Sons of Horus 161st Company

[Brother Pheidias]

"Following the hard lessons learned during the Rangda Xenocides, the Hrud Exterminations, the Decimation of the Voregore, and the ongoing Ork Wars, it had become obvious to the Lupercalian Strategos of the 16th Legion that there existed a need for dedicated eradication units, though something less contaminating than the tried and tested Destroyer formations. Zhuhal Ghorrost, then 2nd Captain of the 86th Company, proposed the formation of a mixed arms company, combining highly mobile units of jump-enabled infantry, armed with Volkite weaponry in order to scour the biomass of the offending Xenoforms with fire and heat. Supporting this, Ghorrost proposed the deployment of Dreadnought units. Intrigued, the Lupercalian Strategos approved the proposal, and rolled it into the then-experimental Contemptor Program. With the implicit backing of Horus Lupercal, through his intermediary Strategos, Zhuhal Ghorrost was promoted to 1st captain of the 161st Assault Company. In the following decades, the 161st accrued a reputation as ruthless exterminators of any threat to the Pax Imperialis, often undertaken gruelling Xenocides, alongside the thankfully rare tragedy of nescessary Re-compliance operations on Human populations." - Excerpt from Tactical Dispositions of the Legionnes Astartes, vol. MCMXXXVI, 986.M30

1st section, Squad Spite, lead by 2nd Captain Engra Ekakkios, a so-called True Son of Chtonia. Imposing, even amongst his fellow Astartes, Captain Ekakkios embodied the directed brutality of his homeworld, and combined it with a razor-sharp tactical acumen, borne of the expert tutelage engendered upon those inducted into the 16th Legion.

2nd section, Squad Spite. Of note amongst the warriors in this pict-capt is one Othon Marr, wearing a modified Mk.IV helmet with reinforced molecular bonding studs and Mantilla-pattern re-breather. An extraordinary amount of Chtonian affectations adorn his armour, including variant heraldry.

Venerable Agathocles originally hailed from the 64th Company, but upon his internment, he was reassigned to the 161st, owing to his experience from the Destroyer Corps.

Armed with a heavy Volkite Culverin and a Dreadnought powerclaw with integrated flame-projector, the Contemptor-chassis proved highly adept at effectuating the scorched earth-ethos of the 161st.

[battle captain corpus]

Lovely work brother! How’d you do your SoH green?

 

BCC

[Raziel-TX]

Loving that dreadnought. Great work.

[Brother Pheidias]

Lovely work brother! How’d you do your SoH green?

 

BCC

I primed them black, grey and white for that discount zenithal highlight, preshaded with Army Painter Strong Tone and then covered them in Coelia Greenshade, which needs some babysitting. Then it's a bit of sponge weathering (dark brown, black and metal), and some last, final dappling with more Strong Tone.

 

Loving that dreadnought. Great work.

Thank you ever so much!

[Pearson73]

I really like how you've painted the armour, it looks great. The Contemptor is cracking too, nice combination of the Death Guard and Sons kits.

 

What's up next for the 161st?

[Brother Pheidias]

Thanks Pearson73, I always loved the Death Guard Contemptor to bitz.

Currently painting the requisite characters for a Black Reaving list, so a Praetor/Delegatus and a Master of Signals, also jump-packed and armed with Volkite, and a Deredeo with Arachnus Lascannons, Aiolos Missile Launcher and hull-mounted Volkite Culverins (Counts-as Heavy Bolters or WYSIWYG if my opponents allow it).

To build, More Reavers, some Proteus Landspeeders, a Storm Eagle, Destroyers, Breachers, another Deredeo and three more Contemptors.

[battle captain corpus]

 

 

Lovely work brother! How’d you do your SoH green?

 

BCC

I primed them black, grey and white for that discount zenithal highlight, preshaded with Army Painter Strong Tone and then covered them in Coelia Greenshade, which needs some babysitting. Then it's a bit of sponge weathering (dark brown, black and metal), and some last, final dappling with more Strong Tone.

Loving that dreadnought. Great work.

Thank you ever so much!

Excellent! You’ve nailed the colour scheme that way definitely!

 

Keep it up!

 

BCC

[Brother Pheidias]

Thanks alot!

[Brother Pheidias]

Into the breach!

More shots and fluff this weekend, hopefully!

[Brother Pheidias]

"While the 161st was nominally designated an Assault Company, the specialized nature of the unit meant that it was often deployed in a supporting role of other, more heavily armoured XVI assets. Nevertheless, the 161st would take any opportunity to demonstrate their vicious prowess in close quarter-engagements, as their participation in the hard-fought Larristos Compliance would attest." - Excerpt from Tactical Dispositions of the Legionnes Astartes, vol. MCMXXXVI, 986.M30

 

1st section, Squad Bane. One of several squads of the 161st equipped for close quarter fighting. Lead by Jharon Vorghest, veteran of the Arrakis Culling.

Often deployed as a second-line unit, Squad Bane would exploit any weakness in the enemy line created by the first assault, or as here, in close support of the Company's numerous Dreadnoughts. Central in the pict-capt is legionnaire Kholek Varr, an enthusiastic early adopter of the so-called "Kill-Counters", pioneered by the Warmaster himself shortly after the Davin-incident

 

Pict-capt showing theVenerable Sargheddon, one of the few original membres of the 161sts Dreadnought Cadres to survive into the Warmasters rebellion. 

 

 

Well that took way longer than nescessary. Camera issues, me being distracted and lazy, plenty of excuses for the long hiatus of this log. Over the next days, I'll post up the remaining finished stuff.

Edited March 13, 2021 by Brother Pheidias

[Prim]

A fearsome looking bunch. The red/orange bases contrast really well with the armour.

[Brother Pheidias]

"In order to complement the formidable anti-personnel capabilities of the 161st, many Dreadnought units of the company would be equipped for anti-armour duties. In addition to the numerous Contemptor-pattern sarcophagus, the 161st also fielded a considerable number of Deredeo-pattern Dreadnought. While this would serve the company well, there were concerns from parts of Legion Strategos that such a heavy investment in Dreadnought-warfare constituted an unsustainable expenditure of resources, though this was largely proven to be baseless; Dreadnought-attrition was consistently kept well within acceptable parameters as dictated by the mandate extended to the 161st.

 

Heskarot was inducted into the 161st following the conclusion of the Ullanor Crusade, first walking as a Dreadnought at the Triumph, he would go on to win numerous accolades for his affinity for close support of 161st assault elements

 

Always a taciturn and dour warrior, internment in a Contemptor Dreadnought did little to diminish the reputation for serious-minded effectiveness that Venerable Tabris had earned when he fought in the flesh.

 

Venerable Gholan had served as battery-commander in the Rapier-divisions of the 94th Company, prior to his maiming during the Katosis Pacification, where an armoured counter-attack successfully circumvented the main Legion XVI battleline, before savaging the support elements. Transferred to the 161st following the reconstitution of the much-depleted 94th Company, he would serve with distinction as a roving paragon of armourbane. His Deredeo-chassis would eventually sport the unsanctioned addition of a twin-linked Volkite Culverin, a favourite eccentricity of the Deredeo contingent of the 161st.

 

Instrumental both in the conception and proliferation for the Dreadnought-heavy doctrine of the 161st Company, Forgemaster Huron Khorst would continue to lead and care for his charges throughout his tenure as the premiere voice of the Omnissiah in the company.

While his duties were mostly related to the well-being of the sarcophagi keeping the Venerable contingent in the fight, he was also contentious for his role in facilitating the ongoing, unsanctioned modifications carried out across the company's complement of Dreadnought warsuits.

 

 

A fearsome looking bunch. The red/orange bases contrast really well with the armour.

Thanks, that was the reason I picked the Martian look for them.

[Brother Pheidias]

The reorganisation by the 161st can largely be attributed to the vision of Captain Zhuhal Ghorrost, who would entwine the ferocity of Chtonian gang-warfare even further with the tenets of the Luna Wolves. Forging the company as a hunting-pack that would keep most enemies second-guessing the highly mobile and destructive elements of the company. A capable and aggressive officer, Zhuhal Ghorrost would go on to lead the 161st through some of the most devastating campaigns of the latter stages of the Great Crusade, culminating with the Ullanor Crusade, where the 161st would win numerous accolades for their highly effective tactics, which would leave a trail of charred corpses across Ullanor, while leaving the unwieldy Orkoid hordes floundering, unable to catch the prowling Luna Wolves. As a direct result, the 161st ended the Ullanor Crusade with an enviably low attrition-rate.

Following Horus Lupercals ascension to Warmaster, and the subsequent renaming of the XVI into the Sons of Horus, 1st captain Zhuhal Ghorrost enthusiastically adopted the near-worshipful displays of fierce pride in being of Horus Lupercals True Sons, wearing the sea-green and the Eye of Horus with fierce pride.

 

This doctrine would permeate the combat doctrine of the 161st into emulating the example of the Warmaster in even the most minute details, favouring the Chtonian Razor, a masterwork Lightning Claw forged as a symbolic extension of the Warmasters fearsome reach.

A strong proponent of the efficacy of Volkite weaponry, the results achieved in the decades following the re-organisation of the 161st would largely vindicate the position taken by Zhuhal Ghorrost, the Bolter had already reached a position as the pre-eminent mainstay of the Legions, and calls where made for the retiring of the Volkite. Captain Ghorrost and much of the 161st would retain their Volkite-specialization in spite of the objection of prominent voices amongst the Legion Strategos.

 

Even with as self-assured and capable a fighting force as the 161st Company, the erratic, near-chatic way of war enabled by the massed investment in high mobility-enabled assault cadres would still be left vulnerable without masterful coordination of the numerous disparate elements of the company. This was made possible by the deployment of highly specialized communications experts, exemplified by Tahvor Karkoth, head communications officer of the 161st.
 

Working in close tandem with the mobile assault elements, Tahvor Karkoth would deploy alongside the jump-enabled cadres, maintaining a close-up perspective on the 161sts combat-deployments, appraising Captain Ghorrost of any tactical developments with the utmost surety
 

Many officers of, the 161st would often sport seemingly experimental jumppack-patterns, some of them theorized to be created in cooperation with the XIX Legion.

 

[Brother Pheidias]

Squad Spite, 1st section, lead by Morun Morgheddon, brought into the Legion under the tutelage of Jharon Vorghest, the young Chtonian showed an early aptitude for squad-level leadership in the field, as well as being adept at shaping the bonds of brotherhood that would shape a fighting unit into a keen-edged, singular tool.

In the field, units such as Squad Spite would often deploy from low-flying dropships, either as the first wave to corral and catch the enemy before the heavier elements would deliver the killing strike, or as highly mobile reserves, running rings around an enemy formations already committed.
 

Gharak Lors was one of the longest-serving members of the 161st apothecarion, working closely together with Huron Khorst and the Forge, maintaining the once post-human components of the Venerable interred with as much diligence as the Techmarines tended to the mechanical components.

A capable warrior and a dedicated chirurgeon, Gharak Lors would often be found in the midst of the heaviest fighting, both to tend to the wounded, but also to keep an eye out for worthy candidates for internment in the Dreadnought Sarcophagi. Even with his skilled ministrations, attrition-rates amongst the Venerables was often considerable, making the hunt for suitable replacements a significant priority for Apothecary Lors.
 

During his tenure as Chief Apothecary, it is thought that Lors would also be in furthering the adherence to the Warrior Lodges, making it almost a prerequisite for priority treatment, and in the time following Horus Lupercals ascension to the rank of Warmaster, he too would be swept up in the euphoric exceptionalism that would mark the XVI Legions road to eventual damnation.

[Hungry Nostraman Lizard]

Love Lors there, very cool character. Excellent fluff!

[Brother Pheidias]

Originally hailing from the illustrious Rukal Breachers, Kalus Akkaion was recruited to the 161st at its inception, seeing an opportunity for advancement denied in the Rukal Battalion, owing to the fierce internal competition within the notoriously rigid hierarchy of the 16th. legions preeminent Breacher cohort.

As commander of the 161sts Breacher Section, Akkaion accrued a formidable reputation as skilled front-line commander, leading the shield-wedge in numerous gruelling assaults, or anchoring the shield-wall in open battle.

When the fighting inevitably reached extreme close quarters, Kalus Akkaion would wield his masterwork power mace "Foesplitter" with ruthless efficiency, allowing his foes to break themselves on his shield, before breaking them in turn.

 

Among the Breachers of the 161st, none were as famed as Squad Atavis, more often than not accompanying Kalus Akkaion through the most ferocious of Zones Mortalis. Under the command of Arek Arkheddon, Squad Atavis would form an impregnable bulwark around which the more mobile elements of the 161st would hinge, shoring up the assaults with their steadfast presence.

 

Through prodigious lobbying amongst those of the Mechanicum affiliated with the Warmasters Court, Zhuhal Ghorrost was able to secure contracts for a significant number of Deredeo Class Wartombs, allowing the 161st to bolster its anti-armour capabilities significantly in the years following Ullanor, as demonstrated by Ancient Vedon.

 

Following the tactical predilections of the 161st, mobile reconnaissance and rapid response capabilities were always paramount. As such, squadrons of Land Speeders were favoured for this specific purpose. Originally predominantly made up of the vaunted Javelin-Class Assault Speeders, the strain of the Great Crusade made competition for stockpiles of the class fierce, and in concession to the needs of the Legion at large, Zhuhal Ghorrost relinquished his claim on further resupply of Javelins, adopting the Proteus-chassis as a compromise, allowing for the needs of the dedicated Recon Companies to dictate first rights of procurement.

http://i.imgur.com/0tIMIjV.jpg

While the 161st generally eschewed the most destructive tools of the Legionnes Astartes, a modest Destroyer Cadre was still maintained, and deployed with more regularity than some would possibly deem nescessary. A mainstay of the dour brotherhood that made up the Destroyer Corps in the decades before and after Ullanor, Squad Lament, and its leader, Sergeant Vekhar Karkheddon, epitomised the humourless duty of their charge, consigning untold Xenos and human lives to utter oblivion, scouring the most debased and abominable from the face of existence.

 

Phew, not been entirely idle through the last months, but pictures have not taken priority for a while. Next up, Storm Eagle!

[Pearson73]

Those Breachers look so brutal with the spiked and battered shields. Akkaion really looks the piece of a savage Cthonian chieftain with that maul and shield too.

[Shadrak Meduson]

 

Among the Breachers of the 161st, none were as famed as Squad Atavis, more often than not accompanying Kalus Akkaion through the most ferocious of Zones Mortalis. Under the command of Arek Arkheddon, Squad Atavis would form an impregnable bulwark around which the more mobile elements of the 161st would hinge, shoring up the assaults with their steadfast presence.

 

 

 

These breachers are so rad, love the helmets and spikes!

[Brother Pheidias]

 

"When deployed for combat, the 161. would operate with the tactical flexibility for which the XVI. Legion was rightly famed. Such fluidity and adaptability was only possible thanks to the expansive officer cadre, made up of a complex system of Chieftains, each with authority over specific detachments through the authority earned only through the respect of their brethren. Such is the case of Khell Tahran, nominally a Lieutenant in standard legion terms, in the Chtonian nomenclature Chieftain of the Shrouded Eye. One of the few members of the 161. to have deployed alongside the XVII. Legion, Tahran was know as an early and enthusiastic proponent of the Eightfold Path, alongside his reputation as a ruthlessly efficient commander and warrior"

 

 

 

"Squad Ravage, depicted during the Attapol Decimation. Lead by Athros Subbadon, Ravage would often form the second wave of the 161. assaults, working in tandem with the honoured Ancients that made up the Dreadnought contingent of the 161."

 

 

"While most of the 161. would be equipped with Jump Packs or operating as airborne assault units, the supporting infantry would ride in Rhino armoured carriers in order to keep pace with the far-striding walkers or their jump-enabled brethren. Like most such transports, Courser remained a sparsely utilitarian vehicle, save for the Chtonian inscriptions passing as unit-markings"

[Pearson73]

Great update, Squad Ravage have a great mix of poses and their leader looks brutal with that chainsword and the spiked shoulder pad (got to love hazard stripes too!!). Nice weathering and discolouration of the Rhino too, makes a lot of sense as those exhausts will be spitting out plenty of particulates, in addition to all the other grime and wear that battle brings.Tahran is solidly done too, I really like the simplicity of the model.

[Chaeron]

Brilliant work - I'm really liking the fluff too for each addition to the force .

[Brother Pheidias]

Great update, Squad Ravage have a great mix of poses and their leader looks brutal with that chainsword and the spiked shoulder pad (got to love hazard stripes too!!). Nice weathering and discolouration of the Rhino too, makes a lot of sense as those exhausts will be spitting out plenty of particulates, in addition to all the other grime and wear that battle brings.Tahran is solidly done too, I really like the simplicity of the model.

 

Thanks, considering Tahran, I wanted a more subdued character to run as a Delegatus. And Ravage really was an excuse to indulge in undiluted love for classical Bolter-Marines, which we all know and love, even though they're mostly getting tableage as Reavers with Banestrike-Bolters so far.

 

Brilliant work - I'm really liking the fluff too for each addition to the force .

Thanks, the fluff really needs to click for me, otherwise I can't seem to find any real enthusiasm for a project. This was actually pretty hard for this force, as I couldn't find an angle that worked for me with the Sons until quite far in.

[Brother Pheidias]

The fortified approaches to Hive Hazzana were burning. An almost solid wall of tarry smoke rose from the inferno that would be the 4th, and final, battle of Hazzana hive. The Warmasters mortal armies had already seen their advance blunted thrice by the stubborn defenders. This would end today. Jherach Ecanus knew this for a fact, his hearts soaring in the certainty that he would be instrumental in making it so. In the red-lit gloom behind him, Squad Atavis were prepping for deployment. A half-dozen alarms of various frequencies alerted him to the defenders' efforts to tear him, and his precious craft and cargo from the sky. A contemptuous sneer formed behind the gilded mask of his battleplate as he threw the Rapacious into a steep dive, going well below the screen of flak that saturated the rolling banks of smoke. Firing retro thrusters, he pulled the Storm Eagle  parallel with the shell-chewed ground beneath, before ploughing through the haze, missiles and heavy bolters saturating the landing zone with a storm of shrapnel and bolts, readying the way for his brethren to deliver the Warmasters judgement to the throne-polishing rabble of Hive Hazzana.

 

 

 

 

 

"Storm Eagle Dropship MCCCXVI, designation Rapacious. Often deployed en masse, both during initial planetfall and during further redeployment during prolonged deployments, the swift and nimble Storm Eagle gunships were favoured by a significant proportion of the 161. Company, particularly among the more dedicated breachers and other close quarter specialists."