Word Bearer Dark Apostle Armour Colour?

[m_r_parker]

Long and short of it - Is the armour of a Word Bearers Dark Apostle crimson (as per the Legion colour) or black?

 

Having a new range of models has got me itching to start up a new 40k Word Bearers force, and the first stop for me was the new Dark Apostle model as it looks like a really fun model to paint.

I’ve always remembered from a few different places that the Dark Apostles of the Word Bearers wore black armour, I know it was mentioned in The First Heretic and if memory serves I think Jarulek in Anthony Reynolds’ novels had black armour. However the recent CSM codex has a Dark Apostle painted up in Word Bearers crimson, so I was wondering if there was a change in the canon and now they’re now painted in Legion / war band colours?

 

I know there’s the stock answer of “they’re your models, so paint them how you want”, but I’m generally interested in what 1) the official answer is, and 2) what the frater here think.

 

As a supplemental question, taking the example of Jarulek and Marduk as an example (an apostle and his disciple) and assuming the apostle wears black to signify his position - would the disciple wear Legion crimson, or also wear the black of the apostle?

 

Thanks to everyone in advance.

[Lay]

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/01/14/traitor-legions-armies-part-2/

 

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/03/21/21st-mar-heretic-astartes-focus-the-word-bearersgw-homepage-post-1/

 

The studio paints them crimson. There was also a White Dwarf battle report in 3rd edition which had a black DA (before they had a model and were just a Chaos Lord upgrade). Then there's the Dark Apostle Eliphas from Dawn of War 1 (who technically is a Chaos Lord from a game perspective).

 

Edit: Forgot the most obvious one:

https://wh40k-de.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/a/a0/DunkleApostel.jpg

The DA had red armour in the Index Astartes article from 3rd edition.

[Panzer]

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2017/01/14/traitor-legions-armies-part-2/

 

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/03/21/21st-mar-heretic-astartes-focus-the-word-bearersgw-homepage-post-1/

 

The studio paints them crimson. There was also a White Dwarf battle report in 3rd edition which had a black DA (before they had a model and were just a Chaos Lord upgrade). Then there's the Dark Apostle Eliphas from Dawn of War 1 (who technically is a Chaos Lord from a game perspective).

 

Edit: Forgot the most obvious one:

https://wh40k-de.lexicanum.com/mediawiki/images/a/a0/DunkleApostel.jpg

The DA had red armour in the Index Astartes article from 3rd edition.

 

The Dark Apostile in the second link (the new model) is painted black though. ;)

[Lay]

That's the Black legion scheme they use for all models. Look at the group shots above.

[Panzer]

To be honest, I never noticed the Dark Apostle in that group shot. I always only looked at the Terminators lol

[Darnok]

Their "default colour" for Word Bearers is the same red as for the rest. Black as the armour colour could nicely set him apart though.

 

Much more important than what the "official solution" is, is what matters to you. If you want to paint him black: do so, it is your model after all!

[Kevlarshark]

I suspect that since the WB introduced the Chaplain to the other legions the traditional Black and bone (the loyalists still use) is the original colours used by all Chaplains. When the WB repainted (before Calth) it was part of their betrayal/rededication to the Chaos god's. It's mentioned a few times that there was great power generated by the symbolism of this act...so it's probable that when the Chaplains became Dark Appostles they repainted.

[Marshal Loss]

Your most important example is wrong, as Jarulek wears red armour with black robes, but not black armour.

 

 

 

Raising his eyes, Burias looked upon Jarulek, the Dark Apostle of the Host. Bedecked in a black robe that covered much of his ancient, blood-red armour(...)

 

And when Marduk dons the Warmonger's old suit of Terminator armour, he is also described as wearing crimson. All of the Dark Apostles in Anthony Reynolds' Word Bearers series wear red armour. In StD, Zardu Layak is described as wearing grey armour, but he might be an exception to the rule, wearing a suit that hearkens back to the days of the Imperial Heralds, and Zaphen wears black in TFH.

 

Long story short, canonically it seems pretty clear that Dark Apostles wear red armour in the 40k era. There have been some notable exceptions (Matt Hutson's Dark Apostle, which graced the pages of many a White Dwarf, wore black armour with red pauldrons) but I have not encountered a 40k-era description of a Dark Apostle wearing black armour.

[Khornestar]

And top it off with the fact that there are many "sanctioned" shades of red that have been approved by the council. For all we know, one of them is nearly indistinguishable from black.

[Lord Commander Eidolon]

As much as I would like to side with black armour debate, I think it is pretty clear that in 40k armour is red from the Art in the cover of the WB novels and Index Astartes. Interestingly, the Forge world scheme shows Erebus in red armour and Zardu Layak in the grey armour - suggesting it was never black.

 

If you consider that chaplains were there to enforce the ruling of the Council of Nicaea, the Word Bearers were already well on my way to being full on Chaos Legion and hardly likely to follow 'convention' and adopt any prescribed colour scheme. I know initially the background suggested a dark apostles were Chaos Chaplains it seems the are now 'the ranking officer' in that they are the force commander who achieve their position by virtue of their zeal and dedication to the pantheon --- Jarulek was a captain, not a chaplain. Thus his armour would never have been black.

 

You could create background that your lord was originally a chaplain if you want black, or do the red/black look. Essentially there's scope to do anything you like and it's not a stretch to justify it.

[Fhanados]

I was under the impression that the black armour was a convention taken up following the Emperor being put on the Golden Throne as some kind of reference to his death/sacrifice and an indication that their loyalty is to the Emperor above all else. The only traitor Legion Dark Apostles or Pre-Heresy Chaplains I've read about were Word Bearers, and they all seem to wear the crimson of their Legion. And then there's the Black Legion apostle in the black and brass of the Black Legion, so I'd say that they wear whatever their Legion wears.

 

My Red Corsairs have a renegade Dark Angels Chaplain as their Apostle. I'm using the usual Chaplain black scheme with one shoulder red and black with the Corsairs icon. Red Corsairs can cheat though - a totally legit scheme for them is literally a Loyalist marine of any kind with a red X on them :)

[Iron Father Ferrum]

I vaguely recall there being an Emperor's Children Chaplain on Istvan III, but I'd have to check Galaxy in Flames to see if they mention the color of his armor.

[Marshal Loss]

I vaguely recall there being an Emperor's Children Chaplain on Istvan III, but I'd have to check Galaxy in Flames to see if they mention the color of his armor.

 

Good memory - Chaplain Charmosian. In Galaxy in Flames he is described as wearing armour trimmed with black instead of gold (a paragraph later is described as "black-armoured" which makes it a little unclear), and is depicted as wearing black armour in Visions of Heresy as well.

 

 

Of course the earlier books are far less developed than those that followed. Not super relevant to the 40k era WB but still, good catch