, but save your ammo for the Land Raiders', Enzho instructed while he climbed onto his Jetbike, Rampant. It had been a gift from the Blood Angels - which explained why it was completely red, but also the craftmanship, like the great obsidian stallion on the prow - for distinguished service during the five years he spent with the sons of Sanguinius.

 

Clicks of acknowledgement came from all of his brothers. The attack bikes took the front, Enzho and the other Jetbikes forming a wide phalanx right behind them. Smilodon was kept at the rear, its lascannon configuration unencumbered by distance.

 

It took the fast group only seconds to come face to face with the enemy forces, World Eaters and Iron Warriors. It wasn't a small group - at least not compared to the ceramite tide that was assaulting the Emperor's Palace - but these were clearly veterans, a sort of Elite selection to break the Spaceport's defenses as expertly as possible.

 

'Smoke curtain', Enzho cried. Every vehicle capable of launching smoke grenades did so, the effect immediate and dramatic. The party decelerated, all but the attack bikes, who took to the flanks. Enzho waited for five seconds before giving the order to attack.

 

'Mangudai', he roared, using the Chogorian term, and his forces moved in unison, every Marine knowing their exact part in the ancient ambushing manoeuvre that relied on light cavalry to attract the enemy's most dangerous units to the open. The Jetbikes and Predator advanced at full speed. He saw Space Marines and Land Raiders turning to face them. Instead of charging, the Jet engined craft stopped abruptly and the Attack Bikes converged on the enemy's centre, a storm of bullets, chainswords and the bikes themselves throwing the Chaos Marines in disarray. Those Jetbikes equipped with Plasma Cannons fired charged shots, dispersing enemy squads (and the Marines themselves) while Smilodon scored a direct Alpha Strike on an Iron Warriors Land Raider, causing the behemoth to explode.

 

Enzho and the Jetbike squads closed the distance, immediately going for the Land Raiders. While the Plasmas and Meltas targeted the tanks themselves, Heavy Bolters and Volkite Culverins struck down weapon sponsons as well as any infantry that tried to disembark.

 

In these close quarters, where speed came in short bursts, Enzho could make free use of his Chainsword, Colmillus. The strategy was working, the traitors were unable to come to the Land Raiders' aid and the tanks were being forced to deal with enemies too numerous and mobile.

 

Then, in a second, one of his Attack Bike squads was wiped, all of a sudden. Something was wrong with his sensors, how could ten bikes disappear at once? He looked and saw what the true threat was among the traitor forces: a sorceror. His mount resembled one of the Imperial Guard's genetically modified equines, but in shape only. It was the colour of bluish flesh, like a recent corpse, but its head was bovine, constantly bellowing and lashing with its long tongue, as if on the verge of frenzy. The sorceror riding it wasn't less disturbing. It bore the colours of the Sons of Horus, but it's mutations and signs of defilement resembled those of the depraved Emperor's Children. The psyker looked at him with eyes shining with blood-red light, and Enzho felt his skin crawling, his whole mind revolting at the wrongness of that being.

 

The only hope for the White Scars' forces and the whole Spaceport was for Enzhoto prevent the Sorceror from causing any more mass casualties among his men. Turning his Jetbike around, he charged at the heretic. The other responded in kind, its mount releasing a bolt of fuscia energy which forced Enzho to jink hard to avoid it. As he passed the Sorceror, he threw his Chainsword, which lodged into the beast's ribcage, eating whatever organs it had beneath. At the same time, the traitor psyker aimed his sword at Enzho and twisted it. The White Scar felt his Jetbike disappearing from under him, rolling in the air to land a few metres away. Enzho, in turn, was thrown to the ground, feeling his ribs and left leg break in the high-speed fall.

 

The Sorceror had been thrown off his mount, as well, but landed on his feet through some unbelievable feat of balance. He was carrying Enzho's Chainsword and, with a flick of his fingers, the weapon flew back to the White Scar. The traitor was right behind it, and Enzho barely had time to block the strike, but the purpose of the blow was different. As soon as their blades crossed, Enzho felt his muscles grow weak, as if a dormancy was taking hold of him. He saw every strike come, but was unable to block a single one. The next moment he was on the ground, bleeding profusely. His head weighted a ton, his spine felt like rubber, and his arms couldn't hold a cyber-cherub right now. Still, through the pain and cacophony of alerts from his armour, he managed to activate his bike's homing beacon. As he pressed the button on his vambrace, Enzho just wished there was anything left of his bike to return. As he lifted his head, he also wished the Sorceror's sword didn't pierce his skull before Rampant reached him.

 

It worked. Spectacularly. As he brought the blade down, the Sorceror was rammed by the obsidian prow figure of the Jetbike, his head little more than an indistinguishable mix of blood and bone once the traitor hit the ground.

 

Enzho climbed back onto the bike's seat, his muscle strength returning but his pride hurt. He'd have to find a challenge soon, else he'd leave this battlefield with his bike covered in greater glory than his, but the Khan would not forgive him for jeopardizing his force's cohesion for personal honour. The rest of his forces had managed to destroy most of the Land Raiders with little casualties. It was time to return. After this defeat, the traitors wouldn't try any other attack so soon, though, secretly, he wished they would. He was already making for the Spaceport's gates when his auspex showed him his wish had been granted.

 

--

 

Knightrider Enzho and twenty-four other White Scars were vital in the defense of the Lion's Gate Spaceport against an enemy force twenty thousand-strong, harassing the traitors with perfectly executed hit-and-run attacks. Three hours after contact was made with this second wave, Horus' forces entered the Spaceport, slaughtering the Imperial Forces until only Enzho lasted. In a furious duel with the Iron Warrior Cursat Raddor, Enzho lifted the enemy champion's head and, with a roar, sealed one of the most extraordinary acts of resistance during the Siege of the Emperor's Palace, right before he was shredded by massed bolter fire.

 

---

 

This one goes to a fellow Deviant, who put together a very comprehensive list of Mongolian Words translated to English - like 'Mangudai', for example. The list can be found here, it might come in handy for some of you http://randomeye713....lated-347633238

 

Again, thank you very much, Randomeye. Cheers. Also to Forge World, for the awesome Scimitar Jetbikes.

 

It'll be a while until I can produce the next artwork, I've got some other drawings to do. It's an Iron Warrior, though, I can tell you that =)

 

Hope you like this guy, mates, thanks for viewing

[Olis]

Wow. Great fluff for the picture there and the picture is pretty damn good too. I have reservations over the horse figurehead but that boils down to personal preference more than anything else. :)

[EzekyleVIII]

That jetbike is immense, a sidenote, is he a white scar speaking colchisian?

[Greyall]

Thanks for the heads-up, mate, I meant Chogorian. =)

 

Thanks as well, Olis, I agree the Jetbike looks much more fluid without the prow figure, but in the Imperium, being important means you gots bling ;).

[Kol Saresk]

I love the fact that the Loyalist died to mass bolter fire.

Great drawing.

[Grimdarkness]

Very cool.

[fivepointedstar]

Now that's one awesome ride. Great job drawing the jet bike Greyall. And the Enzho marine guy is looking really bad ass too with his sweet looking chain scimitar.

[Unknown Chronicler]

That pose is beautiful, I think I will use that for my pre heresy mini as always you make extrodinary drawings...just beautiful

[Greyall]

Iron Inside...

 

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/028/8/0/iron_warriors___travon_lacantides_by_greyall-d5t1r0s.jpg

 

 

"Into our graves" Warcry of the Cavador squad

--

"I didn't know Astartes could die like that!"
Gurthen wanted to slap the Guardsman for speaking such a thing, and on the presence of Space Marines no less, but now was not the time to risk creating panic among the  mortal defenders of the Palace. His real reason not to exact discipline was a darker one, though. He'd shared the thought with the impertinent soldier. In centuries of warfare, against gargantuan monsters, colossal war machines and Primarchs, Veteran Sergeant Gurthen had never seen an Astartes simply explode in shreds of meat and ceramites. He knew it was a matter of coincidence, a Primarch could do that. An artillery shell could, as well. But to see it happen was disheartening enough for him. Now that he thought it through, the Guardsmen defending the room alongside the Imperial Fists were being nothing if not brave.

Gurthen had heard of the Cavador squad, the Iron Warriors' secretive breaching unit but, again, to see them in action was something else entirely. They had almost litteraly exploded into the room. One second the Imperial Fists Scouts on the ramparts were warning the defenders inside that a trio of Perturabo's Fellblades were aiming at the wall, the next a tremendous explosion blew the colossal walls apart and he saw traitor Astartes entering the room alongside the still-falling debris. Two of them were actually killed by the very explosion. What kind of suicidal men were these? The Iron Warriors were know to display ferocity on the battlefield, but this kind of behaviour had more to do with Angron's Berserkers.

One of them, his anthracite and silver armour spiked and riveted from head to toe, only the bone-coloured faceguard breaking the metallic tone, stood atop a pile of debris...was he posturing in the middle of a breaching action? Shells flew past him for less than a second, thundering on his armour the next. Gurthen had to admit, whatever the general though about MkV armour was, the rivets and spikes were efficient, deflecting the bolter shells. He saw Thoroff charging the Iron Warrior, powersword in hand. The traitor slowly turned his attention to the Iron Fist, but his reaction was much faster. The butt of his enormous maul broke Thoroff's sword hand, the loyalist grunting and reaching for his combat blade. He had barely taken hold of the hilt when an upwards strike shredded him to pieces with the sound of a crashing Rhino.

Gurthen blinked with the thought. He was not a man given to metaphors or eloquence, known even among the stern Imperial Fists are a straightforward one. Hence why the similarity of sounds troubled him. It wasn't a metaphor or a trick of his mind. The wrenching sound of Thoroff being rent by the power maul had been exactly like that of a Rhino crashing against ceramite. The thought would've stayed on Gurthen's mind if the sight of the other Iron Warriors traitors hadn't taken prevalence. Even has he brought his
bolter up, Craius Gurthen knew his fate was sealed.

--

During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, reports on the Iron Warriors venting their rage on the battlefield with unbridled ferocity were commonplace, yet they all paled when compared with the breaching actions of the Cavador Breacher Squad of the 17th Great Company. At every time comprised of exactly 20 Marines, all of them armed with a wrist-mounted Melta Gun and either a Thunder Hammer or a Power Maul, each manufactured by its very owner. Inclusion into the Cavador squad was therefore tremendously hard to accomplish, its warriors being experts in both creating masterpieces and killing with them, yet there rarely was any lack of aspirants. Or, truth be told, openings, seeing as the average life expectancy among the squad was of 3.2 battles, with a good deal of deaths being caused by friendly fire, not out of negligence, but because the Cavadors had the timed their charges with the artillery strikes that broke the walls. Still, most squad members died of the massed enemy fire that welcomed them from inside the invaded bastions.
Before the inclusion of Veteran Sergeant Lacantides, the longest-lived Cavador breacher had been Techmarine Artamartes, with a staggering record of 8 battles. At the time of his death at the start of the Horus Heresy, all of Artamartes' limbs had been replaced by cybernetics. Lacantides surpassed this record and more, living through the whole Heresy and the ten thousand years that passed since to become a legend. This he achieved by means of his supreme tactical genius, being able to perceive and predict every aspect of the battle surrounding him and acting with the right mix of fury, tremendous close-combat skills and wits to both throw his enemies off-balance and survive their counter-strikes. This innate inteligence was made evident at the time of the Iron Cage incident, after which Lacantides was elevated to a Daemon Prince of Tzeentch (albeit one unusually adept at melee combat, and wielding a giant mace no less).

--

The Iron Warriors, finally. I almost forgot about Perturabo's kids. The point of Lacantides and the Cavador (Portuguese for 'digger') was to show the epitome of the IW's vaunted ferocity. Happy with him, both in concept and execution, though I had some trouble with the damned perspective. Hope you like him, brothers. Cheers.

 

Thanks for the comments on Enzho. Next one...Dark Angels.

[Olis]

Love the picture and the fluff. Can't find a fault with them. :tu:

[Kol Saresk]

Cavador, "into our graves"... I see what you did there. ;)

 

Everything looks good. Only two things to note and those are with the text, at one poi t in the third paragraph, you call the Imperial Fist an "Iron Fist" and in the fifth paragraph, you have an extra "the" between "had" and "timed."

 

Still, it's pretty good. :)

[Greyall]

Thanks, guys. The Dark Angel is already sketched, by the way. Cheers

[Unknown Chronicler]

Beautiful fluff anf picture, I'm just amazed . Another picture that I will have to make a mini! Can't wait to see that Dark Angel of yours!

[Artemid]

Awesome!

 

And super excited to see a DA, of course :D

[Firepower]

I'm not a fan of the Scar, but that's just a matter of me hating the retro bike design in general. Not your fault. But the one drawing related issue I would point out is that the actual WS symbol only appears on the front of the bike as far as I can see, and it almost looks like you knew this since the little panel it's on has the very dark outline you generally use on the edges of the piece. The jagged lines and abundance of lightning bolts are generic enough SM embellishments that they don't make him a Scar without either the Chapter symbol itself or dashes of red. But the horse and the chain tulwar are good hints

The IW is a beauty. He's appropriately spartan/minimalist in decoration, bashed up and blocky in silhouette, while the upwards perspective balances against that simplicity to make it look much more dynamic. And that is a very big, very angry looking beating stick: perfect for an Iron Warrior. I'm surprised how well it came out with one of the edges facing directly forwards, as that sort of perspective always tends to screw up my own drawings.

[Visitor13]

It looks like Lacantides could breach walls using his mace alone.

[Nexus25]

Man I am gone for a few weeks and such epicness, is added.

 

Loved the Dragon Banner and Marine. I always thought their needed to be more "Salamander" type chapters.

The White Scar is sweet, not my cup of tea but you made them look good. I agree that the horse head takes something away from it maybe a relief of charging horses on the front and rasied plates would make the flying "D" bike look cooler and still bling.

Now your Iron Warrior is a work of subtle beautiful simplicity. He just screams "I am going to get to you no matter what, and when I do, I

am going to curb stomp you with your own foot!!!"

 

On a side note you should have a contest for a banner drawing, that would be interesting to see some DIY chapter banner ideas.

[Ammonius]

Wooo!  Iron Warriors!

You have captured that sledgehammer heft in the stance that makes it clear thatevery time Lacantides swings, it's at full, crushing strength.

 

Also, the Cavador squad is one of my new favorite things. Dear god, 20 melta guns in a single unit?

[Aqui]

Still loving your stuff Greyall.  You never fail to impress ^_^

[fivepointedstar]

wrist mounted meltagun. Whoot! Where can I get one? Just love this IW guy. Huge fan of the way you made this guy look defiant as all hell.

[EzekyleVIII]

I know this has probably been said already but brother, you should seriously see about getting your work on or in a black library or Gw publication! That or think about doing your own heresy comic. It would be an awsomesauce overload

[EzekyleVIII]

Double post

[Greyall]

Thanks, mates, so glad you like him, sometimes the least ambitious characters end up better depicted.

 

@Ezekyle: More and more I'd like to draw something for GW, have to find a way to have my drawings reach them.

 

Now...

 

Man I am gone for a few weeks and such epicness, is added. Loved the Dragon Banner and Marine. I always thought their needed to be more "Salamander" type chapters. The White Scar is sweet, not my cup of tea but you made them look good. I agree that the horse head takes something away from it maybe a relief of charging horses on the front and rasied plates would make the flying "D" bike look cooler and still bling. Now your Iron Warrior is a work of subtle beautiful simplicity. He just screams "I am going to get to you no matter what, and when I do, I am going to curb stomp you with your own foot!!!" On a side note you should have a contest for a banner drawing, that would be interesting to see some DIY chapter banner ideas.

 

I kind of like this idea of a banner drawing. Tell me more, Nexus. Do you mean asking people to post a quick summary of their DIYs here with the winner getting a drawing of the chapter banner?

[Aqui]

Thanks, mates, so glad you like him, sometimes the least ambitious characters end up better depicted.

 

@Ezekyle: More and more I'd like to draw something for GW, have to find a way to have my drawings reach them.

 

Now...

 

Man I am gone for a few weeks and such epicness, is added. Loved the Dragon Banner and Marine. I always thought their needed to be more "Salamander" type chapters. The White Scar is sweet, not my cup of tea but you made them look good. I agree that the horse head takes something away from it maybe a relief of charging horses on the front and rasied plates would make the flying "D" bike look cooler and still bling. Now your Iron Warrior is a work of subtle beautiful simplicity. He just screams "I am going to get to you no matter what, and when I do, I am going to curb stomp you with your own foot!!!" On a side note you should have a contest for a banner drawing, that would be interesting to see some DIY chapter banner ideas.

 

I kind of like this idea of a banner drawing. Tell me more, Nexus. Do you mean asking people to post a quick summary of their DIYs here with the winner getting a drawing of the chapter banner?

 

Erhmergerd!

 

That would be so brilliant ^_^

[Wulfkry]

I showed a good friend of mine whom i got into 40k a couple of years ago this thread, and his words seemed to sum it all up "DAMN this !"