Night Lords 18th Battle Company (Treadhead)

[Noctus Cornix]

Food for thought. You need more looted gear man!

 

Don't you think that's somewhat close-minded of to tell him to take looted gear simply because the 10th Company does so on a common basis?

 

The 10th Company is far worse off than most Night Lord warbands, as seen in all of AD-B's Night Lord works featuring other warbands which commonly have hundreds of Space Marines.

 

 

Keep up the good work Dan. Interesting Sorcerer/Librarian, I like the idea you went for the lightning with that wire, hope it comes out great. That Raven Guard traitor looks especially vicious. May I ask where you got that curved blade from?

Edited March 4, 2011 by noctus cornix

[malika666]

No need to call me close minded because of it. The impression I got from Soul Hunter was that this looting for resources thing would be rather common for those who do not have their own production facilities. I assumed that the Night Lords and Alpha Legion would fall under this category.

 

As for ADB's books, there is no specific mention that all other warbands are automatically bigger than the former 10th company. The Hunter's Premonition's crew/warband seems to be superior to the one under command of the Exalted, but this doesn't seem go automatically have to go for every other one. The general impression I got from Soul Hunter was that the Night Lords legion is somewhat lost and confused, out there fighting, but not really gaining anything.

 

I also think that the inclusion of looted (and of course repainted) gear could add a lot extra character to the new marines.

[Dan The Deamon]

noctus cornix The little curved knife of his if from the new skaven range. I'm not sure which box it was from, either the clanrats or the stormvermin, both boxes are full of great blades to be used in a lot of real nasty conversions.

 

malika666 I like the input from Soul Hunter and a lot of ways the legion defines itself. I love the book and the series that A D-B is working up with the 10th company and really enjoy the predicament he's placed the tenth in.

 

However I will summarize a couple of things that should answer this question as well as some other creeping ones with a couple of points.

 

-I began serious work on my Night Lords in early 2009 after re-deploying from Afghanistan. Not having soldiers of my own to teach, train, mentor, and prepare for war led me to creating these little demi-god death squads. I could pour all of my attention and effort into my guys without alienating myself from society or pissing my wife off. Also putting a lot of now useless war knowledge into toys i could paint and play with.

 

-While carving and filing away at my boys I conjured up their fluff. I created command structures, combat doctrines, trusted allies, depth, failure, all the things a good company of fighting men need in order to execute mission goals, get resupplied, communicate with each-other, superiors, and other elements of their legion, and all sorts of their own drama when they weren't kicking in heads and breaking spines.

 

- Reading Soul Hunter and all the other bits about the tenth light my soldier brain on fire. There is so much depth there and it's so perfect. Everything is in it's place and all the emotion, structure, and dirty situations that the stories sing to me. They remind me of how un-perfect a fighting force is between battles, and how accurate and unpleasant situations inevitably turn out.

 

-When reading a book where a meager band of renegade astartes is battering themselves against hordes of filth, where firing off their last munitions in desperation because more than half of their numbers are dead or lost, then running away to find a useless weapon in a smashed tank, and all for the hope that there may be some gene seed, ammunition, servitors, or some lowly tech in order for their continued survival at the end of someone elses fight, I think....how perfectly familiar.

 

- i've left a lot of stolen tech or imperial insignia off my boys because they don't want to be reminded of their imperial reprimands. A little bit of model fluff, military organizations (and most within the 40k astartes universe) wear their designations on their left shoulders. the 18th co purposefully puts theirs on the right as it was their way off going "turn-coat" before the heresy. ( as well as every Gw source of NL's i see seem to be in contradiction of where their allegiance lies. Allows me to run with my little story). Don't be fooled into thinking the 18th is above using imperial weapons, armor, or technology, we just don't need that little brass eagle on there to piss us off when shooting.

 

-The malcharion/war-sage, Atramentar, thing was first presented within the tenth and i feel was left a little specific for them instead of a legion wide thing. I haven't come up with much of an honor guard or posted much of my within ranks organization so if they are "legionized" i'm left with some room. Thankfully from what i've read about the tenths run-in's with their other legion kin they share a great many things, however they are also different in a great many ways, which leaves many of us NL enthusiasts are thrilled.

 

therefor, Mr A D-B, thank you for doing a great service to the lore and universe of 40k.

 

and Malika666 , while my guys are from the from the same legion, we're not the tenth. Keep the comments comin, i'm on your wavelength, just a little obsessive about a couple of things.

 

I need to go finish Mr Dread now.

Thoughts?

Edited March 4, 2011 by Dan The Deamon

[Noctus Cornix]

I never said you were close minded nor do I intend to. I simply stated that the comment and the way you stated it as some of a demand as if he needed it was 'somewhat' close minded.

 

I also never said that EVERY Night Lord warband is automatically bigger and badder then the 10th company. I said most. This is most evident when the Exucriator, the sister ship to the Covenant of Blood has the ability to drop over 100 Night Lords into the crippled Imperial Vessel and still have enough Night Lords on board the original vessel to simply leave and rejoin the fleet. (Throne of Lies)

 

Looted gear is more then likely a common place amongst all Legions as not every warband has the ability to raid forge worlds or have connections with the dark mechanicum but its kinda hard to decipher what's looted gear and what not after its been painted and ornamented for night lord use unless someone tells you that it is.

 

To be honest, I like the idea of the looted gear, but I believe it is a special and unique aspect of the 10th Company that I think should be allowed to for the most part be reserved to them. Dan has explained to me quite a bit about his Warband fluff and I personally love the unique 'old soldiers' aspect to them. Its what makes his guys special.

 

 

Apologies if you took what I said the wrong way. I had no intention to upset you.

 

 

Dan- Seems there are quite a few interesting bitz in the Skaven boxes I might have to look in to. I'm actually thinking of picking up the Hell Pit Abomination to maybe work as a greater daemon or a chaos spawn. Should be a treat.

 

As for Mr. Dread, some pics to help us see what he looks like now would be helpful :lol:

Edited March 4, 2011 by noctus cornix

[malika666]

No worries, I took the comment a bit too harsh maybe. The great quality of the internets I guess! <_<

 

As for the Atramentar, I'm checking up on The First Heretic (chapter 25), and they appear over there as well. Apparently the Atramentar are the Night Lords' first company, basically the elite veterans. If I'm not mistaken Zso Sahaal ends up leading the First Company after the Heresy. However, after Curze's death Sahaal ditches his company in order to capture the Corona Nox. As a result the Atramentar were integrated into the other companies of the Legion, or perhaps the Atramentar simply became the title for the warbands' veterans.

[Dan The Deamon]

Yeah you're right i remember reading that. I'm on my second go through into the First Heretic looking for all that jazz again. Dread is coming along nicely. May have him posted soon.

[Dan The Deamon]

good news...

So this guy is turning out to be a real treat to paint. I'm not totally finished yet but the only thing left are just a couple of finishing touches and the marine helmets I have staked to his torso. Malika666 I did some thinking and may have him act as the last surviving Atramentar, within' the 18th, from the original splitting of ranks. Dunno, we'll see how that pans out.

I decided to spice him up with some extra skulls and such. If you count correctly he has 18 of them, specifically to appease his old grumpy self.

Looking for good ideas on filling in the astartes helmets with some cool, non-clashing colors, and sweet fluff ideas for which chapters or legions they are. I'm thinking about;

1 Black legion (because there are So many, and using a BL helmet atop this guy won't attract any attention away from him).

2 something using a skull shaped helmet (world eaters, chaplain, whatever.)

3 ?

4 ? (Marines Errant would be cool, will go see if that clashes...)

Thoughts and opinions welcome

Dan

[Darius Macab]

Holy Cow!

 

looks really good, i mean wow... just wow

 

thats definitely one of the better pieces i have seen on this forum

 

totally worth the wait

 

DM

[Hyaenidae]

God, I hate you so much. This is one gnarly dread, man...great job. As for the helm colors, here's my two suggestions...

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/e/e7/Iron_Champions.jpg

Iron Champions...or

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/2/22/Sons_of_Guilliman_1.jpg

Sons of Guilliman

[smallvictory]

I really dig the contrast in the shading/highlighting on the helmet on that dread, the face of any model draws extra attention, you nailed it.

[mega_marines]

How about the Raptors Chapter with their Catachan Green-esque helmets? Or perhaps Silver Skulls?

 

Besides that, love the work, man.

[modernangelofdeath]

damn it! I thought I was going to make a word bearers army untill out of curiosity I looked at your post and now I have no idea which army I want now!

Nice painting and characters though.

[Nomus Sardauk]

Why not Imperial Fists? I imagine the contempt between Dorn and Curze would have been passed onto their legions as well. I reckon any Night Lord would dearly love to mutilate some hapless son of Dorn and display his severed head as a trophy, no doubt as the pride of his collection! ;)

[malika666]

An Imperial Fists helmet would be fitting indeed. Or what about an Emperor's Children helmet? Note that Fulgrim betrayed Curze's trust by telling Dorn about the nightmare visions the Night Lords Primarch had.

 

Malika666 I did some thinking and may have him act as the last surviving Atramentar, within' the 18th, from the original splitting of ranks. Dunno, we'll see how that pans out.

I don't know if the Night Lords have a similar tradition, but in some sources it was mentioned that Terminator armor amongst the Chaos forces is passed on through murder, in other words if Chaos Space Marine Bob is running around in Power Armor and Chaos Space Marine Paul is wearing Terminator Armor, Bob will have to kill Paul in order to take his armor. That might explain why your Terminators aren't Atramentar, they are basically marines who have killed the Atramentar for their armor, or taken over their armor after they died. The Dreadnought character might have been too bad ass or heroic simply to waste away, meaning he got placed in the Dreadnought.

 

Wait...are Chaos Dreadnoughts still totally insane and out of control? I havent checked the rules since the first 3rd edition Codex where Chaos Dreadnoughts were out of control units. If that is the case, what if the original Atramentar (or maybe only this character) resisted the master of the 18th and as a punishment was placed in the Dreadnought shell. I remember something similar happening in that story Into the Maelstrom where Huron Blackheart does a similar thing to a dissenting Red Corsair!

[Dinks]

Or what about an Emperor's Children helmet? Note that Fulgrim betrayed Curze's trust by telling Dorn about the nightmare visions the Night Lords Primarch had.

That sounds like a good idea and would suit perfectly!

 

I think the idea of all chaos dreads being insane is a pretty lame idea, whoever wrote that stuff needs a slap. I would assume the dreads are as normal as they were before the fall, after all in the Legions they put dreadnaughts to sleep the same way chapters do, to keep the occupant from going mental.

 

Then again... after 10k years stuck in a cramped shell, dreaming the same dreams - i am sure more than a few have gone mad.

Edited March 9, 2011 by Dinks

[Chaoz]

Well the wraiths are kicking my butt. I figure i need to paint at least 36 Power armored models for the LPC and i've only scratched on 7 <_<

the test marine came out well but he was even unfinished. Now i've hit a couple of bumps and can't decide where to take the colors.

The test marine is in the bottom center. All the marines still have 1-2 highlights left on the green, and pretty much all the other colors are at basecoat.

The red on the shoulderpads is clashing with the blue/green. I can't decide if i should take the basecoat down to a darker, more earthy red, and start from there, or if i should give it a hint of purple/blue.

I was thinking originally that i would do the plasma coils in a red-orange-white. I'm not sure those would look great so i'm open to any ideas.

Lastly i think i may have to wash the skulls and bones down. There are a lot of pale colors on the models and it's not really unifying. The test model i didn't finish the skulls on but i'm starting to think they may be an appropriate brown.

I sent an E-mail to GW customer service with my question about LotR models and conversions, as well as a picture. It's been about ten days with no response...That sounds about right :rolleyes:

Cavpathfinder, i'm glad you're digging the conversions and paint. I really wish i hadn't committed so much of my army to the Lpc. I have plans for a few upcoming units swimming around my head. I just can't find the time to spend on them.

Anyways,

C+C welcome

Enjoy!

Awe-inspiring Chaos figurines sir. Really curious though:

How'd you make the wraith champ's head?

and where do you get all the scopes for your tactical squads?

[malika666]

Or what about an Emperor's Children helmet? Note that Fulgrim betrayed Curze's trust by telling Dorn about the nightmare visions the Night Lords Primarch had.

That sounds like a good idea and would suit perfectly!

 

I think the idea of all chaos dreads being insane is a pretty lame idea, whoever wrote that stuff needs a slap. I would assume the dreads are as normal as they were before the fall, after all in the Legions they put dreadnaughts to sleep the same way chapters do, to keep the occupant from going mental.

 

Then again... after 10k years stuck in a cramped shell, dreaming the same dreams - i am sure more than a few have gone mad.

 

Eventually the body/mind decays to such an extent that it is put to permanent sleep. Maybe that is the reason why Bjorn the Fellhanded (Space Wolves Dreadnought) is one of the few Dreadnoughts, if not the only one, who is that old.

 

As for the first part of your post. I don't mind this custom so much, but it doesn't have to be "the norm", meaning that not every dreadnought is that insane. However, it would be an interesting touch for the warband's story.

 

By the way, Dan...what will be next for this army?

[Dan The Deamon]

awesome ideas guys thanks for the feedback. I did a number on the two chaos helmets on there and so far one is black legion, and another i think i'll leave vague as a skull helmet. The Fists idea sounds good so i may run with that. I need to play with the colors and composition on the model a bit and make sure that whatever i put on top will keep the eyes on the piece, rather than floating away.

 

The chaos Dread query has always been an interesting one for me. I play two in normal 1500-2k games so i roll on their chart quite often. I miss the old days when they could still tell a difference between friend and foe, and when they charged 18" across the battlefield they got a couple of extra attacks for their trouble. There's nothing more ignoble for this guy to fry a couple of my own marines due to madness, then charge himself into a gun-line to be ripped to shreds. I shed a tear when i think about the insane rules that bind him.

 

I picture him as a little less lucid than most marines. In his best state of mind there's not a lot there except the half sleep of an ancient veteran. Most of his tactical knowledge and insight has been lost or rendered mute by interment. I like to imagine they drug the marines pretty heavily before installing them into their new bodies and they keep this guy drugged pretty well. His consciousness was enveloped by the machine spirit residing within' the dread so he is never really aware of events unfolding around him. You could say he is in a coma swirling around his subconscious thought while the dread uses his pink fleshy brain as a conduit in order to operate mechanically.

 

The renegade perspective of killing your own warband in order to take their weapons, armor, or rank always bothered me from a disciplined perspective. I like to think there is still enough discipline within my ranks to not kill or harm members of the company arbitrarily. Taking a bolter, blade, or irreplaceable parts of a terminator suit offline because you had to battle the occupant to get them is a waste or resources in a desperately low resource environment. Likewise I like to think murdering another brother diminishes the dwindling strength of a company, burns bridges, builds squad contempt, etc, etc, that it's simply not done within structures disciplined ranks. I'm all for renegade infighting, but not within their company. That leads to a bit of 18th co fluff too, they have a squad they put all the deviants in and just keep them on the frontlines until they've served their penance.

 

 

What's next? I still have a handful of astartes to paint and the raptors. I made a stupid move and airbrushed over the Alpha legion predator so i'll have to fix that, and then maybe some more armor. I'm past the table army building stage and into building the companies assets. I'll post up what i've done so far later and maybe what i plan to do, maybe get some feedback on what I should include.

 

Fun times,

Dan

[malika666]

The renegade perspective of killing your own warband in order to take their weapons, armor, or rank always bothered me from a disciplined perspective. I like to think there is still enough discipline within my ranks to not kill or harm members of the company arbitrarily. Taking a bolter, blade, or irreplaceable parts of a terminator suit offline because you had to battle the occupant to get them is a waste or resources in a desperately low resource environment. Likewise I like to think murdering another brother diminishes the dwindling strength of a company, burns bridges, builds squad contempt, etc, etc, that it's simply not done within structures disciplined ranks. I'm all for renegade infighting, but not within their company. That leads to a bit of 18th co fluff too, they have a squad they put all the deviants in and just keep them on the frontlines until they've served their penance.

Good point! It might be very possible that very few of the Atramentar actually joined the 18th Company. The suits were passed down amongst the Marines rather than the Terminators killed by their brothers. 10,000 years of war, with the elites fighting more would result in most of them having passed away by then. It is very possible that the current incarnation of the 18th does not purely consist of marines who also fought during the Horus Heresy. Why would the Legion stop recruiting after the Heresy? It is very possible that the majority of the marines are post-Heresy marines. However, this is something that does not fully have to be the case. But if their situation is less desperate than the 10th, they would have the possibility to replace their losses.

[Dan The Deamon]

The renegade perspective of killing your own warband in order to take their weapons, armor, or rank always bothered me from a disciplined perspective. I like to think there is still enough discipline within my ranks to not kill or harm members of the company arbitrarily. Taking a bolter, blade, or irreplaceable parts of a terminator suit offline because you had to battle the occupant to get them is a waste or resources in a desperately low resource environment. Likewise I like to think murdering another brother diminishes the dwindling strength of a company, burns bridges, builds squad contempt, etc, etc, that it's simply not done within structures disciplined ranks. I'm all for renegade infighting, but not within their company. That leads to a bit of 18th co fluff too, they have a squad they put all the deviants in and just keep them on the front-lines until they've served their penance.

Good point! It might be very possible that very few of the Atramentar actually joined the 18th Company. The suits were passed down amongst the Marines rather than the Terminators killed by their brothers. 10,000 years of war, with the elites fighting more would result in most of them having passed away by then. It is very possible that the current incarnation of the 18th does not purely consist of marines who also fought during the Horus Heresy. Why would the Legion stop recruiting after the Heresy? It is very possible that the majority of the marines are post-Heresy marines. However, this is something that does not fully have to be the case. But if their situation is less desperate than the 10th, they would have the possibility to replace their losses.

I'm glad you brought this up because that's kind of what I've been thinking while making my dudes. Nothing specific to the terminators or Atramentar but along the lines that all the equipment is passed down rather than scavenged or fought over.

It leads me to why i call the 18th company the Immortal Terrors. I've always had a hard time with games in the 40k lore. When i play dark angels, Eldar, and 'nids all in one weekend and between all three games each of my units and characters have been involved in some pretty serious issues. at the end of one game picking up all my dead marines I always found myself wondering why they showed back up for my next game. It's really just a by-product of the game design. I have my 20 models who i play with every weekend, but these models die over and over again and keep coming back the same way. I took my answer in the form of some army fluff. I've done a tremendous amount of thought on this but never really put it into writing so you may have to bear with me.

The 18th company took it's first divergent steps from standard organization when their commander was replaced Pre-Heresy. The new commander was extremely disciplined, responsible, and tactically insightful but he had a couple of major character flaws which led to a lot of major changes. He created the combat doctrine in which the wraiths now follow by taking some words his Primarch had spoken a little too literal. Without much eloquence...

"let them hear your cries and see your visage, let them lay their eyes on you, not for scant seconds, but for a fearsome eternity. ground their fear in your physical forms, give them your bodies to shatter their blades upon, then take from them the last of their hopes, as you take the last of their breath".

*Words spoken to the 18th co during warp transit.*

These words led the acting commander to create these guys.

Wraiths

They were an extreme that many of his fellow commanders didn't see the value in, and more evident, were appalled in the creation of. I went on some pretty long extremes trying to fit some fluffy "counts-as" plague marines in the army. I took such paths with most of the other count as models in the army, the penitent Night Lords masking as Zerks were another step towards some flavor. Trying to breath life into a fluff stagnant codex was proving to center around the idea of fluff, and "counts-as".

The command of the 18th took these words and created the underlying structure to their companies doctrine. The idea that spawned that creating visages that they allowed to be exposed to enemies, they immortalized that exposure, and that Astartes, as something bigger than himself (This is where i get my bat inspiration aka the Dark Knight). If that same specific visage shows up across the galaxy and falls prey on a hive city then word starts to spread and stories, and atrocities, are heard throughout the Imperium. The 18th co has ritually passed down command and iconic helmets throughout their existence to every brother who takes a fallen brothers place. Therefor one of the three bone visages gifted to the 18th will forever be worn by the company captain, whichever brother is currently filling his shoes.

The Gargoyle Lord

Each role or command mask is unique and instantly recognizable. Each squad leader has worn the helm of the Sgt before him, in order to ensure continuation of that visage, or stylized skull, and immortalize the stuff of nightmares. This also solves any ideas of mutiny, infighting, or dysfunction within a squad. No matter who wears the winged helm of the third, they follow its holder, or they face disrespecting their spiritual doctrine.

Therefor this Raptor lord model, in my fluff perspective, is rarely the same battle brother to me. One game against Orks he was smashed against a battle-wagon by a giant claw, therefor next game against Black Templar, his mask and armor carry a different marine, newly given command, and tasked with carrying the visage attached to the 18ths Raptor lord.

I've tried to keep this theme an artistic constant when designing the models. My terminators each sport their "immortalized" status to their brothers in the growth of their hair. The longer the hair trail, the older and more respected the brother is.

War-leader Immortals

Therefor after 10,000 years of heavy fighting, there may not be any surviving members of the Atramentar wearing TDA within the 18th, and generation-ally almost none of the Astartes were original members, but the idea that their armor branded style of terror existed back then, and will assuredly continue to exist is what gives them their immortality.

Edited March 9, 2011 by Dan The Deamon

[GooseDaMoose]

Like the Dread Pirate Roberts!

 

My girlfriend's favourite movie/book. ANYWAY!

 

Sounds awesome, and some mighty good reasoning for replacing characters. I was just wondering though, since I dunno if you answered last time, if the stitches on the flayed skin cape were painted on or modelled?

Sorry if you already answered this.

 

Keep up the great work!

[malika666]

You might take it to another extreme, as in that the names are immortal, but the bearers of the names aren't. We did something similar for the Maledictors' First Company in which all members have set names which are passed on after death.

 

This might mean that you have "Brother Lucius" living for 10,000 years, whilst the real Brother Lucius might have been dead for millennia, but his replacement carries on the name.

[Pig Of Sparta]

My reply doesn't really do the amount of thought you've put into this project justice but;

 

Firstly the mini's as I said before quite a while ago are gorgeously painted and the conversions are expertly constructed. What is equally impressive is the amount of effort you've put into their story as well. Secondly, although I haven't played a game in a long time (hope to change that soon though) I've had similar thoughts to you with regards to 'dead' mini's coming back to life between games. The way that your champions, lieutenants and commanders inherit their predecessors wargear and have to live up to all that that entails is sheer genius. I don't think that it'd work with everyone's army in the same way that if fits in with all your extant fluff but with some effort it could be tailored to fit other armies.

 

Oh and before I forget, that FW dreadnought is amazing. Everytime I see a well painted Chaos one I want to get one (must resist, too much to do already...) and yours makes me want one even more

 

cheers

 

James

[Dan The Deamon]

You might take it to another extreme, as in that the names are immortal, but the bearers of the names aren't.

 

Yeah I considered that, but decided on doing it this way to give some terror justification to the Night Lords. They are in a funny place in the fluff category, where some people are obsessed with the speed mentality, others with pure terror, and some who seek to define them as being totally ruthless above other legions. I chose to give the terror aspect of their fluff a little nod, as it's difficult to portray in any real cool way. That and after spending days modeling and painting one guy, watching him die effortlessly by my enemies, giving him a name would take things over the 'fun' edge in Dan-Land

 

Goose, Sorry for the lack of answer on stitches, they are penned on. I got some artists pen from the store, as small as you can get, just drew on some hashes and bad stitching, then detailed around it.

[malika666]

How will you deal with the Chaos aspect of the company? Note that figures like Talos from the 10th company and Zso Sahaal are more opposed to Chaos, viewing it only as a tool, whilst others such as the Exalted and Acerbus Krieg become absorbed by it. Will the commanders of the 18th retain this pragmatic view towards Chaos or become more integrated with it? Also how would they respond to corruption within their company? Would they execute those who become "too influenced" by Chaos for example?