Prophets of Doom: Index Traitoris Angels of Decay(LASC 2021)

[Brother Argent]

INDEX TRAITORIS: Angels of Decay

" Do not weep, little mortal. The death I bring is not the end of everything. Only of your wretched suffering. No the death I bring rather a beginning of new life. A beginning of immortality."

Lucerius Cepio - The Second War for Agammar. M41

As relentless and uncaring as the march of time itself the arrival of the Angels of Decay in system is as a death knell to any and all whom stand in their path. Swarms of flies and virulent diseases mark their arrival, and nothing but the silence of the grave and the stench of rotting flesh mark their passage. They are true Angels of Death, bringing plague and pestilence to a beleaguered Imperium.

Orgins:

The Warband that now call themselves the Angels of Decay were formerly a task force of the loyalist Chapter known as the Angels of Ultramar. The Angels of Ultramar were founded in the Third such founding of Astartes Chapters and arrived into an Imperium still reeling from the betrayal and horrors of the Heresy and subsequent Scouring. Founded from the geneseed of the Ultramarines themselves the Angels of Ultramar were a chapter beyond reproach. Driven by a near fanatical belief in the Emperor they pushed out from their homeworld, the world of Olirion on the edge of the Five Hundred worlds of Ultramar, to cut a swathe into any and all that defied the Emperor's will. They soon formed a reputation as an uncompromisingly efficient Chapter, bringing countless worlds back to the fold. It seemed there was little that could stand against their forces.

Angels of Decay Colour Scheme

It was this reputation that would mark their downfall. Their skill and determination attracted the attentions of Inquisitor Lord Phillimos whom was at the time leading a defence against a combined traitor invasion that was cutting deep towards Ultramar. Phillimos petitioned the Chapter for aid in the defence of the fortress world of Agammar, the next world in the traitors black path. The Angels of Ultramar answered the call, sending a detachment consisting mostly of the Third Company along with elements of the first and led by their Master of Sanctity Lucerius Cepio. The task force dug in, manning the worlds defences against the traitor forces. It was a siege that lasted for decades. The traitors were relentless, flooding the world with more and more forces whilst the defences were immovable. The lynch pin of the defence, however, was Cepio and his Angels of Ultramar. Phillimos petitioned a further three times for more aid from the Chapter but the Angels were pushed thin, fighting other wars throughout the Imperium.

As time wore on the planet of Agammar was reduced to a bloody slaughter ground. As more and more traitors arrived the bloodshed soon drew the eye of the dark gods themselves. Dark rituals enacted by the enemy caused tears in the very fabric of reality and entities of the Warp flooded the blood soaked streets. Daemons of Khorne cavorted in the bloody slaughter whilst the growing decaying piles of the dead soon caused plague and sickness on both sides which inevitable attracted the attentions of Nurgle. The seige was going nowhere. Eventually Phillimos, a notably radical Inquisitor, grew tired of the protracted siege. He knew that his attentions were required elsewhere but he also knew that of the traitor forces were to make it past Agammar then they would be able to run rampant throughout the Imperium. Knowing that the mortal defenders of Agammar were far less valuable then the fortress itself he would soon make a decision that would eventually doom him and countless thousands.

Phillimos declared Exterminatus upon the world. Knowing that the majority of Traitor forces were committed on the planet and that virally bombing the planet would successfully wipe out most of them whilst still leaving the planets fortresses intact he ordered his ships to open fire on the planet. When questioned about the loyalists still planetside he stated that to withdraw them would alert the traitors to what was happening and allow them a chance to escape. He stated that the Angels were true loyalists and would understand the need for their sacrifice. Their death fighting to hold the enemy would ensure their place at the Emperor's side. It was a large price to pay, but one that was needed to save the greater Imperium.

As deadly virus containing warheads detonated across the planets surface the doom of Agammar was sealed. Across the planet people, both loyalist and traitor fell to their knees screaming in fear and pain as flesh eating viruses turned their bodies to mush and chocked them in their own innards. Even the power armoured and bio engineered physique of the Angels astartes nature could save them. As Cepio, a man of great faith, watched his brothers fall around him dying from a cowardly strike from their own allies and his own body wracked in pain called out in desperation to an uncaring universe for anyone to save his and his brothers. He had hoped or even expected the Emperor, what he got was a far darker being.

The Chaos god of disease and decay, Grandfather Nurgle, saw the Angels suffering and reached out to save them. He didn't take the diseases from them, rather made them numbed to their effect and allowed them to survive their affects. As those few of his brothers whom refused Nurgle's gift breathed their last wet gasps around him Lucerius Cepio rose. He was no longer the Master of Sanctity, instead he took a new title; The Prophet of Plagues.

Leading his now fractured warband from the ruins of Agammar Lucerio knew he wouldn't be welcome amoungst his brothers and so led his force, know calling themselves the Angels of Decay, into exile and eventually the Eye of Terror. From here they have proved a thorn in the Imperium's side for countless millennia.

Homeworld

Olirion was once a shining example of a how a Hive World could sustain an Astartes Chapter. Situated on the edge of the Five Hundred Worlds of UItramar it had been restored peacefully to the Imperium during the Great Crusade and had proven to be a bastion of stability in an otherwise uncertain time. Its rule was modeled much after Macragge and statues of the Emperor and Guilliman lined much of its streets. When Cepio and his brothers fell on Agammar word eventually filtered back to the Chapter that he and his brothers had fallen and the Chapter mourned their loss. Indeed Inquisitor Phillimos himself stayed on the planet for a while, the Chapter unaware of the Inquisitors betrayal of their brothers.

The Angels would eventually return to their homeworld in early M.41 bringing destruction and disease on their former brothers. Olirion was reduced to a uninhabited wasteland of rust and toxic sludge. The Angels of Ultramar survived complete destruction however, and now roam the galaxy looking for revenge against their renegade brothers.

The Angels of Decay have dwelled in the Eye of Terror since their original self imposed exile. They travel as a vast traitor fleet that appears in system with no warning and gives no quarter. Cepio himself leads this fleet from onboard the corrupted remnants of a battle barge, named the Altar of Pestilence.

Combat Doctrines

Even before their fall the Angels were know for their resolute and unwavering way of making war. Since their fall this had only grown with the blessing of Nurgle. The Angels of Decay arrive in system and strike without warning. They offer no quarter or surrender, moving to simply exterminate all life in their path. Great hosts of poxwalkers, unfortunate victims raised to unlife by the fell blessings of Chaos, follow in their advance, moving to silence those few whom escape the Angels notice. They are often times accompanied by noxious daemon engines akin to those of their Death Guard brethren. Their long years in the Warp have seen many of the customs and wargear from the Traitor Death Guard adopted in an attempt to survive. Indeed many former marines of the Death Guard have joined the Angels, taking on their colours and joining under the Prophet of Plagues as an escape from the rule of the daemon Primarch Mortarion. Whilst many would suspect this would earn the ire of the Primarch instead he allows it, seeing that they are all bringing about Nurgle's will in one way or another. Indeed it has been this recruitment from the Death Guard that has allowed the Angels of Decay to boost their war efforts with dark daemon engines such as Foetid Bloat Drones and Myphitic Blightcrawlers.

Angels of Decay Lord of Contagion

Beliefs

Once the Angels believed in the divinity of the Emperor and the unfailing truth that he was the one constant in the fractured universe. Following the betrayal at Agammar that belief was destroyed as Nurgle reached out to answer the plea the God-Emperor did not. Whilst at first Cepio and his Angels were horryfied at what they had become and their new patron but it became soon apparent to them of the blessing that Nurgle's Gift was. Immune to pain, the effects of sickness and death they became immortal hulks, reveling in their own corrupt forms. No longer were they angels of a false and weak Emperor but angels of death. They were the divine messengers of the only way humanity could be saved, through death. Disease was nothing to fear but rather the only way to reach the closest a human could come to divine. And Grandfather Nurgle was always happy for more followers.

Geneseed

Whilst they once were proud scions of the Ultramarines what is left of their geneseed is rotted and corrupt beyond reason. Still their numbers are added to by the obscene remnants of their Apothecarion as the Plague Surgeons hack what geneseed they can from any marines that fall in battle against them. Whilst some are added to the Angels of Decays numbers in this fashion most new members if the warband come from either the Death Guard or renegades.

Roll of Honour

TBA

Champions of the Warband

Lucerius Cepio - The Prophet of Plagues, The Minister of Miseries

Former Master of Sanctity, Cepio has led his brothers into damnation. At first horrified at their salvation Cepio was led on my visions of the true divinity of Nurgle and has since come to embrace his new patronage. (More stuff to be added)

Cepio goes to battle in the horrifyingly corrupted remnant of his former terminator plate and wields a corrupted crozius. He is accompanied into battle by a swarm of droning stinging insects that have nested in his armour.

(TBA)

A couple more villanous dudes of varying levels of plagueiness

Edited March 23, 2021 by Brother Argent

[Brother Argent]

And so here if the very first roung noting down for my DIY Plague Marines.  Or at least the start of it.  Let me know what you think...

[WarriorFish]

I like the colour scheme, though it is a bit World Eaters it looks great on the Terminator I see that it's very early days on the rough start, but I would recommend building up the Inquisition's involvement if you want exterminatus. Exterminatus is the highest sanction the Imperium can dish out and it is not done easily (and few can even authorise it). Maybe the war takes a turn and despite the protestations from the Angels that they can and will turn it around something happens that causes the Inquisitor to deem it necessary.

 

It's not just losing the entire world (which up until that point was worth fighting for, even for decades) but all the resources on it, in particular the Space Marines. This might be an opportunity to introduce Nurgle directly, maybe some action by the invaders or the scale of the war/corruption causes a great outbreak of plague? It would have to be pretty bad for the Inquisitor to call in exterminatus as that means all hope is basically lost. Since Nurgle is already around and trying to spread his special brand of happiness it would be a small thing indeed for him to hear and act on a plea...

 

This could also be an angle for Cepio and his Marines to turn in the first place. Their anger at the betrayal would be easy to twist into against the Imperium as a whole and make them more willing to receive Nurgle's blessings, and could be a nice plot point if they stay angry enough about it to swear vengeance on Phillimos Especially if you help develop a somewhat antagonistic relationship between him and the Marines during the war - just be careful to avoid the "evil/stupid Inquisitor ruins everything" trope as that's worn enough

 

I think there's a lot of good stuff you could do with what you have, it depends on what paths you wish to explore as I'm sure there's more than what I've mused upon! Keep us updated on your progress and ideas :tu:

[Brother Argent]

Okay so the first rework/extension is done.  Still need to expand more (and will do so) but there it is.  Any and all comments appreciated.

[Brother Lunkhead]

Very fine lore building Your rework has tightened up the story nicely. The livery definitely has a World Eaters look to it, but it works well. It's a nice change of pace from the traditional Nurgle look. That Terminator looks great. Are you planning on previewing more figures? I hope so Keep up the good work.

[Brother Argent]

Are you planning on previewing more figures?

Ask and ye shall receive. Four I just painted up for the 12 Months of Hobby event:

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Impressive work on the models. I commend your efforts and your skills. Edited April 2, 2021 by Bjorn Firewalker

[Brother Argent]

Eh. Just convincing use of washes mate. That's about 90% of how I go these guys.

[Urauloth]

This is great. I like the unusual colour scheme, and a warband of corrupted Ultramarine successors is wonderfully ironic considering the Plague Wars.

 

Have you considered putting a date (in millennia, if nothing else) on the first war for Agammar?