Dark Reaper - Nightbringer connection fluff question

[Ryltar Thamior]

For some of my Inq28 projects, I've been working on some 'alternate' spins on Aspect Warriors and the like - proto-Aspects, different takes on armament and panoply ... that sort of thing. 

Now, one idea that caught my mind's fancy the other day [after seeing the rose-twined scythe from the Empire Battle-Wizard kit on one of my many, many under-utilized sprues] , was doing up a sort of alternate Dark Reaper . 

However, other than mention of a "Jade Scythe" shrine of Dark Reapers, I'm not seeing too much citation for scythes in connectoin with the Reaper Aspect. 

The fluff justification in my head for all of this, was going to be that as the Dark Reapers are thematically tied to the "Destroyer" form of Khaine ... and iif I recall fluff correctly, Khaine found himself somewhat 'imprinted' by the Nightbringer during their confrontation back during the War in Heaven - it would therefore make sense for at least one aspect of Khaine [in the sense of an aspect or form of the DIvinity rather than an Aspect Temple per se] to bear some rather overt hallmarks of the Nightbringer. In particular, one imagines, his scythe. 

What I basically want to know is ... is this tenable, and have I been getting the fluff right about this? Or is there something I've been missing.

[Karhedron]

Sounds good, Maugan Ra already has the whole scythe thing going on so replicating the theme across the basic aspect warriors sounds promising.

[apologist]

Yes, I think this sounds like a natural growth of the original concept. There's always a sense of conservatism about Craftworld Eldar in terms of 'staying within the lines', but that shouldn't stop you exploring the conceptual space within the aspects.

 

The broad idea of the aspect warriors has definite overtones of different martial arts. Consider karate and judo as examples equivalent to, say, Dark Reapers and Fire Dragons. A practitioner will develop certain traditions and skills depending on the art/aspect.

 

To extend that metaphor, there are also aspect warrior shrines similar to different schools of martial art. Two judo teachers may emphasise different parts of that particular martial art. Both are teaching judo, but each has a slightly different emphasis. With that said, no matter how different in terms of detail the two judo schools are, their practitioners remain clearly identifiable as performing judo, rather than (say) karate.

 

I think this is the route into different aesthetics and slight variations within the Eldar Aspect Warriors, too. While you wouldn't have Dark Reapers who rush, lightly-armoured into combat; you might well get a shrine that uses a different ritual heavy weapon.

[Ryltar Thamior]

Sounds good, Maugan Ra already has the whole scythe thing going on so replicating the theme across the basic aspect warriors sounds promising.

 

I'd thought about Maugan Ra, but was kinda iffy about using him as precedent because i) I wasn't sure if his Mauguetar or whatever it is was supposed to be a 'one-off' in terms of its design; ii) out-of-universe i'd always thought that he was basically designed [i.e. the miniature] as a Death-Jester or similar, and then for whatever reason wound up not being marketed as one - as can be addeuced from the fact his armament  [i.e. a shuriken cannon] is a *lot* closer to one of those than anything conventionally found in the Dark Reaper shrine at the time. 

 

Although I suppose that's another point I hadn't considered - the Death Jesters *also* do a Scythe thing in association wth Death ... will have to look into the *whys*. 

 

But in terms of "basic aspect warriors" ... not quite so much wat i had in mind (and my bad for not going into it more fully in teh OP) - see, what i'm doing here with this particular project is using the framework of the Webway to explore a whole lot of 'different' things from the broad spectrum of the (Dark)Eldar race. And in this particular case, the idea was that there may be ancient and hidden shrines or even full-blown temples to Khaine as well as other members of the Eldar pantheon .... that may or may not have changed much if at all since the (pre-)Fall height of the Empire.

 

Now obviously, Eldar didn't have Aspect Warriors *as such* prior to the Fall; but I have little doubt that they would still have had martial traditions, zealots, priests, and all the rest of it ... hence, "Proto-Aspect Warriors" in some ways. 

 

What I had in my head here was the parties perhaps running smack into one of these ancient holy-sites with its rather ... slashy guardian [it's a death-cult in something approaching the most literal sense, after all ... occasionally] [living kinda like Khaine in microcosm or at least in attire/armament]; who'll be living in the time-distorting properties of teh Webway, and still very much carrying out the Function he had prior to everything going nuts. 

 

 

 

Yes, I think this sounds like a natural growth of the original concept. There's always a sense of conservatism about Craftworld Eldar in terms of 'staying within the lines', but that shouldn't stop you exploring the conceptual space within the aspects.

 

The broad idea of the aspect warriors has definite overtones of different martial arts. Consider karate and judo as examples equivalent to, say, Dark Reapers and Fire Dragons. A practitioner will develop certain traditions and skills depending on the art/aspect.

 

To extend that metaphor, there are also aspect warrior shrines similar to different schools of martial art. Two judo teachers may emphasise different parts of that particular martial art. Both are teaching judo, but each has a slightly different emphasis. With that said, no matter how different in terms of detail the two judo schools are, their practitioners remain clearly identifiable as performing judo, rather than (say) karate.

 

I think this is the route into different aesthetics and slight variations within the Eldar Aspect Warriors, too. While you wouldn't have Dark Reapers who rush, lightly-armoured into combat; you might well get a shrine that uses a different ritual heavy weapon.

Ahh, Apologist! You've done such excellent things with 40k fluff with your Heresy material and elsewehre - I had no idea you'd be stalking the Eldar boards also! 

 

Now you're quite correct about hte 'conservatism' of the Craftworlders [although see my remarks above about where i see this guy fitting in], and the mtaphor of the martial arts masters for Exarchs is very well-chosen .. because, in many wyas *that's eactly what they are*.

 

The idea of maintaining the 'essence' of a Shrine is pretty key here, you're right. And the Dark Reapers as a sort of 'heavy', and 'inescapable' 'inevitability' kinda vibe as befits their heavy armour and heavy weaponry is important to maintain if i wind up doing something directly Dark REaper related [which may occur]. 

 

It's also arguably quite important to the Shrine guardian/priest/anchorite/zealot notion outlined briefly above - insofar as the elements of that which we see in the Aspect Shrine based around that particular Aspect of Khaine are quite likely 'informed' by how the Aspect of Khaine as the Destroyer comes across and is mythologized.

 

Now in terms of that, a scythe is probably quite congruent - it's a rahter slow, ponderous and even cumbersome weaopn usually [swinging in a wide arc with one or both hands dependent upon how 'fantastical' we're being; cutting edge on the *inside* of the arc for some reason, although possibly with a sharpened point that can do some intresting and useful damage to heavy armour if swung right]; rahter thna a high-finesse duellist's weapon. Almost, in some ways, like a missile-launcher itself [the frag function when it's a-reaping and hewing and mowing [something something Charlie and the Chocolate Factory disturbing poem thing about a grisly reaper mowing...]; while hte krak function would be the sharp point going anti-armour].

 

And I suppose this means that I should attempt to find a way of doing heavy armour for him as well - whether an Incubi warsuit for the base, or a Dark Elf Executioner [which i've used previously for some earlier Eldar projects] ,or something else entirely. 

 

Wondering what other equip and mythological resonances he might have .. 

[Dr. Clock]

But in terms of "basic aspect warriors" ... not quite so much what i had in mind (and my bad for not going into it more fully in teh OP) - see, what i'm doing here with this particular project is using the framework of the Webway to explore a whole lot of 'different' things from the broad spectrum of the (Dark)Eldar race. And in this particular case, the idea was that there may be ancient and hidden shrines or even full-blown temples to Khaine as well as other members of the Eldar pantheon .... that may or may not have changed much if at all since the (pre-)Fall height of the Empire.

 

Very cool - my own 'down the Webway' journey has brought me to a more 'Lovecraftian' place where my party is encountering 'Cursed Exodites' whose world was destroyed a few millennia ago but who found a portion of the Webway that was 'flooded'. They use their knowledge of Beast handling essentially to continue calling up strange monstrosities from the edges of the Gulf, an estuary where the waters of the Web and Warp have mixed for eons... a much more 'underwater' theme is resulting.

 

As to 'alternate Reaper panoply', remember that the original Dark Reaper Exarch model was armed with the Web of Skulls -essentially a 'power bolas'. Exarch wargear choices (indeed most character wargear selection) in 2nd ed. were vastly more open-ended.

 

If you're talking about a Shrine to, say, a 'Jade Reaper' aspect of Khaine that predates Asurmen and Maugan Ra where a party encounters just 'a skull-faced xenos with a power scythe', I think you're on solid ground fluff-wise. It's a big universe, with plenty of history and timey wimey wibbly wobbly.

 

Further, I do think that the 'space opera/fantasy' lends itself to the 'rule of cool' idea of mounting a scythe blade on the barrel of a gun lol. If you're already 'locked in' to heavy armour and a large gun, it's a very 40k thing to just strap a blade on the end of it. If you want a more 'Dark Eldar' vibe, I could totally see a weird silent monk carrying basically the 'Eldar scythe 'to the 'Custodes halberd' approach but instead of a bolter on a stick its a venom carbine basically and an envenomed scythe blade at the end or something.

 

Post pics when you work it out!

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor

[Ryltar Thamior]

Ooh some really excellent ideas there! Thanks!

And how far are you along with your own Webway bits and pieces - any pictures? :D 

As for my own stuff - project-logs both here and Ammobunker that've got what's on the cook atm for this effort. Only a few (Dark) Eldar thus far, but it's a start. 

[Dr. Clock]

Just posted a few things here: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/gallery/album/14246-the-good-drs-wips/

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor.