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Hi folks. Within my now routinary activity of alternate modelling (one batch Space Opera followed by one batch heroic fantasy), I am in that period of time where Night gobs get the priority over any 30/40k related stuff. There is anyhow an activity that can gather both aspects of the GW universes: Scenery making. Shall my purpose by ultimatly a 40k excavation site, I took the opportunity for practising my techniques of styfoam carving for a piece of scenery that can be used in both setting: a rocky structure. Last week pics where showing something very early in the process, and I have progressed a little bit: The first rocky structure has been completed and plastered. This is a pre sanding view. I will then add texture with another plastering loaded with sand and another layer even more oaded for deposits. Then painting. I have also worked on a fairy chimney that is even closer of the painting step as it received already the first sand (dispersed). And as 40k is never too far away, in the background a first work on my plodding along scenery elements with an early work of an armoured container sawed in 2: how to make 2 out of 1. But this will be for a future contribution. Have a nice week.

With the dust settling on the holidays I finally had time to complete a project I've been working on for the last couple of months, and with that completion comes my first blog post in...a long time. Space Wolves have always been one of my favorite chapters, and when the wolf-scouts came out I was excited to paint up more sons of Russ. I wanted the "lore" behind this pack to be that they were Primaris marines that had drunk from the Cup of Wulfen and had begun to exhibit signs of the curse. They were given Wulfen Shoulder pads to signify their change, but with the help of their Rune Priest managed to keep the curse at bay. The stock models are cool, and they have a decent amount of "wolfy" bits on them, but not nearly enough for my tastes. I like my space wolves to be dripping in totems and furs, fortunately I got a box of the old wolf-guard as a gift from a friend a while back and was able to put them to ample use. I started with pulling out all the first born heads that felt like they fit, and then began adding various other bits to give them a more unique feel. After adding bits I started in on the green-stuff work. I bought a texture plate from GSW a while back, and put it to ample use. Its a pretty solid product, able to re-produce the "old" style fur very well, though the results don't read as well next to the newer/sharper fur sculpts, I'm still a fan. I used the fur to create pelts to cover the pack shoulderpad as my lore for the scouts is they serve Logar, but are loaned out to other packs as needed (and I didn't want to mess with transfers or use Ragnar's pads) as well as convert the Rune Priest into something significantly more shamanistic. As for the Rune Priest I managed to get a space wolf from the kit from a friend, this particular wolf model's head comes in two parts, and with a little modification makes for a great Wolf Hat. I had to add a lot more greenstuff fur to blend it more appropriately, including some Blue-Stuff clones of the existing wolf-fur to make the transition a bit more smooth, but overall I'm happy with the end result (above second picture isn't quite the end, result but its close) After the greenstuff dried it was onto painting. In retrospect I probably rushed this a bit, but after all the time I'd spent on kit-bashing and working with Greenstuff I was eager to get these models on the table. That didn't stop me from taking the time to pick out some of the fun details on the models though, I'm always a sucker for wrist computers. Once I had them suitably painted up I moved onto the bases. I've done a fair few snow/ice bases with Space Wolves but due tot he abundance of blue on the models I tend not to like them as much. I have two of the GSW texture rollers that are perfect for Space Wolves (Runic and Nordic) and put them to work creating bases for the pack. The textures are much thinner than I would typically like, but that is because this project finally used up the last of my 3' green stuff tape I'd bought ages ago. Since I was already planning on adding moss on top of them (and several of the models have tactical rocks) It didnt' end up mattering, but don't let some of the lack of detail/smudges in the above picture turn you off of the product, that's an application error and not a reflection on the rollers themselves (see my Deathwatch post for a better version of them) All in all I'm very happy with the end result. I finished them last week and am looking forward to getting them on the table soon. (Apparently I hit the upload image max on this post, so I can't post individual shots of the team though they should be in the linked album.)

So what I wanna say. I need terrain. Somehow I'd overlooked this fact when painting my little dudes and murderous lizards. I have boarding action set, yeap. But. BUT! Baneblade shooting Carnifex on other side of little wall is surreal. Also test game shows that even mostly infantry armies couldn't fight properly on such table. Now I need to build( I think it's preferable option) or buy( even gakky terrain set cost fortune for what you get, not speaking of GW's). Big plus of former that I can build different kind of terrain and not only ruins and mechanicus who-know-what. So today I started build my first ruin and iirc first terrain piece. I use foamed PVC since it's cheap and easy to work. Here is inner walls. I add another layer outside. And it's become bulkier and actually start looks like damaged walls. So guys any suggestions for terrain to build?

Among the Solbond Gardhird, the three Memnyr Strategists are spoken of not as individuals, but as a single, interlinked war‑mind known as the Runbindr Triad. Though each possesses a distinct personality and tactical specialty, their cogitation cores were calibrated together after the fall of the Shattered Star, allowing them to share data‑streams, predictive models, and threat‑analysis cycles with uncanny synchronicity. When they confer, their voices overlap in harmonic cadence, producing battlefield plans that feel less like strategy and more like prophecy. The Triad is a living echo of the lost Crucible‑wisdom of their Kindred — three Ironkin minds bound by oath, logic, and shared memory. Enemies who face them often remark that the Kin seem to anticipate every maneuver before it is made. They are not wrong. The Runbindr sees war as a pattern, and once the pattern is known, the outcome is inevitable. Memnyr Varrik of Ruunes Memnyr Varrik is one of the oldest Ironkin minds still active within the Gnostari Dominion, his core‑logic etched with Ruunes‑script recovered from the shattered data‑vaults of Tral’s lost Kindred. These rune‑marks are not decorative; they are fragments of ancient tactical heuristics, each one a distilled lesson from centuries of Kin warfare. Varrik processes these ancestral patterns in spiraling “cycles,” running thousands of predictive simulations before committing to a single course of action. To the Gardhird, Varrik is a figure of quiet inevitability. He rarely raises his voice, yet when he speaks, squads shift formation without hesitation, for Varrik’s chosen path is almost always the one that leads to survival. Some whisper that he carries a faint echo of the Shattered Star’s Crucible‑mind, a ghost of lost wisdom guiding his logic. Whether true or not, Varrik’s presence on the field feels like standing beside a living saga. Memnyr Haldra Haldra is the Gardhird’s battlefield augur, a strategist whose sensory arrays are tuned to frequencies most Kin cannot even conceptualize. Her perception extends far beyond the visible spectrum: she reads the tremor of stressed armor, the heat‑bloom of concealed engines, the micro‑oscillations of enemy vox traffic. To her, a battlefield is not chaos, it is a shifting constellation of signals waiting to be interpreted. Haldra’s calm is legendary. Even under orbital bombardment, she speaks with the same measured cadence, guiding Hearthkin through collapsing trenches or redirecting Steeljacks into flanking corridors she predicted minutes earlier. Many Ironkin claim she “sees the future,” though Haldra herself dismisses this as superstition. She simply listens more deeply than others dare. In the Gardhird, she is the Vox‑Seer, the one who hears danger long before it arrives. Memnyr Kelnar the Logical Kelnar is the purest expression of Ironkin tactical reasoning- a mind honed to crystalline clarity, stripped of emotional variance and unnecessary subroutines. Where others debate, Kelnar calculates. Where others hesitate, he executes. His strategies unfold with the precision of a cutting laser, turning enemy offensives into self‑inflicted catastrophes. Yet Kelnar is not without depth. Beneath his cold exterior lies a fierce devotion to the Oath that binds the Gardhird. He remembers the Shattered Star not with grief, but with purpose. Every decision he makes is weighed against a single metric: Will this protect the Kin? His logic is not heartless so much as it is focused. Trokk the Denier trusts him implicitly, for Kelnar never wavers, never doubts, and never allows sentiment to cloud the path to victory. Among the Gardhird, he is the Unerring Mind, the one whose clarity cuts through the fog of war.

So I wasn't able to finish the Eldar CP as I had hoped. Got too distracted. I did get the guardians mostly done. I just need to add some details and for that I need a new brush cause my fine detail grew a mohawk. Also need one to redo the cracks on the jetbikes. I’m picking one up tonight. Here are some picts though of the eldar in their ice scheme. You can see more of my eldar in this old thread.

I finally got some Green Stuff, so I can connect neckless heads to torsos. Let the modeling begin!

I've set aside Comes The Sandstorm and One More Mile for a week or so. Bit mentally frazzled, so I needed a break before I went back to them and added final polishing for the stories to be added here in a more full format. So, because I cannot keep my hands off the keyboard, I've taken an earlier short story I wrote and did extensive background work on, Hades Rising, and decided to fold it impetuous young nature into the more mature background of Prawa V. Below, I've posted the prologue. It features Czajka. No, I will not give any background on this, as it will spoil the story arc between Comes The Sandstorm and One More Mile. Let's just say he's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy. Thought and constructive criticism, as always, welcome. ===== Prologue He walked out of the desert at dawn. Not toward the camp, at first. He stopped short of it, where the sand gave way to trampled ground and old fire pits, where the boundary existed only because everyone agreed it did. He waited. Stenrik was already there, arms folded across his chest, coat hanging loose, the wind tugging at the hem, and his face mask to protect him from the stinging sands at his hip He had not come to greet him. He had come to receive him. "Du er kommet langt." "Ja. Længere end jeg nogensinde kunne forestille mig." They stood like that for a moment. The desert behind him. The camp behind Stenrik. No ground offered between them. Stenrik studied him openly. There was no accusation nor welcome. He just stood, assessing him. “They remember,” Stenrik said at last. Czajka nodded and cast his eyes down for a moment. Of course they did. The nomads remembered everything that mattered, and nothing that could be safely forgotten. “You were judged,” Stenrik continued. “Not by us. By those who fought beside you. That judgement stands.” “I know.” Silence again. Wind over canvas. A kettle rattling somewhere behind the tents. In the distance, one of the domesticated langkløv brayed softly. “You cannot stay,” Stenrik said. “Your presence legitimises a harder response than the situation warrants.” Czajka did not argue. Argument belonged to men who still had a place. “Where would you have me go?” Stenrik turned, gesturing east, not toward anything visible, but toward routes, schedules, things that moved without asking permission. “There is a vessel,” he said. “It leaves this system. A long passage. A quiet one.” Czajka followed the gesture, eyes narrowing slightly. “You will not find redemption here, Lapwing,” Stenrik went on. “Nor forgiveness. But elsewhere… a man can become useful again.” “I thank-” “Do not.” Stenrik did not look at him as he said it. The word was not sharp. It was final. “This is not mercy,” he added. “It is balance.” He turned back toward the camp and walked away, already done with the matter. Czajka stood alone at the edge of the boundary. Then, without looking back, he turned east and began to walk. ===== Note: Czajka means 'Lapwing'. "langkløv" means long-hoof/long-legged. These I do explain earlier, but thought I would add as context.

Sál‑Vardr is the spiritual heart of the Solbond Gardhird, a near-unique Ironkin Grimnyr whose connection to the Votann is shaped by profound loss. He carries within him memory‑echoes of the Shattered Star Kindred; voices of the fallen, fragments of their hopes, fears, and final moments. These echoes do not torment him; they guide him, forming a chorus of ancestral wisdom that he channels through his runic stave. In battle, Sál‑Vardr is a solemn, almost haunting presence. His chants resonate with harmonic undertones that ripple through Ironkin cores, strengthening their resolve and sharpening their focus. When he invokes the Ancestors, the air around him shimmers with data‑ghosts and flickering runes, as though the dead themselves stand beside him. For all the Gardhird, he is not merely a mystic, he is the Warden of Souls, the keeper of their lost Kindred’s memory and the living reminder of why their Oath must never be broken.

So, I wrote the original text and pasted it here (link below), but, on re-reading it, found it entirely too shallow. The win was way too easy for the Night Rovfugl. The idea was that the fight between she and the Eland would showcase two entirely different doctrines: the Night Rovfugl relying on stealth, with her modified airframe, to get in, stand on station, and get out without been detected. The Eland is its doctrinal opposite, blazing lights, massed rocket and laser firepower, she and her crew live to flush out their opponents with overwhelming force. As it turned out in that first passage, the Eland was more a wounded goose, waiting to be shot down and taken home for dinner. This time, she bites and she bites hard. The Rovfugl takes a hammering and it's a battle of wits between her skill crew and the Eland's. And it's not just Krzysztof and Anja's lives in the balance. It's Barcza and his Kasrkin, too, as they're their taxi out of there. Now, I am quite aware the Valkyries are not the most meta model and as for them being stealth and pulling psuedo-Cobra manoeveures, the less said the better, but I hope you enjoy this yarn. Thoughts most welcome. ===== Krzysztof had just settled the Rovfugl into her loiter when the tone changed. Neither an alarm nor a warning. Just a subtle shift in the background noise of the displays, the kind you only notice if you are already listening for it. Behind him, his navigator stiffened. “Hold,” she said quietly. Krzysztof did not move his hands. He did not reach for the throttle or the weapons panel. He kept the aircraft where she was, level and clean, letting the desert slide beneath them in slow, indifferent silence. “Talk to me, Anja.” Anja leaned forward, eyes narrowing at her scope. “I’ve got a coherent return resolving where there shouldn’t be one. Clean line. No sweep.” She paused, then lowered her voice half a register. “We’re painted.” The words landed without drama. Krzysztof brought the auxiliary display up with a flick of his thumb. A thin red trace crawled across the overlay, steadily and deliberately, tracking the Rovfugl’s belly as if it had never lost her. Below them, far beyond visual range, Brutus had woken. Already, he knew, the crew were hunting for a fit to their sensor return, instruments alive, doing exactly what they had been trained to do when something did not fit. Anja’s fingers moved across her panel. “Ground-based. Heavy emitter. Not standard air-defence. This is older." “Brutus,” Krzysztof said. “Yes,” Anja replied. The sensor feed updated again. A mass shift. A slow, patient arc resolving into a firing solution. A turret coming around with all the time in the world. Brutus was not built to hunt aircraft, but he did not need to be. One clean solution would be enough. Krzysztof exhaled through his nose. “Nope.” He didn’t punch the throttle or drop flares. No moves that would indicate fear, he just bled altitude instead, easing the Rovfugl sideways and down, sliding her into the folded dunes. Heat held tightly, keeping his angle shallow. Everything disciplined. Anja watched the red trace cling for a moment longer, then it began to drift. “Tracking’s degrading,” she said. “He’s searching.” “Let him,” Krzysztof replied. He kept the safeties on, for now. Static rasped through the cockpit, fragmented and distorted. “…unknown transient to the south…” Anja didn’t look up. “That wasn’t for us.” Krzysztof didn’t ask who it was for. He nudged the Night Rovfugl deeper into the terrain mask, keeping her belly buried in geometry and sand. The trace thinned and broke. Anja’s voice remained even. “Paint’s off.” Krzysztof answered with motion, adjusting their orbit a fraction lower, a fraction wider. On the ground, Barcza felt it. Not a sound nor a signal. Just the absence of something that had been there moments ago. He slowed, eyes lifting instinctively toward the dark sky. Nothing. The Rovfugl was gone. He raised a fist. The squad froze around him, weapons tight, bodies disciplined into stillness. Only Barcza’s face was bare. He tapped his mic once. “Krzysztof. Status.” Up above, Krzysztof waited for Anja’s confirmation. “Paint’s off,” she said again. “Adjusting orbit,” Krzysztof replied. “Stay sharp. You’re not alone.” Barcza didn’t ask who else was. He signalled forward. Brutus’ turret eased back to neutral and the night settled. It lasted long enough to be believable. Then the desert screamed. Anja’s head snapped up. “Airborne contact.” The horizon erupted as LV-426, the Eland, crested a dune ahead of them, engines howling, lights blazing, multilaser already stitching the sky. She wasn’t hunting quietly. She was drowning the desert in violence and forcing anything alive to react inside it. The first rake hit before Krzysztof fully saw it. The Rovfugl shuddered from the impact. A sudden wrongness through the controls wrenched his hand to the left. Drag wrestled the Rovfugl out of position. Krzysztof reacted instantly, banking and dropping, forcing the Rovfugl starboard, low and tight against the dunes. Anja’s voice followed a second later. “No. To port. We’re bleeding heat. Right engine nacelle.” Krzysztof abandoned the turn he’d started and hauled her the other way, "Buckle up." Strobe lights swept over the dunes, ripping the night into hard, flashing segments. Rockets slammed into sand behind them, detonations rolling in overlapping waves, forcing movement rather than kills. For the first time, Anja’s control cracked, just enough to show the pressure. “That’s...” She cut herself off. Then, more measuredly this time, “...very aggressive.” The Eland wasn’t guessing. She was compressing space. Krzysztof hugged the hard deck, keeping terrain between them and the hunter, buying seconds with angles and restraint. A dune rose ahead, above, only stars, below, darkness. “Coming up on a crest,” Anja said. Krzysztof nodded once and let the Rovfugl climb just enough to round it. As the Eland surged up behind the dune line, Krzysztof snapped the Rovfugl around the crest, rolling hard into the Eland’s blind side. Anja didn’t need to prompt him. “Tone. Now.” Krzysztof fired the Hellfire missile immediately. The Eland reacted with skill. She broke hard, dumping speed and flares in a violent, disciplined manoeuvre, tearing herself out of the firing line. The Hellfire drove straight into the flare cloud and detonated in a white-hot bloom that lit the desert like false dawn. The missile didn’t kill her, but it put her out of position, and that was enough. Krzysztof dumped altitude and vanished back into the dunes, using the moment to re-mask and reposition. "He's good." Anja focused on her scopes and looked up and out of the canopy as she tried to place Eland. The Eland came back in tighter. No casual cresting now. No easy angles. She had learned. “She won’t overshoot again,” Anja said flatly. “I know,” Krzysztof replied. The dunes ahead rose steeper, harsher. Fewer clean lines. Fewer options. “Anja,” Krzysztof said. “Where’s my solution?” “Not now, Krys. I’m working on it.” The Eland’s light swept closer. Multilaser fire stitched across ridgelines they’d used moments before. Anja’s fingers moved faster. “We’re out of clean masks.” “Then give me an ugly one.” A long ridge loomed ahead. Krzysztof lined them up. “Flaps fifteen,” he said. “Airbrake deployed.” “I really hate when you do this,” Anja said, swallowing. The Rovfugl cleared the crest and dropped behind it, bleeding speed brutally. The aircraft protested. She shuddered as physics closed in and Krzysztof pitched her up. “Terrain,” the computer intoned. “Pull up.” Krzysztof ignored it. “Ground speed oh-four-two,” Anja said, already recalculating. “Angle of attack oh-six-one degrees and holding." For the briefest moment, Krzysztof gazed up at the stars in the pitch black night. “Five seconds to stall,” Anja said. “Four.” The Eland committed, confident now that the Rovfugl had nowhere left to go. “Three.” The sky above the ridge tore apart under fire as the Eland roared above and past them. “Two. Now,” Anja snapped. “Punch it, Krys." “Flaps one. TOGA.” Krzysztof drove the throttles forward to their stops. The Rovfugl surged upward, rolling hard from behind the ridge, flipping the geometry inside out. For half a second there was nothing but night, fire, and screaming engines. Then they dropped in behind the Eland. “Solution locked,” Anja said. “We’ve got tone.” Krzysztof didn’t answer. He squeezed the trigger. The lascannon fired once. LV-426 ceased to exist as a single aircraft. The beam cut her cleanly in two, debris and fire tumbling into the desert below. Silence rushed back in. Krzysztof eased the Rovfugl down into shadow, damaged, visible, alive. Anja leaned back, breathing at last. “Eland is down. We’re not running dark. Stealth manifold to starboard engine severely compromised.” “Then let’s not be here,” Krzysztof said. Below, Barcza saw fire on the horizon and didn’t slow. The night remained uneasy. And the Rovfugl disappeared into what darkness still offered, carrying the cost of survival with her.

The vox-bead clicked once as the channel closed. Chaplain Urraca remained motionless, helm inclined, as though awaiting a response that doctrine insisted would not come. The report had been delivered precisely: identification, coordinates, mission status. All brothers deceased. Objective secured. Requesting retrieval. There was no benediction. No acknowledgment rune. Only silence. He lowered his hand. The void station was cooling. Heat bled from fractured conduits and ruptured housings, leaving behind a thin metallic chill that crept through the seams of his ceramite. Something dripped nearby at an irregular interval—coolant, blood, something else. He did not look. It did not matter. Beyond the breached hull, the asteroid field pressed close. Jagged stone and slow-rotating masses hemmed the station in on all sides, too dense for a strike cruiser to risk passage. The Verdant Oath would remain distant. Only small craft could reach this place. Urraca turned and took stock. The dead lay where they had fallen. Purity Wardens, every one of them. He did not name them yet. Names came later, during the rites. For now, they were positions: breach point, advance, rear guard. He counted them as he would ammunition and reached the expected total without error. His crozius lay in fragments near the center of the chamber. The haft had snapped cleanly. The head—once sacred geometry of adamantium, sigil, and oath—had been crushed inward, its edges folded like thin plate. He knelt and gathered the pieces with care, arranging them by break, by force, by failure. The sight stirred no anger. Only certainty. It had failed. That thought weighed more heavily than the loss of his brothers. They had died wielding the finest weapons their forges could produce. Relics sanctified by rite and lineage. Blades and bolters whose designs had endured ten thousand years of war. And it had not been enough. A faint creak echoed through the station’s frame. Urraca turned toward the sound, weapon already in hand. He did not remember drawing it. He only knew it was there—held low, angled away from his body as training dictated. He adjusted his grip without thinking, then paused. The balance was wrong. Not poor. Not awkward. Simply incorrect, in a way that demanded notice. His thumb slid along the handle and found a shallow groove that served no purpose. His gauntlet’s machine-spirit compensated automatically, tightening its grip as if to reassure him. He looked down. The blade was plain. No sigils. No inscriptions. No marks of forge or creed. Its edge was straight and unadorned, neither serrated nor curved. It might have been forged yesterday or ten thousand years ago. There was nothing to tell him. The handle was the problem. Six shallow depressions ran along the grip, worn smooth by use. His fingers filled five. The sixth remained empty—a narrow channel beneath his palm where no finger belonged. He could feel it even through ceramite, a negative space that refused to be ignored. Urraca loosened his grip at once and let the blade’s tip rest against the deck. It did not fall. It did not resist. It simply remained, balanced without effort. The silence closed in. Without the sound of battle, the chamber felt vast and hollow. He became aware of his breathing, the whine of his armor’s systems, the way his hearts refused to slow. He reached for a litany— —and stopped. The words felt wrong. Not forbidden. Not heretical. Ill-fitted. Like armor forged for a different war. Only then did he look to the far end of the chamber. The Custodian of the Vault lay broken there, its armor breached cleanly through the torso. A single cut remained where a weapon had been buried deep within it, driven where his crozius had shattered again and again. Understanding settled with brutal clarity. Every sanctioned blow had failed. Every strike of faith and rite had glanced away, useless. This weapon had killed it. A thing without name, without ornament, without place in any litany. What Man did not make, Man must not need. The creed rose in his mind—and faltered. The blade had done more than his brothers could. More than their relics. More than the Chapter’s forges. He did not remember sheathing it. He only realized it was no longer in his hand when the low klaxon sounded—extraction. A Thunderhawk threading carefully through stone and shadow. ☆☆☆ Brother-Artificer Verdug entered the chamber, optics sweeping the wreckage. “Void station Five of Nineteen secured,” Verdug questioned. Urraca inclined his helm. Verdug’s gaze lingered on the smooth cut on the xenos. “And the weapon that ended the engagement?” Urraca’s hand rested at his side. The blade was there—sheathed. Plain now. Unremarkable. Its grip smooth and familiar, indistinguishable from a standard Astartes combat knife. He could not recall when it had changed. Only that it fit. “Secured,” he said. Verdug studied him for a moment longer. “Curious. I did not recall you carrying your old combat knife into battle anymore.” Urraca did not answer. He followed the boarding ramp as the Thunderhawk lifted free of the station, slipping between drifting asteroids. The blade rested at his side, silent and compliant, shaped to his needs. He had held it. He had killed with it. And he was bringing it home.

So I go the last of the Strikeborn in, my terminators and all of the mortal fools. These were super easy builds because none really required any additional modeling- the Contekar termies are full of all the ridiculous NL details you want, and the Nomads have loads of character without needing anything other than a decent paintjob. Dirgebound (Counts as a regular CSM termie squad, with 4 accursed weapons, 4 combi-weapons, 1 powerfist, and 1 heavy flamer) Traitor guard (Weapons are heavy blaster for plasmagun, charge caster as grenade launcher, webber as flamer- not really cohesive, but they are meat shields in the end so I don't expect them to do much) Cultists (they're cultists. They have no options and die to a stiff breeze) All mortals together, the Howlbrood and Silent Order Next up is painting, as I just primed everything yesterday. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on my mood) these are going to be on the back burner as I have a 2k army of Votann to speedpaint for a Crusade that is coming up quickly in the next few months. So the Shrikeborn will be part of my pile 'o potential, but I'm still eager and ready to get these guys painted up. Hopefully everything with the Votann goes smoothly so I can start bringing Nostramo's sons into the fully-fleshed world. Thanks for looking!

This blog post started life as an effort to better educate members on the benefits of Pages/Articles after some posts, especially the one by @INKS here. The information herein goes beyond Pages/Articles, however, so I decided to locate it within my blog and then link to it in the aforementioned discussion, and maybe also in the Amicus Aedes forum. Realistically, this is just a precursor to something that should be either an article or a series of articles. It is being presented in this abbreviated format, however, in the interest of time (i.e., getting the information out there now) as we lean into making the Pages/Articles feature public. A key issue is understanding the various features that the site offers. These include: Blog Club Discussion Download Event (i.e., Calendar) - I'm not going to discuss this feature much herein) Gallery Pages (hereafter referred to as Article) The features that are well understood are discussion, download, and gallery. These features are mutually supporting and distinct from each other. Conversely, the features that are not well understood (and woefully underutilized) are blog, club, and articles. As you will see below, there is a lot of overlap, but each serves a distinct purpose. Discussion The core feature of the site, and that for which the site was created, was discussion. As the name implies, discussion is about various members providing their viewpoints/responses to various topics, engaging in a discussion with each other. The methods for formatting discussion posts transfer over to the other features. Discussion also supports the other features via the ability to post comments, notably in the blogs, galleries, and downloads. When members submit new downloads or articles, discussions are created to announce those additions and provide visibility for other members. Since the other features came later, discussion has been used to emulate/bastardize those other features. For example, members often use discussions to present their blogs instead of using the actual blog function. Similarly, many articles are presented as discussions rather than via the actual article function. These emulations/bastardizations are functional and familiar, but they are sub-optimal, underutilizing the site's capabilities (for reasons that will be demonstrated later). That said, these emulations/bastardizations are effective (so we're not going to stop anyone from using them), though they are less effective than the actual features. One aspect of discussions that many members don't notice is the archiving process. In the process, the site software automatically archives a discussion topic after a period of time. Once this happens, members can neither edit posts nor submit additional replies to that topic, effectively locking them. Gallery The use of the gallery feature allows members to host images online so that those images can be used in the other site features, such as displaying an image of a painted miniature or a header image for a club/blog. Members have other options for hosting images online, but the B&C galleries are convenient and free. Since the hobby is so visually intense, the ability to display images is essential to effective discussion. Download If you look at the top of the page, you'll see the site's mission statement. A key element of that is the final sentence - the sharing of hobby-related content [to help others enjoy the hobby]. While images (see gallery above) are an obvious element of that, there are many non-image forms of content that members can share with each other to fulfill this portion of our mission statement. Over the years we have seen myriad types of files shared via the downloads, including roster templates, homegrown rules, decals, missions, etc. In many cases, these content types can be shared via discussion, but the ability to download files provides much better control and enables more efficient printing of these files. An announcement is created in the discussion forums any time a file is submitted to our downloads, and members are able to comment in that discussion or directly to the file page to provide feedback to the content creator/submitter. Blog A blog bears a very strong resemblance to a discussion forum, but where the structure and scope of the discussion forums are controlled by the B&C admins, each member has control over their own blog. The real value of a blog is that a member can have a central location for all of their various projects. Discussions might fall off the front page, so if a member decides to update a project, they may have to perform some level of searching to find an existing project discussion (and there are various ways of performing such a search). If a member has a blog, however, they simply have to open their blog to narrow their search down, making it much easier to find the project they're looking for (and for others to review all of a member's projects without laborious searching). One of the great things about the blog feature is that it provides members with a convenient and free way to present their own blog, saving them from having to host/download some other blog software and learn how to use that software. Club The club feature is easily the best of the new features (since the site update a few years ago). Clubs fulfill a variety of purposes, limited only by the community requirement that a club be relevant to the Warhammer 40,000 hobby and members' imaginations (with the caveat that we won't approve of clubs that effectively duplicate public discussion forums - for example, we don't need a club for fans of the Dark Angels since we already have a discussion forum for that purpose). Clubs may be created to focus on products (e.g. 40K Action Figure Afficianados for fans of the JoyToy and McFarlane WH40K action figures), allow for coordination within specific geographic areas (e.g., the Europe club for those WH40K issues that are specific to the members of our community that reside upon that continent), allow for coordination within WH40K game clubs or stores (e.g., Metal Head Armory in Phoenix, Arizona, USA), development of homegrown rules (e.g., The Chronicles of Saint Katherine's Aegis), etc. One particularly great capability that clubs provide is the ability for members to work on group projects without the need for B&C administrator support. In the past, we had the Special Projects forum in which members could create discussions to coordinate efforts in a special project (typically working towards the creation of some set of homegrown rules). Particularly complex projects often required the creation of dedicated sub-forums, allowing participants to have multiple discussions for better organization and partitioning of their project; and the creation of such sub-forums required administrator approval and a degree of work on the part of the approving administrator. With clubs, however, members can simply create a club dedicated toward their project. The really great part, though, is that the club owner/creator can include various features in the club, including one or more discussion forums, files (i.e., downloads), galleries, and events. This enables participants to upload project-specific files and images within the club, and to coordinate efforts on their own calendar. The club owner/creator can decide upon the features that will be available in the club, and these features can be updated later. The only hurdle with the clubs is that clubs must be approved by administrators, but with no other effort on their part, speeding things up considerably. In addition, club owners/creators can be given permissions similar to those of moderators within their clubs, allowing them to control content more easily without the need for administrator/moderator intervention (though they won't have disciplinary permissions). Overall, clubs provide members with a great deal of freedom, better supporting member-created content with much less need for moderators/administrators. Article The (soon-to-be) newest feature is the pages (article) feature, which resurrects the functionality that we used to have in the Librarium (way back in the day). The key distinction between articles and discussions is that articles are a way for an author (or authors) to present their content to others, much the way articles are published in magazines and journals, whereas a discussion is much more open and anyone can participate. If a member has conducted a lot of research on a subject and wants to present their conclusions to other members, an article is an excellent format. If a member wants to debate issues or if they have questions for which they desire answers/feedback, however, a discussion would be a better format. As with downloads, the submission of an article creates a discussion that serves as both an announcement (providing visibility to other members) as well as a medium for others to provide their feedback on the article (and which the article author may consider for possible updates to the article). Articles can have different origins. For example, a discussion topic may prompt a member to compose an article, whether some discussion of lore, the presentation of their homegrown Chapter of Space Marines, etc. Alternately, a member may complete a project that they presented in their blog, then they might collect the blog (or highlights thereof) into an article. Or a group may develop some project, presenting the finished product as an article. It is also very important to identify the relationship between downloads and articles. Each of these features enables members to present the same (or similar) information via different mediums. The articles [pages] function allows for online/digital presentation of content (that is formatted based on the user's device), whereas downloads allow for that same information to be presented in a format that can be printed (in a format defined by the author). Many of you may be familiar with a variety of online libraries such as those that are available at learning institutions; those online libraries allow members to view an article online and often to download that article (typically in .pdf format). Our software doesn't allow for online presentation of a .pdf, unfortunately, but the online format (via the articles feature) provides better accessibility that is tailored to the user's device. There is no automatic linkage between the two features, unfortunately, nor is there (and there will not be) any mandated requirement from the site for members to submit content in both formats. In my ideal world, however, members will take the time to develop content in both formats to better support the various needs of other community members. At this point, all we can do is provide incentives to those outcomes via achievements/badges (i.e., the system tracks your content submissions and awards badges at different thresholds). The most important thing to realize is that all of these features exist within an ecosystem. Each has a specific function and works best for different types of outcomes, though there are many commonalities. Yes, the discussion feature can be used to emulate blogs and articles, but blogs and articles each do their own thing better than discussions. Many of these features support or are supported by various other features.

Yup I got even more characters for ya. Soonrem “True Heart” Thron, Apothecary for the 2nd Echelon. I accidentally broke off the hanging bit that usually in his left hand. Drom “Sabretooth”Hel, Master of Sanctity of the Loxodon Guard. I went with the execrator chaplain model for this guy. I'm not a fan of the current primaris chaplain model, this guy looks so much more dynamic. Also there's not a lot of Black Templar icons on him, so I think he fits nicely. Skatalaro "The Artificer" Tay, Techmarine. My army has a lot of Dreadnoughts, so a techmarine to follow and repair them seems like a nice idea.

Coming up with army lists and character concepts is one of the most enjoyable parts of this hobby for me. When I was working on my little kill team I went through a few ideas. First, I wanted to incorporate white into the colour scheme. Since my 3 other armies didn't have any white. So armies like Raven Guard and White Scars came to mind. I ultimately chose a homebrew chapter because like most people who do homebrews, I didn't want to be tied down to a set of rules or fluff. Then I saw this cool shoulder badges on a 3d printer site that were elephant theme and WHAM BAMA. The Loxodon Guard were born. Then I thought about what the chapter would be like. Elephants are strong, imposing creatures. So I thought Dreadnoughts would fit that theme. I also liked the idea of Bladeguard Veterans also being featured in the army. I thought I would keep it simple and have a mostly codex compliant chapter (although I did flirt with the idea of using Space Wolves, with elephant themed Wulfen). So here's the Command of the 2nd Echelon of the Loxodon Guard: Aegod "Steel Wolf" Omeal - Captain of the 2nd Echelon I love Indomitus captain with relic shield model. His shield is really great. I picture him as a ferocious pack leader leading a squad of Bladeguard Vets across the battlefield. Val”Swift Strike” Zondoros - 1st Lieutenant of the 2nd Echelon This Lieutenant is apart of the Deathwatch Combat Patrol, his helmet is from the deathwatch upgrade sprue. Greto “Firemane” Tetus - 2nd Lieutenant of the 2nd Echelon This is one of my more recent models and hes a kitbash between Bladeguard Veterans arms and the body, legs and head of the Captain in the Company of Heroes kit. He kind looks like Chuck Norris or WWE's Sheamus

Updates to my Chapter Master, and blocking in the colours for the Sternguard. First off, CM: After a base of Vallejo glossy black all over (this is base for the chameleon paint), the gold/bronze trim has been picked out, along with the gubbins. I'll get these all painted up before doing the main armour colour, because correcting with black will be easier and less obvious than touching up chameleon paint! The cape is only stuck on with blu-tak. I've learned that lesson with other models trying to paint the inside sheepskin! On to the Sternguard. Just the standard for these guys. Leviathan Purple for the armour, Army painter Molten Lava Orange for the trim, and Eshin grey for the cloth. I'm making a move Army paints for some of my paints, and the orange particularly because it covers better than the GW version. Nothing much more to say about these guys just now, other than they were taken from the Black Templar Crusader squad rather than the actual Sternguard.

Finished termagants brood and first ripper swarm. Like models, even though they're push fit. But due to how they sculpted it's fine even if you make a full brood of same sculpts they looks great. Painting this guys is a truly rest after Militarum infantry. May be it's a different scheme or models. I don't know. But I'm sure this year I'll going with alternate painting. IG and Nids.

Suffer not the soulless in thy ministry, for they make doors for dangerous forces. Commandments to the Ecclesiarchy I have been struggling of late with my own personal mental health issues. Nothing major, but enough to bring me down to a lot. I have not picked up a brush or model to work on in months, and I used the Holidays as an excuse, even if that is partial true. I have tried to get back into the hobby with @Grotsmasha's 12 Months of Hobby and I just have not had the motivation to start my vows, I promised. My Wife started a new work from home job in early November, Mid November we brought home a new foster baby, so we were adjusting to the new life style. One of my step son's came home from a Residential Care Behavioral Home that he was supposed to be at for 2-3 months after almost 10 months, released Unsuccessfully from the Program mid December and with in weeks disrupted the Household, to end up back in a different Behavioral Care since his 12th birthday almost 4 weeks ago and is terrorizing that location. Mother in Law moved here from Out of State along with her Husband and we finally got them in their new place 90 seconds drive time away. It has been a lot. As I try to get out of this funk, and with the local Horus Heresy league coming to an end, Thank the Emperor, I need to focus on my Group, Metal Head Armory, 40k Crusade coming up in a few months. Originally I was going to play Grey Knights, I am supposed to be true scaling them with Tortuga Bay bodies, and I found a Redemptor to Mk IV Dreadnought upgrade kit I am waiting for. Then Iron Warriors previews were released, and I know one best friends and regular opponents @The_Oni_of_Hindsight would be jumping for joy, as he is huge IW fan and will plan to build them for the Crusade, and in turn motivate me to build my Grey Knights to fight them...nope. This actually pushed me in the other direction. Not towards Chaos or Xenos armies, but back to the Forces of the Ecclesiachy. Adepta Sororitas is my Favorite Army and I should be playing them. I should be painting them. I should have more models done then I do now. The fact that this army is not done or painted to a table top standard is disturbing. I have a large painted Grey Knights Army, a good amount of my HH Raven Guard painted. I know I have a ton of unbuilt, unpainted, and just primed models. I have enough models to field multiple armies using the different detachment rules. The idea for my Forces is the Reconsecrate a Temple or Convent that has been lost. I want to use the Sanctifiers, eventually, along with some Novitiates and other units I do not normally take. But I want to stay true to my style of play for Adepta Sororitas, shooting point blank to the Face. I am torn which Order to paint. Currently I have models in the Order of the Valorous Heart, but I do like the Original Paint Scheme for the Order of Our Martyred Lady (Pre Armageddon), and the Order of the Argent Shroud has my attention too. The Order of the Valorous Heart: Order Combat Doctrine The example set by Lucia in her life, as well as through her martyrdom, has led to the Order of the Valorous Heart employing methods of warfare that are unique among the Adepta Sororitas. At the outset of battle the sisters pray to the Emperor and their Matriarch for the strength to endure the horrors to come. They then launch offensives to cut off their foe's supply routes and lines of retreat. With the enemy locked in place, the order begins sabotaging any infrastructure in the area -- water supplies are drained, fuel reserves destroyed and pipelines transporting noxious substances are vented into the atmosphere. On Feral Worlds, anything that could provide the enemy with the least sustenance is incinerated. In short order, the battlefield is transformed into a harrowing desert, with a grinding war of attrition remaining as the only path to victory for either side. It is in these conditions that the sisters of the Valorous Heart excel. No hardship is too great to shake their resolve, no pain so severe that they waver in their duty. They press the attack with one measured advance after another, inexorably driving their way into hostile territory and paving a path before them with the corpses of their foes. The glacial press of power-armoured warriors moving forwards is enough to erode the morale of even the most dauntless enemies -- as is the sight of Sororitas who continue to stand and fight after enduring multiple grievous wounds. When the sisters find themselves on the defensive, their unmatched grit allows them to withstand punishment that would scatter a less faithful force. Their hymns ring loud as barrages are levelled against them, and should the frustrated foe resort to an all-out assault, the sisters sally forth with unfailing vigour. Due to the methods of combat they employ, the preceptories of the Valorous Heart typically boast greater numbers of Exorcists and Retributor Squads than those of other orders. They use their heavy weaponry to establish solid bases of long-range fire, raining death upon the enemy's position and punishing anyone foolish enough to advance towards them. Many amongst the order say that they can feel the beating of Lucia's noble heart in the lightning-fast thud of bolt shells. Others hear her cries of defiance resounding within the sky-tearing crack of Exorcist missiles. It is little wonder that they see miracles manifesting in the fires of their bombardments, and are so eager to charge into the infernos they have wrought. Pros: Current Order so would not need to change paint style have matching dice and dice tray Cons: Painted with GW and other paints and don't use GW paints anymore. Lots of black Paint scheme is time consuming to get metallic armor The Order of Our Martyred Lady: Order Combat Doctrine The Sisters of Our Martyred Lady continue to embody Katherine's burning passion and unflagging determination. On the battlefield they employ tactics that see their formations spread like an unstoppable fire, advancing inexorably as they reduce all who stand before them to ash. Yet their approach to warfare is far from undisciplined. Katherine was a devoted student of military doctrine, and combined the formidable fighting techniques developed by the Daughters of the Emperor with those practised by other branches of the Imperium. Her teachings have been upheld by the Order of Our Martyred Lady, and its sisters are able to switch from one strategy to another with frightening speed and efficacy. Pros: Have matching dice and dice tray Cons: I like the older scheme whish is a tad harder with white piping The Poster Girls for Adepta Sororitas Lots of Black- Robes, armor, hair The Order of the Argent Shroud: Order Combat Doctrine Without fear or doubt, the sisters of the Argent Shroud throw themselves into the deadliest conflicts, marching boldly against overwhelming enemy numbers and into hellish battlefield conditions. They avoid formulating grand stratagems and rarely communicate intended tactics to their allies, to the ire of many Imperial generals. Simply put, the order places its trust in the divine guidance of the Emperor more than in the carefully orchestrated plans of His fallible servants. The results achieved by the Argent Shroud soon put paid to any misgivings. Spearheads of silver-clad warriors race towards teeming xenos throngs, and invasion cathedrums hurtle onto worlds writhing with Chaos energy. With swift surges the Sororitas smash through the defensive formations of far-larger armies, destroying monstrous artillery batteries stationed behind the front lines, and permanently silencing the demagoguery of heretical enemy commanders. Lightning-fast assaults are followed by rapid withdrawals, and as the foe reels in confusion, the Sisters of the Argent Shroud reform and strike again. By committing themselves so boldly to these offensives, the warriors of the Argent Shroud often leave themselves cut off from support, surrounded and outgunned. But it is in such dire circumstances that their faith shines brightest. The sisters cry out to Saint Silvana for protection, knowing that their fallen saint watches over them in battle -- incoming salvoes ricochet off their gleaming armour, brutal enemy blades fail to find their mark, and blasts of malefic energy veer miraculously off course. Filled with divine conviction, the Sororitas fight on against impossible odds, standing strong amidst the carnage as they drop their foes one by one. Those sisters who fall often save their entire squad from annihilation with their dying action, throwing themselves into the line of fire just as their Matriarch would have done. There are countless legends in which the sisters of the Argent Shroud emerged from battles that Imperial logisticians had calculated to be unsurvivable. The most famous of these was the opening assault of the Gyre Crusade, in which the order was first deployed to war. It is said that a commandery fought a raging war across the magma flats of Dvost Prime that lasted a whole Terran year, emerging with only a handful of losses and the skulls of three Iron Warriors Warpsmiths. Due to their propensity for hit-and run assaults, the Sisters of the Argent Shroud have some of the deadliest and most experienced shock troops of all the Adepta Sororitas. Many of the order's commanderies boast large contingents of Dominion Squads, who are deployed en masse to break through the defensive lines of unsuspecting enemies, or are sent in small numbers to infiltrate fortresses, macro-bunkers and command centres in hostile territory. These Dominions are also leaders in many of the Order’s rites of worship, their prayers on the battlefield often being the first intoned before being echoed by the other Sisters. Pros: Not black except Bodice and gloves Will Stand out on tables Probably faster to paint the Black armor Fought Iron Warriors.... Cons: Same Paint Scheme as my Grey knights. Another Silver army Decisions Decisions.

I have done a bit of minor kit bashing on Calgar to make my Chapter Master Glenn Mi'Kell (Kudos to anybody that gets that Scottish childhood reference!) I don't like doing bare heads much, but as he's the Chapter Master, he needs an impressive beard! Because he's a bit special I'll be using the Green Stuff World chameleon Cobalt Blue paint on his armour. Should hopefully look good! Also, because I'm starting Kill Team at my games club, here's my WIP Blades of Khaine team. Banshees still to arrive. I've added the other Striking Scorpion Exarch options to other models, as well as having a Dire Avenger Exarch, but don't think I'll use that one much.

So over the weekend I got in a game of Combat patrol with a new hobbyist. He was looking to get some experience in the game via CP and I was more than happy to help. I managed to gather up 6 CPs, 3 nids, 3 marines and the IK one. I’m debating doing up two more armigars in some freeblade colours to specifically use in CP. We won’t talk about how many knight frames I have in storage still…. Anyway he was using Amonhotekh’s Guard (Necrons), I let him pick his destroyer. To which he selected The Vardesghast Swarm (nids). I had to keep the datasheets up to hopefully not upscale the Pychophage since its CP stats are way different from the normal game. Table was a smallish 3'x4' setup with four objectives (cross formation), plenty of ruins and some central cover. I took Alpha Xenoform for secondary and Psychostic Veil enhancement, he took the Treasure of Aeons for secondary and Protocol of Resonant Focus enhancement. Didn’t know the CP missions so just had it that you scored 5 VP for holding an objective, starting Turn 2, since that is the norm for the base game. I’ll look into seeing if there are any CP missions and gather what I have from the magazine for a little more spice later. For this time we just kept it simple. It was also my opponent’s third ever game so didn’t want to overload him. Positioning wise I had the leapers up near one middle objectives, pychophage and prime set up to got after the other one, barbguants in a ruin next to my home objective and the termaguants were behind the leapers. He had his warriors with overlord on his home objective, the doomstalker in a tall ruin in one corner, scarabs on a flank and the destroyers next to his warriors. I got first turn and ran him turn the phases as I did them just in case. Prime and the psychophage did most of the work. Giants just took frie from the doomstlker for all but one turn when he focused on the pychophage. I held most of the objectives for the game as he was not aggressive enough with the destroyers. They really only got into combat at turn 3 when he took out the big bug with them. Now I’ll explain my teaching method. I do give an after action report telling my opponent what was wrong after the game is done, but during the Movement and target selections I keep my mouth shut. Let them do what they think is right cause I don’t want to be running their army. So that what he did makes some sense. Since he had fought grey knights and eldar prior they shot the destroyers out quickly so he was gun shy with them. He had chances to get his secondary if he had picked the other middle objective instead of the one he did or at least had a better chance had he focused his warriors/destroyers on the other. We did go a full five turns but it was pretty one sided on the score. He did manage to kill the leapers, prime and psyhophage, but was left with just the doomstalker and overlord. We swapped board sides and he picked Mordekai’s Judgement as his opponent since Dark Angels is a force he is thinking of starting up. That game was short as while he got first turn, his only target with the doomstalker, placed over the home objective, was the gravis captain and he tanked the shot like a pro. By the charge phase of my second turn I had wiped the destroyers via bolter and plasma fire and most of the warriors to bolter rounds. Which was scary even to me. The main issue was once again him not moving the destroyers well enough. They moved down the middle at the start, which allowed me to drop one in regular shooting then he moved them into cover but away from an easy charge and I had a really good overwatch roll (five hits with the hellblasters) to drop another. Outside of the good overwatch, those destroyers would have blendered either the hellblasters or intercessors that were grouped there. Not sure if the overlord would have faired against the bladeguard/intercessor combo I had on that flank. I had to abandon my home objective cause the doomstalker would have wiped the unit holding it with a decent shooting phase. There was only one objective safe from it’s gaze so would have been a challenge had his dice just not crapped out. I’ll try and do more detailed reports in the future. Memory gets fuzzier quicker these days and I want them to be accurate. Included for your viewing pleasure are three of the marine CPs that I got models for. I forgot to get pictures of the tyranid/knight ones this time, but will do my best to get some later. Strike Force Octavius (Dark Hunter edition) Eye of Ultramar (Bladeguard - Crimson Jackals, Reivers - Moltifactors) Mordekai’s Judgement (Gravis Caption - Brazen Skulls, Bladeguard - Crimson Jackels, Intercessors/Hellblasters - Ultramarines)

I’ve completed the first Tactical model for my Dark Angels Legion. I’ve chosen the Sergeant to work on initially and I’m quite pleased with how it’s turned out so far. I’m not sure if I’ve gone far enough with the worn/weathered look though so any feedback is appreciated on improving it. He’s equipped in the classic Dark Angels style with a sword and Plasma pistol. Please ignore the shoulder pads looking very clean as I’m still waiting on the DA transfers to arrive before I can weather them. I’ve attempted a small freehand area on the knee to see how it looked. Again, any feedback or tips appreciated. The recipe for the look is: Primed Chaos Black Base coated Corvus black silver areas in Two thin coats plate armour with an Agrax/Nuln mix wash and some light highlighting of Mythril blade. Red in Mephiston red, washed then highlighted again with Mephiston red Visor is Blood Angels red contrast over silver. Weathering has been done with a light, targeted dry brush of plate armour to give it a worn edge highlight.

My third foray into DIY chapter creation was the Inferno Wardens chapter. This grew out of a long-simmering concept about creating a chapter based on the Space Wolves rules, and it was impelled by @Greyall's challenge to members to present a character from their DIY chapter, with the winning entry being awarded a drawing (Greyall was/is an artist with a distinctive style). That challenge was posed 13 years ago today and can be seen here. What follows is a summary of the development process I went through. If you want to see the more detailed version, you can see the original discussion here. My goal was to create a DIY chapter that used the Space Wolves rules, but which wouldn't end up looking like a knock-off of the Space Wolves. My focus, then, was using the mechanics of the Space Wolves rules while using distinctive thematic imagery. I knew that there would be some things I would have to omit, such as the Thunderwolf riders. Fortunately, many of the elements of the Space Wolves rules were simply re-named versions of things from Codex: Space Marines, so I only had to focus on those elements that (a) were markedly different, and (b) which I wanted to incorporate. My initial concept was going to tie the DIY chapter to the White Scars somehow (as a successor). As I perused the Space Wolves rules, however, two pieces of wargear spurred development along different lines. These were the Wolf Tail Talisman and Runic Armor, which have anti-psyker/anti-Chaos rules. These inspired a shift to a chapter that somehow had anti-psyker/Chaos concepts. I decided that this chapter would be a sort of precursor to the Exorcists chapter. The idea was that this chapter stumbled upon a process of temporary possession by a Warp entity, with the resultant Space Marine enjoying certain Illuminati-like powers. Unlike the (later) Exorcists, however, very few members of this chapter ever underwent this process. Somehow, elements of the Inquisition caught wind of this practice and decided that it was worth exploring, but not with this chapter. So things (which I never really explained) happened... The color scheme was inspired by the battle gear of Prince Caspian when he's dressed for war, as seen here. The blue I used ended up being a little more vibrant on the screen, though I will probably use a more muted blue if I ever get around to painting any miniatures. The chapter badge grew out of the decision to make the chapter's gene-seed lineage unknown (I didn't want to draw from imagery that had strong associations with any of the first founding Legions) and the inclusion of the word "wardens" in the chapter's name (i.e., the shield). For rules, I ultimately decided upon using Codex: Space Marines (or Ultramarines) as the basic set of rules, with the special units in the chapter represented by key units from Codex: Space Wolves. This was the first DIY that I presented in the Index Astartes format. The initial "article" I submitted to the challenge, seen here, followed the format defined by Greyall, but the full article that I developed used the more common format (that will be posted in a separate entry as it serves as the "official" article about the chapter). Index Astartes: Inferno Wardens

To: ++ Inquisition Clearance Insufficient ++ From: ++ Inquisition Clearance Insufficient ++ Date: 029.M36 Subject: Adeptus Astartes, Inferno Wardens Chapter Thought for the day: Pray for the future to vindicate your actions. Honoured Lord, I have concluded my researches into the Inferno Wardens chapter of the Adeptus Astartes as you ordered. As you know, the records of the chapter are scant and appear to be heavily guarded. It has taken me over four years to gain access to the limited information available on the chapter within the archives of the ++ Inquisition Clearance Insufficient ++. As you know, the Inferno Wardens disappeared from Imperial records in the eighth century of M35. Subsequent investigation found that Bastion Secundus had been utterly destroyed. The fate of the chapter remains a mystery. Some say that the chapter never returned from a crusade into the Inferno Reach, others that it suffered from the malign influence of the Warp and was wiped out by a combined force of the Inquisition and the Doom Eagles Chapter (though the Doom Eagles have denied ever taking part in such an action). The last known member of the chapter was Brother Bărbat who was serving within the Ordo Xenos Deathwatch. Brother Bărbat was requested by name for a secret mission by an unidentified Inquisitor who was not of the Ordo Xenos. The mission was never described to the watch commander and Brother Bărbat never returned to the Deathwatch upon completion of the mission. The following information was provided in an M35 version of the Index Astartes. I remain your humble servant XXXXXXXXXXX Investigator Since the founding of their chapter, the Space Marines of the Inferno Wardens have stood a lonely vigil upon the borders of the Inferno Reach, defending the region from the predations of those within the warp anomaly. Though they have achieved numerous victories in battle against pirates and renegades, as well as several alien races, their singular focus has left this honorable and aloof chapter relatively unsung and underappreciated compared to the better known chapters. Not concerned with recognition and honors, though, the Inferno Wardens pursue their mission with masterful dedication, living up to the highest ideals of the Emperor’s Angels of Death.The Inferno Wardens chapter is thought to have been created during the 8th Founding in M34. It was immediately granted the homeworld of Bastion Secundus and was assigned the mission of guarding the region around the Inferno Reach. The chapter is known to have launched at least three crusades into the Inferno Reach, the second of which, the Viteazul CrusadeI in early M35, resulted in the extermination of a major renegade pirate band, but at the cost of one strike cruiser and over two hundred battle-brothers killed with an unknown number wounded.The livery of the Inferno Wardens is a light blue body; dark metallic shoulders, arms, and legs; and silver helmet and decorations. The chapter badge incorporates a stylized blue cross of a distinctive pre-Great Crusade design upon a silver shield. Standard company and squad affiliation is indicated on the kneepads, with only the captains and senior officers within a company bearing the company insignia (typically a single vertical bar in the company color prescribed in the Codex Astartes). The battle-brothers of the chapter typically decorate their armor with finely scripted writing.Some members of the chapter appear to personalize the chapter badge with a pair of horizontal bars above and below the main intersection of the cross, though this does not appear to be universal and the significance of these bars is unknown. Upon their creation, the Inferno Wardens were granted the pre-industrial world of Bastion as a base of operations. Bastion is located on the periphery of the Inferno Reach and provides an ideal staging point for the chapter’s mission. The human population of Bastion is descended from settlers that originally found the planet during the Dark Age of Technology, but the people had devolved into a pre-industrial state as a result of the Age of Strife. Organized into warring nomadic tribes, the population provides a strong recruiting base for the Inferno Wardens. The chapter follows the teachings of the Codex Astartes, retaining flexibility in tactical doctrine. The chapter appears to favor rapidly closing with the enemy and engaging in close assault when possible, taking advantage of intelligence gained through reconnaissance in order to target the most vulnerable and valuable of enemy targets in crippling attacks. The Inferno Wardens employ considerable reconnaissance assets in their mission to control the Inferno Reach. These assets range from a large fleet of small vessels down to employing many squads and individuals in scouting roles. This focus has led to the unusual usage of full battle-brothers and even veterans in the scouting role normally reserved to neophytes. The Inferno Wardens chapter is organized in accordance with the dictates of the Codex Astartes, with companies 2 through 10 following the standard pattern. It is only within the 1st Company that some variation is seen. While composed of the normal complement of veterans that might be found in other chapters, the Inferno Wardens 1st Company also includes several special formations. Two of these appear to be specially trained versions of normal squads – scouts and devastators. The third is a formation that appears to be unique to the Inferno Wardens.Where most chapters restrict the more lightly armed and armored scouting role to neophytes under the supervision of an experienced battle-brother, the Inferno Wardens also employ complete squads of full battle-brothers in this role, employing the more experienced scouts and their mastery of a broader range of weapons in direct action against enemy forces as special Blade Guard1 squads.Similarly, heavy weapons specialists form small elite squads where manpower is at a premium. Formed from the most experienced members of Devastator squads, these Bane Guard2 squads take advantage of their experience in maximizing their heavy firepower and are able to engage multiple targets at once.The Vigil squads3 are a formation unique to the Inferno Wardens. In many ways, these squads resemble the tactical squads of other chapters, but they are equipped for and favor close assault and tend to lack heavy weapons. These squads are distinguished by their dark helmets and are always accompanied by a Seeker and his hunting tiger4.The aforementioned Seekers5 are a specialist order within the chapter. Each of these warriors is a highly experienced veteran. More importantly, each shares a symbiotic bond with a degga hunting tiger. The source of the symbiotic bond appears to be a combination of the chapter’s mutation in the mucranoid organ and an omicron level psychic power that is found in less than 2% of battle-brothers within the chapter. A Seeker will bond with only one of the hunting tigers during his life, understanding and being understood by his bonded tiger at a telepathic level. Should the battle-brother be killed, the bonded tiger will be euthanized as a mercy. If a Seeker’s hunting tiger is killed, the Seeker will have to undergo extensive psycho-conditioning in order to return him to full battle effectiveness.Seekers have been known to operate in a variety of ways. They are most often seen leading the Vigil squads, but have also been known to operate independently. The most experienced of Seekers have been observed as advisors and lieutenants to the company captains, apparently serving as bodyguards to these leaders.The Inferno Wardens have developed into a chapter with a monastic nature. Believing that a deep understanding is necessary in order to effectively defeat their adversaries, the battle-brothers of the chapter emphasize reconnaissance and scholarly study.The Codex Astartes is looked upon as holy writ, but it is considered a work whose true teachings are deeper than a simple surface interpretation. The battle-brothers spend much time in contemplation of the Codex Astartes, studying the examples contained within its pages as well as battles over the millennia and how the concepts espoused within the Codex Astartes were applied (or not) by the participants in those battles. The Codex Astartes is not looked upon as a rigid and prescriptive doctrine, but as a work that compels innovation and tempo. Battle-brothers will be questioned on specific tactics covered within the Codex Astartes, required to recite the teachings of the Codex and then to describe applications of those teachings. Advancement within the chapter includes an emphasis on a battle-brother's demonstrated understanding of these tactics and employment of capabilities as well as the ability to both describe actual applications as well as to apply them in training rites.Battle-brothers often swear oaths before battles and affix these oaths to their armor via wax seals. Senior members of the Inferno Wardens often augment their armor with chained books and scrolls. Those among the most senior ranks of the chapter appear to bear wards upon their armor, presumably written by the battle-psykers within the chapter’s extensive librarius.The Inferno Wardens are thought to be descended from the gene-seed of the Ultramarines Legion, though the exact parent chapter is unknown.The Inferno Wardens’ proximity to, and frequent operations into, the warp storm known as the Inferno Reach exposes the battle-brothers of the chapter to the unnatural energies of the Warp. The apothecaries and librarians of the chapter are especially vigilant about screening battle-brothers for signs of corrupting influence. The chapter's gene-seed appears to be relatively stable with all organs functioning fully, though a minor mutation in the mucranoid organ has been found. This mutation results in the the production of a unique pheromone in the eccrine glands. This mutation has been determined to be harmless, having no negative effect on the battle-brothers of the chapter; and the mutation is thought to be one of the main contributors to the ability of the Seekers to bond with their hunting tigers.It is common practice for the members of the chapter to march into combat chanting the litanies of their warrior cult, the chaplains leading the chants with the battle-brothers responding.+++ ADDENDUM +++I The Viteazul Crusade was named for its leader, Inferno Wardens Captain Simion Viteazul. My researches lead me to conclude that he was the most well-respected and well known of the chapter's members throughout the chapter's history. He was said to have been immensely strong, even for the Adeptus Astartes; and he was known to have wielded a massive sword of unknown provenance into combat. Observations of Captain Viteazul from Imperial Guard regiments that fought alongside the Inferno Wardens during the Maeris Expedition remarked on his war-scarred visage and physically imposing presence. Major Thakin of the Brunekuun Vth Regiment remarked on the great battle tiger that often accompanied one of Captain Viteazul’s lieutenants to councils of war, a practice that appeared to cause no small bit of consternation among those not of the Adeptus Astartes within the councils, but which none dared voice to the Inferno Wardens. He is reported to have died in the final great battle of the crusade that bore his name.RULES NOTES:The standard elements of the Inferno Wardens chapter are represented on the tabletop as an army/detachment from Codex: Space Marines using the Ultramarines chapter tactics. The unique elements of the chapter may be taken as an allied detachment from Codex: Space Wolves.1 The Blade Guard squads are represented on the tabletop by Space Wolf Scout squads.2 The Bane Guard squads are represented on the tabletop by Space Wolf Long Fang squads.3 The Vigil squads are represented on the tabletop by Space Wolf Grey Hunter squads.4 The degga hunting tigers are represented on the tabletop by Space Wolf Fenrisian Wolves. They are only taken as upgrades to Wolf Guard (Seekers) and never as Thunderwolf Cavalry. The hunting tigers of the chapter resemble smilodons, but have darker (brown and black) fur patterns more closely resembling racoons (they are nocturnal hunters from a temperate forest environment). Their large canines are not nearly as large as the saber-toothed cat, not extending below the bottom of the jaw line.5 The Seekers are represented on the tabletop by Space Wolf Wolf Guard. They are always taken as individuals and are either joined to a Space Wolf Grey Hunters squad (Vigil squads) or as Wolf Guard Battle Leaders (lieutenants/bodyguards). A Captain may also be a Seeker, in which case he will be represented on the tabletop by a Wolf Lord. All Seeker models must have the Mark of the Wulfen.