Iron Gauntlet 2011 - March Challenge

[Brother Argent]

IG2011 March Challenge

 

 

Okay so we are into the second Challenge of the IG2011. A dramatically large number of people failed for the Feb Challenge so there will be an additional Redemption Challenge this month. So March's Challenge is as follows:

 

Every Chapter has its great leaders. From Dante to Maernus Calgar to Shrike, every Chapter has outstanding individuals that show to the Imperium both what a Space marine should be as well as the spirit of the Chapter. For March's IG Challenge I want you to show/tell/model this individual. This Individual may be selected from the following list/your Chapters equivilent. (I'm listing these as loyalists as I'm so far the only traitor still going)

- Chapter Master/Big Cheese/Head honcho

- Chief Librarian

- Master of Sanctity

- Chief Apothecary

- Master of the Armoury

- Chapter Ancient/Banner Bearer

- Fleet Commander

- Head Chapter Serf

- Company Captain

 

You are required to complete either:

A) A 1000+words fluff article detailing the charecter (Like the ones in the Codex)

b ) A model of the character

c ) Rules for the character

 

One of these is required on or before the 31st March. It is to be posted in this thread.

Siggies will be provided for: Most Creative entry, Completeing all three parts of the challenge, and a peoples choice award (voted on at the end of the challenge)

 

Note that a March Update is still required in the main thread.

 

Failure to complete this challenge gets you outta the Challenge.

 

REDEMPTION CHALLENGE:

 

For those that failed last months challenge I've decided to be nice and throw in redemption challenge. This means that if you complete this one then you are able to continue on in the challenge.

 

Basically the challenge is as follows: Complete the March challenge TWICE. That is for two diffrent characters of your Chapter from the list. Its quite easy I think and I hope to remove some of those ominous FAIL tags.

 

So to everyone, Good Luck and lets see how we go with this one.

 

 

Oh and to note to people I hope to do the Redemption Challenge for both my Chapters, having officially missed the entry date for the first one.

[Machine God]

Right as Silver Phoenix states, the deadline is before or on the 31st of March. So the deadline is Midnight on 31 Mar 11.

 

Just to be clear.

[Reyner]

Sweet I should have this one done pretty quickly I will not fail!

[Guest Mordray]

Don't forget there are 24 time zones.

[Machine God]

How can I not forget that there are 24 time zones. I'm British, we Invented Time!

[Captain Forcystus]

I proudly declare that I shall attempt all three parts of the challenge yet again!

[Reyner]

I will also attempt all three parts! Not many of us left so we might as well go all out!

[Ace Debonair]

You are required to complete either:

A) A 1000+words fluff article detailing the charecter (Like the ones in the Codex)

b ) A model of the character

c ) Rules for the character

one.

 

Let's just for a moment put forward the wacky idea that at least one of the contenders doesn't own any codexes, but is totally looking to write the 1,000 word article. :D

What sort of content would that theoretical contender have to include in his 1,000 words?

 

How can I not forget that there are 24 time zones. I'm British, we Invented Time!

 

Nice. :D

 

On second thoughts, shouldn't that be "how can I forget" rather than "how can I not forget"? -_-

[Ferrata]

Ace if you want you can forward your ideas and background to me and I'll put some rules together for you. I'm not sure how this complies with the rules <_<

[Reyner]

That could be a bit of a no no but I will say if you are without a Codex then google will give you a hand.

[Captain Forcystus]

This is one of those days where im glad I have a model that I already have painted that I had intended to use for my Chapter Master Now I just gotta make his story

[Madwolf Shadowmane]

I will be deploying before this challenge is finished. Since this is my first non-combat deployment in 14 years I am not withdrawing. I will be sticking to the writing portions of the challenges as I will not have access to my minis. I will be doing option A.

 

Madwolf

[Chapter Master Ignis Domus]

So if we're doing the redemption challenge, does this mean we need to do the challenge three times, as in one for the challenge itself and two for the redempiton, or just twice?

[Captain Forcystus]

I think it's just twice

[elohimalpha]

Ah bummer - this looks like a lot of fun. Looks like I'm late to the party (as usual). Good luck everyone!

[Brother Argent]

Yeah the Redemption challenge means you just do the challenge twice, not three times. And to Aace, Just write 1000words fluff describing the charecter, maybe a little history and just generally who he is and why he is so cool. Thats about all they have and thats about all I need.

[Ace Debonair]

And to Aace, Just write 1000words fluff describing the charecter, maybe a little history and just generally who he is and why he is so cool. Thats about all they have and thats about all I need.

Muhuhahahaha! ;)

 

I mean, OK. I can do that. :D

I just have to settle on who to write about now. :P

[Reyner]

Chapter Master Telac Harmokan

WS

[/th][th]

BS

[/th][th]

S

[/th][th]

T

[/th][th]

W

[/th][th]

I

[/th][th]

A

[/th][th]

Ld

[/th][th]

Sv

[/th][tr][td=10%]

6

[/td][td=10%]

5

[/td][td=10%]

4

[/td][td=10%]

4

[/td][td=10%]

3

[/td][td=10%]

5

[/td][td=10%]

3

[/td][td=10%]

10

[/td][td=10%]

3+

[/td][/tr][tr][/tr]

 

 

 

Points: 210

 

Wargear:

• Terminator Armour

• Thunder Hammer

• Lightning Claw

 

Options:

• May take an Honour Guard Squad as described in the Space Marine Codex.

 

Special Rules:

• And They Shall Know No Fear

• Independent Character

• Eternal Warrior

• Combat Tactics

• Orbital Bombardment

• Weapon Master

 

Weapon Master: Harmokan may split his attacks between his thunder hammer and lightning claw in each player turn.

 

 

Ok so here are the rules for my Chapter Master I'll edit this post when he is painted and I providing I have time I will add the 1000 word fluff behind him!

[Captain Forcystus]

And now without further stalling, my entry

 

Within every Adeptus Astartes brotherhood their are great leaders, masters of combat whose name evokes a sense of awe in those that hear it. They are highly respected warriors among their battle brothers and beings of legend to the parts of the Imperium they fight in. The Lions of Radiance chapter is no exception to this rule, even with the chapter's relative youth it has managed to create it's own heroes whose legacy will be remembered eternally for their achievements. Unsurprisingly, their Chapter Master is one such hero whose name is known through Kalymnos and the rest of the Validus secter: Valoric Forcystus. He has been referred to with different titles over the time of his service as many a great Astartes brother has but none carry more honor than the title of Chapter Master which he had earned during a dark time for the chapter. Like all battle brothers of the chapter his armor itself is a testament to his diligent service to the brother hood with it's trim being filled with inscriptions of his many accomplished battle oaths with more detailed recordings of these events kept within the fortress monastery on Kalymnos.

 

His origins are shrouded in mystery known only to few high ranking Librarians and Chaplains within the chapter. Origins that even he has forgotten, abandoned according to the traditions of the chapter which mandate a battle brother to forsake every facet of his old life and identity. In this way he further embodies the virtues held by the Lions of Radiance, as to him he had no true existence until he was taken by the chapter to be forged into a mighty space marine. He fervent adherence to the traditions was further complimented by his skill in combat, with his eventual rise to the rank of captain of the Chapter's third company. But it was his rise to to the position of chapter master that he would be most known for. Unlike others, his rise to the rank of chapter master was not carried out in the manner traditionally practiced by other chapters. Instead the way it had occured was an emergency measure that would go on to become a time honored tradition to those in the chapter: The Ritual Duels of Succession. The battle of Serreta, a battle that would prove to be a defining moment within the chapter, their previous Chapter Master the great Caulder Forsythe had fallen. With the chapter's youth there was no clear successor to the title and they had no intention of crawling back to their mentor chapter for assistance. It was through these duels that Valoric would go on to prove himself to be the strongest combatant among his battle brothers and by doing so seized the right of leadership of the chapter as well as governing power of the planet of Kalymnos.

 

At first there were some doubts about his leadership, but soon enough he proved himself to be a worthy leader, able to raise the morale of his soldiers much like his predecessor would. For a time he did all he could to emulate the former chapter master but in time he began to carve out his own legacy with his own favored methods and tactics. In battle he has mastered the art of the surprise attack and will often be able to strike at an enemy before they can even advance. More often than not he takes it upon himself to carry the chapter's banner into combat, choosing to mount it on to his back pack in hopes that it's presence will inspire his army in a way similar to how the previous chapter master would inspire the troops with a zealous fervor as well as free their hands for the important duty of wielding weaponry to bring an end to the lives of those that threaten the Imperium of Man. In addition to that he wears a suit of artificier armor known as the Fortification of Radiance, named partially in honor for the chapter it's wearer led. His weapons of choice are of course the bolter and most importantly the Sword of Forsythe, a power sword that was once weilded by the former chapter master that when wielded properly could strike down even the mightiest of foes with a single blow. It is a weapon that has become a treasured relic of the chapter which only the greatest of their battle brothers may lay their hands upon. Finally he often chooses to make use of a Redeemer pattern Land Raider known as the Star of Kalymnos as his personal transport ,and of course for whatever squad he may be with, in battle often charging ahead of his army, causing many a foe to focus on it and forgetting the hail of heavy weapons fire coming from behind it.

 

For his battle brothers his presence on the battlefield is a reassuring symbol of what will be an inevitable victory that shall become one of the many glorious victories recorded in the chapter's archives. within the Validus secter, Kalymnos especially, he is a living legend. To the new recruits of the chapter the initial address that he gives to them will be the highest point of their lives prior to being fully inducted as a brother of the chapter. To the brotherhood and the people of Kalymnos only a few things are held in higher esteem than him: his predecessor which forged the identity of the chapter, the Howling Griffons chapter which trained their first battle brothers the primarch from which they descend who is their link to the greatest figure in human history and the God Emperor of Man from whom the primarch was created. He is the embodiment of what all brothers should strice to be, a great warrior, a fervent servant of the Emperor and an inspiration for future generations of battle brothers.As many will say, to be a Chapter Master is to be a god among men, a fact that Chapter Master Valoric reinforces with every action that he takes on the field of battle.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s15/RiderKnight/aobr-front-1-1.jpg

 

 

Rules and Model:

Chapter Master Valoric Forcystus

 

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s15/RiderKnight/Photo0245.jpg

 

Stats:

WS:6

BS:5

S:4

T:4

W:3

I:5

A:3

Ld:10

Sv:2+

 

Points: 220

 

Wargear:

Fortification of Radiance: A suit of artificier armor crafter for his use, it grants him the Feel No Pain rule.

Blade of Forsythe: A power weapon. The player may choose to instead take one single finishing strike. If it successfully hits it is resolved at Strength 6 and inflicts instant death regardless of toughness.

Chapter Banner: See Codex

Boltgun

 

Special Rules:

And They Shall Know No Fear

Independent Character

Combat Tactics

Orbital Bombardment

[Lord Tybault]

I suppose I amy not enter the model and rules I have done for the February Challenge for this one as well, correct?

[Nickles 138 SUP]

Wait, so we just place the characters on this page?

 

isn't it a bit too crowded with other talk? (such as this)

 

(Edited this extra part)

 

By the Way can we add a character that is kinda like a guardsmen marbo, of the chapter?

 

In other words a single awesome guy that has not been promoted for some reason or other.

[Chapter Master Ignis Domus]

Would the Chapter Champion be a viable option? They do hold more of a leadership position in my chapter, often leading strike forces as a senior sergeant would.

[Brother Argent]

Chapter Champion I will allow, as he tends to take a similar position as the Chapter Ancient. As for a using a previous entry as your entry to this one, no. That would make it to easy. Its called a challenge for a reason.

[exetus]

Ok, I'm a relative newcomer to the B&C Forums (at least as far as posting goes), so please don't hurt me! I wasn't around for the first part of this, so hopefully I can compete in this portion AND the redemption challenge? If so, here is the first of my two entries.

 

Captain Alastor is the Captain of the 4th Company of the Sanguinary Phalanx Chapter, my own DIY Blood Angels successor chapter.

 

[center

WS

BS

S

T

W

I

A

Ld

Sv

6

5

4

4

3

5

3

10

2+

[tr][/tr]

 

Points: 240 Points

 

Unit Composition:

• 1 (Unique)

 

Unit Type:

• Jump Infantry

 

Master of the Lost Company

In an army that includes Captain Alastor, not only is the limit of 0-1 Death Company is removed, but for every Troops selection, you MUST also select a unit of Death Company.

 

Wargear:

• Artificer armor

• Bolt pistol

• The Hand of Woe

• Frag and krak grenades

• Iron Halo

 

The Hand of Woe: The Hand of Woe is an ornate bladed power gauntlet of ancient origin, crafted for the champion of the Blood Angels' Seventh Chapter, given the title of Death's Head and strikes at Strength 6. Successful invulnerable saves taken against wounds caused by the Hand of Woe must be re-rolled.

 

Special Rules:

• Descent of Angels

• Independent Character

• Epitome of Sanguinius

• Unwavering

• Specter of the Lost

• Guided

 

Epitome of Sanguinius: On a player turn in which he assaults, Alastor and all members of any squad he has joined can re-roll failed rolls to hit. Death Company models can also re-roll failed rolls to wound (their proximity to Alastor and their shared vision inciting them to greater fury).

 

Unwavering: So taken by his vision that not even the accompanying librarian can stop him, Alastor cannot be shaken. He and all members of a squad which he has joined are fearless.

 

Specter of the Lost: If Alastor is included in the army, all Blood Angels and successor chapters (friend or foe) that have the Red Thirst special rule will succumb to its effects on a roll of 3 or less, rather than a 1.

 

Guided: Captain Alastor's descent into the Black Rage upon the onset of battle has forced his unaffected command cadre to resort to extreme measures. If Captain Alastor is included in your army, you MUST also include a librarian to help influence his psychic visions and those under his command. If the Librarian is killed during the course of the battle, Alastor and his men immediately succumb to the Red Thirst once the current player's turn ends (own self, ally or opposition)

 

The Lost Company of Captain Alastor

While the name indicates that Captain Alastor and his charges cannot be found, that is not true, for the Phalanx knows exactly where Captain Alastor and the Fourth Company are at any given time. Indeed, it should be noted that no other company within the chapter is watched as much as the Fourth, both for their impressive list of successive victories as for their unique position within the Sanguinary Phalanx. The Fourth has been absent from the Ajax system for nearly four hundred years, pushing deeper and deeper into the unknown regions of the Ultima Segmentum the astropaths aboard the battle barge Angelus Redemptio and is escorts and the occasional resupply vessels their only link back to their battle brothers.

 

It was upon the cursed world of Ivgodrosil that the Fourth earned their title amongst the brothers of the Phalanx and forced the chapter to hide its darkest secret, far from the prying eyes of the Imperium. Known only to the battle brothers of the chapter and their closest allies amongst the various agencies of the Imperium and the Mechanicus, the truth behind the Fourth could very well damn the entire Chapter should it fall into the wrong hands. The Phalanx bears this hidden shame with a stoic resolve and a relentless pursuit of perfection that can be seen in every aspect of their existence and carry with them a deep humility that is rare amongst the Adeptus Astartes.

 

Amongst the Phalanx, there is no living battle brother (save two of the revered ancients interred within the dreadnought sarcophagus) that carries as impressive a tally of victories as Captain Alastor. Amongst the Phalanx there is also no battle brother that has a deeper sense of shame nor as great an air of humility as Captain Alastor, for it was the battle brothers under his command that brought to light a terrible truth.

 

Ivgodrosil was the seventh planet of a prosperous system located to the galactic north of Baal and west of the Ghoul Stars, settled during mankind’s expansion into space during the Dark Age of Technology. With the darkness that came with Old Night, the system was cut off from humanity and left to its own devices, the records of its settlement lost in the archives of history or simply buried so deeply beneath ancient tomes that they cannot be found thousands of years later. Sometime in the latter half of 564.M41, the system was rediscovered by a far-reaching patrol of the Death Spectres and it was quickly discovered that time had not been kind to the system. While the cause is not known, a massive increase in the number of children born with psychic mutation had led to devastation across the entire system. The powers of the untrained minds had run rampant in the hundreds as their emotions fed their psychic talents and caught the attention of the fell intellects lurking within the Warp. Possessions by minor daemons had been but the beginning and as they consumed their hosts, they brought forth their kin, opening the gateway to hell and turning a trickle or warp energy into a raging torrent.

 

Those who could flee, attempted to return via the ancient star charts that had led them to Ivgodrisil and its sister planets, but the foul entities that were consuming the populace were not ready to release their playthings. Sabotage by possessed individuals crippled countless vessels, weakening their Gellar fields, exposing the crews and navigators to the predators of the Warp, dooming the populace to lives of eternal damnation. It was only with the coming of the Emperor that the warp storms abated and, unbeknownst to the people of Ivgodrisil, the vast intellects of the Warp turned their attentions to other regions of the galaxy.

 

By the time the Death Spectres rediscovered the system, Ivgodrisil and its sister planets were engaged in open warfare between the descendants of those who had managed to largely escape the corruption of Chaos on the outer planets and those who fed the daemon cults upon Ivgodrisil and the planets of the inner system. Captain Crixus of the Fifth Company immediately went to the aid of the outer planets, while sending a call for help back to the Death Spectres fortress monastery. For months, the 5th Company cleansed the outer planets, one by one, bringing their populations into the light of the Emperor and assisting with the establishment of ever more effective defense forces, meanwhile fighting off the piratical predations of the Chaos cultists and their daemon masters that inhabited the core planets. Eleven months into the undertaking, nine Imperial Guard regiments and a deputation from the Adeptus Sororitas arrived to assist and the invasion of Ivgodrisil was planned.

 

The fleet established orbit above the planet and easily swept aside the Chaos warships as they were but gunships and light tenders, the remnants of the civilian fleets that had long ago settled the system. Even as they prepared to make landing upon Ivgodrisil, their sensors detected the arrival of a substantial fleet, heralding the arrival of the Sanguinary Phalanx’s 4th Company under the command of Captain Alastor. The request for assistance by their fellow Astartes had not gone unheeded and the relative proximity of the Phalanx battle fleet enabled them to respond in force.

 

Quickly incorporating themselves into the battle plans, the Sanguinary Phalanx and the Death Spectres began a series of surgical strikes aimed at removing the most powerful of the Chaos cults. Even with their daemonic allies, the pawns of Chaos stood little chance against might of two battle companies of the Emperor’s Astartes and the first two surgical strikes were nearly flawless with Imperial Guard regiments following closely in their wake to secure their gains. However, as the two largest covens were eliminated, the organization of the others failed to deteriorate, instead becoming ever more effective. On the third strike against the mountain fortress of the Sycophant of Skalarn, a sudden spike in psychic energy was detected by the psykers of the Imperial forces. The feedback was crippling and the astropathic choirs on three of the vessels were silenced as the protective devices, prayers and wards failed, blasting the minds of those within into oblivion.

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/3144/librarius.jpg

 

As the combined forces of the two chapters breached the defenses of the fortress, an unholy wave of daemons erupted from the gaps. Whirlwinds of claws and flame came forth, cutting down battle brothers and forcing the librarians into desperate attempted to nullify them with their psychic hoods or destroy them with their powers. Even as it seemed the vile beasts of Chaos would gain the upper hand, the Sisters of Battle joined the fight, cleansing the damned with the purity of fire. It was the edge that the space marines needed and they plunged into the depth of the fortress to find a den of horrors awaiting them.

 

In a chamber that defied reality, constantly shifting and impossibly vast, too vast to be contained within the physical limits of the mountain, the entire population of Ivgodrisil was affixed to the walls, their skin flensed from their bodies and their torsos gaping wide. Their organs were arranged in visceral patterns and all fluids drained to the floor creating a sea of blood that came to the knees. Each body had been suffocated by its own entrails and ritually engraved with forbidden sigils that were painful to look at, inducing nausea, even within the Astartes, but even more damning was the fact that each and every face bore a smile. All of this was taken in at a glance for hands rose from the blood to grasp at the space marines and they were beset upon by a gibbering horde of foul warp xenos.

 

It was as Captain Alastor fought side-by-side with Captain Crixus that he suddenly was beset by a rage he could not control. A mocking laugh filled his thoughts and he felt his control slipping away. His blood pounded in his ears and he felt his body tense, even as a surge of immense power flooded into every fiber of his being. The laughter continued unabated and he became more and more incensed, striking out and tearing through the daemonic horde as if possessed, quickly leaving Crixus in his wake as he rampaged through the horde. Visions swam before his eyes and he lost the ability to tell what was real from what was not, daemons mixed with the hated marines of the traitor legions. All about him he slew, his blade stopping only before striking his fellow battle brothers until none stood before him and the sea of blood lay strewn with the innumerable corpses of his enemies and yet still the mocking laughter continued.

 

It was only then that the rage receded and the truth of what had happened lay before his eyes. Even as the warp forms of the daemons dissipated into nothingness, the slaughtered forms of the Death Spectres and the Adeptus Sororitas became more and more visible. He could see the battle brothers under his command shaking their heads as if awakening from a dream and the horror of what the Phalanx had done nearly drove him to madness. He fell to his knees, mired in blood and unleashed a scream filled with the agony of a man who had lost everything that he held dear and still the laughter rang in his ears. At the center of the chamber, atop a throne fashioned from the ribcages of Ivgodrisil’s populace, sat the hulking form of a laughing daemon. Suddenly, every member of the Phalanx that had survived was beside their commander, looking to him for direction in the wake of their slaughter and Alastor knew rage once more. He embraced it this time and felt himself fall into the hate, a wellspring of strength once more surging into his body. He shook as he stood and, with a roar of anger charged the laughing daemon.

 

Even as his rage took control, Alastor knew that this was different and suddenly he was Alastor no more and upon the damned throne was not some casual daemon, but his brother, Horus Lupercal. Even the daemon sought to take back control of the vision it had visited upon the Astartes of the Sanguinary Phalanx, so too did the legacy of their primarch awaken within their geneseed. Daemons sprang into existence as the daemon prince realized that he had lost control of the visions being seen by Alastor and his battle brothers, but Alastor cut through them with the same ease that his primarch had until he had reached the summit of the throne and stood before Horus. With a cry of grief that echoed the despair his gene father had felt upon the Vengeful Spirit Alastor took the fight to the daemon prince. The two were similarly matched in skill, but the daemon prince was stronger and Alastor took repeated hits that would have felled an Astartes were he not gripped with the Black Rage. After a swift feint, the daemon prince slammed his sword into Alastor’s chest, the blade erupting from his back, but Alastor was beyond mere pain and through a fast dimming world as his life force drained away, he returned the favor, driving his lightning claw up into the chest of the daemon prince and taking to the skies on his jump pack, ripping the chest from the warp creature and banishing it to realm of Chaos.

 

With the daemon prince banished, the chamber began to lose stability and the lesser daemons fell swiftly to the fury of the enraged marines and with a sudden shriek of tortured rock and metal, the fortress collapsed in on itself, burying the 4th Company and its commander.

 

The official records of the Battle for Ivgodrisil indicate that Captain Alastor sustained grievous wounds, but was recovered, alive, along with fifty seven battle brothers of the 4th Company. Every member of the Adeptus Sororitas and Death Spectres that were on the mission was killed by the daemon prince Esh’aklaor. The planet was deemed to be too great of a moral threat and, once all Imperial forces were recalled into orbit, a sentence of Exterminatus carried out under the authority of Captain Alastor. Geneseed was recovered and returned to the Death Spectres chapter, although they have declared that they will never again fight alongside the Sanguinary Phalanx. There is a standing query amongst the Ordo Hereticus as to the events that occurred upon Ivgodrisil, but as there are no living witnesses, the incident remains unresolved. All attempts to contact the 4th Company, with the assistance of the Sanguinary Phalanx, have proven to be unsuccessful.

 

The aftermath of the Ivgodrisil Intervention forever haunts the Sanguinary Phalanx as the Black Rage’s sudden manifestation at the hands of Esh’aklaor triggered a psychic backlash felt by the entire chapter and ever increasing numbers of battle brothers are transferred from their companies to the Fourth as “reinforcements.”

 

 

 

 

Now I just have to wait for the bits that I need to arrive so that I can model him appropriately!

[Brother Argent]

Just thought I'd ask here if anyone would have any objections to me switching my Loyalist Chapter to different one. I've hit such a wall with the Exculpators that I have lost all forward momentum entirely. Instead I'm thinking of doing one of their successors (sorta) which, although along vaguely similar lines, was largely inspired by playing DoWII. I even have a chapter lost in the Warp and formi\ng from a lost company. Well, sorta. I want to see if I can pull it off (not liekly).

 

Anyway, unless anyone has objections, I'd like to make the switch to the (working name) Astral Wolves.