Execution Force complete.

I've finished my Callidus Assassin in record time for me, taking under a week to complete! She was the easiest of the Assassins, due to mostly being one colour with some highlights.

Operative Kyrla Yann, 'Amaranthine Blade', Clade Assassin, Callidus Temple.

And this obviously means that I've painted all four Assassins! I never set out to complete all four, but after I painted my Culexus the bug bit and I couldn't not go for it. It's been a fun project, and it's nice to see something completed personally. I might even run them as an Execution Force in game one day, who knows?!

Anyways...

Execution Force 'Testament Unwritten'. Kill Ratio 2763:1. Lethality Vector Primus.

'The Arterial'

I've painted my third Assassin from the new kits, the Eversor. This means I've nearly completed an Execution Force, just needing to paint a Callidus, which I'll be picking up next week.

'The Arterial', Clade Assassin, Eversor Temple.

The Tenth Company

'The Ethnarch attacked our brothers. He attacked the Imperium and defied the laws of the Emperor. His greatest crime though was to strike at our existence. Every member of the Tenth Company was born on Kerishian. From there they were moulded into the future of the Shrikes. The children of this world have returned home, and they have come clad in wrath.'

Captain Thraam Yercik, X Company, Crimson Shrikes Adeptus Astartes.

Below can be seen pic-capture of Scout Squads Neestoi and Grusis of the Crimson Shrikes Chapter. These small units of Tenth Company recruits were added to the counter-attack forces of Captain Koridas at his request, allowing for infiltration and recon deep within enemy lines, and the creation of a location beacon matrix to guide in drop-podding and teleporting elements of the strike force.

The world of Kerishian Alpha-Seven, as well as being a prominent Shrine World within the sector, was also an the main recruitment world for the Crimson Shrikes. Feral gangs of youths, abandoned or orphaned in the bustling cathedral-metropolises of Kerishian were forced to survive via guile and stealth, and in some cases outright violence. This makes them ideal candidates for Astartes recruitment, exceptionally so in the case of the Raven Guard - descended Shrikes. The chosen would be taken to the home world of the Shrikes and put through the trials of Corax. Not all would survive these trials, and in some cases the entire crop would be lost to the mega-flora and fauna of the stalk-jungles. However, those that passed would be accepted into the Chapter, where their training would begin.

The Ethnarch bringing his campaign of ruin and horror to Kerishian left the Shrikes with the only option available to them, and led to their direct involvement with the Shrine War. After the death of their only other recruitment world in the Black Deep Atrocity, the Shrikes' future was under immediate threat. To the Tenth Company, sons all of Kerishian, the war was a just action, even with the faint memories of their life before the Chapter. The Sergeants of the Scout squads were required to not only lead, but to temper the rage of their charges in the battles that followed.

Master of the Laniidae

'Space Marines are not the noble heroes sung of in legend, as much as the Imperium wants them to be. They are murderers. Killers bred for one purpose, the extermination of life. The House has seen this time and time again. It was the murder-lust of your Corpse-Emperor's sons that led humanity back into the dark ages of now. And yet, Juriakon, scion of Corax, you are that rare creature. An Astartes that I find fascinating. I would piss on Inquisitor Isut's offer, but for your presence. My Knights will walk with you alone, Master of the Laniidae'

Knight-Baroness Oula Sammanta, Pilot of 'Omenstrider', Matriax of the House Erritian. Spoken at the Red Concord.

Master of the Laniidae. First of the Thorn Wreath. These titles belong to the Captain of the First Company of the Crimson Shrikes, a position currently occupied by Faaial Juriakon. A resolute warrior, Juriakon has led the First for fifty-two Terran years, and brought nought but victory to the Shrikes.

Juriakon deployed exclusively with the Laniidae during the Shrine War, using the teleport homers carried by the Scouts of the Tenth to bring instant and cataclysmic assaults upon rebel mortals and later Traitor legion elements. Yet Juriakon's greatest achievement is one that took place away from the battlefield. During the first meetings with the ancient Knight House of Erritian, Inquisitor Judia Isut, the leader of the Imperial battle group assigned to the Shine War found his efforts to recruit the House's allegiance were met with blunt refusals. In the last meeting, known as The Red Concord, Isut believed that a show of force was required to show the House that the power of the Imperium was not to be ignored. A request for a Crimson Shrike escort was granted, and the honour guard was led by Juriakon himself.

The House was not moved by this overt display of force. A lesser opponent may have been coerced by the terror of the war-plated transhumans in their court, but the Matriax of House Erritian was not moved. The House was brutal and merciless in combat, and their warriors were nobles in name only. Matriax Sammanta met the Shrikes with only a deep cackle of disgust. The Shrikes bristled at this insult, and for a few tense moments it seemed that the room would be filled with slaughter and the sound of bolters. However, Juriakon was not only famed for his leadership of the Thorn Wreath, but for his abilities as a wordsmith. He had written treatises and lectures that had spread around not only his Chapter, but amongst the whole of the Astartes brotherhood. He requested that the Matriax engage with him, crone to Marine. Sammanta consented to this, and they retreated to her private quarters for one day and one night. No record of their talks are kept, but after they returned to the court the Matriax pledged her support to Inquisitor Isut, with a special note exclaiming her respect of Juriakon and the Shrikes.

Seen here wearing his Terminator war-plate, and carrying the relic blade 'Termination Shock', Juriakon placed himself and the Laniidae under the command of Ryylo Koridas, providing the anvil to Koridas's hammer-blow of rapid strikes from his company. Although the Knights of House Erritian were in essence an independent force within the Imperial battle lines, the respect shown to Juriakon meant that he and the Laniidae were nearly always supported by at least one Knight, the sound of merciless laughter broadcast on loudhailers as the Knights began their attacks.

Addendum - After the House of Erritian was destroyed on orders from Inquisitor Isut, Juriakon was reported to have spent ninety-nine days in mourning and etched the House symbol into his left greive. It appears that the respect given by House Erritian was mutual.

Warender

'My rifle speaks softly. Yet the words are heard throughout history.'

Operative Tolin Undelis 'Warender', Clade Assassin, Vindicare Temple.

This guy isn't part of the Shrine War story as such, but I didn't really want to open a new log for him. Fun model to paint, and came together pretty quick. My favourite part surprisingly was painting the pillar behind him, which had a variety of techniques applied and all worked very nicely.

Ryylo Koridas and Vanguard Sqaud Ithcal

'The Black Legion returned Lasker to us with whatever they consider honour, as if the word had any meaning from those that betrayed Humanity in the name of their foul gods. We honoured them in return with the subtle knife in the night.'

- Captain Ryylo Koridas, III Company, Crimson Shrike Adeptus Astartes

After the death of Chapter Master Lasker and the realisation that the Shrine War, at least for the Shrikes, would be mainly Astartes vs Astartes combat, the newly promoted Captain of the Third Company Ryylo Koridas requested the remainder of the Chapter involved in combat operations in the sector divert their attention to Kerishian Alpha-Seven in order to reinforce the battered Third, and formulate new tactics aimed at de-stabilising the Traitor Marines' grip on the city of Ikartian.

Koridas had been promoted from with the Chapter's First Company, informally designated as the 'Thorn Wreath'. Turning back to his former brothers, Koridas requested that a number of Vanguard squads within the First be placed under his direct command to assist in counter-Astartes actions, and equipped accordingly. Along with the Third being resupplied with Marines from reserve companies and Scouts from the Tenth, this allowed Koridas to change the methodology previously employed by the Third. Whereas the Company had previously only used guerrilla warfare as a fall-back when squads were below strength or cut-off, now this became the standard tactic used to ensnare Traitor Marines into ambushes and asymmetrical warfare. Indeed, many PDF troopers still involved within the conflict on Kershian noted that although before they had seen the Shrikes engaged in many actions, they almost disappeared from mortal eyes, with only the remains of annihilated Traitor Marines being occasionally found by forces as the Imperial battle-line slowly crept forward.

Koridas can be seen here alongside Vanguard Sqaud Ithcal. Squad Ithcal acted as Koridas's retinue for the majority of the campaign on Kerishian, and were armed specifically for destruction of power armoured foes up close. As can be seen, the weapon of choice in the unit was the lightning claw, a weapon that required an archaic fighting style, but proved utterly deadly in the hands of Ithcal.

Koridas himself is armed with an ancient blade drawn from the relics of the Shrikes, known as the 'Unkindness'. This massive blade would be enough to kill even a fully armoured Astartes without power, and can cut through even Tactical Dreadnought Armour when turned on. Koridas also uses a plasma-based jump pack, providing more height and boost to any leaps made and also allowing a devastating arrival into close-combat.

Legion Building, and finally a test Ultramarine!

'Arcology XIX cannot fall! Let the last thing these bastard sons of Lorgar see be fury coloured in cobalt and gold!'

Attributed to Sergeant Isidoros, Third Battle of Omega Chamber.