Justicar Iridius

Orus Pabla, born M41 783.2 in Segmentum Obscurus world Denova Prime.

Showed psychic potential at age 2, though parents attempted to hide this from authorities.

793.1 Selection for Black Ships at 10, with parents executed for attempted cover-up of Orus' nature.

When on board Black Ships showed tremendous fortitude and nerves as ship was attacked while in the Warp due to failed Gellar Field. Failure lasted only 5 seconds but fully half the ship was driven mad by the Warp power flooding the wards and overloading the protections in place. Orus forced to kill three adult psykers before control was restored by inquisition officers on board.

793.5  Arrival on terra. Grey Knight Thrandus accompanied by Ancient Librarian Jorek go through the remaining ship's compliment. Orus is one of only three selected from over 300 psykers on board. His actions during the warp madness are commented on by the inquisition crew and Thrandus adds Orus over the reservations of Jorec, who does not trust any of the candidates due to the risk of corruption from the Gellar Field Breach.

793.6 Orus and over five thousand other selectees arrive at Titan and the trials begin. Within 3 days over 2000 other selectees lie dead across the vast training grounds and airless hills of Titan's valleys. Orus himself is covered in wounds.

793.9 Towards the end of three months selection process Orus is elevated (along with 200 other selectees) to the next stage of selection. Already half starving, and having lost nearly a 1/4 body weight, Orus' mind is teetering on edge of giving up, having seen more bloodshed and degradation in the previous 3 months than most men see in a lifetime away from the front lines of war.

794.0 After a month of being left to survive in the labyrinthian wastes below Mount Anarch, only 7 emerge. Orus is one of them. Having been forced to eat one of the fellow selectees after near freezing to death and not able to find food, the 11 yo that stands in front of the Grey Knight overseers is as far removed from the 10yo who stepped on to the Black Ship as an Astartes is from a human. The 6 months of selection has stripped him of all humanity. Orus and 2 others are chosen. Jaxus and Kendor. The remaining 4 are put to death, as taints in their character have been revealed during the final month.

794.1 After a month of ritual cleansing and careful rebuilding of basic health and vitality, Orus is taken to the deepest part of the Neophyte chambers. There the Apothecaries await and he is stripped of his his neophyte robes and implanted with the first of the sacred organs of the Astartes. The Progenoid.

794.5 Four months of surgery and indoctrination through hypnotrainers and chemical rebalancers have turned the gangly frail 11yo Orus into a 6'0" barrel chested and superstrengthed neophyte. He will continue to grow as his astartes implants mature until he can finally receive the black carapace. His name is stricken from his mind by the hypnotrainers, and he will not receive a new one until his formal training is completed.

794.55 The neophyte begins his first combat training under Grey Knight Justicar Wrex. He is put into a squad of 9 other neophytes, where he will remain until his training is completed and he is transferred to a Brotherhood.

797.3  The neophyte's formal combat training ends. he is now versed in use of a Nemesis Force Sword and Storm Bolter, as well as all different forms of grenades and other more generic weapons he may be forced to use in his service as a Grey Knight. He also has received the Black Carapace, having grown to 6'7" and swelled into the body of a full grown man, even at the human age of just 14.

797.4 The neophyte's formal training in his psychic abilities begins. Although all through his previous training and selection he was being tested for purity and psychic ability. Now the ritual purging and fortification of the neophyte’s mind begins. The 666 Litanies of Detestation are implanted in his brain through constant repetition and hypno-suggestion. The Grey Knight Librarians are tasked with attempting to breach each neophyte’s mind again and again and again. Slowly each neophyte is gifted with the knowledge to armour his mind against invasion and corruption.

800. The Neophyte’s training, both physical and spiritual is complete. He is armoured in a newly consecrated  set of Aegis power armour. He is armed with a blessed Nemesis Force Sword and storm bolter with spiritually cleansed shells. He is named. Iridius.

800.01 Grey Knight Iridius is transferred to the Seventh Brotherhood under Grand Master Lothar and Brother Captain Kaleb. He is inducted into Strike Squad Boreus, under Justicar Boreus, a grizzled veteran of 200 years
800.3 Strike Squad Boreus is in action against Daemons of Tzeentch on the Hive World of Jarnus III. Three members of Iridius’ squad are immolated by a Flamer of Tzeentch, including Hadrak the psilencer bearer. Iridius took up the scorched and charred psilencer from Hadrak’s slagged form and proceeded (even with no formal training in the use of psilencers due to his young years) to pump shot after shot of white hot psychic energy into the Flamer, which exploded after just 2 hits.
After that Iridius continued to wield the Psilencer for Squad Boreus, with the Justicar noting that the weapon seemed to be more potent in the young Grey Knights’ hands than it ever was in Hadrak’s.

865.4 Iridius, now in his 65th year with Squad Boreus is sent with the squad to support Brother Captain Kaleb  as he puts the world of Numariel VI to the sword with over half the 8th Brotherhood in support.
From the off the Grey Knights are hampered by bad luck and cruel fate. Squad Boreus is teleported on to the battlefield,  but finds itself cut off from the rest of the Daemonhunter force and surrounded by scores of Bloodletters and Chaos Cultists. Even though the Nemesis weapons and Storm Bolters and Psilencer of the squad take a fiece toll on the enemy surrounding them, the relentless blades of the Bloodletters and the shots of the Cultists’ autopistols first account for Brothers  Tyrel and Ophelion, and then one by one the rest of the squad until Justicar Boreus’ halberd is wrenched from his hands by crazed cultists. Iridius can only watch from the corner of his eye as Boreus, shouting curses at Chaos is engulfed by Bloodletters and hacked apart.
Standing back to back, Iridius and Brother Sejanus continue to fight with blades all around them. The Nemesis swords of the 2 Grey Knights glow white hot with the psychic exertions of the overwhelmed battle brothers. Then Iridius feels Sejanus jerk against him, and his aura dims in Iridius’ mind. A Hellblade has found its way through Sejanus’ guard and deep into his chest. Iridius is alone.
What happened next is disputed by many of the Grey Knight senior warriors, and among the Grey Knight Librarians some whisper that what happened is either a miracle or a curse.
Surrounded by daemons and mad cultists, with the rest of his strike squad dead around him, Iridius is sure he will die. An awful calm engulfs him, and with it his full psychic potential is unlocked (Interpolation by Librarian Ancient Heraldus 966.3). A wave of pure psychic fire erupts from Iridius’ form and immolates the surrounding Daemons and cultists. Screaming rage and hate, Iridius advances through the hoarde surrounding him, the burning fire keeping the Bloodletters at bay. Any who venture too close are sent to the Warp by quick thrusts and slashes of the Nemesis Force Sword in Iridius’ hands.
Iridius  fights his way through to Interceptor Squad Naamon where he is carried to the rearguard, having succumbed to his fatigue and over 40 minor wounds and seven major cuts.

In the aftermath of the battle, with the Blood Legion of Khorne banished to the warp, Brother Captain Kaleb listens in stony silence to the account of Justicar Naamon .Mourning the loss of Justicar Boreus, who he had been Justicar to in his time, he listens with increased apprehension and awe at the next part of Naamon’s tale. How a lone battle brother, Iridius, a mere youngling compared to some of the other Strike Squads’ complements, had destroyed a swathe of daemons nearly half a kilometre long  with only a nemesis force sword. Such feats of heroism are not uncommon in the history of the Grey Knights, and Kaleb is about to admonish Naamon by reminding him of some of his own feats, when Naamon reveals the nature of the Daemons’ destruction.
This gets Kaleb’s attention completely. Only the Order of the Purifiers, and the hallowed Supreme Grand Master have the psychic power and purity to create Anathema, the pure psychic flame of faith. For an untrained and untested Knight to bring forth such a powerful phenomenon...
Iridius is transferred back to Titan and sent to undergo rigorous purity rituals and interrogations.

866.2  After nearly a year of invasive and exhaustive surgery and interrogation, psychic and physical, Iridius is declared free of taint and transferred back to the 7th Brotherhood.  By personal order of Grand Master Lothar he is instated in Purgator Squad Gorel. Here he is trained in the power of Astral Aim and given instruction in the Incinerator and Psycannon. Gorel quickly realises Iridius is best suited to a psilencer, but insists he works with all weapons so that the squad is as tactically flexible as possible.

888.4 Iridius is promoted from Purgator Squad Gorel to lead his own Strike Squad. Strike Squad Iridius , in its first action, is called upon to aid Inquisitors Valen and Thoth in an excavation and ritual destruction of artefacts and shrines to Khorne on the backworld of Formosa III. The Strike Squad soon finds itself fighting against a rogue element of renegade Marines led by an ex Ultramarines Captain Titus who are seeking to destroy the shrine immediately. Iridius leads his Strike Squad admirably and manages to secure the main Shrine bunker, ensuring that no renegades can lay their hands on the artefacts within. Although the reasoning of the renegade marines is honourable, the Grey Knights cannot allow them to succeed, and all but a handful of the Astartes manage to escape off-world. Titus himself is captured and returned to Titan to stand for his “crimes”.

898.24  Strike Squad Iridius is sent to assist Inquisitor Thoth on the Feral World Markath. There the Inquisitor is unable to stop a ritual to bring forth a Greater Daemon of Khorne, and for the second time in his short service Iridius faces the Blood Legion of Khorne. Thoth quickly orders an orbital bombardment from the Grey Knights Strike Cruiser “Sacrifice of Angels”, but the portal through which the daemons pour is shielded by arcane witchcraft from the surviving cultists, their psychic power sustaining and protecting the tear in reality.
Seeing the situation as hopeless Thoth orders the grey Knights to retreat so he can order an Exterminatus. Iridius, as the most senior Grey Knight on board suggests instead an alternative strategy. His Strike Squad will teleport as close to the cultist circle as possible and try and destroy the cultists.
Captain Hastur begins a proctracted orbital bombardment around the portal, destroying scores of bloodletters and other Daemons of Khorne. Then finally Strike Squad Iridius, armed with twin psilencers, and their storm bolters freshly blessed to take revered psychic ammunition, and nemesis weapons consecrated (by this time Iridius bares a Nemesis Halberd), deep strikes deep into the daemon hoarde.
Upon their arrival the psilencers immediately start pouring white bolts of pure psychic might into the bloodletters and fleshhounds surrounding the squad. Fighting back bitter memories of the previous encounter with the foul daemon army, Iridius urges his squad to fight towards the shimmering azure shield surrounding the “Shrine of the Holy Blood” (as it has been misinterpreted by Adeptus scholars from eons past).
The press of daemons is great, and even the squad’s enhanced weaponry and great faith cannot contend with the terrible wrath of Khorne’s chosen army. First one battle brother falls, then another.....and soon the squad’s progress is halted completely. Fearing a repeat of Numariel, Iridius exhorts his brothers to redouble their efforts, but the Bloodletters are relentless.
Seeing Brother Abrael pulled out the squad and dismembered by Flesh Hounds, Iridius feels the familiar calm he had felt 33 years before. Before he can control it a massive coruscating flame erupts from his armour, rolling outwards in a great wave. It passed straight through the remaining Grey Knights surrounding Iridius, but the Daemons in its path were instantly immolated, as they had been years before.
Fighting with renewed vigour, and their Justicar pouring psychic fire all around them, Squad Iridius starts to move again towards the shield. As they reach the coven a massive shape forms in the Portal. A Bloodthirster of Khorne steps through, bellowing rage and his flaming whip uncurling. Before the Anathema fire can reach the Greater Daemon Iridius comes to the last reserves of his strength and the fire dwindles. The Bloodthirster roars and makes ready to charge, and the hoardes of Bloodletters, kept back by the flames, now start to come forward again.
Quickly, Brother Quintos aims his stormbolter at the nearest cultist. The psychically charged bolts penetrate the flickering shield, and the cultist explodes in a mist as the mass-reactive bolts detonate. He urges the others to do the same, and instead of firing on the massive daemon baring down on them, or on the Bloodletters running at them, they take out the cultists. As soon as the last cultist is destroyed the portal emits a scream and the daemons closest to it, Bloodthirster included, are pulled back into the Warp. The rest of the army explodes in a psychic backwash as Quintos screams into his communicator for the Cruiser to teleport them up.
Strike Squad Iridius departs Markath with Iridius deep in a coma.

898.3 Iridius awakes, to find himself with Brother Captain Kaleb and Grand Master Lothar along with Castellan Crowe. The Purifier Order has apparently  heard of his exploits on Markath and have taken an interest in his being tested for approval.

898.4. Iridius becomes the first Grey Knight in history to refuse entry into the Purifier Order.

898.5 Iridius is back on active duty, with 3 new Battle Brothers to make up the losses to his squad.

Later life:

Iridius continues to advance through the ranks. Justicar Iridius is invited to the Seven Trials of the Paladin in 995.6. He completes the trials in 998.3, banishing the Bloodthirster the Slaughterlord after a titanic fight on Praxeum II during which Iridius' Force Sword was shattered. Unleashing Sanctified Flame against the Slaughterlord Iridius is able to grab the disoriented Daemon's Great Axe, and with the last of his strength manages to decapitate the terrible daemon while shouting his true name.

Returning to Titan in 998.8 after being becalmed in a Warp Storm, Iridius is stripped of his Justicar's wargear, and ritually cleansed of chaos taint. This is increased to full cleansing after the manner of his victory over the Slaughterlord is relayed to the Grand Masters.
With the Nemesis Sword he was gifted smashed to pieces, Iridius brought back the Bloodthirster's axe, asking permission to cleanse it and reforge it into a great weapon. Precedent having been set by the Supreme Grand Master himself, permission was eventually (grudginly) given, and the terrible axe is purged by holy fire and remade into an oversized Nemesis Force Axe attuned solely to Iridius.
Armoured in an ornate suit of Paladin armour, Iridius takes his place as bodyguard to Grand Master Kaleb of the 7th Brothehood.

Very thorough account Brother. A nice read.
Now you just need to write the accounts of the other paladins and the GM of the seventh and you are done

Grand Master of the Seventh Brotherhood is currently Grand Master Kaleb, after Grand Master Lothar falls fighting against the Great Unclean One Petulanz.

Kaleb has yet to choose a Brotherhood Champion but has been considering Iridius..

I am REALy impressed with how much thought and work you have put into your fluff Brother. Well done, and thank you for sharing it with us.

What is next?

hmm good question.

I'm trying not to make him an Uber powerful Grey Knight, cause that's just silly. He is a powerful psyker (the warp storm in his youth unlocked his full potential much earlier than most psykers so he has had much more to work with than other grey Knights).

I'm not sure if he should become a Paladin personally. Instead become a very respected Strike Squad Justicar.

After all, Strike Squads have the most dangerous task of clearing beachheads and forging paths to the biggest daemons for the Terminator Squads to do their work.

Which has just given me an idea....

Iridius sat with the left vambrace of his armour on his lap, a cloth absentmidently held in his hand, rubbing the steel grey/silver to a mirror sheen.
His thoughts were far away. A miriad of images flooded his mind, memories mostly.

Harlon, a member of his Strike Squad for the past seventy years, torn limb from limb by a shrieking cadre of Daemonettes.
Jorel, his psycannon still firing as he was decapitated by a raging Bloodthirster, nearly ninety years ago now.
Hadrek........
And so many others.

Iridius paused as a shadow fell in the doorway to his small allotted quarters.
Brother Captain, no "Grand Master in waiting" now Lothar had fallen, Kaleb stood watching Iridius. The older Grey Knight was dressed in a simple robe that belied his true status as one of the most senior officers of the Chapter.

Iridius made to stand up but Kaleb waved him down.
"I just came from Chaplain Meneus. He told me that you had been feeling......apprehension."
Iridius looked up at the new Grand Master.
"Meneus had no righ........I suppose he had no choice. It's not so much apprehension, Master, as concern. Strike Squad Iridius has attracted up to seventy percent more casualties than any other Strike Squad in the Seventh Brotherhood. And forty percent more than the casualties of Strike Squads from the Eigth and Sixth combined.."
"Your point being? Strike Squad duty is often the most dangerous task Iridius" Kaleb responded, "It doesn't do good to dwell on those who perish in their duty, but rather focus on those who are elevated by it to become true veterans."
"That's just it Cap....Master. In the last fifty years only three from my squad have gone on to Interceptor duty or to lead squads of their own. I feel like.."
"Like what..." Kaleb asked, his voice low and his eyes boring into Iridius'
"Like ever since I became a Justicar my squad has been targeted, focused on by our enemies."
Kaleb shifted uncomfortably.
"You are talking of a blood feud?"
"It's not the first time, Master. The Precedent is there. Brother Captain Stern for example, or even the Supreme Grand Master....And if I am right then Strike Squad Iridius is drawing a lot of attention to the rest of our forces wherever we are deployed..."

Kaleb nodded his head slowy, as if what Iridius was saying was clicking with information he already had.
"So what do you suggest we do about this? Keep you and your squad on training duty? Seems a bad waste of your talents..."
Iridius stood up, facing the new Grand Master.
"I do have an idea, Master. It is not.....standard procedure."
Kaleb smiled.
"If there is one thing we are famed for iridius, it is for not being standard."
"Well in that case......Master I officially request for some very special resources."
"Name them."

Iridius paced around his quarters, the idea in his head was almost giving him a headache.
"Strike Squad duty falls to those who are either new to the Chapter or are veterans. Iridius has become a training squad for the last fifty years. I officially request to replace the losses incurred at Norcadia Prime with proven veterans, and to take a position of Marine Errant from the line of battle."
"You want to go on a personal crusade?" Kaleb growled.
"Not a crusade no. But if I am the target of a daemon then maybe with a veteran squad I have a chance of destroying it completely when it comes after me."

Kaleb mused for a while. If Iridius was right then the savagery of Norcadia Prime against the Seventh Brotherhood, and many battles before that, may have been a result of.....
"Iridius. The Beast of Markarth. That Shrine you destroyed. The Blood Legion..."
"Yes.......that would make sense. The curses from that Cabal....Master, I need a selection of veteran Knights and a Strike Cruiser, a crew for the Cruiser and remit to travel to Norcadia, Markarth and Namariel."
Kaleb nodded. "I will see that you get what you need. As of this moment Iridius you and your squad are Knights Errant. Good luck, and may the Emperor protect."

Iridius bowed slightly as the Grand Master left, his mind whirling with things he needed to do.

2 months later Iridius paced around his quarters as the Cruiser "Piety of Faith" slid through the madness of the Warp. They were nearing Norcadia, and memories and plans of action were jostling in the Justicar's mind till he felt he might go mad.

A discreet cough from his quarters door brought him out of his reverie.
Chaplain Cordus calmly watched the Justicar pull himself together, and waited for him to speak.
"Yes Chaplain? What can I do for you?" Iridius asked, his voice calm but a growl only and inch away. He had not requested the Chaplain's presence, and Cordus had an annoying habit of knowing when to interrupt him.
"I was wondering if I could do soemthing for you? I have seen the rest of the squad already and I can assure you their faith and hearts are ready for the task ahead. But I felt maybe you required my guidance and counsel as well..."
The older Grey Knight, in his black habit instead of the usual white of a battle brother, stood firm as Iridius Iridius advanced towards him.
"You are unsure of my resolve Cordus? You think my experiences have shaken my faith? That the loss of so many brothers at my hand is weighing on me?"
Cordus folded his arms.
"You tell me, Justicar. For two months I have watched you drive this squad you have put together through exercise after exercise. There is something......manic in your preparations. Do you fear what we will find there? That we will fail? If you fear failure you will inevitably fail, for fear is the way of the Daemon."
Iridius eyes sparked, but he relented from the retort on his lips. It was true that he had been driving the squad hard. Part of that came from their disparate nature. 10 grey knights from different squads, all specialists in their own way. None from Iridius original squad.
His mind quickly listed off the members of this Errant venture without conscious thought.

GARRETT. Grey Knight Interceptor squad Darius. Daemonhammer specialist. Slightly hotheaded in battle.

FARON. Grey Knight Strike Squad Lepidus. Psycannon specialist. Cool head and great psychic might.

JANUS. Grey Knight Strike Squad Paulinus. Psycannon specialist. Eldest of the squad except for Cordus. Vast tactical experience

KELDANUS. Grey Knight Interceptor Squad Orion. Halberd specialist. Squad champion in close combat.

ORTHO. Grey Knight Purgator Squad Dionas. Incinerator specialist. Also versed in psycannon use should Janus or Faron fall.

BEREN. Grey Knight Purgator Squad Helin. Incinerator specialist. Senior to Ortho.

LEONIDAS. Grey Knight Interceptor Squad Warlen. Halberd specialist. Youngest of the squad, but a keen tactical mind.

PERN. Grey Knight Terminator Squad Jerul. Daemonhammer specialist. Also Incinerator specialist. A blunt instrument.

IMELDON. Grey Knight Terminator Squad Alaric. Psycannon specialist. Newly posted to Alaric's squad, and second youngest squad member.
Iridius had to beg for Imeldon's inclusion.

THEORIC. Grey Knight Terminator Squad Kedrar. Psilencer Specialist with a Nemesis Warding Stave. Defence specialist.

A disparate squad with far more firepower than a normal squad, but they would need it. And they had been training incessantly on board the cruiser for every eventuality Iridius could imagine.
And now, with Cordus accompanying him, it was time to prepare for planetfall.

"We are ready Cordus" Iridius stated, walking past the Chaplain.
"I am ready" Iridius continued as they walked to the armoury to don their armour.

A very good read, thanks and keep it coming

The squad teleported on to the surface of Norcadia Prime with no incident. Immediately fanning out in a defensive circle, autosenses detected......nothing.

Iridius commed the cruiser up in orbit. "Cadus are you sure the sensors are correct? You assured me this was the epicentre of the energy readings."

The reply came back in a few moments, crackling with static, "The sensors are not lying, Justicar. According to all scans the area you are in is charged with Warp energy."

Iridius cursed silently. Around him the squad was scanning the area, wary but also as puzzled as he was.

Finally Cordus broke the silence.
"Justicar.....maybe this is daemonic trickery. If I may suggest we should clear our minds. Allow me to start us in holy chant."
Iridius nodded, seeing the sense in the Chaplain's words.
"I am the hammer" Cordus started, and the rest of the squad followed his words, starting the holy chant of the Grey Knights.
"I am the hammer, I am the right hand of the Emperor, the instrument of His will, the gauntlet about His fist, the tip of His spear, the edge of His sword."
The air around the squad started to fizz and crackle as the Knights repeated the mantra over and over.
The Chaplain continued, uttering the secret second and third verses as he saw the effect the faithful catachism was having.
"I am the unbroken vow from his lips, I am the pure righteousness of his rage, the shield of his heart, the lance of his mind."
The air heated quickly around the squad, alive with dancing shadows. Tinged with blood.
Cordus continued, the final verse coming out of him like a shattering blow.
"I am the Sword of His will! I am the Hammer of his Faith! I am the Storm of his Wrath!"
Iridius gripped his halberd tighter as the Chaplain prepared to shout the final words of the chant. The air was swirling around the Knights now, almost ripping at their armour.
"I am Death to the Daemon!" Cordus shouted.
The air exploded. A psychic scream echoing around them, and the illusion shattered.

The Grey Knights were standing in the midst of an army. Bloodletters, Daemonettes, Pink Horrors, Flesh Hounds....and standing over them a Greater Daemon of Tzeentch, the Lord of Change Vor'koth, at whose feet, chained and raging, was the Bloodthirster the Slaughterlord.

All of this Iridius in an instant, before the iron hard resolve to slay the daemon overtook him and the psycannons and psilencers started to spin and spit deadly fire. Inside him he felt the first fires of the Sanctified Flame building. This is what he was meant to do. Live or die here, he would destroy this army, and restore Squad Iridius' name.

"Let's go through it again"
Inquisitor Thoth leaned back against his chair in the interrogation room and regarded the brooding figure in front of him.
Iridius. Grey Knight. Justicar. Returned to Titan chained and held with suspicion.

The cleanup teams dispatched to Norcadia Prime by Grand Master Kaleb had found the remains of all the Grey Knights Iridius had under his command in a pile of bodies surrounded by charred earth where the denizens of the Daemon army had fallen upon the small squad in droves. Only Iridius, wide eyed, shouting detestations and still firing his empty storm bolter and swinging his halberd in wide arcs.

Kaleb had ordered the ground to be ritually cleansed and Iridius restrained.
Now, after 2 months of intensive psychotherapy and purging, the Justicar was a hollow shell of a marine, but some spark in his eyes told of an intense inner struggle still being waged.

Iridius' eyes raised up from the bare table separating him and the old Inquisitor and fixed him with an icy stare. The Inquisitor looked back at him, calm and waiting. Not at all flustered by the huge scarred warrior's intimidation.

"I have said all I have to say, Inquisitor" Iridius rumbled.

"No, Knight, you have not" Thoth replied. "Your mission was greenlit by Master Kaleb, but even Kaleb cannot protect you from the ramifications of the outcome. Your entire squad was massacred. And more, there are signs that a few of the Knights, Leonidas and Pern were killed not by daemon weapons, but by a Nemesis Halberd. Yours."

The metal edge of the table flexed and bowed as Iridius' fingers curled into fists around it.
"I have said this before, I have said it now a thousand times. Leonidas and Pern were corrupted by the daemon and possessed. I had no choice but to dispatch them."

"And that is the problem Justicar" Thoth retorted. "In ten thousand years of the existence of the Grey Knights not one single Knight has ever fallen to Chaos or been possessed by a daemon."
"Unlike the Inquisition" Iridius muttered.
"I did not hear that" Thoth intoned. "The problem is the Knights are infallible, they are Anathema to Chaos. They must be seen to be pure, it is not enough to say they are. And yet here we have not one, but two Knights seemingly possessed by Daemons? Or perhaps three.."

Iridius exploded out of his chair, towering over the diminutive Inquisitor.
"How dare you! I have taken every test your people can think up. I have passed every psycho analysis and mind probe. You think I killed two Knights lightly? Never before has a Grey Knight raised a weapon against another Knight in anger! You think I haven't thought about all this? About what this means?"
Thoth nodded.
"Only the truth can absolve you Iridius. There are many secrets the Inquisition holds, this may be simply another one the Ordo has to bear."
Iridius shook his head.
"That's not the real issue here. The enemy now knows we can be corrupted. Our faith is our shield Inquisitor. Faith in the Emperor, faith in our purity. The fact not one Grey Knight had ever fallen in all our history empowered our faith. Now.......I am not so sure."

Thoth ran a hand over his bald head. So that was it. A loss of faith, not guilt.

"Come with me" he ordered.

Striding from the interrogation room, Thoth took Iridius, with two hulking Grey Knight Terminators flanking them, through the quiet halls and corridors until they came to a massive hologram showing the Galaxy in astonishing detail.

On the galaxy was shown every Imperial force, and Xenos, and Daemon.

"Look at the Galaxy Iridius. Look at the forces of Man, arrayed against the legions of darkness. Any sane man would think we have no hope, yet still we fight! See here, the Ultramarines, surrounded by the Tyranids, yet still they fought, and won! See the Eye of Terror nearly engulfing the Imperial forces at Cadia......yet still they fight on!
None of these warriors have the training of a Grey Knight, nor do they have the armoury, or the faith you have. And yet they prevail. Space Marines have felled Daemons for millennia. Even lowly humans like myself have taken on daemons and persevered. You doubt yourself, because you have never been given cause to not doubt. But let me say this, you are a Grey Knight, you are the hammer. Your faith than just a singular thing. Together you form a strength far beyond your own capabilities. You must use that. You fear being imperfect, yet you are imperfect for nothing save the Emperor is perfect. Learn to let go of all you fear to lose Iridius and you will be free."

"So.....you say to let go of my fear?" Iridius asked.

"Let go, and trust in the Emperor. Do that, and you may be re-instated. The matter of Norcadia will be investigated for a long time. But I only have one last question"

"What is it?"

"Did you win?"

A slow smile crept over the Grey Knight's face as he remembered his halberd slicing the Greater Daemon of Tzeentch in two, banishing him.

"Yes, yes we did"

Great job!

GW should give us a way to field this named characters on the battle board, some standard rules. This would elevate the game to a higher level

You are already allowed to field your own named characters with their own rules and stats as long as you agree with your opponent about them. They can't be uber gods and indestructible, but then again they can have some pretty cool perks

For instance: Justicar Iridius rules. 50 Points Strike / Intercepor Squad. 60 Points Terminator

Justicar Irdius. One Grey Knight Strike Squad/Interceptor Squad/Terminator Squad can upgrade their Justicar to Justicar Iridius


Justicar iridius WS4 BS5 S4 T4 W1 A2 Ld9 Sv 3+ / 2+ (5+)

Unit Composition: 1 (Unique)

Unit Type: Infantry (character)

Wargear: Strike Squad / Interceptor Squad
Power Armour
Storm Bolter
Master Crafted Nemesis Force Halberd
Frag and Krak Grenades
Psyk-Out Grenades

Wargear: GK Terminator Squad
Terminator Armour
Psilencer
Master Crafted Nemesis Force Sword
Frag and Krak Grenades
Psyk-out grenades

Special Rules:
The Aegis
Fearless
Burning Hatred
Preferred Enemy (Daemons)
Psyker (Mastery Level 1)

Psychic Powers:
Hammerhand
Righteous Fire


Burning Hatred: At the start of shooting phase OR combat phase roll a D6 before shooting or combat begins. on a 1-3 nothing happens, but on a 4-6 roll Righteous Fire pours forth from Iridius, covering all enemies around them
Shooting Phase: take flamer template and place small end on Iridius' base. Any enemies that the template touches suffer 1 Str 4 Ap5 hit(armour saves are allowed, cover saves are not)
Combat Phase: Take Large Blast template with the centre over Iridius. All enemies caught under the template suffer 1 Str 6 AP4 hit (armour saves are allowed).

Nice rules, not too overpowered - just one psychic power (and a heavy weapon for the terminator version but you are paying extra points for that)

His psychic power activation would probably want to follow the standard psychic phase rules and I would rate the costs of the two powers as:

Flamer Attack: Warp Charge 1
Large Blast Combat Attack: Warp Charge 2

Rolling this all into the current turn sequence would mean that he would fire his flamer attack before hitting combat and then unleash his combat attack if still engaged on his subsequent turn.

Actually when you look at it like that there is an argument for the combat attack to be warp charge 1 also as any enemy would have at least one round of cc before he could attempt the power.

Nice balanced house character I would certainly have no objection playing against

Should be Warp Charge 1.
If he does use it though he foregoes using Force Weapon or Hammerhand.