firestorm40k Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Hello B) You may have visited my project log (link in sig) and in it read the ever developing background of my Chaos army - the Legion of Taurus. I have hinted at a force driving their deeds and motives in much of the fluff I've written, and I can finally reveal the true nature of it all. The Legion of Taurus are servants of an ancient and once powerful daemonic entity called Tauran, that lead a massive, sector-spanning empire until his defeat thousands of years before the age of the Imperium. For the last few months I've been running a campaign at my local gaming group, called 'The Xergev Prosecution'. Although the Chaos/Disorder team lost the story of the campaign was that the war was a kind of massive ritual to create the psychic power required to resurrect Tauran. We played our concluding Apocalypse game this last weekend to finish off the campaign, and it was a surprise to the Imperial team when suddenly Tauran popped out on to the board, along with almost 60 lesser daemons! :P Anyway, here's some pictures of the beast, I made it as part of Call of Chaos III so some of you may well have seen it already: http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/firestorm40k/Legion%20of%20Taurus/Tauran_CoC_1.jpg http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/firestorm40k/Legion%20of%20Taurus/Tauran_CoC_2.jpg http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/firestorm40k/Legion%20of%20Taurus/Tauran_CoC_3.jpg Basically, Tauran is converted from a LotR Balrog. I put big, spikey rocks on the back of the model to represent that the daemons's physical form is being drawn together from shards of rock, because he had previously been turned partially to stone... Here are some WIP shots - I had to sculpt a new left hand for it because I used the Soul Grinder sword hand (I thought the original Balrog's hand wasn't big enough! :D ) and it was bigger than the original - not ot mention it had 4 fingers, not 3... http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/firestorm40k/Legion%20of%20Taurus/Tauran_wip_1.jpg http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/firestorm40k/Legion%20of%20Taurus/Tauran_wip_2.jpg http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/firestorm40k/Legion%20of%20Taurus/Tauran_wip_3.jpg http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/firestorm40k/Legion%20of%20Taurus/Tauran_wip_4.jpg http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/firestorm40k/Legion%20of%20Taurus/Tauran_Side.jpg http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/firestorm40k/Legion%20of%20Taurus/Tauran_Hand_1.jpg http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/firestorm40k/Legion%20of%20Taurus/Tauran_Hand_2.jpg Here's the story of Tauran too - all three pages of A4 of it :o From their domains in the warp, daemons gaze through the cracks in reality at the realms of mortals with avaricious eyes; and so it was with the entity that came to be worshipped by mortals as Tauran – the Bull-headed God. Some daemons seek to consume, to corrupt, to despoil, to slaughter, or to lead astray the souls of mortals with lust and pride; Tauran sought to conquer and dominate, to be the head of an empire of mortals through which it would rule countless daemon-worlds, trapped in the veil between reality and the immaterium. And so, in the same manner in which many daemons find their way in to real-space, Tauran found a place from which the subjugation of mortals could begin. On an isolated and devolved world there was a tribe of humans that worshipped an effigy in the form of a Bull’s skull. They appealed to the spirit of the beast to endow them with its strength and vitality, that their warriors would be unrelenting and fierce and their women be fruitful mothers. Through this simple idolatry Tauran began to claw in to the hearts and souls of humans, taking the form of form of a Bull-headed deity, promising power and glory and prosperity to those who would kill and conquer in the name of their god. It was only too easy for this daemon to fan the ire and war-like tendencies of men, and this tribe began to conquer the others around them. With each battle, each victory, Tauran’s presence in the mortal realm grew, until eventually the daemon was able to take physical form at the army’s head. As they brought their world under the banner of the Bull-headed God, so they re-discovered long lost secrets of machinery, and through it were able to look from their own world towards the stars; and so Tauran began to lead the followers of the Bull-headed God in the bloody forging of a new empire. World after world began to fall under the rule of the followers of this god. Tauran won the favour of Khorne as entire populations were slain, their skulls offered to His throne, and of Old Father Nurgle as plague and pestilence swept through defeated and ruined peoples. With each successive battle the fabric of reality weakened and Tauran would call upon hordes of daemons to fall upon the enemy in ravenous slaughter. And with each victory, each blessing, each pact with the powers of chaos, Tauran’s power grew – as did its physical stature. But with each victory so did his enemies grow in number. To the populace of the teeming cities of Xsie-Than, Tauran was the Great Beast whose armies lead a senseless genocide. To the Tech-mages of the Rievan, Tauran was the Destroyer, whose armies plundered ancient knowledge and artefact. To the those who cowered in his wake as they fled the advance of the Bull-headed God’s empire, Tauran was the Scourge of countless worlds. When the armies of the Tauran conquered Rievan, a world covered in mysterious and ancient technologies and machinery, they fashioned for their God an immense suit of bronze armour, forged by the knowledge of men, the magicks of daemons and anointed in the blood of those who would oppose the rule of Tauran. It seemed there were none who could oppose Tauran, and the empire of fanatical warriors under the banner of this Brazen Taurus. But there were some who did. Fleeing from the maelstrom of Tauran’s armies, they formed a council on the world Thiesseyd – a planet that would become known to the Imperium as Odothese Prime. Though outnumbered, this alliance prepared to stand against the onslaught of the Bull-headed God’s armies as they prepared to invade the planet, with little hope that they could prevail. It was the intervention of mysterious beings that brought hope and purpose to those who lead this alliance. These beings, neither man nor daemon, presented them with artefacts of great and strange power, which the beings promised could undo the power of Tauran, telling them how each one could be used to do so. When the powerful daemon lead the invasion of Thiesseyd, the battle that took place literally shattered the very surface of the planet. The power of chaos and the devastating weapons used in that battle caused great fissures to open, and millions were swallowed up in the planet’s crust. When Tauran finally confronted those at the head of the alliance, for the first time in the mortal realm the daemon began to experience frustration, and doubt. Armed with the mysterious artefacts bestowed on them they began to repulse his attacks. And as the daemon’s ire began to rise like an inferno, they began to counter them. In the epic struggle the artefacts were destroyed one by one, till only one remained. It seemed for a time that Tauran’s power could not be opposed. But the unthinkable happened – Tauran’s armour, that which increased the daemon’s power ten fold, was smashed open, exposing the physical form of the great beast to attack. Though scores died in the attack, one warrior succeeded in landing the blow that defeated Tauran. The power of the artefact turned the daemon’s physical form to stone, its essence trapped inside – and with a final blow the warrior shattered the stone, casting Tauran’s essence in to a countless pieces. At the defeat of their god, Tauran’s army was routed, and the empire of the Bull-headed God, the Brazen Taurus, was put to an end. To mark their victory, those who had opposed Tauran took the immense bronze armour the daemon had worn and melted it down, forging from it a great gate which was placed at the entrance of Thiesseyd’s capital city. Yet when Tauran’s physical form was shattered, part of the daemon’s essence escaped in to the physical universe, still holding sway over some who had fought for the Brazen Taurus. Over the following centuries they succeeded in obtaining some of the fragments of the daemon’s shattered physical shell, and on the moon of a great planet in the far flung corner of that region of space they sought to unify the pieces and restore Tauran to the mortal realm. But these followers of Tauran were pursued, and in a tumultuous battle on the planet and in space their ritual was stopped – and at great cost, the energies of the warp unleashed by the ritual, combined with the power of the weaponry unleashed in the battle destroyed the planet – leaving the moon lost in a giant asteroid field. And so it would remain lost, for thousands of years afterwards. So the diminished essence of Tauran retreated to the corner of space from where the daemon had first emerged in to the realm of mortals, and the power of chaos surrounded the world in warp storms. There the planet lay for millennia, until the storms subsided and revealed it to an Imperium of Man that did not know it even existed. And Tauran knew that the time had come to return and retake the empire under the banner of the Bull-headed God once again. Once it had found warriors worthy to lead a new Empire – warriors unlike any the daemon had lead before, elevated among mortal men and clad in the heaviest of armour – Tauran persuaded them to exact its plan. In the following centuries these warriors, calling themselves the Legion of Taurus, scoured the region of space around this planet, seeking out artefacts and the technology to restore Tauran’s physical form at the head of their army. And they renewed the crusade of their master, destroying any before them who could not accept the rule of Tauran. Pursued by the agents of the Imperium, the Legion of Taurus brought the plans of their master to fruition on the once lost world surrounded by asteroids – now called Xergev’s Folly. They were brought to war by those who had once considered themselves brethren to them, and lured their attackers in to a vast underground cavern. There the plan was finally revealed and completed – feeding on the energies created by the blood spilt in the war, the sacrifice of a champion who offered his body to his master, and reuniting the shattered remnants of the daemon, Tauran’s essence was restored. Once again the Bull-headed God walked on the worlds of mortals. With their ‘god’ returned, cults on the worlds of the Imperium have sprung up in arms, seeking to overthrow Imperial rule and re-establish the domain once ruled by Tauran. And now returned to command armies of mortals, Tauran desires to take the planets that he had been prevented from ruling before. It would start on the planet where the empire of the Brazen Taurus was first defeated – ancient Thiesseyd, now known as Odothese Prime. Though at a fraction of the power the daemon once held, with the Legion of Taurus and a new army of fanatics under its command, surely the ascendancy of Tauran will be truly unstoppable… Here are the special rules we used for Tauran in the Apocalypse battle - he's basically the standard Greater Daemon from the current Chaos Codex, but with the following add-ons: The Beast Re-born: the plans of the Legion of Taurus have been revealed. The purpose of the war was nothing but an elaborate ritual to draw the power to rejoin the shattered essence of their true Master. All that is required is one more sacrifice – and Varcosian, Avatar of Tauran, is ready to give himself so his Lord can be re-born. After weeks of bloodshed and death, the power of Chaos cannot be undone... Tauran is revealed as soon as any of the Disorder HQ characters (e.g. Lord, Warboss, Commander) reach the Altar objective in the centre of the board. If he is not already dead, remove Varcosian – if he has already been removed as a casualty, remove any other HQ character (but not Charkaradon!). As per Greater Daemon summoning, Tauran may not move, but may shoot and assault the turn of its arrival. The Bull’s Roar: throughout the ages the enemies of Tauran the Great have feared his bellow, a projection of his might and rage that overwhelms and destroys the psyche of all but the strongest willed to stand against him. Tauran has a Shooting Attack which works in the same way as Wind of Chaos, as detailed on page 88 of Codex: Chaos Space Marines. Reformed Essence: Coruscating energy from the Warp flows round the daemon as his re-joined form is revitalised by the carnage unleashed by the war on Xergev. Though at a fraction of the power it once had, as blood is spilled on each side so his power grows... During the game Tauran may regenerate any lost wounds (up to its starting total) each time an HQ character (e.g. Space Marine Commander, Inquisitor, Chaos Lord, Ork Warboss, etc) is removed as a casualty – friend or foe! Living icon: Tauran is worshipped as a god by those who have declared their allegiance to him, or who seek to further his plans. Inspired by the presence of their Master, and surrounded by the power of Chaos, surely they cannot fail... Tauran counts as a Chaos Altar as described on p.71 of Apocalypse: Reload, the rules described there apply to the Greater Daemon i.e. friendly (Disorder) units within 12” add +1 to their invulnerable saves. Rift of re-emergence: as Tauran’s essence reforms, a rent is torn in reality through which pours hordes of the beast’s daemonic minions, enraged at aeons in exile and eager to spill the blood of their Master’s enemies... When Tauran is placed on the board a Warp Rift is placed next to the Greater Daemon, with the same rules as in the Apocalypse Rulebook (p.175), with the exception that all the Lesser Daemons are placed the turn after Tauran’s arrival, and the following additional rule: Warp Energy: the power of the warp lashes from the rift, striking at those who stand against the plans of the Dark Gods... At the beginning of each turn, roll 1D6, and consult the following chart: - 1: Bursting with Power. The Disorder team may place an Apocalyptic Barrage anywhere on the battlefield with the following profile: Apocalyptic Barrage (4), Strength 8, AP3, Pinning. All vehicles are treated as being hit in the side armour. - 2-5: No effect. - 6: Beams of Destruction. The rift makes a shooting attack with the following profile: Range: 72", Strength: D, AP2, Heavy: D6 So Tauran has returned to lead an army of daemonic minions, fanatic cultists, foul mutants, and the remnants of the Legion of Taurus - the Imperial commanders of the Odothese sector had better look out! ;) http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/firestorm40k/Legion%20of%20Taurus/Coc_Complete.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incinerator950 Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Nice, I like new concepts, and even if I'm diehard Nurgle, I like hearing about anything other than the 4, or Malal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drudge Dreadnought Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Very nicely done. I wish i could have played in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argon Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Very nice. Looks amazing! I really like the name you chose ;) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chillin Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I like the concept. I used to have some "beastmen" possessed csm's and beastmen for daemons. Was going to do a DP from a minator but never got arount to it. The beastmen possesssed were done when my converting/modeling skills were relatively simple, don't match the quality of my army now so I scraped them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm40k Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 Nice, I like new concepts, and even if I'm diehard Nurgle, I like hearing about anything other than the 4, or Malal. Thanks, I left enough gaps in the fluff so that the main 4 gods could be incorporated (principally Khorne & Nurgle ) - ultimately, Tauran's not meant to be a rival to The Four, rather he's just a very powerful daemon who is worshipped as a God by his many followers. Very nicely done. I wish i could have played in it. Yeah, it was great fun, loads of carnage! The highlight was when Tauran saw off a marine Character who had only a coupe of turns earlier seen off a Chaos Lord 1 his Terminator retinue! I really like the name you chose :D . Thanks ha, it's not the first Taurus-themed loyalists I've seen on here (there are the Sons of Taurus too): my justification is that the idolatry based on Bulls, or bull's head horns or heads, has always existed in human cultures, and would doubtless exist in the 40k human civilisation. Hence Tauran was able to use it to break through in the real-space in the first place... I like the concept.I used to have some "beastmen" possessed csm's and beastmen for daemons. Was going to do a DP from a minator but never got arount to it. Thanks; I will be making some squads of Mutants for a L&tD Apoc Formation* from Fantasy Chaos Beastmen, and some Minotaur-esque big mutants from Skaven Giant rats ('cos they're cheaper than the metal ones...) It'll be a while before I do those though; but I definitely will do so! * and hopefully an army in their own right, if/when GW eventually sees sense and re-instates the L&tD codex... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
refuse Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I really like the name you chose ;) . Thanks :D ha, it's not the first Taurus-themed loyalists I've seen on here (there are the Sons of Taurus too): my justification is that the idolatry based on Bulls, or bull's head horns or heads, has always existed in human cultures, and would doubtless exist in the 40k human civilisation. Hence Tauran was able to use it to break through in the real-space in the first place... Bull headed Chaos? Hmm I AM THE BULL GOD http://forum.emperorschildren.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/dp2.jpg http://forum.emperorschildren.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_DPfront.jpg http://forum.emperorschildren.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_BlueGrassKeeper.jpg http://forum.emperorschildren.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/ButterKeeper.jpg http://forum.emperorschildren.net/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/normal_RainKeeper.jpg The Older Keeper's of Secrets used the bull headed imagery alot. This was removed with the newer "heroin" keepers of secrets, and lost to the nethers of the warp. Very nicely done, great stuff. Nice theme and well executed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incinerator950 Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I agree, I also just realized the crystals remind me of Tiberium, I don't know why :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firestorm40k Posted July 23, 2009 Author Share Posted July 23, 2009 Bull headed Chaos? Hmm The Older Keeper's of Secrets used the bull headed imagery alot. This was removed with the newer "heroin" keepers of secrets, and lost to the nethers of the warp. Very nicely done, great stuff. Nice theme and well executed. Thanks refuse :) I remember all those old Minotaur-esque Slaaneshi daemons, they were kind of cool - I must afmit that I'm a fan of of the new androgynous take on Slaaneshi daemons too :) I agree, I also just realized the crystals remind me of Tiberium, I don't know why :) :D Well, I must admit I've only a passing knowledge of C&C... although from what I've seen, aren't they green? :D I forgot to add another source of inspiration - the name 'Tauran' is also the name of the alien race in the novel The Forever War by joe Haldeman. It's a fantastic sci-fi novel, if you're in to that sort of thing ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellios Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Anyone remember the old Khorne Daemons that also looked bull like (I think the Bloodthirster still comes with a head that is a bit bull like)... I think I know what Happened.... One Night Khorne got drunk of some very potent blood things happened with Slaanesh and Tauron was the love child from that unholy meeting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incinerator950 Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 The Crystals are Green, blue and rarely purple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gv0zD Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 Anyone remember the old Khorne Daemons that also looked bull like (I think the Bloodthirster still comes with a head that is a bit bull like)... I think I know what Happened.... One Night Khorne got drunk of some very potent blood things happened with Slaanesh and Tauron was the love child from that unholy meeting! :D :D I wonder what was that blood. :no: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuskRaider Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 firestorm, excellent background story! I'm glad to see you could match your awesome models with equally awesome fluff. Keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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