The Promethia Crusade: Reinforcements Arrive!

[T-Rock]

Greetings fellow Templars! I've been lurking on this forum for years and figured it was high time to do some posting of my own. The amazing work I've seen on other people's Crusade topics has inspired me to embark on my own work-in-progress journey. However, seeing as my modeling and painting skills barely qualify me as a Neophyte among Sword Bretheren, I'm adopting a slightly different focus for my WIP. My strength lies in my writing so it's my hope to use my WIP as an inspiration for a sequeunce of short stories for this thread.

For those of you who care more about the modeling/gaming side of things, please feel free to offer (much needed) C&C. I am very well aware how mediocre I am in those areas and welcome all assistance. So, before I get to the good stuff, some nitty gritty...

What to expect:

-Fairly regular updates on my WIP army.
-Short stories based on each character's origin & adventures in narrative campaign.
-Me editing each post 1,000 times for formatting and aesthetic reasons.
-Me nerd-ing out over the basis for names, events, lore, etc.

Crusade Inspiration

-Promethia Crusade: From what I currently know of my narrative campaign (not much), I'll be attempting to investigate a world that had recently "gone dark" insofar as communication goes. My crusade's purpose is to return the "Emperor's Light" to the lost planet. Hence my allusion to the myth of Prometheus.

-Hive Fleet Incarnatus: In Latin incarnatus translates to "to be made flesh" or "to embody." Seeing as the Space Marines are essentially the Emperor's Will made manifest, I figured it fit well. Especially for Templars.

-Chaplain Letholdus: The same name as the first Christian over the walls during the siege of Jerusalem. Apocryphally, the defenders ran from him. Seeing as the Chaplain is meant to instill both fear and inspiration, I thought this was an awesome name.

Edited August 9, 2017 by T-Rock

[T-Rock]

   http://s23.postimg.org/m6sjz91uz/Cfxie11444104125.jpg

 

 

+BEGIN TRANSMISSION+

Promethia Crusade

Hive Fleet Incarnatus

Ultima Segmentum

995.m41 

 

Objective:

 

+Transmission Incoming+

 

Characters:

 

http://i.imgur.com/V5PonKc.jpg?1

 

Troops:

 

+Transmission Incoming+

 

 

Elite:

 

+Transmission Incoming+

 

 

Armor:

 

+Transmission Incoming+

Edited December 17, 2015 by T-Rock

[T-Rock]

Short Story

 

++Incoming Transmission++

 

Subject: Fabienn Hastam

Detachment: Promethia Crusade

Deployment: Ultima Segmentum 

Date: 995.m41

 

(Click to Accept Message)

Hearth Stories 

 

A murky veil of dust clouded Ruthgrim’s vision as he surveyed his surroundings. He took no joy in this wanton slaughter, but the will to live overshadowed his sentiment. His long sword was wet with blood. How many had perished at the hands of his clan-kin? At his own? He had lost count. Whatever delusions of honor and renown he had harbored upon entering the shrouded walls of this keep had dissipated. Now, in the sand choked arena, there was only death.

 

Despite the swirling sands, Ruthgrim caught a blur of movement in his peripherals. The brutish frame that charged him was a massive mountain of cordoned, bulbous muscle. In a matter of seconds the hulk closed the distance between them and threw all of his weight in to a wild swing. Anticipating the undisciplined attack, Ruthgrim pivoted behind and beneath the blow. As his enemy’s club slammed in to the earth, Ruthgrim's sword sliced through the lunging hamstring, exposing the raw red sinew beneath. The brute roared, expressing both anger and pain, his momentum careening him in to a crashing heap. Wasting no time, Ruthgrim rushed to the crumpled form of his quarry. Expecting a quick, clean kill he faced the blade downward and thrust the killing blow; only it never fell.

 

The air blasted from his lungs. The savage had put all of his remaining strength in to a desperate, powerful kick, catching Ruthgrim square in the chest. The force launched him back several feet. He was able to turn in a backward roll and land in an awkward crouch, but his head swam from the sudden lack of oxygen. The roar of the arena further drowned his senses. Expecting a moment to collect himself before his foe was able to gather his strength, he dropped to one knee, wheezing. The respite was short lived.

 

Another form strode in to view. This one was clad in rough leather armor, wielding a slender blade of shining silver. Though not as big as the felled hulk, this new warrior possessed an assured grace that was far more deadly. The swordsman stooped beside the large berserker and placed a hand on his shoulder. He paused for a moment, speaking to him in hushed tones. Then he drove his blade through the man’s muscled neck. After a few brief spasms, he lowered the limp body in to the dirt and turned towards Ruthgrim.

 

Ruthgim instantly recognized his face. High King Lorgraine: the ruler and unifier of the clans, veteran of 100 battles, and brother to his late mother. The king was as close to a father as he had ever known. He was also the most storied warrior Clan Ea’grund had ever seen, a living legend amongst their people. Ruthgrim had been chosen to captain his honor guard on the eve of the trip to this cursed keep; his proudest achievement. A dozen battle brothers had set out that day. None would return. He could not lift his sword against his own blood; his king. He would not wear the shame of a kin-slayer. Nor would he break his holy oaths.

 

“I will not fight you,” he shouted over the din of battle.

 

“Young Ruthgrim,” Lorgraine replied. A somber smile formed across his usual stony countenance. “You will. You must.”

 

He began to protest, but Lorgraine cut him off.

 

“I knew we would meet on this field one day. I harbor no doubts you will be the one selected to honor us; to elevate Clan Ea’grund to the heavens and wage war amongst the stars. If you can slay me, son of my sister, you will be worthy in my eyes. In the eyes of those above though, I cannot say.”

 

The maelstrom of battle swirled around them. Ruthgrim shook his head vigorously. Lorgraine didn’t seem himself. Nothing he said made any sense.

 

“Heavens? Stars?” he yelled across the cacophony. “But those are hearth stories, uncle. I don’t understand!” Lorgraine’s gaze was elsewhere. He looked beyond Ruthgrim.

 

“It is beyond our understanding,” the king offered in reply. “Should you prove worthy, you will be the first to know.” He would offer no further explanation. Instead, he rushed towards Ruthgrim, sword upraised.  

 

At the last minute, the blade changed course, swinging in from left to right; Ruthgrim’s mind was wracked by uncertainty, but his reflexes were assured. Knowing the High King was not one for reckless charges, he anticipated the ruse and angled his blade across his shoulder, parrying the blow away. What followed was a series of sword strokes equal parts brutal and beautiful. Their blades sang, clashing and whirring in unison. Lorgraine pushed the offensive, but Ruthgrim was equal to each blow.

 

“Do not dishonor me! Do not dishonor the clan! Fight!” the king bellowed.

 

Battling against his own doubt as much as the sword assailing him, Ruthgrim began to fight with more fervor. With their near identical style, attaining an advantage was difficult, but slowly he gained ground. His blows became increasingly heavy as he tried to pry open a weakness. The madness around them melted away. They were alone; locked in a dance of death. Oddly, Ruthgrim had never felt closer to him.

 

Not one to cede advantage easily, Lorgraine’s series of swings and thrusts grew in to a grand crescendo, forcing Ruthgrim back on his heels and costing him a glancing cut on his shoulder. He stumbled, or so his opponent thought. Lorgraine’s foreswing flowed in to a powerful backhanded cut: the killing blow. It was a strike strong enough to slice a man in two. Anticipating the move, Ruthgrim leapt beyond the maw of the blade, dodging it entirely. It was the opening he’d waited for. And dreaded. He lifted his longsword, but a wave of doubt stayed his hand. It would not matter.

 

A thick curved blade burst through the center of Lorgraine’s chest, rending his armor and spraying a thick red mist in to the air. The force of the blow lifted him off his feet. Behind the death stroke was another dirtied savage, the largest Ruthgrim had yet seen in the arena. After several agonizing seconds, the blade unsheathed itself from his flesh and Lorgraine fell, slumped. The unseen attacker laughed, the taint of madness twinkling in his eyes.

 

Ruthgrim howled and charged towards the new foe, blind with rage. Throwing all of his force behind the swing he slashed wildly. The action went against everything Lorgraine had ever taught him. The blow cleanly severed the madman’s head from his shoulders. Blood shot skywards, spurting in a geyser of arterial ichor. The lifeless body collapsed at his feet. Ruthgrim threw down his sword.

 

“We are finished!” he yelled to the sky. “I will fight for your amusement no more. My life and honor are already forfeit. If it is bloodshed you seek, then come test me yourselves.” Crouching beside his fallen kin, he attempted to prop him up. Dozens of questions burned in his mind, but he could only manage one.

 

“Why, uncle? Why did you bring us to this forsaken place?”

 

His reply was a gurgled whisper. Limply, he pointed upwards.“To serve something greater than ourselves.”

 

A blinding light erupted above them. From its depths a shapeless voice boomed like distant rolling thunder; a thick smoke choked the arena.

 

“Ruthgrim Hastam, you have been evaluated, judged, and selected.”

 

“Selected? For what?”

 

“To join our fraternal order. To serve as the mailed fist of the Emperor. To fight and die in a crusade beyond the stars. To burn the heretic. To kill the mutant. To purge the unclean.”

 

“Who are you?” Ruthgrim questioned, shielding his eyes.

 

From the light, a figure began to emerge and take shape. He stood well over two meters tall, encrusted in massive black armor. He dwarfed everyone in the arena. His face was still wreathed in smoke, though it seemed distinctly human in appearance. His shoulders were covered by two massive white pauldrons with black trim; each one emblazoned with a cross. On his barrel chest was the visage of a golden eagle, which sat above his massive torso and tree trunk sized armored legs. He was a metal titan the likes of which the world had never seen. Or so Ruthgrim thought. It was a sight of both wonder and terror.

 

“We are Space Marines of the Black Templar Chapter. I am Brother Gulliame and you now answer to me.

 

Edited October 6, 2015 by T-Rock

[Firepower]

What level of quality are you going for on your models?  Do you want them to be table-top pretty, or up close pretty, or is pretty not a priority?  I ask because then I'll know how much direction you may need/want.

 

As an aside, I just really like the name "Amalric." :lol:

[T-Rock]

Well, that's a multi-layered question for me. I'd like for them to be as pretty as possible. The issue is whether or not I have the time, materials, and finances to up my hobby game as well as flesh out my army. Considering these are my first real go-around at painting models (don't count when I originally got them at 16), any tips are appreciated! Currently, I feel like I've hit a bit of a ceiling. I'm competent, but not capable of anything extraordinary, for whatever reason. 

[T-Rock]

Update!

 

Crusader Squad: Antelicus

 

http://s17.postimg.org/std3vd70v/Full_Size_Render_5.jpg

[T-Rock]

Additionally, the campaign I mentioned in the opening post is beginning to take shape. Feel free to take a look at our site! It doesn't kick off for another few weeks, so its currently under construction, but it will be pretty awesome once it all comes together. 

 

http://pyrriahcampaign.weebly.com

Edited October 20, 2015 by T-Rock

[Firepower]

I was actually thinking about this earlier.  I remembered asking the question, and then forgot what thread it was :lol:

 

I'll try to compile some good threads/subjects/comments for painting advice for you.  There's a lot to cover as far as basics are concerned, and then some more 'advanced' techniques to start playing with.  Too much for me to just type out from start to finish. 

[Firepower]

Okie doke, a quick summary of the two most basic things, just to cover the bases.

 

General brush care thread: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/306031-general-brush-use-and-care/

 

Thinning paint:

I couldn't find a concise thread on this, so I'll just type the briefest guide I can.

 

You are going for the consistency of skim milk, regardless of the type/color of paint.  You can just use water if you like.  However, flow improver or flow aid (easiest producers to locate being Liquitiex or Winsor&Newton) helps considerably, and is very cheap.  A single $10 bottle will be enough to last you until the end of days.  A mix of 1 drop Flow Improver to 10 drops water works best (keep a mix in a dropper bottle).

 

If the "skim milk" method is too vague, try this.  I use a plastic palette, but most any kind will do.  "Push" the paint up the side of the palette with your brush, and see how it flows back down.  Ideally, you want it to flow easily, with just a thin, translucent residue remaining on the side.

 

While it may take longer, thin coats are much better than thick coats for a final product.  Whites, reds, and yellows can take a particularly long time to build up into an opaque, smooth finish, but the results are infinitely better than trying to accomplish the same with one or two thick coats.  Foundation paints (or whatever the hell GW calls them now) make life easier than it used to be though, at least for saving a few steps.

 

Other things to look into:

 

Priming

Painting Faces

Painting White

Edge Highlighting

Painting Cloth/Tabards

Brush Brands (sorta covered in the prior link)

Brush Control Exercises

 

Look around the General PCA Questions and Tutorials sections here on the BnC.  There's a wealth of info to drudge up.  If you can't find the info you need in a search, you can just post in the Questions sub

Edited October 20, 2015 by Firepower

[Honda]

First off, welcome to the Eternal Crusade, we've been waiting for you. ;)

 

Secondly, let your own inspiration drive your contributions. We all have talents, where they lie depends on what cards we were dealt.

 

I like the fluff you've put up so far and think we can all appreciate your efforts in this area.

 

Painting: There are some people on this forum (and the BnC in total) that will just drive you mad with their skills. They shouldn't. They should inspire you to want to improve your own skills, "IF" you want to. One of the great things about BnC is that you get to choose your level of involvement, so don't worry about trying to participate just to please others. We are here for each other, but not because of each other.

 

Take your time and ask for help. This forum does a better job of helping people along then anywhere else I've been, and I've been here awhile. I've seen new people who didn't know which end of the paint brush to hold, start with pretty horrid results, but with the desire to get better. Some of those went on to become serious competition at large painting events.

 

What they did is decide to become a student of the hobby and learn. With continual practice and improvement, seasoned with the coaching you can get here, you will improve. You won't become a Da Vinci in three weeks (unless you've been blessed), but you will improve. So just keep at it and eventually the results you are looking for will come.

 

Also, just so you are aware, we are the most awesome forum on the Internet, just ask us. You are in the most awesome part of the most awesome forum. A lot of the other chapters will say the same thing, but in our case it's true. :)

 

Some think we're a little ZEALous, but hey, we are.

 

So come in, have some fun and join the Eternal Crusade.

 

And in case you haven't seen this before, ZEAL is spelled with a red, despite what Firepower might try to tell you.

 

Welcome aboard!

[Firepower]

 

And in case you haven't seen this before, ZEAL is spelled with a red, despite what Firepower might try to tell you.

 

That ++MODERATI++ tag doesn't put you above the Jasper and his paddleum, mister.

 

Oh yeah, good for you to know T-Rock.  Beware the paddlin'

 

 

Everything else Honda said though is spot on.  Especially that bit about us being the best.

 

But the notes on what you are striving for are good ones.  I always wanted to be a great painter, and while I'm above average now, I wasn't nearly as good when I first discovered the BnC.  Looking at my first Templars and what I can paint now makes me grin like an idiot.

 

'Stealing' ideas and techniques is a great way to learn new tricks, and if you see something in someone's blog that you especially like, say a shade of red or a kind of blending, 9.9 times out of 10 they will tell you how they did it if you simply ask.  Just know that simply being told how something is done won't instantly transfer the skill to your brush.  Trust me on that.  It's actually kinda infuriating at times.

 

Inviting comments and critiquing from board members is also very useful.  You, like everyone else, will make mistakes that you don't see.  I once posted a picture of a tank where I forgot to paint half the treads

 

Oh!  And youtube!  There are lots of professional painters with channels like Awesomepaintjobs and Buypainted which put out tutorials on all sorts of things.

Edited October 21, 2015 by Firepower

[T-Rock]

Thanks for the resources and tips, guys! Based on my lurking, this is by far the best BT forum I've encountered. Hopelly I'll help contribute in some small way now as well! 

 

I think I have a good handle on the basics and just need to start challenging myself. I attempted my first highlight/shading effort on some tabards, and despite the fact the paint job itself isn't great, it still looked so much better than just the base. Will post pictures later. Thus far, these were all salvaged from their original, awful paint jobs with some Simple Green. Due to my lack of patience, a few didn't turn out ideal due to excess paint residue, but I'm mostly happy with them. Just a few more specific questions:

 

-My first GW minis were from the LOTR SGB. Washes were my friend. A black wash would make my men of Minas-Tirith look infinitely better. Thing with BT is, well, they're black. How can I add some depth and detail to black surfaces?

 

-Cloth. What do you all do to give cloth surfaces some depth? More importantly, what colors? In theory, I understand the process, (start with a darker base, and add lighter layers to elevated areas) but I think my lack of paints is hampering my results. Going off of that, what are some cheap ways to get quality paint? I've gleefully thrown myself in to army building over the past few months, and am trying to cut back on expenditure some now. 

 

-I've kitbashed Templar heads/torsos/etc with some BA Death Guard legs. I'm super pleased with the result. I see the BT heraldry as very individualized considering their knight-esque aesthetic, and there is just so much more character in the BA legs. That said, there is some heraldry I'm attempting to alter or convert to de-BA them. Anyone have experience with this? 

 

Thanks!

Edited October 23, 2015 by T-Rock

[Honda]

My first GW minis were from the LOTR SGB. Washes were my friend. A black wash would make my men of Minas-Tirith look infinitely better. Thing with BT is, well, they're black. How can I add some depth and detail to black surfaces?

 

 

Yes, black is a challenging color. Actually, so is white...and red...and yellow...and...you get the idea.

 

There's a couple of ways to approach this and some variations on a theme.

 

1. Base Black - As you've discovered, black is as dark as you can go. You can't get any darker than black. So that means that everything you do will be to add "light" to your black to provide definition where you want to.

 

Some people choose a blue to add highlights, i.e. adding some blue to their black, highlighting an edge, then adding a lighter blue or some of the same blue plus a little light grey or white. Others choose a brown or grey to add to their black, to get a warmer, softer highlight.

 

2. Base Grey - This is what I chose to do, mostly because I like the end result. The bonus with starting with a grey is that it can be darkened and lightened, so you're starting at the mid-point and can either darken down or lighten up. In my case, I use Vallejo German Grey and highlight with Light Grey (990 and 995 respectively...or the other way around ;) ).

 

The other thing to consider how bright do you want your highlights to be? I wouldn't make that decision just yet. I would check out other brother's threads and see what you like, then ask questions and see if that style works for you because you'll be using it a lot. Also take into consideration the level of effort to get the effect you want. If it takes you 300 hours to do one figure, you're never going to finish your army.

 

-Cloth. What do you all do to give cloth surfaces some depth? More importantly, what colors? In theory, I understand the process, (start with a darker base, and add lighter layers to elevated areas) but I think my lack of paints is hampering my results.

 

 

I like Baneblade Brown (?) or Tau XV88 as base colors. There are others like Rakharth Flesh (sp?). Again, look for examples that you like and then ask what the painter used.

 

Going off of that, what are some cheap ways to get quality paint? I've gleefully thrown myself in to army building over the past few months, and am trying to cut back on expenditure some now

 

 

I feel your pain. I'm to the point where I regret having to spend any money that isn't on figs, while at the same time realizing that it is a fact of life for me.

 

What that has translated to is me switching over to Vallejo colors for the most part and using cheap bulk paint like you get at Hobby Lobby for bases and things like that.

 

Also, an airbrush will help extend your paints to a degree and make the base coat application a whole lot easier, but we can talk about that later when you are ready.

 

The thing to keep in mind is that after you've painted guys once, play with them and focus on building your army. At some point later in your journey, you can strip those earlier figures in Simple Green and then repaint them...it's a cheap source of models. :)

 

Also cruise eBay for deals. There was a time when I was collecting my motor pool and so I looked for crappy modeled land raiders and rhinos, bought them cheap and "resurrected" them.

 

I used to call that my Land Raider Rescue Project. I got quite a few Landraider for not a lot of money and all it took was some patience and a willingness to give an abuse model some TLC and a loving home.

 

Cheers,

[Acebaur]

Here's the process I use for my bleached bone color tabards http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/288402-the-jericho-crusade-a-champion-reborn/?p=3715730

 

And the same mini taken with proper lighting and a real camera 

Hidden Content

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k48/Acebaur/Light%20Box%20Pictures/ee05d1b1-8215-424e-acab-14d9ac938b5f_zps3d6ed020.jpg

 

I've been switching to Vallejo paints with the exception of metallics, those I stick to GW because I've found them to be actually quite good. Otherwise GW paints are terrible in my experience. Plus paint pots are Fail, dropper bottles for the win :lol:

[Firepower]

Thanks for the resources and tips, guys! Based on my lurking, this is by far the best BT forum I've encountered.

That's because we're the best there is.

On the subject of cloth, I've recently shifted techniques to something new. This guy in the middle is an example of my old technique

That's the result of a simple but tedious process, layering slightly lighter shades of brown up, and if the contrast gets too stark, you can use a wash to smooth it out, either by using a ready-made wash like those Vallejo and GW sell, or by just severely watering down one of the darker shades of paint you used in previous layers.

When it comes to what exact colors to use, I do a bubonic brown base (no longer in production), cover that fully with Steel Legion Drab (takes several coats generally, so be patient), Karak Stone highlight, Vallejo Game Color Bonewhite (exact match to GW's old Bleached Bone) precision highlights.

Lately, I've been using the same paints, but with a new technique:

[

It's the same paints in the same layers, but rather than doing highlights that flow along with the shape of the cloth, I do very thin, horizontal lines over and over. It creates the appearance of textured cloth, or at least I try to.

For painting black, I simply do two stage highlights on top of the black primer. One is a very old mix of Chaos Black and Codex Grey, and very dark. The next is a finer line of Codex Grey (or whatever the new equivalent is). Afterwards, I take pure black and tighten up the lines, using it to erase any places where the highlights are too broad.

[T-Rock]

Narrative Update: Our campaign is starting to take shape. The opening mission is centered around a Black Templar vanguard investigating a chapter keep that has inexplicably gone dark. 

 

++Incoming Transmission++

 

Subject: Malathir Vichier

Detachment: Promethia Crusade

Deployment: Ultima Segmentum 

Date: 995.m41

 

Pyrriah’s twin suns baked the carmine surface of its principle continent, Levantis.  From space, the planet’s atmosphere mirrored that of great Terra; a swirl of cobalt and emerald kissed with dapples of white. The surface was home to a far wider pallet of colors, containing a variety of climates from frost encrusted tundras to blistering deserts. Despite its remote location, it had long been under Imperium control, and was a well-established world within the sector. It was for that very reason the silence from its principle Black Templar chapter keep was greeted with such concern.

 

“Brother Malathir, we should be well within close burst vox range at this distance,” initiate Erias informed his scowling captain. He had spent the last hour broadcasting messages and running scans with the land raider’s onboard auspex and vox systems, but to no avail. Any attempts to reach Pyrriah’s chapter keep from orbit had also been greeted with ominous silence. Sword Brother Malathir’s vanguard was a last ditch effort to establish contact.

 

“What of the warp storm in the sub-sector?” the sword brother asked, knowing the answer.

 

“At this proximity, it shouldn’t be affecting our comms,” the initiate answered.

 

Malathir sighed. From the outset, their seemingly straightforward mission had been fraught with complication. The third war for Armageddon had been a costly one, but the Black Templar had played an especially bitter role in bringing the greenskins to heel.  In order to replenish the staggering casualties, the various crusade fleets had scattered across the galaxy to access chapter keep gene-seed stores. Pyriahh’s keep was thought to have a significant store of gene seed material left over from its long past pacification. It was also supposed to be maintained by a garrison of several dozen battle brothers. If there was a simple explanation for their silence, it was beyond his understanding.

 

“I see.” he replied after a pregnant pause. “It would be prudent for us to prepare for potential resistance upon our arrival. Signal the two rhinos. Have them slow to cruising speed, and prepare all weapon systems. If our sacred keep has been desecrated by the unclean, we will purge it.” Malathir shivered. The hackles on the back of his neck tingled. It was not the first time he’d felt the chill that day. Since their landing, he had experienced inexplicable headaches and temperature drops. It was beginning to unnerve him. “I do not like this, brother. I have sensed it since planet fall. Something is… off.”

 

“I have felt the same brother,” Erias replied as he finished relaying the commands to the other rhinos. “There is something else, sir,” he continued with a sense of unease.

 

“Go on,” said Malathir, curious. Such trepidation was uncharacteristic of his battle brother and long time friend. 

 

“There was a chaplain attached to the keep’s garrison when it went dark. Letholdus was his name, I believe. I served with him during the Damocles Crusade. The man was a testament to potency of the Reclusiarchy; fiery in battle as he was in his sermons. In fact, his zeal for the Emperor is about the only thing that matched his martial prowess. I refuse to believe he was butchered by a wandering fist of xenos or babbling cultists. Yet, had a more sizable force made planet fall, Pyrriah’s orbital defenses would’ve detected it. Something more sinister is at work for him to be bested, Malathir. Witchcraft, perhaps. Or worse.”

 

“Indeed,” Malathir said slowly.  They exchanged a sidelong glance, but spoke no further. Thanks to the Black Templar’s less rigid command structure, the veteran and sword brother were able to share their thoughts candidly in front of the initiates packed in to the transport carrier. The sons of Sigismund rejected the strict, militarized hierarchy laid down by Guilliman in the Codex Astartes. More so than most other chapters, they were a brotherhood; a fraternal order based on bonds of kinship and comradery more than organization and codified tradition.

 

The sword brother rubbed his temples as the chill from his neck began creeping in to his skull. His head began to throb. What could possibly be causing these damnable headaches, he wondered. He is trans-human. He is Space Marine. His enhanced physiology should prevent such human like frailty. His brain felt like it had a pulse, beating in time with the rumbling of the vehicle’s engine. He attempted to distract himself by running through the various tactical scenarios that could play out at the keep. Would it be deserted? Would it be under siege? Or, worse still, compromised? The thought made him grimace. No matter what precautions were taken, no matter how noble the cause, the risk never equaled the reward when it came to the Warp. Malathir had no doubt that when one stared in to it's depths, it stared back. He prayed it's tendrils had not reached Pyrriah. 

 

Suddenly, his mild chill lanced in to an icy stab, shooting the length of his spine, and exploded at the base of his cranium. He was frozen, encased in what felt like an invisible sheet of ice. He wanted to scream out in pain, but he could not. He could not even blink. All there was, was the voice.

 

“Turn back, Malathir Vichiers of the Adeptus Astartes.” The voice was a whisper and a sonic boom reverberating through out his mind. It possessed an almost music-like tonality.“The great devourer approaches. If we are undone here, all is lost. Do not interfere with what you cannot hope to comprehend. Do not be a fool. Turn back.”

 

Just as quickly as the voice had shot through Malathir’s mind, it dissipated. The scream that had been bubbling up from his chest erupted. It began as nothing more than a feral howl, but soon grew in to a frenzied canticle. The marines around him jumped back in surprise at his sudden furious bellowing.

 

“Smite now the scions of the Witch! Grant us the strength to pierce their unclean flesh! To cover their fields with the pale form of their blasphemous dead. To drown the thunder of guns with the shriek of their dying! To lay waste--” his thunderous chanting continued, but was drowned out by the roar of an explosion that shook the land raider. A glancing shot. Was it a warning? Surely not. He cursed. Damned xeno trickery.

 

“Multiple contacts appearing on the auspex, sir! It’s as if they stepped out of thin air!” a fresh faced neophyte shouted. Malathir tightened the grip on his power sword.

 

“Gun servitors, begin target lock sequences for auto cannon and hurricane bolter armaments. Brothers, prepare for embarkation. Abhor the Witch! Destroy the Witch! For Sigismiund! For the Emperor!"

Edited October 27, 2015 by T-Rock

[T-Rock]

Crusade update! There have been a lot of things going on, actually, but I've been so wrapped up in modeling/painting that I haven't had a chance to update. Rather like our chapter tactics, we can't always dictate where our zeal takes us.

 

First, a very truncated battle report, then another more in depth/fluffy one...

 

Up to this point all of my games have been fun, fluffy affairs with a few guys at my FLGS. Point values have been small, and they've been fairly lax on rules, as I've been trying to hone my stat memorization, rules, wargear, etc. I've done quite well, my highlight being taking down a vastly OP Gladius Strike force smurf list, but like I said never anything competitive. However, a few weeks ago I realized there was a store that hosted tournaments right by the school I teach at, and I dropped by. The meta was friendly, but quite competitive. The manager running the store was a nice enough guy, but wasn't as good at "humans" as I expected him to be. Here's what I mean, immediately after introducing myself and my army he informed me that Black Templars are in no way competitive and absolutely no one brings Land Raiders because they're bad.   Sweet. thanks, guy. Nice to meet you too. Thanks for the warm welcome to your store.  

 

As I got out my stuff he spent (literally) 10 minutes explaining the insane number of special rules in his Mechanicus list. He then said he'd make a mediocre list to go easy on me. I laughed and informed him that all I had was my trusty chapter tactics and a s*#@ load of zeal. 

 

My list consisted of two landraiders with 12 man crusader squads sprinkled with neos lead by a Chaplain and Marshall, 2 Iron Clads in DP, a melta command squad, and a storm talon. He lined up a giant firing line straight across the table. We rolled 'Seize the Relic' and got started. What followed was a fluffy behind-whooping, BT style. 

 

I drop podded my dreads and melta squad right smack dab in front of his firing line, nuking a good number of his units and blocking him from a clear path to the relic. Meanwhile, I shoved my LRCs right down his throat. My chaplain crusader squad waded in to battle to join the miraculous 2 survivors of my melta suicide squad, and completely clogged the middle of the table. During his rule rant he spent a pretty good chunk of time informing me how his electro-priests would demolish me in close combat with all their special rules. Well, after softening them up with my Land Raider, my Crusader squad piled in to them and when the smoke cleared, only 1 remained. As it turns out 15 angry Templars on the charge with rage/zealot don't really give a toss about fancy special rules.   

 

At this point my drop pods, LRCs, and crusader squad had completely choked the middle. It was impossible for him to break through. I also have to give huge credit to my storm talon, who laid down some serious hurt on his Kataphrons with its assault cannon and Typhoon ML (shout out to whoever on here recommended I use that). Considering the nutty amount of grav and haywire guns he had on the flank, I was lucky he never got a chance to get near my LRCs.

 

While he was busy trying to punch through my choke point, my other LRC scooped up the relic and hightailed it away from the middle scrum. My Burning Blade equipped Marshall didn't even have to take a swing. He conceded on turn 4. 

 

MOTHER FREAKING  ZEAL FOR THE WIN!

 

While that was a great win, my other game that night had some awesome moments that I could turn in to a fluffy bat rep. Expect that, as well as some of my mediocre painting/conversions in the next few days! 

Edited November 28, 2015 by T-Rock

[Marshal Mattias]

That's an awesome battle report, just my kind of story! I love it when people 'talk-up' their unit, usually while droning about sub-par marine units, right before they get obliterated in a giant mosh-pit of chainswords and ZEAL! Good work, Brother Templar!

[T-Rock]

A few of my various WIPs. Eventually this is going to comprise my 7 man honor guard. I'm seriously looking forward to dumping these guys out of a LRC with Grimaldus. Hello 20+ power weapon attacks with re-rolls, and a little FNP safety net if anyone survives.

 

C&C appreciated, but none of these are quite done yet!  

 

 

http://s27.postimg.org/gkgtrmzvz/IMG_0301.jpg http://s27.postimg.org/ris39tohb/IMG_0302.jpg

 

http://s4.postimg.org/99u74jdrd/IMG_0300.jpg

 

I'm most pleased/excited about this guy. For those of you reading my narrative, let me introduce you to Sword Brother Malathir. He's loosely based off the fella in my avatar; the picture that lead me to choose Black Templar. He's my first serious kitbash, so I'm really happy with the progress. I've also finally learned how to paint sem-decent faces after botching my first 3 attempts.

 

One question for you all though, is the double skull standard too much? I'm not sure if I like it there or not. 

[T-Rock]

Update:

 

The Pyrriah Narrative Campaign has finally kicked off! It has been long overdue for us getting started, but it already seems like it'll be worth the wait. As you can see in the pictures, we have some absolutely terrific scenery that some of the other players made. Unfortunately, this is only the first half of the battle report, as our FLGS closed a bit early, and we had to hit "pause" on proceedings. Still, I was too excited to not share the first half of the battle. Excuse the perspective of the battle report, as it is from the Eldar POV. The prologue above was from the BT viewpoint, so I wanted to be well rounded in my telling of the story. Don't worry, there is still plenty of xenos witch burning.

 

Let me know what you think!

 

++Incoming Transmission++

 

Subject: Malathir Vichier

Detachment: Promethia Crusade

Deployment: Ultima Segmentum 

Date: 995.m41

 

Autarch Eolon cursed. The obstinance of the mon-keigh was anathema to him. To the wizened sensibilities of the Eldar, humanity seemed no more than impetuous, bloodthirsty barbarians. Nevertheless, what the species lacked prudence, it made up for in sheer determined will. Their once burgeoning galactic empire proved the merit of their brutish, yet potent attributes. It was for that reason Eolon hoped he could avoid open conflict with the rapidly approaching Black Templar battle company. In truth, intruding on the mind of their commander had been a desperate last gambit. Conflict, it seemed, would be unavoidable. He must secure the keep, no matter the cost. Its contents were invaluable to his cause- to the survival of the entire system, in fact. His guardian squad rushed up the derelict causeway, and took position at the entrance, while the wave serpents formed a pincer on the field below, flanking a lumbering wraith lord. They had time to set up before the humans arrived, but the enemy armor was closing quickly. Eolon motioned to the nearby wave serpent to fire a last warning shot at the approaching vehicles, in the vain hope putting steel to his words would give the fools pause.

 

As if spurned on by the warning shot instead of deterred by it, the Templar’s behemoth tank roared towards the keep even faster, kicking up a maelstrom of dust from the blasted landscape. It was flanked by a slightly smaller transport, which rumbled alongside. The Eldar readied their weapons and hunkered behind the scattered ruins outside the keep. Before Eolon’s forces could strike out at the advancing spearhead, though, a distant, shrill whistle piqued their attention. Their elevated aural sensors picked up the sound well before any human’s would have, but it was still too late.

 

The heavens split above them. A thunderous shriek birthed the flickering sight of two Adeptus Astartes drop pods lancing through Pyrriah’s cerulean sky. A booming crack whipped the air as they ripped through the atmosphere. Mure tial fein, Eolon thought to himself. Death from above; simple, effective, and brazenly stupid—quite the apt stratagem for humanity. The assault would land too far on the leftt flank for him to engage, and he continued towards the land raider.

 

Despite the cacophony that broke the once silent plain, the pod’s descent had lasted only a few seconds. With an ear rending boom, the pair struck the caked earth of Pyrriah, showering the nearby waveserpent in a geyser of dirt and debris. The drop pod’s tendrils unfurled with a metallic clink, and opened. For the briefest of moments, silence swirled with acrid smoke.

 

“TO ME BROTHERS! PURGE THE XENOS! BURN THE WITCH” the midnight black gargantuan boomed, its distorted vox-hanced voice carrying out over the plains. It pounded down the metal ramp towards the exposed wave serpent in a furious charge. In a vain attempt to catch its quarry with a last second blast, the Eldar tank whipped around on its anti-grav hover jets, hoping to bring its bright lance to bear

 

Unbeknownst to its crew, the adjustment would merely open up the wave serpent’s side armor. Distracted by the ceramite mountain pounding towards them, they failed to notice the five man squad embarking from the accompanying drop pod. The marines sprinted towards the vehicles blind side and unleashed the fury of their meltaguns. The blackened muzzles belched out an oozing, promethean lava that consumed the wave serpent’s hull, boiling its contents and navigational controls. It spun out of control, and crashed in to the dirt and skidding to a halt. Despite the destruction of the tank, the dreadnought continued its frenzied charge.

 

For such a lumbering thing, its timing was perfect. No sooner had it reached a few dozen yards from the wreckage, Eldar stumbled out, attempting to snapfire shots at the giant creature. Their fire pinged off its armored hull harmlessly. The dreadnought lifted its giant gauntleted fist, and aimed it at his attackers. Flame whooshed out from the spout beneath his gauntleted fists and enveloped the lithe Eldar, immolating them instantly.

 

“I AM TANCRED! I AM DEATH INCARNATE!” The shock of the spearhead had caught the Eldar on the back foot, unprepared for the lethality of the drop pod assault. After the initial shock of the attack wore off, the Space Marines and their Iron Clad ally were dangerously exposed. The rash attack was a double edged sword, and the backswing would be costly.

 

Shruiken cannons ripped in to the melta squad’s MK VII power armor, the calm practiced shots of the guardians finding their mark, tearing in to the exposed joints in Space Marine’s plate. They all fell before they even had the chance to return fire, blood spilling from their shredded armor. The dreadnought fared better though, suffering only a glancing blow off its ceramite hull. Turning from the lone survivor of his initial flamer assault, he faced a closing cadre of wraith knights and bellowed, taunting them.

 

“TANCRED ENDURES!” As he charged the knights, they parted, and a towering wraith lord strode through their midst. The pair would meet in matched combat: war machine against war machine. The dreadnought’s momentum gave it the early advantage, its energy charged fists smashing in to the automaton’s faceplate. His second fist hammered its midsection, cracking mechanized ribs. The dreadnought Tancred reached his fist back for the finishing blow, but before it could connect, his arm was severed from his hull. The wraithsword had moved with such blinding speed, Tancred barely saw the bright flash of metal before his dismembered limb clanked to the ground.

 

In a desperate last attempt to fell his foe, he threw a wild open fisted thrust in to the wraith lord’s midsection. The Eldar pirouetted with surprising grace, avoiding the brunt of the attack. He raised his relic imbued sword above his head, and spun it in a triumphant flourish.

 

“Tancred…endu-” the blade cleaved the ancient sarcophagus, splitting it down the center. Tancred was silenced. The Wraith Lord was grievously wounded, but not yet undone. 

Seeing their brethren and venerated engine of war slain by Eldar hands prompted the Black Templar in to even deeper rage, and their land raider and rhino transports kicked in to their highest gear, churning across the battlefield at breakneck speed. The moment the wraith knights were in range, the gun servitors clicked on and the cannoned echo of auto-cannon fire joined the din of battle.  

 

Autarch Eolon ran towards the site of the third descending drop pod, rallying the exposed rangers, who had been torn apart from bolter and plasma fire. He unleashed a burst of eldritch lighting over the embarking marines, killing two of them outright in a dizzying flash of violet. The fleeing rangers turned and cheered, joining their leader. Eolon drew his blade and gracefully strode towards his quarry.

 

“Haras fell, caman roisin, mure ashafar, offiga rothe!” he cried. His brothers took up the call. The fools must come to understand their folly if they are to stand a chance against the Great Devourer, and where words faltered, blades would not.

Edited December 11, 2015 by T-Rock

[T-Rock]

++INCOMING PICT UPLOAD++

++SERVO-SKULL ZRN-2142++

 

http://s30.postimg.org/l3oudt9b1/IMG_0288.jpg  http://s30.postimg.org/teanln4v1/IMG_0290.jpg  http://s30.postimg.org/9tw4iv49p/IMG_0291.jpg  http://s30.postimg.org/uabqeu3x9/IMG_0297.jpg

 

              http://s30.postimg.org/pn5od2gkd/IMG_0294.jpg  http://s7.postimg.org/40s1icrjr/IMG_0295.jpg  http://s30.postimg.org/uabqeu3x9/IMG_0297.jpg  

 

                   http://s30.postimg.org/8y48h5jz1/IMG_0296.jpg     http://s30.postimg.org/6ynmpqpnh/IMG_0298.jpg

Edited December 11, 2015 by T-Rock

[Brother Captain Ed]

right before they get obliterated in a giant mosh-pit of chainswords and ZEAL! 

This was made doubly funny by the fact that I read all of Mattias' posts in Archer's voice.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Brother Captain Ed

[T-Rock]

Update! Realizing just how many models I've finished over the last month or so I never got around to posting. These are the remainder of my characters in the narrative campaign. I wanted to finish/post them before I go back and take more pictures. I know I'm not half as talented as the majority of the painters/modelers on here, but I'd love some feedback on my stuff so far!                      

 

 

http://s23.postimg.org/i0lg79vl3/IMG_0375.jpg    http://s23.postimg.org/uzn9aagbr/IMG_0376.jpg    http://s23.postimg.org/b7l3b04rr/IMG_0378.jpg   

 

1. First Sword Brother Malathir

                 

2. Initiate  Brother Uldryn                        

 

3. Castellan Aethalas           

 

 http://s23.postimg.org/c0xp3masn/IMG_0381.jpg    http://s23.postimg.org/nrg7yqsyv/IMG_0382.jpg    http://s1.postimg.org/vhkwdaxff/IMG_0373.jpg

 

4. Brother Tancred                                        

 

5. Sword Brother Gawain

 

​6. Brother Sergeant Krystoff

    

Edited December 17, 2015 by T-Rock

[MagicMan]

Great lookig Templars! Really enjoyed the narrative writing/battle report too.

 

I think Malahir is my favourite, his pose is awesome.

[T-Rock]

Happy Holidays, fellow Templar. Grimaldiclause has come to town, and as well as blessing me with his presence he's blessed me with presents too. Didn't you know? Chaplains love puns. 

 

 

http://s4.postimg.org/7xbd2ey61/IMG_0425.jpg   http://s4.postimg.org/3ye5jl9ix/IMG_0426.jpg   http://s4.postimg.org/p6ru10nzt/IMG_0433.jpg

 

First off is one of my favorite gifts thus far: The Citadel Project Box. I know, I know, it's wildly overpriced, but when you live in a small apartment and commute like I do, having the ease of a quick clean up and portability is huge. Seeing as a "paint station" isn't really feasible at my place, this is a pretty awesome second. I did some research, and while there were some other awesome hobby stations, the portability factor for this thing was huge. I'm excited that I'll no longer have to use shoeboxes (and their lids) to house my hobby supplies and be my work space. 

Secondly, is the man, the myth, the Grimaldus. I just listened to the Helsreach audiobook for the second time, and man, what a badass this guy is. Seeing as I'm a huge sucker for the fluff and extended universe of 40k, the idea of playing campaigns/missions with a fleshed out character (thus keeping his narrative alive, so to speak) is so freaking cool to me. Additionally, he's a fundamental part of my LRC Spearhead formation, which had a decent first showing against a pretty beefy Tau list in an 1850 ITC practice game. More on that later.

 

 

http://s4.postimg.org/nk2mfsby1/IMG_0434.jpg   http://s4.postimg.org/q7nhcefll/IMG_0435.jpg   http://s4.postimg.org/76imwmvsp/IMG_0436.jpg

 

I've also been working on my honor guard. I've posted the first model before, but added a banner to him. For lack of better words, it kind of sucks. Does anyone have any banner advice? Are there like templates or something? I'm all about the knightly heraldry and such, but want more quality out of my work. I also added two more brothers to my guard. One, is a fairly basic looking PS wielder with an iron halo, and the other is a bit more creative, channeling his inner "that guy from Assassin's Creed 3" vibe with the axe and dagger. 

 

TLDR: 

• I'm a sucker for GW stuff.
   
• Grimaldus!
   
• Any advice on banner creation? My free handing is subpar at best, and I'd rather not spend a crap load of money for a custom scheme. Any other options?
   
• Does my axe Honor Guard look Templar-y enough? I'm unsure.
   
• Would you all recommend the assault box or regular tactical box in addition to the upgrade sprue? I have a few tacticals that I tried to salvage with liquid green, but it just wasn't enough (stupidly spray painted them with random spray in HS). They are dragging down the overall look of my crusade squads and it's time for their gene seed to be collected.