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I’m pleased with how these guys turned out. They act as “Sergeants” to my battleline berserking units who play as Death Company. My chapter are non psyching rejects of Grey Knights with a Zen Buddhism vibe. I’m not a fan of the look of GW chaplains so these Inner circle companions with the Steampunk old skool knight helmets and hoods made from green stuff. To make them wysiwyg I added some aftermarket maces. I shaved off some of the more ostentatious bits of the models and glued those extra fripperies over the daggers on the chest pieces. I found that for some reason the figures were quite forward leaning. I like to see the faces of my figures from sitting or standing rather than having them looking at the ground so I used more green stuff to make them stand upright a little more.

Well, been a busy couple of weeks, so I haven't updated in a while. I managed to finish off painting my Knight Destrier in time for my painting comp (didn't place, but didn't expect to given the high level of competition we have there) and finally figured out how to do Ironkin Beserks. First up, Destrier of House Romlas- I'm pretty happy with him, fits in well with my other Knights and wasn't too much of a pain to put together or paint. As for the Votann, I had originally had some issues with figuring out what to do with Beserks. Since my Votann are all Ironkin, I didn't want to have a bunch of half-nekked biological Kin running around as my melee beatstick. I waffled back and forth, looking at various other companies before coming back to GW and deciding to use the Necromunda Ironhead Squats. The Squats aren't quite as heavily armored as most of the other available options, so I think they work out decently as the Beserks have less armor than Hearthkyn. The Squats have a different set of weapons than the regular Votann as well, so I think they will translate well for Beserk squads. So far, I'll be ordering the following- One box Ironhead Squad Prospectors (8 models) 2 boxes Charter Masters/Drill Master (another 8 "regular" models and 4 each "exo-armor" and techmite models) 1 box Squat weapon upgrades 1 Claim Jumper character (Berehk count-as) This will turn into a total of 20 beserks, or four 5man squads, as each pair of the exo-armor Drillmasters/techmites will form the mole launcher model of each squad of beserks. I've plotted out what weapons I should have and it should turn out ok as far as every member having a melee weapon and then either an empty/utility hand or possibly one or two pistols. Going to try to give them mainly utility hands as the beserks themselves only have the mole launcher as a ranged weapon and I like having stuff match as much as possible. The Claim Jumper model will be the base for a Berehk count-as, and I think he'll work pretty well- the only real conversion I'm going to be doing is possibly changing out the back of his pickaxe for different weapon, using another Votann bit to make it more polearm-like rather than a straight mining tool. Anyway, that's all I have planned at the moment, but I'll be working on my CtA vow of CSM with 22 models vowed to get done this month and then a few characters to finish off in September. I'll try to update when I get the Votann in/made, but the CSM will be updated in their own blog when finished.

I painted this guy not too long ago. I've had a bit of a love-hate view of the Death Guard. I like the body horror elements in spite of not actually being a "body horror guy", but I really don't care for the cartoonish dancing Nurgling vibe. Thus the slight compromise of painting the Marine minus the over-meme'd Sassy Nurgling. Anyways, here he is:

This is going to be a mess. I haven't blogged in forever. Last time, I think, was in 2013, and that was just before I left Greece and migrated to the UK. My head feels like an open filling cabinet, who someone forgot outside during a tornado. And I think a kid swallowed the keys as well. A while back, I saw a video from a youtuber where he said something that resonated with me so much, that I am now carrying it with me as a scar. Very few things stay with me these days; when you grow older, you travel, you meet a lot of people, or when you are pretty socially active in your earlier years, you experience a lot of things, hear a lot of opinions and you pretty much become jaded, meaning that there are fewer things to sweep you off your feet. Yet, that unknown guy's comment, from half a world around, stayed with me: 'I am no longer interested in newer editions of Warhammer 40k, as I have more years in the hobby behind me, than I have in front of me'. I believe this happened because he hit home. This year will mark my 47th birthday. It is not a milestone age, nor a round number. However it is dangerously close to the 'half a century' mark, but it will also mark 35 years since I first got introduced to a company called 'Games Workshop'. Whether I like it or not, it is a milestone, albeit a personal one. There were large gaps in between, ignorance, lack of money, life got in the way. At some I might have been depressed as well. But I always returned to the hobby. This is actually what pulled me out from dark holes, more than once, and it is something that, as long as my body allows, I'll continue doing it. It gives me a sense of fulfilment and a serenity that only few other things can give me. And I take great pride to the results of my labour. I'm not sure I will continue with this blog. I'm not even sure why I am doing it in the first place. I guess I want to praise the hobby, write down some thoughts about it and share it with other like-minded people, in one of the last places that make sense to me.

A Combat Patrol Battle Report 14 August 2026 Sanguinary Spearhead (Blood Angels) v The Vardenghast Swarm. (Tyranids) A bloodbath. My mate @Peck and I have only played a few games of 10th edition ComPat and usually The Vardenghast Swarm v the slow, plodding Captain Octavius. Tyranids usually always won with a big melee presence, some decent abilities and the tanky Psychophage. We want to move on before we get too used to the rules of 10th, even though we still struggle with the rules. We used map layout B and although I don’t have the ComPat terrain we replicated it with Volkus ruins and some pieces from the Fronteris kit (vox antenae, walls, auspex shrine). In future I will cut up some of the enclosed Volkus ruins. On setup The Tyranids look quite daunting, they are great in number and have lots of fast slashy units. I was commanding the Blood Angels and neither of us had used them before. I attached my Captain to my 10 Assault Ints which left me with 2 x 3man Sang guard units. My Mission was to take and hold the centre of the map and gain expansion objectives. We weren’t really sure what that meant either take and move on or take any obj that isn’t home. We chose the latter. Tyranids were to get to the opps deployment zone and hold one or two or more objectives. I’m not going to go blow by blow but it seemed a poorly matched fight. The Ints took the nearest obj and camped. A Sang guard units took the centre. The Psychophage tried to shift the Ints but was killed quite quickly. The central Sang guards were confronted by the Leapers who didn’t seem to be a match for them. The flying Tyranid Prime took the furthest wing obj but was soon torn to shreds by my other Sang guard units. The Barbgaunts were pretty good at shooting at distance (as always) but the Termagents were a waste of space. The Sanguinary guard were just unstoppable with 2+ saves and 3 wounds and in melee their heavy bladed attacks with -2/-3 AP often making saving throws impossible. The Tyranids main units were taken out very quickly leaving the cannon fodder. Tyranids are very different now. You cannot attach a leader to any unit. Leapers have lost the ability to infiltrate (more on those later). The Psychophage is faster. Unfortunately the app showed her BS for Psychoclastic torrent to be 3+. It wasn’t until the post match debrief we noticed the keyword Torrent. Previously the sheet for The PsyP said BS N/A because it’s a torrent weapon. We noticed that the regeneration of Termagents has gone but we also noticed that there is a core stratagem for “Rapid Ingress” which means that you can hold ANY unit in reserve and pay 1CP to plonk them on the battlefield anywhere (i.e. into the enemies deployment zone 6” from the edge and not within however many inches of an enemy unit). We played Tyranids like the old ComPat. They were nasty slashy things. I think now they are gun and run units (Termagents having the ability to advance and shoot, always advance 6 with 1CP if needed). Or you keep them as a massive multi unit melee weapon. Conclusion…never take on Sanguinary guard toe to toe. We are still slightly confused by a few terrain rules where cover is concerned and the wording of counteroffensive makes no sense to us at all. But I shall post for advice with pics elsewhere.

THE REVENANT HOST Extract from the private journal of Rogue Trader Lord-Captain Lucian Josephus Vale XVIII, Warrant of Trade Imperator's Mercy. I have seen the dead walk. Not the shambling corpses of plague worlds, nor the witch-spawned things that crawl from the Warp. I have seen those thrice cursed horrors often enough that they no longer surprise me. These were different. They came without warning. We had been fighting on the surface of Karthax IXa for thirteen days when the Kroot mercenaries of the traitorous House Breckenridge broke through our eastern defenses at Port Caedus. My armsmen were exhausted, my enginseers were dead, and I had already begun calculating how much of my newly discovered Aeldari weapon cache I would be able to salvage before abandoning the planet. Then they appeared. At first I thought them a miracle. Prayers to the God-Emperor answered. Ornate armor. Guardian spears. The unmistakable stature of the Emperor's companions. Then I realized I could see the battlefield through them. They were pale things, their armor faded almost to grey, their forms surrounded by a cold, green spectral light. They made no sound. They did not acknowledge our soldiers. They simply advanced. The Kroot broke and ran. I cannot blame them. The strangers passed through our lines and fell upon the enemy with a precision I have never witnessed. They fought without hesitation and without fear. They did not retreat. They did not celebrate. They did not even seem to understand that we were there. They fought as though they were remembering a battle rather than fighting one. Then, after perhaps an hour, they vanished. No withdrawal. No teleportation. One moment they were there. The next, there was nothing. I have since spoken with three Navy officers at Port Wander who witnessed the same phenomenon on other worlds. Their accounts agree on the essential details. The warriors are always Custodes. They always appear near sites associated with ancient Webway passages. And they always disappear. We have begun calling them the Revenant Host. I do not know what they are. I do not know whether they are spirits, weapons, memories, or some fragment of the Emperor's will given form. I know only this: When the Revenant Host appears, something has gone terribly wrong. And when they leave, whatever stood against the Emperor has usually ceased to exist. There is one final detail I have never recorded in an official report. The first time I saw them, one of their number stopped before me. He looked directly into my eyes. For a moment, I thought he recognized me. Then he spoke. His voice was barely a whisper, "We failed Him." He raised his spear. And disappeared with the others. I have spent twenty-three years trying to determine what he meant. I am beginning to suspect they have been trying to remember.

So next one is ready. It's a simple intercessor and I leave him unscratched. I tried to make his yellow as pure as possible. I also managed to find the right colors for the bags and holster. I made it completely flat matte and painted all the highlights myself. A very funny experience. As for gun I use same approach as for dreadnought gun. Every time NMM is easier and easier. Now I wanna paint something like very shiny knight or space marine or knight - space marine Now there is only guy in Phobos with sniper rifle. Who gonna be a separate project. And then scratch build ruin ND my astartes pledge would be finished.

The Terminal lucidity hangs in low orbit above Katabasis VI. A battleship only in name, the Lucidity is a wretched amalgamation of several vessels, fat-bellied and encrusted with otherworldly filth. Clumps of bloated fire blackened Astartes transports descend from its' undercarriage, shedding away from thin fleshy membranes. These boulbous shapes drift through the emptiness of hard vacuum, like flotsam in harsh winds, directionless yet inexorable. These vessels were once called stormbirds, though such a noble and imperial name fails what they have become. Sharp edges and blocky features have ballooned outwards, remaining hard as adamantium and yet shaped like fat fluid filled cysts - appearing like ravenous ticks larger than battle tanks. Formerly proud vessels, now warped beyond recognition. If the transports are leeches feeding upon the body of the Lucidity, the embarked Astartes are worms within its' flesh. The Infested, the hollow ones, are a successor to ancient Death Guard legion - known to be dour and morbid, fatalistic to the extreme. The Infested are a quiet lonely cadre within the joyous ranks of Nurgle's chosen. They silently drift across the galaxy spreading their horrific parasitic infestation. Slaughter, famine, genocide, pandemic, and bio-chemical doom are all bywords for their terrible predilections. The vox crackles, amber bulbs flicker to life, the stormbird shudders violently. A voice buzzes within the hold. "If they stand for Katabasis, they die for Katabasis." the voice is a metallic growl, stabbing and direct. In the brief pause, a keening mewling wail dances at the edge of perception, "Building by building, room by room." Several bolters are racked in unison, "One rat at a time." ------- Well, to kick off this blog of finished lore scribblings and miniatures, I wanted to share a Saturnine terminator. Now, these are based on an old version of an STL made by Sedivalle, though you can probably see I've done extensive work to make it gribbly and grimdark. That extensive work includes my favourite thing, using bluestuff to steal little fun details from other models! The large bleeding wound you can see pictured above actually started life as the old forgeworld great unclean one, one of the anonymous wounds on its underside, or perhaps its breast. I can't quite remember. This was actually made before the official release of that particular type of terminator armour. Anyways, all-in-all this gross lump of decay was made as a test piece for the warband - before the whole idea of who and what "The Infested" really came into being. In some of the pictures you'll be able to see the base, which was left blank for so long purely because I couldn't decide what to do. I had a lot of fun making this lumbering beast, and I had even more fun painting him. I actually think this "original" scheme came out more yellow than the one I settled on, although the nature of how I paint the Infested means they all have an organic element to them, none are painted precisely the same - they simply use the same palette. Which is actually quite limited, I enjoy limiting my palettes as I feel like it forces me to make creative choices rather than just slapping paint on (also saves me some money). I am pleased with how the picture came out here on B&C but I do think that a slightly higher quality picture (and a 360 video) is available on my Instagram here.. Now, as this brute was the test model, I think adding extra details like chain and pipes became a through-line I wanted to carry through the warband - especially the wet bloody effect I added to the pipes themselves, a component of many models I rarely think gets much thought. I'd also like to mention it's funny how paint reacts to lighting, you can probably tell I enjoy low exposure and dark backgrounds (Although I'm working on a fun industrial diorama based on necromunda terrain!) in my pictures. Above you can see a slightly metalic sheen to the green, totally happy with it, even if its nearly impossible to see with the naked eye - but that particular picture makes me think of bacon or beef that's gone past its use-by date. However, below you can clearly see its a darker more moldy shade, closer to black or grey than a bright vibrant green. I'm not really very knowledgable about how light, colours, and photography works - so a happy accident on my part. For what it's worth, I love both the above and below pictures.

My Guards needed to be special but without being Sanguinary guard models with too many blood Angel references. So I used the Armageddon jump Vanguard vets but gave them spears and “fancier” helmets. I also liked the standout gold look pf the SG (although gold wouldn’t be my favourite choice) so thought about silver. Problem was I had painted myself into a corner (pun intended) by saying my chapter don’t do shiny things. To those end, and in fitting with my theme, I thought the most senior members of the Chapter get to emulate Nathaniel Garro and or the Dusk Raiders. So I went with Chainmail for the armour and brassy bits for a bit of pop. I then gave them red right hands ā la dusk raiders. I like the look…ironically they ended up looking very much like my first attempt at painting warhammer figures as Crour Blades but without all the grimdark brown oil wash.

I rested yesterday and now I'm ready for a next project. It's linked with dread. While I'm working on the dread I was focused on NMM. In this project I want to learn more about values and color saturation. I use same recipe for yellow, though I add neutral grey into pallet for colors desaturation. Here is Assault intercessor grenadier. Since killteam starter doesn't had one I kitbashed him using his own hand. I cut off his bolted and glued together two Cadian castellan's chainswords. So get kind of bastard sword And use spiky spear part from Gitmob as a sword hilt. Also for this project i wanna try to paint a backdrop for mood. I blocked most of the colours and now need finish transitions. There is also a shadows and a reflex lights missing. Next I'll add battle damage dirt/dust. I'm happy with his face so far, but can't shoot it right. If it's in focus picture would be desaturated. If it isn't fixture oversaturated. At least without proper backdrop I couldn't photoshoot it right :(

"Non permittant vivere impuritus." Well it was a busy weekend for modelling....Did not get done as much as I would like, family life and all. The more I use Army Painter the happier I am for making the switch. The Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic line with the color sets (6-7 colors if it has a Blanche version) that gives you your next highlight is great. Especially if your paint rack is organized. Now the Warpaints Air line uses the Triad system. My favorite part is the the Air and Fanatic line do not use the same 3 colors. As an example. The hair on my Captain was painted using Matt Black, Deep Grey, and uniform grey. His cloak was painted using Matt Black, and then Warpaints Air Raven Black, and Crow Hue. Plus The John Blanche Grim Dark Shadow is amazing. So the main project for this weekend was getting the highlights, decals, and washes done to finish my captain. 3rd Company Captain Razak of the Red Hunters Chapter. The Inquisition logos and Skull decals are from Impatient Tabletop. The scrolls, checkerboards, Company number, and other knee icon all GW decals. I need to get more decals from Impatient Tabletop, as my Chapter decals are 2 decals layered and not the actual decals the "Inquisition Skull" they offer. Leg scroll says "Razak" and Shield Scroll "Faith" and "Honor". I really happy with how he came out. Other projects that were worked on. Assault Intercessors (one built) basing on 500 pts (3 models done) Basecoated models (Scenario Models and Librarian) Librarian Zarghul Army Painter paints used: Warpaints Air Matt Black Primer Warpaints Air Matt White Primer Zenithal Warpaints Air Omega Blue base Warpaints Air Ultramarine Blue Mid Warpaints Air Consul Blue highlight Warpaints Wash Blue Tone.

Bought some paints and brushes today. Tomorrow, the priming begins!

To be honest, I don't really like this miniature; something feels off. I tried to make the metal dull and added dirt and grime. But I'm not sure how well it turned out. I'm generally not a fan of dirt on miniatures, as it usually obscures the model itself. Here, I tried to make the dirt visible without obscuring the main paint job.

Thallaxia Chapter 1 Flame was all around him. The transport slammed into the ground at rapid speed, and the undercarriage began to peel away as they dragged. Explosions rolled in series from the direction of the impact, before the ship caught on something, and began to tumble. On its third roll the ship came to a sharp halt, and Lukan became pinned in the wreckage. He was wounded, something pierced his armor. Fires grew around him. He only felt the pain as he looked down to see it, a jagged pipe emerging from his chest at an upward angle. His blood ran cold. His automatic injector sensed the injury and released a powerful pain killer. His thoughts swam through the red and dark and blood around him. He needed to free himself before the fire consumed him. The pipe wasn't that long, he could pull himself off and find a way out, he thought. He tried to raise his arms, and they didn't move. He tried to move his legs, and they didn't even twitch. He was paralyzed. The pipe must have severed his spine. He could just barely still move his neck, enough to keep his throat clear so he could breathe. He activated his emergency transponder via mental command that had been drilled into his psyche. That's all he could do. He couldn't even vox the rest of the Cell without his helmet. He hoped the rest of his Cell survived. He was in the belly of the transport, the worst place to be in this particular scenario. Lukan hung by the pipe, jaw slack, drool mixed with blood running freely out of his mouth. The smoke grew thicker and began to work its way into his throat. He couldn't even cough to clear it, and felt it settle on his tongue, and coat his uvula. He could still feel his limp body, through the painkillers. He could feel the heat of the fire on every part of himself, threatening to melt his uniform to his skin. His vision began to fade. He let his consciousness fall into the deep, dark heat. At least he was warm. At least he was sedated as he died, and did not have to go screaming in agony. He could retain some dignity, even if no one else would ever know. He had survived more than so, so many. He could die here with pride. Lukan heard voices. They sounded very far away. He might have rejoiced to be found, were he not so certain of his demise. Thank the Emperor that they survived, he told himself, as he closed his eyes. He could not see any more, he need not spend the effort to keep them open. He heard the shrieking of metal being torn apart, and fresh air flooded the wreckage. The comparably cold air rushed at Lukan and into his wound, sending an agonizing chill through his body. His throat and lungs began to spasm in response. Ripping facsimiles of coughs ripped out of his chest, worsening his wound and sending blood flying out of his mouth with every horrible exhalation. His eyes flicked open and saw the shape of an Astartes in front of him. Brother Decimus. His helmet was flashing with multicolored lights, and sweeping sensors. He was analyzing the severity of Lukan’s wounds. The lights snapped off and the marines deep vox grilled voice boomed “You will live.” Was all he said, before stabbing him with an injection, and pulling Lukan off of the pipe. The pain from the sudden movement was so agonizing that Lukan lost consciousness for a span of time. When he came to again he saw the sky above him, and could breath clean air. He was on the ground. He saw Decimus above him, holding a piece of hinged wreckage aloft. “Hide.” Decimus said, and slammed the transport door closed over him. “Salvation will find you.” Lukan heard him say from the other side. And then; “We bring the fight to them! Advance with extreme prejudice!” He felt the marines' footsteps pound into the earth as he ran away, and the sound of gunfire faded, leaving Lukan alone, in the dark. He wasn't in pain any more, not really. He could feel the injection Decimus jabbed him with working, coagulating the ragged ends of veins in his wound. He could feel his entire body, so abused and beaten and riddled with drugs, every inch of him was alive with tingling sensation. Lukan attempted to stretch his over exerted muscles, and a dread cold as ice water seeped into his gut. He had managed to forget that he was paralyzed. The inability to move even an inch sent him into a claustrophobic anxiety attack. His thoughts began to race faster than he could understand them. His brain honed in on the strained muscles that were set to burning from staying in one position too long. The sensation overwhelmed him. Noises began to emanate from his throat and Lukan realized that, if he tried, he could still scream. And so he screamed. Decimus told him to hide, but scream was all he could do, and he did so until he lost consciousness again. He woke in darkness. He had no way of telling how long he was out for, and after only seconds the panic began again. Whatever muscles he was still able to manipulate into a scream were now failing. Lukan attempted to master the panic. He was a member of the Vigilia. He was chosen because he is a survivor. Brother Decimus Batur is his bonded Astartes, and great friend. He has been serving with him for the better part of ten years. The recitation of facts calmed him. When his thoughts strayed to his broken body, he started from the beginning. I am a soldier of the Malum Vigilia. I am a survivor. Brother Decimus Batur is my bonded Astartes, and great friend. Lukan’s mind slipped into darkness again, but the facts repeated in his mind as he rested. He could no longer tell when he was awake or asleep until he woke, and he was somewhere else. There were voices around him. He was being moved. He was staring up at the steel ceiling of a voidship, or more particularly, the docking bay where two ships were connected. He could not move his head, or open his mouth to try to speak, as he was held in place by fittings on the gurney. After a few seconds, the movement stopped, and Lukan heard a woman’s voice, “Releasing patient for transport to the local Ordo Reductor facility.” it said. What? No. No he hadn't heard that right. +Thank you doctor. We will take him from here.+ Why were there tech priests? Oh throne. No. Emperor no. They were going to put him in the Lorica. He could see only the ceiling as he began to move again. Lukan’s mind was peculiarly silent. They were going to put him in the Lorica. The stories all came rushing back to him. The omens of the tech priest that he had promised his body too long ago, in the event its ceasing to function. Lukan found himself wishing to stay the way he was before allowing this. He wished he had died on the pipe, in the fire. His eyes recovered from their sightless glaze and Lukan saw one of the tech priests stepping to the side, closing a chamber door. He was in a stasis chamber. He tried to scream as the room began to fill with cold smoke. He craned his eyes to the side to meet the tech priests, hoping to plead for mercy, but saw none in its cold robotic voids. A second later the door opened again, and Lukan was still trying to scream. He was brought out of the chamber quickly and through a massive open ship's bay. Large medical lights came into view above him, along with servo skulls with blinking red recording lights. Then he came below a terrifying conglomeration of long metal arms with various cutting, drilling and welding attachments. Moments later he heard a tech priests start what sounded like a medical journal +This is Ternax Vex of the ordo reductor. Subject has presented with catastrophic lower cervical cord destruction and complete paralyzation. Limbs have succumbed to various wounds and have lost any viability upon arrival. I will now begin the transfer of the patient to his chosen Lorica Thallax chassis. Lukan heard a console beeping next to him, and he felt a liquid being released from somewhere. There was an IV in his arm, he didn't even notice it being put in. In an instant the painkillers stalled in his system during the stasis transit were canceled out, and Lukan felt all of his wounds. The tech priest long ago had told him that in this eventuality, he would need to remain conscious, and his nerves un sedated, in order to ensure their proper placement within their new host. Lukan saw the face of the operating tech priest come into view above him. I am a soldier of the Malum Vigilia, he told himself. I am a survivor, he told himself, as the tech priest began the process of removing him from his body. Chapter 2 Years ago Lukan watched as his transport drifted towards the space station. It had a large middle section, where the bulk of its activities must be handled. Above and below it were large spires with rotating compartments shooting off of them. Dozens of Mechanicus ships of varying sizes surrounded the station, entering or leaving docking bays. Lukan knew that the Vigilia had extensive ties with the Mechanicus, in order to supply the augmetics needed by its mortal soldiers. But he did not know what this station was. The Vigilias best kept secret, or best kept he’s been made privy too so far. None of his contemporaries knew the purpose of the trip he was on either, only that they, too, would make the journey one day. Lukan was to be inducted into the Malum Vigilias Astartes companion pool. The thought still gave him chills. He remembered being a child, and thinking Space Marines were a fairy tale. So much of the Galaxy was just a story back then. And then he was recruited to the guard. The horrors of the void soon became very real to him. But Lukan survived, where so many had not. And the Vigilia noticed. Before he could work with an Astartes, Lukan needed to receive his standard augments. That would be done aboard the response flotilla he is assigned to, however. Lukan saw a massive icon above the docking bay he was about to enter. A cog, with a tower, and a lightning bolt inside it. He did not know this order. The transport passed through the environment shield and docked in the middle of a large empty bay. The transport was automated, and only Lukan was onboard. The door opened for him regardless. Cold blue light seeped into the transport. Lukan stepped out, and saw his breath turn to frost in front of him. Throne, it's cold, he thought. He looked around for an indication of where he was supposed to go. Against the wall Lukan saw a tech priest. They stood at least seven feet tall, and wore a flowing mechanicus robe. The deep hood kept their face in shadow, save for one glowing red eye. +Lukan Wrenn. Congratulations on your promotion to bond cell applicant.+ The priest's voice was deep and oddly bubbling, yet entirely mechanical. Lukan nodded to them. “What ordo is that?” Lukan asked, pointing to where the icon above the bay was. +The Ordo Reductor. World breakers of the Un-maker.+ said the tech priest. “The Un-maker?” Lukan asked. +Omnissiah. Emperor. Un-maker. In times past the distinction carried more import.+ Lukan was surprised to hear such candid talk of the Emperor. If it were a subordinate of his he might have reprimanded them. “Very well…” Lukan said, un-sure. He continued; “You are quite the secret. A secret that everybody knows about. Why do recruits of the Vigilia come here?” Lukan asked. In response the tech priest took a step to the side, and gestured to the lift behind them. +All will become clear.+ The priest said. Lukan nodded again and made for the lift. The priest entered after him, and the door closed without any noticeable interaction. The lift moved up for around fifteen seconds, before opening into darkness. The tech priest stepped out of the lift before him, and the cold blue lights turned on as he entered. They were in a warehouse. In front of them was a sort of reception area, a large desk with hololiths and maps, terminals and cogitators. A dozen yards past the desk, and in either direction beside it, were huge arming racks displaying what looked like armor of some sort, though Lukan had never seen its kind. Cold fog rolled on the floor in between the rows of racks that held hundreds and hundreds of these mechanical bodies. They went on so far that Lukan could not make out an end to them in any direction. The tech priest reached the desk and turned to see Lukan's bewildered expression. They waited for Lukan to ask his questions. “What are these? Am I to be armored like a marine?” Lukan asked, grasping. +Only in the proper eventuality.+ The tech priest said, and continued, +The Lorica Thallax. A remnant of an age long past, to be resurrected by the order of Archmagos Bellisarius Cawl, and Lord Regent Roboute Guilliman.+ Lukan was surprised again to hear such names mentioned in his presence. The Lord Regent had ordered him here? The Archmagos had a hand in this technology? It was as if he were living in a legend. The tech priest turned about, and walked past the desk, towards the racks. +Come. Walk with me among them. You will want to see before you make your choice.+ Lukan was still slightly stunned. He had more questions, but felt no rush to end his wonder. He followed the priest to the racks. They were sorted by variations, hundreds of one identical model might fill a row of racks. The first they passed were polished bronze in color, with an oddly shimmering faceplate. The next they saw were slightly taller, and made of ceramite. The next were shorter, and made of another, darker material that Lukan could not name. Even more variations lay in any direction from Lukan, but he could discern a pattern. There were many models and many materials, but those seemed to be the only two variables. All of the machine bodies were bereft of weapons, and looked rather sparse, like they were missing components. As Lukan continued through the racks he noticed a commonality between them all. These did not appear to be suits of armor, as there was no discernible way to incorporate a soldier physically. They were solid pieces with, evidently, no hollow spaces. Some of them also bore ribbons, with names of Vigilia soldiers. Certain models had a ribbon on each one. Some had multiple. Other models only had a few, though every model type had some. The tech priest began to speak, evidently tired of waiting for Lukan to inquire. +The Lorica Thallax and astartes power armor were both born of the same principle. To integrate a subject with its armor, to provide a supremely protected, informed and empowered occupant. The level of integration ended up being the defining factor. The Lorica Thallax diverged from use with Astartes, due to its reductive factors, and instead became standard in the forces of the Mechanicum, and the Ordo Reductor.+ Lukan listened intently, trusting his questions will be answered in turn. +Once placed within the Lorica a soldier can live for centuries. One of The Lorica's most valued uses is in saving a catastrophically wounded soldier.+ Placed within the Lorica. That gave Lukan pause. “You’re going to put me in one of these?” He asked. +The Vigilia would not rob you of your humanity, regardless of the Ordo’s view on the subject. You are here today to select a chassis should your body fail, yet your mind can be saved. You will be given a new body, and a new chance to serve the Un-maker.+ Lukan paused in thought. Interesting. He was simply relieved that this entire ordeal was not a matter of immediate import, instead something for the future. A contingency. The priest continued walking through the racks, and told him more. +The Thallax are extremely durable, agile, and powerful. You will be tougher, stronger and faster than you could ever hope to be while still beholden to your flesh. Each Thallax houses a high energy compact reactor that can power devastating weaponry. You will have extremely versatile access to augmentation, and customization. You will be fitted with a jet pack. The list of practical benefits goes on.+ Lukan was wary already. Nothing a tech priest espoused so fervently was without a catch. “At the cost of my humanity?” Lukan asked. +Implantation within the Lorica is not without its difficulties. You will lose your vision, and hearing, given something else instead. Due to the intense trauma of being placed within a new body, your emotional centers will need to be dampened, lest you feel agony un ending. Your mind will need to be conditioned to function with its new body, and your psychological limits will be tested. However, due to The Archmagos recent applications of re discovered ancient technology, internment within the Lorica will no longer inevitably result in insanity.+ “That used to be a feature? Inevitable insanity?” Lukan asked with equal parts humor and horror. +The great crusade, and the eras that followed, were times of unparalleled urgency, and unpleasant practicality. A soldier may succumb to insanity within the Lorica, but only after centuries of superlative combat service in the ranks of the Ordo. An exceptional compromise in the eyes of many, even to those that may suffer the consequences.+ It surprised Lukan to find himself thinking that he understood. He was in the Vigilia after all. After his time here, he would be sent directly to receive his standard augments to serve as a Bond Cell Applicant, a series of no less than a dozen, highly invasive medical procedures, augmetic grafts, and mechanical integrations. This is a shade similar to the life and purpose he was already living. It occurred to Lukan that another Chapter in another time might have interred him without his knowledge or consent, and conscripted him to service regardless. Lukan stopped in front of a machine body made of polished steel. It was taller and wider than him. He tried to imagine the force capable of being summoned from its large mechanical arms and legs. “Does implantation hurt?” Lukan asked, not really able to think of a more pertinent question. +Affirmative. By design. Your receptors will be dampened enough to not burn out your sanity, but you will be brought to maximal awareness during implantation, to increase the odds of success. Each viable nerve needs to be mapped to a new pathway, and pain is the most effective method.+ Lukan paused. That did not sound pleasant. His nerves. That gave him shivers. “How much of me ends up in this thing? As much as you can salvage?” Lukan asked. +Negative. The only components of your body to be transplanted will be your brain, spine, and nervous system, regardless of the viability of individual components or organs.+ That sounded horrific. That sounded beyond horrific, like the worst pain that could be imagined. The possibility of capitulation crept into Lukan's mind. “What if I don't consent? I imagine that's what you have brought me here to gain.” He asked, turning to look at the priest. +The Lorica Thallax contingency is a requirement to be considered for work with an Astartes. The Malum Vigilia is investing a disproportionate amount of resources into you and your training. They will not waste the experience of a valued operative simply because their flesh fails.+ The tech priests said, meeting his gaze with his one red eye. “The flesh fails with age as well. Am I to be interred in one of these when I am too old to serve?” Lukan asked, wholeheartedly expecting it to come off as a joke. “Affirmative. To be a member of the Malum Vigilia is to embrace service without end. You will be kept at operational capacity until such a thing is no longer viable.” The priest said without humor. Now this shook Lukan. He had never really entertained the possibility of retirement, not much of the guard does. So in a way, Lukan thought this an improvement. He could live for centuries, if he played his cards right. He could serve with Astartes for centuries. He could never be one of the Emperor's Angels, but this felt like he might come close. The weight of a trillion human souls never given the opportunity to live a life of such purpose felt like it would crush him if he were to refuse. Lukan looked back at the mechanical bodies. So many more left to see. He wondered if he would find any that suited him in particular. Any with some personality. He looked back to the priest. “Then I suppose I should find one I like, eh?” Chapter 3 Lukan was changed. His brain was irrevocably and catastrophically altered by the pain he endured during transplantation. He was peeled open, and pulled by his seat of consciousness. His flesh was pared away around his nerves and discarded without ceremony. Any semblance of familiar sensation or identifiable senses quickly became a forgotten memory. The only experience left for Lukan to feel was agony, as his nerves become exposed to the near freezing air of the mechanicus operating theatre. “How?” was the only word he could manage to think. His brain was placed within his chosen chassis, a tall and thin body, made of a dark matte material. His spine was fixed into place. Then began the long, long process of the flesh welding. Every single one of his nerves was affixed into its new position with extreme heat. His already screaming nerves erupted in fresh torment, and his brain began to fight against the stimulants keeping him cognizant of the pain. This is when he noticed his emotions beginning to vanish. Lukan's mind was brought to its breaking point, and emotion of any kind that touched this threshold was chemically castrated by the tech priest currently watching his brain. He would never feel anything so deeply again. If he were to look back on the experience Lukan would not be able to identify when he began to feel his new body, rather than the insane mess of unidentifiable sensations from his raw, flailing nerves. He could feel the heat of his nerves being fixed, and then he felt the heat of the steel around the nerve. As more and more of him was welded into place, he began to feel a weight to himself. The sensation was dull now. Agonizing, but not fresh, and the layering and piling on of these dull flesh welds eventually coalesced into a facsimile of a body. The process of affixing his nerves took no less than eighteen hours. When all of his nerves had been placed, his chassis was closed, and he was fully inside his new body, for the first time. Lukan was lifted by a large chain hooked to his back. He felt the sensation of being moved. His center of gravity was shifting and he could feel the massive weight of himself pressing firmly on the rest of his body, and the hook in his back. He could not see, hear, smell, or taste. But he had a body to feel now, in a way. It did not feel the same as his old body. Or did it? If he was being honest with himself, he could not remember what it felt like to be in his old body. He just remembered that he could feel great pain like that. Less now. He felt something press into his new abdomen. It was very warm. It jerked and clicked and interfaced with his body in some way, before locking into place. Moments later he felt an extremely volatile… something, enter his body. It churned and rolled at his center, before sending waves of itself into his torso and limbs. He felt it begin to gather beneath the home of his thoughts, until the waves filled his body completely, and his polished blank face shape clicked on. Lukan would frequently be asked about the Djinn sight by his fellow soldiers upon returning to the ranks. He would often describe it as if his sight and hearing had become one sense, and he had neither individually any more. It would allow Lukan to see through walls and terrain around him, determine velocity and trajectory near instantly, and gain an exceptional amount of data about a target's physical condition from the unique combination of sensory capabilities. It would allow him to track seismic pressure, blood heat, and electromagnetic fields, over great distances. The human brain struggles to compensate when presented with a new sensory experience though, and Lukan would eventually come to refer to the Djinn sight as his “vision” because it was the closest approximation. When Lukan's new body became active, he did not understand the Djinn sight yet. His faceplate flicked on and Lukan's brain was overloaded with information instantly. He perceived a roiling sea of red, pulsing and all aiming directly at his face plate. The tech priests were chattering, but he didn't even know how he knew that. Words entered his brain as this new form of data; +Back away. Monitor the subject closely. Remove the ignition apparatus.+ a Tech priest spoke. Lukan looked down. He could move his head. He again didn't really know how, he just felt the machine being pulled from his new metal gut and instinctively looked at it. The storm of data in front of him became complicated, and then faded. He moved his head some more. Throne, it had been ages since he moved. He needed to stretch. Lukan immediately became overwhelmingly anxious. He needs to move his body right now. He began to try. Lukan's metal frame began to spasm. His arms began to flail and legs began kicking. He smashed his right arm through the rigging that was holding him upright, and the chain that was holding him aloft fell out. He landed with a resounding slam on the deck. He tried his hardest to stay upright, and he managed to make it a few loping gaits into the room before falling and slamming into the deck. Movement was not helping. He still felt still, and stiff. Like he had under the wreckage. He felt the dread again, cold as ice. He continued to smash the floor below him, attempting to force the aching dull whine from his nerves. It wasn't working, and he found himself emitting a machine sound of some kind. Is that how I scream? Lukan thought. Lukan focused on the physical sensation that created the noise. It was something he was controlling, he just couldn't make out how to do it on its own yet. Nonetheless, he forced his will into that section of his mind, and his body reacted by letting out a terrible, long and painful screech. It all hurt. Throne, it all still hurt so much. A tech priest spoke near him again. +Bond cell applicant Lukan Wrenn. You have endured much, and survived your ordeals yet again. You have a new body. We are capable of inducing a state of rest. Would you like us to do so?+ Nothing had ever sounded so pleasant in Lukan's entire life. He stopped his shrieking and stilled his limbs, for the most part. He did not feel entirely in control of his body yet, so full of energy and power it was. The tech priest spoke; +We will take that as affirmation.+ Somehow Lukan could perceive the tech priest approaching from his side even though he was facing straight down. He was an odd mixture of cold and hot spots with electromagnetism flying off of him at every point. The priest connected something to Lukan's back, and he fell asleep. Chapter 4 The tech priests re-booted Lukan. They attempted to do it slowly, with the application of sedatives to keep him from reacting violently again. When he came to Lukan was upright, back on the hook, but his feet were on the floor this time. There were three tech priests in the room with him. One in front and one on either side, behind him. Information slowly trickled into Lukan's mind. There was a field of some sort around him, around everything in the room. It was flowing constantly from one thing to the next. Machines. It was flowing from one machine to the next. The tech priests included. There is heat around him, though little of it. The tech priests contained the heat too, as well as the electromagnetism and environmental pressure all around. Lukans recalled the sensation from earlier when he screamed and tried to talk. “+Is this the noosphere?+” The words came from his body with unexpected ease. His voice bounced off of itself and rattled around the room like a coin in a beggar's tin. It bore no resemblance to Lukan's old voice. +You can perceive the noosphere?+ The tech priest in front of him said with surprise +I am going to transmit a large packet to the Magos, tell me when I have sent it+ The priest said. The tech priest did nothing for around twenty seconds before a large wave of the rolling information streamed in a million pieces to the Magos behind Lukan. “+Now.+” Lukan said. +Fascinating.+ The tech priest said with robotic wonder. Lukan did not know what to say to that. He noted that he was not in pain, and did not feel the need to stretch what used to be his limbs. “+The pain. Will it return?+” He asked. The tech priest shook his head and began to move towards him. +You must re-define pain in your new form. The sensations you felt are what it is to be implanted in the Lorica. Not pain. They will return, and you must master them.+ The priest said, moving to his side. “+I felt as though I needed to…Stretch. To express my muscles. I can not.+” +Ah. Well that is simply phantom body syndrome and will subside with time.+ The priest placed a mechadendrite on the hook in Lukan's back +You have regained the faculty of speech rather quickly. Shall we try walking next?+ He asked. Lukan affirmed his consent to the priest, but something strange happened. He didn't say anything, but he spoke to the priest. He essentially said “Okay” without the need for the mechanical step. The priest noticed. +We will train you to interact with the noosphere and other such networks before you return to your compatriots.+ His compatriots. His cell. “+Do they yet live? How long has it been?+” He asked. +You were the sole casualty of the crash. They eagerly await your return. It has been over four hundred terran cycles since you sustained your injuries.+ the priest replied, while pulling the hook out of Lukan's back. Over a year. The stasis chamber must have masked a trip through the warp, back to the heart of Ultramar. And he suspected it would be over a year going back. He felt something. The only feelings he had a notion of at the moment were agony and confusion, until this new one reminded him he could still feel more. He was excited to be reunited with his friends. Lukan quickly learned to walk again. It was more intuitive than he would have thought. Still, he felt that he was underutilizing his new body, and the priests took him through a full diagnostic of his new form. The process took hours, but the passage of time did not affect Lukan like it once did. He did not get hungry, or tired, or bored, or restless. He got lost in the diagrams and schematics of his body, and came away with a deep understanding of his systems. The practical application of these systems was another thing entirely, though. Lukan spent the first months of his travel back testing his new physical capabilities. He was capable of running five kilometers in under seven minutes, though he heavily damaged the track he ran on. He no longer needed to breathe, a great boon while running. He did not tire physically any more, and continued these benchmark tests for many days in a row, partially out of excitement, and partly because he had absolutely no idea what to do otherwise. He did not want to confront more than this, not right now. The priests offered him many chances to rest or recreate, but he was content to lose himself in training. He could lift over a thousand kilograms in a standing posture and more in various lifting positions. He could carry an intense amount of weight on his back. Still, he did not tire, only felt his metal body endure the stress without complaint. His reaction time was exceptionally improved, the djinn sight keeping him ultimately informed of all things around him at all times. He was capable of running obstacle courses and reacting to interference in ways that he never would have been able to when reliant on sight and hearing. His perception was three hundred and sixty degrees at all times, and physical obstructions no longer provided as much complication. He could sense the heat and electricity of all things, all around him, shooting off into every direction, forever, until it all faded into the background noise of reality. A wall in front of him existed, and so too did the things behind it. But they did exist behind it, and his perception of them was as such. He was taken to a shooting range. This… Now this excited him. He was a sharpshooter in the flesh, and he was wondering if he would retain his specialization after his transformation. He still retained many of the necessary qualities. Patience. Discernment. His reaction time was better. His physical control of his extremities was better. Lukan was beginning to think he actually might be a better sharpshooter in this form, although a bit clunky. They gave him a rifle that would have been comically oversized before, now it felt as though he might break it. They ran many servo skull shooting galleries that Lukan enjoyed, even if they were a bit easy. Eventually the trick became to recognize when the priests had released the skulls in a pattern that made it physically impossible to hit each target, and take the option that eliminated more. Lukan felt very good about his marksmanship. He spent days practicing with various standard long range weapons, until one day a tech priest approached him with a rifle. The priest told Lukan that he would have as much time as he wanted in their armory later, but brought him a particularly effective weapon to train with. He said it had been borne by the Thallaxii before, but did not elaborate further. The weapon was nearly two meters tall, with a long thin barrel, and a bulbous flared protrusion along its length. Near the grip was the energy chamber where the shots were charged. The handle and trigger came directly off the energy chamber, and a very sparse stock stuck out of the end of it. There was a large cable to connect to his own energy source, to power the weapon. The tech priest called it a photon thruster. When connecting a weapon to his power source the energy would run through the hand that he has affixed to the trigger and handle of the weapon, in this case his right. The feeling of connecting to the gun was something with no real human analogy. The sensation that he felt at all times, that gave his body the ability to move, his internal reactor, became split between the two reservoirs. The photon thruster came alive with his energy, and began to sustain itself within the chamber. It did not diminish his own energy capacity at all, except maybe momentarily, initially. Lukan held the rifle one-handed and let off an un aimed test shot. The shot made the reservoir of the gun fluctuate slightly. His own core was not affected. Nor was his arm, did this gun not produce any recoil? He fired another shot. No it definitely did, and if his sensory calculations were correct, it was actually quite strong. Not by his standards, any more, evidently. He could fire repeatedly one handed without moving a centimeter. The tech priest offered to run a special gallery to test its capabilities, and Lukan accepted. The wall moved half a kilometer back. Lukan shot bullseyes with no issue. He could shoot repeated bullseyes into the same scorched target mark. The targets moved and Lukan could track them with astounding fluidity, continuing with no misses. A barrier made of stone appeared. It was difficult to discern the skulls past it, but it was a simple scene with only one new variable, and Lukan continued to take his shots. He was surprised when his first shot pierced the stone wall cleanly. The bolts of energy thrust from this gun were extremely powerful. Lukan continued practicing with the rifle for many days, and eventually adopted it as his favored primary weapon. With half of his transit left, Lukan began noospheric and advanced systems interface training. The noosphere flowed through all things here on the mechanicus ship and was almost indistinguishable from baseline reality. They taught him to interface with it, though he had almost none of the information necessary to access any of its systems. He was not fully aware or in charge of the things he was doing. He suspected that is why he was not allowed access to the noosphere, he might interact with it in some erratic way. They taught him to connect to various cogitators and force them into submission in seconds, in a manner that astounded Lukan himself. It was as if he spoke directly to the simple machine spirits, and they listened. The technical jargon and rows of numbers were all transmitted to him, but he did not understand any of that yet. It was during this period of intense mental training that Lukan first truly looked inward, at what he had become. He was still Lukan. He remembered being Lukan. He had memories from throughout his whole life. Didn't he? He found his memories fragmented and missing something. Memories of being Lukan, without Lukan there any more. Lukan did not exist any more, or at least the Lukan that was. He thought of a cold cup of amasec, one of his most visceral pleasures. He had enjoyed it many times. He could not remember how it felt to drink one. He couldn't imagine the sharp bite of the alcohol, or the condensation on the glass. That was it. Lukan had endured so much pain, and been so quickly and effectively reconditioned, that he no longer had a viable mental model for what it felt like to have flesh. Lukan explored the ramifications of this. He explored his memories and found what they were missing. He no longer had memories of physical sensations throughout his life, as his brain had given up its old ways and fully adapted to the new. He remembered the raw agony of the surgery, but not even the pain he felt in the wreckage, on the pipe. Every memory Lukan had was torn apart into tiny pieces, and shuffled together in his brain, now bereft of the connective tissue of his flesh. He did not know what to do with this revelation. He thought he might start a journal. Record what he did remember somehow, but when he looked inward he found that he actually had the internal capabilities to create catalogues and organized repositories of his own memories. It would just take time, and be very confusing. It became a task that Lukan addressed in his down time. Towards the end of his trip Lukan was genuinely excited. Everything was so unbelievable. When he thought about what had happened to him and what he now was, he… Did not know how to feel. Maybe the feeling he should have felt was not there any more. Confusion dominated his life for so long. But he would get to see his cell soon. He went through training with a couple of them, and had memories with them. Above all else, he wanted to see what Decimus would make of him now. It had become somewhat of a tradition for the cell to test their strength against Decimus as training. They had never bested him, all five of them versus him, and they never really expected too. It was just fun. Decimus would want to challenge him when he got back, that much Lukan was sure of. A test of strength vs an Astartes. Lukan endured much throughout his service. He did not know what lay ahead for him, and he could not say whether anything was worth it. But one thing was certain. He was now living a legend.

The Malum Vigilia is my OC faction of space marines, and this is the codex! I will update it as I gather more and more detail and figure more things out about the chapter. If you like the vibe, have ideas, questions, or points of interest, please leave a reply, ill keep all of my content to edits. As you can tell from the numbers and gaps in logic, this is part of a much larger document, I'm just posting the pieces i have figured out and concrete. 1. Chapter identification Full Chapter name: The Malum Vigilia Common short name: The Vigilia Accepted translation or meaning: The Evil Watch Founding: 26th Founding Approximate founding date: Gene-seed lineage: White Scars Known gene-seed mutations or peculiarities: None known Chapter classification: Fleet-based; broadly Codex-adherent Current estimated Astartes strength: Approximately 1,000 Primary theater of operation: Ultramar and the Five Hundred Worlds Primary recruitment territory: Ultramar and the Five Hundred Worlds Formal Imperial designation: Prototype Astartes / Mortal Integration Chapter Common informal description: First responders / mortal liaisons 2. Founding mandate Who authorized the Chapter’s creation: The High Lords of Terra. Later selected for specific reformation by Roboute Guilliman. Why the Chapter was created: To exploit the unique advantages of Mortal and Astartes service members, as well as the unique traits that emerge from their pairing, in order to create a large rapid response network throughout the five hundred worlds of Ultra Mar. Why a new Chapter was considered preferable to modifying an existing one: Marines of The Vigilia can be created with the values of the Chapter in mind. What strategic weakness it was designed to address: Astartes often clash with the Imperial Guard or other forces that they are tasked to work with. The Malum Vigilia are a Chapter of Space marines in the heart of Ultra Mar that is uniquely trained to work with mortal forces. Astartes response time can often be slow, and only called for after a great tragedy has occurred. They maintain an active watch over the five hundred worlds and spread their forces wide in an attempt to respond to any threat with an Astartes grade response before tragedy strikes. Additionally, Space Marines are costly, and limited within a Chapter. Creating highly capable mortal members whose abilities pair and amplify with an Astartes is how the Vigilia maintains strength while spreading thin. Throughout the Imperium there are often individual Astartes grade threats that do not warrant an entire chapter's strength, and thus are never addressed. The Vigilia aims to respond to every threat. Why White Scars gene-seed was selected:They are a very stable gene-seed, whose carriers are not bound by tradition, or genetic variations. Carriers of the Khans genes are fast, independent, and used to decentralized or unusual command structures. 3. Development of Bond Cell doctrine Was the Bond Cell structure planned before the Chapter’s founding, or developed during its earliest missions: The Mortal and Astartes forces were constructed and developed separately, with the knowledge that they would be integrating with each other. Who designed the first proposed Bond Cell: Brother Leontes Ghanzorig. Who commanded the first experimental cell: Brother Leontes Ghanzorig in conjunction with [ ] How the first five mortals were selected: Brother Leontes Ghanzorig chose his Bond Cell members for Operation Hive Ganger. All of his initial choices agreed instantly. What the first Bond Cell mission was: Operation Hive Ganger When hounds were formally integrated: Once they fully embraced the system of widespread Astartes coverage they began to look for additional force amplifiers. Why permanent teams replaced temporary mortal attachments: A permanent team is made of members that want to be there. If a Space marine wishes to be excised from his cell, this can be taken into consideration. If a Mortal wishes to be placed back into the selection pool, this can be taken into consideration. 6. Chapter command Current Chapter Master: Chapter Master’s formal title: Vigilia Domini Founding Chapter Master: Master of Sanctity: Chief Librarian: Master of the Forge: Chief Apothecary: Commander responsible for hound breeding and training: Eli Voss 14. Panoply of war Astartes Preferred armor: Mk VI Corvus / Phobos armor Use of heavier armor:The Chapter uses heavier armors selectively, up to and including Terminator Armor. Standard primary weapon: A Marine of the Vigilias Primary weapon is his Melee Weapon. However, various bolter marks are assigned to marines that specialize in their use, as well as on a mission sensitive basis. Assault, stalker, and carbine bolters are all commonly used. Common ranged weapons: Bolt carbine family Common ammunition: Standard or suppressed bolt rounds. Common sidearm: Plasma Pistol or Bolt Pistol Common melee weapons: The Malum Vigilia maintains a wide variety of melee weapons and encourages each Marine to learn as many as he can, and find his own preferred weapon. Common among these are powered and chain variants of the sword, axe, hammer, spear, claw and gauntlet as well as more esoteric weapons like the gravity hammer, bo-staff and many more. Common shield patterns: The Vigilia maintains all shield patterns within their arsenal, though individual marines specialize. Specialist heavy weapons:The Vigilia maintains a suite of heavy weapons, such as the heavy flamer, bolter, and more. They also maintain multi-meltas, and plasma cannons, as well as solid projectile explosive launchers. Their selection of mounted weaponry is more sparse. Interference Pattern drop pod: The Malum Vigilia maintains a pattern of drop pods meant to accurately and discreetly deploy single astartes. Helmet and sensor-suite designation: Mk VI Corvus / Phobos armor. Helmet systems are extensive and tailored to each marine individually before deployment. 21. Bonded Thallax and Mortal Preservation Common informal name: Bonded Thallax / Thallax Veterans Nature of the process: A Thallax-derived preservation procedure that replaces most of a catastrophically injured operative’s body with a heavily armored mechanical chassis. Who possesses the conversion technology: A sect of The Ordo Reductor Where conversions are performed: Central Thalaxii precessing facility in UltraMar Whether the Chapter can manufacture chassis independently: No. How common they are within the Chapter: Common among senior mortal veterans by Vigilia standards, but extremely rare elsewhere. Is conversion voluntary: Yes, but opting in is also required in order to be considered for work with an Astartes. Can an operative withdraw consent: No. Whether age or terminal illness can qualify: Yes. Can anyone be ordered into conversion: No. Does the veteran retain their name: Yes. Does the veteran retain rank and honors: Yes. Does the veteran retain Bond Cell membership: Normally, where the original cell still exists. Does the veteran retain legal personhood: Yes; they are not servitors or Chapter property. Why the Vigilia preserve mortal veterans: Proven mortals are too valuable to discard after one natural lifetime or catastrophic injury. How the program supports the Chapter’s mandate: It retains experience, reduces permanent mortal attrition, and creates operatives capable of surviving closer to Astartes operational tempo.

It was wonderful. Everyone loves to paint yellow... Finished painting the sniper. He's another unusual character on the team. According to the attributes on his armor, and this is Crux and instead of the seal of purity, a skull in an iron halo, he is at least lieutenant. I made it as nondescript as possible (as far as is possible for an imperial fist. And my pledge is actually complete. Here's the whole crew, the dreadnought, and the ruins. Actually there is one unpledged heavy intercessor, but who care. Overall, I liked it. My last project was a 2200-point Imperial Guard, and I enjoy painting the kill team more. I can focus on each fighter individually. Now, in the remaining time, I need to manage to finish off the Plague Marines and the Red Horror with the team.

Besides changing the Blog name......I purchased another gang- Spyre Hunting Party. While this Gang is ideally is for "Arbitrator" Games along with @The_Oni_of_Hindsight's Palatine Enforcers as "Arbitrator" force to cause Havoc in the Underhive of Hive Primaris on Khymara. I may play this as my gang as I continue my Redemptionist and possibly a Generic Venerator Gang out of Hive Scum. I may do generic Gang for Metal Head Armory's Necromunda Campaign. I am thinking a various paint schemes: Black Metallic with skeleton painted on it and skull face paint. Bone/ White Armor with Checkerboard (Decals) on parts of armor and either a Yellow or Red Stripes plus Kill Marks Green Metallic Armor Blackish Blue Metallic Armor One thing I want to do is make them gory. Spyres are killers so I want the fresh blood on them.

Hi Folks, After a summer break (I would say “well deserved”, yet due to the consecutive heatwaves and wildfires, I would not pretend I’ve capitalized any rest on these 2 weeks off duty…), it is time to resume my hobby part. I am currently at 5 models for completing my CtA 2026 pledge. And as I still have a few armored containers, a tectonic fragdrill and 2 Armigers knights in the waiting line, I may eventually fill another pledge right after that. Yet my backlog has decreased drastically. I still have these 30 or so GSC neophytes waiting to be kit bashed into guards men, but I should first make decision about tooling them as proxy Cadians or DKoK; each way has its pros and cons and design impact (especially on the kit bash options for special weapons. And I must give a second (or third or fourth) though to the fate of the command squads I kitbashed 2 or 3 years ago and that are now unaligned with the datasheets in vigor. Design thinking takes time and I doubt I will be able to move forward on this topic: I may take a decision, but I will probably not make any progress in coming into force before Sept/Oct the earliest. Unless I need to pass on my nerves on something. Still unchanged since pic taken in 2024 For my “Not-GSC”, I have painted almost everything except 10 spore mines. I may eventually be linked to the former kitbash as these proxy guards men might leap from one list to another. Or even be played as Neophytes if I reserve some bodies to have the options made available (icon, special weapons and some mining tools). It is therfore another parameter to be reexamined into decision making process. And while I am talking about these lads, I am seriously thinking about sourcing the Malestrain resin characters, which will push me into the (4) arms of the Cults. And a special character being a contamined Adeptus Mechanicus Mago leading some guards/neophytes kit bashed with bitz from Skitarii is a great theme. Do I rock or not? What else do I have in the waiting lines? The ever waiting ooP Epic SM and Squats. I had a fever peak this year and I painted more in one quarter than in 20 years. But I still have difficulties mobilizing myself on the topic. Yet, I miss some entries for my Bunker Bingo card and it some of these tiny models might fill the “Lord of War” entry with a squat Leviathan. 2 of these + a Leviathan And that’s all I have left. Beyond that my bitz box is till full of stuff and 2 chassis for custom SM vehicles can be done as well as a lot of debris and other dumps; plus the power gen I have pledged for 12MoH, model I think I can build from scratch, it is just I still do not know how atm. I am in a way reaching a breakeven point; a moment in my 40k hobby ife where I have no project left or almost and when any further activities in the space opera side of the hobby will require either resuming gaming or reinvesting. The former is only a matter of (enough) free time available, on 4 hours long schedules; ouch. The latter is a matter of convincing my wife I have enough room left for more miniatures; double ouch. Should it be possible my priorities could be (not in preferential order but in rationalized order): - 5th wave of investment for Aeldarii: getting some Corsairs, finalizing a small stand alone Harlequin force on the core I have, and may be strengthening of my Aspect warriors. Advantage is that this is rather easy to manage and is almost invisible as it is an increase of size of an existing army - Crossing fingers for the next Drukharii codex and using it as a base to develop a little bit more my already decent force (and become a real stand alone force). Same pros than the previous entry. Reavers or Hellions would be fun. Corsair and Harlies overlap too. - More AdMechies: adding some robots or proxies for flyers bases on Vulturax model. But it will bring me on the edge of getting a blob army which is the exact feature I do not want to reproduce after collecting 18k pts of first born SM. I am afraid I would become too exposed to the risks of being disclassed in case of range disruption. But the Vulturax and the Castellax are so cool looking... - More knights: but they are very visible and very complicated to store. Not to say that each model start costing too much if you think in €/”hours spent hobbying it”. Indeed, painting a knight is a very fast paced task - In 1 or 2 weeks it can be done, while I can amange more than 1 to 2 month works by buying footslogger models for the same amount of bucks. My purpose is also to stay busy. - And no way I start a new army, unless a small party for Necromunda or some kill teams make a breakthrough; if I source Malestrain characters, I could get it, couldn’t I? Last option is picking up models just on purpose of painting them, without any other purpose; Some HH models I really nice but should I step into this trend of getting display only miniatures? Last time I did it I have ended looking for adding extras in order to make proxy Imperial Agents units… If I source a Thanatar, I will end up building a 30k Mechanicus force, for sure. Or refurbishing my first born SM into a HH force, which I have partially started in the past; but it was for HH 1st Ed, so some things have changed since… And I should dive into new rulesets again, and ruleset cost too much for what they are worth. I have turned into a miniature men guy more than into a gamer. In terms of planning it means that I am going to dillute at max the work load of 40k within my bigger than big ToW load. With a limited amount of work remaining to be done, I will focus on clossing my AdMech vows and secenery, for CtA26 and 12 MoH. August/Sept is the window. Every thing else will be used to fill the gap within my Fantasy work. It means that I will probably focus as a diletante on Proxies for my AM and then on ooP Epic. But that focus will be extended on purpose up to XMas or more so that I may eventually insert some spot stuff based on newly bought models. But the era of big multi year projects looks like is over now. Age of maturity? Whatever it may be, the Malestrain path looks like a very plausible one now that I rethink about all I wrote above... Say "Hello"? Unless I explore new aspects of the Hobby: Adeptus Mechanicus video game is on sales on Nintendo Switch - the spot price offer is about 90% discount until August 18th. It is a good opportunity for less than 5 bucks... That all folks. For the moment.

And the sergeant is ready. I slightly changed the color scheme by removing two unnecessary (as it seems to me) colors. Overall, I'm happy with the result, except for the helmet. Red is a really finicky color for me. I'm left with an unused captain that I don't want to use in the kill team. I'll try to make a blood angel out of him.

Adeptus Custodes 11th Edition Warhammer 40,000 Army List. Configuration Battle Size: Strike Force (2000 Point limit) Detachments: 3 DP Might of the Moritoi (1DP), Shield Host (2 DP) Force Disposition: Purge the Foe ☆Trajann Valoris 135 pts Warlord, (Leader) ☆ (Bodyguard) 215 pts 5× Custodian Guard (Sentinel Blade & Praesidium Shield) ☆ Blade Champion 115 pts Panoptispex, (Leader) ☆ (Bodyguard) 215 pts 4× Custodian Guard (Guardian Spear) • 1× Custodian Guard (Vexilla, Praesidium Shield & Misericordia) ☆ Shield-Captain 130 pts From the Hall of Armouries, Pyrithite Spear & Praesidium shield, (Leader) ☆ (Bodyguard) 215 pts 4× Custodian Guard (Guardian Spear) • 1× Custodian Guard (Vexilla, Praesidium Shield & Misericordia) ☆ 5× Witchseekers 55 pts ☆ (Dedicated Transport) Anathema Psykana Rhino 65 pts Hunter‑killer missile ☆ Caladius Grav-tank 225 pts Twin arachnus heavy blaze cannon ☆ Contemptor-Achillus Dreadnought 180 pts Interred Expertise, 2x Lastrum storm bolter ☆ Contemptor-Galatus Dreadnought 190 pts Interred Expertise ☆ Telemon Heavy Dreadnought 250 pts Interred Expertise, 2x Arachnus storm cannon ☆☆☆ I do not yet own: Telemon Heavy Dreadnought Witchseekers Deimos Rhino Shield Captain with Spear 5 Custodians w/Spears

Yellow. Yellow is the king of the color scheme. This is a king with character who does not tolerate violation of his rules. There can only be one king, which means he won't tolerate another shade of yellow (or you'll get a neon sign instead of armor). Every king rules by force and the king's strength lies in his army - in the base coat. If it is bad, incomplete, or does not match in shade, it will not help its king in any way. The right shade and value of the base coat allow the Yellow bend surface, make the round angular and vice versa. A king wouldn't be a king without his people, and our king's people are shadows. If the shadows are pale, we'll have a pale king. If the shadows don't match the lighting, we'll have a ridiculous king. But if the people match in hue and tone, the king will shine. It is the people who make the king. And they are the ones who overthrow him. Never let people near the king; his guards must always be between them. A king is always surrounded by his court. A wise king keeps only those who help him shine even more. The king is the center of attention; no one around him should be brighter or lighter. If our king is ochre, then all the other supporting colors should be darker. You just need to remember: Yellow is the king, you can't have too much of it. Brown is the guard. It always separates the king from the people. Purple, violet, green, red, orange, grey - People of shadows. But never blue or black color. Blue light render yellow black. And it's impossible to have black shadows outside the open space. Any colours for small details - court. But always darker then The King. All hail the King.

Old vs New Been a while, but here we are again. I think I got burnt out a little rushing the Armaggeddon marines so haven’t been doing much on the ork side. I did get in a CP game yesterday. They only had the old Eyes of Ultramar set, which doesn’t have 11th edition rules. They had the datacards so I just assigned them the DA mission so we had different missions for the game. We fought on map B, I forward placed the Captain, vanguard and landspeeder. The librarian lead the intercessors and was on the home objective to start. They had Tigrius leading the Intercessors and the Reivers on their home objective. Bladeguard and Aggessors on the flank. (I removed half the Intressors after the picture cause the CP only has 5) Opponent was new and honestly thinking back I should have explained ‘Hidden’ as that might have save them a marine or two. So got first turn and moved the assault group up. Only shot I had was against his aggessors in cover. Dropped one to a missile shot. They repositioned everything, moving Tiguris’ unit forward, but didn’t have the distance to get past the terrain. Reivers ran to the other side of the home objective. Aggessors and bladeguard moved forward to capture an objective. They were basically shot blocked and they decided against assaulting into the vanguard vets, ok then. Landspeeder moved over and took the opponent’s home objective, vanguard vets and captain prepped to assault Tiguris unit. Tiguris overwatched at the vanguard and managed to wound one. They fired back, dropping one to a plasma round, though it overheated and finished off the wounded vanguard. The landspeeder put another missile into the aggessors, killing another one. The rest of the fire went into the intercessors and dropped all but one. Vanguard and the the captain pincher charged Tiguris and the vanguard did enough on their activation to wipe out the pair. They consolidated to the objective to add weight to capturing it. The Reivers moved back into the fray, getting between the vanguard and the captain. The bladeguard moved to support while the last aggressor pulled back into the cover of the objective. The aggessors then fired onto the Vanguard, killing one, they then fell back around the corner of the terrain to get out of LOS of the reivers. The Reivers and bladeguard focused on the captain, but failed to do any damage. The reivers still managed to catch the vanguard with a good charge roll, the bladeguard failed to close the distance to the captain however. The captain then used his Master of War ability (a better free Heroic Intervention) and joined in against the reivers. Reivers scored a wound on the vanguard and two on the captain, but lost all but one of their numbers to the response. Which wasn’t too bad considering the amount of 5+ saves they had to make. Do to casualties the captain was free from the combat. So I consolidated on to the objective. The vanguard could handle one reiver. Intercessors moved up and i focused on the bladeguard. Between the intercessors and landspeeder, I dropped two of the bladeguard, the landspeeder’s missile failed to wound the aggessor this time. Captain charged the bladeguard and finished him in melee. The vanguard actually failed to wound the reiver, who then finished the wound vanguard. At that point my opponent gave, they had a reiver and an aggressor and I only lost three vanguard. Quick, brutal. The Assault force is ok. I’m not sure I might have handled the Ork CP considering it out-numbers me almost 3:1. I also realized I didn’t post the completed Bane-Slayer’s Bulwark, so here they are. Next ones on the docket is the Ork, Guard, and Eldar. Mostly due to my FLGS is going to have a eldar event in September and I just need to finish five more Death Riders for the guard one to be complete. Thanks for reading

Ok, assault intercessors drunk a lot of my blood and nerves while I trying shoot them with proper level of detail AND the same colors I see on them and put on them. Hysterical googling gives nothing except few photography guidelines which ain't help cause my phone camera has almost no settings. After some more research I found solution thanks to book published in 1937... It's about painting scenery. But it's helps. If applied to our hobby, main thing is average value. And since miniature alone on photo would be too bright or too dark depends on you background you need backdrop with same grayscale values as your mini. Beholds for I bring you glorious news god walks among us.. Sorry wrong blog... There is WIP Heavy intercessor without weathering and without part of shadows and highlights. But he has all details and all colours as i see them. Also painting backdrop is fun by itself. For I don't believe in my expression power there is hive on there very back and sanguinary bastion on front (with little ugly angel atop) Two blots near the gate should be titans river and warhound for gate scale but I couldn't (yet) paint titan recognizable in 3mm( Now I wanna finish backdrop with this kill team and make one for each kill team I have.

Well, I've been a bit lax in following the blogs recently as work has been hectic, but I'm going to try to keep up with it a bit. Also, I've been able to make some progress on my Imperial Reivers recently! Which is always nice. On to the photos! Airbrushing has made weeks worth of work into an evenings work! Obligatory Armageddon Captain and Land Speeder Termies Some kitbashed "Counts-as" Victrix Guard and Cato Sicarius (to be renamed for my Chapter)

3 2 out of 5 are ready, interesting models. I tried to make them as close to the dreadnoughts as possible in tone and color.

"Non permittant vivere impuritus." Well I did a little more painting last night on the Armageddon Librarian. This is character 2 of 3 characters, plus I have 4 squads to paint for my 500 pt list. Captain Razak- Completed Librarian Zarghul- WIP Bladeguard Ancient Bladeguard Veterans (3 man) Intercessors (5 man) Assault Intercessors (5 man)- need to build Heavy Bolter Elimintaor (3 man) Since Bladeguard Veterans are almost Characters, are the same colors, with a lot more detail, I think I will paint the Bladeguard Veterans and Ancient with the other squads so Intercessors with a Bladeguard Veteran, Assault Intercessors with a Bladeguard Veteran, Eliminators, Bladeguard Veteran and Bladeguard Ancient. It took me about 4 days to paint my Captain. So hopefully about 5-7 days due to for the Librarain then a week per squad. Red Hunters Chapter Librarian Zarghul, currently assigned to 3rd Company Army Painter: Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Matt Black- Outer Cloaks, Tabards, future Metallics, and flex armour Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Brainmatter Biege- Inner Cloaks Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Dusty Skull- Skulls Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Ancient Stone- Staff/ Force Weapon Army Painter Warpaints Air Encarmine Red- Shoulder logo Still more colors to block out, highlights and washes, decals then glow effect, which I am nervous about. So I am looking at techniques and I found this one on Reddit user/darcybono. "A white base followed by transparent paints like Contrast Paints, Speed Paints or inks. Once you have your white lining apply a thin glaze of your brightest color (in this case Iyanden Yellow) then immediately wipe away the center where you want it to be brightest. Once that dry just tinge the edges with a darker color in the same hue (in this case orange). NOTE: I don't recommend using Corax White as it's basically a light grey and will not result in the same glow effect. It will make your colors more muted than putting it over an actual white."

So, that yellow guy is done. It's great model, though I don't wanna paint anything big for some time. Finished glow and put remaining metal all around.

Hi Folks, This summer of 26 is really to be marked as an awful era for painting. With all the heat waves (and no climatization), a large amount paints has dried out and my hobby productivity as dropped down. Over the past 5 weeks or so I have managed to paint from scratch a little bit less than 10 models: 5 dwarves for ToW and 5 Pteraxii. But wait a minute. 5 Pteraxii? Weren’t these a part of my pledge for CtA26? Yes, they are. And they also were the last minis still undone. It means I have finished that pledge! Hooray... But with limited enthusiasm though these models were as painful to paint as the previous ones I did a few years ago. A souvenir I had obliterated from my memories. What about these cyber psychobats? I might have pretended a small hesitation before building them with flamers or needle guns. But in the end the flamers prevailed as I find them more useful than needle gun that deliver as much shot for 5 Petraxii than 10 Skitarii. As the characteristics are not that different in terms of damage output, the Pteraxxi might become useful due to their increased M and with saturation of an area if numbers climb to 10. But I do not find these arguments to be sufficient as wingspan is such that most Pteraxii will die before making a useful back flip (LoS baby...). And no way that I paint 5 more of these lads. Flamethrowers for everybody then. The only change I have made vs. the previous unit is building up the alpha with the torch and making a few modifications on a body meant to be a standard trooper so that he becomes the alpha. Like that the 2 units are less similar. What is the result? Here is the full unit: I have some issues with metallics as these paints look like they suffered more of the heat than other, with lumps of metals flakes. So some of the most obvious areas where this phenomenon led to a lack of shiny metal will have to be corrected one day. Some details on the alpha and one minion: What else? Not that much. There is still 1 month for CtA26 and I may pledge something else. But I have to give it a though. After all I also have some ToW miniatures t paint before the end of the month for a game and I may give it priority… See you.

I caved.....sort of. I have been a fan of Necromunda for a long time. And as a good and loyal servant of the Emperor, I like playing Cawdor back in the Older Necromunda days and now focus on the Cult of Redemption. I still have a few of plastic the Redemptionists, Cawdors, and weapon sets. Plus the Resin versions of weapons/ heads, and Characters. None of the vehicles for them though. I also do have Delaque and Eschers from previous boxsets, just not into those gangs. So with the rumors and announcement of Warhammer Necromunda Skirmish, I was not happy. Starter Box Gang box: Yeah more Goliaths...I know I could trade them to @The_Oni_of_Hindsight. Ok the Eschers are nice but they will sit around as I won't build them or use them. Tokens: I have a ton of Card board tokens that don't need paint. Rulebook: I need this Core Starters: basic starter do not need it. Cards: Not Necessary as the Core Rulebook has them available as dice rolls Range Ruler: I have one from Horus Heresy Dice: I have the sets form previous sets, plus the gang sets Plus Gangs of the Underhive: Need it Gangs of the Outlands: Don't need it. So the box is really not something I need outside of the Rulebooks and Cards. Since they are releasing the starter box and the everything else separately for preorder I preordered the Core Rulebook and Gangs of the Underhive. Of course the cards. Plus waiting on the WarComm Article Classic Characters are getting Necromunda Rules free rules. Klovis the Redeemer and Deacon Malakev The Headsman Rattus Tatterskin The Prophet of the Redemption House Ko’Iron – House Ko’Iron Ministorum Delegation Stig Shambler...may be in the rulebook.

Just trying to work through a couple ideas for my Adeptus Custodes color scheme. Used a Sigmar Stormcast for the experiment. Primed black Runefang Steel Kroxigor Scales Contrast What do you think? Is this usable, or should zi do something else?

Finally, the new miniature holder has arrived. This is Chaos G-maker pro.It's a Chinese brand, but very good Chinese. The handle is wooden and varnished. The center is anodized aluminum, and the turntable is 3D printed. The set includes two rotary tables: magnetic and on an axis. I also ordered an addition for small details and an addition for the background. It came to $28 with shipping. It's heavy and fits very comfortably in your hand. The finger rest can be rotated to suit your needs. I finished painting the heavy Intercessor using this holder and it's pretty comfortable. The manufacturer offers several more accessories for it, which I will definitely order now.

Well the new updated faction packs has me thinking and leaning into a certain idea for my Red Hunters. My Howling Griffons are Ultramarine Successors and My Exorcists are Imperial Fist Successors, the Red Hunters have no Parent Chapter listed so I can use any Chapter I want or No Chapter at all. I am leaning towards Dark Angels. I like the following Detachments as I feel it fits their Belief that the Emperor is a God. Interrogation Conclave 1 Detachment Point ▪ In the Fight phase, when a friendly CHAPLAIN unit destroys an enemy unit, enemy units within 6" of that CHAPLAIN unit make a battle-shock roll. ▪ Friendly CHAPLAIN units have the following ability: Sower of Dread (Aura): While an enemy unit is within 6" of this unit, that enemy unit has -1 Ld. Restrictions: Your army can include DARK ANGELS units, but it cannot include any ADEPTUS ASTARTES units drawn from any other Chapter. Enhancements LIMITLESS ZEAL This Interrogator‐Chaplain is restless and dynamic, not only in his pursuit of enemies but also when eliciting their screamed confessions. CHAPLAIN model only. This unit has +1 to charge rolls. INESCAPABLE INTERROGATION Whatever physical obfuscation the enemy hides behind mirrors only the lies shrouding their souls. This experienced Chaplain is deceived by neither. CHAPLAIN model only. This unit’s ranged attacks have [IGNORES COVER]. My other points would be the Librarius Conclave (another 1 point Detachment) and either Fulguris Task Force or Darkflight Pursuit since both are Land Speeder based detachments.

Well, this was an “adventure”. I wanted my specialist units to have a more Grey Knights vibe. So I searched the interwebs and found a suitable looking helmet. They were described as Diesel punk Sallet heads for Arcamundi. I had no idea what that was but assumed it was 28mm scale. On arrival they were too small. They are 28mm but I’m guessing the whole Primaris thing… So I got to measuring them and found that they were about a mm too small. This worked out at 20%. I spoke to the maker on etsy and he was kind enough to make and send me the helmets at 120% of the original. They look great but a little “conservative” for my version of Sanguinary guard the Pretorian guard. But they do look great on everyone else like Terminators and my version of Chaplains converted from Inner circle companions… So I got to looking at helmets and found some Roman style ones. On their arrival my initial impression was that they were too small too. I rechecked the blurb and they are advertised as Primaris. Comparing them against regular GW helmets they are proportional. Unfortunately the neck bubble is tiny so they sit far too low. I’m now experimenting with blobs of milliput in the neck holes and hoping they adhere. I have since found lots of good stuff on scaling Here - are Primaris 32 or 28 mm

So, I'm slowly getting the Eradicators painted. Work and personal life have been busy, and with the six-week summer holidays just starting, I don't think that's going to improve any time soon. I'm hoping to get a couple of hours of hobby time in each week, but we'll have to see. As usual, though, I got a bit sidetracked and started painting another model. I really need to focus on getting the Eradicators finished first. The aim of this project was to get everything from the launch box painted and then expand the force to 1,000 points so I can start getting some games in. I haven't properly played 40K since late 7th Edition. I managed a few games in 8th, but I didn't play any in 9th or 10th, so I'm a bit rusty when it comes to list building. With the new Codex not too far away, I'm going to hold off buying any new models for the time being. With that in mind, here's a rough 1,000-point list using the Space Marine half of the launch box, plus a few models I already own. I've put it together in the 40K app, but because I don't have the Codex code, most of the rules are locked. I still need to sit down and work out which squads the characters should be attached to. Space Marines (Ultramarines) Reclamation Force Take and Hold Captain Heavy bolt pistol Master-crafted power weapon Relic shield Librarian Bolt pistol Force weapon Smite Chaplain with Jump Pack Bolt pistol Crozius Arcanum Ancient Bolt pistol Bolt rifle Close combat weapon Intercessor Squad (5) Sergeant with power fist Astartes grenade launcher Intercessor Squad (5) Sergeant with chainsword Astartes grenade launcher Assault Intercessors with Jump Packs Sergeant with power fist Astartes chainsword Heavy bolt pistol Ballistus Dreadnought Ballistus lascannon Ballistus missile launcher Bladeguard Veterans Heavy bolt pistols Master-crafted power weapons Eradicators Heavy bolters Land Speeder Multi-melta Onslaught gatling cannon Stormfury missile launcher Vanguard Veterans with Jump Packs Bolt pistols Vanguard Veteran weapons I'm pretty sure this isn't a great list. It feels like it could do with a bit more anti-tank, but any suggestions or advice on changes would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading

Hey fellow future biomass, Hive Fleet Asmodeus is back again with the mid sized bugs. First we have the Barbguants. I like the idea of the barbguants, a lighter version of the biovores and a cool debuff that was all the rage when they first came out. They usually are points filler unit now, usually acts as screen for maleceptors. Which probably not the best use for them. Now we have the brain bugs, aka the Zoanthropes. One of the first kits i got for my tyranids, although those guys were metal and came in blister packs of 1. These fellows are from the current kit of course. I usually like to put these guys in reserve. Have them pounce on a target on the flanks. Keeping with the brain bugs, we have Neurolictor. Love these guys! I have yet to try out the ambush predators detachment, but you can give lictors a reactive move which makes them annoying to deal with. I do have a 2nd, but hes still in the unpainted pile. Lastly, we have deathleaper, the king of lictors. I like to call him Cthulhu Batman. It will be interesting to see how 11th edition treats him. Hes a decent marine killer and the battle shock aura ability and with the changes to battle shock maybe there some good use for him. Right now, he just seem a another points filler. That's it for today. Next up will be the bigger bugs.

Non permittant vivere impuritus." “Suffer Not the Unclean to live.” The Red Hunters Chapter is constantly at war, on missions, and serving as bodyguards for Inquisitors. As such, resupply is sometimes infrequent, with their Chapter homeworld, Montsegnur, being on the edge of the Segmentum Tempestus near the Ultima Segmentum. As the Red Hunter's forces needs to be become combat ineffective, they will return to Monesegnur When resupply is required for armor the Red Hunters have many Forgeworlds to call upon spread through the galaxy. One Such Forgeworld is Ikarus. Originally my Red Hunters had no armor, besides the Land Speeder. Then I added the Impulsor and Gladiator. And now I may add another few kits. So lets look at the srmor I am adding or thinking about adding and the paint scheme I am going with. Land Speeders: 2 x Land Speeders from Armageddon Storm Speeder Hammerstrike Impulsors: 2 x Impulsors (Ikarus Forgeworld "Closed" IMP tank Pattern) Gladiators: Gladiator "Lancer" (Ikarus Forgeworld "Jouster" Spartacus Tank Pattern) Gladiator Valiant (Ikarus Forgeworld "Brave" Spartacus Tank Pattern) Dreadnoughts: Redemptor Dreadnought (Ikarus Forgeworld Pattern Redemptor with Ballistus Weapon options) Repulsor Executioner: Repulsor Executioner (Ikarus Forgeworld Exterminator Tank Pattern) Repulsor Executioner and Gladiator Valiant are maybes. The Redemptor Dreadnought was going to my Grey Knights Army and I now I feel like it should be in my Red Hunters.

Continuing with my Tortuga Grey Knight builds I finally have my 1st squad built.....minus greenstuff for shoulder pads, attaching heads and back packs. Interceptor Squad I'm adding green stuff balls to the inside of the shoulder pads to give them more bulk, and the heads are off for the psychic glow effect, an back packs are not attached so I can get the backs done. As my gaming group is going to run 500 pt games, I am building my forces to that level or trying to I am planning on running my as this: +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + FACTION KEYWORD: Imperium - Grey Knights + DETACHMENT: Fires of Purgation, Immaterial Interdiction (Searing Soulflame) + FORCE DISPOSITION: Priority Assets + TOTAL ARMY POINTS: 495pts + + WARLORD: : Champion of Titan [Crucible] + ENHANCEMENT: Predestined Coordinates (Interceptor Squad) & Boons of Deimos (Purgation Squad) + SECONDARY: - Assassination: 1 Characters +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Champion of Titan [Crucible]: Warlord, Personal Teleporter, Zealous Path, Nemesis force weapon, Storm bolter Strike Squad • 1x Justicar: Nemesis force weapon, Storm bolter • 3x Grey Knight: 3 with Nemesis force weapon, Storm bolter • 1x Grey Knight with Heavy Weapon: Close combat weapon, Incinerator Interceptor Squad Enhancement: Predestined Coordinates • 1x Justicar: Nemesis force weapon, Storm bolter • 4x Interceptor: 4 with Nemesis force weapon, Storm bolter Purgation Squad Enhancement: Boons of Deimos (+20 pts) • 1x Justicar: Nemesis force weapon, Storm bolter • 4x Purgator: 4 with Close combat weapon, Psycannon Champion of Titan model (Interceptor Champion- Update) Still WIP added Psychic Hood And took a brass Etch off of a non used Assault cannon arm for an old dreadnought Start of the Purgation squad Legs, Torsos and bases (need to set up pins in legs for base mounting) STR 10 Psycannons and STR 6 Stormbolter (Boons of Deimos) Champion of Titan model (Purgation Champion- Update) Still WIP The plan is to have him resting his hand on the Psycannon with barrel facing up. Champion of Titan model (Purifier Champion- Update) Still WIP

This is my first Warhammer 40k story. Check out my profile for more of my writing, and if you like it leave a reply! Thanks for reading! RELICS PROLOGUE Isekander Kayde thought of his congregation as the ancient elevator descended. Hundreds of thousands of Imperial citizens came to hear his words daily. He taught them of the God-Emperor, and their role in His great plan. He told them not to fear the darkness of the void, for the Emperor protects. Surely. The Emperor protects. The sick and poor would come to him desperate for the salvation of the Emperor’s light. He would comfort them and give them courage, that they might carry on in His name. The local government held him in high respect and would often come to him for advice on matters of state. He would oblige, though the results were not his concern. The mighty lords who lived amongst the clouds in the highest reaches of the hive would come to him offering gifts, in hope that the Emperor might view them with favor, and bless them with more wealth. He would accept them, though they meant naught to him. Kayde never tired of the sensation he felt as he entered the catacombs. As he continued deeper into the darkness, the smell became thick, clouding his head. His senses distorted and twisted around the intoxicating aroma. It gathered at the center of his consciousness, right behind his eyes, and dripped down the back of his throat. It left a metallic taste that filled his gut, and rose back out of his mouth like bile. He heard it muffle the noises of the lift around him, the air now filled with a muting mass of particulate matter. The light above him faded away, leaving him alone with the smell. His thoughts strayed from the events of the day, a welcome reprieve. He became utterly relaxed, and all pretense of emotion faded from his face The elderly priest stepped off the lift, leaving his walking stick behind. He did not need it down here, while the smell suffused his entire being. The passage was in total darkness, but this did not trouble him. He felt the familiar faces of the long-dead on the walls as he passed, to guide him. Long minutes passed in silence as he made his way. He savored every second of his journey, as he did each and every day. He thought of the purity of his devotion. He thought about his sacred work, and how truly grand it was. Adrenaline began to flow through his limp and relaxed flesh, in anticipation of the ritual. Saliva pooled in his mouth, and spilled out in a thin trail He could hear the river now, a slow lapping current echoing off the walls of the catacombs, endlessly. Not even he knew how deep it flowed. His eyes found focus on the distant light of a torch. The entrance to the ritual chamber. He braced his mind to behold its glory, as it was never easy. A thing of such beauty could break the mind of one that was not prepared. Upon reaching the torch, and the threshold to the chamber, he shed his clothes. The chill air invigorated him, sending yet another surge of adrenaline through his veins. The time had come again. The ritual begins Kayde entered the grand chamber head bowed, his long gray hair occluding his vision, eyes focused on the dimly lit floor. He knew exactly how many steps forward until he would see the river beneath his gaze. He held his hands clasped behind his back in an act of supplication and moved with reverential slowness. The chamber was large and long, but he would reach the river soon. Sweat dripped from the priest’s face and stung his eyes, but he did not raise his hands to clear them. The stunted, staggered pace he walked with burned the muscles of his legs, but he did not change form. His neck felt as though it might snap, but he did not raise his head. He saw the river. He wanted to exult at the sight, to stretch his aching muscles and bask in the glory of the miracle. But he did not. He maintained his pace and posture, advancing onto the simple, splintered wooden board laid across the river. Without pause, he lowered one knee to the plank, and then the other, the rough wood digging into his skin. He now faced the river, and in front of him in the distance would lay its source. Head still bowed, the priest allowed himself one long, deep breath, to ready himself to witness its splendor. The river beneath him was modest yet, merely enough to wash one’s hands or feet in. Its flow was slow, and utterly calm. It had carved its path through the soft clay floor of its own intuition, forming small twists and turns. Behind him, the winding path of the flow continued into darkness, a path that none were to tread. It was a gift freely given, after all. His gaze followed the river upstream. In the distance—far enough that he had trouble seeing—was the source of the river: a great cistern that spilled from its lowered edge in wide, thin sheets, and fell below to gather and form the river. Long chains hung from the ceiling, lost entirely in darkness, above the cistern. And on these chains… Bodies. Hundreds and hundreds of bodies. Hung head down, and throat slit, each one slowly adding its due to the miracle. Blood. Around the great cistern’s edges were his acolytes: some handling large barbed poles to push or pull the sacrifices; some bore cruel knives to slit their throats; others transported live bodies out of the holding pens beyond, and yet others brought the bloodless dead back in. The screaming no longer offended him. Indeed, he only began to truly hear it now. It had escaped his thoughts before this moment. As the exsanguinated bodies were retrieved from the pool, new wailing sacrifices were loaded in their place. The acolytes worked with a feverish speed, always fearful that the river’s flow might dry up. Only one phrase was spoken among them, and only when new tributes were sent to spill in the pool: “Blood for the Blood God.” Such was Isekander Kayde’s great work. The blood must flow. Kayde became lost in its beauty only for a moment. Snapping back to his senses, he tightly closed his eyes and continued the ritual. He unclasped his hands from behind his back and slowly brought them in front of him. Leaning forward, he lowered his hands to the blood in a loose, cupped shape. When his fingers first breached the surface, agony pierced his soul. The muscles throughout his entire body contracted, forcing him into a pained hunch, threatening to send him toppling into the river. He wanted to fall in. He wanted to fall face first into the blood and lavish in its taste, its smell, and its sticky, hot touch. But he would not. Through an ultimate act of will, Isekander Kayde resisted, as he did each and every day. He controlled the descent of his hands through the blood, until they touched the bottom. No further. He would not defile the Blood God’s gift with more than his hands, which he offered as a beggar would a king. The current ran through and around his fingers, attempting to drag him in with its slow, inexorable flow. The weight of the blood held his hands beneath. The ritual was almost over. His muscles screamed to be released from the tension that threatened to tear them apart. A dryness had developed in his throat that threatened to choke him dead, and the rushing of the river had become so loud in his ears he thought it would deafen him. He began to pull his hands out of the river. It was never an easy task. The river did not want to let him go. It wanted his blood. The river became heavy and pushed against his cupped hands. He had never witnessed the blood in this stage of the ritual before, and did not let his thoughts stray to what may really be happening in front of him. Slowly, and with great strength, his hands emerged. Once his fingers had left it completely, the pain began to subside. He straightened his back again and returned to his kneeling posture. He sat back on his heels and placed his hands in his lap. His head still bowed, he allowed himself one more deep breath in and out to recover from the ritual. Kayde opened his eyes. In his hands was a small brass bowl. It had emerged clean, and empty. CHAPTER 1 Eli saw the blood in the streets moving. It had been getting stronger. When he first entered the district, the pools around the victims lay still. But as he walked further he noticed strange patterns—much of it had long since dried, but in odd tapering channels that all pointed the same way. The further he went, the more bodies he saw, and the thicker these channels became. Some had come together, forming a stronger, less resistant path. With the added mass of blood, Eli could now see the edges of these puddles still wet—and extending, glinting against the world's strange, purple moonlight. It rolled forward as though pressed from a vein, bubbling over itself in a fading, coagulating trail. Contempt bolstered Eli's spirit. Sorcery. Foul magics of the great enemy. Curiosity as to the intentions of the servants of Chaos was pointless, and laid one's mind bare for corruption. He cut short any such considerations. The killing began three days ago. It started in the courtyard of the Basilica Sepulchra Imperialis, Veyrfall’s most sacred and valuable treasure. At the peak of service, with millions of citizens inside and surrounding the chapel, the holy men and women of the Emperor unleashed a slaughter. Those that escaped with their lives told of horned heads, hoofed legs and forked tongues amongst the murderous. As the local military mounted a response, more dutiful servants of the imperium became seemingly afflicted, and engaged in the slaughter of those around them. Once it was established that the effect was spreading, the hive quarantined the entire district. Billions of souls, locked in, alone with the monsters. As Eli made his way through a cramped alley he could not see or hear the rest of his cell, but he knew they were there. They moved in a staggered approach to the cathedral, each soldier entrusted to keep his presence concealed. The Vigilia were all supremely practiced in the business of staying alive, and were chosen for that reason. As he walked, wind rushing through broken windows of the shattered district drowned out the sound of his footsteps. Great shadows cast by stacked layers of modest households cloaked him in darkness. A series of quiet clicks echoed through his vox—a minute-to-minute check-in from the members of his cell. All was well. Eli and his cell saw life signs—an impossible to miss mass of bodies on their scanners. They had noticed them long ago, and surmised it must be cultists with a group of hostages. They had been stationary for some time, and the cell planned simply to advance through the district around them and continue to the objective. On the wind Eli heard bells. Rhythmically, with monotonous precision, they chimed. ting-ting, ting-ting ting-ting, ting ting Eli climbed a set of rickety stairs into a small domed enclosure that connected to a string of homes along a higher tier of the alley. The cultists were on ground level, and the life signs were down the passage now, to his right, where that series of habs ended, opening into a large garden. Under the light of the moon, everything seemed to glow, edges catching stray violet light. In the center of the garden, around fifty Imperial citizens stood, utterly motionless and paralyzed by fear. ting-ting, ting-ting ting-ting, ting ting Eli was confident he would not be seen as he proceeded. He was covered by the shadows, and any line of sight the cultists might have was narrow and unlikely. He observed them as he moved past. Foul, detestable things they were, clothed in bloody rags, wearing trophies of horrific brutality on their bodies. They were preparing the hostages for transport—chaining them by the legs and waists, painting their chests with dark, disturbing runes of blood. Deeply hooded figures circled the crowd, swinging billowing censers of foul, noxious smoke. He did not see where the bells were coming from. He made his way past unknown to them. They were not his mission. ting-ting, ting-ting ting-ting, ting ting Once the district was quarantined the cult revealed itself. The citizens left abandoned were scattered and separated, forced into hiding by the monsters roaming the streets. The cult moved with no such trepidation, their wards of bells and smoke protecting them. There were two entrances to the catacombs outside of the cathedral itself, on opposite ends of the district. Once utterly forbidden ground, it was now swarmed with doomed processions of hostages. To what end was unknown. Foul, reprehensible. To proliferate beneath a site of such holiness. Eli felt rage burn bright in his soul at the thought of bringing the man responsible low. Intelligence told them that Isekander Kayde was near the cathedral. He spent his days and nights performing disgusting rituals in the shadow of its holiness, seemingly reverential and in supplication of a curious object. Mission protocols stated that Kayde was to be eliminated, and this object destroyed. The alley opened into a larger boulevard after the garden. The cultists behind them would not move for some time yet, sparing no effort in the preparation of their quarry. Eli looked down at the long, empty street. It was curiously free of the dead. As Eli continued along the long string of shrine-houses he saw a muted violet light pulse. Lumen and Olaf had found something. They alerted him with a pulse of Lumen's vest, matched to the moonlight. Eli blink-clicked the notification rune away, letting them know he was on his way, and he saw them go to continue their work. Eli made his way down to the street. The signal had come from inside a chapel on the right side of the boulevard. The stained glass windows were shattered, and the stacks of candles long since snuffed out. The tall double doorway had been smashed away. As Eli entered the chapel his shadow grew long in the moonlight, and the reason for the alert became clear Suspended from the rafters in a great tangle of chains was one of the monstrosities. Eli could feel bile rise in his throat. It had been human once. What was left of the uniform marked him as PDF. He was suited in fully enclosed tactical gear that had been ruptured from the inside out - sharp, irregular horns spearing through his helmet. The armor split at the seams, strained by an unnatural change in height and muscle mass. The thing’s skin was the color of a raging flame, stretched thin over too much bulk. Its mouth was a lipless, gaping wound, riddled with long, strong teeth. On the floor below lay the severed remnants of what had become of its hands - long, wicked blades, snapped short. The locals had trapped it here and finished it. Eli thought of the captives he had passed earlier, and offered a silent prayer to The Emperor. They had fought bravely. Below the monster was a large bloodstain where its throat had been slit. Eli's eyes followed the trail of blood. It was still liquid, moving in the direction of the cathedral, though the chapel wall was in the way. It bubbled and roiled at its base, ever expanding in search of a way forward. He had seen enough, and turned back towards the entrance. When he exited, he was greeted by Lumen and Olaf sitting patiently by the door, having determined that Eli had paused his advance. He gave Lumen a gentle pat on the head and whispered “Good boys,” To be a member of the Malum Vigilia was to meet horror face to face, with mind-numbing regularity. The souls of its mortal members had been tempered, and their minds filled with the Emperor’s truth. Every member of the Vigilia was a specialist of one kind or another—comms, wards, suppression, recon, infiltration, political liaison. Eli was a hound handler, and he chose Olaf and Lumen for their specific augmentations. Olaf had received extensive augmentation to his olfactory sensors to sharpen an already prodigious tracking gift. Lumen was outfitted for pursuit, and equipped with a prototype light-vest—subdermal housings that could pulse varying degrees and colors of light, strong enough to blind. Both hounds were subject to routine augments improving speed, durability, and inter-cell communication. Together they worked exceptionally well, and aided in the success of many missions. Eli was leading the cell on the ground. Of the ten mortals, Eli, at 73 years of age and 50 years of service to the Vigilia, was the most experienced. He drew near the great spires surrounding the Basilica now. The fortifying steel towers were as wide as an entire hab block, and packed together tightly, leaving no gap but small gated access tunnels, and the main processional road. The boulevard he was traveling down opened into a large, empty street, encircling the spires. Lumen and Olaf were already at the access gate they were meant to use, examining a thin current of blood that was trickling inside. One by one, from the alleys and houses, nine mortals emerged in silence to join Eli. Clad in black and grey, faces covered, each soldier bore the Chapter’s insignia on their left shoulder: a three-leafed apple in white. They had all received extensive juvenate treatments and augmentations designed to reduce their need for sleep or nutrients. They utilized bionics to increase speed, endurance, and situational awareness, and they had spent years training with mankind’s greatest defenders. They would not sell their lives cheaply, for the investment in them was extensive. “Spire Cell, report,” Eli voxed quietly. “The guns are ready to go down. We’ve taken up positions to assist in the assault. The cathedral itself is empty. Kayde is on the steps with the relic, surrounded by his cult. We have three angles on him, but he's moving and visibility is… Extremely bad. There is… a lot going on in the courtyard. The cultists have been funneling in hostages for the fiends to feed on. Some hostages have turned on the innocent and… begun to change.” Eli heard the man spit. “Vile heresy,” the voice said. “Your approach is clear at the moment, but the highway and the plaza are full of them.” “Maintain position.” Assassination from the sky had been ruled out. The chance of a miss was unacceptable, and even a hit risked the relic falling into his cultists hands and disappearing into the hive. The best they could do was shoot all their shots at once and hope to devastate any sense of organized resistance. “Armor cell report,” “We found a couple of nice ones to take with us, rigged the rest of the big ones, and we'll take out the small ones on the way. We'll drag a tail but they'll be slow. After drop we can be there in six or seven minutes.” Eli sighed “Maintain position.” Eli said and cut the channel. The shrine district had been host to a large array of the hive’s military assets in order to protect the priceless Basilica. Tanks and other armored vehicles were scattered along its massive highway, traveled by millions every day. The spires were integrated into the hive’s orbital defenses and mounted great skyfire batteries. Mission protocol dictated Spire Cell was to neutralize the skyfire targeting systems, and Armor Cell was to disable enemy ground vehicles, in order for the local PDF to make an organized push towards the cathedral, and to seal the two entrances to the catacombs. Spire Cell was in position to provide recon inside the courtyard, and long-range support during the assault. Armor Cell was to commandeer three vehicles and make for the cathedral as soon as operations went loud, in order to hold the Basilica entrance. Eli turned to his auspex specialist, Livia Serrin, callsign Naran. “How many are in the access?” “Fifteen, just regular life signs. The closest is about fifty meters down. They have a few fires.” Eli signed for them to get into position on either side of the gate. It was open. The cult did not have much of a mind for security. His cell had already guessed the call he was about to make and were adjusting their visors to prepare. Temur and Batu took the point, being the most heavily armored. Eli took the rear on the right hand side of the tunnel entrance. Eli looked down at his hounds, always ready to serve. He raised his fist in the familiar sign. Lumen – breach. Chapter 2 Eli lowered his fist. The hounds ran into the tunnel together. Temur and Batu led the cell in a sprint, barely able to keep up. For thirty meters the only sound was muffled foot and paw steps. Eli could see the heretics down the corridor on his multi-spectrum lenses, set to low light, and to reduce flash. The cultists heard them and moved from their positions around a fire to gaze into the darkness. Three targets. Lumen was the first to breach the perimeter of the fire’s illumination, and shot a blast of light down the corridor so bright that Eli could feel its heat. His lenses compensated, registering a bright flash and a spray of coals as Olaf smashed through the fire. He saw the cultists fall backward, reeling from the blinding light. Temur and Batu were closing on them as the hounds raced past to the next group. The two in formation behind took a step to the side, sighted the cultists, and brought them down in three muted bursts. Eli and Naran rushed past, giving the rear guard to them. The cultists down the tunnel did not understand what was happening, seeing only a bright flash, stealing what vision they had. Another flash, and five more were brought down. Over half. Eli and Naran rushed past four more of the Cell that had stopped to shoot. Eli smashed the brazier Olaf had thrown to the ground underfoot as he ran. The cultists were shooting back. Every shot went wide. They had grouped up, in an ignorant attempt at safety through numbers. Seven targets. Lumen's light went off again, this time in a strobing pattern as he and Olaf pounced on two of the cultists. Temur and Batu smashed two into the walls so hard with their crackling shock mauls that they fell limp to the ground. Eli and Naran finished the group with two bursts from her, one from him. “Life signs clear,” Naran said, in the now-darkened tunnel. Eli looked down at the cultists as his cell fell in behind him. They were a different strain of heresy than the monsters that roamed the streets. Eli wondered what made them different. Why had their minds been spared, and their bodies left weak and fragile? Were they the chosen few, or a tool meant to usher in a new age of bloodshed? He returned his attention to the present. Eli could not make sense of what he saw at the end of the tunnel. He blink clicked off his lenses to see with his own eyes. Long, chaotic rays of vibrant color pierced the dark. He attempted to parse the information in front of him by following the walls leading to the entrance, but his eyes lost purchase. The stone walls dissolved into dozens of overlapping patterns of light, color, and shadow. A far-reaching shard of yellow light touched Eli’s hand and illuminated something curious on the floor beneath him. He bent down to examine it. He plucked a strand from the ground to confirm it was real. Grass. Real green grass sprouting from the grooves in the blood-soaked stonework, growing thicker as they advanced. Eli heard Khorig, his warding specialist, murmur, “What is this place…?” Eli opened a channel to Spire Cell. “We’re approaching the courtyard. Give me an update.” “I’d double-time to the objective. The daemons seem drawn to the steps, but it’s been a while since the cult has released more hostages to hunt, and they’re starting to wander the grounds—looking. The cult’s warding priests fill the plaza on the other side of your approach, keeping the fiends off the stairs. There is one that’s likely to notice you on your way.” The man paused. “You seen the grass yet?” “Yes. And the lights.” “This place is expensive.” “Keep an eye on us as we approach, but do not give away your position,” Eli said, standing back up, letting the blade of grass fall. “Aye,” said the man, and cut the channel. The grass covered the ground now. They were almost out of the tunnel. The roof vanished from sight as they entered the field, revealing the source of the lights: the largest building Eli had ever seen, made of stained glass. Past a clear half kilometer of grass, the massive west wing of the cathedral loomed over them, displaying scenes of glory against daemon, xenos, and mutant. Beyond that, the central tower stood kilometers high, shining so brightly with purple moonlight that Eli could not make out the images - only the chaotic, tainted light they cast. He looked to the sky and saw the towers surrounding the cathedral disappear into the violet mist, several times higher than the church itself. He could just make out the massive mirrors that shot moonlight into the cathedral, covering every surface in sight with refracted light, shining as a mighty monument to the God Emperor of Mankind. “Khorig, you have point. Everyone spread out. Use the lights to conceal yourselves. No gunfire out here, we can't afford to be noticed.” Eli turned to Khorig. He bore many favors of the inquisition on this day. His armor was etched with hexagramic wards, and a rosary lay affixed across his chest like a belt of ammunition. Lashed to his left arm was a simple polished black bar; a null rod. In his right he wielded a power stake, long enough to plant like a staff, and humming with an invisible field of energy. “Are you ready?” “Of course,” Khorig said “Do not attempt to aid me unless absolutely necessary. Limited contact with the foul things is best.” “Agreed.” Eli said. Khorig began his advance. Temur and Batu fell in behind him at a safe distance, followed by Eli to the right, and the rest of the cell fanning out in a wide pattern, finding paths of darker light to follow. They sighted a red-skinned beast ahead at roughly two hundred meters, bent over examining a corpse. It was big. As they grew closer, Eli saw it no longer bore any clothing, now much larger than it had once been. Eli was surprised by how human it still looked, though it no longer showed any signs of gender. Great ram's horns framed its face, and a long tongue fell from its mouth. Its legs ended in huge, hairless hooves. Khorig stopped in a rare patch of white light fifty meters from the daemon, and the rest of the cell stopped with him. He stabbed his power stake into the ground and raised his hands in the sign of the Aquila, offering a prayer to the God-Emperor. The beast noticed him and let out a throat-tearing scream as it burst into a sprint. It was easily a foot taller than Khorig, and must have outweighed him by a hundred and fifty pounds. Khorig stood ready to react. The beast came one stride away from striking range of him when the leg it stepped forward with failed, suddenly losing strength. The daemon almost fell to a knee, but managed to keep upright with one outstretched arm. Khorig reacted, stepping out of its trajectory and turning ninety degrees, ripping a long gash into its side. The wound began to spew smoke as if lit from a fire on the inside. The fiend let out a guttural exclamation, shifted its weight, and brought the arm it caught itself with up in a wild strike in Khorig's direction. Khorig threw himself under the beast's attack and slammed the null-rod into its elbow. The arm went limp and the beast's momentum carried it forward, sending it into a spin. It fell away from Khorig. He saw the opening and pierced the back of its neck with his power stake in one swift application of force. The daemons head burst into flames. Batu let out a scoff. “Bastard makes it look easy...” he said, Khorig removed the stake from its neck, letting it fall forward, “Would that you all were warded as I am,” he responded humbly. “I don't want that witch :cuss:.” Batu said as he began to move forward once more. The cell continued advancing to the cathedral wall. Spire Cell had said to double time, but Eli trusted Naran to watch for life signs in the courtyard. The wall was not far and they would be able to reach it quickly if anything appeared. Eli looked up at the massive west wing of the cathedral. It was all he could see, save the structures even taller behind it. It was difficult to not be awestruck by the scenes displayed on the cathedral. Beings of myth and legend doing battle with the vile and hated. Scores of Imperial saints. The never-ending battalions of the Imperial Guard. The Adeptus Sororitas and the winged Saint Celestine. Mighty witch hunters of The Inquisition. The enigmatic tech-priests of Mars. The royal Custodian guard. And the Emperor's ever vigilant angels of death—the Adeptus Astartes. All these and more were present, depicted in bold geometric cuts of glass, blazing in chaotic light. Eli felt relief as he stepped into the shadow cast at the base of the massive wall. A strip of darkness roughly two meters wide ran along the cathedral, and he could tell the rest of his cell was also put at ease, here, in the shadows. They had to reach the forward outer corner of the west wing, where they would turn the corner to see the massive highway and grand plaza. As the cell filed past him, Eli saw something out of the corner of his eye. In the other direction, the rear corner of the west wing, two humans walked into the field. Eli could barely see them, and blink clicked his lenses to zoom in. A man and a woman, both marked on the chest like the captives in the garden. They were filthy with blood and dirt. They must have managed to escape one of the hunts. But what were they doing? “Naran, give me audio on those two,” Eli commanded “One second. Ok, link up.” Eli heard the man speak as he backed away from the approaching woman “What are you doing? Stop, stop it!” The woman was carrying a shard of sapphire blue stained glass in a bloody hand, and slashed the man across the chest. He recoiled in pain and stumbled, falling onto his back in a patch of emerald light. “You're weak. You've always been weak! The things I've had to do so that we could make it... While you drink and gamble our future away!” The man put his hands out in protest, “Please, please! Don't do this! I love you! I've always loved you, since we were kids! Remember?” She slashed at his hand, cutting three of his fingers off. He shrieked in pain. “Shut up! I am not going to die here! If anyone is going to die IT'S YOU!” The woman pounced at the man's throat, and slammed the glass home. The body went limp beneath her, and she began to beat it with her fists. She craned her neck to the sky; “Blood for the Blood God!” She screamed in a horrible, breaking voice. She dug her nails into the man and ripped away bloody strips of flesh. Eli returned his vision to near focus. “Blood for th-” Eli cut the channel, but could still hear her finish it, faintly, even at this distance. “-e Blood God! Blood for the Blood God! Blood for the Blood God!” Eli turned away from the scene, grim determination now settled on his face. Time to end this. As the cell continued along the wall Eli opened a channel to all cells. “We're approaching the objective. Once we turn the corner we'll be seen. Spire cell, do you have locations marked?” “Aye,” came the reply “Armor cell, I need you here in five minutes once the operation goes loud.” “I'll drive faster then. I suppose.” “Interdiction cell, are you ready?” A deep, vox-grilled voice replied “Affirmative” “In the Emperor's name. Stand by. Go on my mark,” Eli said, leaving the channel open. They had reached the corner of the west wing. Eli returned to the front of the cell and placed his back against the wall. He exchanged looks with the rest of his squad. Around the corner were hundreds of daemons like that one, as well as the most dangerous elements of the cult. Eli looked down at his hounds, more enthusiastic in their duty than he could ever be. He took one last breath, and gave the command. CHAPTER 3 Hundreds of daemons filled the highway. Eli zoomed his lenses as he began the advance at a steady pace. They were all larger than the average human, some up to three meters tall. Some sported muscles so large they impeded the bearer's function. Others were little more than bones wrapped in skin. Some had maintained human hands and legs, but they were few. The daemons had been changed into disgusting implements of slaughter. Eli saw arms that ended in bloody blades, brutal hammers, and sinister lashes. They walked on hard crushing hooves, and sharp spears of bone shot from their skulls. Their skin was the bright red of spurting arterial blood. Eli saw now why there were so few victims on the approach. They had been brought here. The daemons were bleeding them. Those with hands held dripping corpses by the ankles, others held them speared aloft on their vicious appendages. Piles of bloodless bodies lined the highway. Eli returned his vision to near sight. Best not to view the foul things if not required. He heard explosions from the highway. Five thunderous cracks ripped through the air as the skyfire batteries burst into flames, showering the courtyard in embers and debris. Three shots rang from Spire cell’s snipers. No confirmation of a hit came over the vox. They had missed. Kayde lived. Four massive pods ripped through purple clouds and descended in a flickering cascade of colors. One shot out into the district towards Armor Cell. The rest aimed for the courtyard. The pods dropped into the plaza. Eli could not see them land, but felt the impact in the ground. Barely a second after the impact the courtyard shook a second time. A deep, gurgling voice filled the air with one low word; “Blood” Eli saw a massive figure blast into the corner of the east wing with the speed of a bullet, his drop pod following and breaking apart on impact. A wave of dark fluid slapped into the plaza and courtyard behind him. He ricocheted off of the wall and landed in the middle of the highway, far away, crushing daemons under him. A clutch of daemons surrounded him. The edge of the plaza erupted into blinding white flashes and roaring cracks of weapon fire. An assault bolter. Eli and his cell were nearly there now, and saw the smoke billowing out into the courtyard. Daemons began to charge into the plaza. A hulking figure clad in bone white armor emerged from the smoke. Brother Decimus Batur. Wielding a massive thunder hammer, crackling with white-blue energy, and a tower shield big enough to crush a mortal man. He ran to meet the first daemon, a short bulky thing with arms and shoulders so large it loped like a gorilla. Decimus slammed his hammer into the creature with a backhanded swing, sending it flying. Another approached on his left and he shoved his shield through it, embedding in the dirt beneath its split body. He raised his arms and let out a booming scream, amplified and made robotic by his helmet. Eli turned into the plaza. Dead priests lay exploded and broken, shattered by the assault bolter. Their decanters lingered, emitting growing clouds of shifting rainbow smoke. Ahead was the grand staircase, made of a dull reflective metal, shining back the cathedral's lights in muted tones. Landings and outcroppings broke the staircase's ascent at regular intervals, where sacrificial altars stood, surrounded by cultists. Eli understood where the blood had been flowing, all throughout the city. It flowed here, through the grass and up the steps, into the cathedral. At the base Eli saw Brother Gaius Sukh. He had tossed his spent assault bolter aside and was working to establish a cordon at the foot of the stairs. He ripped the gigantic doors from the drop pod assembly and planted them in the ground in a staggered formation. Small arms fire from the cultists pinged off of his armor to no effect. He saw Eli approach. “The hunt begins, Khasar,” he said, ripping another door from the drop pod's base. Eli heard Aurelius over the vox. “He opened a deep hole in his throat, the second I emerged. The relic is powerful but he is weak.” Eli and his cell took cover. Sacrificial altars and crude bloody shrines littered the plaza. Eli saw Decimus repelling the surge of daemons. They were drawn to his challenge and seemed to forget all else. In the distance he saw Aurelius slicing daemons limb from limb with his mighty power claw, making his advance back to the line. Ahead of him Gaius had finished placing the barricades and drew his power sword as he moved to intercept any daemons that made it around Decimus. “Temur, Batu, Khorig, aid the Astartes. Serel, Oron, smoke our approach. Everyone put your eyes on and get ready to push.” Eli voxed to the cell. Dozens of smoke canisters shot into the plaza and up the stairs. Everything was blanketed in smoke filled with multicolored light. Eli switched his lenses to compensate, and saw the cultists' heat signatures scurrying around as they began to panic and hide. Eli looked down to his hounds. “Go. Find him. Stay hidden.” Olaf and Lumen bolted into the smoke. Eli saw their heat signatures fly up the stairs and into the cathedral, darting past cultists completely unnoticed. Eli and his cell advanced, taking cover behind the doors, shielding them from the gunfire. Looking back through the smoke Eli saw the heat signatures of the three Astartes and three mortals maintaining a controlled withdrawal into the courtyard. The cell brought down the cultists that were not in cover. There were too many to bother counting. They needed to advance soon. Each second here was a second for Kayde to escape. “Grenades.” Eli voxed, “Flush out the first landing.” Four grenades vanished into the smoke, two on either side of the steps. The cultists did not seem to notice them land. Their cover was obliterated and the majority of them with it. The rest were killed as they emerged from cover. “Serel, Oron, remain and maintain the cordon. The rest with me,” Eli commanded as he ran. Eli made for the stairs. He could barely see the shape of the steps in front of him, his lenses illuminating them in blue with an accompanying ping of lidar detection. The cultists registered as bright red heat signals, ducking in and out of faintly defined altars and shrines. Eli knew their vision was worse, so he was not concerned with a direct hit. His armor could repel small arms fire, and he bore a momentary refractor field. Eli moved up the stairs with speed and confidence. Grenades flew from behind Eli and Naran, as they held their rifles trained on the groups ahead. They advanced on the right, opening lines of fire to those on the left. The cultists fired wildly. Some attempted to flee further up the stairs and were killed as they ran. Eli and the four with him had reached the dais at the top of the stairs. There was a force in the cathedral entryway, but they did not know the cell was so close. Behind them the stairs lay covered with cherry red heat signatures, slowly expanding, flowing into trails and following them up the steps. The cell tossed their remaining ordnance into the entryway, eliminating them without resistance. Eli began to cross the dais, his boots splashing through the rivers of blood that coalesced upon it. The smoke was clearing. He felt a breeze. There definitely should not be a breeze here. Eli stopped and turned around. “Something's wrong. Spire cell what's going on?” Eli said on an open channel. “The smoke must have got caught in a draft. Good thing you made it up the steps.” “There should not be a draft in here. Something else is happening.” Eli clicked his lenses back to unassisted vision. There was something in the air. Fine particulate matter. It was the blood. It was trembling and bubbling against gravity, breaking free in tiny drops and flying into the sky. “Sorcery. Be prepared.” He heard Gaius say, before the channel cut with a crack of static and pained grunt from the space marine. He looked down the stairs. The defending cell was behind the drop pod doors. Khorig was in the center, the Astartes surrounding him. Daemons stumbled as they approached the formation, the null rod on his arm suppressing their connection to the warp. Decimus was at the front, throwing daemons back with brutal swings from his hammer. Gaius and Aurelius were to his right and left, using their bolters with one hand and melee weapons in the other. Khorig lashed out with his power stake at opportune moments presented by the Astartes, gouging flaming holes in the daemons. Temur and Batu held their position at the opposite rear sides of the formation. Their shock mauls were overcharged and burst with loud cracks of energy as they disabled the fiends that approached them, for Serel and Oron to shred with automatic gunfire. Eli looked out to the highway. Even more were pouring in from the courtyard entrance at a full sprint. The screams and roars of the daemons had become a constant din, growing louder with every second. The plaza was nearly full of them, starting to crush themselves in the spaces between the drop pod doors. “We're losing visibility fast up here.” Spire cell voxed. Eli was as well. The blood had begun raining back down after being thrown into the air, whipping around in a growing flurry. It looked like it was centered on the east wing. He blink clicked his lenses, zooming in on the wall. There was an epicenter to the storm. Twenty stories up, the blood surged around a balcony. He zoomed in further. It was Kayde. He stood with the brass bowl held aloft, the blood rushing both in and out of it. Eli could barely see him through the storm. “It’s Kayde, in the wing! Bring him down!” Eli marked his location and transmitted it to the company, but it was too late. As the blood storm surged, sight of him was lost. Every available weapon fired on the location, to no avail. Kayde had moved. He was in the storm. “:cuss:!” Eli yelled. Eli looked down the stairs. He was losing sight of the defense formation. He clicked through his lens sensors. Nothing worked. None of his multi-spectrum sights could penetrate the blood. He turned to Naran. “Can you see him?” He asked, though he didn’t dare to hope. She was frantically working on her wrist slate, trying to find some way to see through the storm. Her lenses changed colors, cycling through every optical option she had. “No. Nothing.” She replied. “Armor cell! Where are you!?” Eli had to scream over the sound of the daemon horde. “We're here! What in Terra is happening?!” “You must sweep the storm! It’s the priest, bring him down!” Eli couldn't see Armor Cell, but could just make out the muzzle flashes of the mounted heavy bolter they brought. The trajectory of its fire turned upwards and riddled the storm with explosive rounds that slammed into the cathedral, raining fresh fire and debris on the battlefield. “Fall back into the Basilica. Aid arrives soon.” Brother Decimus' voice boomed over the vox. Eli and his cell needed to cover their retreat, but could see nothing from here. They ran down the steps. Qara slipped in the blood and fell down the stairs in front of them. Eli heard Batu over the vox, screaming in a last ditch attempt for help. “Get it off me, Serel shoot it!” before his vox cut off, and the rune indicating Batu's life signs went dark, followed by Serel's. Eli stopped. He took stock of his surroundings. He looked for the way out. There was always a way out. But Eli saw none. All he saw was blood. Eli saw a rune appear on his lenses. Olaf had found a target, and was transmitting it to Eli and Lumen. The transmission was useless to Eli, being an olfactory trace. But Lumen could interpret the information in a way that made sense. What were they doing? Another rune. Lumen was trying to get his attention. Eli couldn't tell which direction he faced anymore. He searched the blood hurricane for the vest. Eli looked up, and saw it. A beacon burning through the blood. It burned so bright it seemed almost golden. Eli blinked the rune away, letting Lumen know he saw him. The hound was high in the sky, twice as high as the priest had been. Eli didn't understand what Lumen was doing. He tried to figure it out when he saw the beacon move, and begin to fall in an arc. Lumen had jumped. Eli watched in silence as the hound fell. Lumen was the smartest dog Eli had ever worked with. There was a reason for this. Eli thought he knew, but didn't want to believe it “No...” Eli mumbled under his breath. The beacon stopped brutally halfway through its descent. The rune in Eli's visor began blinking rapidly. Target acquired. He had Kayde. Lumen had shown them the way out. Eli opened a channel to the company. He could not believe the order he was about to give. “Fire on the beacon.” He said into the vox. One second passed without response. Two. They had to do it now. Lumen couldn't hold on forever. “All units fire on the beacon! Do not make his sacrifice for nothing!” Eli screamed through the vox. Brother Gaius' voice replied. “He will be remembered, brother.” Eli's mind became barren, only two words left. The Mantra of the Malum Vigilia. “Malum Ruit.” Eli said. “Malum Ruit!” The company responded, and turned their fire on the beacon. The glowing light became the epicenter of a cacophony of bolter rounds, overcharged plasma shots, and assault rifle fire. Eli fired until his magazine was empty, the chapter's mantra repeating in his mind. Malum Ruit. “Evil Falls.” CHAPTER 4 The blood fell in a great sheet. Multicolored light bathed the courtyard again, punctuated by piles of burning debris. The blood was gathering in huge ponds. Brother Gaius smashed daemons out of his way as he ran down the stairs, towards the relic. Decimus and Khorig were at the bottom, bathed in vibrant pink light, trying to keep the daemons behind the drop pod doors. Brother Aurelius escorted the mortals down the steps, ripping the daemons open with his power claw. Eli took sight at enemies beyond his reach. They ran down the stairs, shredding targets that advanced past the cordon. Gaius landed in a gathering puddle of blood with a splash and slammed a containment unit glowing with hexagramic runes over the relic that had fallen beneath. “Objective secured.” Gaius voxed to the company. Super sonic sniper shots burst through the air in a steady rhythm. Spire cell was picking off targets in the plaza. Two rhinos crashed through the daemons in the plaza and took position forward center. On top of one was a mortal manning a heavy bolter, no easy feat. On top of the other was Brother Cato Erdene with an assault bolter. They turned their fire outward, at the hundreds of daemons that charged at the plaza. Brother Gaius moved to support them. Brother Decimus let out another bellowing challenge and ran past the barriers. Brother Aurelius made to join him as he and the mortals reached the bottom of the steps, letting out a cry of his own. The bodies of Batu and Sorel lay there, leaking blood from hundreds, thousands of open wounds. Eli looked for a creature capable of doing such a thing in the dead piles of daemons around them, but stopped short. His mind was wandering. They were not done. The remaining soldiers began to fan out of the blockade, firing in disciplined bursts. Five more exited the rhinos, and soon the plaza was clear. The four Astartes took positions to repel more from entering, aided by Temur and Khorig. The mounted heavy bolter roared without end, thinning their numbers and keeping them from approaching en masse. The rest of the mortals kept distance and took safe, effective shots. Everyone was covered in thick coagulating blood, only their eye lenses clear where they had managed to wipe them. Out of the corner of his eye Eli saw Olaf. He was the only thing in sight not covered in the dark disgusting fluid. He latched onto the throat of a daemon that was still crawling, despite missing its lower half. There was a quick snap and the creature went limp. “Good dog.” Eli said under his breath, as the hound continued searching the carrion field. EPILOGUE Tiber Qori passed through the quarantine zone that surrounded the district. Ash billowed in the wind. As he continued it grew thicker and coated everything in sight. His boots left deep prints as he walked. The district had been burned entirely, and was in the process of being burned further once the ashe clears. The corruption discovered underneath the cathedral was almost unfathomable in scale. A river of blood flowed deep into the catacombs, to unknown depths. Dead filled all its paths, sacrificed at the moment of the blood storm. The only thing that kept the Imperium from subjecting the entire planet to exterminatus was one particularly interested inquisitor. Inquisitor Calpurnia Thorne had arrived at the Basilica earlier that day. Librarian Tiber Qori was to meet her. The Librarian kept his senses of the ethereal sharp, searching for any sign of lingering corruption. He saw none. Only mounds of fine gray ash, shifting in the wind. He entered the courtyard. The cathedral no longer emitted rainbows of color, stained black by the fire. Only the very top escaped the infernos darkening touch. The plaza was now a sphere cleansed of material, leaving a crater in the ground and dipping the walls into bowled shapes. The Mechanicus had been thorough in cleansing the sight of the horror, and not even ash remained within the sphere. As Tiber Qori approached the cleansed plaza, the crozius he walked with struck something beneath the ash. Not even rocks or pebbles had survived the cleansing thus far. He knelt down to see what it was, digging his gauntleted hand into the powder. He lifted his hand and the ash fell away A canines tooth. Qori was lost for thought. He heard a voice from behind. “Curious.” it said. The inquisitor stood to his side. She wore long dark leathers that hid her face partially behind a tall collar. Black hair fell over her augmented eye in lazy curls. “It seems your hounds have a role to play yet.” Authors note Thanks for reading. This was the inaugural story for my homebrew chapter of space marines, The Malum Vigilia. The one thing that you need to know about the Vigilia is this; The astartes of the Vigilia operate and train with mortals more than any other chapter of space marines, in order to provide rapid responses over large areas of space with minimal required astartes involvement. They stomp out the embers before the fire starts. Calpurnia Thorne will return in my next story Blood Spelunking

Well I am still writing the mission and discussing with @The_Oni_of_Hindsight we decided that the Imperial Side (Rescue Team) will get 3 twin Heavy Bolter Tarantulas and a twin lascannon tarantula that will have BS 5+, No movement, T 9, SV 3+, W 10, LD 7+, OC-, Tarantulas are automatic disabled in melee. Heavy Bolter Tarantulas can only engage targets they can they hurt on 4+ or better. Twin Lascannon Tarantula and only engage monsters and vehicles. I did prime the Governor and Imperial Citizens. Army Painter Matt Black Primer Army Painter Matt White Zenithal

Having started the painting vow before 11th edition dropped I wanted to create some of the old Space Marine Combat Patrols using a handful of models. I have now completed that vow and will move on to the next, which will add models that will make up the new Assault Force and Blood Angels patrols. After that I will consider adding my unbuilt Impulsor and Dreadnought. When painting the Dreadnought I’m unsure as to wether I should paint it like a large Space Marine (i.e. in the same livery) or treat it like a vehicle with the dazzle camoflauge?

"Non permittant vivere impuritus." More work done on Captain Razak. ready for clear coat, decals and wash then it will be off to highlighting stages. Army Painter Fanatic Metallic Bright Gold Army Painter Fanatic Metallic Shining Silver Army Painter Fanatic Metallic True Brass for shell casings Army Painter Fanatic Grey Castle for scrolls, parchment and tilt shield Army Painter Fanatic Deep Grey on tilt Shield Army Painter Fanatic Dusty Skull on skulls and bones Army Painter Air Broodmother Purple My planned 500 pt list minus Captain Razak and the 5 Assault Intercessor I need to build. I was discussing my army with @The_Oni_of_Hindsight and how I have 3 Different Space Marine armies, last night. We both agreed that my Red Hunters need armor support and transports for some of the units as they are the balanced force. I have a Gladiator Lancer and 2 Impulsors, I was planning on using for my Exorcists. Also during the course of the discussion, we started talking about Ikarus Pattern and his awesome upgrades. One of our favorite things about his models is how they feel like realistic interpretations/ changes to the modern Space Marine kits and how they feel like am old Forgeworld Conversion kits. My Favorite kits are Generic "Jouster" SPARTACUS Tank Ikarus Pattern Conversion Kit and Generic "Closed" IMP Tank Ikarus Pattern Conversion Kit Tracked armor does not feel right in an all Phobos army. But it does feel right in an Inquisitor aligned force. So I ordered 2 of the Closed IMP and Jouster kit.

"Non permittant vivere impuritus." Well I built some more models for my Red Hunters, just some Armageddon Intercessors and the Land Speeder. And I did more painting on 3rd Company Captain Razak. Five Intercessors No conversions just a straight forward build. Not a bad build and like the poses. 5 down 5 to go. Land Speeder Pretty straight forward build. I did have to glue the tip of the Onslaught Cannon. I did not glue it together for ease of painting. Speaking of paint scheme here is what I am going with. Mine of course will not be the 4th Company but 3rd Company. Left to Build 5 Armageddon Intercessors 10 Assault Intercessors (2 5 man squads) 5 Heavy Intercessors 3 Eradicators (Multi piece) 3 Inceptors (Multi piece) Storm Speeder Hammerstrike 2nd Land Speeder 2 Armigers Waiting to acquire Introductory Lieutenant Introductory Intercessors 3rd Company Captain Razak Painted holsters, scabbards, and weapon grips Army Painter Fanatic Oak Brown Painted Wax Seals Army Painter Fanatic Mulled Berry Painted Scrolls and Parchment....I don't remember maybe Ancient Stone. Painted Inner Cloak Army Painter Fanatic Brainmatter Beige Painted Outer Cloak and the Crux on the Relic Shield Army Painter Fanatic Matt Black Need to do some more touch ups on the cloaks and add a Grey to the bottom of his heraldry shield.

"Non permittant vivere impuritus." I finally got around to painting a Test model for my Red Hunters Space Marines. Of course I can not paint a basic model for as my test bed, I have to use my Armageddon Captain. Right now he is what I am calling "I swear he is not a Blood Angel Space Marine" stage. Honestly this stage will last until his decals are added. This will go for most of the army. III Company Captain Razak of the Red Hunters Chapter Paints used (All Army Painter): Warpaints Air Matt Black Primer (Airbrush) Warpaints Air Matt White (Airbrush) Zenithal Warpaints Air Encarmine Red Basecoat Warpaints Air Pure Red Highlight Warpaints Air Archangel Red Highlight 2 Warpaint Fanatic Barbarian Flesh Skin tone Warpaint Fanatic Matt Black Future Metallic and Black areas Warpaint Fanatic Brigandine Brown Pteruges Warpaints Fanatic Tundra Taupe ground basecoat. Still need to paint: Weapon Scabbards and Holster (Brown) Ork Skull (Bone) Scrolls and Purity Seal Parchments (whitish brown) Need to decide on: Purity Seal Wax color (Darker Red, Pink, Purple or Green) Inner cloak color (White, Black or Purple) Outer cloak color (Black, White, or Purple) Weapon handles (Purple or Brown) Tassels (White or Purple) For wax color I am leaning towards the darker red or a violet color as the armor is already done and the darker red/ purple tint will stand out against it. For the Inner Cloak I think white maybe the best option to give it a nice pop of color and Red =][= inside at the corners. The Outer Cloak being Black will be nice since he will have Red Hunters logo (White Skull, Red =][= )on back of the cloak. His left knee needs something I am sure what, yet.

I really don't like the new helmets and was playing around with using Allarus Custodian helmets or Bladeguard Vets.... or some Horus Heresy Marine bits. Got any advice?

Well the desk is usable!!! I have to pick up a few more things for it, Mini vortex paint mixer, Neatfi magnifier/ light, display cabinet and well empty boxes under desk but I can return to painting and building models. I think I need some Raven Guard HH art and maybe more Adepta Sororitas and Joy Toy Grey Knights.

Just a small update as I have been messing with my Imperial Citizens, Planetary Governor, Imperial Agents and Inquisitors lately. One model that has been bugging me is the Ancient. more specifically is the banner. While it is cool and easier to paint, the Armageddon on the banner bugs me My WIP Solution Some Sprue Glue and sanding, still more to do deciding if I want the Ork Skulls on it still.

Well I decided to make my Armageddon Marines into Red Hunters, and while building I decided to add my Dawn of War Onslaught models to the pile. Then I pulled the unbuilt Hammerstrike Storm Speeder, Assault Intercessors, and Heavy Intercessors. Here is the built models: Start of the Intercessor squad with Ancient Librarian and Judiciar Chaplain and Eradicators Heavy Bolter Eradicator Vanguard Veterans and Chaplain Bladeguard Vets, Bladeguard Ancient, and Captain. I ordered some Inceptors to make in to Plasma Inceptors and I want to split the Introductory set with @The_Oni_of_Hindsight Also adding an Inquisitor, 2 Imperial Agents, and 2 Armigers to the list.

Well calling these Characters done.. Terminator Chaplain Rais Gilles Terminator Lieutenant Marbot Marcellin Terminator Apothecary Sharl Winchester Ancient is getting closer

Major and second in command in regiment Karl Mannerkheim, master of siege and defense. Beloved strategy - static defence. He spent most of his time learning new tactics and strategy from Tactical Imperialis.

Finished all battleline units. There is last blob of twenty and army shoot without vechicles and ogryns who's wip right now. I wish I finish last two bullgryns and castellan tomorrow. There is very few touches for them. And technically basecoated sentinels who need to be repainted in new( or upgraded colour scheme). That's looks good on the shelf and after I got all remained infantry, which is twice current body count I've got a company.