The Primal Horde: Raptorguants

Primal Gaunts

Born of the unyielding and often stupid native species of Amazonia which shared the same name, Gaunts are the chosen troops of the Primals. Before their transformation, they were more of an annoyance than a threat, but now their ability to breed in vast numbers, their tenacity, and their predatorial nature had become integrated into the Primal Horde permanently as the ultimate troops. Deployed en masse, Gaunts come in several different variants; the four most easily recognized specialized in such a way that the remainder of the swarm benefits from their arrival.
Raptorgaunts
The close-combat masters of the Primals, Raptorgaunts rush into the fray with powerful scythe claws and deadly fanged mouths that hunger for blood. Among the most common variants as well as perhaps the closest to resemble the original Gaunt from which they were born, Raptorgaunts are swift runners that attack in large swarms that pound at resistance and tear through foe; driving fear into the enemy with their passing. At the same time, they also make perfect cannon fodder, as they are often the first Primals to arrive at enemy defenses and are the last to leave as well.


I've decided after a long time to make some artwork for one of my favorite We are Warriors factions, the Primal Horde. For those of you who haven't looked at my art and writing in the past, the Primal Horde is your textbook "bug" faction. Born elsewhere outside of the galaxy, the Primal Horde was first registered to attack Kingdom worlds about 1,000 years prior, destroying all animal life throughout the planets of the Amazonia System and crippling the Red Swans Space Warrior chapter's presence on those worlds, before they suddenly vanished. Ruled over by a Hive Mind, they are single minded in their purpose; feed, evolve, and unify upon the genetic level. To the Primals, only the strong can belong, and any weakness even among their own ranks is purged and eaten, the genetic material disappating into stagnancy while the nutrients are used to help further the cause for the Primal "race."

Primals take on a more reptilian appearance (in the Raptorgaunts' case, a more Saurian appearance) than the other textbook bug races. Given that they are very similar lore-wise to the cousins that inspired them, Warhammer 40K's Tyranids, I wanted to make sure that at the very least their appearance and social structure was radically different than the standard model. As such, most Primals look like reptiles with an extra pair or so of limbs rather than bugs with repilian features like tails and jaws that open vertically instead of horizontally. Raptorgaunts, as you see, are similar in their roles in the Horde as the Tyranid Hormogaunt brood, the Zerg's Zerglings, and the Tyraks' Swarmer strain (from my novel series in progress, Omega).

I really, REALLY enjoy how the claws turned out. I wanted to give these guys the appearance that their very skin is sharp, like a shark's, so when I added the armor I was sure to add points, curves, and defined cutting edges that gave the appearance that just brushing against this guy could give you very deep wounds. Raptorgaunts fulfill a specialized role that requires them to hunt in groups like the velociraptors of ancient Terra (an alternate Earth), and as such commonly ambush prey in order to take them down. Of course, Raptorgaunts have the added bonus of being born in massive swarms, so when they do attack, you know that there's only two things you can do; run or die. Given their extreme speed, die is the more likely choice of the two.


Raptorgaunts, the Primal Horde, Amazonia, and related materials (c) Kerian Halcyon

-Kerian