Fluff question Death Guard -- Dusk Raiders

[Breakthrough]

Hi guys,

 

short question, as more as I read me in in 30k and the fluff I am more and more thinking of painting a Dusk Raiders Force.

 

So I have a little question, what would you do, or is it able to play them in later heresy?

 

I am thinking of that loyal Death Guard Marines could go back on their roots as Dusk Raiders, or do ya think that's really an bull:cuss idea?

 

Greetings

[Charlo]

Totally cool idea and definitely justified in the lore my friend.

 

They could be a company who were off in the far reaches when the Heresy happened and never mustered at Istvaan etc

 

Go for it!

[Gederas]

Iirc, some loyalist members of Traitor Legions repainted their armour and went back to using their original iconography, so yeah. Dusk Raiders as a Loyalist Death Guard? Totally legit.

[bluntblade]

The Black Books specifically mention companies in the "resurrected livery of the Dusk Raiders" fighting the Sons of Horus, so you have Forge World's blessing :)

[N1SB]

Hi Brother, I too think your idea is actually very reasonable, and I'll try to explain by trying to answer your question!

 

So I have a little question, what would you do, or is it able to play them in later heresy?
 

 

I'm just creating a scenario by stitching together other major events during the Heresy.  In particular this draws from FW's Book I and Book VI (my favourite), as well as the anthology novels (which give a lot of glimpses into Astartes that went against the allegiance of their own Legions, and how they coped).

 

The Traitor Legions, before the Drop Site Massacre of Istvaan V, sought to purge the Loyalist elements within their own ranks at Istvaan III.  They were largely successful with the notable exceptions of those that escaped via the frigate Eisenstein to warn the Emperor, including the famous Nathaniel Garro...himself a member of the Death Guard.

 

However, those Loyalist elements within the Traitor Legions at Istvaan III included only those who were in the region at the time, who could be gathered to be culled.  All the Legions had some forces spread throughout the galaxy, and those that were too far...were given weird orders/missions/etc. to stay/go further out there, effectively keeping them out of the conflict.  Thus, it's well within the realm of possibility Loyalist elements of, say, the Death Guard being stationed in remote corners, awaiting further orders from their Primarch to return, who'd of course never send them as the whole thing was a deliberate ruse.

 

Instead, it's very possible they'd be contacted by Nathaniel Garro.  Garro was tasked by Malcador the Sigilite to gather Astartes back to Terra.  As a Captain of the Death Guard, Garro might have known about those orders that sent Loyalist Death Guard far away.  Naturally, because of the Sigilite's task and the fact that he's more familiar with his Legion, he'd probably try to recall his own brothers back sooner rather than later, situation permitting.

 

But traveling to Terra during the Heresy was a huge undertaking, one that even Roboute Guilliman and the Ultramarines couldn't do in time.  So I'm imagining your Loyalist Death Guard to have been making their way back during the mid- to late-Heresy.  However, in order to distinguish themselves apart from their Traitor brethren, they did what Garro himself did: strip themselves of the Death Guard livery.  But whereas Garro replaced it with the Sigilite's symbol, these Legion XIVers instead adopted more traditional colours of the Dusk Raiders.

 

And on their way back, they'd run into Traitor elements for some sweet, sweet retribution.

 

Just sharing some thoughts.  I think Loyalist Legion XIV reverting back to Dusk Raiders to actually be one of the more believable ideas, due to the Garro connection.

[Pacific81]

Absolutely - and a really cool idea. You certainly don't see many Dusk Raiders collections, and you can enjoy the confused faces of people that don't know the lore :)

 

We will never know the fate of every squad of marines in the Heresy, no matter how long the book series runs - I would say go for it!