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Night Lords 15th Company - In Memoriam...Pg.68

Brother Heinrich
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Brother Heinrich Veteran

Brother Heinrich

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Man I am loving all this speculation, if only I had unlimited time, money, and my body wasn't broken from the Marine Corps' gentle ministrations, I would totally tackle all these awesome chapters. As is however, you guys will only get one, but rest assured, it will be a good one, so let the speculation continue ;)

 

The Crimson Hand: Complete

 

So at the cost of my back and a good portion of my sanity, we have finally arrived at a long awaited milestone; The completion of my counts-as Obliterators, known as the Crimson Hand. These were some of my favorite models yet, the nature and rules of Obliterators really are an awesome canvas for hobbyists as they allow for anything to be WYSIWYG. The background of the Crimson Hand is that they are a band of former VIII Legion Destroyers who have banded together and sell their unique talents to the most powerful VIII Legion Warlords. As former Destroyers, they have access to all kinds of archaic and horrendously destructive weapons as shown on the models themselves. 

 

As for my usual offering of juicy fluff, this time around I've got a treat for all of you. Our very own 1000heathens picked up the pen and inked this delicious little short for the Crimson Hand, enjoy and be sure to check out his awesome work over at the "+++ In Memorium: The Day the Palace Fell +++" thread.

 

+++

 

Every time Vol Sahid closed his eyes, he saw his little sister, Anii. He had walked through hell, and earth, and sky for ten thousand years; he had seen sights that would have blasted a mortal's sanity in an instant, and had lost track of time and his own age centuries ago; he couldn't remember the faces of nearly anyone prior to his surgery and induction into the VIII Legion, and had first stood in midnight clad. He had murdered thousands, first in the name of justice, later in the name of vindication. Somehow, though, through all the blood and pain and war he had experienced in his life, the memory of little Anii being gunned down by demi-gods in Unification gray plate was forever burned into his brain. The muzzle flash, the tiny scream, her broken body bleeding out in his arms, her blood floating through the low gravity of their Hive-Settlement on Luna, the hot tears on his face.....

 

Sahid awoke to his Cell-Brother, Edh Costha, tapping his shoulder. "Movement," Edh whispered, "Three kilometers out." Sahid's mind was instantly clear as he broke from his rest cycle, quickly and quietly shifting into his position within the vegetation covered 'hide site' they had dug and built a week prior. There they had stayed, their war-plate's power output set to it's lowest level, observing and waiting for their mark. Eating, resting, observing, and trying to ignore the biting insects and damp heat of the thick Volusian jungles. They had attempted whispered conversation a few times, but as always, talk turned to Sahid's betrayal. He had tired of trying to explain to Edh why he had killed Zerak Hasa, and Edh had grown frustrated trying to explain their old Captain's strengths' and 'virtues'. Sahid shook his head at the memory of that child murdering bastard he had left to die on Terra, and reminded himself why he and Edh made such a solid sniper cell: their professional approach to war, their fastidious attention to detail, and their respective special talents. Vol Sahid, Luna born and bred, was an innate mathematician, making calculations to vectors, windage, and ballistic trajectories as simple as breathing. Costha's skills, born and honed in the violent nights on Nostramo, were far more special.

 

Sahid began dialing in the focus of the scope atop his unique and irreplaceable rail rifle, sweeping to find the glowing tick mark his cell-brother had already tagged and noospherically shared with his rifle’s cognifier. “I swear, if you woke me for another PDF sweep team...” He mumbled as the Archaeotech scope cycled through it's warm-up sequence. Planetary Defense forces had been roaming the area and primary transit routes through the dense jungles that covered the planet, conducting route clearance and sweeps for anything unusual. Of course, they failed to find anything. They were small fish anyway; what the XV Company really wanted was...

 

“Astartes.”, said Sahid through a toothy smile. His scope finally resolved, almost directly on a Rhino in obsidian and wine colored heraldry, accompanied by three other Rhino chassis of various designs and flanked by PDF Chimera's. Thin-bloods of the Marines Exemplar, led by a young lieutenant-commander, moving in the direction of the nearby munitions depot. 'A shame the poor lieutenant will never reach his destination’, thought Sahid. As he rested his marble skin against the stock of his beloved rifle, his cheekbone pressed against thin Nostroman script that read ‘Anii.’ Sighting in on the lead Rhino, Sahid whispered to his cell-brother.

 

“Call it,” he hissed, already locking up his body in preparation of the shot. Despite some of their differences, Sahid trusted Costha's judgment completely when it came to spotting. Costha, his horned helm at his side, stacked alongside his detached lightning claw and long-nosed fusion pistol, stared through his binoculars for a moment before answering. Hoarfrost collected around the edges of his railgun, telling Sahid that his brother was using his 'gift'. Lost in the twisting paths of the near future, only seconds to be exact, Edh's voice responded with a sound like a creaking branch. “Range: One point six two kilometers, Speed: lead vehicle moving at thirty two point two kilometers per hour, zero wind, zero ghosts, correct for humidity, add zero point three for slant. About as clean as it gets, Everdamned.” Sahid's lip curled at the name his brother's called him, but said nothing, as he adjusted his shot in accordance with his brother's directions, the mirco-cognifier inside his scope purring as it made it's own.

 

The lead Rhino came in line with a large rock, on the side of the road, with three fist sized stones stacked atop each other out of view of incoming traffic. The second this marker was crossed, Sahid forced his lungs and hearts to stop, locked his war-plate, made minute alterations to his shot, and gently stroked the trigger. Though the rail rifle created no flash, and very little sound at it's point of origin, the recoil of the rail rifle was violent, neatly pushing Sahid an inch and a half from where he was, and making every bone in his body ache. Water droplets sitting upon the vegetation around them turned into mist, wet earth kicked upward, disturbing thousands of worms and insects, and causing leaves to fall from the jungle canopy above them. All this, though, went unseen by the Exemplars as their lead vehicle detonated a hundredth of a second after Sahid discharged his weapon. The eight-pound adamantium dart struck the Rhino through the heart of the Aquila upon its hull at nearly 6,000 feet per second. Making a mockery of gravity vectoring and bullet drop, it pierced the driver just below the breastbone, exited just above his L1 vertebrae, passed through the fire wall, took the legs of two of it's occupants on it's flight path, and continued on to it's intended target, the fuel cell. The round carried on through the cell, atomizing the promethium as it exited; the heat of the round, and it's searing entrance and exits, was more than enough to ignite the fuel-air mix. A tenth of a second later, and the Rhino's rear, top and side hatches blew out from the concussive force of the explosion, a firestorm bellowing outward, quickly followed by the thick smoke of burning ceramite and flesh.

 

The following vehicles in the convoy broke into a disciplined herringbone pattern, though any attempt at evasion from the lead vehicle's fate was swiftly crushed, as the other three cell-teams opened fire. Twin streams of autocannon fire ripped through the forest into the flank of a Chimera on the left, punching a dozen neat holes into the side of the hull, the overpressure within aspirating misted blood out the cavities. Berias roared like a Carnodon as he fired and Zon Carix launched a string of forty-millimeter airburst grenades above the loyalist vehicles from the same direction, killing cupola gunners or forcing them back into cover. From the right, bursts of plasma slammed into squads of PDF infantry and teams of Astartes as they attempted to disembark, liquefying metal and flesh alike; over the vox, Sahid could hear Vazyos Karas snorting with laughter as his victims choked on their own liquefied fat and tissue. From the rear, the particle Hellcannon grasped in Brother Zhargos’s iron grasp left migraine inducing purple-white flashes in Sahid's retinas, his scope darkening to compensate. Every round that struck turned it's victim into a molten fused skeleton, still standing erect, laced in clinging florescent fire-wisps; utterly morbid and fascinating in equal measure.

 

Sahid and Costha ignored all of this. Their only concern was their mark, the lieutenant. “Give me something quickly,” Sahid whispered instinctively, though there wasn't a sinner's chance on Nostromo that he could be heard over the din. “The whole area is choked with black smoke, and the canopy is trapping it all.” Costha grumbled something unintelligible, the frost growing thicker upon his plate as he pushed his power to its limit. Suddenly, he gasped painfully. “Third vehicle back, Razorback variant, about to exit the left side. I'll guide you in.” When a shot needed to be made swiftly, with no time for corrections or a proper call, Edh was able to 'pull' Sahid's body into the right place, through his own mind. It wasn't a clean process, but that's where Sahid's sharp mathematical mind could adjust as needed swiftly. This was the reason they were so deadly, why they made the perfect kill-team. Apart, they were a weak, a Librarius reject psyker and a back-stabbing trigger puller. Together, they were unstoppable.

 

Sahid re-sighted, his muscles tingling with the after effect of the 'pull'. Through the smoke, Sahid found himself looking at the left side of the third vehicle, without even remembering it. A split second later, an Imperial Champion strode out of the Razorback, yelling orders. Unblemished obsidian and wine plate decked in sunlight gold honors, purity seals and crowned with a white-gold halo that glowed with energy. A champion and defender of the weak, he was a noble son of his gene-father Rogal Dorn. Sahid felt the 'pull' again, lining him up with a perfect kill shot; it would pass through the soft armor under the left arm and out under the right, piercing all three lungs and both proud hearts contained within the loyalist’s bio-engineered chest. It was clean and precise, but it wasn't enough. 'There's more than one way to skin a rad-wolf', thought Sahid wickedly.

 

At the last moment, he adjusted half a mil dot to the left, and again, gently pulled the trigger. Another bone-numbing recoil shattered the air around them, accompanied by a hail of mist, mud, and leaves. The slightly adjusted shot struck the hero’s curved chest plate, caving and shattering it like paper, and doing the same to the rear plate and fusion pack powering his artificer armor. The hyper-velocity round turned the Exemplars' torso into an explosion of gore, splintered bone and shredded meat. A cluster of Guardsmen alongside the Astartes lieutenant were slain by ceramite shrapnel, and the rest were covered in an Imperial Hero's blood, from head to toe. A horrific end to a noble warrior, and a story that those heartbroken and blood soaked mortals would tell until their last night.

 

A click interrupted Sahid's thoughts, bringing him back out of the focused tunnel he had been in, and he mentally restarted his hearts and lungs, washing the burn out of his chest cavity with each halting breath. Edh was attaching his lightning claw's power cable, his daemonic Mk. IV helm already back in place. “I see what you did there, Brother. Good call.” Sahid shrugged in response. “No offense, and your call was dead on; just saw an opportunity to raise seven different shades of hell.” Switching over to the vox, Sahid linked in to the other cells vox-net. “If you come across a pack of Guardsmen coated in Astartes blood and staring at nothing, leave them be, Brothers. They're the messengers of our passing to the Hive. Flay or crucify the rest at your discretion.” Grunts of acknowledgment came from all his brothers, except Zon Carix and Berias, who Sahid could hear laughing maniacally and howling prayers to the Great Destroyer. Sahid and Costha shared a glance; neither of them worshiped the Death God that the other cells mumbled to all day, sticking oaths threaded through shreds of death shrouds to their plate, and sacrificing mortals prior to battle. At least, Sahid thought that Costha didn't. If he did, at least he hid it well. Shaking off the uncomfortable feeling of distrust, Sahid jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Time to displace, brother. We can take the stream to the east to remain hidden....”

 

A roar overhead abruptly ended his sentence, as a giant winged form held aloft by twin jets blew back the canopy, it silver hull marked with a heraldic eagle form topped with a skull, and pinned the two midnight clad killers with a spotlight. Edh cursed. “Doom Eagles. Haven't seen those bastards since Tsagulasa.” Snapping his slim fusion pistol up and bracing it's barrel across the top of his claw, Edh hit the Storm Raven with two shots; one vaporized the light, mercifully shrouding everything in darkness again, the other struck the canopy, disrupting the pilot's view. Edh's vox-speakers blasted as loud as he could pitch them, “Come and get us, gene-spill!” The Cell Brothers began running into the dark jungle to a hasty firing position built over a week ago, already laughing aloud at the story they would get to tell later of a gunship falling from heaven, and of crucified Angels that they would pin to it's silver hull...


+++

 

 

Enough chatter, it's picture time!

 

 

Vol Sahid & Edh Costha (1000heathens & Dan the Deamon), The Crimson Hand, 15th Company, VIII Astartes Legion.

 

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/Night%20Lords%20II/509f9f4c-fadf-4ddc-800a-102e64e023dd_zps8fbaa6d9.jpg

 

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/Night%20Lords%20II/3504c6b1-6a89-4969-a219-8ed66200fbe5_zps5892f430.jpg

 

 

Zon Carix & Berias (Dragonkin Arenas & KrautScientist), The Crimson Hand, 15th Company, VIII Astartes Legion.  

 

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/Night%20Lords%20II/34e282a9-475b-4e03-82d5-81aef730cf2c_zps7d129276.jpg

 

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/Night%20Lords%20II/059ca95f-ae1d-497e-b12f-45e0adf6eed1_zps95b499db.jpg

 

 

Cadogan & Zarghos (Biohazard & Xavier Targhost), The Crimson Hand, 15th Company, VIII Astartes Legion.

 

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/Night%20Lords%20II/11c4e8b8-e48c-455a-9803-2d9140460749_zpse80aa145.jpg

 

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/Night%20Lords%20II/098eb805-55fc-4736-8b28-387a4269fe55_zps165525a3.jpg

 

 

Vazyos Karas & Darvak Siith (Vazzy & Darth Potato), The Crimson Hand, 15th Company, VIII Astartes Legion.

 

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/Night%20Lords%20II/dd872c81-0cf2-4212-922a-d098cc0c46e0_zpsc56b64d7.jpg

 

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/Night%20Lords%20II/1cb6fa3f-6cbf-4cc6-b66e-facdddb741d0_zps21507f13.jpg

 

 

1st Cell

 

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/Night%20Lords%20II/bf0c8eb4-4ec4-4edf-a3aa-de32f81dcde2_zps7c052d15.jpg

 

 

2nd Cell

 

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/Night%20Lords%20II/c14ff085-c952-472b-ac5a-ec19363b441f_zpsfdb2b40b.jpg

 

 

Group Shot

 

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/Night%20Lords%20II/975d5e4d-6ffe-4cb8-b7af-56240b25408d_zps2d75b226.jpg

 

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/Night%20Lords%20II/3f72e568-e4c3-4460-a90e-91679c81598e_zpse8d1da65.jpg

 

 

As always, let me know what you guys think, your comments have, and continue to be, a constant source of motivation throughout this epic project. Also be sure to give 1000heathens kudos if you liked his work, I know I did! Finally, one last little easter egg to add as well, it seems either the boys at Forgeworld found out who I am, or fate itself knows my blood runs forever midnight blue, because in the box for my Sons of Horus Contemptor was this little gem....

http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q532/mv8830/Night%20Lords%20II/1450303_10152434344623761_559165533_n_zpsa88da68f.jpg

 

 

AVE DOMINUS NOX!

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Dragonkin Arenis Veteran

Dragonkin Arenis

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Posted (edited)

Dang, I look good with some paint on. The whole gang looks awesome, Heinrich! Very impressed!

 

But I'm just guessing that heathens has a vested interest in writing the fluff for that update ;)

 

And sweet badge! I think that either they're giving them out in random orders, or someone at Forgeworld must have found out who you are.

be afraid!

 

Keep up the good work! Just that Land Raider and you're done!

Edited by Dragonkin Arenis
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KrautScientist Veteran

KrautScientist

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Utterly fantastic, stuff, Heinrich! And heathens, that's some kick ass fluff! Brilliant work, gentlemen!

 

And, whoa, is that half a death mask I am spotting on my 28 mm version? Awesome! Any chance of a picture from a slightly different angle, so I can take a closer look?

 

In any case, serving in the 15th would be an honour anyway, but being represented by such an amazing avatar just made my day. Thanks, mate!

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Flint13 Venerable Brother

Flint13

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Posted

Everything is astounding, we all know that. But that rib cage on the breastplate of mini-Dan is on a whole 'nother level! 

 

Also, kudos to Heathens for drumming up another bunch of (what would be if it weren't online) page turning fluff.

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KBA Veteran

KBA

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Posted (edited)

Fitting you got that button! :smile.:

Oh, and awesome team job bringing the fluff heathens, and the models/paint Heinrich.

 

EDIT: While I'm on, Heinrich, what do you use for your photo lighting set-up? I feel like clear, bright pics are almost half the battle, and yours have always been great.

Edited by KBA
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Flint13 Venerable Brother

Flint13

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Fitting is right. I got one for a Traitor Titan Legio and one for the Word Bearers. Close but no cigar :pinch:

 

But I second KBA's query. What do you do for a lighting setup? I've had some wildly varying results just trying to shoot on my desk under daylight bulbs.

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Dan The Deamon Venerable Brother

Dan The Deamon

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Posted (edited)

Heathens your story is sick. I loved the nuances and insight you added to all of the detail. gripping and well done. I want moar. 

 

Heinrich, these guys look amazing. I love the characters and how each one is distinctive alone and their awesomeness multiplied when in their cells. Also i think you're the first person to actually finish a weapon team. I never finished any of mine, and yours look mint. 

 

What is next? 

 

Oh, and the freehand rib bones on the breast plate look amazing. I was blown away with what you did there. I love the way you do eyes too. I need your recipe on that.

Edited by Dan The Deamon
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