Sons of Horus Esoterist.

It is an Age of Darkness.

The Galaxy is aflame.

Brother turns on Brother.

This is M.31.

*****

 The battle was taking too long. Each day that the siege drew on, the remaining loyalist legions had time to draw closer to Terra and break the traitor forces.

No force could sustain a siege when attacked from the rear.

Esoterist Zaust entertained these thoughts privately, but deep down he knew that every officer of the Sons of Horus had drawn the same conclusions.

Crouched as he was in a bombed out building, he watched as another wave of Imperials counter attacked down the throughfare. Their courage was admirable if misplaced, however the Blood Angels Astartes accompanying the mortals provided the necessary inspiration for them to charge towards their certain deaths.

Sons of Horus Legionaries and so-called traitor guard units opened fire, but their numbers had been culled in this area by constant counter attacks as they tried to advance and take ground further towards the palace walls.

Zaust's eyes turned white as they rolled back in his head. Spittle drooled from the corner of his mouth as it sounded syllables which no mortal mouth should. Every cultists around him broke out into a cold sweat and the advancing Imperial troops stopped dead, their guts turned to jelly as their resolve faltered.

Shimmering into being, creatures of sulphur and bone stretched long limbs and shook horned heads. Razor sharp claws flickered into existence and a hulking sword of beaten bronze with dread runic symbols appeared.

Zaust barked an order in an otherworldly language which made Cultist's ears bleed and the freshly summon daemonic troops launched themselves forwards, running in a starting, sitting motion like a pict out of sync.

His eyes and faculties snapped back into place as the first of the daemons met the Imperial line sending limbs flying as the mortal troops recoiled in horror. Only the Blood Angels, this noble Astartes rushed forwards to intercept and fight the daemons.

Zaust smiled sickeningly at his nearest Legionaire, through blood slicked teeth he ordered the assault to resume...

*****

Into December, the final month of 2021 and I cleared off a model which if I'd have had time, would have been done in November.

This Sons of Horus Esoterist, a specialist librarian, was an experiment as to whether I could make a Chaos Space Marine Sorceror model fit in with the Horus Heresy miniatures.

A Mk.IV marine head, backpack, shoulder pad and left hand were used as well as a Chaos Space Marine axe to replace the staff the model normally comes with.

Painted using my normal Sons of Horus scheme, but with unearthly flesh which used Deepkin Flesh and Reikland Wash, I think he fits well with the other models.

Zaust in all his traitor glory:

Hobby Bingo and I've cleared a Kitbashed Model box and a Line for Sixty points, bringing my total to Nine Hundred and Sixty points now: 

I'm going to add some normal troops to this army next, but I am also thinking towards next year and focussing down on projects as I've jumped around somewhat all year and don't feel as if I've gotten projects finished, inspire of painting nearly two hundred Miniatures so far this year.

Until next time...