107,793
edits
Changes
From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
Created page with "{{GreyKnightsPortal}} The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' was a battle between the Grey Knights and Golden Host of the Daemon Prince Laesydra on the world of [[Stynarous IV..."
{{GreyKnightsPortal}}
The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' was a battle between the [[Grey Knights]] and [[Golden Host]] of the [[Daemon Prince]] [[Laesydra]] on the world of [[Stynarous IV]].{{Fn|1}}
==Overview==
The [[Stynari Combine]] of Stynarous IV had been locked in a brutal war of attrition with the
[[Orks]] of [[Waaagh!]] [[Slugruk]] for over a century, pushed back day by day by the aliens as their
cavern cities and tunnel settlements fell. When the beasts finally gathered before the gates of
the Sunless City, the Combine guildmasters turned not to the far-off [[Imperium]], but to the
Dark Gods for salvation.{{Fn|1}}
It was Laesydra the Golden that answered their prayers; a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh drawn
to the stench of fear that hung around the Stynari. Within a Stynari solar year Waaagh!
Slugruk’s hordes had succumbed to the Golden Host, Laesydra’s army cutting down the
green-skinned aliens for the joy of their dark god. As the numbers of Daemons infesting
Stynarous swelled it was the Grey Knights that heeded the call, the [[Prognosticar]]s feeling the
dark power of Laesydra rippling into the Warp.{{Fn|1}}
[[Brother-Captain]] [[Caddon Varn]] commanded the assembled strike force, his [[cruiser]] slipping
undetected into high orbit above the world, Stynari’s long-neglected orbital defences hanging
cold and silent in the void. Ion storms and torrents of hard radiation made teleportation or
atmospheric insertion hazardous, so Varn commenced his assault against the Abyssal Needle,
an orbital conveyer used to ferry ore from beneath the planet’s surface and into space.
The Needle’s docking ring had become a temple to [[Slaanesh]], its corridors and chambers
decorated in the remains of the Stynari while Daemons and hysterical [[Cultist]]s lashed each
other bloody with flails crafted from severed fingers and human hair. When the primary voidlock
yawned open, the worshipers were oblivious as they whipped and tore at each other in
ecstatic agony; only the Daemons looked up, sensing the psychic bow-wave of something
terrible approaching.{{Fn|1}}
Honoured Ancient [[Jaeon]] was the first to step out of the void-lock, the[[ Dreadnought]]’s silver
hull glinting dully in the guttering light of candles rendered from human fat. The nearest
[[Daemonette]] only had time to hiss its hatred before Jaeon’s [[autocannon]] thundered to life,
turning it into a fine pink mist. The Dreadnought swept the room with rounds, its weapon
hammering rhythmically as the heavy ammunition punched holes through Daemons, Cultists
and bulkheads. Spreading out on either side of the heavy walker, Grey Knights in power
armour advanced into the chamber, adding the sound of ripping [[storm bolter]] fire to the
cacophony.{{Fn|1}}
Despite the shock of the assault the Cultists surged forward, Daemonettes darting through
their ranks to get at the Grey Knights. Crude blades and flashing [[lasgun]] fire sparked off the
battle-brothers’ armour as they tried to keep the Cultists at bay with brutal strikes from their
force weapons. Where the shining blades drew blood a Cultist or a Daemon fell, their life
essence cut from them in a flash of psychic will. Yet the Daemons came on, flocking to the
screams of the dying, their claws finding weak spots in the Grey Knights’ [[power armour]] and
sinking into the flesh below. Only Jaeon was largely immune from their assault, wading into
the middle of the fray, the Dreadnought’s armoured form towering over the melee, his great
powered gauntlet pulverising anything it touched in a shower of mangled flesh.{{Fn|1}}
Using the Dreadnought to anchor their line the Grey Knights [[Strike Squad]] fell back to the
void-lock, the Daemons pressing hard against them. Sensing victory over their foes, the
creatures’ black eyes opened wide with pleasure as they laughed and shrieked. However, this
was part of Varn’s plan, and once the Daemons and Cultists were jammed into the tunnel
before the lock the Brother-Captain and his Terminators appeared behind them in a cold
flash of teleportation. Trapped between the two Grey Knights forces the Daemons fought
with an insane fury, killing Cultists as often as landing a blow upon one of the silver-armoured
warriors as they tried to escape the Grey Knights’ trap. Varn ordered his brothers to
close the vice, and with methodical fury the Grey Knights advanced, cutting down everything
in their path until at last their blades met. At their feet the deck was awash with destroyed
bodies and the scorched smears where the Slaaneshi Daemons had fallen.{{Fn|1}}
With the docking ring clear, Varn moved quickly onto the next stage of the attack. Unloading
their vehicles, the Grey Knights gathered in the conveyer. Far below, in the heart of the
Stynari’s subterranean hive city, Laesydra sensed the coming of the Grey Knights and
gathered together its Golden Host. At the head of a vast army of Daemons and human thralls
the Daemon marched to the Sunless City, a vast oculus where the conveyer plunged down
kilometres into the centre of the world. Eager to trap the Space Marines within the conveyer’s
cradle as it came to rest, the Daemon Prince sent forth its swiftest troops to pin them in
place. [[Seekers of Slaanesh]] and [[Seeker Chariot]]s raced on ahead, reaching the conveyer locks in
time to see the cradle descending from the firmament.{{Fn|1}}
Brother-Captain Varn had planned for this too; well aware his foes would try and trap him in
the oculus. As the Daemons hungrily watched the cradle they failed to notice the shadows
hurtling down the conveyer shaft ahead of it. Like birds of prey the [[Stormraven Gunship]]s
screamed out into the chamber, their assault cannons and [[stormstrike missile]]s ripping
bloody furrows through the Daemons’ ranks before unloading their cargo of [[Space Marine]]s.
When the cradle finally came to rest and the Grey Knights joined the combat, the chamber
was a scene of utter mayhem. Everywhere battle-brothers fought Slaaneshi Daemons, as
Stormravens, Rhinos and Razorbacks provided covering fire. Varn led the charge that pushed
the foe back, the Dreadnought Jaeon at his side. Suddenly the walker staggered, and the
Brother-Captain looked up in time to see Jaeon’s hull torn open by Laesydra, the Daemon
laughing as it ripped the ancient battle-brother’s remains from his sarcophagus.{{Fn|1}}
Varn directed a blast of arcane fire at the Daemon but it brushed the flames aside, grabbing
him around the waist and lifting him up to its face. The Brother-Captain struggled against the
cloying waves of power rolling off Laesydra, as its psychic tendrils tried to prise open his
mind. Out of the corner of his eye Varn could see Grey Knights falling and fought against the
despair the Daemon was trying to plant in his heart. Appalled by the power Laesydra
commanded, the Brother-Captain plunged his force sword into the Daemon’s heart and
poured his will into the weapon. However, before the Nemesis weapon could unleash its
killing power the creature flung Varn away, one of its claws breaking the blade in two as it
screamed its rage and retreated behind its minions.
Picking himself up, the Brother-Captain voxed for his reinforcements – the [[Dreadknight]] and
Strike Squads he had held in reserve. However, now it was the Grey Knights’ turn to be
outmaneuvered, as Laesydra had pre-empted this move by its most hated foe. As the
teleportation beams coalesced, profane runes laid months before flared to life, stirring the
Warp into a storm, and scattering Varn’s brothers even as their faint outlines materialized.{{Fn|1}}
Clutching his broken sword Varn realised the battle had turned against the Grey Knights,
only a handful of silver shapes visible among the swarms of Daemons and Cultists. Promising
a reckoning, the Brother-Captain summoned his Stormraven, fighting his way to its ramp,
while sending an order to his Strike Cruiser to enact his extraction plan. In a spectacular
detonation the Abyssal Needle was severed, ripping its roots from the world as it spun off into
space and opening a ten kilometre hole in the earth above the battle. As earthen and steel
rain fell upon the Golden Host, Varn made his retreat with his surviving battle-brothers. Even
as their vessel climbed into orbit the Brother-Captain sent his orders for [[Exterminatus]],
proclaiming Stynarous lost to the Imperium.{{Fn|1}}
==Sources==
*{{Endn|1}}: [[Codex: Grey Knights (7th Edition)]] - ''Strike Force Lucerne''
[[Category:Battles (Grey Knights)]]
[[Category:Battles (Chaos)]]
[[Category:Battles (Orks)]]
The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' was a battle between the [[Grey Knights]] and [[Golden Host]] of the [[Daemon Prince]] [[Laesydra]] on the world of [[Stynarous IV]].{{Fn|1}}
==Overview==
The [[Stynari Combine]] of Stynarous IV had been locked in a brutal war of attrition with the
[[Orks]] of [[Waaagh!]] [[Slugruk]] for over a century, pushed back day by day by the aliens as their
cavern cities and tunnel settlements fell. When the beasts finally gathered before the gates of
the Sunless City, the Combine guildmasters turned not to the far-off [[Imperium]], but to the
Dark Gods for salvation.{{Fn|1}}
It was Laesydra the Golden that answered their prayers; a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh drawn
to the stench of fear that hung around the Stynari. Within a Stynari solar year Waaagh!
Slugruk’s hordes had succumbed to the Golden Host, Laesydra’s army cutting down the
green-skinned aliens for the joy of their dark god. As the numbers of Daemons infesting
Stynarous swelled it was the Grey Knights that heeded the call, the [[Prognosticar]]s feeling the
dark power of Laesydra rippling into the Warp.{{Fn|1}}
[[Brother-Captain]] [[Caddon Varn]] commanded the assembled strike force, his [[cruiser]] slipping
undetected into high orbit above the world, Stynari’s long-neglected orbital defences hanging
cold and silent in the void. Ion storms and torrents of hard radiation made teleportation or
atmospheric insertion hazardous, so Varn commenced his assault against the Abyssal Needle,
an orbital conveyer used to ferry ore from beneath the planet’s surface and into space.
The Needle’s docking ring had become a temple to [[Slaanesh]], its corridors and chambers
decorated in the remains of the Stynari while Daemons and hysterical [[Cultist]]s lashed each
other bloody with flails crafted from severed fingers and human hair. When the primary voidlock
yawned open, the worshipers were oblivious as they whipped and tore at each other in
ecstatic agony; only the Daemons looked up, sensing the psychic bow-wave of something
terrible approaching.{{Fn|1}}
Honoured Ancient [[Jaeon]] was the first to step out of the void-lock, the[[ Dreadnought]]’s silver
hull glinting dully in the guttering light of candles rendered from human fat. The nearest
[[Daemonette]] only had time to hiss its hatred before Jaeon’s [[autocannon]] thundered to life,
turning it into a fine pink mist. The Dreadnought swept the room with rounds, its weapon
hammering rhythmically as the heavy ammunition punched holes through Daemons, Cultists
and bulkheads. Spreading out on either side of the heavy walker, Grey Knights in power
armour advanced into the chamber, adding the sound of ripping [[storm bolter]] fire to the
cacophony.{{Fn|1}}
Despite the shock of the assault the Cultists surged forward, Daemonettes darting through
their ranks to get at the Grey Knights. Crude blades and flashing [[lasgun]] fire sparked off the
battle-brothers’ armour as they tried to keep the Cultists at bay with brutal strikes from their
force weapons. Where the shining blades drew blood a Cultist or a Daemon fell, their life
essence cut from them in a flash of psychic will. Yet the Daemons came on, flocking to the
screams of the dying, their claws finding weak spots in the Grey Knights’ [[power armour]] and
sinking into the flesh below. Only Jaeon was largely immune from their assault, wading into
the middle of the fray, the Dreadnought’s armoured form towering over the melee, his great
powered gauntlet pulverising anything it touched in a shower of mangled flesh.{{Fn|1}}
Using the Dreadnought to anchor their line the Grey Knights [[Strike Squad]] fell back to the
void-lock, the Daemons pressing hard against them. Sensing victory over their foes, the
creatures’ black eyes opened wide with pleasure as they laughed and shrieked. However, this
was part of Varn’s plan, and once the Daemons and Cultists were jammed into the tunnel
before the lock the Brother-Captain and his Terminators appeared behind them in a cold
flash of teleportation. Trapped between the two Grey Knights forces the Daemons fought
with an insane fury, killing Cultists as often as landing a blow upon one of the silver-armoured
warriors as they tried to escape the Grey Knights’ trap. Varn ordered his brothers to
close the vice, and with methodical fury the Grey Knights advanced, cutting down everything
in their path until at last their blades met. At their feet the deck was awash with destroyed
bodies and the scorched smears where the Slaaneshi Daemons had fallen.{{Fn|1}}
With the docking ring clear, Varn moved quickly onto the next stage of the attack. Unloading
their vehicles, the Grey Knights gathered in the conveyer. Far below, in the heart of the
Stynari’s subterranean hive city, Laesydra sensed the coming of the Grey Knights and
gathered together its Golden Host. At the head of a vast army of Daemons and human thralls
the Daemon marched to the Sunless City, a vast oculus where the conveyer plunged down
kilometres into the centre of the world. Eager to trap the Space Marines within the conveyer’s
cradle as it came to rest, the Daemon Prince sent forth its swiftest troops to pin them in
place. [[Seekers of Slaanesh]] and [[Seeker Chariot]]s raced on ahead, reaching the conveyer locks in
time to see the cradle descending from the firmament.{{Fn|1}}
Brother-Captain Varn had planned for this too; well aware his foes would try and trap him in
the oculus. As the Daemons hungrily watched the cradle they failed to notice the shadows
hurtling down the conveyer shaft ahead of it. Like birds of prey the [[Stormraven Gunship]]s
screamed out into the chamber, their assault cannons and [[stormstrike missile]]s ripping
bloody furrows through the Daemons’ ranks before unloading their cargo of [[Space Marine]]s.
When the cradle finally came to rest and the Grey Knights joined the combat, the chamber
was a scene of utter mayhem. Everywhere battle-brothers fought Slaaneshi Daemons, as
Stormravens, Rhinos and Razorbacks provided covering fire. Varn led the charge that pushed
the foe back, the Dreadnought Jaeon at his side. Suddenly the walker staggered, and the
Brother-Captain looked up in time to see Jaeon’s hull torn open by Laesydra, the Daemon
laughing as it ripped the ancient battle-brother’s remains from his sarcophagus.{{Fn|1}}
Varn directed a blast of arcane fire at the Daemon but it brushed the flames aside, grabbing
him around the waist and lifting him up to its face. The Brother-Captain struggled against the
cloying waves of power rolling off Laesydra, as its psychic tendrils tried to prise open his
mind. Out of the corner of his eye Varn could see Grey Knights falling and fought against the
despair the Daemon was trying to plant in his heart. Appalled by the power Laesydra
commanded, the Brother-Captain plunged his force sword into the Daemon’s heart and
poured his will into the weapon. However, before the Nemesis weapon could unleash its
killing power the creature flung Varn away, one of its claws breaking the blade in two as it
screamed its rage and retreated behind its minions.
Picking himself up, the Brother-Captain voxed for his reinforcements – the [[Dreadknight]] and
Strike Squads he had held in reserve. However, now it was the Grey Knights’ turn to be
outmaneuvered, as Laesydra had pre-empted this move by its most hated foe. As the
teleportation beams coalesced, profane runes laid months before flared to life, stirring the
Warp into a storm, and scattering Varn’s brothers even as their faint outlines materialized.{{Fn|1}}
Clutching his broken sword Varn realised the battle had turned against the Grey Knights,
only a handful of silver shapes visible among the swarms of Daemons and Cultists. Promising
a reckoning, the Brother-Captain summoned his Stormraven, fighting his way to its ramp,
while sending an order to his Strike Cruiser to enact his extraction plan. In a spectacular
detonation the Abyssal Needle was severed, ripping its roots from the world as it spun off into
space and opening a ten kilometre hole in the earth above the battle. As earthen and steel
rain fell upon the Golden Host, Varn made his retreat with his surviving battle-brothers. Even
as their vessel climbed into orbit the Brother-Captain sent his orders for [[Exterminatus]],
proclaiming Stynarous lost to the Imperium.{{Fn|1}}
==Sources==
*{{Endn|1}}: [[Codex: Grey Knights (7th Edition)]] - ''Strike Force Lucerne''
[[Category:Battles (Grey Knights)]]
[[Category:Battles (Chaos)]]
[[Category:Battles (Orks)]]
