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So, as the title states, this will be my third return to the hobby. Original time was back in the early 2000's, I had a Space Wolves army that I had painted a pale green, don't ask 12-year old me why. I quickly moved on to a Black Legion Army that included some Rhino Rush Berserkers, the then-new Defiler, and a metal Daemon Prince (you know the one). This must have been 3e-4.5. This phase culminated with a trip to the Atlanta Games Day where I submitted my old metal Typhus model. At this time, I was pretty into the Space Wolf books and also Storm of Iron. As for models, I was pretty into Codex: Eye of Terror, and especially the Grey Slayer models, but this was when I think high school started to really pick up for me. None of the models from this era survived. Fast forward to about 10 years ago, got back into it and picked up some models again and got back to work, converting some vaguely renegade Marines using the Chaos Warrior gloved arms and axes. Not sure what my plan was, and I fell off the wagon again. I think I first got into the HH books here. Second return- Still got a few of those models, and went back through them when I moved. Got some more, this would have been right around the time of the plastic HH boxes coming out. I started working on some fluff and got a ton of bits and did some assembly, but I was mostly working background via the Iron Gauntlet challenge in the Liber forums. You can find some of that fluff here and here. But with Primaris coming out, I felt pretty overwhelmed and kind of worn out, and for whatever reason, I fell out of it again. Finally, this time, I’m ready to finish the Violent Gods, including an update to the fluff that fixes some typos and situates them firmly in the space of the Dark Imperium now that Guilliman is back. My plan is still to run them as Space Wolves, albeit without some of the Wolfier choices in the Codex. Anyway, here’s some models. Counts as GH. Leadbelcher, Nuln Oil, then Agrax. They all need a highlight, and I think the Marine on the right needs some Nuln Oil. The one in the middle was mostly finished as a test, but I’ve since redone his armor to match the one on his left, built when you could load out GH squads with bg, bp, AND chainswords. Oh well. More GH. Same armor layers applied. GH Plasma Specialists. Champion/WG/Lieutenant on the left (needs more bits!), GH on the right. WGPL, WGPL- possibly for Long Fangs, GHPL. Counts as Long Fangs, including a possible RG defector, perhaps you can guess which one (!). I think two more lascannons ought to fill this squad out. I’ve got some Blood Claws, a few characters, and some Rhino’s hopefully up next. Thoughts about the dirty metal armor? I think it needs a highlight, but not sure which color to use. I was hoping that jumping right to Runefang or Stormhost Silver won’t be too stark. Thanks for looking! Edit: thought my old thread was archived, but it is not, and it is in my signature.

Khorne, Nurlge, Slaanesh, and Tzeentch. You know them well, you know what they represent. They are the four most well known Gods of Chaos, warp entities bent on ruining everything, and corrupting the material galaxy with their daemons. But they surely aren't the only godly entities floating around in the warp. There are other gods that have appeared in Warhammer that could definitely be reconsidered, adapted, and expanded upon in the Grim Darkness of the future: Renegade Chaos Gods. The other chaos gods who hate the main ones. And so this is to give them their time in the limelight for a change, and come up with some new lore for them. So here is my reinterpretation of the three known renegade chaos gods. Malal - The Malicious Laconic Malal is a deity who represents anarchy, paranoia, renegation, hatred, phobia, prejudice, revenge, enmity, infighting, and other forms of malice and ill will. Champions of Khorne fight for the sake of fighting, wheras a champions of Malal will always have a very specific purpose in mind. Malal was once a Chaos God proper, but he would come into conflict with the other Chaos Gods, although whether it was out of their fear against him that they struck, or his fear of them that it was he, he would end up cast from their pantheon. And what did he do? He would form a new pantheon of his own. (Without blackjack and hookers, that's Slaanesh's thing.) And this pantheon was solely made to advertently cause harm to the rest of chaos. Avatars and Daemons Malal most often takes the form of a horrid, reptilian, draconic entity, wreathed in shadow. Around him, color ceases to exist, everything becomes black and white. His daemons often resemble smaller, weaker versions of his avatar, as they share many traits, like horns or scaly skin. I mean, hey, he's the god of malice, not the god of originality. Anyway, his daemons are particularly known for fighting with other daemons, but when no other daemons are around to fight, they'll attack mortals, and if no mortals are around, they'll turn on each other. That's the chiefest flaw in his domain. There's always an enemy, always something to turn against. Mortal Servants Malal is served by many a Chaos Cultist who realizes "Hey, maybe this isn't all it's cracked up to be." worshiping one of the main four, and wants out. And so even at the best of times, a Chaos Warband of Malal is disjointed and has poor internal chemistry, due to these varying origins. But they are all united against the rest of Chaos, so that keeps them mostly in check. At least one Chaos Space chapter, known as The Sons of Malice. This chapter acts almost as a Chaos version of the Grey Knights, in that it fights daemons and other chaotic threats. The colors of Malal are Black and White, with silver or iron metallics. Nehoco - The Dubious Laconic Nehoco is the god of doubt, of disbelief, of hypocrisy, and of the rejection of the supernatural entirely. He arose from much of humanity's blindness to the supernatural, and the growing power of Chaos and their incursions into the material world harms him. He is a paradoxical being through and through, antithetical to himself. Avatars and Daemons Nehoco appears most commonly as an elderly human man, with wrinkled skin, grey hair, and black voids where his eyes should be. His servant daemons are very rare, but when they do manifest, they are often take mundane forms, they might imitate Humans or Eldar, but they are still wholly demonic, merely disguised. He has no distinct color pattern to speak of. Mortal Servants Nehoco despises any mortal who knows of him, much less a mortal who worships him and tries to spread his name in any way. No, he refuses to have any mortal worshippers. All of humanity worships him by not worshiping him, by not worshiping Chaos at all. There are few exceptions to this rule, the only times he ever does call upon cultists or marines is when he feels he must eradicate knowledge of himself or another god located in the material realm, in which case, his color is a very boring grey. Zuvassin - The Malformed Laconic Zuvassin is the god of errors, mistakes, misfortune, failures, deformations and undoings. Zuvassin was an artificial creation, an attempt by Tzeentch to expand the powers of Chaos by generating a new Chaos god from the depths of the warp. But the experiment went wrong on a cosmic level, and inevitably so. Zuvassin is a mistake on every level, and one that suffers constantly as a result of his basic nature. And he wants revenge for that suffering. He works constantly to spread his corrupting influence wherever he can and to unravel everything the gods have planned. Avatars and Daemons Zuvassin's avatar is a misshaped mass, congealed into a barely cohesive form, much less a comprehensible one, which he shrouds under a heavy robe. His daemonic spawn only reflect a fraction of his misshapen corpus, masses of tentacles, teeth, wings and tongues, slimy puddles of primordial ooze, beings bent and malformed. They exude an aura of failure and misfortune around them wherever they go. Mortal Servants Zuvassin's mortal servants, the few who would devote themselves to such a pitiable entity, are cursed with his misfortune. They rarely succeed when attempting to form cults or warbands, they end up collapsing and devolving, becoming inherently flawed or unstable. Most successful servants of Zuvassin are inevitably used as kamikazes against other chaos cults, entering them and spreading his corrupting influence, only a scant few are truly given his blessing, such that they can last long enough to spread his will further, although they tend to look deformed or melty at minimum. His color is a sickly orange, sometimes with tinges of purple. Some Questions Answers, right off the bat: - Why no Hashut or Horned Rat? Species gods to a species not present in 40k, and they were never really renegade either. - Why no Ynnead, Tau'va, Gork, Mork? They are species gods who might work with each other if need be, but not with the main Chaos Gods or Renegades. - Why no C'Tan? They aren't Warp Gods, they are Material Gods, there's a big difference. - Why no Smiling God-Child? What is that kid even the god of? Mischievous glee? Who knows, maybe. - Why no GEoM? He's still kind of alive? And he would never work with these guys, for obvious reasons. Do you have any ideas below? Feel free to contribute however you see fit! (Even if it's telling me that my idea is lame, that's still contribution, lol)

I attended the Renegade Open held in Plymouth, MN on 19 November. I walked through most of the events with friends over about an hour. I saw the 40K Friendly, the Barbicon Front (Horus Heresy) event, and Operation (Bolt Action). Here's some photos and commentary from my visit. Part One: The GW stuff Part Two: The Boards/Hobby stuff Part Three: Swag and conclusion Part Three: Swag and Conclusion After taking some pics, I headed to the vendor room. The vendor room was much smaller than in years past, but it wasn't a total letdown. I bought some can covers to keep my adult beverages nice and cool. I used my birthday as an excuse to take advantage of some deals. For $130 US, I purchased: a shining spears box an autarch box 2 shroud runner boxes 1 rangers box 1 sector imperialis debris box That retails for $333! My little closet store continues to grow. Thank goodness there wasn't anything Drukhari or Harlequin on sale. Conclusion While I can't say I had a great time playing at the Renegade Open, it was nice to pop in, take some pics, see where the hobby is outside my group, and get inspiration from players and organizers. As we head into winter here, I expect to have more time for gaming and building/painting. While I'm not going to be meeting some of the quality at Renegade, I do have some ideas and goals to make this crazy hobby a little more interesting and enjoyable. Thanks for reading!

I attended the Renegade Open held in Plymouth, MN on 19 November. I walked through most of the events with friends over about an hour. I saw the 40K Friendly, the Barbicon Front (Horus Heresy) event, and Operation (Bolt Action). Here's some photos and commentary from my visit. Part One: The GW stuff Part Two: The Boards/Hobby stuff Part Three: Swag and conclusion Part Two: The Boards/Hobby stuff I love the B&C, but I love mini gaming in general. I think there's an opportunity for inspiration and practical advice from the historical scene. This post focuses on that, but there's still 40k boards for those that disagree. Space Hulk (?) Board I don't know if this was for a space hulk event, but since it was in the 40K Friendly room, assume it was regular 40K with some special rules. It's a nice mix of mat and plastic/resin. The paint job really unifies the board, making it look like it's an actual scene and not just some random terrain on a random mat. A Korean War Board Warlord Games was at the Renegade Open, and the author of their Korean War rules was there. He even did this board with a company partner. This really had me flashback to the mid-80s when I got started in historicals, even though I played games set in the middle ages or 19th century. The level of detail and closely placed pieces where what really sold me as a teen. If you look closely, the board is made of MDF pieces. These are cut similar to a puzzle. You can essentially build a modular board with these and easily store them in a very small space via stacking. It is a clever design for people like me without an attic or basement for their hobby. A City Board The Bolt Action event was called Operation :cuss:. While I don't know the details of that narrative event, there were some amazing examples of creativity and dedication that I wish I had the talent, time, and storage space to do. This board went crazy on the detail. The streetlights were actually lit, the craters went into the table, and several buildings had multiple floors that could be removed. Those rooms were also detailed with different paint jobs or wall papers in each room, complete with the burn marks and debris of a warzone. One touch I liked was the street sidewalks were made from foam rubber. This gave them an innate texture, were at the right height from the scale perspective, and were silent when placing stuff on them. Fighting in the Desert This gent definitely themed his army transport display. I'm sure you know the inspiration. The POW Camp Board I'm not sure what is going on in this narrative game, but there's a camera crew, and a military band running around in the game. There were a lot of little details that I wouldn't have expected to see in a Bolt Action game. Misc Cobblestone mats can look good if the terrain pieces are designed for them. MDF buildings look pretty good if they're painted better than what I usually see in 40k events. This one has a lot going on. More to Come Part Three will be posted later.

I attended the Renegade Open held in Plymouth, MN on 19 November. I walked through most of the events with friends over about an hour. I saw the 40K Friendly, the Barbicon Front (Horus Heresy) event, and Operation :cuss: (Bolt Action). Here's some photos and commentary from my visit. Part One: The GW stuff Part Two: The Boards/Hobby stuff Part Three: Swag and conclusion Part One: The GW Stuff The Renegade Open is one of the larger local tournaments for GW events including 40K, Fantasy/Age of Sigmar, and now Horus Heresy. It definitely has a "Minnesota Nice" vibe, and while I don't do competitive events, it is clear that fun is the goal and the organizers do a great job of logistics, fundraising and other sundry things required for a successful 3 day event. Given our host, let's proceed to some photos. While I don't play competitively, I have attended the totally anti-con Waaaghfest a few times. Some of that crew attended the Renegade Open. You can get a sense of their attutide by their board and scenario designs. I am unfamiliar with this scenario's details, but it involves candy and pint glasses. A Nurgle themed board This board reminds me of the original Lost and the Damned book illustrations. Yes, that is a giant ambull offboard. It is difficult to tell, but those "pestilent balls" are covered in flies. I didn't get a close up. :( Leave a request in the comments, and I'll post some pics of boards from Waaaghfest '21 that include chibi berserkers, a candyland board, and MN's own Prince. Some Heresy Pics Several of the boards used for the Heresy event really tried to drive home the scale of that setting. A closeup of that Dark Angels unit to give a sense of building scale. Some shots of another board that reminds me of Rogue Trader aesthetics. In parting, it was cool to see two Thousand Sons players. Both were running resin Magnus. Nice to see that model IRL. The 40K Friendly The tables were packed a bit tight to let me get pictures without potentially interfering with the players. These are far from all the factions or talent levels present. Some Aeldari Scouts Is it too late for me to use this scheme? I've already got the purple helms and brown leathers. Some Custodes I actually am quite drawn to the NMM models. The owner really got a good purple, which is something I struggle with. Some Knights/Armigers Some Necrons This is the first time I've seen that flagship monolith. I'm glad I don't need to transport these models! Some Orks Some Tyranids

The Cerberus Chapter The Edge of Chaos: Origins During the millennia following the Sentinel Founding, the Sons of Unity Chapter had many successful campaigns, repelling numerous Ork, and later Tyranid and Tau incursions on a number of fronts. On several occasions the Chapter performed joint operations with regiments of the Imperial Guard, as well as other Adeptus Astartes Chapters, and always to great effect. On other occasions, when the threat of the Orks or other xenos was too great and no Imperial allies were at hand, the Chapter fought alongside the forces of xenos which shared threatened worlds, even once at the side of the elusive Eldar. Many brothers grew concerned that the Chapter was compromising too much, and risked opening the door to xenos uprisings. It was from the fires of these battles with and against xenos allies, and from the fallen brothers along the way, that the first seeds of schism were sown in the Sons of Unity. One Marine in particular loathed the very notion that his Chapter had defended xenos worlds or interests; death was preferable to accepting xenos aid. After the disastrous and costly battle fought alongside the Eldar, the flame of hatred grew into a consuming and towering inferno. In the peace time of the months that followed, a message appeared in circulation among the worlds of the Systems Alliance, the council of worlds that answers to and supplies the Sons of Unity. The message appeared to be full of the Emperor's fervor. It called for humanity to rise from its squalid seat on scattered worlds and take back the stars as the Emperor had sought to do during the Great Crusade. It went so far as to decry the actions of Chapter Master Androssen and the Sons of Unity, demanding the immediate exterminatus of xenos races within their reach and a covenant between the Systems Alliance and its Chapter to never again accept the aid of the xenos unless to use them as the tools they were meant to be, for the furtherance of Mankinds interests. Needless to say, the message caused uproar throughout the systems, while Androssen and the Sons only watched silently and sternly from their ships above. Attempts to trace the message lead only as far as a dead Astropath on Rho, the Chapter Homeworld. Many were frightened or appalled that anyone would speak out against a Chapter Master with such force, others, a small but often wealthy minority, were inclined to agree. It was not long after that Androssen relinquished command of the Chapter, returning to the Veteran Company. However, the hierarchy leadership on Rho, together with the new Chapter Master Brahm Kahoku dismissed the message as the ravings of one "elusive and overzealous man." Unfortunately, it was more than just a man. Janus Maeleth of the 3rd squad and 5th company had been a non-native recruit to the Chapter, as well as of non-military parentage, a rare trait amongst recruits. Since his induction he had shown nothing less than an Astartes spirit. In private, though, he had a vision of a different Imperium, the undisputed power in the galaxy, an Imperium like the days of the Emperor. As he examined the galaxy's present situation though, the only future he could imagine for it was one ever grimmer and darker. The Sons' involvement with the Eldar prompted him to finally act. If he could only spread his vision to the larger Imperium, perhaps things could change. When his secret manifesto was disregarded by the Chapter Master, Maeleth prepared to take matters into his own hands. It began with a request for the Chapter's attention to a threat in the remote system of Akuze, a request coinciding with the first orders of the 25th founding. Janus, well known throughout his company for his skill at spotting an opportunity, convinced his squad sergeant to volunteer them for the contingent being dispatched to Akuze. To his fellow marines it was a good omen; whenever the squad followed one of Maeleth's plans they had never failed. Unfortunately for them, Janus was looking at a different opportunity. Arriving on Akuze, the five squad contingent found the small Imperial colony in ruin, no survivors and no sign of what had caused the destruction. Or so they had thought. Even as they had entered the system Janus, manning the sensor array, had detected the telltale signs of life still on Akuze, and before they had landed he had discovered a single, massive decomposing xenos corpse near the colony's edge. It appeared to be some sort of giant subterranean serpent. Janus later speculated that this was one of the first vanguard organism strikes by the Tyranids, but he left no evidence to determine the truth. Withholding this deadly secret from his brothers, the detachment scouted the ruins and found only a few broken, mangled corpses. Careful to lead the team away from the serpentine corpse, the marines prepared to leave. When they regrouped, Janus was missing. No sooner was the realization made, then the attack came. No less than seven of the massive burrowing serpents attacked the unit, claiming eight marines in the first seconds alone. The battle, if it could be called that, was over in minutes, leaving forty nine marines strewn on and beneath Akuze's surface. Janus had left his brothers long before the attack had come and returned to their dropship, damaging the ship till it could barely fly. As he commanded the ship alone back to Rho, he carefully sabotaged its systems, erasing essential reports and surveys. He then relayed repeated urgent messages to Imperial authorities in the vicinity, claiming that a vast, unknown xenos fleet was approaching, and passed on censored details of the mission on Akuze. By the time Janus had made it back to Rho to share his report with the Chapter, the Tarot were already being consulted back on Terra. While the Chapter Master was still reviewing Maeleths report for submission to the Chapter Librarium, the orders were returned from the High Lords: Janus Maeleth was to be promoted to lead a training cadre in the formation of a new Chapter meant to stall the xenos invasion. Terra had confirmed an impending threat from the subsectors surrounding Akuze and now meant to rely on Maeleths experience to defend Imperial space. Janus led the training cadre to the subsector of Akuze, where they began to recruit from the young colonial world of Shanxi. There they took the name of Cerberus, bound to guard the Imperium forever with watchful eyes in every direction. After nearly four decades leading and training neophytes, building up its arsenal, and maturing the necessary organs and gene-seed while the Chapter slowly grew, no sign of the fleet that Maeleth claimed destroyed his brothers ever appeared. The Sons of Unity soon withdrew from their successor. Kahoku hadnt trusted Janus ever since his return, and for all those years his report from Akuze remained under scrutiny. The two Chapters had cut ties before the first Cerberus marine donned Power Armor. Imperial authorities showed no concern or suspicion, relying not on the report of one Marine, but on the divination of the Tarot. It had promised a threat would rise from the Akuze subsector, and the Cerberus Chapter was the answer. Home World Assigned Home World: Shanxi Shanxis history in the Imperiums records is a small, tragic footnote. It had been colonized barely more than three centuries prior to the organization of the Cerberus Chapter, and enjoyed notoriety for housing the growing force. Colonists favored the world for having Adeptus Astartes protectors, although no colonist was ever allowed to see or interact with a Cerberus Marine. For several decades after the founding, Shanxi enjoyed unparalleled peace. After that, according to Imperial record, Shanxi was abruptly attacked and almost purged of life by an unknown xenos fleet which retreated only at the appearance of a sizeable Sons of Unity strike fleet. Why the Sons of Unity were in the area remains unknown, but they only opened communication with the colonial refugees upon learning that the Cerberus Chapter appeared to have been destroyed in its youth, leaving only the remains of a single Gladius frigate and a few attack craft destroyed by the xenos scattered in decaying orbit. Refugee accounts reported enormous plumes of flame erupting from the facilities of the fledgling Chapter, and indeed no corpse was found in the planetary fortress or the derelict fleet craft that was not charred beyond recognition. In time, Shanxis population recovered, but their pride never did, and the world has since been largely forgotten. Meanwhile, sector and segmentum authorities were left to wonder if the near loss of Shanxi was the threat Cerberus had been founded to forestalland if the Chapter had simply been doomed to destruction from the start. Second Home World: Akuze In truth Shanxi was only another ploy by Janus. The planets invaders had been enticed into attacking the planet by transmissions from the new Chapter Master. Sacrificing a few of the new marines and neophytes, as well as the frigate, the remaining Cerberus Marines departed Shanxi during the battle, and returned to Akuze. The planet had not been recolonized, but declared a death world. It had barely been habitable before, largely a rocky, mountainous mass with a sandy surface ill-suited for anything but small scale mining. From orbit Maeleth ordered the destruction of the dens of the serpentine creatures that had laid the groundwork for his plan all those years ago. For a little more than a century after, Akuze was the home of Cerberus. Potential recruits were kidnapped from surrounding systems and brought back for testing and induction, though Maeleth stopped the creation of additional marines well before the Chapter reached full codex strength. One final time, the Cerberus Chapter took to the stars, destroying their facilities, purging records and leaving no trace of their stay on Akuze. The Fleet: Despite abandoning any kind of homeworld, the Chapter is not confined to its fleet, which is modest in size. The Chapter maintains fairly rooted local bases wherever its cells operate. Most of the Chapters marines are concentrated in roving fleet detachments with the highest ranking marine overseeing two to three operations, which are largely staffed and run by serfs. Battle Barge: Anadius Strike Cruiser: Western Maw, Crimson Maw, Winter Maw, Fang of Orthus, Charon, Penumbra Apex, Strobilos Key Worlds: Cord-Hislop- Secret Manufactorum/Serf recruitment Eldfell Ashworld- Warp->Population experiment, Imperial Freighter Ter Alan Combat Doctrine The Cerberus Chapter is well and truly divergent from their progenitors. Where the Sons of Unity fight cohesively in sizeable forces and use codex organization, Cerberus troops often fight in thin and independent units, sometimes no larger than a combat squad. The Chapters cell organization has led to Cerberus Marines being accustomed to limited communication. In battle, the spread of squads will often use long ranged attacks to probe enemy weaknesses. Upon finding one, the squads redeploy with those facing stiffer resistance giving ground in order to support the rest of the force in striking the weak point. Often, by the time an enemy realizes that their targets have not retreated, but flanked them, it is too late for a counter. When two or more cells fight together, one commander will preside and give broad orders which squad leaders are free to accomplish as they see fit, making the force as a whole unpredictable. Cerberus strategies revolve around being rapid, and untouchable; altogether elusive, with only the rarest applications of brute force. Because there goals are best served by anonymity, large scale combat actions are rarely undertaken, and never alongside allies outside the Chapter. They do not employ devastator squads or battle tanks and have few transports. Through extensive research they have adopted a unique brand of Dreadnought known as the Atlas, which make use of highly modular chassis to house and conceal data cores. These have greatly aided in protecting Chapter data stores by giving them both mobility and defenses, but also made them the Chapters most important relics. Organization Current Chapter Master: Janus Maeleth- The Chapter Master lives up to the title by which the Chapter serfs identify him: the Illusive Man. Maeleth and Captain Corei disappeared in pursuit of an artifact less than a half a century after the Chapter left Akuze. Now almost six hundred years later, as the Sons of Unity become not only increasingly aware, but also more threatening of the Chapters operations, Maeleth and Corei have returned, claiming to have been enlightened by a sojourn in the warp. The brothers Arterius, who had shared leadership of Cerberus after the demise of the previous Master, insisted only on the tests of genetic purity, after which they relinquished command. Maeleths actions since then have managed to steer the Chapter away from the searchlight of the Sons, but the danger is still there. Masters/Company Captains: Master of Sanctity: Rei Ashe- Brother-Chaplain Ashe most often appears at the head of joint cell operations. He is the first among the Chapters Chaplains to have envisioned the threat posed by their parent Chapter, and has been personally responsible for multiple successful evasions. Forge/Fleet: Saren Arterius- A deadly void strategist, Arterius is sure to be present if elements of Cerberus fleet engage the enemy above atmosphere. In a juxtaposition of doctrine, Arterius will almost always attempt to maximize firepower and outnumber the enemy if possible. The sizeable fleet at the Chapters disposal complements this tactic. Saren led the Chapter for almost a century before Maeleths return. Apothecarion: Astrico Nurinos- Most frequently found working with the research Cell, the Chief Apothecary and his drastic methods are responsible for reviving the first marines from the Sleeping Death. Chief Librarian/Research Cell: Kai Lanius (Chapter Librarians, cerca. 75 Marines) The Research Cell is formed largely by Chapter serfs, who are mostly scientists, or medical personnel plucked from the elite of a number of worlds the Chapter has encountered. They are responsible for the maintenance and guard of stored gene-seed as well as finding ways to implement technology recovered through the efforts of the Artifact Cell. Working in concert with serfs of the Armory Cell, the Librarium pioneered advancements in the free-form power fields used in Sons of Unity digital weapons, leading to the mass distribution of effective power bayonets. Lanius delegates most recording and research duties to his understudies and prefers to oversee the testing of the Cells experiments, usually in combat. Notable Librarians: Paulus Grayson Telon Vasir Armory Cell: Don Pelos-Red (cerca. 250 Marines) When Cerberus deploys in force, it is the Armory Cell and Don Pelos that lead them. Pelos is a savage combatant with a more earnest hatred for xenos than most, including the Chapter Master, and also the first Armory Cell commander to lead the Chapter into battle against loyalist forceswho happened to be the Sons of Unity. The cell is divided into five equal groups led by sub-commanders. Pelos tends to depend on these and the squad leaders to execute appropriate tactics, as the Cell commander is only satisfied at the heart of battle, or personally maintaining the Chapters arsenal. Maeleths Personal Cell: Evarus Corei-White (cerca. 50 Marines) The highest rank a Cerberus marine can attain is to serve in the Chapter Masters personal Cell. These marines may be veterans of a thousand battles, but under Corei they spend most of their time coordinating the operations of other Cells. Corei remains silent as to the details of his time in the warp, and on the battlefield maintains the same icy demeanor. When Maeleths Cell takes to the field, it is an ill omen for the enemy indeed. Infiltration Cell: Fairn Drellius-Black (cerca. 25 Marines, 75-175 Scouts) As part of the second most active Cell, the troops under Fairn Drellius command are spread across many sectors. The missions handed down to them are frequently political espionage and politically motivated assassinations, though they serve just as well on the battlefield. The Infiltration Cell employs most of the Chapters serfs as secret emissaries to dignitaries, planetary governors and any potential allies or benefactors to the cause of The Illusive Man the serfs purport to serve. Maeleth goes to great lengths to put such players into power, and in return the Chapter has a significant flow of resources outside that of official channels and eyes spanning almost an entire Segmentum. Artifact Cell: Desolas Arterius-Yellow (cerca. 200 Marines) Desolas appeared particularly pleased to resume command of the Artifact Cell when the Chapter Master returned. The primary functioning Cerberus Cell, ordained to scour the galaxy for anything and everything that can aid in humanitys advancement, it has never seen more success than the years since Maeleth reappeared. These artifacts usually take the form of xenos tech, and usually must first be acquired from xenos possession. Artifact marines tend to be the most experienced in combat in the Chapter, but also have acquired substantial knowledge both of technologies and cultures. The debriefings following every operation are almost as important as the work itself, and protecting that knowledge is held as a sacred duty. Cell Operations: The Cells operate as independently as possible, with the Armory Cell being the most cooperative. Outside that, Cerberus fanatically guards their knowledge and, as often as possible, their identity from any and all organizations in or outside the Imperium. When private communication is necessary, steganographic messages are sent embedded in otherwise ordinary Imperial broadcasts. The ability to decipher these messages rests solely with marines, as no serf could be trusted to keep quiet if captured. Operation Shingle: Aimed at adapting varied Imperial assets, especially military resources, for Cerberus use. High value objectives are focused on assets and materials previously held exclusive by other Imperial organizations or Astartes Chapters. Op initiated by the capture of a Callidus assassin. Operation Phoenix: Attempts to awake/expand psyker abilities in different subjects. Eldfell turned to ashen Deathworld. Operation Doorway: Imperial citizens in useful positions across multiple sectors disappear, to be replaced by Chapter serfs, providing intel on local governments and cults both helpful and harmful. Essential in the subterfuge of the Blue Sons cult, whose radical beliefs culminated in an attempted mass sacrifice to reincarnate the Emperor from the Warp. Zero loyalist casualties. Indoctrination: The hypnotherapy of Cerberus marines extends beyond conditioning them against the horrors of war, but also subtly altering their attitudes, enhancing their loyalty, and ensuring no conflict of ideals with the Chapters oftentimes questionable methods. It is rumored among Chapter serfs that xenos tech may be used to achieve this end. Beliefs Since Janus original manifesto against the xenos, the Chapters views have evolved into the same. Xenos civilizations are seen as obstructions to humanitys progress, useful only for providing mankind with the resources and technology necessary to advance. The Chapter venerates knowledge only. Through the Chaplains, Janus has taught that the Emperor is no more, that while he was the pinnacle of humankind in his time, he will not return. Humanity must carve its own path in the galaxy, but is ill equipped to do so. The Cerberus Chapter is their strong arm, the one force truly looking out for mans best interests. To this end, life is a resource which sometimes must be sacrificed. To achieve its ends, the Chapter will overthrow an Imperial Governor or assassinate an Inquisitor in a heartbeat if they believe them to be a hindrance to the Chapters strength, believing that strength for Cerberus is strength for humanity. Unlike most imperial organizations, xenos tech is not abhorred but treasured and studied by the Chapter, who believe it is the key to ensuring mankinds dominance in the galaxy. The Chapter has cells researching Mind Impulse Unit applications, teams in every corner of two Segmentums searching for STCs, and machine cults working constantly at reverse engineering useful xenos tech. Much of this technology finds its way onto the battlefield, with frequent use of plasma and power weapons, and every scouts first weapon is the sniper rifle. The most frequent meeting of Cells are the Armory and Artifact contingents, the former often ensuring the security of the latter as lost relics and potentially useful tech is hunted down for the Chapters collection and study. Gene-seed Though still bearing the Sus-an Membrane failure known to the Sons of Unity as the Sleeping Death, the Cerberus Chapter has made far greater strides towards curing the condition. While their progenitors study and seek to cure the Sleeping Death within Imperial sanctioned parameters, the Cerberus Chapter cannot be burdened with such restrictions and much of its research devoted to correcting the Sus-ans forced coma is of questionable nature. Maeleth brought with him startling biotech research when he returned, which jumped the cure process centuries ahead of what Chapter Apothecaries had projected. Only seventy years ago, the first activation of the body of a comatose marine occurred, under the direction of Apothecary Nurinos. It appears, though that much of the mind is still beyond awakening, and the process produces little more than numb and volatile shock troops. The current technology of the Imperium has limited the research significantly. Unperturbed, Nurinos has approved many of these awakened marines for combat duty, and they have proved brutally efficient in the field. Battle-cry Battlecry: Humanity Prevails! Motto: Semper Vigilus Chapter Badge art of http://guardianoftheforce.deviantart.com/ wallpaper.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b257/alienbastard89/Warhammer/PAeECover.png At the same time the lighting systems failed, the firefight escalated, illuminating the corridors with the flashes of autogun and lasgun fire. The dim, stuttering light was punctuated by the brighter flash of plasma blasts and bolt explosions; whoever was returning fire was doing so with superior arms. Electrical fires gave flickering life to the corridors where the fighting had ended, or moved on, illuminating the upturned and grimacing faces of the fallen. The barge shuddered under another exterior barrage, its plates and its men groaning beneath the punishment. The ship was lost. From the black recesses of a ceiling vent a quartet of glowing red optics kindled to life, looking into the corridor below. A lithe form, feminine but otherwise indiscernible in the dark, dropped with trained silence onto the floor. The sounds of the battle were not far off, and as the figure edged cautiously to a corridor crossing, it cocked its head to listen. "Arrrgh!" "Cover fire, someone pick that shield up before we're broken completely," A defender, then, rallying the ship's crew, "If we don't give them enough time, it's all for noth---" Another voice, volume enhanced by a vox amp, cut through the rallying call, "It's over, heretics! Surrender and you may yet be redeemed!" At that, the volume of fire from the defenders appeared to redouble. There were no doubts as to what 'redemption' meant. Still the voice demanded acknowledgment, "Then die as the Emperor's enemies, and we will take them anyway!" Like a shadow, the red eyed figure flitted across the opening, pausing only a moment more to listen, but the two forces had resigned themselves to the fury of combat, and the only thing to hear were incoherent shouts and the grunt of life being extinguished by each true shot. A plasma bolt cleared the melee, traveling the length of the hall and flashing before the figure's face, leaving a scorch mark on the bulkhead as it struck. The flash revealed a full body suit of mostly white, with a few black panels, and the four glowing optics organized one each above and below where the eyes ought to be. The illumination was only momentary, as the plasma flash prompted the figure to turn and sprint into the darkness of the hall. The sounds of weapon fire faded as she ran, making one turn, then another, the sounds of battle replaced by the rasp of air recycling through her breathing unit, perfectly regular, timed with her every move. The barge shuddered again, more violently, and the ship listed slightly. Already at a turn, she compensated, footfalls finding purchase on the wall instead of the floor. She righted herself with the ship and went on without breaking pace. The floor panels shuddered again, but not from an external blow, and she stopped, straining to hear any sign of an approach. A security bulkhead somewhere between her and the fighting had been breached. After a moment, two rasped breaths, she took off again. Turning one more corner, a dim flashing red light ahead told her she had reached her destination. Too late, though. She could hear shouting now, on the otherwise of the wall beside her, and ran faster. "You'll never find her! They're gone, both of them!" And then that same vox-cast voice that made her blood boil, "You reveal too much. I'm close, aren't I?" She heard the thud, a body striking a wall, between her and the room, and then the wall set aglow for a second before exploding into the corridor in her path. She knew it was coming, and training cut off any instinct to scream or gasp. Instead she flung herself through the smoke and fire like a bolt. As if time had slowed, she saw a light blossom in the heart of the smokey opening, and could only hope to be through before the plasma found her in its path. She felt the heat, but no pain came, and she landed safely only meters from the room she'd come all this way to get to. The cruel voice echoed through the smoke, accompanied by hastening, but heavy footsteps, "Ah, and there you are. Almost too easy!" Optics flaring as she glanced over her shoulder, she saw first the boots, then the broad brim of the hat, the seal of the Inquisition breaking the smoke. There was the glow of a plasma pistol from one side, and at the sight of the flickering muzzle of an inferno pistol, she turned her attention back to the escape. In two bounds she passed below the flashing red glow and into the embrace of the shadows within. The Inquisitor pounded after, diving without hesitation into the darkness, only to be greeted by a metallic roar and the terrifyingly close whirring of a massive mechanical limb. A fraction of a second slower and the Inquisitor would have lost his head. As it was his hat disappeared beneath the giant’s swipe and the powered fist punched through the wall as the Inquisitor ducked beneath it and made to level the inferno pistol. Finally this elicited a response from his prey, as with a snarl the female dropped from the shadows above, slashing at his midriff with a glowing orange blade. The Inquisitor was forced to roll back towards the doorway. With speed belying its size, the owner of the powered fist wrenched it from the wall, circling with thunderous footsteps deeper into the room and leaving an electrical fire to spring to light behind it. The Inquisitor slowly rose, staring down the two forms before him in the new, flickering glow. Towering above him was a Dreadnought, one of its arms missing- not damaged, but removed. The ancient shell was white, while the sarcophagus in its center was yellow, along with a single stripe that rose from its center up over the hull, with identifying markings in black, most of which differed from standard Astartes patterns. Silently, the female dropped again from her vantage point above, landing astride the dreadnought, and staring unyieldingly back at the Inquisitor. His pale face was given stark contrasts by the fire light, and his crooked, self-satisfied smile was broken by a neat scar beginning below his chin and crossing the bridge of his nose, over his left brow and into dark hair, currently matted with sweat. At last he spoke, this time foregoing the vox amp. "Both together, eh? The Emperor has truly smiled upon me. Look," he leveled both his weapons at the pair, then slowly lowered them to the deck, "we can help each other. No need for you both to perish here. If you aren't heretics, turn yourselves in, and I can protect you from the repercussions. You must know there is no way to escape, but I can spare you! The secrets that must lie in your minds," his eyes flashed hungrily as he looked at each of them, "I have laid down my weapons. As a token of good faith...why not tell me who sent you?" The female raised her hand towards the Hereticus operative, as though about to strike, but a voice rumbled from the dreadnought, not loud, but firm,"No, Jacqueline." Slowly, her hand lowered. The Inquisitor took this as license to continue, "Yes, very good, just come quietly. We want you ali--" She brandished a spherical object, no doubt explosive, and the Inquisitor's eyes widened. If it were possible, a smile could be heard in the dreadnought's voice. "Now. Do it." ~~~[/intro] So I've decided to try and piece this idea together, detailing the Cerberus Chapter's Operation Shingle . I enjoyed how this first bit came out, for being typed on the phone during the 20 hour drive to Utah. I'd love to get C&C, both on the story and the 'cover' I'm working up, if the artist permits me to use the subject piece I have in mind. Anyway, more to come before too long, I hope. Edit: original cover art image by .

Index Astartes: Iron Gorgons Although they were once a Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes as noble as any other, the desire of the Iron Gorgons to replace weakness with strength led them into dark places from which they could not return. Origins Iron Gorgon of the Kajomn Clan At the time of the Twelfth Founding in the latter days of the Thirty-Fourth Millennium the High Lords of Terra decreed that one of the new Chapters would be drawn from the geneseed of the Iron Hands, a First Founding Chapter and the scions of the primarch Ferrus Manus. Representatives were dispatched to Medusa, the Chapter’s homeworld, to speak with the Great Chapter Council (the Iron Hands are peculiar in that they do not have a Chapter Master, preferring to divide power between multiple individuals). Tainted From Conception? Some Imperial scholars have concluded that the founding process doomed the Gorgons from the start. They argue that including individuals in the initial training core who would have preferred to remain with the Iron Hands bred bitterness against their superiors into the Chapter, resulting in the frosty relationships between the Gorgons and other Imperial bodies. Some even maintain that, although all of the members of the Sorrgol Clan had been tested and proven to be pure following their return from the Eye of Terror, the taint of Chaos lay hidden in the training cadre and over the millennia infected the entire Chapter. At that time the Sorrgol Clan (roughly equivalent in size, if not composition, to a company in a Codex Chapter) had just returned from a crusade into the Eye of Terror and were below half strength. It was decided that half the survivors would remain with the Iron Hands to rebuild and the other half would form the core of the new Chapter. The Council decided to randomly pair each Astartes warrior with another and have them fight a duel. The winner of each duel had the honour of choosing whether to remain an Iron Hand or become part of a new Chapter; the loser was assigned a role by his superiors regardless of his wishes. In this way the strong would go where they could serve to the best of their ability and the weak would learn the harsh lesson of defeat. Such is the way with the scions of Ferrus Manus. In total the training cadre was made up of two dozen members of the Sorrgol Clan and an additional dozen specialists drawn from several other clans of the Iron Hands. The new Great Chapter Council met for the first time to decide upon a name for the new Chapter whilst on route to the planet they had been granted as their homeworld. They decided to honour their Primarch by naming themselves the Iron Gorgons – Ferrus Manus is referred to as the ‘Gorgon’ in some historical accounts. When they arrived at their new homeworld they were mightily impressed by the character and determination of the indigenous tribesmen. This in itself is very uncommon for the descendents of Ferrus Manus, who often look down on any who are not of their own geneseed, holding unaugmented humans in particular contempt. Over the next millennia-and-a-half the Iron Gorgons fought countless battles against every enemy of the Imperium. Their largely autonomous clans spread far and wide over Segmentums Obscurus, Pacificus and Ultima, replying to calls for aid as and when they occurred. Over time they developed a reputation as stubborn siege-breakers, who could keep on pushing when all other Imperial forces had withdrawn and still claim victory. The cost of this was that the Gorgons had a very high casualty rate. Combined with their refusal to even consider excepting recruits from anywhere other than Sarkosh this meant that the Gorgons were very rarely at full strength. The Gorgons also developed a sense of superiority over other members of the Imperium. Imperial Guard regiments who fought alongside the Iron Gorgons suffered from extremely high levels of friendly fire incidents and members of the Gorgons frequently came to blows with allied Space Marines over the slightest real or perceived slight. The Gorgons only had good relations with other descendents of the Iron Hands and the Mechanicum, the latter of which regularly granted tributes of vehicles, power armour and other rarer equipment to the Gorgons far in excess of most Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. The Fall The Iron Gorgons emerged from the dark and chaotic days of the Occlusiad relatively unscathed. As a result of this the entire Chapter was able to respond to the general call to arms at the beginning of the Taninim Crusade to regain territory lost to the Imperium’s enemies. Following a series of stunning victories over the mutant empire of the Dual King the Chapter gathered en masse to strike at the worlds of the Gnorghaan, despite a millennia old decree forbidding any Imperial personnel from straying within ten light years of Gnorghaani territory. The Gnorghaan There is very little mention of the Gnorghaan in Imperium records. Undoubtedly much was destroyed along with many other documents pertaining to the Taninim Crusade, but the shortage of information is still puzzling. Apparently the Gnorghaan were humanoid in appearance, although only around the height of a human child aged seven standard years. They were physically very weak but possessed an innate ability to understand the workings of their heretical technology and could innovate to a degree deemed impossible by members of the Cult Mechanicus. Their armour, laser technology and sonic weapons were far superior to Imperial equivalents. In the Forty-First Millennium the only remaining Gnorghaani technology is in the hands of the Iron Gorgons and the occasional well-equipped Rogue Trader. The initial strikes on the outlying colony worlds of the Gnorghaan were extremely successful. The xenos were unused to such brutal war, having lived at peace with their neighbours for hundreds of years. However they quickly adapted, evacuating outlying settlements to fortified cities and preparing for a lengthy siege. If the Gorgons had developed any feelings of complacency they were swiftly abolished when their forces were met with battalions of heavily armoured tanks armed with multiple laser and sonic weapons easily capable of penetrating power armour. Every victory won by the Gorgons was paid for in Astartes blood. Nevertheless, this was the combat the Gorgons excelled at and they eventually forced the Gnorghaan back to their capital world. By the time the Gorgon fleet arrived in orbit above the world designated as Gnorghaan Alpha the Chapter was barely above half strength. Lesser Chapters would have called for reinforcements or left a blockade fleet in the system whilst they returned to their homeworld to recruit and rearm, but not the Gorgons. They deployed every available warrior and vehicle to the surface of Gnorghaan Alpha to wipe out the xenos once and for all. Several hours after the last Thunderhawk Transporter had landed on the planet the Gorgons lost all contact with their fleet in orbit. At first they dismissed this as atmospherics interfering with the vox signals, or perhaps a Gnorghaani vox-jammer. But as the hours turned into days the Gorgons grew more concerned that something terrible had happened to their fleet. After two weeks with no contact of any kind with their orbiting forces the Gorgons accepted that the fleet had gone and they would have to defeat the Gnorghaans without reinforcement or resupply. By this stage five of the xenos fortified cities had been destroyed, but four more remained and they appeared to be better defended than any previously encountered. The Gorgons had also suffered heavy casualties. Four clans had been completely wiped out and the remainder were all below half strength. The sixth city fell at great cost and by this stage the situation was becoming increasingly desperate. Most of the Gorgons had run out of ammunition and had resorted to slaying their enemies with their bare hands. The remaining vehicles were all badly damaged and also running out of ammunition. At the daily Grand Council Meeting to determine the next stage of the war several of the Techmarines and Iron Fathers of the Chapter ventured the idea of using captured Gnorghaani weaponry against its creators. After all, the code of the Gorgons was that the strong would dominate over the weak. In this case, wasn’t it logical that the strong Gnorghaani technology should triumph over the weak Imperial technology? The Gorgons always strove to purge weakness from their ranks. Why should this not apply to their machines as well as their flesh? After lengthy discussion it was decided to test this principle in the coming assault on the seventh Gnorghaani city. The Deepest Mystery To this day the disappearance of the Iron Gorgons’ fleet is a complete mystery. One theory among Inquisitors who have investigated the Gorgons is that the Gnorghaani possessed some kind of surface-to-space weaponry on their capital planet that they used to destroy the Iron Gorgons fleet, although this raises the question of why they did do so earlier. Another common theory is that one of the many xenos or heretic fleets displaced by the ferocity of the Imperial crusade entered the system and attacked the Gorgons’ fleet whilst it was stuck in low orbit supporting the ground assault. Another theory is that one of the Iron Gorgon librarians, stuck in orbit whilst he recuperated from injuries sustained in a previous battle, suffered a terrible vision of the heresy his brothers were about to commit and somehow persuaded the fleet to abandon them on Gnorghaan Alpha. The only evidence for this theory is a pirate captured by Inquisitorial forces two decades later who claimed to have once been a serf of the Iron Gorgons. The pirate was suffering from a multitude of warp-travel related mental illnesses, and cannot be considered a reliable witness. Although designed for the small and agile hands of the Gnorghaan, the process of adapting it for use by power armoured Space Marines was relatively straight forward for the remaining Techmarines and Iron Fathers. The few vehicles that had been captured intact were more difficult but after stripping away most of the secondary power generators and life support systems it was possible for a single Astartes to operate one without too much trouble. The defenders of the seventh city were taken completely by surprise by the new tactic. The Gnorghaan had obviously never expected their own weapons to be used against them, the armour of their infantry soldiers proving as fallible as Imperial power armour had. Lacking both the superhuman physiologies and grim determination of the Emperor’s finest, the Gnorghaan were completely massacred. The captured vehicles likewise proved very successful, their only failing being a lack of numbers. The Taninim Crusade Lasting from 678.M37 to 714.M37, the ill-fated Taninim Crusade was an attempt by the High Lords of Terra to galvanise the Segmentum Obscurus, reeling from the Occlusiad War, by expanding its borders and removing age-old xenos threats. No less than eleven Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes were dispatched into the Taninim Expanse to cleanse it of xenos and filth. Much of what happened there has been purged from Imperial history, but it is clear that only a few of Chapters returned from the Expanse with their loyalty to the Imperium fully intact. Following such a decisive proof of the superiority of their new strategy, every Gorgon replaced his Imperial-sanctioned weaponry with those of the xenos. As final evidence that their chosen course was correct the last two Gnorghaani cities swiftly capitulated, although again the loss of Astartes life was severe. By this stage only three clans existed in a recognisable state, with two others only made up of half a dozen brothers each. The other five clans had been completely annihilated. Their duty complete, the Gorgons modified a Gnorghaani vox mast to broadcast an extraction request to all Imperial personnel in that area of space. Two months later one of the main crusade fleets, made up of ships from Battlefleet XXX and the YYY and ZZZ Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, broke warp over Gnorghaan Alpha. The Gorgons had expected to be greeted as conquering heroes who had fought a powerful xenos empire single-handedly and triumphed at great cost. Instead they were treated with suspicion for their use of xenos technology and disregard for the decrees of the Mechanicum. Events came to a head when Inquisitor Sophia Vorgrazzi and Magos Hertz called for them to be put on trial for crimes against the Emperor as Omnissiah. Condemned both by their supposed superiors and by one they considered an ally cut the remaining Gorgons to the core. The Grand Council violently resisted arrest by brothers of the ZZZ and then captured a Strike Cruiser, fleeing the system with the last survivors of the Iron Gorgons. Vorgrazzi promptly declared the Chapter renegade and Excommunitus Traitoris. The Forty-First Millennium Following what they saw as their betrayal by the Imperium, the Gorgons became raiders. They roamed the northern edges of the Segmentums Obscurus and Ultima; capturing ships, equipment, raw materials and, most importantly, recruits. Over time the three surviving clans grew large enough to once again operate autonomously, although the Chapter will still gather as one to attack a large target of opportunity. The Gorgons still consider themselves loyal to the Emperor and maintain a deep hatred of Chaos, regularly attacking Chaos Space Marine warbands when they come across them. However, they despise most of the Imperium as too weak and foolish to accept that it is not the source of technology that is important but its usage. They hope that if they can gather enough strength they can launch an attack on the Sol System to prove the superiority of their augmented Gnorghaani weaponry over that of Mars and persuade the Mechanicum to allow true innovation and adaptation of xenos technologies Organisation Like their Iron Hand progenitors, the Iron Gorgons were originally made up of ten autonomous clans. Each recruited from a specific group of Sarkoshi tribes and had their own unique traditions and history. Representatives from each clan made up the Great Chapter Council to coordinate campaigns including more than one clan and to arbitrate in inter-clan disputes. After the Taninim Crusade only three clans were left in a recognisable state and the survivors of the conflict reorganised accordingly. At first the clans did not possess the numbers to operate autonomously as they once had, but as the Gorgons rebuilt and recruited they once again separated to roam the Imperium independently. The Great Clan Council now only meets occasionally (and usually through a psychic intermediary rather than face-to-face) to coordinate large attacks consisting of two or three clans. Originally each of the ten clans consisted of around one hundred battle-brothers, in keeping with the proscribed Chapter size of one thousand line-troops. Since their betrayal the Gorgons no longer saw the need to be bound in such a way. As such there is no longer an upper limit to size a clan may reach, although levels of recruitment and casualties conspire to ensure that a clan will very rarely number more than two hundred, meaning that the Chapter as a whole is made up of approximately six hundred line-troops at any given time. Combat Doctrine The Iron Gorgons always had a reputation for being siege breakers, and that tradition has carried on since the Taninim Crusade. Many of the finest fortresses in the northern Imperium have fallen prey to the implacable might of the Gorgons and their powerful xenos-augmented weaponry. The Techmarines and Iron Fathers of the Gorgons have continued to innovate and reverse engineer alien technology to render the Chapter’s weapons utterly devastating and their armour nigh indestructible. Beliefs The Gorgons believe that for humanity to survive in this cruel universe they must continually strengthen and better themselves. Where flesh is weak, it must be replaced with machinery. When machinery is weak, it must be replaced with stronger machinery. They do not see xenos technology as heretical, they see xenos as heretical. If they can slay a xenos then they have earned the right to use that xenos’ technology in order to improve themselves. The only alternative is stagnation and death. The Gorgons hope that eventually they will be strong and numerous enough to strike deep into the Sol System, overcoming the formidable defences of Terra itself and proving to the High Lords and the Mechanicum that the way of the Gorgons is the only way that will raise mankind out of the dark ages and into the light of progress and true galactic supremacy under the watchful gaze of the Emperor Himself. On Sarkosh there existed a legend brought from ancient Terra itself. This legend was of the Gorgon, a mythical monster that could kill a man with a single glance. Over time this belief spread throughout the Chapter, and many Astartes started to believe that the Gorgon was the pinnacle of the Emperor’s ambition for his Space Marines. When they could slay their enemies just by looking at them, then they would know that they had achieved perfection. It became tradition that when a neophyte became a full Astartes he would have his weak eyes replaced with infallible augmetics. As he progressed through the ranks the augmetics would be upgraded to incorporate lasers to strike at his opponents. However, the Techmarines of the Chapter struggled to produce power generators small and powerful enough to actually kill an opponent. The best they could manage was to cause enough pain to distract an enemy and leave him vulnerable to the fatal blow of a chainsword or combat knife. However, when the Chapter began incorporating Gnorghaani laser technology into their weapons they realised that their quest was at an end. One of the many superior qualities of Gnorghaani laser technology is its compact efficiency. Finally the Gorgons could achieve what they saw as perfection, the replacement of their frail flesh eyes with an augmetic that functioned much better as an optical device and could also kill a man just by looking at him. Their eye lasers are much shorter range than hand-held equivalents, but they ensure that when the Gorgons reach close combat they are almost unbeatable. Homeworld Sarkosh was a planet of craggy mountains and deep, jungle-filled valleys. The native tribes made their living hunting the various creatures that lived on Sarkosh, such as the huge bird-like batrosz that rode the thermals above the mountains and only descended to lay their eggs, and the cunning chameleowolves that could change their skin colour to blend into any surrounding. The tribes also delved into the deep caverns under the mountains to gather valuable gemstones for the tribute barques that landed on the few grassy plains every eight years. Life on Sarkosh was tough and bred strong, determined and uncomplaining young men as recruits for the Gorgons. With Sarkosh now an airless rock, the mountains fused into radioactive glass, the Gorgons are forced to recruit from the Imperial worlds they attack. When the Gorgons win a victory they put all the human opponents they capture to work as slaves aboard their forge-ships. Only the strongest slaves survive more than a few months, and those that do are forced to fight one another in single combat. The victors become the equivalent of Chapter serfs, serving a single Astartes and attending to his every need. Those few that are still young enough for geneseed implantation are given the opportunity to become Astartes themselves. The Gorgons also defend Imperial worlds from the forces of Chaos, whom the Chapter still despises despite its betrayal by the Imperium, or xenos. Normally, however, the Gorgons will only defend worlds it sees as strong and uncorrupted – usually backwards planets of the death world, feral world or feudal world categories. After the enemy is defeated the Gorgons will organise tournaments for the young men of the planet and the victors become neophytes. Geneseed The descendents of Ferrus Manus despise the weakness of flesh and praise the strength of the machine. Some see this as a fundamental flaw of the geneseed, although the Inquisition and the Mechanicus both regard it as pure. The same cannot be said for the geneseed of the Iron Gorgons. Although tithes before the Taninim Crusade are free of mutation, on the rare occasions since then that the Mechanicus has been able to retrieve samples of Gorgon geneseed they have been alarmed by the level of deviancy from what is deemed acceptable in loyalist Chapters. Most Magos who study the geneseed have reached the conclusion that the Gorgons have carried out experimentation on their own lifeblood to ‘improve’ it. Whilst the Mechanicum cannot examine what effect the experimentation has had without carry out live geneseed implantation – something it is unwilling to countenance – the implications for the Imperium cannot be good. Battle-cry Each clan has several unique battle cries linked to its history, but a common battle-cry across the entire Chapter is “Vengeance for Sarkosh!”

Hi all, The reemergence of Codex Grey's Heralds of Light reminded me of this Renegade Chapter created as a community project for the second Legio Imprint: Eye of Terror (both were used in a campaign together) I managed to find the word doc for the IT, so I've submitted it to the Showcase. The discussion thread for it is long gone, so I'll add this one to the bottom once it's been approved.

Index Traitoris: Lions of Alba Pride's Fall Throughout the long history of the Imperium of Man, there have been those who have chosen to stand against their people, their brothers and their Master. Many are corrupted by their own desires for power, knowledge or glory. But perhaps the most dangerous to face are those turned to darkness by misplaced pride and honour. Traitors motivated by selfishness and greed will falter if it will preserve their contemptible lives, but those certain of their own righteousness will fight ever onwards, with all the fury and resolve they showed as loyalists. Among such unabashed renegades stand the Lions of Alba. Origins and Early History: "We put too much stock in our past glories and histories; in the end, they are but ashes in the march of time." The Champion (The Lions' Fall, Act I, Scene IV) The Lions of Alba are a relatively young Chapter, that contradictory records date to both the 23rd and 24th Founding. Successors to the gene-seed of the noble Rogal Dorn, they were first lead by a cadre of veterans from another Imperial Fists successor, the Shields of Dorn. Once the new Chapter had acquired enough war materiel to be largely self-sufficient, it was directed towards the galactic northeast, to the edge of the region known as the Eye of Terror. The young Chapter spearheaded a crusade to reclaim systems lost to chaotic invasion several centuries before. Amidst these conquered worlds they discovered one that, despite being vastly outmatched, had refused to bow down to its oppressors. The people of Alba, possessing no technology more sophisticated than steel blades and stone walls, had courageously fought a guerrilla war of resistance against the forces of Chaos but were finally on the verge of being wiped out. Impressed with the tenacity of the locals, the Marines intervened, destroying a vast force of traitors in open battle. Days later, after conducting the necessary purity checks on the populace, the Chapter declared the world as its own through right of conquest. Alba became the location of the Chapter's Fortress Monastery as well as the primary source of their recruits. As a mark of respect to the great bravery shown by the common people of their new home, the Marines took the name Lions of Alba. Over the following centuries, the world and those of the surrounding systems prospered as never before under the watchful eye of the Chapter. But all such golden ages must end... The Old Master and the Three Captains: "...And 'tis our fast intent. To shake all cares and business from our age; Conferring them on younger strengths, while we, Unburden'd crawl toward our death." Chapter Master Leyr (The Lions' Fall, Act I, Scene I) By the beginning of the 40th Millenium, the Lions of Alba had settled into their role of protecting the outlying Sectors around the northern rim of the Eye of Terror. They had been led for nearly five centuries by Chapter Master Leyr, a venerable warrior of campaigns and victories beyond counting. Respected though he was, Leyr had reached an age of more than nine hundred years and had decided that it was time for another, more vigorous warrior to lead the Lions into battle. On Alba, amongst the feudal Lords that ruled over the populace, succession had ever been a convoluted affair, riddled with politicking, contention and even occasional bloodletting. Many of these traditions had become part of the Chapters' own way. Brother-Captain Cordell of the 2nd Company, a proud but capable soldier, was held by many (including himself) as the natural and obvious choice to succeed Leyr. However, he had spent long years away on campaign, and in his absence Gorinel of the 3rd Company and Rygen of the 4th Company had worked to sour the relationship between Cordell and the elderly Leyr. Convinced by the words of his two subordinates, the ancient Master declared that a Chapter Conclave would be held to ratify his choice of successor. On hearing of this, Cordell returned with all speed to Alba, sure that his time to reign had finally come. When he arrived and discovered his brother Captains' scheming, the conclave was riven by arguments and recriminations. The entire Chapter was divided and Leyr was once again placed at an impasse. Finally, Rygen, who had a reputation as a cunning strategist, stepped forward and declared that he would willingly share the mastery of the Chapter with his brother Gorinel, thereby healing the schism. While Cordell scoffed at the suggestion, Leyr was tired and eager to find any solution to his problem, even one that was less than perfect. He accepted Rygen's proposal, quietly stating that the two Captains would rule jointly when he stepped down. Cordell's reaction was immediate and furious. He decried Leyr's decision as the weakness of an old man and demanded that the Chapter Master name a single successor. Though still bowed by age, Leyr responded angrily, his proud hearts fired by the insult his officer had delivered. Incensed, he ordered in a suddenly thunderous voice that if Cordell would not respect his wishes, the Captain and his men would be punished, banished from Alba to wander the stars for a hundred years. An angry curse died on Cordell's lips, quashed by his master's ire. With his head bowed, Cordell silently left the great hall, followed by his men and by Gorinel and Rygen's satisfied stares. Chapter War: "For the good of us all? If so, I cannot see it." Brother-Captain Cordell. (The Lions' Fall, Act III, Scene II) The 2nd Company left Alba with heavy hearts, each one sure that they would not see their world again for many years. Strangely though, it would be only a matter of weeks before they would look upon Alba's green fields once again. Only seventeen days after the conclusion of the conclave, Gorinel and Rygen, their patience for the vagaries of Leyr's great age worn thin, seized control of the Chapter and forced the venerable leader to announce his formal retirement. While Leyr outwardly accepted his fate, the canny old warrior quietly used his influence among the Chapters support staff to have a message sent to the 2nd Company, in which he apologized for his foolishness in alienating Cordell and revealed the treachery of the other two Captains. Cordell, headstrong as ever, reacted at once and turned his vessel around to return to Alba. Even as the Strike Cruiser of the 2nd Company raced towards home, Leyr's duplicity had been uncovered. Chapter Master Gorinel, enraged at his predecessor's betrayal and the perceived slight against his own honour, reacted rashly. He stormed to Leyr's quarters, drawing his sidearm. With a single bolt shell, Gorinel angrily executed the Marine who had once been his mentor. As his rage slowly subsided, Gorinel realized that his impulsive action had killed all hope of a reconciliation between himself and Cordell just as surely as it had killed Leyr. On hearing of his brother's actions, Master Rygen immediately insisted that the Chapter be mobilized for battle, ready to face down the returning 2nd Company. As Cordell's Strike Cruiser arrived in orbit above Alba, the rest of the Lions' Fleet moved to encircle the lone vessel. Cordell stubbornly insisted that he be allowed to speak to Leyr, and Gorinel and Rygen flatly refused. Prideful words and heated recriminations were exchanged, followed by challenges and insults. Who among the gathered Astartes fired first is unknown, but the results were inevitable. For a matter of minutes the skies of Alba were lit as if by a second sun as the Chapter turned upon itself. Though Cordell ranked among the greatest leaders the Chapter had ever known, his fate would surely have been sealed were it not for the commanders of several of the Lions smaller escort vessels. Horrified by the murder of Leyr, they rebelliously opened a hole in the blockade around Alba and aided Cordell as he fled from the ambush. Together, they fought their way to the edge of the system and escaped into the warp. Gorinel and Rygen immediately launched a pursuit, declaring Cordell and all his followers to be renegades that had to be hunted down. What followed was a series of running battles that burned across several systems, as the two Masters led their forces against Cordell's. The war between brothers raged for several months but eventually played itself out to its only possible conclusion. On Dardelio IV, Cordell and his outnumbered and poorly equipped forces were cornered and killed, butchered to the last man. Lions of Alba Chapter Heraldry. The Imperium: "We have seen the worst of our time: machinations, hollowness, treachery - all ruinous disorders. They follow us disquietly to our graves." Lord-Commander Glawster (The Lions Fall, Act I, Scene II) However, the ponderous weight of the Imperium had already begun to move. Imperial authorities were alarmed by the reports of what had happened at Alba and by the violence spreading across the sub-sector. Lord-Commander Glawster of the Imperial Navy, an old friend of Leyr, had mobilized a task force to investigate further. Even as the first salvoes were fired above Dardelio IVs atmosphere, Glawster's ships were quickly closing in. While Gorinel stolidly ignored the long range hails from the Imperial Navy as an unwanted and unwarranted intrusion into Chapter affairs, Cordell sent a last, desperate message revealing what he saw as his brothers' treachery to their Master, their Chapter and the Imperium. Though Gorinel was able to enjoy the momentary satisfaction of seeing his former rival's broken corpse brought before him, his ignorant and proud refusal to respond to Glawster would bring ruin to his Chapter. With no reason to believe otherwise, the Lord-Commander accepted Cordell's message as genuine; and as the ships of his Fleet entered the Dardelio system, it was with shields up and weapons armed. Even as Gorinel and his forces boarded their vessels, the Astartes ships came under crippling long range fire from the Navy Fleet. Gorinel's response to this new treachery was to fight back, but Rygen insisted that the Lions, weakened by their war against their former brothers, must retreat. After a moment when it seemed that even more of the Chapter's blood must be spilt, Gorinel acquiesced to his brother's demands and the Lions limped away, hiding themselves in a nearby nebula. Though Glawster's ships could not prevent the Lions' escape, the Lord-Commander did not rest. Messages were sent across the breadth of the Sector, appealing for help to hunt the traitors down. Days later, after completing temporary repairs to their vessels, the Lions quietly made their way back towards Alba. What they found there was terrible to behold. Their home, once a beautiful jewel in the blackness of space, had been reduced to nothing more than a lifeless rock. The interrogation of the crew of a Navy escort captured while patrolling the system revealed the truth. Imperial forces, including three Companies of the Heralds of Light Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, had responded to Glawster's warning, falling on the Lions' world, killing the few, impenitent defenders and plundering their Fortress Monastery. Before their ships had left orbit, the Heralds had delivered the final blow, a pair of cyclonic torpedoes that had reduced all living things on Alba's surface to ash. Broken-hearted, the Chapter lamented the loss of its home, but there proved to be little time for grief. The fleet's long range augurs picked up no less than four separate groups of Imperial ships, each approaching at high speed from every direction. Gorinel and Rygen argued again as to whether they should fight or flee, but once more Rygen's tactical acumen prevailed. Even impetuous Gorinel was forced to see that there was no chance of victory or revenge here. With a voice filled with bitter hatred of all those that had betrayed and turned against him, he cursed the vile Imperium and swore that to the very last breath of their very last warrior, the Lions would bring bloody vengeance and damnation upon it for its treachery. With a final howl of grief and denied rage, he turned the Chapter fleet to the only heading left open to it - deep into the vast chaotic realm known as the Eye of Terror. The Lions' Fall: Written by the dramatheurge Myrlow and based on eyewitness accounts of scribes and soldiers attached to Lord Glawster's task force, the play entitled 'The Lions' Fall' remains surprisingly popular among the worlds surrounding the Alba system, and is still performed regularly in festivals or feasts. Despite its controversial subject matter, it has escaped censure by local Administratum officials and the Ecclestriarchy due to its focus on the heroism of Captain Cordell and his doomed Company rather than on the fall of his Chapter. When the Lions of Alba first tried to reclaim their planet, their forces made a point of first visiting Myrlow's home world of Sachsen, and systematically exterminated all of the dramatheurge's descendants and relatives for the slander done on their Chapter's honour. Beliefs: "Wretched betrayer! Are you bored as you sit upon your golden throne... That you have us crushed like ants? Do you take joy in watching your sons weep?" Brother-Captain Gorinel (The Lion's Fall, Act IV, Scene III) More than five hundred years have passed since Alba was cleansed and the Lions were declared renegade, yet in some ways the Chapter has changed very little. The Lions are still characterised by the qualities one would expect of Astartes born of the genetic lineage of Rogal Dorn; driven by their uncompromising sense of pride and honour, grounded by their stubborn determination to endure and persevere. Sadly, such fine qualities have been twisted against the Lions' former masters by the cruel hand of fate. The Lions believe themselves utterly betrayed, turned against without reason by those who should have been their staunchest allies, and they hate the Imperium and the Emperor with all the fire and fury that their heritage gives them. This all consuming hate influences the thoughts and motivations of every member of the Lions, each now willing to commit all manner of heinous actions that they would once have considered unthinkable, if it would bring their goal of vengeance even one step closer. Although the Chapter as a whole still fervently believes in Master Gorinel's oath of retribution against the Imperium, there is a growing undercurrent of bitter realization among many Marines that such a goal will never be attained. They know that the Chapter is already lost and that all its actions since the destruction of Alba are nothing more than the death throes of some wild beast. With every battle, they see more brethren lost, yet the Imperium of Man continues on unhindered. Such hopeless warriors, often led by Master Rygen, fight on because that is all that is left to them. They are utterly professional, cold where their brothers are zealous, determined that when their death comes, as it inevitably must, they will have taken the highest possible toll of blood among the betrayers of the Imperium. The Chapter still clings to many of its traditions and various special days are remembered; of particular note is the Day of the Betrayal, commemorating their 'exile' from Alba, and it is on this day all battle-brothers retake their oath to bring vengeance on the Imperium. The Chapter has, as of recent history, tried twice to invade and 'reclaim' the now barren Alba system, but has thus far been repulsed. Organization and Tactics: "What you have charged me with, that have I done; And more, much more." Brother-Captain Rygen (The Lions' Fall, Act V, Scene III) Now based on a handful of ships and escort vessels that are all that remain of the Chapters' once mighty fleet, the Lions survive by raiding against Imperial systems around the borders of the Eye of Terror. While their sense of honour prevents them from engaging in the wanton pillage and slaughter of civilians so common among renegade Astartes, they will attack Imperial worlds for supplies, war material and potential converts to their cause. Such assaults are never hidden with subterfuge, but are committed openly for all to see the rightful stand taken by the defiant Lions. Although the Chapter are considered traitors by the Imperium at large, they have not succumbed to the warband structure favoured by most renegades and still cling tenaciously to an ad-hoc Codex structure, adapted for their much-reduced numbers. The Lions maintain several Battle Companies and although these formations are typically far smaller than in a loyalist Chapter, each still has a comparable proportion of Tactical, Assault and Devastator units. As the Chapter has lost most of its vehicles in the years since it was pursued from the Alba system, it has become necessary to use non-mechanized stratagems to accomplish its goals. The reduction of the battle brethrens' numbers has also forced the Chapter to allow its Sergeants a greater level of autonomy, and missions often have to be executed on a squad by squad basis. In battle, the Lions are zealous warriors, full of bitter pride and determination. Marines of the Chapter will never voluntarily fall back, fighting stubbornly onwards even against overwhelming odds. While this has occasionally snatched victory from defeat, all too often the Chapter has suffered for its beliefs. The Lions lack the resources needed to properly maintain their assaults and their refusal to cut and run has many times resulted in losses that they can ill afford. In recent years, as their own fatalities have mounted, the Lions have taken the controversial step of making temporary alliances with other warbands. While for the most part these have taken the form of pacts of non-aggression or trade of materials, the Chapter's marines have on a handful of occasions actually fought beside their renegade brethren. Any agreement with such vile and contemptible traitors is viewed by the Lions as distasteful in the extreme; but these pacts are nevertheless countenanced for the simple reason of the opportunities they bring to strike out at the far greater and more reprehensible enemy, the hated Imperium of Man. Gene-Seed: "It is the Emperor who weeps; he cannot save us from ourselves." The Champion (The Lion's Fall, Act IV, Scene III) The Lions of Alba trace their genetic lineage to the Primarch Rogal Dorn and before their fall, their Apothecaries had a reputation for fastidious precision in the care of the Chapter's precious gene-seed. Such exacting standards appear to have been continued even since the loss of Alba, as more than five centuries later the Lions seem largely untroubled by the countless deviancies that plague those Astartes who turn from the Emperor's light. This is not to say that the Lions are unaffected by the warping properties of the chaotic region that they have been forced to call home. Some few battle brethren have been cursed by the blighted hand of mutation. Such changes - be they scaled skin, weeping sores or even in a handful of extreme cases additional eyes or mouths - are viewed with utter disgust and as a sign of deep shame to any warrior unfortunate enough to be so disfigured. While those Lions who have been affected endure their shame with stoic dignity, they will at the same time attempt to limit and conceal their corruption by sealing themselves within their power armour, thereby attempting to protect their brethren from its insidious spread. Whether such efforts will prove successful is a question that can be answered only with the passing of time. Battle Cry: "For Alba! For vengeance!" The agonizing fire in Brother Boras secondary heart had increased to an inferno, and he painfully gulped air into his shattered lungs. The last blow must have cracked the Black carapace within his chest and driven shards of it into the flesh beneath. Given enough time, Boras could recover from even such grievous wounds, but time he did not have. Even as the Herald of Light rose to a painful crouch, his opponent stepped through the gaping hole in the thick plascrete wall that had been created moments before by Boras heavy form being hurled through the air. The renegade was clad in powered armour quartered in yellow and white and carried a long, heavy blade. Though both sword and armour had seen better days, the quality of their manufacture was clearly evident. A name was written across one shoulder, half obscured by dirt and battle damage, but Boras could make out that it ended GEN. The traitor spoke softly, continuing an argument that had raged even as had their combat. "Brother, will you not see it? He has betrayed you, just as surely as He did me." Boras snarled under his helmet, but could not reply for his voxcaster had been damaged. Angrily he tore the malfunctioning armour from his head and spat scornfully on the floor before his foe. While no acid bubbled in the liquid, thick blood reddened it. "You are the betrayer, heretic! You turned from the light, and so He turned his back on you!" The renegade paused, lowering his blade, and casually reached up to remove his own helm, hanging it carefully on his belt. Beneath it, Boras was surprised to see, not a warp-corrupted horror, but rather the face of an Astartes little different in aspect from any of his own brethren. The traitor's face was stern and proud, yet was marred by an air of weary bitterness. A faint smile crossed his lips at Boras' words. "Indeed. Then tell me, brother, how does that explain your current predicament?" Boras growled angrily at the insult and with the last of his strength, he hurled himself suddenly forwards, combat blade outstretched. Almost effortlessly, the renegade stepped aside and lashed out with a booted foot, sending Boras tumbling excruciatingly back to the floor. He lay still, unable to move. "I have no time left for this, brother," said the traitor coldly, raising his long sword. "Will you not renounce Him? There can be no doubt that He has betrayed you." Boras replied, his voice a pained whisper. "The Emperor protects." The renegade stood above him, reversing his blade and raising it for the killing strike. The last thing Boras would ever hear was his quiet reply, given in a voice oddly tinged with a mixture of hate, sorrow and hopelessness. "No, he does not."

I figure it's high time I stop my lurking activities and finally start posting something as well. After a long absence from 40k and GW games in general I've lately been getting back in and finally got started on a new force, Alpha Legion. I've played tons of Fantasy and 40k in the late 90s and early 00s as a youth as well as the odd dabble in other GW games like Epic and Blood Bowl. I had massive Guard army as well as Death Guard in 40k and various Chaos and Undead armies in Fantasy, but when I got absolutely fed up with the tournament scene and my casual gaming buddies started to stop playing I ended quitting gaming as well. Plus booze and girls somehow started to be far more interesting during high school. Sadly nearly all my minis from that time have been sold. Fast forward some years and during my University studies I ended up buying a few boxes of Perry Napoleonics to have something to paint and suddenly I was back gaming and painting stuff. Mostly historicals with especially my Flames of War collection growing to unhealthy sizes. But even though I'm mainly interested in historicals I've always loved the 40k fluff and have read the occasional novel every now and then as well as playing the computer games quite actively. My commitment back into 40k started pretty slowly with me wanting to kitbash some minis to pass the time when I didn't feel like painting at home. Luckily even though I sold nearly all my minis back when I quit gaming I did keep my bits collection so getting started was easy. Before I knew it I had a few slightly more chaotic looking guardsmen put together as well as the starts of a few Marines. With my appetite suitably whetted I figured maybe building a larger force wouldn't be such a bad idea. The minis I'd put together were quite a haphazard bunch so I wanted to decide on a force with a suitable theme which I should build the minis around so that they'd at least be a bit more organized looking. I've always been a keen follower of Chaos so that was already decided straight away, but which god should I dedicate myself to and which Legion should I pick. Death Guard had been done before and on the Fantasy side I've had a few Nurgle armies so I decided against that. I don't find Khorne that interesting so ruled those out. I was thinking about Slaanesh or Tzeentch, but luckily ended up borrowing the 'Legion' novel from a friend and immediately thought that Alpha Legion was the way to go. Being such a mysterious force it gave me enough leeway to take the force anywhere I wanted and being Chaos Undivided no need to fuss about which god to choose. So next up I needed to put together a few guidelines for building my minis. I'm not too keen on the "Add spikes for chaos" style of design that especially some of the older minis follow and I wanted to make my force look like a warband that operated far out of the Eye of Terror within Imperial Space in co-operation with some unwitting planetary governors etc. so slightly less corrupt looking gear was needed. I also like the new 30k kits so wanted to incorporate parts from there to show that the force had been fighting for millenia on end and had a rag-tag assortment of gear from different sources and eras. No spikes (or at least to a minimum) Every model must contain parts from multiple kits Every model must have some Chaotic parts to distinguish from loyalists Mix of parts from different eras when possible (30k & 40k) Regular backpacks instead of the chaos ones. My Cultists do deviate from those a bit as I mostly used the Dark Vengeance ones with only some minor conversions like head and weapon swaps. But in the future they will be replaced by suitable Planetary Defence Forces models. The Marines were the first full unit I put together with the guidelines in mind and I'm quite happy with how they turned out. Tons of different kits used to add variety. I also like the look that they have. There's still that chaotic vibe, but it's a bit more toned down so suitable for a legion that relies on subterfuge. The long term plan is to grow this into a core Alpha Legion force with a larger PDF force around them using the R&H list. I figured starting with the Chaos Marines would be a smoother way to get back in as I can get a playable force done faster instead of painting a few hundred Renegades. Perhaps some Dark Mechanicus styled forces to be added later on as I do like the looks of the plastics. Fluff wise it would fit in quite nicely with the warband controlling a suitable Imperial world or manufactorum from behind the scenes through corrupt officials. And with most Imperial citizens living their lives without ever seeing a Space Marine, just hearing legends about them, I'd expect most of them wouldn't know a Chaos Marine from a loyalist one. Paint scheme wise I ended up going for something similar to the 'official' one and to the scheme seen in some older codexes I have lying around (3rd Edition I think). So blue highlighted with light green and with steel trim. The base colours have been airbrushed and edge highlighting and details painted by brush before applying pin washes with Tamiya Panel Line Wash. In the future I'll probably switch the wash to the enamels I normally use as I wasn't 100% happy with the results. Especially the older plastic has detail that is sometimes too soft so the Panel Line Wash starts flowing everywhere instead of staying in creases etc. Work fine on the newer 30k models though. I'll be adding new models every now and then. Probably not in a very fast pace as this isn't my main hobby project, but rather a way to let off steam when I've been painting too many identical uniforms for a Napoleonic or WW2 army. Right now I've got the units Rhino in the pipeline with quite a lot of resin detail added to spice things up. It's been quite a wall of text so I guess it's high time I throw in some pics! Any ideas, feedback etc. are greatly appreciated!

Okay, something weird happened this week. When the Renegade box was originally released I though that it wasn't a limited edition thing and that I would be able to get it in some years when I had the money. However it wasn't, so it was a big letdown when it stopped being sold, as buying a Knight in this box was so much more affordable than buying it independently. However this week two Renegade boxes arrived at my local store misteriously and without any logical explanation! The first one was sold almost instantly, but the manager started asking people if they wanted the remaining one. My original plan from when the box was released was to pick it up with a friend, have a Knight each and build the scenery for a "basement" in where we both play but, unfortunately, my friend was pretty broke and said that he won't be able to afford it for some time. I tried and tried to find someone who wanted a Knight from the box, but no one did so, at the end, this happened: So yeah, I bought the box alone... However it is something I couldn't afford and had to ask money for it, specially knowing that Mass Effect Andromeda is being released next week for those with early access (such as me, the 10% discount it offers makes it actually cheaper to buy in that way). This means that I'm, sadly, going to have to sell one of the Knights and possibly even the building. The thing is that, while I'm at it, I though that I could convert it and paint it and sell it for a larger amount of money on eBay or other interested people to make it more profitable and decided to start a comission painting service. I have made many commissions in the past, but it always was on a local scale to people that I more or less knew, so I decided to take this a step farther and sell overseas, as converting and painting others models is something that I actually enjoy, because it gives me the opportunity to execute ideas outside of what my army would usually be. So, if you are interested in a converted and painted Imperial Knight, or know someone that might be, do not doubt on sending me a PM. However these are not reasons to create a WIP thread, so this isn't here for the purpose of selling my product but rather for the purpose of sharing my progress on it to receive feedback and be able to improve. Right now I don't know what I should make from the following list: - Regular Imperial Knight: just changing the pose, making a fancy base and painting it well. It is simple but it doesn't offer as many possibilities as the other options. - Renegade Knight: same as above but with Chaos motifs and maybe some minor conversions. - Chaos Knight: this is where the fun starts. The idea would be to heavily convert the Knight to make it look daemonical and chaosy, with mutations and all of those things. - Cerastus Knight: this is possibly the most difficult option, as it means that I have to change the model proportions and make his weapons from scratch, and I don't know if people would want to buy it... I'm right now more inclined forward to the Chaos Knight option, as I believe that it is the one which offers more possibilities while not being as risky as the Cerastus, but I'm still pretty undecided, so I'm open to any suggestion, even other options that I haven't considered in here. If you want to see some of my most recent work for headlines of what I'm capable of follow the link of my signature to my WIP thread and, also, I'm making a web page that will be finished soon hopefully. Thanks a lot for your attention!