Death Guard lore questions

[MoGuy]

Hey guys,

 

so I too have fallen for the new models and started my DG Vectorum. Now, I've been reading their Lexicanum articles etc. but I still have some fluff questions. Hopefully you can help me out here:

 

1. I've read somewhere that Typhus used to decapitate his enemies and then vomit down their throats to spoil their gene-seed. I find this highly amusing as it is a perfect example for 40Ks "grimderp" moments. Is/Was this actually a thing? 

 

2. I am a bit confused as to how exactly the Plague Marines stay so... "healthy". I mean they are rotting and disease-ridden and even if they don't feel pain anymore, shouldn't the diseases cripple them? Like some going blind or something? Is there an explanation why they don't just keel over and die? I know that Nurgle's blessing keeps them alive and makes them even more resilient. But a Space Marine rotting away and at the same time being even more resilient seems paradox to me.

 

3. Is Mortarion's non-bloatedness purely an aesthetic design decision or did he somehow "conquer" his sickness. I mean from what I've read he is surprisingly slim and human (apart from his wings) and not a bloated mess of tentacles and puss.

 

4. Do we know what Plague Marines do in their spare time? I think they still do some routine stuff like train for combat etc. but they obviously don't repair/polish their armour (since they also can't take it off if they are fused to it) or bolters. They are also rather... jolly maybe they even engage in some social activities like visiting the inhabitants of their Plague Planets or see who can grow the largest Nurgling?

 

5. Would it be unfluffy to field some tanks? I've read that the Death Guard's armory has fallen into disrepair and they use very few tanks. But I would love to take a Land Raider, Xiphon Inceptor or some Artillery to the field to support my footslogging units.

[Marshal Loss]

1. I have never read that before.

It's totally derived from the power of Nurgle - they are alive when they should by all means be dead. Don't overthink it.

Nurgle isn't all about being bloated and large, and Mortarion is traditionally a 'reaper' figure, and as a Daemon Primarch he has literally become an 'Angel of Death'. Nothing to do with him beating his sickness - he succumbed just as his sons did.

No, we don't.

No it wouldn't. The DG used unusually large numbers of Vindicators, Spartans/Land Raiders and Fellblades at the time of the Horus Heresy, and we're getting a new tank (possibly with two variants) as part of the upcoming DG release, of which at least one functions as an artillery tank. Just so long as the bulk of your army is infantry you're going to have a fluffy force.

[Plaguecaster]

The whole bit about Typhus vomiting was in the Cadian blood novel by ADB if I remember correctly a bunch of raven guard died buying time for the cadians and inquisitior to stop a daemon prince before Typhus joined up with him Typhus was enraged the Raven Guard slowed him down so vomited some filth over a decapitated raven guard to destroy his geneseed, I think that was the only instance of that ever happening as there is not a lot of novels dealing with Typhus :(

[MoGuy]

Thanks for the answers! Can you recommend some novels/audiobooks about the Death Guard (post heresy)? I would like to read more about the rotting legion. :)