Army History: Grand Master Mateus' Strike Team

This is the initial fluff for my army. If you guys enjoy it, let me know, and I'll work up some more for some of the other squads and squad members. Hope you enjoy it!

Grand Master Mateus:

A broad shouldered man, Mateus’ tall frame overflows with a lithe grace that belies his incredible might. His face, stitched back and forth with the scars of innumerable campaigns, is held almost eternally in a grim mask that shows no pride, no fear, no disgust – only the immovable steadfastness of his duty and the bottomless depths of his faith. Framed by his scars, Mateus’ eyes shine like beacons of pure will, yet they are unsettling to look at, as they seem to always be looking at something deeper than the surface at which they peer. Well known for assessing the true talents and natures of men at nothing more than a glance, the Grand Master’s complete understanding of those under his command is the hand with which he lifts his men to their greatest heights of bravery and duty. His voice is deep, simultaneously soft in prayer as it is sharp in battle cries, but he never wields it with force. Instead, the powerful words that can lift the spirits of his men or send the strongest daemons cowering in stark terror seems empowered not by the force of his will, but by that rare and absolute certainty possessed only by the truly faithful: the complete and utter knowledge that one’s course of action is right.

Mateus is actually unknowingly one of the Sensei, the immortal psyker descendants of the Emperor. Inquisitor Lord Therion LeCraux, a member of the Illuminati, identified him as a child and, recognizing great potential within him, had him inducted into the Grey Knights, where his incredible psychic potential would help keep him hidden, rather than identifying him as a target for the Inquisition (See Inquisitor Lord Therion LeCraux for further details). To this day, Lord LeCraux keeps a watchful eye over Mateus, working behind the scenes to assure that the rest of the Inquisition never discovers his secret heritage. (For more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_of_Mankind_%28Warhammer_40%2C000%29)

Mateus was inducted into the Grey Knights under Justicar Darius in his Purgation Squad (see Darius’ background for his teachings), where he was trained in the use of the Psycannon (to this day, he still often uses Psycannon bolts in his Stormbolter). Thanks partially to the precision tactical training received from Justicar Darius and partially to the warp-immunity garnered from his heritage, Mateus demonstrated himself to be a veritable master at teleportation warfare, particularly in its use on a grand, army-wide scale assault. Mateus, due to his incredible psychic talent, ascended the ranks quickly, and when named Justicar, rather than creating his own Purgation Squad, chose instead to lead a squad of Grey Knights in a Teleport Attack Squad.

Due to his incredible psychic strength and intellect, Mateus was the youngest Grey Knight ever to be promoted to the rank of Grand Master. Mateus’ Sensei heritage gave him a rather detached, aloof nature (due to the absence of emotions that Chaos could prey on), which combined with his mind to give him the appearance of a wisdom beyond his years. His first duty after this promotion was to work with Inquisitor Lord Therion LeCraux to hunt down and terminate the demon Hhokweo’aoppog’gseseo, or Cacklewrack the Black, whose hideout the Inquisitor had traced back to Tameus IV (See Darius for a greater description of the battle). After the banishment of the demon, Mateus’ first authoritative action as a Grand Master was to have Darius entombed within a Dreadnaught.

During the 12th Black Crusade, the Gothic War, Mateus established his reputation as one of the most aggressively militant (and most competent) Grand Masters by leading a strike force deep into the Eye of Terror to harass Abaddon’s supply lines and reinforcements from behind. Frequently, his army would board a cruiser, exterminate everyone aboard, and then let it warp to its destination to prevent it from simply being re-loaded and sent. This tactic led to many Imperial Guardsmen stumbling across lifeless Chaos space hulks, beginning the legends that these ships were cleansed by “The Emperor’s Breath” – a nickname that many within the Grey Knights still use to describe Mateus. It was in this campaign that Mateus truly demonstrated his mastery of teleportation (a skill which, unbeknownst to him, was shielded from the touch of Chaos by his lineage), earning his reputation among the Grey Knights as a tactical genius.

Grand Master Mateus pilots a ship called the Zodiac, a highly modified version of the already awe-inspiring Grey Knight Strike Cruiser. Quickly realizing that, with his aptitude for teleportation attacks, fewer Thunderhawks and Drop Pods were required for his assaults, Mateus has the Adeptus Mechanicus agents on Mars remove several of the fighter bays, replacing them with more engines. This enhanced speed has saved him several times during his guerilla strikes from reprisals by the forces of Chaos, as with its new modifications, the mighty Zodiac is capable of outrunning even the swiftest Chaos interceptors – a speed which Mateus uses frequently to dive right into the heart of the conflict, to better exact the Emperor’s Justice at close range, where the Grey Knights are at their best.


Inquisitor Lord Therion LeCraux:

Therion is a member of the Illuminati, and in fact earned his Daemonhammer by slaying the demon that possessed him after driving it out. Very old and very esteemed, he focuses on slaying daemons by being able to outthink them, outmaneuver them, and predict their actions (an aim that is significantly helped by his access to the Eldar Black Library).

When Therion fount Mateus as a child, his psychic powers warned him that Mateus would have some greater destiny among the Sensei, perhaps one affecting the whole of the galaxy. Rather than let him run free and risk the danger of his Inquisitorial brethren hunting Mateus down and killing him, Therion placed the young boy in the charge of the Grey Knights, where his unique nature would help conceal him. His psychic powers would be accepted among the Knights, and his immunity to the touch of Chaos would be written off as merely Grey Knight training and dedication. Finally, the mind wipe at the culmination of Mateus’ training would eradicate the rebellious nature that is so common to the Sensei, making his disguise complete.

For centuries, Lord Therion has kept a close watch on the “boy”, as he still calls him, working closely with his unit on many of their assaults. Mateus respects Therion’s understanding of the daemonic nature, and often relies on his tactical advice regarding the Enemy’s tactics. While Lord Therion would never admit it, his constant hours of dedicated watchfulness have caused him to think of Mateus more as a son than as just another Sensei – a sentiment which his Illuminati brothers worry may cause Therion to sway in his duty when the time comes to re-awaken the Star Child.


Brother Darius:

Darius was a Justicar of a Purgation squad for many years, specializing in tactical precision in the use of heavy fire upon the battlefield. He was very tactically intelligent, but largely uncomfortable with the idea of command. As such, he remained a Justicar for several centuries, and was one of the older Grey Knights in service to the Ordo when Mateus was inducted into his squad. Recognizing the potential that the young Knight had and taking him under his wing, Darius served as a mentor to the young Mateus, instructing him on the use of precision strikes and their effect upon the battlefield. Covering fire and supporting fire were the litanies by which Darius lived, and he upheld them well in his long service. Grizzled and reproachful, Darius was often regarded as the ‘old man’ of his unit, but his good nature engendered him to those under his command.

When Inquisitor Lord Therion LeCraux tracked the cult of the daemon prince Hhokweo’aoppog’gseseo, or Cacklewrack the Black, back to Tameus IV, Lord Therion informed Mateus (using information gained from the Eldar Black Library) that Cacklewrack the Black was impervious to most forms of attack, although he was particularly vulnerable to fire beneath his carapace. Darius immediately volunteered for the assault, and it was his Purgation Squad that eventually slew the daemon. While the other four members of his squad decimated the Daemon Prince’s armor with concentrated Psycannon fire, Darius moved in for the kill. By the time the armor was damaged enough for him to attack, Cacklewrack had torn three of his squad limb from limb. Darius climbed up the daemon’s armor, stuck his Incinerator in one of the holes, and pulled the trigger, cleansing the daemon’s filth from the inside out. The back blast from the Incinerator threw Darius to the ground, breaking many of his bones, and the psychic shockwave from the daemon’s death slew the last remaining Purgator outright. Darius, who was thrown clear from the monster, fared slightly better – the psychic shockwave merely severed his mind from the rest of his body. When his body was recovered and found to be alive, Mateus (then a newly appointed Grand Master) ordered that Darius not be given the Emperor’s Peace just yet – instead, he decided that Darius’ mind, too damaged to control his own body, would be hooked up to a Dreadnaught, so that he could continue to offer his tactical expertise and to lend his supporting fire to Mateus’ army, which was often unable to use heavier artillery due to the teleportive nature of their movement.

Darius, now the youngest Dreadnaught in service to the Grey Knights, continues to aid Mateus in his strikes upon daemonkind, both within the Eye of Terror and without.


Vindicare Assassin Vladimir Aurion:
Vladimir Aurion was born as a bastard son to an Adeptus Administorum official on the hive world of Frigali Prime. Throughout his childhood, Vladimir was a source of constant embarrassment to his father, who made a frequent habit of drinking away the evenings instead of returning home to the embodiment of his shame. In response, Vladimir was forced to learn to care for himself from a very early age, and developed a strong independent streak.

Eventually, however, shame turned into hatred, and Vladimir’s father began to return home in a drunken rage and beat his son. Vladimir, refusing to be cowed by this man to whom he owed nothing, fought back – first with fists, to little avail. Within a month, however, Vladimir purchased an air rifle, and proceeded to use this ‘toy’ to hold his rampaging father at bay. The young Aurion scion became quite skilled at taking long-distance shots at his father from across the spacious rooms of their mansion, then withdrawing deeper into the house to escape his father’s anger. Often, these mock-battles would last well into the night and even past dawn, until his father either collapsed in exhaustion or sobered up enough to realize he couldn’t catch the boy. This cycle of abuse transformed every night of young Vladimir’s life into a life-or-death hunt, forcing the child to learn through trial and error how to stalk, strike, and flee with military precision. The psychological ramifications of this crucible, however, transformed his independent nature into a firm core of antisocialism, dividing the child’s world into strict oppressor/oppressed categories. He vowed to never again be the latter.

Over the years, Vladimir’s aim improved, to his own detriment: after putting out his father’s left eye with a rifle pellet, his enraged father refused to put up with “that boy’s insolence”, and had him inducted into the Imperial Guard. With that, Vladimir’s future changed forever.
Life in the Guard gave the then-young-adult an outlet for his hunter’s nature, but did little to curb his distaste for his fellow man. When his commanding officer tried to over-discipline the youth, Vladimir defended himself, resulting in the officer’s death. A military tribunal determined that the Guardsman was, indeed, defending his own life, but the coldness with which the soldier had dispatched his commander frightened the officers. Their fear – combined with his noble birth, exceptional aim, and antisocialism – earned him a place in the Imperial Guard’s Sniper Division. Vladimir immediately threw himself into his work, using each assignment as an opportunity to escape, even if only momentarily, from the demons of his childhood.

Four years later, during the 12th Black Crusade, Vladimir’s unit was requisitioned for service by an Inquisitor Lord by the name of Therion LeCraux. Lord LeCraux needed a platoon of Guardsmen to give supporting fire while the Inquisitor himself confronted and killed a corrupted official of the Administorum who had turned to the worship of Khorne. During the attack, the corruptive influence of Chaos proved to be too much for several of Vladimir’s compatriots, who went mad with rage. Their corruption unnerved the rest of the unit, who fled to a man – save one. Vladimir, seemingly unperturbed by the turn of events, proceeded to execute each and every one of his traitorous fellows (with superb accuracy) before resuming his covering fire position for the Inquisitor. Lord LeCraux, impressed by the youth’s actions, drafted Vladimir into his personal service at the conclusion of the campaign, and had him inducted into the Officio Assassinorium, where he graduated from the Vindicare Temple with the highest sniper honors.

Following his graduation, he was approached by Inquisitor Lord LeCraux again. Lord Therion had work to do for the Illuminati and needed several Imperial ministers removed from power, and needed to find someone who would have no moral qualms (and thus no niche for the taint of Chaos to hide in) about murdering his fellow Imperial man. Deciding that Vladimir was that man, Therion approached him with an offer – a very lucrative assassination contract, on the condition that Aurion would consent to a selective mind wipe of the contract after its completion. Vladimir instantly agreed, and when the time came for the psychic purge of his memories, he made an additional request of the Inquisitor: that his childhood memories be wiped as well. In return, Vladimir agreed to as many similar future contracts as Therion could provide. The Inquisitor agreed.

Since then, Vladimir Aurion has remained with the Officio Assassinorium, rising to be one of their top agents. However, he still frequently accepts ‘special assignments’ from Lord LeCraux, earning him near-limitless resources and a memory full of holes. The two men have a steady, yet wary respect of each other, and it is reflected in their professional attitudes towards each other. Yet, as long as Vladimir Aurion continues to prove himself to be the most skilled and most trustworthy assassin in the Imperium, Inquisitor Lord Therion LeCraux will continue to call on him, bringing his considerable firepower to bear against Grand Master Mateus’ enemies.

I must admit on posts this long I have the bad habit of skim-reading. I read every word on this one though. Very well-written Doom. Looking forward to reading more. Unfortunately I don't know enough background history to make thoughtful comments or give suggestions. I'll leave that up to the more sagely ones here.

Updated to include the dreaded Vindicare Assassin, Vladimir Aurion!

...and updated again to add further information on Grand Master Mateus, and to help the pacing and flow of his backstory.

Very very nice work, Love how it all flows well together, really nice work. Ever considered writing? Fiction, non-fiction ect I think you'd do really well at it.

He's one step ahead of you LoL. Take a boo at his intro and you'll see he has published work already under his belt. The good stuff continues Doom.

Aha, quite so, any chances of some of your work being put up in the forum?

If so please do post it up in:
https://greyknights.forumotion.com/40k-stories-and-battle-reports-f4/

Brilliant mate, really good and i'm looking forward to reading some more of your work in the future.

Good Job

Oooooh, nicely written.

I would change one thing though.

Skip the

(See story about darious)

It bashes the crap out of the flow.

The rest was good. I would love to read some awesome grey knight action.

Wow, guys... thanks so much for the positive feedback. I've had a couple ideas I've been kind of itching to explore, so at your request, I'll see if I can't wrangle them together into a cohesive WH40K short story. And trust, anything I do come up with will be posted on the forum section so graciously pointed out by Legion of Light.

I know the section references kinda hurt the flow, but that part was kind of thrown together when I was just trying to get my initial ideas out of my head, and I still wanted the cross-references noted for my own sense of organization. When I get the time, I'll see if I can go back and edit them out. Thanks for pointing them out!

A really good story. But i´ve found a very small error. The Gothic War was not the 11th Black Crusade, it was the 12th Black Crusade.

Really? *goes and checks*

Holy monkey bladders, you're right! Sorry I missed that, guys. *edits*

Thanks, Bjoern!

Doomaflatchi wrote:Really? *goes and checks*

Holy monkey bladders, you're right! Sorry I missed that, guy. *edits*

Thanks, Bjoern!

Always glad to help a brother-captain.

Technically, the commander of his forces is a Grand master and Doomflatchis current status is Henchman.

Couldn't resist.


Doomflatchi, i have an awesome idea! You write a grey knights action novel, and Gw buys and publishes it!

Every body wins!!!

Very interesting read; good eye for detail brother! Always a fan of the fluff.