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Part I +++The Icon of the Silent Gorgon+++ In the aftermath of the Drop Site Massacre, not every Loyalist survivor was a hero in the making. Amidst the devastation of Isstvan V, a small conclave of Apothecaries from the shattered Legions — Iron Hands, Salamanders, and Raven Guard — found each other among the ruins. Driven mad with grief, rage, and the impossible knowledge of their gene-brothers’ total slaughter, these men refused to accept defeat. United by shared horror and bitter desperation, they hatched a forbidden plan: to resurrect their fallen Legions through cloning, genetic grafting, and any means necessary. They scavenged gene-seed from the corpses of their brothers, captured traitor Astartes for gene-stock, and began crude implantation procedures on abducted human candidates — in underground vaults, on derelict ships, and amid the craters of dead worlds. Their warband, known to terrify survivors and hunt warlords alike, The Echoes of Iskvara, are a shambling, patchwork force of cloned Astartes, half-finished marines, and failed gene-experiments. These are not proper legion succesors — they’re gestalt replicants of what was lost, reflections of the Apothecaries’ hatred made flesh. Fragment 717//A-Null//Iskvara Vault Archives Access Level: Sigillite-Redacted Recovered Source: Sequestered Mechanicum Noos-Loom, Orbit Iskvara-Primaris, Segmentum Obscurus Date: M31.017 Title: On the Emergence of the “Silent Gorgon” Phenomenon within Clade-Null Forces “In the aftermath of the Isstvan Cataclysm, various Loyalist Apothecarion remnants are recorded as having fled to the outlying Halo Stars. There, amid the uncharted moons and void-forgotten colony vaults, records indicate that unsanctioned replication protocols were enacted. It is within these databanks that repeated references to an emblem — a Gorgon’s visage, cracked and weeping — emerged among warbands of what later Imperial lexarchs classified under the designation Blackshields. Designation: The Silent Gorgon. The symbol was reportedly adapted from a relic-faceplate of an Iron Hands Clade-Myrmidon slain during the Drop Site Massacre. Recovered and obsessively preserved by a rogue Salamanders Praetor-Apothecary identified in fragmentary vox-records as Kordael Varn. Usage of the emblem appears linked to neuro-conditioning rituals enacted upon artificially bred Astartes progenoids — possibly a form of mythic mnemonic imprinting, instilling fear of betrayal and reverence for loyalty through the iconography of the petrifying myth-beast. Ritualized application of this sigil to the foreheads and armour-plate of vat-born clones marked them as inheritors of the Istvaan legacy, simultaneously as executioners and mourners. Surveillance reports suggest that during engagements against both Traitor and Loyalist detachments, Astartes bearing the Silent Gorgon often refrained from verbal communication, operating through gestural command and noospheric glyph-transmission only. As of this record, approximately 23 war-engines, 17 clone-squads, and 2 modified Sabre-class tanks identified as carrying the sigil have been sighted along the Alnisyan Expanse and Algethar Drift. Purge authorisation recommended.” — Fragment 717//A-Null//Iskvara Vault Archives +++ INLOAD COMPLETE +++ ++ SIGILLITE CLEARANCE ONLY ++ DATA FRAGMENT 310.AB // ISKVARA DRIFT ORIGIN: UNREGISTERED ASTROPATHIC RELAY DESTINATION: TERRA (RED-LINE PRIORITY) CLEARANCE: EPSILON-PRIME // [REDACTED] "...By the Throne, they're not dead. They're not even men anymore. We made planetfall at 0300 local cycle. Barren rock, like the whole damn Halo fringe. No signs of habitation, save for a single, ancient Mechanicum vault, half-buried in basalt and bone dust. They're here. Clad in grey ceramite so pale it seems to bleed into the mist. No heraldry, no rank marks, no Legion colours. Only that face. [REDACTED] mask of stone. Serpents for hair, empty eyes staring out from helm, from banners, even burned into the sides of their war machines. A Gorgon’s face. Silent. Staring. We tried to hail them. Vox went to static. No reply. They just moved through the fog. Killing anything that bore the marks of Warmaster or Throne alike. They're not Iron Hands, not Salamanders, not even Blackshields in the old sense. They're something else. Gestalt things. You can feel it through the helm. Like they're… connected. A single, broken mind spread across a hundred bodies. This is Apothecary-Commander Vireon of the 73rd Oathbound, final report. The moon Iskvara is lost. Do not attempt retrieval. Do not attempt contact. They remember us. And they are coming home." +++ PURGE CLASSIFICATION RECOMMENDED +++ +++ DISCONNECT DATUM-LINK IMMEDIATELY +++ +++ NOOSPHERIC BURN PROTOCOLS ACTIVE +++ << ENCRYPTED TERMINATION CODE: 02-A/THRONE/NULL >>

I hope it is fine to open this thread; I figured I'd take the initiative since none of the mods have made one. If not, feel free to delete it. So yeah, the Beta Garmon book is slowly arriving in people's mailboxes and I figured we might as well discuss future projects and ideas. What Oaths are people looking at in terms of options? I definitely want to build a force of the Fangs of the Emperor and I'm thinking about going for either Panoply of Old (World Eaters) + The Broken Helix (Aberrants) to represent the rapidly induced and broken creatures Harr would funnel into the siege, or go for either of the two Oaths but with Only in Death does Duty end (feels rather fluffy). Still a bit a bit mad that we cannot take Rites of War; feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. What're people planning on doing? Any fun interactions you noticed?

The term 'Blackshield' came into being to describe the phenomenon that came into being in the early to middle years of the Insurrection. The term, however, was not new and had it roots in the most ancient of martial codes. According to such codes, a warrior might choose to forgo his identity and allegiance, and cover the symbol of his identity on his knightly shield. As such, this action hid both the warrior's identity and his true intentions. Although this practice was not uncommon during the earlier ages of man, were factions warred and tousled, it had no place in the blossoming Imperium of Man where there was unity and the Emperor's Imperial Truth. War and chaos took root, however, in the dying days of the Great Crusade as Icarion Anasem turned on his Emperor - and on his father - and the Icarian Insurrection began. It is not known when the first Blackshields appeared on the battlefields of the Insurrection, although black-clad warriors without any emblem or design on their armour were recorded to be mounting hit-and-run operations on traitorous Harbinger fleets. It was widely noted by traitor fleets that it is likely that a high proportion of the loyalist Blackshields were Iron Bears, enraged at the loss of their genesire. Likewise, it is to be noted that many recorded Blackshields identified appeared to be supporting Icarion, outcasts from various loyalist-pledged legions. Although the Blackshield warbands scattered across the galaxy are completely individual and have little relation with one another, it is noted that most have crudely painted their armour and wargear black to hide their allegiance and identity. In this regard, Blackshield warbands are completely different to the bands of Shattered Legion marines who still loyally retain the sense of identity and belonging to their legion. In the Eastern side of the galaxy, it is recorded that various Traitor battleships have been boarded, and crew executed. Although Insurrectionist generals have sent small search-and-destroy parties to hunt down the Blackshield group, none have returned. It has been proposed by some more audacious scholars that the Blackshield war band is far larger than previously thought, and has been infiltrating weapon cartels and other underground organisations. Others suggest that there is not one, single war band, but multiple groups working is a similar Segmentum of the galaxy. This notion has been dismissed, however, as blurred pict-captures from pillaged ships show marines in chalky black armour covered in warpaints and tattoos, with no signs of Crusade heraldry recognisable. The marines have been identified to be a singular organisation because all recorded marines bore icons and painted designs of angels and cherubim. As such, Traitor and Loyalist personnel alike have taken to calling the war band the Lost Angels. +++MORE FLUFF TO COME+++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ First Character http://image.bolterandchainsword.com//public/style_emoticons/default/HQ.gif HQ Eros and Damocles(??? Points) WSBSSTWIALdSvEros and Damocles4666434102+ Eros was a Terran aspirant to the XII legion - the Wardens of Light, and having passed all tests and trials, he was implanted with additional bodily systems and organs (as well as the gene seed of Gwalchavad, the XII legion's primarch). However, the implantation and transformation process to become a fully-fledged space marine is notoriously fickle, and while his brothers and kin emerged from their hab-pods as demigods, Eros emerged stunted and misshapen. Eros' stature did not change, and his left arm was now a withered stump, ending above the elbow. Worst of all, Eros' face was malformed, and he would never naturally see again. The marines responsible for their legion's recruitment agreed that although Eros could not possibly serve in the field of battle, he could become a chapter serf. So, Eros toiled in the legion's armoury in the service of astartes techmarines after being outfitted with a pair of augmented eyes. Because of the nature of his work, Eros was not present during the devastating Day of Revelation. However, vox casts and rescue flares alerted him of the treason, and so he snuck aboard a tiny vessel and immediately jettisoned from the larger Wardens cruiser. The tiny ship Eros used to flee had very little supplies, and therefore would only last a week, at best, so eventually Eros sent out a flare, fully aware of the potential for a traitor vessel to be alerted to his presence instead. However, a ship identifying itself as the Parable of Hope located Eros' ship and welcomed him aboard. He took refuge in the ship while he spent months designing, building and tinkering on a project he kept hidden from the ship's crew. Months later, crew were astounded to see a wraith-like shadow following Eros, as big (or so some said) as a dreadnought. One day, the ship was assaulted by a small frigate of void corsairs. Despaired, the Hope's crew offered their cargo to the invaders. Ignoring their muted plea, the corsairs boarded the ship and began a systematic slaughter of the ship's crew. When asked if anything could be done to make the corsairs abort their attack, the pirates' leader laughed and claimed that if anyone could beat him in one-to-one combat, his crew would abandon there raid. Shocked, the pirates' leader watched in horror as a metal goliath strode forward to accept his mocking challenge. The metal being picked up the corsair and smashed him against the ship's wall, before tossing him back to the terrified corsairs. Predictably, the corsairs fled, and in gratitude the Hope was pledged to Eros' service. Eros, forgoing his legion, painted his armour black and began his crusade to unite refugees of the Insurrection, assembling a crew of marines who had left their chapter (and were hence labelled Blackshields). UNIT TYPE Eros and Damocles: Infantry (Character).WARGEAR Deliverance Leviathan-Pattern Talons The Steel Hide SPECIAL RULES Independent Character Legiones Astartes Very Bulky Fear Cyclic Tactical Protocols An age-old relic recovered by Eros from a xenos merch-frigate. Identified by Mechanicum techs-seers as a fully-automatic gun restored from a bygone era. Eros has heavily modified the gun to fire rounds laced with tiny, razor-sharp pieces of shrapnel that shred and tear through flesh and armour alike. In the middle of battle, Eros has been know to climb upon Damocles' gigantic shoulders, and use him as a stable firing platform; Deliverance spewing razor-filament bullets while Damocles hacks and smash foes with his huge, custom-built lightening claws. Deliverance WeaponRangeStrengthAPTypeDeliverance36"73Assault 4, Rending, Shred. Wargear - Deliverance Eros fitted Damocles' fingers with huge talons, each one pulsing with electrical energy. Each talon's edge is atom-thick, and thus able to cleave clean through the hardest, most armoured, objects with horrifying ease. Leviathan-Pattern Talons WeaponRangeStrengthAPTypeLeviathan-Pattern Talons-+21Melee, Master-crafted. Wargear - Leviathan-Pattern Talons When Eros toiled under the guidance of XII legion Techmarines, he learnt of technologies and systems that further enhanced the object that they were implanted on. As such, when Eros fled from the Day of Revelation, and began to build Damocles to guard him and compensate for his grievously stunted physical form, he was quick to work technology into the machine that further enhanced his martial performance. The Steel Hide confers to Eros and Damocles a 2+ armour save and a 3++ invulnerable save. Additionally, it contains a teleport homer, nuncio vox, cognise signum and gives Eros and Damocles the Nightvision USR. Wargear - The Steel Hide Although Damocles can claim to have a from of sentience, he is still ultimately a machine, and as thus had to be programmed with various tactical protocols to bolster his tactical flexibility in combat situations. In the beginning of his/her turn, the owning player must choose one Tactical Protocol. The effects of the Protocol last until the owning player's next turn: Anti-armour: All assault attacks made by Eros and Damocles gain Armourbane. Weaponmaster: Eros and Damocles gain +1 WS. Umbra-pattern cloaking protocol: All enemy models firing at Eros and Damocles must do so at -1 BS. Special Rule - Cyclic Tactical Protocols Any feedback, C&C and advice would be appreciated! http://image.bolterandchainsword.com//public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png

Wut? Welp, this arrived today, so I guess it's time I got round to making this thread: You're mad, IHF doesn't do models - what have you done with them? I'll concede the first point, this is dumb even for me. Since B@C's release I'd planned on getting in on the plastic heresy action, and with rumours of vanishing stock, I finally got the push I needed to actually go and buy it. I'm not going to pretend that this is the start of a crazy-fast painting spree that will end in a full army after a couple of months - I'm bad at finishing projects, painting fast or painting large numbers of models at once - plus I love obsessively converting every model & painting totally unnecessary freehand details, none of which is conducive to successfully collecting an army. Instead: baby steps - stupidly ambitious plans, but sub-divided in to teeny, tiny baby steps. What's a 'Brannsar'? Clan Brannsar is my homebrew Clan for the Iron Hands Legion (very WIP Liber Astartes thread: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/316214-clan-brannsar-of-the-xth-legion/ ) - Brannsar is Norwegian for 'burn' because I am absolutely awful at coming up with names for stuff. There's a dark corner of my brain which whispers about plans to expand this into Shattered Legions Sallies, Raven Guard & Imperial Fists, plus Solar Auxilia, Mechanicum, Imperialis Militia, Titan Legio & Knights but that's crazy talk. Show me an army list, I have to see an army list The way I'll be constructing this army is slightly unusual - for me, fluff is everything so how I'll proceed is to plan multiple 'detachments' (each based around a small formation within the Clan) which can be combined to form a functional (albeit likely noncompetitive) army list representing a portion of the Clan's 4th Order. If that's a little tricky, here's an example of a 'detachment': Zone mortalis / siege assault infantry Phalanx: here a Phalanx constitutes a third of a full company, so it might contain: 1x 10 Cataphractii Termies, 2x 10 Breachers, 3x Graviton Rapiers, 1x Contemptor (possibly in addition to enough Anvilus / Kharybdis Assault Claws to carry them all) The first detachment I'll be working on is the titular Seeker-Killer Cohort Ultor - a mechanized anti-infantry division mainly equipped with MkIV plate due to its mobility & enhanced sensor suite, for which B@C will form the core. The end goal for Ultor's organisation is as follows: HQ: Praevian Consul Centurion + 3 Vorax Battle Automata Elites: Techmarine Troops: 10 Tacticals with Rhino 10 Tacticals with Rhino 10 Support marines with Rhino (these will probably double for a heavy support squad too) Fast Attack: 10 Seekers with Rhino Heavy Support: 3 Predator Executioners Land Raider Phobos (MkIIb) Victory is Vengeance Anyhow, back to the baby steps - I'm gonna start off Ultor by first making a ViV Extermination warband based off the formation's constituents, so the first models to be attempted will be: * Praevian Consul * Techmarine * 5 Tacticals * 5 Seekers * 2 Vorax This might change a bit, but expect it to remain within the framework of Ultor's larger organisation as set out above. ...This is an opening post without any actual pictures of models, isn't it? Guilty I've got loads of stuff to set up before I really crack on with this, so I wouldn't hold your breath for any actual painting within the next month (apart from painting all the bare heads in B@C because I want to experiment with skin-tones / circuitry tattoos), but I'll probably be doing a load of converting, so expect plenty of grey. Anyhow, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this new project of mine