Siege of Terra; IX Legion, 83rd Company "Crimson Thorns"

[OakRiver]

Brother Fidelio, 73rd Company - Warden Vespucci's Sable Brotherhood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Brother Fidelio was nominated to serve under Vespucci by the 73rd Company's Warden. While the other members of the Sable Brotherhood were sent to the 83rd as a sort of ambassador for their Company I cannot said with firm heart that was the case with Fidelio. I had heard rumors that while he was devoted to the Emperor's vision of reuniting humanity that he had an often fractious relationship with some of his Company, and that he was dispatched to the 83rd so his commanders could alleviate tensions. If this were true I saw no evidence of that in how he interacted with the Brothers of our Company. While he was distant in many ways to most of us I did not take that as unusual given the role he played as Vespucci's student. 

 

Fidelio was present with us during the Signus Campaign. In truth his shuttle joined us just before we departed to rejoin the rest of our Legion to make way to Signus. It was Fidelio who struck the Neverborn of the Warden when the abomination tore his helm from his head, and gave Vespucci the opportunity to recover from the attack" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio 

 

 

Brother Callisto, 73rd Company - Warden Vespucci's Sable Brotherhood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"While the rumor was that Fidelio was sent to us due to issues with members of his Company the same could not be said of Callisto. As new members of the Legion he and I had shared a field of battle, and back then it was clear that he was marked for greatness. I witnessed his Assault Squad close in with Greenskins and his ability to read the flow of battle and frustrate the enemy was uncanny. In the never ending melee he never seemed to tire, and every time the xenos would attempt a counter attack he would rally his squad and lead them back into the thick of it.

 

While we did spend little time with the 29th after that campaign I followed his progress as he rose through the ranks, and when he requested to take up Vespucci's offer I understand that it was granted reluctantly, but that his Captain acquiesced and provided him with some of the best weapons and armor to help him in his new role. I must confess that I was surprised that he would seek to don the black, as many had assumed that he would eventually take the mantle of leading the 29th. 

 

In the dark days following the betrayal his vigor and leadership under fire were most welcome to all in our Company" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

 

 

So after some computer issues of my own, and the B&C's own challenges, I was finally able to share my progress with Warden Vespucci's retinue. I'm pretty pleased with how these two turned out as this was my first time working with any real sort of resin, even on a small scale.

 

This down time has got me thinking of next steps and potential new projects. I am considering adding a Legion Praevian to the 83rd based on the Iron Hands mini from Deathwatch, but I have also been eyeing up the AoS Stormcast as the basis for a small force of techno barbarians/gene forged troops that the 83rd interacted with earlier in this history. I was thinking that by looking back I could add some more units without breaking the fluff (like Librarians, or Captain Eco before he was interned in his ironform). But in saying that I still have three members of the Sable Brotherhood to paint, a Legion Support Squad to assemble and paint, and a Legion Assault Squad to assemble and paint (and I'm looking at yet more parts for that so I have a 15+ man squad).

 

I have also made some progress on our narrator, Veteran Sergeant Alessio, The Crimson Knight, and I may be sharing that with the community soon.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Brothers Fidelio and Callisto are well done. What's the meaning of the rope/braid tied around their legs? A symbol of membership in some fraternity of [insert campaign name] veterans?

[OakRiver]

Brothers Fidelio and Callisto are well done. What's the meaning of the rope/braid tied around their legs? A symbol of membership in some fraternity of [insert campaign name] veterans?

I have to be honest, I never considered any fluff of the rope until you asked. I think that it might be tricky to explain it as a campaign honor giving the varied backgrounds of each of the Legionnaires, but that doesn't mean it is impossible;

 

"Many of the Legionnaires of the 83rd wore braided ropes as decoration on their armor. To many an outside observer this was deemed to be little more than ornamentation, and its significance barely given a second thought. To the Brothers of the 83rd it was the continuation of a tradition from their homeworld of Baal. On an irradiated wasteland filled with peril it should be no surprise that supplies were often limited, and that frequently the tribes would organize scavenging parties search for supplies from the wastes, or to raid from neighboring tribes. These groups would often be given what supplies their tribes could muster as an investment in bringing back a bountiful haul. One of the most prized items that could be bestowed was also one of the most simple and most practical; rope. Often braided for strength this item would be an invaluable tool in securing supplies, fashioning traps, securing prisoners, or any other myriad applications the party needed to survive in the wilds. 

 

Among the 83rd these braided ropes appeared among the Legionnaires most frequently as peer to peer recognition. This tradition was even shared by the Terran born members of the 83rd, and would fittingly serve as a way of binding the old and new. This practice was not as common through the rest of the Legion, however examples may be seen with Brothers Fidelio and Callisto of the Sable Brotherhood; the latter's rope braid coming from the 29th's Company banner"

[Bjorn Firewalker]

You have good imagination- something surprisingly and disappointingly lacking in 18.M3.

[OakRiver]

You have good imagination- something surprisingly and disappointingly lacking in 18.M3.

Thank you. I like to keep the fluff at least interesting so that the minis and their backstory are more engaging, and it also helps during those painting slumps so I can think my way around a problem.

[BadgersinHills]

Inspirational thread, the effort put in for the fluff of each individual dude is really great! :) 

[OakRiver]

Thank you. I took a lot of inspiration for this thread from other, more talented, community members and a lot of the fluff just writes itself.

[OakRiver]

Inquiry Received....

!Error! Security Check Failed...

Security Protocols Engaged....

Authority Recognized....

Override Initiated...

Cypher Recognized.

Security Protocols Disengaged.

Access Granted.

 

Report of Archivist Rangel N'Vir

Subject; Erasmus Alessio

Homeworld; Baal

Affiliation; Legionnes Astartes, IX Legion, Blood Angels, 83rd Company Crimson Thorns

Honorifics; The Crimson Knight

 

 

[Archivist's Note: Initial investigation shows that this Subject was equipped with Mk.IV power armor. This pict capture from the Siege of Terra shows components from a number of armor marks - Mk. III left arm and power plant, Mk. IV right arm, pauldron and legs, Mk.V torso, Mk. VI helm]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"My Lords, your humble servant greatly thanks you for this opportunity to serve you in so menial a task as to document a warrior of the Imperium who served during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy.

 

This task was not without its perils as plumbing the archives on Holy Terra took several expeditions, the loss of several servitors and two full scouting parties. It took quite some time, and many supplemental appeals, before our petition to the Blood Angels Chapter was granted, and even then our invitation was cut short when the Great Devourer invaded the Baal System. 

 

In spite of these many frustrations I hereby present to you my findings.

 

Veteran Sergeant Erasmus Alessio was inducted into the IX Legion after the Primarch was reunited with the Legion. A competent, not initially remarkable warrior, he served in the 4th Squad of the 83rd Company until he rose to prominence during a the compliance of The Gael System. Initially the Imperial forces were well received by the ruling clans and peaceable compliance was agreed upon to incorporate the Gaels into the Imperium of Man, however the political machinations of some rival clans resulted in a civil war on the planet following an attempted assassination attempt on the Gael's Spear Queen. As an act of good faith Captain Eco had assigned 4th Squad to The Spear Queen as an honor guard, and with the other squad members patrolling the fortress, Alessio was the only member present to thwart the attempt on her life. At the request of The Spear Queen he would accompany her as her bodyguard during the remainder of the conflict, during which the Gael's clan warriors gave him the honorific of The Crimson Knight, which was subsequently adopted for Alessio by the Legionnaires of the 83rd Company.

 

Following the passing of 4th Squad's Sergeant, Eltinio, fighting Aeldari corsairs Alessio was selected to lead the squad above the more experienced Aldo. His first real test of leadership came during the Amaranthine Campaign. Initially the negotiations had gone well, with the planet agreeing without condition to joining the Imperium, however compliance broke down when it was revealed that the planet's inhabitants were synthetics who had been created by the humans who colonized the planet before it was found that radiation from the nearest star has degraded their genetic material over centuries until they were unable to procreate. With the Imperial Army forced to disengage from the conflict for fear of infiltration the 83rd Company lead a drop pod assault to purge the planet. Alessio's squad were dropped severely off course during planet fall and ended up isolated, and behind hostile lines. Under his leadership the 4th Squad were able to disrupt a large counter attack poised to strike a vulnerable flank of Legion armor, and contest a major bridge crossing until a larger force could relieve them. 

 

In the wake of the Amaranthine Campaign the 4th Squad were designated as veterans of the Legion, and Captain Eco had mentioned their role in the campaign in his dispatches to the Primarch. Further recognizing the role that 4th Squad played during the assault Eco recognized them as a specialist unit, and equipped them to fight in a long range patrol capacity so that they could operate semi-independently behind enemy lines. 

 

Despite operating away from the bulk of the Legion during The Great Crusade the 83rd were present during the events of the Signus Campaign and Imperium Secundus. Records, such as they are from The Siege of Terra, show that during the fighting in the Sol System the 83rd were chosen to relieve a detachment of Imperial Fists on a section of wall in the lower hab zones where the worker's quarters were located. Casualty rates were noted as being high for the 83rd during The Siege, and that members of this Company were either present on the Arch Traitor's barge during the boarding action or shortly thereafter.

 

In a number of sources (attached to this report) from the period known as The Scouring a Legionnaire can be seen in armor that matches some details of the armor worn by Erasmus Alessio. However we cannot identify this individual as the Subject with anything approaching certainty. It is possible that the Subject's armor may have been salvaged by another Legionnaire, or that the Subject's armor was extensively repaired following battle damage. Alessio is noted in the archives of the Blood Angels as being a member of the Chapter following the implementation of the Codex Astartes, however the records that were available to us did not mark a date when he passed into The Emperor's Grace, and the ultimate fate of Alessio remains unknown to us at this time.

 

Without your guiding hand in setting the boundaries of my investigation, or an indication of the desired conclusion being sought, I hope that my meager offerings will be acceptable to you.

 

Your most humble servant."

Edited October 15, 2018 by OakRiver

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Alessio's model is well done.

[OakRiver]

Alessio's model is well done.

 

Thank you. As strange as it may be to me he was always going to be the focal point of the story as he was our narrator, rather than putting the focus on a Praetor or other higher ranking member. It took my a long time to build up the courage to assemble him, and even longer to paint him, which is why I worked through so many other characters and squads until I felt comfortable. On the bright side it allowed me time to refine my painting and modelling skills so I feel that I did him justice.

 

I still have a lot left to do with this project, Alessio was completed because I had the inspiration to do so. I still have three members of The Sable Brotherhood to paint and I have started to assemble the Legion Assault Squad, including minis with some details tying them to Imperium Secundus. I'm thinking that I might add the Blood Angels mini from Overkill (converted of course) as the Sergeant of the squad. The Heavy Support Squad has not yet been touched.

 

Once these squads are finished I'm looking at other options of what to add to the 83rd, or other related units; a God Emperor cult coming to them at the wall and offering their assistance in the fight, or converting  Stormcast to be techno-barbians that fought along side the 83rd in the early days of The Great Crusade. 

[OakRiver]

Some more progress to share on the 83rd Company, this time a Legion Assault Squad

 

 

A mix of bits from a variety of bits (Death Company, Assault Squad, B@P MKIII Marines, and B@C Marines) and green stuff additions. The squad does not yet have a sergeant, I'm planning on converting one from the Overkill Blood Angel. I ran out of Heresy era bolt pistols for this squad, so I chopped down some bolt guns to make pistols, and I kept some of the longer magazines to look like one of the older Chaos Marine pistols;

 

 

[OakRiver]

**blows dust off thread**

 

So it's been a wee while since our last update, but I have not been completely idle, just mostly idle. In between work, vacation, Thanksgiving, and other hobbies I now present Brothers Ehno and Valente of The Sable Brotherhood.

 

 

Brother Ehno, 118th Company - Warden Vespucci's Sable Brotherhood

 

 

 

 

 

[Archivist's Note; while only one member of the 83rd is noted as having the honor of bearing their Primarch's name into battle on their pauldron, it must be remembered that Ehno was seconded to the 83rd from the 118th.] 

 

 

 

 

"Brother Ehno always seemed to be searching for something. He came to us from the 118th Company with a storied history, but he was honest that he had requested to join Warden Vespucci because in spite of his many honors he had never found a role that fit him. He had served in many of our Legion's formations, save few like the Terminator elite or the Destroyers. While this meandering service record was seen by some as a weakness, I saw it for what it was on the battlefield. His service allowed him to better understand the flow of the battle and help guide our Brothers onto victory. He would have made a fine Praetor one day, but he found his true calling in the Imperial Truth. 

 

In conversation after he took his oath he confessed that he struggled with the thought of killing a fellow Astartes. By the time we reached Terra that had been long resolved." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio, 83rd Company

 

 

Brother Valente, 9th Company - Warden Vespucci's Sable Brotherhood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Brother Valente joined the Sable Brotherhood as we had haste towards the Signus Cluster, unaware of the trap that lay there. He was an accomplished swordsman, and as I understand it he was one of the few who could come close to matching blades with the 9th's Champion. His request to follow Warden Vespucci was a surprise to his commander, and after much discussion with Captain Eco it was finally granted.

 

When we fought the Neverborn on that accursed planet Valente saved our Champion, Laertes's life. Beset on all sides by the abominations, one of the foul creatures had gotten on the back of the warrior and attempted to wrest his helm from his head. Valente's war cry arrived ahead of his charge into the melee, giving Laertes time to choke the life from the creature attempting to disarm him.

 

That war cry was some of the last words he ever spoke.

 

Outraged by The Warmaster's betrayal of our Legion and the grief of losing so many Brothers he took a vow of silence until the last Traitor fell. He strode the battlefield a silent and grim executioner, pointing his axe in silent challenge to the object of his wrath." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio, 83rd Company

 

 

I also have a sneak peak of work on the last member of The Sable Brotherhood - Brother Anellius, The Zealot

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 2, 2018 by OakRiver

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Ehno and Valente's models are well done.

[OakRiver]

Thank you. I know it is a cliche, but these minis all look better in real life. If anyone knows a good image hosting site (stopped using Imgur, now using Lensdump) please let me know. When I edited the originals on the laptop they always look so much better before upload.

[Dosjetka]

If you want to keep the good quality of your pics post-upload, I'd suggest using Flickr.

 

I missed the last few updates but it's nice to see you're still chugging along with these. I especially like the bare head you've painted up. Can't to see the body attached to it. ;)

[OakRiver]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll try Flickr for the next upload. 

 

Anellius's body has been undercoated, and ready for lots of red.

[Pearson73]

Anellius' head is very well done, nice highlighting of the facial structure.

 

Valente and Ehno look cracking too.

[OakRiver]

It was a novel experience painting a resin head with much more, and deeper detail, than I'm used to with plastic minis.

[Mostwanted]

Great work. Really love the head as well. Looking forward to seeing that model finished.

 

Could you let me know what parts you used for the storm shield arm please? Obviously it's an Assault Terminator Storm Shield, but I can't work out how you attached it so well to a power armour arm that has some sort of support on as well.

[OakRiver]

The good news is that the model has been finished, the pics have been taken, but I'm heading out to my work Christmas party soon so it'll be a minute before they get uploaded.

 

You're correct about the source of the shield, it comes from the Blood Angels Terminator Assault Squad. The arm bearing it comes from the same kit I got the squad specific pieces of the Sable Brotherhood, the FW Imperial Fists Phalanx Warder Squad;

 

 

The picture of the parts kit is misleading as the shield arms are not all identical, but come with a variety of poses;

[Mostwanted]

Thanks for the reply. It's difficult to tell from the pictures but do the arms fit well with the Assault Terminator Storm Shields, or do you need to do some sanding and filling? Looks like you could file the chest armour fists off and easily use them for Blood Angels which would stop the wastage of parts for me. The helmets look like they could be used for Blood Angels as well. I'll be picking these up on my next order.

Hope you had a good night out and aren't suffering to much!

[OakRiver]

Thanks. With being one of the managers in my work I behaved so I'm not suffering with bottle flu this morning. 

 

The arms fit the storm shields surprisingly well, with only minor trimming needed to the back of the shields to get a good fit. For the torsos I used the one with the Imperial Raptor, and the two with the IF insignia in a circle. The raptor needed no modification and the other two had the fists carved off and press molded details glued in place to better fit in with the IX Legion. If you look further up the page you can see the torsos being used on Callisto and Ehno.

 

The helms also worked well for these guys as they lack any Legion specific iconography, as you can see on Valente and Fidelio.

[OakRiver]

Veteran Sergeant Anellius, "The Zealot", 103rd Company - Warden Vespucci's Sable Brotherhood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warden Vespucci and his Sable Brotherhood engaging Traitor forces in Imperium Secundus

 

 

"We were graced with the presence of Veteran Sergeant Anellius shortly after Captain Eco had given Warden Vespucci leave to form his own retinue to prepare the next generation of Wardens, and to enforce the Edict of Nikaea.

 

A highly decorated Terran veteran of our Legion he served the Legion when the Emperor lead it before we were reunited with our Father. He was known to be loyal and faithful to The Imperial Truth, and was a natural choice to become one of Vespucci's pupils. He was well known for his fiery oration and inspiring words, so much so that his Brothers in the 103rd had given him the moniker The Zealot, a title he was as proud of as his Raptor Imperialis he bore his breast plate.

 

To those of us among the 83rd, we knew him by another name; The Fanatic. 

 

Where Vespucci was admired for his commanding presence, calm demeanor, and sound judgement Anellius's eyes burned with the fire of righteous passion, and his tongue gave this voice. The irony of such an adherent of the Imperial Truth behaving like a priest of the old religions was not lost to those of us who had the pleasure of his company for extended periods.

 

One of the few who actively sought time with The Fanatic was my own squadmate Santo, especially after Signus Prime. I will admit that I indulged my Brother as whatever these two spoke of did not appear to affect him on the field of battle.

 

What the Oathsworn Brothers of Vespucci's retinue thought of him I cannot say, as their role did not always lead to easy fraternization. What I can speak of with certainty is his relationship with the first member of The Sable Brotherhood, Edigio. When Vespucci had allowed Edigio to join Eco's retinue and fulfill his oath there Anellius was most displeased. I have heard on good authority that he and The Warden clashed in private, with our devoted Brother claiming that Edigio was an oathbreaker and that such behavior could not be tolerated. Suitably chastened he held his tongue for the most part, but Anellius's hardline stance would forever inform his relationship with Edigio, and the two warriors would frequently clash in our training cages. Watching these two duel it was clear to even the casual observer that there was no love lost between them.

 

During the retreat to The Palace Anellius put his fervor to good use, driving him onwards to strike at the enemy in spite of his grievous injuries" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio.

Edited December 10, 2018 by OakRiver

[firestorm40k]

I recently read through this whole thread, and I'm a big fan of your work, OakRiver. This is the kind of army I've always aspired to - it is very well painted, would look amazing on the table top; but above all the theme and narrative for the army shine through strongest of all. Every model tells a story and has character that has clearly been thoughtfully crafted.

 

When I work on my own miniatures, whether it's for my Chaos Marine army or a Kill Team, that's what I always aim to do.

 

I've especially enjoyed the short narrative background texts you've included for each model - I have been gripped, and at times even moved, by the tales of honour and of sacrifice you have given each member of this army.

 

Well done, and please keep up the great work! :) :tu:

Edited December 9, 2018 by firestorm40k

[OakRiver]

Thanks firestorm40k that means a lot to me, especially with all the talent we have here at B&C. 

 

While updates aren't always as frequent as I would otherwise like I have been enjoying the slower burn nature of this project, as it has given me the time to enjoy myself and craft compelling backgrounds for the 83rd as a whole, and the Legionnaires individually. JackDaw and Apologist were some of my biggest influences in how I went about crafting a characterful force and supporting fluff, so I'm glad that I can continue their work and help inspire others in their hobby pursuits also.

 

This army has been one that I have been chasing for the best part of 20 years, and I'm glad that I not only have the opportunity to build it, but also to share it with the community here.