The Lost and Forgotten: Building the II Legion

[Kal-Elvis]

Love everything about this, especially the tarot stuff as inspirational background.  I spent hours reading that website.  Awesome.  Just a suggestion, you could say the teleported packs create a thundercrack and flash of light in opening and closing holes in the warp--which helped inspire fear and superstition in their enemies, and the name Thunder Legion.

 

Also, would love to see your primarch with a supersize/stylized teleport pack as well--could be his fighting style, constantly teleporting in a series of jumps around his enemies so they can never get a bearing on him...would totally jive with the precognition thing.

 

Whatever direction you go, can't wait to see more.

[BassWave]

Kal-Elvis, that thunder crack idea is genius!

[Soraf]

Saw this and thought it could also be a viable template option for your primarch. 

http://www.coolminiornot.com/351800

Obviously a lot more structural work would need to be done, but the sculpt has a dynamism in its pose that might match Icarion's character very well.

[Athrawes]

Excerpt from “A Falling Star: Historical Account of Pre-Imperial Madrigal”

 

The years following the cataclysm of the Thunder King saw Madrigal undergo a Period of gradual change. The Techno-Magi continued to build up their mountainous domains into crude Principalities, whose currency and continued survival relied heavily on salvaging expeditions to the rad-haunted surface of their world.

 

It was the threat of the first passage through the in system warp disturbance that would shape madrigals future. Those Techno-Magi Gifted with future sight began to foresee the horrendous outcome for Madrigal that would occur should the plant pass through the Warp Event. They pulled together what scraps of their former technology they could scavenge and for a half century, endeavored to save their world lest it pass through the storm unprotected and fracture under the strain.

 

Salvation came at last with the creation of the first planetary Macro-Geller field. Although the field was more permeable to warp-space than smaller conventional shipboard field generators, The Macro-Geller field was sufficient to shield Madrigal from the most destructive effects of colliding with the warp-space anomaly.

 

Despite the fact that every 200 (Terran standard) years Madrigal would become a haunted place, stalked by creatures that defied rational explanation, the stability created by the Geller field and the centuries between each “storm season” allowed civilization on madrigal to build up and eventually prosper.

 

 

Akira: The World Forge

 

From Madrigal’s earliest history, the surface laboratories and forge-vaults served as the domain for the esoteric tinkering of Madrigals Adept Magi. But it was Madrigals lone satellite; the moon Akira which served as the heart of the Forgeworlds industry. 

 

Very little of Akira’s surface remains unaltered. The millennia had seen the moon not only covered with massive construction facilities and gargantuan ship breaking yards but also hollowed out to make room for great foundries and dockyards where the where the artifice and tradecraft of Madrigal is wrought into the stuff of interstellar fleets.

 

The hollowing out of Akira destroyed the moons ability to power its own industries and so the Lords of Akira bound themselves to Madrigal; in exchange for Madrigals geothermal power, Akira would supply the Princes of Madrigal with the vessels required to sustain their individual stellar empires.

 

From paying these energy tithes, the various principalities each came to control their own separate voidborn armadas with which they could carry out trade and war with their neighboring systems.

 

Fierce competition for these energy contracts and the vessels themselves led to rivalry and even outright war between the disparate Princes.

 

This was the state of Madrigal at the time of Icarion’s arrival and like a falling star; his capsule plummeted to the surface.  

 

Falling Star

 

Uniquely amongst the Primarchs, Icarion’s arrival upon madrigal had been anticipated. Instead of plowing into the harsh surface his incubation pod landed gracefully in a triumphal field; purpose-built at the exact location of the capsules predicted landing.

 

The High-Magisters of the Astral college had long foreseen the fateful arrival of Icarion, for in the years since their world’s first salvation, they had become master adepts in the training of precognitive psykers and of the navigators which guided Madrigals Mighty fleets through the warp-troubled sector.

 

To be continued in….

 

The Wolves and The Storm

 

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Imagist Archive

 

http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/i327/nickfayette1/CBAD6EA3-6341-464C-9EC5-68D73206955F1.jpg

(Pictured above are line Astartes of the II Legion. Note: Some Legionaries are equipped  with a Tempest-Pattern Etheric Hood produced for use by the II Legion on the Forge moon Akira)

 

http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/i327/nickfayette1/B963DF22-4FE9-4EDB-8342-C060723FD5C11.jpg

(Pictured above are Volta of the Blue Shield equipped with modified Cataphractii Tactical dreadnought armor)

 

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Schoolwork has kept be busy but I have managed to do a few things, for starters I completed another 3 Legionaries and another Volta. I've also started to flesh out a bit more of the Legions history specifically The Primarch Icarions life on Madrigal before the arrival of the Emperor.

 

Finally, Last I've been talking with the talented sculptors over at Den of Imagination and last week I finally commissioned them to sculpt a Miniature for Icarion based off of the Artwork of Mr. Swaid.

[deathspectersgt7]

The Latest additions are Great.

[Jareddm]

I'm super excited to hear what you have planned for how the world will develop after Icarion's integration.  The world itself feels so unique for 40k yet perfectly fitting with Icarion's suspected personality and agenda.

 

While I'm personally not a huge fan of Icarion's physical appearance (it simply wasn't what I had in mind when I was picturing the description from the tarot), I'm seriously impressed that you're commissioning an actual model for him.  I can't wait to see what comes of it.

 

You're doing absolutely fantastic work.

[Conn Eremon]

Ha! Planetary Gellar Fields was our rationalization for having a non-Chaos renegade Legion hole up in the Maelstrom over at the Guilliman Heresy alternative reality project. And it was a Legion that used lightning bolts as its heraldry.

 

Not saying you must have gotten the idea from us (though we would be delighted if that were so), just commenting on the happenstance.

[Athrawes]

The Gellar field plays a large role in the Legion's fall but rest assured, this Legion isn't hiding in the warp somewhere waiting to save the day. This Legion is going to die.

 

Hard. 

 

However I've been running into a few problems on reconciling the lore with having a gaming force to use with my local 30k gaming club. The legions fall takes place 60 or so years before the heresy, and they are destroyed. that being the case I'm not sure if it makes sense to use the Horus Heresy ruleset (even if it is the best representation for this force)

 

My problem is that they never would have had a chance to fight against other Astartes. I've been trying desperately to avoid having my legion "waiting in the wings."

 

here are some of the options I have been considering:

 

1.) In a conversation between Magnus and Mortarion in A Thousand Sons, Magnus mention sthat nine Primarchs were brought together once (in comparions to the gathering on Ullanor) and Mortarion quickly reminds him that dissing that event is forbidden. This leads me to think it might have been about one of the missing Legions.

 

So, my 1st option is that perhaps 9 of the Legions were called together (maybe forming a collation of the willing) under the command of the Emperor or a single Primarch to sanction the II Legion. As long as I leave those "nine unnamed legions" blank in my lore, it gives me the ability to play games of 30k with basically any legion force (baring sons of Horus). Basically those legions who were present for the death of my Legion.

 

2.) My 2nd choice is that while the Legion is basically destroyed in it's entirety at the Siege of Madrigal (Which is going to be a ridiculous Naval Battle) I already know that Sentinel Athrawes survives the Siege with the Terminus Decree. I had initially intended that after turning that device/spell over to the Emperor, his story would end. Maybe he becomes a knight errant or maybe he just vanishes or is executed. 

 

Option two then is that maybe a small force of Legionaries survives with him (enough to make a playable 30k force)

 

 

I would really appreciate your thoughts on these options or if you have any alternatives.

[Jareddm]

One possibility could be that any battle you play out with them are all actually the meditations and chronological wanderings of the legion's Volta or among the High-Magisters of Madrigal.  Various loose strands of fate or possibility in which the legion sided with or against Horus.  The strength of these outcomes would be extremely faint in comparison to what actually befell the legion, but they would still be there, hidden among the infinite tapestry of the warp.

 

It'd be an interesting write up after each battle to hear the Magisters debating with one another about the meaning and symbolism behind the vision.

[Conn Eremon]

I think it is okay to just use the Horus Heresy rules. The lore may be focused on the Heresy, but the rules are meant to reflect the Legions not just during the Heresy but the Great Crusade as well.

 

Edit: And I am glad you are going the route of destruction (or disbandment) rather than future savior. Those kinds of Missing Legions always make me cringe.

[Athrawes]

@Jareddm: That is a really neat idea. it would definitely make for interesting after action battle reports. It might take away a bit of the epic feel from battles having them just be a potential future thread or thought exercise by the Volta.

 

Definitely a cool and unique option though! 

 

@Comarc Airt: I agree with you. My big concern at the moment is justifying battles that my legion fights, either against other legions or 40k armies that didn't exist at the moment of their demise.

[Dragonkin Arenis]

@Jareddm: That is a really neat idea. it would definitely make for interesting after action battle reports. It might take away a bit of the epic feel from battles having them just be a potential future thread or thought exercise by the Volta.

Definitely a cool and unique option though!

If I may put forward my opinion? Not every single battle has to be viewed as possible futures. Some battles you fight could be the actual "best option battle" that the Volta recommend/commit to, leading to the Legion going to war with the knowledge that at least half of their forces will die; another possibility is that if the battle goes poorly, the future has been mis-ready by the Volta, which has resulted in disaster. And for some battles the Volta may have not read the future for it at all, because [insert captain name here] has made a split-second decision to fight it.

Basically there's a lot of things you could do with the "Volta After-Battle Report", just so it doesn't get boring.

@Comarc Airt: I agree with you. My big concern at the moment is justifying battles that my legion fights, either against other legions or 40k armies that didn't exist at the moment of their demise.

Training battles with synth/laser-marker rounds? Small-scale battles to settle the honour of the commanders of the respective Legions (with synth/laser-marker rounds)? Or simply battles between the small number of survivors from your Legion and the Traitor Legions during the Heresy? Or even simply more Volta precognitive scenarios?

Again, lots of ideas to use here

Backtracking slightly, out of the two options you have presented to justify the Legion's destruction, my gut reaction would be option 2, simply because the 1st option may lead to something else in GW's lore and it'd be best to work around it.

[NiteOwl]

I support your first options and think that you should make a campaign for the sanction of the II legion. Think along the line of the Horus Heresy Books from FW. That would grant you the ability to fight battles using the HH-list against the other legions.

[Athrawes]

Tetsuo Ray, Lieutenant, 9th Company, 2nd Battalion

 

Despite an unusual absence of psychic talent, Tetsuo has risen far in the Thunder Legion. As Lieutenant to the 2nd Battalion, Tetsuo is the the Honor Captain while Sentinel Athrawes is occupied with command of the Company. This authority effectively makes Tetsuo the 3rd Ranking Legionary in the entire company.

 

Despite some misgivings by purists who believe that the II Legion's upper echelons should be comprised solely of those with psychic ability, Tetsuo's impressive logistical talents have ensured that 2nd battalion and and the 9th company as a whole are well supplied and smoothly operated. 

 

With Athrawes guidance, many believe that Lieutenant Tetsuo will rise far within Icarion's Legion.

 

http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/i327/nickfayette1/50AE660B-CCA1-4F57-86A2-4D398EC328641.jpghttp://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/i327/nickfayette1/5F6028B0-447F-4718-A149-A164CC8126F51.jpghttp://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/i327/nickfayette1/1F0A601F-01BF-4E19-898D-DFE9CF82BF841.jpg

[Captain Nameless]

As my grandfather would say, "not bad".

[KBA]

Perfect name for a perfect mini! Love it :)

[Studio Silvernale]

Kaneeeeedaaaaaaaaaaa =D

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

Kaneeeeedaaaaaaaaaaa =D

 

Beat me to it, and for those not in the know:

 

http://i.imgur.com/zGRiX1B.gif

 

 

Also, if you get a figure that's even close to the drawing of that primarch, it's going to be amazing. I can't wait to see how that comes out.

[Dosjetka]

I love that last mode that you've shown, so many excellent bits from the Mk II Command Squad :wub:

[Dragonkin Arenis]

Tetsuo is beautiful, Athrawes! Great use of the Mk.II Command figure, and the Mk.III arms suit him really well, too.

 

I'm curious about his Katana and scabbard, though. Did you GS the scabbard around the sword, and where did you get it? I remember seeing them somewhere, but I can't remember for the life of me.

[Barabbas Sogalon]

I love the pose. He's got that elegant swordsman look to him.

[MikhalLeNoir]

I luv it :)

 

A Samurai style had would be great on this mini :)

[Athrawes]

@Dragonkin Arenis: The sword is a Kromlech Vibro Katana, but the scabbard and straps are made of green stuff and plasticard around the sword itself. 

 

This model is intended to be used as the senior chosen in 9th Companies command squad but will probably act as a centurion in smaller points games as well.

[helterskelter]

Now if the 2nd were to ever be made known, these are they! Beautiful fluff, art and models. Go on, build a tank ;)

[Athrawes]

Glory of the Legion, Honor of the Fleet

 

The name Ansem carries great weight within the II Legion.

 

When the Primarch landed on Madrigal, it was the Principality of Haven which took him in, and it was their ruling Family, the House of Ansem which raised and shaped the young Demi-God.

 

The House of Ansem, through the keen diplomacy and generosity of its patriarch Ikaru Ansem, had established itself as one of the wealthiest, most productive and most regal Principalities doting the surface of Madrigal.

 

Though the Principality of Haven has long since become the Empire of Madrigal, center of the Maelstrom Co Prosperity Sphere, being born into the Imperial family of the Adopted Icarion Ansem is an almost irresistable boon to carry.

 

That being the case, it is perhaps unusual that Iro Ansem is only the second Legionary Drawn from the lineage of Icarion's foster Father. 

 

Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, of the 9th Company, Iro Ansem found himself under the watchful gaze of Sentinel Athrawes who has made it his personal mission to tutor and shape the young Warrior. Despite some misgivings surrounding his rapid rise to prominence, few can doubt that Iro is a rising star, soon to make his mark upon the Legion.

 

http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/i327/nickfayette1/1D68F33D-84D5-4B68-A110-666CFFCAA7C21.jpg

(Pictured Above is Iro Ansem, Chosen, 9th Company, 2nd Battalion)