+++ To the Bitter End - The Badab War +++

[Noctus Cornix]

Musical Accompaniment

http://i.imgur.com/SwVkTqj.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/uXLLZ3d.jpg

And who are you to question our honour? What right do you have to decree I bow low to you and repent for my 'sins'?

What do you know of loyalty, you who have never truly fought for what was yours? What do you know of betrayal, you who have never felt the mortal wound of treachery? What do you know of loss, you who burnt our kingdom and left our people to the slavering hunger of dogs?

Our honour was loyalty. Not to you or your bureaucratic empire, but the oaths we made and the duty we were given. Our banner stood before the very Gates of Eternity. We held the blade of judgment to all who threatened mankind. We held lordship over the Badab sector and thrived where all others would falter. We stood as the wardens of the Maelstrom and weathered the rain. And for that, you would murder us and our very memory wiped from existence?

For the Tyrant I fought and for the Throne of Thorns I offer my life. To hell with you and your false Empero-

- Final words, Battle Brother Ichoma Dentath of the Astral Claws before his summary execution

Our Honour was Loyalty

F

or more than five thousand years, the Astral Claws stood shoulder to shoulder with the finest of the Imperium's warriors, their deeds legendary and their honour unquestioned. Loyal to the Emperor's throne, they exemplified the ideals of the Adeptus Astartes, strong and fearless as the golden lion of their heraldry. It was their glorious record of exemplary service that saw their standard placed in the Hall of Heroes at the Eternity Gate and won them the singular honor of command to the Maelstrom Warders. And above them all was Lufgt Huron, a true hero of his age, believed to be second only to legends of ancient past. The Astral Claws watched over the Maelstrom and paid the blood price of vigilance. When brothers fell and were drawn away, they remained ever watchful. When the caress of madness and corruption spilled into reality, they remained ever watchful. When their pleas for aid were met with not but silence, they still remained ever watchful. Fate is a cruel and pitiless wheel that spins the thread of an eternal tragedy. Perhaps Fate might have written a different path if another had sat on the throne of Badab, but it was Lufgt Huron who took the crown of thorns and assumed the mantle of eternal guardian to the Ruin Storm. The Astral Claws stood at the teetering precipice of annihilation, of failure in their duty to the Emperor. In pride, the Astral Claws sought to defy the hand of Fate. In desperation, they did everything to uphold their loyalty and sowed the roots of their own damnation.

Pict-feed taken at the siege of the Palace of Thorns, subterranean sewer system

Subject Unknown - Status Unkown

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Commencing imagifier correction

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Edited January 19, 2020 by Noctus Cornix

[Grotsmasha]

Hey bud, good to see you back, looking forward to this project :tu:

[Vazzy]

Excited to see where this goes brother!

[Soulhunter1995]

Hell yes :D I`m looking forward to this 

[Raziel-TX]

Color me interested in this project!

[Dosjetka]

Funny, I have been musing about the Badab War lately. This log comes at a very good time. :D

 

Great fluff and atmosphere you have going, as per usual. :tu: Looking forward to seeing more!

[No Foes Remain]

Yay! Noctus is back with Astral Claws!

[Kolgrim DeathHowl]

Looking forward to where this goes as well!!

[Noctus Cornix]

Rains of Badab Primaris

913 M.41

Something was wrong.

He ran even as he cursed under his breath, bolter clutched close to his chest, ceramite boots wading through mud and sewer muck in a naked rush for the next turn. His brothers were with him though, in truth, there were few of them left even before they made it back to Badab Primaris. Still the runic symbols of his helmet's display flashed across his right eye. Twenty sigils of Legion Cohort Squad Haakon, twenty loyal knights of the Tyrant... and twelve of those sigils were now dulled out, their lives and deeds of honour memorialized by little more than a recognizing that they dead. Their gene-seeds unrecoverable, their names unwritten in the Elegy of the Forlorn. In the distance he could still hear the resonating boom of the Sacrosanct Bell's toll to offer mourning to those lost souls in the far distance from the highest tower of the Palace of Thorns.

That alone was to be his comfort, the mourning of the bell and the knowledge that he would be joining his brothers soon.

"Cylca."

The sound of his own name was enough to drag the warrior from melancholy, drifting on heel as he darted into the branching path of the sewer tunnel and slammed his back to the wall. He knew the command without it even being given, the same routine check for ammunition that had been played out for the past four hours. How strange it was to have known this entire war without worry for ammunition, to now count every bolt round with a blessing in the final hours of their dying home world.

"18 rounds, Sergeant. No spares."

"One spare." A familiar voice cut in as a bolt magazine was tossed towards him. Cycla caught the sickle clip, thumbing the first round slowly in his hand lightly. With a small and weary smile he offered a nod to Ichoma, his closest brother returning the curt gesture in a scarred MK IV helm.

Forty-eight bolt rounds. Cycla offered a small vow that he would take the lives of twenty-four Star-Phantoms before the Sacrosanct Bell tolled for his loss as well. For the last four hours Legion Cohort Squad Haakon and their kindred squads of the XIII Legion had been fighting a losing battle with the Star Phantoms in the sewer caverns, defending every passage and line that they could, laying down their lives in the muck and mud to keep the invading forces away from the Defense grids that lay beneath the Palace of Thrones.

But something was wrong...

In the past hour the ground beneath them had begun to lurch, not the deafening rupture of orbital bombardment or detonating structures above them, but rather something far deeper, below them where the atomic generators of the hive cities still lay. Even now the earth shook beneath their feet, sewer water quivering in chaotic ripple patterns across the brackish surface.

For a fleeting moment he was spared a luxurious moment to recover his breathing and what remained of his squad took stock of their situation. Cycla looked upwards, the ceiling above them cracked and buckled to reveal chance glimpses of the tortured sky above.

Heaven was burning, clouds of bruised black obscuring all notion of sunlight, a storm brewing a deluge of torrential rain and cobwebbed lightning... Even amidst such a hurricane, their beautiful city burned and crumbled against the wrath of the Imperium, everything they had bled for, everything they had fought for with tooth and nail was brought to ruin and ashes...

He closed his eyes even as the rain battered against his silver helm, emerald lenses staring unblinking into the weeping sky of Badab Primaris.

He would die here... They all would.

The question now was a matter of when and how.

With a deep breath he opened his eyes once more and looked to his squad, surveying over each of them and lastly to his sergeant. Veteran Sergeant Haakon returned his gaze for a moment, no gesture or words between them, yet the quiet passing of time was enough for them.

"We need to stall them here." Sergeant Haakon began to speak, relaying the digital feed of the sewer system to the rest of the squad, his words rushed with little time for them left to remain here, lest they be caught off guard. Even now, as Cylca peered around the corner he could see no sign of the enemy, but he could hear their boots stomping through the mud towards them.

"Legion Cohort Sjaal is setting up explosives at the joining passages up ahead, but they need time to reach the point and set the demolition charges. We will stay here and stall the enemy for as long as we can."

"I will stay."

Every Space Marine, including Cycla turned to face Ichoma, the warrior standing in the battered ruin of power armour, bolter crunching to his shoulder plate in a readied position. "With the confining space of the corridors, there's too many of us to make any proper use of our fire power. Our best bet would be to maintain singular sentry at this corner and the opposite to maximize the overwatch field. More than two would simply be a waste of man power. With respect, sergeant, the rest of you should move forward to take defensive positions further on or meet up with Squad Sjaal."

In silence, Cylca looked down at his hand, peering at the fresh sickle magazine that his brother had offered him, staring at the exposed bolt casings as though they might offer him some form of parting wisdom.

"I will stay with him, sergeant." This time it was Cycla who spoke, looking over to Ichoma. Though he could not see his expression, Cycla saw the surprise in his brother's body language. "Like you said.. Two would maximize the killing field. You can't be at two corners, right?"

Without a word, Ichoma offered another silent nod of thanks to his brother, the two warriors looking to their sergeant now for some form of confirmation or refusal...

The obvious death wish was not denied.

--------

Four. He had killed four Star Phantoms, a far cry for what he had hoped but even as the flashing runes warned him that he had expended the last of his ammunition he felt no sense of shame or lost pride. Really, he shouldn't have been expecting more.

Bringing the smoking weapon to his forehead for a moment he offered up a silent thanks to the machine spirit before tossing it into the muck where the weapon disappeared beneath the rippling surface. Drawing his combat sword, Cycla spared a glance over to Ichoma, his brother fallen silent after the second return of volley fire when a bolt round had caught the warrior in the eye lens and sent him down with a quarter of his head missing. He was still laying their, slumped and unmoving against the wall.

Ichoma had taken six of the Star Phantoms down, and Cycla made a new vow that he would at least meet his brother's tally. He could hear them moving along the passage now, cautiously as they had no idea he had already run out of ammunition. Again he stared at the sky above through the broken ruin of a sewer roofing, the rain still pouring down from the sky above as a mother that weeped for the murder of her children. His breathing was ragged, his muscles ached, his wounds searing... yet it all seemed to bleed away in the rain, the water soothing him even though it never came into contact with his skin.

He would die here, that much was certain. It is a death that is inevitable. But it is a death that that he had chosen. On his own terms. In his own way. blade in hand. Fighting to the bitter end.

Battle Brother Cycla of the Astral Claws Chapter

Legionary Cohort Squad Haakon, XIII Legion

Pict-feed taken at the siege of the Palace of Thorns, subterranean sewer system

Subject announced K.I.A. from close-ranged bolter fire

Gene-Seed Unrecovered

He died with his blade broken and his vow kept.

[Vazzy]

Excellent work brother. Loved the fluff bit as well. Very well done

[Midnightmare]

Excited about this project bro! Great to see you back :tu: :tu:

 

“The strong are strongest alone” quote brings back childhood memories of the old rulebook (or wargear book, I can’t remember). Such an awesome line!

 

Brother Cycla looking good - the Primaris lends itself well to the MK VII head

[Noctus Cornix]

Thank you kindly for all the replies, brothers! 
 
Before I get to replying, I was wanting to just add one thing. As some of you have already mentioned, this isn't my first time with Astral Claws. I had another project all the way back in 2017 under the same name, but it didn't get very far after my life got consumed by grad school. One of the important things to me was the marines I had already made. While I had not created too many at the time, the Astral Claws I had created were very special to me. For the first couple models I posted, I wanted to try and recreate those marines in their truescale form. Of course there will be some difference and a few changes, but I like to think that I've retained the spirit of each marine properly. I'd love to hear what you guys think. 
 

 

Here's a little side by side of Cycla's original model with his new version. While of course there are some distinct differences, I believe I managed to stay true to the original.
 
 

Hey bud, good to see you back, looking forward to this project

Heya, Grot! Long time no see, buddy! Hope you've been well!
 

Excited to see where this goes brother!

I'm excited to deliver
 

Hell yes I`m looking forward to this 

Certainly hope I can meet your expectations!
 

Color me interested in this project!

Since we're both Texas boys, maybe we can get a game in when they're done!
 

Funny, I have been musing about the Badab War lately. This log comes at a very good time.

Great fluff and atmosphere you have going, as per usual. Looking forward to seeing more!

Didn't you used to have a Badab project too? Join me brother... Join me.... 
 

Yay! Noctus is back with Astral Claws!

Glad to be back!
 

Looking forward to where this goes as well!!

And I'm looking forward to sharing with you guys!
 

Excited about this project bro! Great to see you back

“The strong are strongest alone” quote brings back childhood memories of the old rulebook (or wargear book, I can’t remember). Such an awesome line!

Brother Cycla looking good - the Primaris lends itself well to the MK VII head

'The strong are strongest alone' and 'Big guns never tire' are such classic quotes. It's honestly almost hard to imagine 40k without them, in my mind.

[No Foes Remain]

I knew I had seen this title and that pose before but I just thought I was going mad!

 

Looking again but Primaris models look damn good in Astral Claws colours. (No bias here...)

[Noctus Cornix]

I knew I had seen this title and that pose before but I just thought I was going mad!

 

Looking again but Primaris models look damn good in Astral Claws colours. (No bias here...)

 

That's what I've been saying this whole time! 

[Soulhunter1995]

This really isn`t helping my hobby butterfly XD the temptation to do a little true-scale badab force myself... 

[Noctus Cornix]

 

While the Lion preens itself over its 'glorious hunt', the Hyenas fight for the first scraps.

 

 

 

This really isn`t helping my hobby butterfly XD the temptation to do a little true-scale badab force myself... 

Isn't that what Kill-Team is for, my friend? ;)

[Midnightmare]

This tease is looking good!

[Tyrannicide]

I’m psyched to see you picking this project up again. Off to a great start, man. Hope all is well.

[Dosjetka]

Tyrant's Legion Kasrkin? Nice!

[Aeternus]

Loved your stuff back then, love it still now! Fluff snippets are par excellence, and Cylca's evolution does him (and you) credit!

 

I like the additional streaks of blood, but can't help but wonder how the one below the trim on the kneepad would be there if it's his blood (like how I assume the original model's bloodstain was from one of his wounds). Have you considered adding a cut/chip on some other surfaces or the fragile NotRubber bits like back of his knee's then adding a streak from there?

[Noctus Cornix]

The only thing that stops a Hyena from ripping out a Lion's throat in his sleep is when he's bloated on other kills.

 

 

I

n the data archives of now extinct Badab Primaris, there is record of the event locally referred to as 'The Night of Long Thorns.' 718.M41 - Of the thirty-seven Class-Primus noble houses on the Hive World of Badab Primaris, three raised their arms in open rebellion at the spark of an attempted assassination on the life of Planetary Governor Augustus Au Valoris. While the assassination failed, many of the houses continued through with their rebellion, unable creative to the full-scale civil war they so desired, but pushing on regardless. Despite many houses having nothing to do with the abortive coup, most took advantage of the political chaos to settle long vendettas and old blood-fueds. Fully two noble houses, House Fraidal and House Kra'Zaar, were butchered down to the last man, woman, and child. The matriarch of House Bellevue was drowned by her own daughter, who soon after murdered her twelve other siblings. Many more houses had suffered irreparable losses to their estates and financial revenue. Great wealth and resources were spilled out in a matter of days. 

 

Seeing no results from the Imperial Governor in quelling this internal strife, Lord Huron sent his Lions to slaughter the Hyenas. The brutality of the silver and cerulean made short work of the rebellions, capitalizing on the political strife and in-fighting to go for the throat to each noble house and subdue them with relative ease. Following the execution of Governor Valoris for his negligence and the mass slaughter of noble lords and ladies who fanned the fires of strife, Lord Huron assumed direct control over the planet and acquired the assets of most of the remaining houses. It became clear that, had this been a more organized, deliberate coup, the noble houses together could have easily overthrown the governor and likely dragged the Astral Claws fortress monastery from the sky. Perhaps it was paranoia, or perhaps it was just a precaution, but Lord Huron, now the Tyrant of Badab, dissolved most of the acquired noble assets into supplying what would become his Tyrant's Legion. Many of the Nobles were tithed of further resources and manpower that were drilled into the Armsmen Corps, a bulwark of professional soldiers that would defend the sector from its many enemies.

 

And what of the remaining resources, those killers and soldiers bought by noble houses that far out-stripped the skill of the typical ranks? These veteran and talented humans were organized into a paramilitary organization codified as the Hyaenidae, fully equipped killers to do the Tyrant's dirty work, bearing the crimson Hyena on their right shoulders.  The Hyaenidae filled a similar roll to that of Storm Troopers in the Imperial Guard. Equipped and trained in much the same way, the Hyaenidae were tasked with the responsibilities other humans could not or would not do. The Tyrant's Legion was a political hierarchy, the Astartes lords far above their mortal follows. Many of the Chapter looked upon their charges with indifference or scorn. While officers and command support maintained a level of deference above their soldiers, the Hyaenidae were given preference above even the Tribune Prefects, given better food and supplies from their Astartes masters while having the pick of the scraps of whatever the Astral Claws did not acquisition for their own needs. In exchange, the Hyaenidae owed fierce loyalty to the Astral Claws and often participated in putting down riots and rebellions in the place of, or even alongside, Astartes Retaliator squads. It was a planned decision on the Tyrant's part, to keep the best and brightest of the mortals as happy and loyal as could be, while further alienating them from their fellow men. 

 

Of course, loyalty through mutual benefit only lasts so long as both sides are benefiting... As the final years of the Badab War raged, the Hyaenidae suffered in incredible number of desertion, soldiers using their accumulated resources to get whatever ship they could out of the sector or defect to the Imperial side. There was good reason for that. With their backs against the wall, the Astral Claws ceased to offer any defference to their loyal jackals, treating them with a callous savagery as they did any other mortal in their anger and desperation. This falling in grace raised many hungry eyes that had long suffered under their gaze. Tempestus Cohorts were ambushed in the streets by citizens and Auxilia alike who released all their anger and hate built up over the decade. They might not have been able to kill the Astates, but the Hyaenidae were no angels of death. By the end of the Civil War, it is unclear how many of the Hyaenidae remained. Those Hyenas that still retained loyalty to their Lion lords likely died along with them at the siege of Badab Primaris. Those who did survive and were not taken into custody by the Inquisition were likely to have returned to their services as mercenaries and bodyguards for whomever would pay their price. None still wore their badge of the Tyrant's mark.

 

 

Unit Number TL13-H412 'Ajan' of the Hyaenidae

Tempestus Cohort IV, XIIth Squad, attached to XIII Legion

Pict-feed taken on the outskirts of the Palace of Thorns, near the entrance to subterranean sewers

Subject announced K.I.A. from blunt-force trauma

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2020 by Noctus Cornix

[Vazzy]

Love the background on how the Hyenas were formed. Super super cool!

[Biohazard]

Loving the Hyenas, I remember this project from way back as well as Heathens Astral Claws. I have to say your guys here have made me rethink my Star Phantoms kill team, I think I’ll definitely be going the ‘true scale’ primaris route now.

Looking forward to the next update. :tu:

[Noctus Cornix]

http://i.imgur.com/uXLLZ3d.jpg

 

 

Tell me now... Is there a man among you here? Is there no one who will stand out and truly fight? Is there not one among your wretched Chapter? Is there no one who values courage over life?

 

Many have come to bring us low and each have fallen to our blades. We tore the wings of the Fire Hawks. We snapped the tail of the Red Scorpions. We broken the spine of the Howling Griffons. We took the head of the Fire Angels. And now you come to finish us off when when we are wounded and limping? You may try, little wraiths but you will die all the same. 

 

I am the Lion's pride. Hear me roar. 

 

 - Final words, Legion Champion Courland of the Astral Claws

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tyrant's Legion Kasrkin? Nice!

I've got a full squad of them ready to paint. Unfortunately that's all I have currently as far as human elements go, but I intend to get more in the future!

 

 

Loved your stuff back then, love it still now! Fluff snippets are par excellence, and Cylca's evolution does him (and you) credit!

 

I like the additional streaks of blood, but can't help but wonder how the one below the trim on the kneepad would be there if it's his blood (like how I assume the original model's bloodstain was from one of his wounds). Have you considered adding a cut/chip on some other surfaces or the fragile NotRubber bits like back of his knee's then adding a streak from there?

Glad you like the new version of Cycla! I suppose the easiest way to explain is that not all the blood is his own.  To explain specifically the one just under the trim of the kneepad, it's intended to be a glob of blood and acidic saliva from a Star Phantom during one of their close-quarters fights. During the fight he spat at Cycla, catching him in the knee, hence why the initial stain is almost black from the acid burning into the ceramite. 

 

Love the background on how the Hyenas were formed. Super super cool!

Glad you like them, brother! I'll be posting the next update later tonight or tomorrow!

 

Loving the Hyenas, I remember this project from way back as well as Heathens Astral Claws. I have to say your guys here have made me rethink my Star Phantoms kill team, I think I’ll definitely be going the ‘true scale’ primaris route now.
Looking forward to the next update.

Honestly, as much as I can't stand Primaris Space Marines, their models are just so gorgeous and have such serious potential. I look forward to seeing your stuff!

[Ryltar Thamior]

Nice work with the Hyaenidae - I thought that might have been a subtle reference to a long-standing MIA frater for a moment there :P 

I'm assuming that this is basically your own 'fleshing out' of one of them logical 'gaps' in the extant Badab regime fluff; and if so, it's a solid job, well done.  Good blend of real-world history and political hints, tethering back to the official fluff foundations and spars, and leaving that excellent room for dual-faced interpretations of certain elements [like, for example, whether Huron used his well-renowned unexpected ability at political manipulation and conspiratorializing to engineer himself a crisis that thusly *demanded* him to seize power not only from the fractious interior nobles of his domain ... but also directly displace the Imperial Governor, himself in the process! .. or whether it was, indeed, a series of reluctant/enraged responses to a situation that was already out of control and *had* to be sorted out for the general good of the sector].

Also, I gotta say - I am always  a huge fan of the old Kasrkin models turning up in 40k logs, espeically where it's somebody bringing something to life rather than just purely painting a few miniatures. Partially it's because I've always liked the design right back to when they came out [it's that real 'sweet spot' between the spec-ops vibe of the prior generation of metal storm troopers, the Cadians' own design elements, and a certain touch of 'sci fi' soldiery from the post-Halo cultural diffusion of .. well .. that; definitely look competent, professional, well equipped, and hard-edged without going toward the more 'baroque' look of 'official Imperium' in the current design ethos]; but it's also because they're such a visual contrast to the more recent plastics, and many conversions you see about the place. I mention this, because in its own way, it's kinda subconsciously closer to the Badab ethos of the Rogue Trader days [when men were men, Astartes were men, Inquisitors could *also* be half-men, and camouflage was also rated M for both Marine and Manly] , as compared to the occasionally overly-'Renaissance' of where the aesthetics are at nowadays. 'rugged' and 'utilitarian' are probably words I'm rambly-looking for. 

Edge highlighting and grey layering as you've done here also help to bring to life what can otherwise be a pretty flat and no-depth amorphous palette [it's something that's brought to a significant halt some of my own not-literally-storm troopers painting efforts ... the eternal tension between "dark greys make for a realistic looking human soldier", and "dark greys can be difficult to bring together to make for a visually pleasing, let alone eye-catching miniature - well, I mean .. that's 'realistically' the point, to avoid the eye-catching, right? :P ] ; and the use of the hot orange for a contrast on lenses and screen is well-chosen. 

Personally, I might have been circumspect upon having a Tyrant-loyal force depicted wearing Aquilas and such, given I think from memory Huron started outlawing a lot of the Imperial Cult bits and pieces as the war escalated on him - but YMMV, and it certainly isn't implausible for forces earlier on. The silver also makes for a pleasing contrast from the grey. 

Anyway, it's a real cool effort you've delivered there. Keep it up! 

[also, I see what you did there with the KIA due to blunt force trauma, and an Astral Claw with a bloodied gauntlet.]