Some Nurgle related background text...

[firestorm40k]

Well, my Brethren, the call of the Plague Father has now become to great to resist.  Because I recently built and painted over 100 Zombies (!), and because I really enjoy converting and Painting Plague Marines, I am making a Nurgle based CSM army with Nurgle Daemon allies.  Because I can't start a new army without over-thinking the background, I've written a short piece to establish the theme and feel.

 

I'm putting it on here as I'd be interested in hearing the thoughts of fellow devotees of the Plaguefather as to my take on the background.  Obviously, I'm not going to make illogical or irreverent leaps, but I think there are elements of Nurgle which I feel aren't explored enough by GW's writers and developers.

 

Anyway, here's the piece, which I've called 'The Hymn to the Seven':

 

 

Although the rotten slough of flesh which covered his skull was unable to show it, inwardly the Sorceror was smiling. A song of joy filled the blackened and diseased organ which barely functioned as his heart, a song which was borne from the Incantations of the Seven which filled his ears. On the barren and irradiated waste ground which stretched ahead of him, in between skeletal ruins of once mighty Imperial structures, there stood seven of his most loyal, trusted and devout Acolytes. Their suppurating, infected eyes were tightly shut and they gently swayed as they intoned the spell, calling upon the Blessed Seven of the Plague Father to bestow His boon upon this world.

When they had made planetfall on to the lifeless southern-most continent, deep inside his breast the Sorceror felt many lamentations that, until now, this world had yet to feel the touch of Papa Nurgle. So many mortal souls, their bodies and mind filthy with health and optimism! Certainly this planet had borne the wounds of war, with almost a third of its land-mass rendered uninhabitable to human life through atomic cleansing. Though there were the few that survived in this place who would, no doubt, in their irradiated and diseased bodies welcome the embrace of the Plaguefather, the majority that inhabited the rest of the planet were unenlightened by disease, decay, and the acceptance of the inevitable decline of all things.

The dreary, monotonous droning of the Acolytes, repeating their exhortations to the Seven, caused the Sorceror's joy to swell again, as he considered the enlightenment which Father Nurgle would soon be spreading across the rest of this world. As the incantations continued he could feel the very ground beneath his feet begin to bristle and writhe, as the power of the spell began to permeate the crust of the planet. Around him maggots with the visage of daemons and tiny impish Nurglings began to claw their way from the parched earth, and the air began to fill the buzzing of flies. And as though they could sense the release of Nurgle was at hand, the barely human remnants that eked out an existence in the wastes, their bodies riddled with radiation-borne disease and mutation, crawled on clawed along the ground towards the site of the ritual. The Sorceror could tell they had felt the calling of Nurgle, and were now ready to pledge their souls to Him, as their mortal flesh was about to expire. The joy in him swelled again as he considered for a moment that their service to Nurgle would continue after their demise, their bodies host to the blessing which would soon spread its way throughout the populace, like the slow and lingering decay brought by a beautiful fungus across ripe fruit.

This blessing would only be possible through the ritual, bringing the attentions of the Blessed Seven upon this world:

Decay, whose touch of rot and blight brings about the end of the natural order;
Disease, who renders mortal flesh subject to the blessings of the Plaguefather;
Despair, who reminds all mortals of the futility of their existence;
Denial, who turns mortals' hearts to blind them from their path to decline and demise;
Dissolution, whose blessings blight the collective hearts and minds of mortals against unity and hope;
Dementia, whose poxes unravel the memories and minds of mortals;
and Decline, who turns mortals hearts in order that civilisations and institutions themselves succumb to collapse and decay.

After hours of repeating the incantations of the spell, the Sorceror's acolytes were nearing the end of their ritual. Solemnly they repeated the same two words again and again, two words in the human tongue of High Gothic:

"Nex... Encrebesco... Nex... Encrebesco... Nex... Encrebesco... Nex... Encrebesco... Nex... Encrebesco... Nex... Encrebesco... Nex... Encrebesco..."

With these two words circling in his head, Lord Pourrant, Sorceror of Nurgle, began his march upon the inhabited continents to the north. Behind him came his troop of Plague Marines, those like him who had once served a false emperor, but who had embraced the truth and love of the Plaguefather. Their number began to swell as the lifeless bodies of those killed by the radiation began to raise to their feet, taking shambolic, shuffling footsteps as they marched with their new masters. And the air rippled around them all as wound-like tears began to form out of nowhere, from which the bloated forms of Plaguebearers began emerge.

With this host at his command, Lord Pourrant would see the touch of Nurgle bestowed upon this world. Its mortal inhabitants would embrace the God of Decay, whether they chose to or not. Soon all would know the truth of those words repeating in his head as he took each slow, inevitable footstep North-wards:

"Nex Encrebesco...

"Death Prevails."

 

 

So, thoughts/criticism welcome.  What I'm aiming to emphasise is the fact that there is a joyful side to Nurgle, and a (admittedly warped) sense of compassion.  Although the likes of Typhus and other Death Guard veterans are likely mostly motivated by hatred of the Imperium, I liked the idea of a character who seeks to share the blessings of Nurgle so that all may be welcomed in the  Plaguefather's embrace...  I also wanted to allude to there being 'honoured' or favoured daemons amongst Nurgle's cohorts, Heralds or Great Unclean Ones, that each have a specific role in spreading the works of Nurgle in the reality of mortals.  I can remember something alluding to similar Daemons of Tzeentch (I can't remember where) and I thought a 'Sacred Seven' powerful daemons of Nurgle would be a cool idea.

 

Thanks for looking!

[corlinjewell]

This is awesome!  Fits perfectly with Nurgle's theme and is incredibly well-thought out and realized.  I like the fact that you don't try to change conventions at all (I feel a lot of DIYs around here try to go a little too far from canon).  Hope to see pictures

[firestorm40k]

Thanks very much! :)  I don't like to go against established background, but I do think it's worth exploring the parts which are often suggested but never properly explored.

 

As for pics, well here are some of my 100+(!) Plague Zombies (although my finished army will actually 'only' use 84):

 

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/firestorm40k/Project%20Z/P1090031.jpg

 

And some Plague Marines from my Legion of Taurus - the new ones I'm planning on painting will be in a similar vein, but I'm going to add some orange highlights to the rust to make it 'pop':

 

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c274/firestorm40k/Legion%20of%20Taurus/Plague_Marines_Dec_2011.jpg

 

When I start painting these I'll make a separate log for them.

[TheDevourer]

Your background is very well written and thought out. I agree with the compassionate side of nurgle and also found it very intriguing.  At last some background that sticks to the fluff given and doesn´t go absolutely crazy :P.

 

Also happy to find another zombie player for this forum.Will be awaiting your painting log.

 

I like the paint job on those plague marines and I agree that some orange will make them even more awesome.

 

Nex encrebesco indeed.

[NoLifeKing]

Marvelously done brother! I personally enjoyed reading your text, as im always thirsty for nurgle themed literacy.
Do you have any plans to continue the story? i would love to read some more of this!

[firestorm40k]

Thanks very much, I'm glad you liked it! :)

 

To be honest, the only way I'd carry this on would be if I was to write it as a Novel.  I had an idea for a story which would involve the Zombie Plague spreading across a world, and the narrative would be split between a group of survivors holed up in a bunker, besieged by the hordes of Zombies and Nurgle; and from the perspective of Lord Pourrant as he spreads the Plague, and would include the Seven Daemons of Nurgle I refer to in my stories.  The bunker-set bits would be in the vein of classic, claustrophobic '80's horrors, like Day of the Dead, The Thing, Aliens - it wouldn't be a straight-forward Bolter-porn 40k war novel.

 

Sadly, I don't work for the BL, so I doubt I'll ever get to write it all...  I can still make and paint up the army though! :D

[disease]

Very well done, I can't believe I haven't seen this until now. I definitely think there is overlap between our forces. If you haven't already, I would suggest making an army log in the WIP section. Unfortunately, legio morbidus rarely has visitors these days.

[Chaeron]

Yeah, it's why I moved my thread - just because I'd hoped for some wider critique... shame. Us loyal few.

[firestorm40k]

Thanks very much disease - I intend to start a log (already have a lot of stuff built and awaiting the commencement of painting!), just had a lot of other stuff to do. But now that CoC VI has finished... ;) :D