Slaves of Be'lakor - The Shadowborne

[Khornestar]

This thread is for my musings on my homebrew Chaos Space Marines legion, the Shadowborne. This is a legion in the sense that it is a large, mostly unified, cohesive force; not a Legiones Astartes legion.

 

I plan to generally showcase works in progress, write blurbs of fluff, ask for feedback, and who knows what else.

 

Here is a copy + paste from a separate thread where I started to develop their background. Please keep in mind this is a very rough draft of their background lore, and hopefully I will be able to improve it in the future:

 

Legion/Army Name: The Shadowborne

 

 

What Chaos God does your chapter follow?

The Shadowborne is the personal legion/army of Be'lakor, the Dark Master. As such, it's a legion of Chaos Undivided. There are elements of all four gods of the pantheon in the army, such as cult troops and marked individuals, but they are relatively rare - the vast majority of Shadowborne are unmarked/undivided.

Are they a descendant chapter from a former legion?

No. There are numerous members of former legions within the Shadowborne, but they did not form the army. By numbers, there are more former members of the Alpha Legion and Night Lords than other legions.

Is this army one Chapter that has turned to Chaos or several Chapters that have joined together?

Several. The “founding” chapter of the Shadowborne was known as the Dragonslayers, originally created during the “Cursed 21^st Founding” in the 36^th millennium from a geneseed created by Adeptus Mechanicus Genetors for the ill-fated project “Homo sapiens novus.” For over three millennia the chapter served the Emperor ably and loyally, with no overt mutations caused by their gene seed.

 

 

However, the Dragonslayers had some questionable characteristics which eventually played a part in their downfall. First, despite their training, philosophy, and compliance as Astartes, members of the chapter were especially vainglorious. This attribute of the Dragonslayers was apparent in their desire to hunt down and kill the most powerful members of an opposing force by any means necessary. Over time, this desire became stronger, to the point that older members of the chapter in leadership positions would place their brothers at risk during battle in their pursuit of personal glory. Of interesting note is the tendency for the younger or lower-ranked members of the chapter to assist their superiors by means such as forming a ring around a captain while he engaged an enemy champion in a duel, for example. The accomplishments of individual squads and companies in the shadow of their leaders became more important than the cohesion of the chapter as a whole. The quest for glory involved another of the chapter’s dubious qualities.

 

 

While many other Astartes chapters keep their distance from any knowledge or practices of the dark arts, the Dragonslayers held no such reservations. Their desire to find and destroy powerful foes drove the chapter to make forays into the Eye of Terror to confront increasingly powerful daemons. These expeditions were rarely reported to the Imperium. These missions brought the Dragonslayers to a number of strange, ethereal worlds which not only presented them with worthy adversaries, but powerful arcane knowledge and artifacts. Discoveries on these worlds allowed the chapter’s librarians to amplify their psychic powers, specifically in the discipline of telepathy and eventually even proceeded to experimentation in the forbidden lore of daemonology. It wasn’t long before these gifts from the warp began to subvert their loyalty to the Emperor. The chief librarians of the chapter were consumed by a desire to acquire greater abilities, going so far as to learn daemon tongues and chanting from spellbooks penned by nonhuman hands. Summoning and binding daemons to weapons became a very effective means of slaying daemonic foes.

 

 

The librarians had become more like sorcerers by this time, and casualties from repeated missions into the Eye began to seriously diminish the numbers of the chapter. As a result, they began withholding geneseed tithes, and this had the predictable effect of drawing the suspicions of the Imperial bureaucracy. An envoy sent to investigate the chapter returned to their superiors with sparkling reports of their observations, citing no wrongdoing by the Dragonslayers. The geneseed withholdings were explained by warp storms supported by falsified data. Naturally, the powerful psykers of the chapter were using their enhanced telepathic powers to bend the minds of Imperial officials and messengers to their will. They knew it was only a matter of time before the Inquisition intervened, so they used up the entirety of their geneseed stock to promote new Astartes and prepared to move as much materiel and manpower as possible into the warp to establish a new homeworld within.

 

 

After a third request for compliance with an Inquisitorial audit was unanswered by the Dragonslayers, the Inquisition dispatched inquisitor Boris Eichmann to investigate the matter. Mind control wasn’t an option, so chapter master Tigran Ohanui welcomed the inquisitor to the Dragonslayers’ homeworld of Qalaba'r IX with plans for an ambush. Although the chapter’s presence on their homeworld was curiously sparse, Eichmann had his navigators guide their ship into low orbit to make contact with Ohanui. A psyker in the inquisitor’s retinue picked up on the telepathic chatter among the Dragonslayers’ psykers - which included the chapter master, formerly unbeknownst to the Imperium – and they narrowly avoided the planetside ambush. The inquisitor ordered his crew to turn the ship around and flee, but they were intercepted and captured by Dragonslayers voidcraft orbiting the planet. It wasn’t without difficulty or casualties, but the entire Inquisitorial detachment was executed.

 

 

With haste, the remainder of the Dragonslayers forces on Qalaba'r IX abandoned the planet in order to rendezvous with the bulk of the chapter’s fleet. They knew it wouldn’t be long before loyalist forces put the pieces together and hunted them down. As is often the way with renegade chapters, they fled into the Eye of Terror. Though they had made a number of expeditions into the warp, this time they sought a new home and base of operations from which they would forge a new path.

 

 

Their ships drifted for an undeterminable period of time, passing nowhere near any daemon worlds they had seen in the past. Empty space and foreign voices in their minds were their only company. The telepathic might of the chapter’s librarians-turned-sorcerers managed to keep the sanity of the chapter intact, despite these fel whisperings.

 

 

At last, Tigran and his command staff spotted a lone planet in the aether. A gargantuan world, covered by black, swirling clouds that obscured the surface and prevented any of the ships’ scanners from functioning. Ominously, the psykers of the chapter felt beckoned toward the planet’s surface. It seemed that fate had guided them here with a purpose. Tigran and his coven of telepaths made planetfall with a company of tactical marines to explore the surface.

 

 

They detected no life signs on the planet’s obsidian surface, but found ruins of a vast civilization. The company split up, maintaining telepathic communication as they explored what appeared to be an enormous temple at the ruined center of what must have been a gigantic city. Everywhere they went, they saw symbols and effigies of spiders. Ohanui and his honor guard either ignored or failed to notice runes beginning to glow and activate as they made their way through a deep subterranean network of chambers within the temple. Each psyker in the landing crew felt the same pull inward. They knew they were getting closer to the source of psychic power that so permeated the planet.

 

 

All paths led Tigran’s forces to a gargantuan chamber, empty save for the natural rock structures hanging from the ceiling and jutting from the floor. The telepathic communication among them was gradually dominated by a foreign voice, guiding them to the center of the chamber. They abandoned all semblance of maintaining formation and mindlessly gathered around a pool of black fluid, barely discernible from the dark surroundings but practically humming with power. Ohanui and his sorcerers felt compelled to drop to their knees before the pool of shadow and join their minds, reaching out to the consciousness within in supplication.

 

 

Gradually, a shape emerged from the darkness, summoned from elsewhere in the immaterium. A large, winged form materialized fully before them, ready to dominate their minds and ultimately, their fate. Where old slaves of this planet had been slain or dwindled into extinction, the Dark Master smiled with delight as an ancient trap snared a new force of warriors to do his bidding...

 

 
Does your Chapter get along with other Chaos Chapters, or does it work primarily alone?

The Shadowborne will work with other forces of Chaos and even fringe xenos races when it suits their purpose, but inevitably turn against or abandon them when the usefulness of the alliance is at an end. Be’lakor has taught them well.

 

 

The Shadowborne maintain a positive relationship with Fabius Bile, whose genetic mastery they rely on to replicate small numbers of their original geneseeds as well as create entirely new variants for the creation of new chaos space marines.

Does their name reflect something of them?
 

 

Absolutely. The name “Shadowborne” has meaning on a number of levels. Shadow, reference to their patron and overlord, Be’lakor. They were born of the shadow when the Dragonslayers came under his spell, their own predilection for telepathy paving the way for their domination by the master of telepathy himself. They are also borne by the shadows. While they are capable warriors with a formidable army, fleet, and treasury of powerful artifacts, they prefer to operate by stealth and deception. Schemes upon schemes, traps and ambushes, lightning raids, and always leaving more questions in their wake than answers.

 

 

Their sigil is a white spider, the symbol which covered the ruins of the ancient civilization the Dragonslayers found on the black planet. The spider waits to ensnare its victim in a web. Other times, it waits in hiding, exploding forth when its quarry passes near. It injects its venom to subdue its prey, paralyzing it and destroying it from the inside out. A very fitting symbol for Be’lakor’s slaves.

 

This is their sigil:

 

http://i.imgur.com/zUj5liF.jpg

Who is their leader?

Ultimately, their leader is Be’lakor: first daemon prince, the Dark Master, lord of the shadows. However, his duties to the pantheon and by extension Abaddon make his existence rather complicated. He is still quite capable of guiding and commanding the Shadowborne, but in terms of logistics and fighting battles he mostly leaves that to his underlings.

 

Former chapter master Tigran Ohanui, now a mighty sorcerer lord known as Bael'Zharon, commands with an authority second only to Be’lakor himself. Using daemonic amplifiers they are able to extend their telepathic communication across vast distances, allowing for near instantaneous commands and reporting.

 

The inner circle of the Shadowborne is a coven known as the Shadeweavers. Composed of thirteen powerful sorcerers (including Bael'Zharon), they each lead 1/13 of the army’s forces.

 

The Shadeweavers:

 

• I : "The Araneae" : commanded by Bael'Zharon
• II : "The Eclipse" : commanded by Ler Rhan
• III "The Obsidian Eye": commanded by Black Ferah
• IV : "The Sons of the Spider" : commanded by Isin Dule
• V : "The Subjugators" : commanded by Ilservian Palacost
• VI : "The Ebon Eternals" : commanded by Leikotha the Undying
• VII : "The Black Talons" : commanded by Ulgrim Warpstrider
• VIII : "The Riftseekers" : commanded by Claudius Aerbax 
• IX : "The Onyxian Oracles" : commanded by Omadin the Diabolist
• X : "The Abyssal Watchers" : commanded by Ithaenc Adja
• XI : "The Ghostfangs" commanded by Saros Soulreaper
• XII : "The Darkstone Brotherhood" : commanded by Lithos Kresovus
• XIII : "The Empyrean Harbingers" : commanded by Asheron the Accursed

 

What battles, and on what planets have they fought?

 

To be expanded on

Did the renegades change their colors after the changed to chaos?

Yes. This is the Dragonslayers' original color scheme:

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/tLUpUPp.jpg

 

And the current, “post-traitor” color scheme of the Shadowborne:

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/vKYYFuZ.jpg

 

Current Base of Operations:

 

 

Argiope, the very planet on which they made contact with Be’lakor. Roughly the size of Saturn, in terms of our solar system. 

To be expanded on.

 

Present Day:
 

 

To be expanded on.
 

[Teetengee]

Very nice. I want to potentially discuss some crossover with you at some point.
Also, editing

Hidden Content

"Ohanui and his sorcerers knew felt compelled to drop" should probably not have the word knew or switch it to now, but I feel that just dropping it sounds better

[Khornestar]

Very nice. I want to potentially discuss some crossover with you at some point.

Also, editing

Hidden Content

"Ohanui and his sorcerers knew felt compelled to drop" should probably not have the word knew or switch it to now, but I feel that just dropping it sounds better

 

Fixed! Thanks! :) 

 

Crossovers sound fun. I'm down!

[Teetengee]

I'll need to read more about be'lakor first, but I will get back to you at some point. Meanwhile, what are you working on next for this warband?

[Khornestar]

I'll need to read more about be'lakor first, but I will get back to you at some point. Meanwhile, what are you working on next for this warband?

 

Sounds good.

 

My first order of business is a simple 10-man CSM squad, which is the unit for my first vow ever on B&C, to be completed by Sept. 17! 

 

Got my airbrush ready to go, got my paints, ordered custom waterslide transfers, got my 32mm bases, and I have the models assembled in pieces. Now I just need to set aside ~1 hour or so a day and get this done! I think this is easily possible for me in a month.

[Kierdale]

Looks very good.

A good write up, good colour scheme. :tu:

Having them as Belakor's personally army too is a nice idea.

 

I look forward to seeing some plastic!

[bozo69pd]

You might want to consider Chaos Daemon furies somehow as they are a possibly undivided (no marks) daemon unit that can actually be somewhat decent for objective grabbing. Just never ever let them see CC unless they will for sure win the instability test.

[Paradigm]

Great background fluff for the new warband! Have you decided how you'll represent them on the tabletop?

 

Also, is your trim going to be metallic? I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but if you plan on metallic, you've got to check out Golden's purple interference paint. It's expensive, but nothing compares to it over a metallic undercoat.

 

I really like the idea behind this army.

[Khornestar]

Thanks guys! Really glad you like the background. I plan to refine and expand it in the future.

On the tabletop, this is truly a Chaos Space Marine army. Minimal cultists, maximum marines. Minimal daemonic elements, though marked units will be used as is most effective, e.g. Khorne-marked CSM for close combat fighting, Nurgle-marked Obliterators (some daemons are okay ) every now and then, etc.

This army scours and raids, seeking out artifacts and relic vehicles. This will be represented by a Fire Raptor, Relic Sicaran, and Phobos bolters on my champs and veteran/chosen units. Although there really isn't a rules-representation for it, there will be lots of daemon weapons in the army.

HQs will primarily be Sorcerers. On foot and on bikes as needed. Their specialization is Telepathy, maybe a little Biomancy mixed in from time to time for funsies.

Speaking of funsies. I have some older metal furies I can play around with. If nothing else, they will serve as a nice way to practice some painting techniques.

As for the purple, it's going to be flat purple. I got a really nice purple paint from privateer press P3 line called "Beaten Purple" that will be the trim color. I love it.

As a bit of an aside, much of my inspiration for nomenclature comes from a first-gen MMORPG called Asheron's Call. Sort of a private homage.

[Khornestar]

Added a section for the Shadeweavers. Currently naming the cabal of sorcerers and the names of their divisions:

 

The Shadeweavers:

 

• I : "The Araneae" : commanded by Bael'Zharon
• II : "The Eclipse" : commanded by Ler Rhan
• III "The Obsidian Eye": commanded by Black Ferah
• IV : "The Sons of the Spider" : commanded by Isin Dule
• V : "The Subjugators" : commanded by Ilservian Palacost
• VI : "The Ebon Eternals" : commanded by Leikotha the Undying
• VII : "The Black Talons" : commanded by Ulgrim Warpstrider
• VIII : "The Riftseekers" : commanded by Claudius Aerbax 
• IX : "The Onyxian Oracles" : commanded by Omadin the Diabolist
• X : "The Abyssal Watchers" : commanded by Ithaenc Adja
• XI : "The Ghostfangs" commanded by Saros Soulreaper
• XII : "The Darkstone Brotherhood" : commanded by Lithos Kresovus
• XIII : "The Empyrean Harbingers" : commanded by Asheron the Accursed

[Khornestar]

Updated and "finished" the Shadeweavers roster and the names of the 13 divisions.

 

I've also come up with a rough basic framework for each division.

 

At minimum, each division contains the following:

 

1 unit of 10 Umbris Shadows, may be split into 2 squads of 5. These are Chaos Chosen. 

2 units of 10 Anumbris Shadows, also may be split into 4 squads of 5 or 1 squad of 20. These are either veteran Chaos Space Marines or Havocs.

4 units of 10 Penumbris Shadows, also may be split into 8 squads of 5 or 2 squads of 20. These are the regulars of the army.

 

That gives each division, at minimum, 70 marines. 13 divisions = 910 marines. That does not factor in raptors, bikers, vehicles, or "rare" units like Obliterators. The goal was to create a rather large legion of Chaos Space Marines, and I think so far the numbers add up to what I want. Nothing approaching the size of the Black Legion, but something which definitely approaches the strength of an Astartes chapter.

 

Must come up with names for the other units.

 

Haven't started painting yet, as my first week of the new quarter is very intense. However, everything is assembled in pieces and all mold lines have been cleaned up. This is for 1 unit of Penumbris shadows.

[Khornestar]

Well, at this point I'm a little doubtful that I'll finish my vow. Just way too busy with school.

 

However, I am trying. This is what I've finished so far: Basecoat, airbrush highlights (more of an experiment, working out so-so, may be toned down with wash), and painting the royal purple trim (a wonderful Vallejo color: Royal Purple; P3 purple will be used for highlights):

 

http://i.imgur.com/LtO1CuBh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/Wk3ZVDnh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/Re86Km7h.jpg

[Khornestar]

Ok, now I think I'll definitely finish my vow. Labor Day Weekend ftw!

 

All I need to have these painted to tabletop quality is the white of horns/icons. At that point I will consider them "finished" for the challenge.

 

However, I'm still going to paint additional detail colors, washes, some BftBG technical paint, highlights, and proper bases before I consider them truly complete.

 

*edit* Oh and let's not forget the custom decals.

 

http://i.imgur.com/5hXSbXKh.jpg

[Khornestar]

I have honored my vow to the dark master. A unit of Penumbris Shadows in Be'lakor's legion, the Shadowborne:

 

http://i.imgur.com/M2Dk6KLh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/B1ME8Wwh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/CIuEv3Bh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/KReu72bh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/qahPMXvh.jpg

 

 

Only had time to make them tabletop quality for the Liber Astartes vow. Now I plan to shade/highlight/weather them, but this is actually the first "fully" painted and based unit I've ever put together.

[Carrack]

The paint scheme worked out great, and contrasts well with the base. The freehand work on the pauldrons looks good too. I can't wait to see these finished.

[Khornestar]

Thanks, Carrack! I wish I could claim that's freehand on the pauldrons, but they're custom-printed decals from http://www.fallouthobbies.com/store#! .

[Khornestar]

Haven't had too much time to paint lately, but I've just about finished with the washes for my first squad of Penumbris Shadows.

 

Here's the aspiring champion, Sarkon:

 

http://i.imgur.com/RDSIO5Hh.jpg

 

The effect isn't showing up very well with the flash in this picture, but IMO it looks much better in person.

 

Next step is highlights, then weathering and I'm done with 'em!

[Khornestar]

I've finished the first of them! All weathered and everything.

 

With my basing, the Shadowborne are on some sort of Mars-like planet laden with iron oxide.

 

I just got my Kromlech weathering pigments, and this is my first attempt with them. Just brushed it on and sprayed Vallejo matt varnish over the entire mini. It's nice to protect the paint job, because this Vallejo black primer is somewhat prone to scratching off.

 

Not completely happy with the "battle damage" effects, but close enough. I'll refine my technique as I progress with the squad but he doesn't look so horrible that I want to strip him (though I considered it! :P).

 

I started out (in the preliminary phases) wanting to sorta copy the GW method of edge highlighting the :cuss: out of everything, but in the end it's so much work and I don't like how it looks. Oddly enough, the Forge World style of simplicity combined with weathering and battle damage which I didn't like at first has really grown on me. I tried to merge the two a little bit. I hope they get better as I practice:

 

http://i.imgur.com/crLuQKTh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/NVBvYUah.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/gEzIdijh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/lmfzSHAh.jpg

[Carrack]

I like your horns. The darker tones at the base of the horns leading up to the more bone colored tops of them is realistic looking. The whole models are great, the horns just caught my attention.

[Khornestar]

I like your horns. The darker tones at the base of the horns leading up to the more bone colored tops of them is realistic looking. The whole models are great, the horns just caught my attention.

 

Thanks, Carrack. The horns came out better than I thought they would. I think the white bits contrast pretty well with the over all dark tones.

[Khornestar]

Okay, here they are:

 

http://i.imgur.com/k1yXm3Ch.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/x3ayLmjh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/0LRTYNBh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/vs5yHjuh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/B6gJeAGh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/cequvhLh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/cpbQGXhh.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/uRMDByah.jpg

 

I may add some Blood for the Blood God to Sarkon's (the champ) chainswords. 

 

I like them, over all. I wanted the unit to look absolutely filthy and in the midst of fighting on this dusty planet.

[Teetengee]

How did you do the dust?

[Warsmith Aznable]

I may add some Blood for the Blood God to Sarkon's (the champ) chainswords.

 

I like them, over all. I wanted the unit to look absolutely filthy and in the midst of fighting on this dusty planet.

Like the weathering, really does look like dust from foot slogging.

 

Definitely I advocate blood effects on melee weapons.

[Khornestar]

How did you do the dust?

Kromlech's Weathering Powder: Red Rust:

http://www.kromlech.eu/f/g/image400x400x/krma007-red-rust2a.jpg

I find it matches GW's technical paint "Martian Ironearth" perfectly.

I may add some Blood for the Blood God to Sarkon's (the champ) chainswords.

I like them, over all. I wanted the unit to look absolutely filthy and in the midst of fighting on this dusty planet.

Like the weathering, really does look like dust from foot slogging.

Definitely I advocate blood effects on melee weapons.

Cool, I shall do so! A warrior like that isn't going to have clean weapons. He doesn't just point with those things .

[Khornestar]

Here is a now bloody Sarkon:

 

http://i.imgur.com/PuFZpoih.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/5sEITFHh.jpg

 

I tried to add blood to every possible weapon on his body, including his forehead blade and the blades on his wrists. Also on the pommel of the chainsword in his right hand and on the extra blades on the chainswords.

 

He looks ready to move on to the next foe, having just carved through the last.