World Eaters on Istvaan III

[Dz'arkoth]

Hey guys. I've had an instense attraction to pre-heresy World Eaters since i started 40k and I've been thinking of making a Terran/loyalist World Eaters army using the BA codex based around the survivors of the Istvann III nuking. But I'm having a bit of difficulty planning the army according to the fluff.

 

From what i've read in the HH books it seems that the only World Eater commander on Istvaan III was Ehrlen Gak. Ehrlen is a cool character and all but i know very little about him. Furthermore, him and most of his World Eaters enjoy only a small part of the limelight before being annihilated by Angron.

 

So what i want to know is this:

1. Was Ehrlen the ONLY Loyalist World Eater captain? Could there have been others?

2. Was he a Terran?

3. Would a Terran be more likely to be a thorn in Angron's side?

4. Was Ehrlen's World Eaters the only ones on Istvaan? Were there other contingents elsewhere? Or were all of them slaughtered by Angron?

5. Were World Eaters present in the guerilla campaigns of the Luna Wolves, Emperors Children, and Death Guard in Choral City?

 

I want this army to be gritty, battered, and exhausted looking with lots of scars and grime and dead Emperor's Children. I care less about gaming effectiveness and more about how it fits within the Istvaan III events.

 

Following along the idea that Horus and Angron etc. sent loyalist elements of their legions to Istvaan III i figure that the World Eaters sent down would most likely be comprised of or commanded by a Terran who would be more likely to have not have had the cortical implants installed and more inclined to be loyal to the old ideals of the Great Crusade and the Emperor.

I say this because it seems more plausible that Angron would try to get rid of those elements that would have either been Terran born and more associated with the old order of the Legion (and less inclined to have had the implants) or those that had refused surgery somehow, adverse to the idea of what the legion has become. I like the idea of a more moderate and noble version of World Eater and i think Captains like Ehrlen and Skrall (from Battle for the Abyss) fit the bill.

 

Here's my initial list:

Ehrlen Gak (or suitable WE captain) using Gabriel Seth, accompanied by a Death Company squad in a heavy bolter Razorback

Reclusiarch

2 Furioso Dreadnoughts

2 Assault Squads or Death Company squads (both understrength, perhaps with jump packs in SoH, DG, or EC colours)

1 Devastator Squad

 

So, on to justifying this list. Use of the BA codex is obvious. Using Seths profile makes sense because it fits a WE captain quite well. Death Company rules represent the defenders state of mind - never faltering and fighting to the end. I'm aware that if i go all out DC game wise i won't be able to capture objectives but there's something liberating in not having to ;)

Also, as mentioned in Galaxy in Flames, the Emperor's children sent down their dreadnought Rylanor, who i assume was a Terran being master of the rites. So why wouldn't Angron send down some dreadnoughts on his own that could have been Terrans? Similarly, the book also mentions the presece of heavy weapons squads defending against Angron's Thunderhawks, do that justifies the Devastators. The prescence of a chaplain fits in with my discussion above - that a chaplain would be more tied to the Imperial values and harder to convert - so down to Istvaan he goes! (i vaguely remember reading that the traitor legions murdered their chaplains as they could not be turned).

 

I really want this army to have that tragic feel to it, having been caught up in events beyond their control, betrayed by their primarch and fighting for the honour of their old Legion. I want to instill the feel you get when reading about the last stand of the Istvaan III survivors (or when the Jedi are killed in Revenge of the Sith) rather than just going to old road of portraying the WE as beserk madmen.

 

Hopefully my ideas will generate some discussion. Any ideas of criticisms of my own ideas would be highly valued! :)

[Starblayde]

First, my answers (such as they are) to your questions:

 

 

1. Was Ehrlen the ONLY Loyalist World Eater captain? Could there have been others?

This we don't know - with the high number of chapters/companies and captains in the old Legions, not every captain was a rebel.

 

2. Was he a Terran?

*shrugs*

 

3. Would a Terran be more likely to be a thorn in Angron's side?

A Garro's personality demonstrates, being a Terran gives them a link to the Emperor and Humanity beyond the chapter itself, a greater sense of history andgalactic perspective. Astartes from the Primarch's homeworld or recruited since the Primarch was found are more in tune with their Primarch and could see the Terran-born Astartes as old, arrogant stuffy and clinging to a planet with a high reputation rather than embracing their Legion's own history.

 

4. Was Ehrlen's World Eaters the only ones on Istvaan? Were there other contingents elsewhere? Or were all of them slaughtered by Angron?

Companies/Chapters (whatever the WE used to denote Captain-sized formations in the Legion) thought to be Loyalists would have been sent down to die, so arguably all of the Loyalists in the traitor Legions would have been killed before Istvaan V.

 

5. Were World Eaters present in the guerilla campaigns of the Luna Wolves, Emperors Children, and Death Guard in Choral City?

Certainly, as they were commanded, by Ehrlen, to retreat to cover when the virus bombing began. Some would have survived to fight on.

 

Anways.

 

Overall, I think you're probably placing too high a value on 'Terrans are good guys!'. Also in your use of the Razorback - which was lost during the Age of Strife and not found again until 6 thousand years after the Heresy - is out of place, too. Overall though it's a nice idea:

 

I really want this army to have that tragic feel to it, having been caught up in events beyond their control, betrayed by their primarch and fighting for the honour of their old Legion. I want to instill the feel you get when reading about the last stand of the Istvaan III survivors (or when the Jedi are killed in Revenge of the Sith) rather than just going to old road of portraying the WE as beserk madmen.

The Skrall character in Battle for the Abyss summed that type of WE up for me perfectly, channeling the near-uncontrollable rage into the perfect killing weapon. Sounds like a great theme army, good luck!

[Kizzdougs]

Great ideas.

I think most of the World Eaters were slaughtered by Angron when he launched his attack after the virus bombing. I know Erhlen was killed by Angron and all the loyalist WE with him died.

The awesome thing is that Horus divided the loyalist forces durring the initial drop. So its almost certain that not every loyal WE was pressent at Angron's counter attack. I think Tarvits wasn't able to contact the WE on the loyalist com-service before the bombing, thats why he delivered the warning personally.

Your theories concerning the Terrans, chaplains and dreadnaughts seems sound. The dreads might be better off with more standard configurations considering they are most likely all Terran veterans and none would have the brain implants.

[Dz'arkoth]

Hey thanks for the musings guys.

 

I was having a look through the HH artbooks and from what i've read there were a few hundred marines on Istvaan when the virus bombs hit and that around 2/3 of them survived. It also says a bit later on that Saul Tarvitz becomes that highest ranking officer leading the remnants of the EC, DG, AND the World Eaters. So looks like there were still some later on. I might just make up a lower ranking captain that was under command of Ehrlen who was deployed at a different drop site and who rendezvoused with Tarvitz later.

 

Fluffwise it's starting to look like this army CAN take place :)

 

I forgot that the Razorback was discovered later. I was kinda hoping that a tank like that would have looked cool in a force like mine. Might use a predator instead then.

 

Starblayde: with the whole Terra fixation, i was really looking to make my leader and perhaps the dreadnoughts Terran as i'd think that Angron would have had the most motive for dumping them. Any other troops attached to their companies would be necessary casualties. I'd imagine there'd be a healty mix of Terran and non-Terran WEs amongst the squads and that all of them would be suitably miffed at being betrayed.

 

kizzdougs: By standard configs do you mean like just normal dreads with lascannon/assault cannons instead of furiosos? I've built one of the new venerable dreads up with a frag cannon and magna grapple that looks pretty awesome and looks like it would suit the WE temperment quite well.

 

but thanks guys, you've helped heaps

 

If anyone else has some ideas, please share them!

[Brother Aiwass]

Double post. Delete please.

[Brother Aiwass]

Here's my initial list:

Ehrlen Gak (or suitable WE captain) using Gabriel Seth, accompanied by a Death Company squad in a heavy bolter Razorback

Reclusiarch

2 Furioso Dreadnoughts

2 Assault Squads or Death Company squads (both understrength, perhaps with jump packs in SoH, DG, or EC colours)

1 Devastator Squad

 

Well, if I can help in something, Reclusiarchs are not very common yet, maybe only in the Word Bearers Legio as well as Razors as stated by Starblayde don't fit with the era.

 

I want to instill the feel you get when reading about the last stand of the Istvaan III survivors (or when the Jedi are killed in Revenge of the Sith) rather than just going to old road of portraying the WE as beserk madmen.

Death Company rules represent the defenders state of mind - never faltering and fighting to the end. I'm aware that if i go all out DC game wise i won't be able to capture objectives but there's something liberating in not having to ^_^

 

Then you better with not to use the DC (is very tempting to use the DC, I know), because the Rage USR and FNP. DC are more berserk than a khorne berzerker, besides you can only use 0-1 squad if you're not taking Astorath.

 

Although there was little chaplains, it had many apothecaries. With this (sang priest) you got FC & FNP.

 

For Seth/Ehrlen guard I think is better take Honor Guard with a champion and CC oriented and comes with free priest (novitiate). BTW storm bolters have not yet been developed nor assault cannons or Land Raider Crusader. Metaguns are relatively common but not multimeltas.

 

Assault terminators would be good (a small squad with 0-1 TH/SS) with a pair of power axes each (count as 2 lightning claws) game and modelling wise.

 

Hope it helps :)

 

EDIT: Predators are ok, but only AC predator, the TL-LASC was discovered during the Heresy IIRC.

[The emperors chosen]

In answer to your question about did the World Eater's help out the other loyalists, they did

"Sons of Horus,Emperor's Children, and even a few lost looking World Eaters"-page 404, Galaxy in Flames

we only really know that the death guard were probably all killed before the final attack.

I would recommend that you use the forgeworld red scorpions pack to convert your force, as it has a lot of older marks or armor, as well as the Black Templar box

[Legionator]

1. Was Ehrlen the ONLY Loyalist World Eater captain? Could there have been others?

 

There was also Varren, a loyalist World Eater captain.

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

i want to remind you that ahriman of the thousand sons was a terran was well.

 

WLK

[Hobo Willie]

As was Khârn. Although never stated, he was a Captain in the World Eaters prior to the Emperor finding Angron, and all Astartes came from Terra until the Primarchs and their homeworlds were found. I don't think being a Terran has any more weight towards being a loyalist than a traitor.

[Lord Lorne Walkier]

1. Was Ehrlen the ONLY Loyalist World Eater captain? Could there have been others?

 

There was also Varren, a loyalist World Eater captain.

 

Yes, Brother-Captain Varren is the only other named loyalest World Eater Captain. He is on my list of the 8 Astartes taken before the Emperor before he was placed in the Golden Throne.

[Jim Shady]

Where is Varren mentioned in any of the books again? It's been bugging me. I know he's in the audiobook Legion of One...

[Lord Lorne Walkier]

Where is Varren mentioned in any of the books again? It's been bugging me. I know he's in the audiobook Legion of One...

 

Varren i believe was named first in a side bar of Space Marine, the old Large scale battle game compatible with Adeptus Titanicus. I do not own the story but in it he is named along with Tarvitz and Garro. It was when the HH was first released. I wish some one with the story would quote it.

 

The first time we hear about him in the new HH series is the Audio Garro: Legion of one.

[Codicier Lucion]

1. Was Ehrlen the ONLY Loyalist World Eater captain? Could there have been others?

 

There was also Varren, a loyalist World Eater captain.

 

Yes, Brother-Captain Varren is the only other named loyalest World Eater Captain. He is on my list of the 8 Astartes taken before the Emperor before he was placed in the Golden Throne.

 

Actually there was another. The Argus Brond was another who i've seen mentioned a few times before.

 

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd245/Wilsk/argusbrond.jpg

 

EDIT: Correcting error.

[Sgt.Sangha]

were not all the world eaters terran? I mean Angron didnt get to pull in any of the soldiers from his home planet if i recall, unless if they recruited from other imperial planets as well...

[blamb]

There would have been other worlds they came from, though likely none from his homeworld (Angron didn't like the place i recall)

 

According to Lexicanum Skrall (though dead) was a brother-captain, I'm not sure on loyalist ranks or how acurate this is.

[facmanpob]

Khârn was 8th Company Captain iirc prior to Angron's "rescue" by the Emperor, and became First Captain by default as he was the most senior War Hound alive after Angron killed the rest (from the short story After Desh'ea). I don't recall if it mentions him as being a Terran, but as one of the most senior War Hounds, who was around in the earliest parts of the Crusade it would make sense that he was.

[Paradill]

I'd say it's fifty, fifty whether or not Khârn was Terran. He was new to the legion when Perterabo was found, which was quite early on, but that isn't to say he was definitely Terran. Surely it makes more sense for legions to recruit from various worlds that have been brought into the Imperium? This does seem to be the case with the Space Wolf Lord in the short story "Wolf at the Door" when he muses on the world he is liberating becoming an Astartes recruitment world due to the sturdy warriors found there.

 

Especially with Angron not assuming lordship over his adoptive homeworld, it makes sense to have several recruiting worlds for the WE both before and after their primarchs' discovery. Whether or not he was Terran, or indeed if any marine was Terran, has no bearing on said marines loyalty. That comes down to the individuals ideals, thoughts and experiences.

 

Paradill