The Silent Sword Crusade - Resolve & Purpose

[TheOneTrueZon]

Neat job. Was the head swap difficult ?

 

No, this is the finecast version and the head came on the sprue, so this swap was a easy as they come, fit nicely, no adjustments. 

[TheOneTrueZon]

++ One Year In ++

 

A little over a year ago I decided to get back into the game after finding a box of models sitting dormant for a decade, and a few friends who decided to offload their idle collections to the Crusade. I've been able to put together a lot of models from second hand findings, which will certainly end up taking longer to rehab some seriously neglected pieces. I decided from the start I would spend the first year cleaning, building and priming the entire army, and capped the collection so that I'm not going to add anything else until the entire lot is finished. After priming I went over basic colors with an airbrush to block out as many tabards, pads and power weapons. Now I'm breaking them down into their respective ranks and role to fill out the Crusade. 

 

Here's my first set of Initiates:

 

http://i.imgur.com/NGh97Oc.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/77R1ucd.jpg

 

Best trick I learned this round was using a white colored pencil to do the last bit of scratches. Much more forgiving than paint. 

 

http://i.imgur.com/EuUbYqd.jpg

 

Start of a Sniper Neophyte Squad w/ Active Camo Cloaks

 

http://i.imgur.com/kIiY1HH.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/DpfdHqG.jpg

Almost finished detailing the Stormraven (Designation: Yankee Hotel - 12), I liked using some decals from an F4-Phantom kit for warning and blast signage. 90% done!

 

http://i.imgur.com/vQPU5I3.jpg

 

Under the skirt, as they say:

 

http://i.imgur.com/YLSIpBz.jpg

 

Tried some OSL on the cockpit crew:

 

http://i.imgur.com/vGgWlsN.jpg

 

Finally getting around to finished my IK this year. Very excited to paint it up, however I am undecided on what traitor legion to use for the Rhino that's getting stomped. Taking suggestions!

 

http://i.imgur.com/5nQZQFK.jpg

 

 

Now I'm just about finished doing my tally of the whole battle force, I had it all counted - but of course the note didn't save and I lost all of it. Next update then!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work on the Stormraven and the camo cloaked Scouts.

[AndrewChristlieb]

Very nice, the F4 was my inspiration for warning symbols too. Where did you get your decal kit?

[TheOneTrueZon]

Back of the decal sheet says Revel F-4J Phantom. Dug it up at the local model store in the graveyard box. My favorite place to check for good finds! 

[AndrewChristlieb]

Ah, probably came in a kit if it's from Revel. I've been off and on looking for some good decals to do my BT raven and talons since my attempts at painting them on the Celestial Lions raven were... less then stellar.

[Honda]

Best trick I learned this round was using a white colored pencil to do the last bit of scratches. Much more forgiving than paint.

 

 

  You. Have. To. Tell. Me. More....

 

I am preparing to add weathering powders and some chipping to my infantry (and update the Dreads) and the simplicity and genius of your comment hit me like a ton of bricks.

 

Where did you get this pencil and can you post a pic of it or the brand?

 

<pause>

 

Now that I stopped hyperventilating, I love the splinter effect of your camo and your Scout camo cloaks are just amazing.

[TheOneTrueZon]

 

Best trick I learned this round was using a white colored pencil to do the last bit of scratches. Much more forgiving than paint.

 

 

Where did you get this pencil and can you post a pic of it or the brand?

 

 

Any oil based colored pencil will do. I used Prismacolor. I would recommend doing it as the last step before varnishing / sealing your project, as it will rub off fairly easy with skin contact. 

[TheOneTrueZon]

I've been inspired by Brother Golf! I gave some more time to the interior of the LED LRC that I am working on currently...

 

http://i.imgur.com/SDI8KXs.jpg

[Golf33]

Very nice! I like the shrine details you've added to the walls and the script sections - please tell me those are decals!

[TheOneTrueZon]

CHAPTER 8 - The First Fires

 

The drop from orbit wasn’t unlike the simulations she had run a thousand times already. The imperceptible click of the release clamps, the pod turning over to internal power, the lights turning deep red. There was almost no sensation of falling for a few moments other than her internals counting the falling altitude and rising velocity. Neophyte Nakano heard the voice of the mission commander, Brother Marius, over general coms.

“Ten seconds to atmo re-entry. Com discipline until all squads disembark.”

Nakano looked across to the Initiate opposite her as the restraints locked down. She couldn’t tell what Brother Dromor was thinking behind the red lenses of his MkVII “Crusader” variant helm, but she was sure nothing would please him more than to see her fail. He had said those exact words mere moments after her initiation into the rank of Neophyte. Once they were alone, he quickly grasped her by the throat, easily lifting her off the deck and held her against the cold bulkhead. She tried not to make a sound but his grip would surely break her neck if any tighter. As her last breath gurgled out between clenched teeth, she looked into the impassive eyes of the Templar and saw no emotion in his face as he spoke.

“Know this, mutant. It would be an honor to end your miserable life. But I will not disobey my orders or my Marshall, such is the depth of my devotion to our Templar order. MY order. I will train you as any other. But you will fail, and have wasted our time and efforts. And for that it will be I who will end you. Believing otherwise will deny you a good death.”

He released his hold and Nakano fell hard to the deck, gasping for breath on her hands and knees. But only for a moment, and with a painful groan she pulled herself up to her feet, looked up with every bit of will and defiance to meet Dromor in the eye. Her voice was nothing more than a rasp.

“Yes my lord.”

“Combat training in the great hall in 10,” Dromor ordered. Nakano saluted and followed as the Initiate turned and double timed out of the inner sanctum.

 

The silence of the drop pod quickly escalated into the din of re-entry. Her headset automatically shielding her newly enhanced ears from the sound as the turbulence hit. The upper atmosphere of Hephaestion is dense, twice that of Terra. The shocks that hit the hull of the pod were hard, and her internal readouts were showing multiple lightning strikes had landed while passing through the stratosphere. The five second timer popped up in her field of view, warning of the retro burn before making landfall. Her harness gripped even tighter, taking her back again to that moment of Dromor personally accrediting the fate he would deliver. Her vision narrowed as the G-forces crushed down as the retro-burn initiated, the tunnel of black in her vision turning red, then suddenly released as the pod made contact. All the while the feed line to her neck was pumping stability stims to keep her heart from collapsing, neo-blood pumping and enhanced lungs breathing. A sweeping sensation of ice covered her body as the adrenaline boosters kicked in. The world rushed back into focus, the restraints popping open and without any thought Nakano was out the hatch and beginning to secure the drop site. The five pairs of Initiates and Neophytes got visual confirmation of the other three pod landing sites, all roughly a click apart. It was now a race to see who would reach their positions first.

The four teams would approach the fortress from the opposite side and recon the base of the mountain while staying out of sight. Two squads would then cover each flank of the fortress when the main frontal assault takes place. The Reclusiarch chose to arrive in full Templar style with a strike team in Stormravens loaded for bear.

 

The scout squads had landed just before dawn. From their current position they had one full local cycle, about thirty hours, to cover the forty kilometers of thick woods and ascend the mountain, all without alerting a soul. The pace was hardly daunting to the Neophytes after the endless laps around the Aegis Deus. Though outwardly calm, all of the recruits shared an elation to have a sky overhead, and a far horizon after being confined to the ship since leaving Armageddon. Through the forest they loped silently, the Neophytes finally getting a true taste of their new limits, thanks to the first phases they have undergone. With newfound stamina they moved ever closer to far edge of the mountain, where the true test would begin.

 

The summit of the mountain fortress was 7,107 meters above sea-level. But still they advanced unhindered, reaching the perimeter of the summit and within unassisted sight of the fortress itself just before first light of the second cycle. Nakano’s squad was second the reach the summit, and felt the tinge of bitterness for the retribution she’ll receive from Dromor once back on the Aegis for not being first. IF she makes it back to the Aegis. To her it seemed as if the Initiate would at any moment kick her off the closest cliff in order to unburden himself of her presence. Surely he could attest to any number of things that would justify his actions, but since his first and only threat to her life, he was like any other Initiate in the squad. Our orders were always clear, but all things Astarte carries a certain level of complexity. The four squads formed the over watch for the assault team. All the Neophytes were armed with standard issue sniper rifles, the Initiates watched and observed as spotters, approving or correcting how the Neophytes assessed the battlefield. Fields of fire were checked, zones assigned, and when the Sergeants from the four squads all agreed it was time, the strike was called in.

 

The alpha strike would be timed just before the Stormravens arrive. Nakano and the other Neophyte snipers tagged their targets on the perimeter. The tech level of the cultists was barely above the iron age, but in the twilight before the dawn all four squads were observing what looked to be hundreds of psykers in the camp. Some could be seen practicing throwing pyrotechnic witchfire into the night, as if they knew the Astarte were there and taunted them. Nakano almost believed they could see them. Though almost 800 meters away under the cover of a therm-optic camo cloak, she saw one of the savages peer directly at her, as if he was looking right back into her sights. She knew it to be impossible for someone to see them with the unassisted naked eye, but still the cultist held his gaze for many moments. With a thought she tagged that cultist as her first target once they were weapons free.

 

General coms opened back up and the order has come in.

“Assault team on approach. ETA ten minutes. Tag targets and stand by for alpha strike.”

Zones of red, green, blue and orange popped up in the Neophytes tactical overlay, tagged targets lit up Nakano’s field of vision. Two others in Nakano’s squad were making adjustments to their targeting pattern from the Initiates when she spotted something moving on the battlements of the fortress.

“Movement, outer wall on the northern battlements at my 10, verify,” Nakano announced on squad coms. Brother Dromor was at her side lying prone, his built-in optics zooming in on position. A moment later his feed cut out and switched to a direct line to the assault group, and Nakano knew why.

“Assault team, fortress AA defenses are coming online, repeat we have visual on a single defense cannon coming online and tracking your approach.”

 

Aboard the Stormraven “King David”, Reclusiarch S’dain heard Brother Dromors’ warning. The techmarine pilot Brother Carrus verified the transponder was working and broadcasting their ID. The fortress should recognize them as Templar, but the words of warning from Forgemaster Vauxo came back to S’dain, he knew that the fortress machine spirit would indeed test their faith.

“Take us in low Brother Carrus, the King David will see us to the front gate. Let it sing our arrival.”

 

The Reclusiarch answered over general coms.

“King David on hot approach. Initiate alpha strike.”

 

The morning was coming and Mukmuki was making his way to the front of the camp to gather a hunting party. The seers talked of invasion by black demons, and they badly needed supplies if they were to survive a siege. As he passed the outer huts, some cries came from the center of the camp, a grunt was pointing a finger to the battlements. Something was moving, a deep sound of metal whining in protest after long disuse, the groan like that of a beast sounding off deep within a cave. All eyes were upon it in the camp, the first they’ve ever seen of the fortress coming to life. More confusion as muffled screams began to rise from every direction. The air hissed. It was unlike anything Mukmuki seen. Pots and tents begin to dance, move and explode into pieces without explanation.  Another hunter was running flat out towards him, his face covered in blood, eyes wide and crazy. Mukmuki thought him to be in a trance, coming to kill him out of bloodlust, but he would never know for sure. A moment later the screaming bloody visage erupted into a cloud of fine red mist and chunks of shattered bone. Mukmuki was now the one covered in blood and brain matter, and fell back on his feet just in time to see another hunter running, looking over his shoulder in terror, suddenly thrown sideways as if a divine wind shoved him suddenly aside. Mukmuki saw that half of that hunter’s chest was gone as blood pumped a few last arcing geysers before the body stopped twitching. All around him, Mukmuki witnessed hunters exploding into bubbles of blood and organs, gurgling screams as some silent death befell the entire camp. He did not understand any of what was happening, and the terror grew as the fortress itself cried out. A thunder unlike any other screamed out into the morning sky with great streaks of flame. But again, Mukmuki was aghast as the chaos unfolded more agony as a rain of fire began to pour into the camp from the sky itself. He was curled into a ball, hands on his head, unable to hear his own screams over the sound of the beasts that now flew into view. Great black birds that cried out and breathed fire from their sides engulfed his field of view and rammed into his soft flesh with a wet slap. Mukmuki was now nothing more than a smear of torn flesh and gristle underneath the King David as it rammed through the encampment, grinding tents and cultists underneath until coming to a stop before the massive front gates.

 

The assault ramp lowered and S'dain strode forth as the Vanguard Sword Brothers began the sweep and clear of the area around the main gate. The Reclusiarch swept his storm bolter in wide arcs firing incendiary rounds that engulfed fleeing cultists completely. The other two Stormravens had landed to either side, one of them taking significant damage to it's port side from the AA battery, but nothing the techmarines cannot fix another day, their only task now was to coax the ancient fortress to admit them.

 

The scout squads were recalled from their positions and advanced to link up with the main assault force. The devastation of the camp had been complete, little was left that couldn’t simply be kicked over and left to rot, but such is not the Templar way. Flamers were being distributed when the scout squads arrived before the front gate. Nakano regarded the massive construct with awe. Brother Carrus, his Neophyte Varia and two other techmarines were beginning to pry open the sealed access panels to interface with the fortress when one of his auxiliary sensors picked up an anomaly. Varia noticed his attention turning away from the interface.

“What is it my lord?”, she inquired, cautiously looking over the open field before gate.

“Abnormal subterranean harmonics and thermal readings in the field…” Carrus replied.

With a start his servo harness went into defense mode, also sensing the rising danger.

His voice quickly came over general coms.

“Prepare for counter-attack, defensive positions Brothers!”

The metallic snap of bolters being primed rung out as Initiates, Sword Brother and Neophyte alike turned to the open field, seeing nothing.

“Report, what comes to us Brother Carrus,” Reclusiarch S’Dain responded.

“My passive sonar is picking up voids and heat signatures in the rock below us.”

Though no one could see, beneath the skull helm, S’Dain was smiling.

“Brothers! Our quarry has gone to ground. Search pattern Delta - find the holes they’re hiding in and bring them light and fire to the darkness.”

 

But the cultists weren’t waiting any longer. Once the attack upon them had begun, those who remembered the teachings of the seers found their way as quickly as they could to the tunnels below. Many, many moons ago, when Ogir was nothing but a grunt, the first men on the mountain tried to dig around the wall. Tried, and failed, as the walls were too thick, too deep, and often too dangerous to find ingress. But the tunnels served them well as shelter, and ample space to make for an ambush. Now Ogir was a seer, second only to the grand seer himself, and tasked to driving out the demons to the last man. They drew closer, heavy footfalls of the black demons approaching accompanied by the screams of those consumed in the fires they sent into the tunnels. Ogir held his fist high, and the scores of cultists in the tunnel behind him summoned their will. His fist dropped, and silently they charged forth into the daylight.

 

Each techmarine was leading combined forces of the assault team and scout squads. Using Brother Carrus’ sonar settings, each tech was now able to scan the ground for the openings which led to the tunnels. Most were covered with crude planks that served as floor boards for the destroyed huts. The openings were too small for an Astarte to fit through, Promethium had no problem turning the crawl spaces into ovens. The cultists didn’t even have time enough to scream before being consumed.

 

S’Dain was at the front of search formation, his internal optics searching for heat patterns below, but the rock of this mountain was solid granite, laced with rare metals that were scattering his scans. A flit of movement caught his eye to the right, and another Initiate called out the movement as well. Then came the surge.

 

A writhing mass of cultists poured from the tunnel opening hurling witchfire in every direction. With little to no cover, the Templars were in the open. Nakano began picking off targets quickly, the din of their firepower grew as the other Initiates and Neophytes began focusing fire on the tunnel opening. Sword Brothers armed with chainswords and power axes now charged into their midst, cleaving into the mass of bodies. The cultists were beginning to pile up, the ones still fighting using the fallen as cover. The screeching bolts of fire and ice began to take their toll. An Initiate was stuck with the unnatural fire square upon the breastplate and knocked solidly to the ground. A Neophyte screamed as a bolt consumed her arm and set the flesh aflame to the bone. S’Dain was in full force, his storm bolter turning all before him into pulp, witchfire igniting the seals and scrolls adorning his Terminator armor. A cultist stood taller than the others, covered in bones and feathers, it looked to be some sort of shaman. The Reclusiarch brought his aim around, but not soon enough.

 

Ogir saw the skull faced demon at the front of the black tide that was tearing them apart. He drew every last fiber of his essence, the hate, the fear, all of the darkness he held and felt it burn within him. It reached out, begging to consume the skull demons life. His hands forward and outstretched, the incantation flowed through him and the beam of witchfire blazed forth with the power of a lascannon. But something was wrong, a sick feeling shot through him as his power was drained from him, next to the skull demon, another ran before it, a woman, face raging, eyes set upon him with murderous intent. He felt her pulling his power away, draining his will before he had a chance to use it. Rage took him, and all went red.

 

Nakano saw the cultist preparing his attack, the lessons learned from Inquisitor Valdena rang true. She knew the psyker was about to strike, and the Reclusiarch was only just turning to face it.

“My lord, look out!” Nakano shouted to S’Dain, but it was too late. The bright flicker at the cultists fingertips exploded in a beam of writhing green energy, in that moment she met eyes with Ogir and saw the fear that suddenly washed over his face. She was in front of S’Dain now, bringing her bolt pistol level with the cultists head.

 

S’Dain saw the bolt forming and braced for the hit just as movement to his right brought Neophyte Nakano in front of him. He knew it was too late but still he swung the storm bolter towards Ogir. The beam lanced toward them, but instead of impaling them with dark energy the beam fragmented against Nakano, splitting into a million little sparks and fading into nothing.

 

Nakano didn’t know what had happened, only that she was still standing with a pistol aimed directly at the head of her assailant. The cultists’ eyes were wide with confusion, but only for a moment, for Ogir then knew nothing but darkness as Nakano put a round through his skull.

 

In the aftermath of the ambush, the Templars collected their wounded and made safe. S’Dain was back on the Aegis Deus debriefing Marshall MacLaren. Brother Carrus, in the following hours after the attack was able to find a schematic of the base. The findings were altogether unexpected.

 

“My Lord,” Reclusiarch S’Dain reported, “It appears the data we recieved from the Eternal Crusader was… incomplete.”  A holovid of the fortress superstructure came to life, the battlements and main gate matching what they had found. Then another image, the schematic Carrus retrieved was overlaid. An entire substructure ran down the full height of the mountain, down into the mantle of the planet.

“It appears this Chapter Keep was greatly expanded in the time between M34-M36, though the updated plans were never successfully transmitted to central HQ. The locks permitting passage are complicated enough that Forgemaster Vauxo himself will see to bypassing them. But if the manifest is correct, there two Imperial Knights, and enough armor and materials for three full battle companies in storage.”

 

Marshall MacLaren looked to the Reclusiarch.

“We’re going ta need more techs. We must report this te Helbrecht, come, there is much t’do.”

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/uITTysO.jpg

 

[Brother Christopher]

This looks very promising, I can't wait to read it all. So... this post may be seen as kind of pointless as I just say that "I'm busy at the moment and I'll read it tomorrow", but if fact it isn't. I just want to show my support and appreciation of your effort! By the way, amazing and impressive diagram/image (again, I can't wait to learn more about it)! Did you do it yourself?

[TheOneTrueZon]

I did do all that myself, base image was put together in Photoshop, and the motion graphics are in After Effects. This was mostly just testing out some new stuff in Creative Cloud 2017 before I use them for another project, but is a welcome respite from the day to day grind. 

[TheOneTrueZon]

What's inside a Razorback? Here's the start of my take.

 

http://i.imgur.com/nerqOHR.jpg

[TheOneTrueZon]

Molotow Chrome Pen is my new best friend. This sword got one coat. Seriously, one coat and I got that mirror shine. Amazing.

 

[TheOneTrueZon]

And... more turntables. Just giving the setup a test. Next round will have better lighting.

 

[Honda]

Oooh...<Honda gets all twirly>

[NoPityNoRemorseNoFear]

That Twinkle! I now know how I want to paint/draw? Sigismunds Sword! 

How easy is it to use?

[Brother Christopher]

Great display of your miniatures. Makes me want to spend some time on making a lightbox and finding a suitable thing for a turntable. Great lighting - makes the contrasts very stark and appealing. The mirror effect on the blade is also great - a very interesting take. My only critique is that the dual blade itself doesn't seem very practical. But hey, this is 40K!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job on the Predator's interior. What did you use to make what I presume are the lascannons' generators?

[AndrewChristlieb]

Wow, that liquidchrome looks awesome. What was your base and clear coat on this?

[TheOneTrueZon]

That Twinkle! I now know how I want to paint/draw? Sigismunds Sword! 

 

How easy is it to use?

 

Extremely easy, which is why I'm so enthusiastic about it since there's almost no learning curve to this stuff other than handling. I'm going to throw together a quick vid to illustrate this. Here's another example from the post I put up in another part of the forum:

 

 

The armor took me all of ten minutes to do. 5 min for the first coat - then let it dry for a day, it's alcohol based so it takes longer than acrylic and will smudge if you so much as look at it wrong (next time I use this I'm going to do the first coat on the sprue for better handling) - and then after I did my base colors and light wash I went in again and hit the highlight surfaces with the pen once more. So two applications gets you to what you see above. When it dries fingerprints wipe right off and the mirror shine holds up quite well. So just let it dry completely, as with most things. 

 

Good job on the Predator's interior. What did you use to make what I presume are the lascannons' generators?

 

A whole mess of airplane and tank parts leftover from a big kitbashed space battleship that's been plodding along for a few years. I make greebles from arranged parts and then recast them so I can have lots of multiples. 

 

Wow, that liquidchrome looks awesome. What was your base and clear coat on this?

 

No clear coat! Amazing, right? Base is Vallejo black primer, then applied the pen, dried, did other colors and then one last application. The brilliance and shine is all in the paint. 

Edited April 6, 2017 by TheOneTrueZon

[AndrewChristlieb]

Interesting, how well does it hold up once dry without a clear coat on it?

[TheOneTrueZon]

So far so good. I haven't put it much to the test but finger smudges wipe right off with a piece of microfiber.

[AndrewChristlieb]

Excellent, I watched a youtuber that ran it through his airbrush thinned with lacquer thinner and it looked like it came out nicely on large surfaces too, but he cleared them and it didn't look so hot. He also complained about the durability which is why I was asking, but it seems he may just have not let it setup long enough. On a big project it might just have to dry longer. Thanks for your feedback.