Vox Stellarum: The Haunting Harii of Hvergelmir

[Ryltar Thamior]

 

[flash=250,210]

 

Nifel i nord [bass]

Nifel i nord [Tenor]

Nifel i nord [Alto]

Nifel i nord [soprano]

 

Jättar i norden vandrar fram skapta av rimfrost, tunga dimmors ljus

ur Vergelmers vatten stiger de, tunga i kroppen, med bestämda steg.

 

[Tenor:]

Dimmornas värld under Helheim

Dödens boning under Helheim

Dimmornas värld under Helheim

Dödens boning under Helheim

 

[Alto/soprano:]

Draken Nidhögg

här gnager på vårt träd

Elva floder

av köld här rinner fram

 

Hell Nifel!

 

[bass/Alto:]

Nastrand, Nastrand

Nastrand, Nastrand

 

[Tenor:]

Nifelheim, Nifelheim

Nifelheim, Nifelheim

 

[soprano:]

Den bistra kylan vi gör till vår vän, ja

dimmor i norden som sveper vår kropp

 

Jörmundgang! Nidhögg!

 

Nifel i nord [bass]

Nifel i nord [Tenor]

Nifel i nord [Alto]

Nifel i nord [soprano]

 

Hell Nifel!

 

[bass/Alto:]

Nastrand, Nastrand

Nastrand, Nastrand

 

[Tenor:]

Nifelheim, Nifelheim

Nifelheim, Nifelheim

 

[soprano:]

Den bistra kylan vi gör till vår vän, ja

dimmor i norden som sveper vår kropp

 

Jörmundgang! Nidhögg!"

 

"As for the Harii, quite apart from their strength, which exceeds that of the other tribes I have just listed, they pander to their innate savagery by skill and timing: with black shields and painted bodies, they choose dark nights to fight, and by means of terror and shadow of a ghostly army they cause panic, since no enemy can bear a sight so unexpected and hellish; in every battle the eyes are the first to be conquered."

 

- Tacitus , Jermaniya ; M1

 

"No world shall be beyond my rule; no enemy shall be beyond my wrath."

- The Emperor of Mankind upon the summit of Mount Vengeance on the world of Thor, circa M30, as quoted upon the first page of the Grimoire Assassinorum

 

Edited June 17, 2018 by Ryltar Thamior

[Honda]

I have no idea what  you are doing, but in the immortal words of James Bond, "All in."

 

<pushes all of his chips to the center of the table>

[Ryltar Thamior]

 

 "In their councils an accusation may be preferred or a capital crime prosecuted. Penalties are distinguished according to the offence. Traitors and deserters are hanged on trees; the coward, the unwarlike, and those guilty of unnatural practices, are suffocated in mud under a hurdle. This distinction in punishment means that crime, they think, ought, in being punished, to be exposed, while infamy ought to be buried out of sight"

 

-Tacitus, Jermaniya ; M1

 

 

 

Thought For The Day: 

 

"The enemies of the Emperor fear many things.

They fear discovery, defeat, despair and death.

Yet there is one thing they fear above all others.

 

They fear the wrath of the Space Marines!"

[Ryltar Thamior]

 

[flash=250,210]

 

Det er så kaldt her

vinden tok mine siste lauv

ormen gneg i grunna

kvasst eg eldest

Elden som tek - Liv

Elden som gjev - Liv

 

Djupt or djupet

Hjerte hamrar

Djupt or djupet

Hjerte slår

lik stein slår gneist

slår gneist til bringas

brisingeld

til hug og blod

Hjarter hamrar

Røkkidimma døljer

det auge kan sjå

Og vegen eg følgjer

og dei spora eg trår

er kalde, så kalde

 

Vel er komen

Svelt ikkje meir

I svolt er funne

Naud min eld

Vel er komen

Treng ikkje meir

I trong er vunne

Naud min eld

 

Vel er komen

Brenn ikkje meir

I eld er vunne

Naud min eld

 

"A hall I saw, / far from the sun,

On Nastrond it stands, / and the doors face north,

Venom drops / through the smoke-vent down,

For around the walls / do serpents wind.

 

I saw there wading / through rivers wild

Treacherous men / and murderers too,

And workers of ill / with the wives of men;

There Nithhogg sucked / the blood of the slain,

And the wolf tore men; / would you know yet more?"

 

- Völuspá, the 'Prophecy of the Seeress' , related to 'Herjan'; of uncertain original age, Henry Bellows translation c.late M2

[Archivist's Note: 'Herjan', an Auld Nordik term, is here used as a theonym - perhaps renderable as "Imperator" : that is to say, a 'War-Chief']

 

"But it is worst in Hvergelmir:

There the cursed snake tears

dead men's corpses. "

- Snorri Sturluson, a Remembrancer of Fyalkonan , Sagaøya [Thule?]; Gylfaginning, c.early M2.

 

 

 

"A Heretic may see the truth and seek redemption. He may be forgiven his past and will be absolved in death. A Traitor can never be forgiven. A Traitor will never find peace in this world or the next. There is nothing as wretched or as hated in all the world as a Traitor." - Cardinal Khrysdam, Instrutum Absolutio
 

 

Vitoð ér enn? 

[Beren]

Not sure what's happening, but liking the heck out of it anyway.

[Ryltar Thamior]

Churr for positive feedback, all. A few weeks back, on another log, i made a pledge that the next time i had something 'finished', i'd instead of WIP all over the place, do a proper 'thematic' upload instead, replete with mood-music, fluff, quotes etc.

 

This is also a bit of a test-chassis for some of our future publications on our already-running Inq28 etc. logs. ; and I have to say, it's quite an interesting gear-shift in that regard. Even if it means that I don't upload nearly as frequently because I wind up spending hours trying to take the 'right' photos with the right lighting [generally at about 04:55-ish a.m .. I'm not kidding] and composition to get that 'comic-book' style or movie-frame effect, and finding all the quotes, allusions, and other material to flesh things out.

 

Now as for what's going on here ... wellllllll, it's going to be interesting to see who puts together the 'clues' to actually work it out ;) 

[Ryltar Thamior]

When I initially started working on this project-log, I intended to do pretty much all the posts therein without 'breaking character' so to speak. Buuuut, I'm impatient at the best of times, and it takes quite some time to put together those sorts of posts due to the quotefinding, Old Norse translating, and musical selection - to say nothing of the photography, painting, etc. 

 

This means that at the moment, there sits on my desk a reasonable number of assembly-complete miniatures that will otherwise not see the light of day for *quite some time* as I haven't sorted their fluff presentation and such. And we can't have that. 

 

So with that in mind , and by way of keeping things 'ticking over' ... here's the first two representatives of the Nithhoggr Heavy Assault Regiment to go with the Harii and their other Mortal Auxilia presented previously. 

 

[brief note on the name: yes, I know "Nidhoggr" tends to lead people to presume the really big dragon under the roots of hte World Tree in Nordic mythology ... but what people almost invariably forget is that it's less a "name" than a "description", that translating as ... well you often hear it rendered "Malice Striker", but that doesn't really get across what "Nith" is ; "Sin-Hewer" would perhaps be a better representation] 

 

 

The concept behind the Nithhoggr is quite simple. The extant Mortal Auxilia i've built for this force so far are based on Van Saars, largely unconverted (they're gorgeous miniatures, if a bit fiddly in the assembly...) - and despite the speed and dexterity implied by those designs, as well as their almost completley enclosing armoured body-suits, they nevertheless seem a bit ... fragile, to put it bluntly. 

 

Whereas for the sort of foes the Harii are likely to be encountering, this will not always be an ideal outfitting for highly-trained and surprisingly valuable non-Astartes combatants. 

 

 

So with that in mind, I set about attempting to build Mortal troops that felt a significant degree "heavier" - both in armour and armament - obviously optimized for much more vicious fighting against far hardier foes; most likely intended to be employed in 'Zone Mortalis' style engagements as part of ship boarding efforts, and potentially also against enemy Astartes. 

 

This therefore required a few things - foremost of which would be pretty obvious and significant armour clearly designed to withstand significant punishment at the hands of hostile encounters and environments. Mk.III torsos with a bit of trimming about the armpit/shoulder area were an admirable start as far as that was concerned, and ought paint up nicely. [as a bonus, it provided not only a way to make sure these guys looked *visually* different from some of the other Storm Trooper ish miniatures I've put together over the past year or so - with the Thorians' use of neophyte hybrid torsos, and the Carolean Guard being built with more conventional Scion torsos; albeit the Mortal Auxilia for my Heresy-era Loyalist Iron Warriors are similarly outfitted ... but due to the time-difference, are unlikely to find themselves on the same board .. ] [the fact I had a reasonable number of Mk.III torso parts left over from Prospero deu to my ongoing allergy to ever doing non-truescale Marines, was further helpful]; while Scion helms managed that solid combination of obviously militaristic, obviously sci-fi, and obviously crammed with useful gadgetry to help its wearer to survive both combat and voids etc. [no doubt bronzing the lenses will be a handy way to represent interior HUDs and scanners, ocular augmentsand such] 

 

 

In terms of armament ... well, to start off with , i figured that most of the 'standard' weaponry you see on Scion-esque equivalents was a bit ... underpowered. Hot-shot lasguns or hellguns or whatever they are these days aren't *bad* per se, however both the reduced rate of fire and relative lack of strength made them back-seat contenders straight form the get-go; whereas my desire to distance the silhouette of these chaps from actual Scions made it difficult to justify those weapons with the requisite backpacks anyway. I did contemplate a few rounds of the hellgun-into-human-sized-bolter conversion I tried some weeks ago [lifted from inspiration found elsewehre in teh Inquisisphere], and may yet do something of that nature. 

 

But for some inexorable reason, what I eventually wound up going with ... was a grenade-launcher. As while it might not fire as fast as a Marine [or a mortal, for that matter]'s bolter, it has far greater versatility, particularly in the closed confines the Nithhoggr were intended to excel in [i mean ... bouncing frag grenades off walls and round corners , as compared to standing around waiting for the foe to round the corner or attempting to shoot *through* it , right?]  - while krak rounds have a greater punch to them than bolt rounds in any case. 

 

 

Because a regular grenade launcher seemed a bit ... underdone for these guys, a scope was added [which will be providing a real-time display in helmet , just as such a scope would for an Astartes - enabling improvements in operation , and presumably also heping with estimation of trajectory of projectiles, blast radiii etc.] ; and also a rather brutal axe-blade. Although it was then pointed out by an associate that particularly in light of hte pistol grip and a few other factors, this might not be the most *practical* close-combat slash door-breaking/busting addition .. *sigh* - I guess i'll just have to make a note of it in characterizzation. 

 

In any case, the pointing Nithhoggr will be an NCO of some description, hence why he's posed as if giving an order. The vials at his waist represent 'specialist ammunition' for his grenade-launcher , adapted for more 'exotic' situations than the usual grenades he's carrying. [i mean, it may also be wise to be using some sort of concussion grenade as compared to a frag-grenade when htere's a whole lot of piping around or something, for starters; or good ol' poison gas and such, for that matter, or even incendiaries - will have to have a think about what he might be carrying and for what situations they may be designed]; while he's also carrying a more 'sensible' close-combat weapon, grenades, pouches, etc. etc.. Meanwhile, armour autosenses mounted on his power-pack scan the environment, to help alert him of impending danger while he's otherwise engaged. 

 

 

The other Nithhoggr trooper, however, has a far more 'speedy' pose and specialization going on - running, with arms outstretched in either direction; presumably firing his bolt-pistol in the direction he is sprinting, while his plasma pistol strafes sideways at right-angles to the direction of his feet. This may be teh result of his back-pack mounted auto-senses alerting him to a target which must be countered - hence why it and his gunbarrel and helmet are all three of them pointing the same way, while the bolt-pistol administers suppressive fire to keep foes' heads down [and/or all over the room - if they're unlucky] en route. 

 

 

The posing kinda came about from a half-remembered Infinity miniature which I .. may have hallucinated, as i don't seem to be able to find it again via capacious utilage of google image search. Although I *did* find quite a few 'dynamic' poses to imitate with my 40k/Inq28 efforts, so that was worth an evening, all the same! 

 

 

In terms of other equipment, he once again has a close combat weapon, various forms of grenades [this tiem from the Orlock sprue] [and whatever that .. flare-looking thing is ...] , pouches, as well as what i am using to perhaps represent bolt-pistol 'specialist ammunition' in the form of the bandolier of what would otherwise appear to be shotgun shells from the Scion set on his left hip. I contemplated giving him another knife, again probably a Scion one - but coudln't work out a location to sensibly affix it for easy/quick drawing. 

 

 

Future drafts in this direction will probably include additional weapons specialists [plus the ever popular 'demolitions' specialist option I seem to frequently include in Mortal military projects .. ], attempts at 'line' Nithhoggr equpped with relatively standard weapons - which may be the grenade launcher again, or might be something else depending upon how my thinking goes ... 

 

... and a few more 'character'/individual types, including one that's half-completed bu which I'll save the reveal for, for now. 

 

 

Part of the issue is that as cool as it is, the Scion kit really isn't *that* diverse - meaning attempts to build genuinely different-looking troops out of the same five legs, with the *very limited* range of arms requiring pretty significant alterations to do anything outside the 'standard' out-of-the-box loadouts , and the fact that various things like the plasmagun option are rather 'distinctively' posed, thus requiring hacking apart hellgun-holding arms, along with my ongoing efforts to find workable "holding a x" left hands due to those being largely mounted on the weapons in question which i won't be using ... 

 

... well, there's a lot of work required - I'll put it that way. 

 

It'd be very cool if ForgeWorld realized this, and started rolling out rather more 'various' arm posing and equipping for Scions in the same manner as what they did previously for Cadians, or more recently for the endless parade of Marines [which I have gotten *huge* use out of, mind - even for non-marine projects :P ] ; including some of the more 'realistic' sorts of things we might expect on spec-ops soldiers like auspexes, anti-tank mines, and other such things .... but I am not entirely hopeful. 

 

On the plus side, I'm at least a little bit impressed with some of the things [not shown in this entry - just to clarify ... you'll see htem soon enough] I've managed to pull off as a result of the above, including one of those aforementioned 'character' miniatures with an arm painstakingly cut up and rebuilt out of 5 or 6 different pieces. So as ever, a paucity of options is a strong driver for improvements in technical proficiency and imagionation. 

 

In any case, I apologize for not choosing to 'hold off' til the next entry I was going to upload in the more 'narrative' style was actually finished; but 'regular service' will most likely resume shortly. 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job kitbashing the models- I like the axe blade on the grenade launcher- but their helmets make the guardsmen look like members of the Carmine family, from the 'Gears of War' games. Is that intentional?

[Ryltar Thamior]

Good job kitbashing the models- I like the axe blade on the grenade launcher- but their helmets make the guardsmen look like members of the Carmine family, from the 'Gears of War' games. Is that intentional?

Churr :D And as applies the axe .. like i said above - it's definitely aesthetic, although jury's out on its functionality :P 

 

Haven't really played Gears of War [beyond a brief experience at a mate's place almost a decade ago] so don't know enough of the background or anything else to comment about that point, perhaps I should look into it for aesthetics :P [i did briefly consider using chainblades from either the Forgeworld uh .. i think ti's either phobos bolters or some Mk.III kit?; or from the FW tartaros chainfist bitz, to do the close combat attachment on the grenade launcher ... that probably would have added to a Gears of War vibe, had I gone ahead with it, i suppose :P ] 

 

The Scion helmets were, funnily enough, actually wehre the design effort for these miniatures started - I kept 'seeing' in my mind how they'd look done up in Harii colours; and after some abortive efforts using other base-miniatures here and there for another combat role, these just kinda flowed togehter from there. I noticed with some interest during my Infinity range trawling that ther were some of their offerings which had similar, but that was about the extent of the cross-polination form other sources. 

[Ryltar Thamior]

. a sneak-peak of two members for the Destroyer Squad I'm putting together for the Harii. 

 

First up, running and gunning - 

 

 

And second - the [rad/phosphex - i forget which ... international convention banned weaponry anyway] missile-launcher with suspensor web wielder

 

 

NOw, in terms of parts ... thes're using Salamanders Firedrakes terminator legs; and while i was umming and ahhing over  what to do with them for quite some time [inital thought had been truescale Legion of the Damned] , something about the rather dynamic posing of the legs , in combination with the emphatic flames and such, not to mention the scaled skin tabards, *suggested* itself ot me. [main problem is the abdominal section - a flat piece on the origina lterminators, basically unadorned 'neath the breastplate; covered with the ablative plate sourced from a headhunters set] 

 

From there ... well, the Deathwatch bearded head was surprisingly excellent on the pistolier; while I immediately decided that a destroyer squad would *have* to have a world-burning, biosphere-ruining weapon in its midst. Not least because if you think about it, the idea of Nithhoggr gnawing at the roots of the world is not entirey dissimilar, followed by the poisonousness of many mythical serpentine creatures and such in Nordic mythology [and at least one river iirc ... in fact all the Elivagar ]. Missile launcher made from a FW heavy bolter and Guard grenade launcher. 

 

The head ... was a lucky find. I have never bought any warp talons/raptors, yet there it was in a parts-bag. One test-fit [admittedly in a different position on a differnt miniature, facing forwards directly] and i *knew* it HAD to be included! [Headhunter shoulderpad as well for a bit of variety] 

 

A world-rending dragon, you say? 

 

Now I just need to work out where and how to attach combat-blades [looking at the SW hide-sheathed knives] , grenades, and perhaps a side-arm for the missile launcher operator. It's surprisngly difficult on these firedrake legs whle stilll keeping tings realistic. 

 

They'll look legit in the 'corpse/bruise-blue/black' and light grey scheme i've got going. 

[Ryltar Thamior]

Operation Psychopomp

Cellblock Thurisaz, Inquisitorial Watch-Fortress [codename: 'Hanging Mountain'], Undisclosed Location

Berkano-Minus Three Hours, Fifteen Minutes.

It appeared to his jailors that The Prisoner had lost all sense of time. This was not unusual in a place like this - and while it had occasionally interfered with the ability of interrogation to provide reliably useful outcomes ... the common position of his jailers was that such disorientation represented a "a feature, not a flaw".

But as with so much about him, this was a lie.

In truth, The Prisoner had indeed lost track of the days and weeks. He even possessed only the most haphazard sense of the hours; with the minutes seemingly varying and slithering in scope, undulating on a case-by-case basis.

This was helpful. In conjunction with his Purpose, it had allowed him to exist in something of a 'timeless' state within his cell; almost immune to the sorts of existential boredom which had so consumed other denizens before him.

Also helpful had been the lack of distraction which might provide a 'false grounding' for him within Time's flow.

There were no bricks in the walls to count, to name, to deliriously begin to converse with in order to "pass the time". (It sounded silly, but The Prisoner had read of this occurring in a book once - The Jarl of Hangifjall)

If there were guards or guard-shifts outside his cell, he saw them not. And the provision of such nutrients as were required to keep him from the brink of starvation appeared to come with no set regularity. 

Indeed, about the only reminder he had yet found that there even WAS a world, a galaxy, a universe outside of his cell were the almost-imperceptible micro-gravity fluctuations which had told him that his gaol was not terrestrial in nature.

Yet this did not at all mean he now lacked a sense of time.

Only that it had become clearer - much clearer, now - what his actual relationship with Time was.

For a free man - although The Prisoner had never, truly been one - Time marked the passage of a being from a starting point; or measured the distance between events.

In the absence of any real surety of when his incarceration had begun, or any occurrences worthy of note or recollection once the interrogations had stopped, [once his captors had ceased their interrogations of him in frustration], The Prisoner had instead come to view Time as something entirely different.

At first, the inexorable counting down toward something which could not be changed.

And then, simply, what it actually was:

An Inevitability.

For The Prisoner knew that there would be only one way a figure such as he would ever leave a facility such as this.

In death. The 'final' liberator of all Men; whereupon the Prisoner's previous status as Hangatyrman would become altogether literal.

He had no idea when this might occur; and so it was no longer an idea with any distance between him and it. Any distance worth measuring, certainly.

Just a reality. A free-standing concept.

His only real companion, here in this small cube of what yet remained of "real".

Yet even in Death, his Duty might not end.

And perhaps, if he had demonstrated both amply and aptly his ferocity - his dedication, his zeal - in the commission of his Calling ... he would be Selected. Judged 'Worthy' by the Chooser of the Slain to be received into His Halls. Carried 'forward' to fight the War Eternal by more direct means than he had been afforded thus far. 

Trade this present Hangafjell for Helgafjell, he mused - before the Fire at the End of Time came and consumed all

For that was the *other* means by which he might yet leave this asteroid -

"Come the Apocalypse".
After so long, he had almost come to view Time as a friend.

For one day, one way or the other, Time would End him and his captivity here.

 

And, as always struck him at this point in his ritualistic cycle of reverie, this meant he was literally living out the Imperial Proverb - "Life is a Prison; Death, a Release". 

Except, in a sense, 'dying' meant failure. And The Prisoner did not believe in failure.

----- 
Sentry-Post Newun, Inquisitorial Watch-Fortress [codename: 'Hanging Mountain'], Undisclosed Location

Berkano-Minus Thirty Minutes.

"Shouldn't we ask him to remove his mask?"
"Why bother? Geneprint already confirmed he's exactly who he says he is."
"But-"
"Look, do you really want to bother Inquisitor Geirroth with this? He is who he says he is - and who he says he is is right here on the manifest."
"Yes, Serje ... but it's your funeral if the Master has an issue with this"

Behind his Mask, the figure smiled.

------

Cellblock Thurisaz, Inquisitorial Watch-Fortress [codename: 'Hanging Mountain'], Undisclosed Location

Berkano-Minus Six Minutes

A knock at the door jolted The Prisoner out of his reverie.

Wait, that couldn't be right. Guards did not knock. They simply entered. It was, after all, their place.

Only a guest need knock. To signify a desire for entry. And guests, here, were rarely of the "voluntary" variety. "Kicking-and-screaming", yes - but "knocking"? The Prisoner could not recall such an occurrence.

Something was up.

---

Operational Command Center Trihofdudum, Inquisitorial Watch-Fortress [codename: 'Hanging Mountain'], Undisclosed Location

Berkano-Minus Three Minutes, Fifty-One Seconds

"Sir? We're picking up significant and ... weird readings on the aetheric-augur.."
"What is it? Incoming vessel making warp-transition to reality?"
"Negative; it's larger and ... longer than that."
"Possibly interference from the binary star and its gravitational flux."
"Not likely, sir. Object is showing up as clear and consistent .. at least the front of it is."
"What do you mean?"
"There may be some distortion due to how fast it's moving; but right now it's not registering as having an aft. It just stretches out behind, all the way to the edge of augur-range. Kinda like .. like a spear."
"Display on main screen.

Throne! There's no way that's an Imperial ship.

COMMS, signal a full-scale, base-wide alert. I want Landing Bay and Custody Suite in lockdown.
Direct all hands to brace for impact; activate interior defence-grid, and signal Master-at-Arms to prepare to repel boarders.

I shall notify Master Geirroth personally."

ANSUZ-ANSUZ-ANSUZ

---------------

Cellblock Thurisaz, Inquisitorial Watch-Fortress [codename: 'Hanging Mountain'], Undisclosed Location

Berkano-Minus Two Minutes Thirty Seven Seconds

 

"What should I call you?"
"You may call me .. "the figure paused a moment, as if in thought (damn hard to tell behind that bloody mask) "Kahrl."
It was the prisoner's turn to pause: "As in, 'a Man'?"
"Yes, that'll do."
"A fine pseudonym. Now who are you really, who knows of both me and my present place."
"It also means 'Time'. And "Death", if you prefer. Albeit with slightly different pronunciation and in a related language."
The prisoner stiffened. "Have you been reading my thoughts?"
"Not yet. We are just .. acquainted with what runs through the minds of men in your .. predicament"

------

Secure Comms Channel, Inquisitorial Watch-Fortress [codename: 'Hanging Mountain'], Undisclosed Location

Berkano Minus Two Minutes, Twelve Seconds


"What do you mean 'my guest'?" the voice dripped a deep and restrained rage.
"His craft entered our exclusion zone a little over an hour ago. Long-range hound-defences failed to engage. We assumed technical malfunction; but when it came closer, our augurs stated it had been sent with the highest authority; and further, that its passenger was here on your hospitality."
"Why was I not informed?"

"With respect, Sir" - this voice had attained all the delicacy of one who is painfully aware that he's gone from 'treading on thin ice' to 'treading water' ; and with what had at first appeared to be an island on the horizon, now instead rather more overtly resembling an potentially approaching fin - "We received hand-prepared permits of entry and arrival bearing your personal seal and the requisite authorization codes. The visitor was even gene-logged ahead-of-time in our systems as an expected and anticipated personal guest. There was simply no way we could have kno-"

The choking silence which abruptly ensued, mid-word of mid-sentence, suggested that the Gravitas-bearing voice rather forcefully disagreed.

"Other than, of course, actually thinking to *directly ask* your Lord, to confirm? "

The choking silence, continued.

A sigh. "Look, I appreciate that the Schola Progenium does not necessarily positively select for intelligence nor critical thinking ... but you might, perhaps, have noticed over the previous eight spans we've been here, that while we *do* occasionally have "guests" over for "social calls" and such "conversation" as my "hospitality" doth regularly tend to induce ... they *never* turn up "under their own power". And *always* clad in irons."

A third voice - quavering, but clearly of similar rank to the now-silent second: "T-th-that's just the thing, Sir."

"What."

"He *was* in Iron!"

There was a crack of discarding tension; soon-swift replaced by mounting terror. This time, from the one who had at first seemed so derisively [self-]assured.

"SEAL THE LANDING BAY!"

---

Cellblock Thurisaz, Inquisitorial Watch-Fortress [codename: 'Hanging Mountain'], Undisclosed Location

Berkano-Minus Fifty Four Seconds

"How could you find me? I thought that the-"
"Being chained between two Star-sized pyres is a neat trick, it is true. But I am a patron of prisoners. I keep one eye on That Which Is Hidden."

"Who are you?"
"I am thine Brothers' Keeper. And the Finder of Lost Children."
The Prisoner noticed a blue-frost luminous rune had appeared upon the device mounted on the Iron Mask's arm :  blinking - pulsing - with increasing rapidity.
"Are you an Angel?"
"Only in a manner of speaking. And as much as I enjoy the riddle-game, our time here is now at an end.

You may perhaps think of me as a 'Valkjosandi'."
"...a 'Chooser of the Slain'?"
"Exactly. Now if you could just step about three meters to the right..."
"For what purpose?"
"Life."
"But I thought you said-"
"-Slain? Yes. This is where the part about 'Angels' comes in."

The Prisoner obliged.
Several seconds passed.

During which conspicuously nothing happened.
The Masked Man looked down slightly at the device mounted on his wrist; tapped it; "Ah."

Where The Prisoner had been standing less than a minute before promptly exploded with a howling prismatic light, wreathed with sound-that-was-not-sound - felt altogether somewhere else than the ears, and 'seen' by senses beyond his eyes .. but definitely resonating rather discomfortingly somewhere in the inner ear's vestibular system.

Somewhere off behind the meters-thick reinforced ferrocrete and otherwise-impenetrable plasteel blast-door that bounded the room, alarm klaxons began to sound.
After a moment, the weft-skein seemingly 'stabilized' into a portal; bone-ringed and with a shimmering iridescence where the aperature's contents made contact with external reality.

Within, a most curious shade of purple. And, it would seem, Destiny. Or at least, Death.

"Release", at any rate.

Fists began to pound with a frantic urgency upon the exterior door to the interrogation room - which shouldn't have been lockable, much less from the inside, the Prisoner noted.
"Step astride the Steed of Ygg" 
"Do I have a choice?"
"Only in principle"; the Mask seemed to beam. 
"Who are you, really?"
"Haptagud. Now get in the Portal."

Mere moments - which had passed like a lifetime for those on the outside of the door as they desperately attempted to gain entry - later, armed men bearing the insignia of the Master of this place burst in, their weapons firing with the precision of well-trained and well drilled men in a blind panic at the space where the rapidly-closing portal appeared almost to blink out of existence.

They were followed soon after by the hulking figure of Inquisitor Geirroth - the Master of this place, a Master no more. Presiding over only emptiness where once there had been a treasure. Left to marvel, and to curse in spite at the inevitability with which 'time' confounds us all.

Before it vanished completely, words from two disparate voices seemed to hang amidst the air:

"Where does this lead?"
"The War Eternal."

----

Epilogue:

Ordo Mazdayanos Oubliette-Class Containment Facility [ Codename: Vara ]

"Are you an Angel?"

 

The masked figure seemed to smirk : "You know, I think I've heard that somewhere before..."

---

[Ryltar Thamior]

"Wield Truth like a Sword, and Scribe Reality Anew With The Blood-Threads Of Thine Prey"



"A Mind Without Purpose Will Wander In Dark Places
A Mind With Dark Purpose Shall Fear That Which Wanders In Dark Places Behind Him" 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent work on the Primaris Marines.

[Pearson73]

Primaris are looking very atmospheric, I really like the grittier colours and also the pale gold.

[Ryltar Thamior]

"Ormar fleiri liggja und aski Yggdrasils,

en þat of hyggi hverr ósviðra apa:

Góinn ok Móinn, þeir ro Grafvitnis synir"

- Grimnismal 

 

"More serpents there are | beneath the ash

Than an unwise ape would think;

Goin and Moin, | Grafvitnir's sons" 

- The Sayings of the Masked One; Bellows Translation 

 

 

 

"A Dragon reared its head
Then Blew Fire of its Nostrils 
And all she heard 
was Distant Thunder"

 

[Kraad Belak]

Story. 10/10.

Minis. 10/10.

Painting. 10/10.

Conversions. 10/10.

My jealousy. 11/10.

[Ryltar Thamior]

Thanks for the positive feedback, all :D Really helps to keep the motivation up. 

If you've enjoyed what you've seen thus far [and going by the comments .. that'd be a yes, then - glad it goes up to eleven for some :P ] , then maaaaaaaaaaan ... what's presently on the converting, painting, and writing tables [it's er .. it's all the same table] , is going to keep things intensifying. 

it's taken me awhile to start to get a 'feel' for the Primaris plastics - and while I'm still slightly annoyed by the regrettably monopose nature of the legs+torso, I'm now finding it a bit easier to come up with what i feel are 'realistic' , but also 'characterful' , and more in-line with how the Harii operate, than the regular line marines of other chapters. 

Same goes for the Van Saars i've been using for the Serpent's Tooth commandos. 

And, slowly but surely, a variety of non-Astartes miniatures that're coming together pretty well.

Plus, of course, another few short stories to flesh out a bit more of 'what's actually going on'. Which've been stalled a bit by the necessary effort to properly research, internalize, and then cunningly weave together the authentic real-world mythological threads which go into those. [in fact, my self-imposed high-standards have kept much of *all* of the above on that same table in various stages of near-to-finished assembly/painting/writing etc. for varying lengths of weeks up to *months* at a time, til sudden flashes of inspiration enable me to put the last few bits of belt-stowage, or pick out the right head, or finish editing a paragraph, or try a new colour here and there, and actually get things up onto the photography table in the pre-dawn darkness for a shoot and an upload ... once i've found the appropriate quotes :P ] 

So keep an eye out for all of that, and more, in the days and weeks to come. 

Vitoð ér enn? 

[Ryltar Thamior]

Excellent work on the Primaris Marines.

Churr :D 

 

Primaris are looking very atmospheric, I really like the grittier colours and also the pale gold.

Thanks; it's been an interesting exercise getting more out of the Primaris plastics; and I'm rather keen on how the colours've come together, particularly for the overall vibe. 

 

Helping with it, of course, is the shadowy murky photography I'm deliberately doing - I wasn't kidding about waiting till the pre-dawn darkness for every shot :D And it's remarkable how much it makes what i reckon myself to be rather .. room-for-improvement paintjobs seem a lot better. I'm going to try and do more 'comic-book' style photos [as somebody on another board referred to them as] ... which is half the reason i keep fiddling around attempting to get 'dynamic' and 'realistic' posings to begin with :P 

 

As for the gold - it's actually sycorax bronze over a black undercoat. At least I *think* that's what I used, most of the time. Definitely the last few. It's probably looking more gold-y and less orangy-pink due to the low-light er .. saturating? the exposure in a more yellow-y way for some reason. 

 

Now if you like that ... one of the characters i'm just about finished painting'll hopefully keep your enthusiasm up :D 

 

Story. 10/10.

Minis. 10/10.

Painting. 10/10.

Conversions. 10/10.

My jealousy. 11/10.

Oh wow, thanks for that! I've just taken a look at your log, and it's very legit as well. I am quite a fan of people who tell stories with their project-efforts; especially with actual fluff-pieces, and doubly so when it goes with absolute parts-melange well-conceptualized conversions and personalizations. 

 

I'm glad somebody's read the story - it was pretty well received around the research institute and other circles, but i was worried it was a little long for forum-consumption. Like I said above, there's an array of carefully interwoven real-world mythological threads that've gone into this project [i was going to say "all that you see ... but most of it hasn't been seen yet]. 

 

As applies the painting .. sir, you're far too kind. I'm actually a pretty ... not-great painter; largely because the nerves in my hands don't work correctly [so I can't viably write, for the most part, etc.] . I've still got aways to go; but taking a look at my work at the start of this project and beforehand, and then how things have managed to improve in recent months [there was a rather substantial break in there somewhere, during which things went very backwards, very quickly :P ] - I'm pretty pleased with how things're coming along :D 

 

Although part of the reason for those pre-dawn photo-shoots , in addition to the 'mood lighting' working out quite well for the Harii's overall vibe and them 'comic-book panel' shots i was trying for earlier on ... is that it actually gently covers in a blanket of darkness a multitude of mistakes and imperfections, which i keep telling myself i'll get back to at some point in the ineffable indeterminate near-to-middling future. 

 

But yeah uh. Thanks for the positive feedback, again, all. I'll try and keep living upwards towards expectations. 

 

And maybe indulge in a little explication as to what's really been happening, in them shadows ;) 

[Ryltar Thamior]

"Svein ól Móðir, silki vafði,

jósu vatni, Jarl létu heita;

bleikt var hár, bjartir vangar,

ötul váru augu sem yrmlingi."

- Rigsthula ; the Codex Wormanius [the 'Book of Wyrm'; so named for its most prominent bearer - Olaus Wormius ('The Descendent of the Grandfather Serpent')]; Fyalkonan , Sagaøya, Northern Terra; Early M1. 

 

"A son had Mothir, | in silk they wrapped him

With water they sprinkled him, | Jarl he was;

Blond was his hair, | and bright his cheeks,

Grim as a snake's | were his glowing eyes."

- The Lay of Rig [the 'Song of the Primogenitor Sovereign'] , Bellows Translation; Terra, Late M1.

 

"flashing his eyes like a serpent's shone. "

- variant translation (Bray), of the last line of the above; ibid. 

 

[Archivist-Remembrancer's Note: "Grim", in Auld Nordik also carries the connotions of "Shrouded", "Masked", "Hooded"; and is aparticularly affixed to the 'Herjan' - the 'Imperator', who often appears in disguise : also referred to as 'Bagi-ulfs' - 'Whose Bane is a Wolf'] [However, as affixed to this subject, and in connexion with the 'energized', 'alive' , 'illuminite' eyes - likely also refers to the especial sensorial and kenning-scope windeyerray glinting upon both helm and backpack] 

 

KenNamn: Urðarbrunnr

 

 

"Mál er at þylja | þular stóli á

Urðarbrunni at,

sá ek ok þagðak |, sá ek ok hugðak,

hlýdda ek á manna mál;"

- The Havamal, the Sayings of the High One, ; Codex Regius ['Book of the King'] ;; the Macht of Dhanu, Terra, Mid-M1. 

 

"'Tis time to speak, from the Sage's seat;

By the Well of Fate I was,

I saw and was silent, | I saw and [sent forth] thought,

And heard the speech of Hor."

- Havamal, the Sayings of the High One; Composite, 'Bastarnae' Translation; ibid. 

 

[Archivist-Remembrancer's Note: The "sak ok hugðak" line contains an ambiguity in translation - "Sja" in third person singular indicative, becomes "Sá" , which in addition to carrying the sense of "perceiving", also means "to sow". In the context of the verse's appearance here, it is likely that the reiterator has meant it to connote the idea of the 'thoughts' in question being 'sent forth' as messengers of death upon ebon wings preceded by harsh cry, in a way that alludes to the sending out of Huginn ["Thought"/"Guiding Will"] the Raven. The resulting 'fruits of meditation', of 'crafting, the weapon of the mind'; are to be understood as ballistic utterances. "Mind-expanding" maxims, in that their trajectory through the soft tissue of the ears they may enter into, is likely to expand it over the wall behind. So that one may truly see what was in his head.] 

 

[ Urðarbrunnr , then, itself - the "Well of Fate" - likely refers to the barrel of the large-caliber artificer sniper weapon this Jarl of the Harii carries in his hand. The "Urd" of most Men, being Death.] 

 

 

 

Vitoð ér enn?

[Ryltar Thamior]

"A Dagger In The Dark Is Worth A Thousand Swords At Dawn" - Maxim of the Officio Assassinorum 



"I am Ripper... 
Tearer... 
Slasher... 
Gouger...: 

I am the Teeth in the Darkness, 
The Talons in the Night: 

Mine is Strength... 
And Lust... 
And Power! 

I am Baleyggr

And I am Terror Incarnate."



 

[Ryltar Thamior]

"Fjarri þú gekkt, meðan ek á Fáfni rauðk

minn inn hvassa hjör;

afli mínu atta ek við orms megin,

meðan þú í lyngvi látt."
Fafnismal, Codex Regius ['Book of the King'] ;; the Macht of Dhanu, Terra, Mid-M1

"Better is heart | than a mighty blade

For him who shall fiercely fight;

The brave man well | shall fight and win,

Though dull his blade may be."
Ibid. Bellows Translation, Terra, Late M2. 

"Yes, but why bother with a dull blade, when Smash of Hammer shall kill just as cleanly, and with twice the subtlety?"
- Response-Intercept; Origination Unknown; 



"We are are the Hammer of the Emperor, by the virtue of fighting wars as unforgivingly as a Hammer strike to the face." - a Maxim of the Imperial Guard

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Baleyggr and the others are well done, but are they all meant to be blackshields, i.e., those who forsook their oaths to their Chapter, or were forsaken for some crime/sin/transgression?

[Ryltar Thamior]

Baleyggr and the others are well done, but are they all meant to be blackshields, i.e., those who forsook their oaths to their Chapter, or were forsaken for some crime/sin/transgression?

Good question! The answer is .... something that I'd intended on seeing how long it took people to work out :P ; and, for that matter, see what people came up with along the way. 

 

We do have a particular identified origin and story for these Marines and associates [and by "we", I mean the three guys behind all our Vox Stellarum logs], and how they 'fit in' to the overarching Vox Stellarum ten thousand years plus supra-narrative. 

 

Many of the clues are already up in plain sight, enough to make a reasonable inference that's at least somewhat accurate. Although I've stil got to get around to finishing the conversion-work and painting on a few more miniatures [mostly human-sized , this time] that'll help to set things into further context. 

[Ryltar Thamior]

"The Thrall Alone Takes Instant Vengeance - The Coward, Never"

- The Saga of Grettir, Son of Asmund

 Fyalkonan, Sagaøya ; c.early M2.

 

 

 

"Not only will all eyes be on the leaders of men, but all combat sights as well"

 

[Ryltar Thamior]

"They are also called JyotirLinnorm - The Wyrm that Encircles the Stars"



"Þar kømr inn dimmi
dreki fljúgandi,
naðr fránn, 
neðanfrá Niðafjöllum."



"The Fires of Creation; Fuelling Stars and Thence Life; Bring Also Men-Svara's Doom" 



Vitoð ér enn?