Chapter of the Ruined King: A Word Bearers Heresy Blog

[Noctus Cornix]

Firstly, I would like to thank our dear Brother Vazzy for supplying me with a few of his own models so I could begin atleast a small measure of construction for my 30K Word Bearers.

Here's just a minor teaser, nothing special really, just a model that needs to be painted over.

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/WP_000514_zps56b04207.jpg

-Theme-
As with every army, a standing theme is always very important to an army. It adds a very strong sense of connection to keep the army together and adds a vessel for players (and readers) to relate to it. Word Bearers are interestingly enough one of the most lenient Traitor Legions in that aspect because faith is just as varied and diverse as the stars in the void. It really allows people to take their spin and add their own belief systems into the army. So much of the Word Bearers is about philosophy and spirituality that you can really make this army your own and no one else’s.

As a child, I’ve always been fascinated with
ancient medieval knights and feudal kingdoms. I mean, who hasn’t? I loved tails of knights, honour, dragons, and all that wonderful Jazz, and I still adore such things to this day. It may sound strange but because of this fascination with such things, I’ve developed my own code of ethics and strive to follow it. Nothing crazy, just trying to be all I can be. Because of all these things, the theme that I’ve chosen for my army is a dark medieval monarchy theme, more specifically a twisted look on the Arthurian Legends. These Word Bearers are no simple missionaries of the Gods, they are Dark Knights who fight for their faith and their Lord, the Ruined King. May sound a tid bit cliché but ah, this is something that I have always loved and I’m sticking to my guns.

Le Morte d’Arthur was one of my favorite tails growing up (still is) and I assure you that you’ll be seeing a great deal of connection to that in my works. Of course there will be many many other inspirations that I pull from, but this will be my unifying grasp that holds it all together.

-Beginnings-
The
Chapter of the Ruined King began like most of its kin, in the age of unity that was the Great Crusade. By the will of Lorgar, two chapters were born as kin, sister-clans to bear the shield of righteousness and take the fight to the enemy is the most perilous and fiercest of battles. These two chapters would one day come to be Known as the Chapter of the Ruined King and the Quillborn Chapter, chosen by name of their masters and blessed by Lord Aurelian himself. To the Quillborn, deemed by their Chapter Master Ventus, were a Chapter of those warriors born in embryonic tubes who believed themselves born as literal servants of the Word. They took their shield to the void in thick ship-to-ship battles and none stood against their prowess in void combat. The Chapter of the Ruined King however chose a different path. Created under the watchful gaze of the young and newly appointed Chapter Master Allant, the Chapter of the Ruined King was a chapter that prided itself upon the purest of brotherhood and strength in unity. Where the Quillborn took their shields to the void, the Ruined King took their shield to the earth, proud and resolute warriors who excelled in siege warfare that matched the honoured parallel of Dorn’s own Siegebreakers. There the two chapters sailed across the stars in perfect unity, fighting back to back and seizing earth and sky in the name of the Beloved Emperor.

Chapter
Master Allant and his kin sailed the stars upon the Silent Slumber, a marvelous piece of craftsmanship from the docks of Mars itself. Sailing alongside her sister-ship Deadsong, the two ashen gray vessels and their Imperial Army contingent were designated Exploratory Fleet 837. They sailed the stars in search of worthy foes, seeking out the strongest and most fortified worlds to test their mettle against the enemies of the Imperium. Within the spam of but a few decades, both Chapters earned honours and glory within their chapter and the Imperium as among their legion’s finest specialists.

-Allant-
Chapter
Master Allant, a name that would come to be reviled and feared as the ‘Ruined King’ came from a very unlikely background. The young Colchian boy was born into the family of a retired knight that had once been given the honour to guard Lord Aurelian and his covenant. Unlike most knights who took to politics and mercantilism once their role as warriors ended, Allant’s father found joy in a modest life as a florist. This was by no means a job for peasants for among the many plants he took stock to, his father tended to the sacred and beloved Moon Lilies loved by all of Colchis. He enjoyed the modest income and respect he gained but did little else with his life. In his youth, Allant asked his father why he chose such a life when others of his former status took to the sword. His father simply said with the softest of smiles that ‘power means nothing if one is not content with their own life.’

Allant had a childhood like most others. He did as was asked of him and attended the private scholastic tutoring with his friends. Unlike most, he did not flock to hear the broadcasting messages of the ‘Angels in Gray’ but would listen from afar with cold curiosity. He spent most of his time watching his father at work or lay about in the hanging gardens in the heart of the city of stone petals. He was lying in the gardens and watching the clouds roll by when he was blotted in the shade of a great vessel the color of ash. The young boy had been selected by the Angels of the Emperor to become one of them, a chaplain of their legion arriving upon the family doorstep as was their custom. The child bid his crying mothers and sisters goodbye, and hugged his father who offered but one last word of wisdom that would echo for ten thousand years to come. 'Only you may claim your faith, my child. '

Brother Allant rose through the ranks of the Legion as was the fate of many legion heroes, first serving in the Chapter of the Burning hand and rising to the rank of captain before being elevated to the prestigious rank of Chapter Master, youngest of his kind. Despite his excellence in battle, brother Allant found himself distant from his kin. He did not share in their full devotion to Lorgar and could find no solace in the act of prayer. No matter how many times he visited the chaplains for guidance, he could find no connection to their faith.

When he was granted
the rank of Chapter Master, Allant was given the chance to find himself a connection. In the new recruits and grizzled veterans alike, he forged his own interpretation of faith, not through prayer and scripture but through action and honor. Above all, he desired unity, and he forged such a brotherhood in the Chapter of the Ruined King. The warriors of the Chapter turned their devout loyalty to Allant and each other, fighting as fierce and honorable warriors that kept to the rigorous code of ethics adopted by the old knightly orders of Colchis. Fortress after fortress they brought to ruin and cheered like howling Space Wolves when they stood victorious over the conquered walls with Allant at their head. 'Glorious King Allant' they began to coin the term, and they were to be known as his knights.

The Chapter found itself at the very height of glory but all that changed when the 'Truth' came to the Legion.

-The Horus Heresy-
The shame at Khur left a bitter taste in Allant's mouth, as well as that of his chapter. Shameful it was to be brought low by the Emperor, but their shame was a pale shadow compared to that of the rest of the legion. Despite much of Chapter Master Ventus' disapproval, Allant (who was the charge of Epeditionary Fleet 837) had decreed that they would not follow the protocol of Master Lorgar with each conquered world. They would pacify it, ensure that the people are compliant and left with a life that was content, and left. Allant was not one who sat well with forcing faith upon others particularly one he did not truly believe.

When the word of the 'Primodrial Truth' came to the Expeditionary fleet by word of Kor Phaeron, Ventus and the Quillborn were more than willing to accept the new faith, but Allant was not so sure. He attended the meetings of Lorgar's most trusted sons, and remained silent throughout each of them.

When the dropsite massacre came, The Chapter of the Ruined King landed in full mass upon the world of Istvaan and begrudgingly slaughtered their own kin at the will of their Primarch. During the thickest of fighting, the Silent Slumber fell to the guns of the Iron Hand's flag ship and she burnt in the atmosphere before sailing across the bleeding sky in a meteor shower of wreckage. Allant, despite all his rebelliousness and distance from the others of his legion, was among the beloved of Lorgar. Lorgar believed that his son was merely a quiet soul but loyal just as any other. His son was troubled by the killing of his own kin, nothing more. This was a foolish mistake the Primarch would come to regret.

In an effort to 'raise Allants moral' (or more appropriately buy his love), Lorgar gifted the Chapter of the Ruined King the newly finished Abyssal Class King-Ship, The Blessed Lady as a token of apology for their lost vessel and a gift of honor for their deeds on the killing fields of Istvaan.

-The Purge-
Following
the Massacre at Istvaan, Lorgar saw the division in his Legion, those few Terrans amongst the Legions who still held love for the Emperor. With great reluctance, Lorgar convened the first Brotherhood, a group of his closest and most trusted sons. Amongst those sons, he called Allant into the fold, believing that his son was utterly devoted to him. When the truth was laid down by Aurelian's lips, that the Terrans must be purged from the Legion, each and every officer in attendance voiced their approval.... All save one.

'No' was the only word the uttered from Chapter Master Allant's lips. The entire Brotherhood was dumbstruck with disbelief, most of all Lorgar himself. Without another word, Allant rose from his seat and left the chamber. Soon after, he was called in to Lorgar's personal chambers upon the Fidelitas Lex. The Primarch was not angry, though he was deeply upset. With the infinate patience born of an Emperor's son, Lorgar tried to reason with his son and desk understanding in Allant's refusal. But Allant would hear none of it. He claimed that Lorgar may do whatever he wished to the legion, but he would not lay a finger upon a single one of Allant's men, Terran or not.

Lorgar, with reluctant, pulled rank on Allant, claiming that he can strip Allant of his rank and kill the Marines himself... But the commander of the Ruined King simply raised up a gauntleted hand and soon enough the com-links burst with life that the Blessed Lady's vast armament was powering up... With every single battery and lance aimed upon the Fidelitas Lex. Without hint of anger or rage, Lorgar conceeded to the point but simply asked the question of 'why?' he did not understand why the commander would slaughter on Istvaan and yet refuse to do what was necessary within their own Legion. Allant merely turned and said.

"You have my love and my loyalty, Father, but you will not have my soul.... I will not stain it for you as Argel Tal did..."

In
the end, it was found out that there were no more than 6 Marines within the Chapter that still bore origins in Terra, yet still the Commander was willing to kill himself and his father for those men. This act further solidified the Chapter's utter loyalty in Allant, but further ostracized them from there kin.... And defacing Allant as an ungrateful bastard of a son....

[GhostMalone]

Brother you got my attention now :D lets see the ruined king

[Tyrannicide]

Will they be grey? 

[Captain Semper]

*please make it be grey, please*

[Noctus Cornix]

I've honestly been thinking about that. I certainly don't want to do a full red as I feel that's something reserved for those more fully enveloped in Lorgar's vision. So, what I've been thinking is a dark ashen grey with crimson inset on the shoulder pads.

 

Would love to hear some ideas from my Brothers though.

[GhostMalone]

I personally feel a deep crimson or super dark red for pauldrons one side with the chapter sigil and small transfers from the FW decals denoting tactical heavy assualt etc in the left hand corner of the ruined king chapter pauldrons and small decal squad number on the same pauldron in the right hand side

[Marshal Rohr]

I'm a fan of the post-Isstvan deep crimson, silver trims, and black shoulder pads like the FW posters. But that's just me.

[Hyaenidae]

Will they be grey?

*please make it be grey, please*

Seriously. Grey is the new crimson. I mean, how may heathens to I have to sacrifice to get a Word Bearer player to paint grey?

Wait. Poor choice of words.

[Noctus Cornix]

Will they be grey?

>*please make it be grey, please*

Seriously. Grey is the new crimson. I mean, how may heathens to I have to sacrifice to get a Word Bearer player to paint grey?

Wait. Poor choice of words.

*unsheathes his sacrificial blade*

Very poor choice.

[Tyrannicide]

Yep. Grey with choice bits in crimson is the way to go if you ask me, er... most of us. :D

[Kol Saresk]

I'm a fan of the post-Isstvan deep crimson, silver trims, and black shoulder pads like the FW posters. But that's just me.

I actually think those are going to end up being the Gal Vorbak's colors rather than the post-Massacre colors. Although that is speculation.

 

Hmm. However. If Noctus is willing. Maybe take the grey shown above, keep it on the chest and arms. Make the helmets and right/left shoulderpads red. And the knees down black. With silver trim standard, bronze/gold trim officers. And keep whatever shoulderpad isn't red thevsame grey with the Legion symbol. Or the Chapter symbol.

[Captain Semper]

Just out of curiosity, what size of force are you planning here?

 

Also, I believe Massacre will be covering early heresy WBs so maybe there will be more inspiration there in a month's time (or so).

[Noctus Cornix]

Not really sure as for size, just whenever I feel like stopping I suppose. (That's how it tends to be for most of my armies) Hope to maybe end at about 2,000 or maybe 3,000 minimum.

 

 

Yes, I am eagerly awaiting Massacre's release, hence why I have virtually stayed my hand from purchasing any real HH models... For now.

[Vazzy]

Pleasure to be of Service my friend. The Hammers enjoyed the battle today. Also, I like Gray personally. IF you choose to keep the gray that was on my sharks, I'll shoot you the recipe. 

[Hyaenidae]

Dibs on a grey Lucan, the Terran Knight of Sorrow.

[Greyall]

Will be watching, mate. And drawing, as soon as I can.

 

Grey is definitely more in line with your Chapter's 'independent' streak. Maybe a few crimson armour sections or a few squads who, while thankful to the Ruined King, sympathize with Lorgar's vision for the Legion.

[Noctus Cornix]

Much appreciated, Greyall.

[Wade Garrett]

The background fluff seems just a bit over the top, with Allant being charismatic enough to get an entire kingship crew to target their own Primarch's vessel and Lorgar just kind of being "meh".

 

Especially considering the whole point of the Purges was to remove all elements not loyal to the Legion's new vision. But Allant defies orders, points weapons at Aurelian, and the fallout for that is...nothing?

[Noctus Cornix]

I'm fine with being a bit over the top.

 

At that point in time, Lorgar still hasn't really grown too much of a backbone to really do much of anything. That, and despite this single act, Allant is loyal to his Primarch to the very core. So while Lorgar doesn't personally raise a hand to do anything, those amongst the legion certainly will. So yes, there is a backlash for his action, I just haven't gotten to writing it yet.

[Kol Saresk]

Well if Erebus and Kor Phaeron can get enough Word Bearers to be so compromised by their hatred of the Ultramarines that Lorgar is willing to use them as one big, giant, massive, suicide fleet, and is also willing to let one Chapter take an entire kingship to die at Macragge, what's the crew of a kingship compared to that?

[Noctus Cornix]

I think I fail to see what you're getting at, Kol.

[Kol Saresk]

Basically, if so many Word Bearers can choose to not follow Lorgar's will and be so obvious about it that Lorgar has no problem sending them to their deaths, it doesn't seem so over the top that one Chapter is willing to say "We will do what you command except for this one thing." And because its just the one, minor thing and Lorgar probably didn't even order the Brotherhood's purge, he won't mind it as much. Heck, technically those at Calth and Macragge were "loyal", just more willing to be blinded by hate and greed rather than use their heads.

[Noctus Cornix]

Another small update. Nothing special, just my first sergeant and another marine. Once again, the paint scheme is not mine. Will strip and paint over it when I get the chance.

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/WP_000512_zpsaebfccb9.jpg

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/WP_000513_zps38593cc4.jpg

 

http://i915.photobucket.com/albums/ac352/Noctus-Cornix/WP_000515_zpseba1cbd4.jpg

 

Enjoy.

[GhostMalone]

I love it brother, we need some background between king allant and the XIVth WE :)