[WIP] Sons of Horus, 65th Company

[Vykes]

Thanks Pearson, mate!  I appreciate it, I really do. 

 

I've always thought that the view of the command deck was an interesting one for Mastodons, because it's so armoured it almost feels like those within would get that sense that things are less frenetic than the horrors of outside.  It's a calm in the maelstrom, so it kinda feels suited to being introspective to a degree.  I remember a short story involving World Eaters posing as Sons of Horus and it always came off as detached, so I kinda associated it with that.  And aye, veeery much so, Drakon is a bit of a weird-boy, "anything you can do, I can do better." mixed with waaaay too much time around promethium fumes.  -laughs-  

 

Man, that hand glow was a weird one, it's all just bloodletter red when I was learning how to use the stuff.  Kind of a fun model but I keep wanting to replace it with a full on master of signals until I remember it's mostly just a nuncio-vox to place when I need 'em. Aye, I definitely agree on the breachers.  20 more of em, 20 Legionnaires (to get to that all important 100 mark), and maybe 20ish despoilers? Or at least close combat legion troopers, then maybe start adding some more weight to the 17th. Hmm, even an allied 'cult' army using Cthonian line troopers could be a fun small project. 

[Pearson73]

Indeed, I feel that being on the central command deck would have a very surreal feeling, watching the hell outside wash over, seemingly leaving you untouched. Likewise with the bridge of a space craft (especially something big like the Vengeful Spirit) or one of the larger titan classes.

 

Perhaps instead of regular despoilers you could tackle some Reavers? Your Justaerin look great and it would be nice to see the colours on some power armour. Allied Cthonian's sounds like an interesting possibility, I much prefer the image and descriptions of the crusade-era Imperial Army to the contemporary Guard, so many distinct and storied regiments. What style of troops would you go with and what scheme would you try, allies are a great way to introduce contrast and new colours.

[Vykes]

Aye, there's something about the size which just works to their advantage by really putting them beyond the usual rank and file and the usual threats they encounter. Quite right, exactly like a sort of land bound ship bridge. Mastodons always felt a little undergunned (it might be the short range and single las cannons), so they do feel more like a command vehicle.

Hmm, Reavers, a few drop and a few more ground pounders mixed could be real good. The 17th definitely have a few colours that are similar so I'll toss them and the Cthonian militia I have right now.

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Always fun with the 17th, but now I'd have to figure out how to show the difference between these Reavers and other ones as I only have like 2 torsos left.

A ragged breath catches in hist hroat as the hall echoes with the sound of bleating klaxons. His fingers fumble for the shotguns magazine release, but there's no use as his trembling digits palm the heavy metal casing awkwardly. The heavy weapon flips on its side, slipping out from under his arm and clattering to the smooth decking with a metallic clack.

The terrified hiccup and irrepressible whimper is met with a pause. The armsmen stops, lungs burning, the shotgun lying two paces behind him. He still shakes, he still sees shapes in the gloom of the cordite and shotcannon vapour wreathed hallways. The full magazine is no longer a feed to a lethal instrument, it's an implement with which to clutch like a drowing man to a life preserver. His knuckles flex white beneath the thick rubber ridged gauntlet. They can't be there, they aren't there, Whatever Gods exist please make them go the other way.

A whisper, blotted out by the shriek of the Shooting Star's emergency klaxons. No void impact, no clear cut race of menials ferrying patching kits or neatly directed to routine battle stations to affect a compliance landing. There was no one, nothing but the wafting of smoke... it wasn't dissipating. The ventilation was shut down, so why was the smoke moving?

Like a ghost from the mists, the massive black clad figure burst through the haze at a full bore run. Its massive footfalls booming against the deck plate, as fast as a wildcat and unstoppable as a rockslide. Eight feet of dull onyx metal, a blazing cyclopian eye in the middle of its chest like an unearthly horror. It let out a undulating roar, and the man fled before the axe wielding demon.

Any pretense of honour or courage fled, his nerveless hands dropping the magazine as he twisted and ran. His heart pumped hard enough to burst, his helmet's rebreather unable to keep up with his rasping erratic gasps of sobbing breath. His eyes blurred, and feet followed wherever his prey-senses told him to go. Away, somewhere, anywhere.

He turned the corner, spotting the sealed bridge corridor. Something clicked in his mind, but whatever sense remained was drowned in a panicked fit of desperation as he pulled and scratched at the latch rings to his suit's neckseal. The bubbling pop of tears and mucous built in his mouth, and he lost track of the thunderous footfalls for an instant.

The man half turned, and the world span like a drunken top in an instant. His side burned one moment like he'd been stabbed, and he barely glimpsed the monolithic war-god before the sickly wet reached his ears as the bile rushed to his lips.

He coughed the acrid bile that roiled in his gorge, unsteadily wheezing as he eased himself up on an elbow. The door to the bridge was gone, replaced by a near hole edged in blistering white. For once, it wasn't double vision, he saw two of the onyx monstrosities dart inside without stopping. The armsmen semi-coherently glimpsed the bridge protection crew ducking behind consoles, staff cowering among the pits and and servator crew. Giants in verdigris green turned to meet them, but the War-Gods dismissed every mortal as the insects they were and fired chattering bursts from their pistols or hacked the warriors down with silver edged axes. The screams began after that, screams of pain, of outrage, of terror.

All of it awash as background noises as the armsmen tried to spin and get to his feet. He collapsed hard onto his left side as his body instantly gave out. Once again he tried to claw his way over and catch the dull featureless wall tinged in the blood red of the emergency lumin globes. He barely noticed the congealing pool that had formed around his thigh. It was with detached confusion that he finally glanced back at his thigh which had contorted and split in such an unnatural manner. Touched by a god, bearing its mark as long as he'd live.

~Istvaan III: D+00:05:01

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I'll admit, the Escher Gang nails the Cthonian distopian punk gang feel for me.

All at once, the klaxons ceased their infernal din, plunging the world back to a weird semblance of silence. “Well that's done at least.” Galieda muttered mostly to herself, a sharp huff caught by the rebreather clamped over her mouth like a gag. The sickly scent of stale recycled air was better than the stench of a malfunctioning ship's fouled ventilation, but only just.

“Won't be done until someone searches every nook and crevice and makes sure that the lowly scullery maid is hauled out and accounted for.” Mebinto mused with a harsh and mirthless cackle. “Oh damn, that's gonna be our job, isn't it?”

The Cthonian woman pulled her thick leather surcoat over her shoulders to ward off the chill of the suffocating ship, neatly stepping over the mass of nearly unidentifiable tattered tissue that lived and breathed only minutes before. She was lucky, one of her subordinates muttered a stream of unchecked curses as she slipped and splayed out on the blood slicked hallway. “At least try to look professional in front of the astartes for once Merris.” Galieda didn't look, knowing the upraised gesture of disapproval she knew was to follow.

'Give them some slack, most are new'.

None of them were going to impress an astartes. The armoured giants had swept out the gantries and weapon decks, pressed forward to hedge in the mechanicum enclave in the engenerium sections, all before they had time to form up out of the landing barque.

A half score of figures followed after her looking too and fro like a pack of wild dogs and occasionally sniffing out some half ajar rooms. Once or twice a las bolt from their long rifles found their way in firs, then they peered in, but so far there was nothing to be seen. That was fine for Galieda, it was fine for the Cthonian 297^th, they were obeying orders. The Reavers just did what astartes did, no one would fault a few army troops for not keeping up with the Legion.

~Istvaan III: D+00:05:16

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Edited November 11, 2018 by Vykes

[Pearson73]

Looking damn good, the eyes are very striking and the Cthonian helmet really suits the Calth Chaplain. I think that the squad's plasma pistols need touching up though, they look a bit flat in this photo.

 

The Escher definitely work, they fit the gangland style that Cthonia was known for whilst still retaining a uniform feel with the restricted palette.

[TheDreadfulSagittary]

Brother Vykes, your work is so inspiring! I absolutely fell in love with those Reavers!

I always liked the image of them, they seem like some sorta epic fantasy warriors with the thorns on their armor, the top knots and (chain)axes. The Justaerin are maybe the best of the best, but these warriors look like they get the job done. 

 

The chtonian auxiliaries are a great idea, and your Eschers look ace! Do you plan to add others too? Maybe Orlocks? I think the Van Saar, or Cawdor would look a bit too much, but the Orlocks seems like just regulars guys you could encounter anywhere in the Galaxy.

For me I would like to run the new Blackstone Fortress Traitor Guard as auxilia, because they are not that chaosified. Maybe if we see an independent box or two for them in the future...

[Vykes]

And thanks a bunch mates!  Man, I do love those reavers, too, they just kinda feel right to me: different enough to look the part of the combat monster but they'll be different compared to the awesome stock models which I should probably nab some time too.  Thinking of changing up the colours just a bit but keeping the 17th primarily black armoured. I've got enough torsos for 2 more, heads I can always order in... I wonder if the other Sons of Horus player I know around here might have some in his bits kit so I can at least get them up to 15.  Totally agreed, DreadfulSagittary!  The Reavers feel like competent warriors, vicious enough to work but not just a few random troopers given a bit of horse hair and some discarded choppas.  Justaerin get to set the standard, Reavers still feel like the dangerous 'core'.  

 

Aye, I definitely agree Pearson.  The plasma guns were more me experimenting with a few different things at the time (Green ink over white vs. yellow, etc).  I really should just go back and airbrush it, but I suppose I was never sold on plasma pistols so I didn't want to add a lot of plasma glow over their armour.  So I could always go back to bolt pistols.  I dunno, whatcha think?  Keep the plasma pistols or not?  If I do, I'll likely keep the green but airbrush the glow on 'em. 

 

I'm pretty pumped when it come to the Escher Cthonians: wild hair and some bright spot colours keeping them individual like gang members but the uniformity of a few pieces of kit to make it feel standard issue.  I'm reminded of the 'Lucky 7' regiment of Necromunda who I personally love, so I'll definitely be going with that sort of thing.  I had initially thought there wasn't enough space on them to add any Cthonian gang scrawl, but I'm kinda rethinking that and may give it a try as those transfers are tiny. I got 10 more I'm building right now to give me a minimum sized Militia infantry squad. Just gotta add their Force Commander.  You nailed it on the extras DreadfulSaggitarry, mate!  Orlock are gonna be a thing and likely the core of either a recon or grenadier squad as well.  The New Blackstone Fortress guys might look a liiiittle too new because their equipment is close to Malcador's chosen (who are really just Cadians), but I love 'em and am really tempted to do them up similarly as I'm definitely getting Blackstone.  

[Varyn]

I found your blog! really great work, I love the light green colour, the weathering complements the colour so well. 

 

The Mastodon is stunning, such a great centrepiece for your army. How is it to play on the tabletop?

 

The battle report is really in depth, the level of detail is outstanding, so immersive :) 

 

 

Truly inspiring stuff, now I have something to aim towards! 

 

Lupercal! Lupercal! Lupercal!

[Son of Carnelian]

I don't know how I missed those legion vets in the Luna Wolves' colors but WOW! As if ripped straight from the pages of HH: Visions.

 

Might I suggest adding a Xiphon? You seem a little short on air support!

[Vykes]

Always good to hear from ya two, mates.  heh, yeah I should have put this as a WIP threat over in the forge but we'll see, not too late to start, eh? Though any battle reports are gonna be here.  They definitely do take a fair bit of time to do, Varyn, but I'm happy with the results too :) Might sidebar some of the pictures so they can get blown up in the future. 

 

Man, that Mastodon is... interesting.  I only got the chance to use it once at a quick stop in at the shop for an impromptu game of 8th.  It and its compliment of standard chaos marines are overly expensive, don't move fast enough for half its short range firepower to have any good effect, and is tremendously undergunned for its insane amount of points.  In 30K that doesn't look that much different.  But it looks cool so I'm gonna see if I can get it to work again against some Dark Angels coming up!

 

Varyn, you definitely got a great company started yourself so I can't wait to see what ya do with em!  Lupercal and glory to the 14th!

 

Aye, you're definitely right on the lack of dedicated air-to-air cover, Son of Carnelian.  In a sense I think I've been doing that intentionally to give the 65th a definable weakness.... but I'm a sucker for air power as both the Sombra Gunship squadron and my Blood Angels suggest (Trust me, I'm doing my absolute best to keep from buying another flight of gunships to make it 6 Eagles and 2 Raptors!).  The Xiphons are definitely my one-stop-shop for air cover and my Angels have a flight of them, so to keep it different would a Lightning or Thunderbolt work?  I know they're not quite up to par, but their multi-role can let me mag out a few options to make them fighter bombers too, and those Kinetics on the Thunderbolt in particular sound lethal against air-power. 

[Vykes]

Got a bit of an update at least: Command squad Arras has been expanded to its honour guard size of 8 giving me a few options at least.

+++

Squad Arras, 30K command sections really do deserve cloaks eh?

Scratching in the dust, broken bodies heaped over barriers skewed and slashed to scarlet ribbons, the last banners torn from iron grips and tossed to the ash. But the small group of brightly swathed warriors still silently stalked the detritus littering the shell pocked wasteland.

A giant in red twisted a gladius up in an scintillating arc and slammed it down with both hands, spearing the prone figure through both remaining lungs. His quarry rasped a breath from his ruined chest, spasming weakly as the sheered blade in his grip tumbled from nerveless hands. The cloaked legion warrior twisted the blade, bringing up a froth of pink as the light in the astartes eyes departed. The blade was wrenched free from the cuirass, energy fields crackling as it scoured every trace of blood from the blade. There was no quarter asked and no quarter was given. A burning battle tank spewed plumes of hazy grey into the empty abyssal sky, and the scarlet brethren roamed the ruined bulwark.

A plasma pistol's keening yowl disturbed the silence before the din faded back to the last crackling embers guttering in the moribund shell of a ruined Rhino. Each tone distinct as eight figures trod over the noble grey and regal violet symbols of imperial glory. No bardic songs of daring champions or final words, no vox recordings of oaths of fellowship fulfilled, nothing but the whispers of a dying world scraping over its barren reaches.

The crimson cloaked figure stared at the fallen man, ignoring the pooling fluids ebbing like a tide against his feet. He looked skyward, as if following the dead astartes gaze to the endless heavens. The desperate fight had long since slid into the cold precision of methodical butchery, until the final defiant cries faded into the empty void. And all was silence.

+++

[Arion]

Brother Vykes, you just keep on rolling with the great content, amazing! How much time does it take you to paint a five man squad, typically? Just curious, seeing as how you are delivering lots of newly painted miniatures, consistently, with a good looking paint job. How do you play squad Arras? As 8 man Vets or do you cut down the unit size to 5 to play them as a Command Squad? Very good use of the Chapter Master models in the 30th millienium. I am always wary of using 40k minis for 30k because of the different armour marks but these guys fit in nicely as artificer armoured. MkVI greaves are much more 30k friendly than MkVII. Concerning anti-air/air vehicles, I would suggest going with Lightnings: the 65th is supposed to be a company cobbled together from under-strength elements. It would make sense that they would be assigned reserve elements like Lightnings instead of shiny, top tier Xiphons which I suppose would be kept for the more favored frontline units. Just my 0.02€ based on my feeling of the lore, feel free to ignore it :)

[Pearson73]

That's one hell of an honour guard mate, the Masters of the Chapter models are some of my favourite Astartes sculpts. The head and weapon swaps have kept them looking distinct too, until you look properly, you wouldn't realise the relatively small amount of base figures.

[Vykes]

Thanks dudes, you two rock!  

 

Leeets see, you know, Arion, it doesn't take that long.  I'd say excluding drying time, 5 guys probably takes 2 hours at most.  10 takes 3, and 20 takes about 4.  It's a pretty simple process once you start to nail down what steps you need.  Arras took a lot longer because the cloaks were airbrushed and the rest was hand painted and wet blended into place.  I needed the practice, but man is that time consuming.

 

Arras itself is likely gonna take the place of a command squad in 30K and a vet squad in 40K.  There's a nice little hard limit of 4 troopers with plasma pistols in 40K vet squads whcih lines up nicely with what's shown, while in 30K the 5 man group lets me switch out the axes and swords pretty regularly.  But, I am planning to expand it to 10, likely with the mk IV command group, just for those last few options.  But the thunderhammer or unhelmed sort can always act as a Deligatus or Champion in smaller games (as literally detached staff from Arras, as I imagine them being essentially lesser commanders to the marshal).  And real good point on the mk VI, it tends to be a lot easier to overlook.  Though weirdly I keep seeing the cover of False Gods and their mk. VII plate on pseudo mk. IV armour and thinking, "I hate it but I can't not see it, too".  As you said, artificer is something I can totally live with.  Typically I'd score the mk. VI to separate the poleyn plate from the greaves, but I maaay have totally forgot about it.

 

I totally agree with the idea about the reserve elements getting rear line fighters as the 65th does really fit that bill.  I'd be rocking Stormcrows if we knew what they looked like -laughs- 

 

Thanks a ton Pearson, you know I was kinda shocked just how diverse the group can look.  Like, genuinely I hate popping in monopose models, but they have a surprisingly decent range of movement and I think there's enough variety that it works.  For a unit with cloaks, I'm pretty surprised at how much range there was on the arms so they could be altered, usually they sway over and you'd have to sculpt everything from scratch.  And while I'll admit, it took a fair bit of carving, that finecast gouges pretty easily.  The gate clean up was an absolute nightmare though. 

[Varyn]

sublime command squad. I'd be happy if it took me 20 hours to paint 5 guys to that standard!

 

great work on the unit, they look really distinct with lots of character

[Pearson73]

Aye, I definitely agree Pearson.  The plasma guns were more me experimenting with a few different things at the time (Green ink over white vs. yellow, etc).  I really should just go back and airbrush it, but I suppose I was never sold on plasma pistols so I didn't want to add a lot of plasma glow over their armour.  So I could always go back to bolt pistols.  I dunno, whatcha think?  Keep the plasma pistols or not?  If I do, I'll likely keep the green but airbrush the glow on 'em. 

 

I do like plasma pistols as a concept, and I think the 30k (Sunspite?) pattern plasma weapons are really iconic of the Crusade, so it would be a shame to remove them.

[Vykes]

yay, prototype dice

Aye mates, heeeey no worries Varyn, it took me 20 years of being 'meh' at it to do this. Keep on going and practicing and you'll get better than me in no time! I'm stubborn and don't listen to advice half the time

And Pearson, you know I do love the 30K plasma weapons. (Sunspite I think you're right), so having a close combat group with them in Arras was good but for the 17th reavers I wasn't sure. Likewise, plasma is always blue to me, so green was just kinda an experiment. I suppose it'll be interesting either way so I'll go over 'em again right quick.

Well, the only updates and news for today is that I sent in an order for some customized dice for the 65th company and they had the prototypes done right quick. So yeah.

Edited November 15, 2018 by Vykes

[Varyn]

Holy cow, I need those dice in my life. 

 

Where are they from?

[Vykes]

Chessex, I had to make up a custom .png file and send it in to see if they could do up the project.  I was shocked they could get the '65' so clear, it's pretty impressive. 

[Arion]

I'm incredibly envious of your dice. The Eye of Horus is on the 1 side or 6 side?

[Vykes]

The eye is on the 1's side (like the GW dice).  If they were on the 6's side I'd never see it :P 

[Gederas]

The eye is on the 1's side (like the GW dice).  If they were on the 6's side I'd never see it

Most GW dice have the Skull on the 1, faction logo on the 6 (see, every faction die set since the Death Guard/Nurgle ones)

[Vykes]

Huh, all the new 40K dice are like that?  Still pretty cool and good to know.  My Skaven dice just have everything on the 1's, and my older red objective-ish Terminator doom dice.  :)  

[Vykes]

Marshal Ahazaar, Officially "Tribune of Tentabus" unofficially 'The Tentative Tribune"

Alright, got a biiit of an update: I managed to put Ahazaar together as my praetor. I don't think it turned out to bad, now I just need a better one for Kademius and maybe a few logicians for objective markers and the like.

Second shot:

+++

Silence hung upon the stale air of the Judicature's stateroom, an oppressive pall broken only by the monotonous tick of an antiquated standing chronometer. Akiya Sen stood stock still, and though she bit her lip, she avoided shifting her weight or shuffling the robes of her station. The marshal stood with his back to her, clad in a simple grey overcoat and gazing out an armourglass pane over the world below, dismissive or perhaps pensive. The thick plumed war helm rested on the thick stone slab of a table strewn with dataslates and the decorative trappings of a requisitions officer. From mechanicus tender details and factorum repair warrants to troop movements and special expeditionary summons, the enormous granite desk had little room for even the single data slate clutched in the Logisticae attaché's grasp.

The pale green world that spread out before them was veined in streams of blue and shrouded in listless powder white wisps. The marshal of the 33^rd battalion looked over the rolling globe and the shimmering motes of light cluttered in near orbit. Akiye drummed her pallid fingers over the edge of her dataslate, catching her interruption swiftly as the astartes quirked a brow and looked back over his shoulder. Ahazaar's pinched face momentarily darkened before he pulled his sallow visage into a twitch vaguely resembling a smile. “Good morning, Mistress Sen. Do you have some pressing news?” It was a poor attempt at congeniality.

“There's two Catulan's at the door.” she wrinkled her nose and scowled.

“Yes, I know.”

“Why are there Reavers at the door?” her voice never wavered from its deadpan drone.

“To ensure the will of the Warmaster is carried out, of course. And, to oversee and report the effectiveness of the seventeenth and sixty-fifth in the coming operation.” He folded his hands behind his back and turned to face her.

“And you're not going.”

“Using your gifts again, are you Aki?” He smirked more naturally and affably. The giant's stance shifted, tracing his unarmoured fingers over the helmet's sable plume.

With a sharp snort, the Logician broke the reverie, “Hardly. You're about two hundred kilo's underweight to go traipsing off planetside, there's a general lockdown of all quarters so I had to have some pedantic paperwork made up to get here, and there's two of the warmaster's guards at the door. Call me a psyker if you want, I have a feeling they aren't going to let me out without a guard... a guard that isn't one of ours, thus, isn't someone I feel like trusting right now. We're in trouble, aren't we?”

It was enough to cause the marshal to pause momentarily before slowly taking a seat in the enormous throne-like edifice. “Perceptive, as always Akiya.” he reached beneath the desk and produced a bottle of amasec with two small glasses. “But no. Not at all. We're being afforded a great chance to contribute to the future of mankind. My companies are going to be proven in combat soon, very soon” Ahazaar poured to measures of the rich amber drink.

The attache glanced between the bottle and himself. “We don't drink. Besides, that's 'our' companies. I've worked too hard for you to call them yours just to get turned into paste and powder, Ahazaar. And I'll pay for it as much as you will.” The pugnacious scowl held as she fought to keep back the accusatory gesticulation.

“I'll admit, you may have played some small part in keeping the day-to-day operations running smoothly while I liaised with your department.” he conceded with a faint ghost of a smile. “Sit. Consider this my thanks.”

The diminutive woman looked around and eventually took a seat in an audience chair opposite the desk, muttering grimly about the size and discomfort. “You're being conciliatory, now I know something's wrong.”

A nudge of the dataslates caused a small slide that uncovered a bolt pistol lurking beneath the veritable mountain. Akiya's eyes widened, glancing up frantically as he ejected a pair of bolts from the magazine in a single fluid motion. Holding them between thick digits, the astartes stared over the table at the logician, “There's an old saying that somewhere out there is a shell with one's name on it. This is yours... you get to determine your destiny.” He extended one bolt to her. It was a simple brass cased Ikanor bolt round with her name on it: Orrandus no. AK-022.

She went quiet for a while, looking up at the marshal who held another bolt in his fingers, and she saw his name etched on the brass as well. Akiya nodded wordlessly, turning the bolt over in her hands and holding the amasec with the other. She barely noticed her near doppleganger enter into the room, drop off a dataslate, bow, and depart like a servator.

The astartes raised the glass, proclaiming firmly, “By ancient tradition: to better days, a better way of life. Lupercal.” He downed the drink, then flatly looked at the empty glass with an inscrutable pause. Akiya swallowed a mouthful that erupted into a hacking cough. She continued to splutter while more forcefully shoving the glass back over the table. Ahazaar merely mumbled, “I had hoped it might have improved with age.”

+++

About as light as I'd normally get, buuut a few things from this may well show up later. And anyway, Ahazaar isn't the nominal battle leader. So yeah, all good.

[Marshal Rohr]

Vykes, that Tribune is a work of art. I had wanted to do something like it, but now I'm intimidated :D

[Varyn]

Stunning. Really inspiring hobby work :)