Where many Chapters view being interred in a Dreadnought as an honor, the Grey Knights simply wish to rest in the cool earth of Titan.
The Grey Knights are an interesting lot of Daemon slayers, but there is a little bit about their call of battle when it comes to Dreadnoughts.
Via: Lexicanum
The Grey Knights Dreadnought is a similar design to the Space Marine Dreadnought, but unlike other chapters, being interred inside a Dreadnought chassis is not seen as a great honor, and Knights who aspire to such a fate are rare; most simply yearn to rest in the cool of Titan for the rest of time.
However, if the warrior is gravely wounded, but not enough to die, then he will often see the necessity of being placed within a machine. Standing twice the height of a man, a Dreadnought’s fury is an awesome sight to behold, and each is armed with the most fearsome weaponry that the Chapter holds. Their very movements cause the ground to shake as their furnaces roar in the heat of battle.
Their advances on the battlefield can cause enemies to scatter and their adamantium-armored hides can shrug off weapons fire from their foes. Though fearsome opponents, the greatest gift a Grey Knight Dreadnought can provide support to their brethren in the form of psychic defenses. This is because their sarcophagi contain psyber-circuitry which can link their own Aegis field to that of their Battle-Brothers, thus creating a series of wards that are much stronger than the sum of their parts.
A Grey Knights Dreadnought is seen as a living connection to the Chapter’s many years of history, and each chassis is considered an ancient artifact, rather than a weapon of war. The Dreadnoughts represent the living embodiment of glorious victories, great deeds, slain heroes, unquestionable loyalties and proven honor. Thus, they serve as a potent symbol of what the Grey Knights are and what they stand for in their service to the Imperium.
Through a Dreadnought, the spirits of the Chapter’s ancestors continue to live on and this helps the Grey Knights in their fights on the battlefield. It is customary for personal consent to be given before the procedure can begin to place a mortally wounded Grey Knight Space Marine into a Dreadnought.
This is because many Battle-Brothers prefer to rest in peace as heroes of the Chapter in the tombs below the Fortress-Monastery on Titan. There, the name of the Grey Knight is engraved in their crypt alongside other great warriors which is a fitting end for their lifetime of service to the Imperium. One notable case of consent, according to legend, is the story of Grand Master Orias, who lay in the Apothecarium after battling the Daemon Prince Herperitus.
Whilst being tended to by the Chief Apothecary and his servo-meds, the entire Chapter assembled to await his death, with all ten Brother-Captain’s watching over him until his soul would fall into the Emperor’s care. Orias’s shattered body remained unmoving like this for three days, which made it appear as if he had already died, but instead, the Grand Master simply gave a single nod of his head. The Brother-Captains debated and ultimately agreed that Orias had signaled his consent to be placed within a Dreadnought.
Grey Knights Dreadnoughts possess Aegis Armour, allowing them to fend off attacks by Psykers and Daemons. Their Left arms are usually armed with one Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon or Nemesis Doomfist and a built-in Storm Bolter, which can be upgraded to either a Heavy flamer or an Incinerator. Their Right arms are usually fitted with either a Twin-linked Lascannon, a Heavy Bolter, an Autocannon, an Assault Cannon, a Multi-melta or a Plasma cannon. They are also commonly upgraded with Blessed, Extra Armour, Hunter-killer Missiles, Psycannon Bolts, Sacred Hull, Searchlight or Smoke Launchers.
The “Doomglaive” configuration of Grey Knights Dreadnoughts appeared during the Garanhir Rebellion where the 7th Brotherhood of the Grey Knights was faced with great hordes of the Bloodletters. In such harsh circumstances it was decided to arm Dreadnoughts with the Nemesis Doomglaives, psychically attuned blades which were fitted to one arm of the Mk IV Dreadnoughts, and also with a Psycannon – in another hand. This combination proved so efficient that only through those Dreadnoughts 7th Brotherhood managed to destroy huge waves of advancing Daemons and eventually got a victory. Since that this type of Dreadnoughts was codified ‘Doomglaive’ and entered the basic doctrine of the Grey Knights, especially used in battles when Chapter was confronted with the massed daemonic infantry, mutants or Chaos cultists.
