The Ebon Word - A Word Bearers log

[Lord_Ikka]

We Bear the Word
Clothed in darkness, gilded in fervor
By aethyr bound, an unbroken creed
Through our faith we are known
For we are the Ebon Word

 

We Bear the Word of the Warmaster
Chosen to serve under the broken Legion
Long have we toiled without our Lord's eyes upon us
Long have our brothers denounced us as traitors
For we are the Ebon Word

 

We Bear the Word of Lorgar
Our pact is hidden, our blood runs true
We are a twisting blade in the hands of the Despoiler
We guard the Eightfold Path
For we are the Ebon Word

 

We Bear the Word of Chaos
Bound to break the dreams of Man
Our travels vast, our works unending
The red hands of Chaos reach out
For we are the Ebon Word

Edited November 5, 2021 by Lord_Ikka

[Lord_Ikka]

Hello all. This is going to be a log of a project that I've had in my mind for a long time. I've always found the Word Bearers to be fascinating but unfortunately an overlooked Legion for the Chaos Space Marines. Much of that is due to their lack of good rules and any real sort of "cool" legion identity- the other Undivided Legions have pretty set gimmicks with the Night Lords being all about terror and fear, the Iron Warriors are masters of sieges and big guns, and the Alpha Legion being all sneaky, the Word Bearers were relegated to being the "priests" of Chaos for a long time which gave them little character or interest. With the Word Bearers trilogy, the Horus Heresy focusing on WBs being the start of the Chaos infiltration, and Dark Apostles coming into the game there has been a bit more interest in them and I thought it high time to start up a pseudo-Kill Team of Word Bearers.

 

So far, I've got the basis of the Ebon Word worked out- they are a "traitorous" Warband of Word Bearers who serve Abaddon in his Black Legion, though they are not fully integrated into the Legion (they will have their right arm colored as the Black Legion while the rest will be classic WB colors). In truth, they are a devoted Host that is following instructions from the Dark Council to get close to Abaddon and monitor him. 

 

The Kill Team itself will consist of two Daemon-Princes (an Ascended Dark Apostle and his prime Acolyte), two Sorcerer-Lords, a First Acolyte, a Coryphaus, and two Warrior-Lords, making the sacred number eight. Currently I have everything but the Daemon-Princes shipping to me now, and will probably be able to get some small converting/painting done in the next couple of weeks. This project is kind of a creative break for me, as I've been going pretty strong with my Primaris marines and Necrons for the last four months, and will have another eighteen months of similar models to go once the Imperium mag starts here in the US. So getting the chance to grab some neat looking Chaos minis (I have no chaos at all), doing some minor converting (and learning how to GreenStuff), and painting a different scheme should help me stay hobby-sane while I work through the mag's contents. 

 

Anyway, thanks for looking and I hope you'll enjoy what I come up with in the future!

[Lord_Ikka]

 

I am the fury of the unspoken Word

I am Anointed, by my Father's hand

Blood and bone, skulls and skin, are my sacraments

 

 

Let those I slaughter be sanctified by my blades

Let their souls gladden Lorgar and Karneth

Chaos the Undivided will be my guide

 

Ebon Word am I pledged

Ebon Word am I bound

For I am the Gren'dal, the furious death waiting

-

the Gren'dal

[Freakshow668]

This looks like an excellent project, can't wait to see it develop.

[Lord_Ikka]

This looks like an excellent project, can't wait to see it develop.

Thanks! It will be slow, as this is very much a side project, but I'm looking forward to creating an interesting warband. 

 

I also have some plans to have these guys be part of an Army on Parade board that features one of my yet-to-be-built Inquisitors, a life-support bound Radical who finally turns to full heretic in return for extended life. 

[DarkApostle7]

Very interesting lore behind the warband

 

looking forward to see how this all pans out 

[Doghouse]

Looking good so far, Word Bearers are one of my favourites and can prove to be an excellent modelling opportunity. I look forward to seeing more!

[Lord_Ikka]

 

Our weapon sings the fury of the Golden One
Mine armor imbued with denizens of the Primordial
Our minds armored by the Word
Mine soul dedicated to the Eightfold Path
This is what it means to be of the Ebon Word

 

We bring death to the blind and foolish
We bring truth for those that wish to be free
We bring the enlightenment of the forgotten
We come for all
We are the Ebon Word

-
Coryphaus Abraxis of the Ebon Word

[Lord_Ikka]

Very interesting lore behind the warband

 

looking forward to see how this all pans out 

Thanks- I'm looking forward to it as well 

 

Looking good so far, Word Bearers are one of my favourites and can prove to be an excellent modelling opportunity. I look forward to seeing more!

Thanks! Most of my modeling stuff will come a bit later, with the two Daemon Princes, as I really like the various "new" CSM models that have come out in the past few years that I'll be using. Mostly head swaps for the Astartes- got a set of HH Word Bearer helms that I'm loving, with some GS "ribbons" that I'll be putting on hopefully later this week. 

[Monstra Sumus]

Excellent stuff here! Keep it up! 

[Lord_Ikka]

 

 

For I am of the Word and by the Word
Flesh and blood bound to my masters and makers
Chaos guide my stride
My body a shield to those raised above me
My axe death to those opposing my masters
For I am of the Word and by the Word
Soul and sinew pledged to the Four and the One
Chaos guide my hand
-
Bragun, Lifeward

 

[Lord_Ikka]

Excellent stuff here! Keep it up! 

Thank you! After seeing your work that is a big compliment!

[Monstra Sumus]

 

Excellent stuff here! Keep it up! 

Thank you! After seeing your work that is a big compliment!

 

 

Oh stop it! 

 

I'm loving the combination of bits you're using, they are going to be a mighty unique and characterful force! 

[The_Stray_Idea]

Some fantastic conversions. Loving this thread. Keep up the good work.

[Lord_Ikka]

 

 

The blessed Erebus states:
Honored are those with the Sight,
for they pierce the veil of the real and the spirit
Damned are those who turn from the Four,
for they will find no succor in death

 

Blood shed for the Eight
Blood bound for the Four
Blood born is the Golden One
Blood to show the way
-
Blood-Seer Roa

[Lord_Ikka]

Some fantastic conversions. Loving this thread. Keep up the good work.

Thank you. So far I've been very lucky in that I haven't had to do much more than head swaps. I'll be working on greenstuffing some more scrolls and prayer-papers on these guys, but the sculpts themselves work really well for Word Bearers already. The next Sorcerer I have will just be a basic Master of Possession, as that model is pretty much on point with what I want without having to do any work on it (bar the eventual papers...). 

 

Looking at placing an order in a week for the next two members of the Ebon Word- the Daemon-Herald (Syll'Esske model) and the First Acolyte (HH WB terminator praetor). Then I'll just have the Daemon-Apostle himself to get.

[Lord_Ikka]

I have seen the failings of the False Emperor
For I walked in the ashes of Monarchia
Tasted the ashes of the perfect city

I have born witness to the Urizen's truth
For I was a pilgrim in the Eye
Gaze widened by the glory of the unknown

I hold the burning truth in my breast
For my might is the might of the Word
Power given by the mastery of the Warp

For Chaos, the Masters of All
For Lorgar, the Golden Prophet
For Abaddon, the Power-to-Be
For the Ebon Word, the forlorn Host
--
Kol Kolgar, Thaumatist

Edited November 30, 2021 by Lord_Ikka

[The_Stray_Idea]

Both those new characters are looking amazing. Always had a spot for word bearers and your doing them incredible justice. Got that nice balance of occult but not lost to powers they can’t control. Really captured the belief that they are masters over the warp.

[Lord_Ikka]

Both those new characters are looking amazing. Always had a spot for word bearers and your doing them incredible justice. Got that nice balance of occult but not lost to powers they can’t control. Really captured the belief that they are masters over the warp.

Thank you very much! I'm really glad I chose Word Bearers for this project, I was debating between them and Night Lords but the WB just don't have a lot of support, so they came out on top. My view of them is that while they are the "preachers" of the CSM, that doesn't mean that they are raving fanatics (though some are), it means that they chose to use the powers of the Warp/daemons to the purest effect. I want them to be suitably preachy and creepy, but in control of themselves and the effects that they harness, for the most part. 

 

Good news is that the WB termie praetor for my First Acolyte and the daemon for my Herald will be coming in the next week or so (eBay shipping is always iffy...). So I should have those two with fluff and pictures by the end of the month, and I might even get a base color laid down on the guys currently built.

[Lord_Ikka]

 

From the sermons of the First Chaplain:
Doubt begets failure, never doubt the Word
Sever the thoughts of serving one God alone
Chaos united shall run through your veins

 

From the catechisms of the Black Cardinal:
Seek the powers of Chaos through force and guile
Trust no mortal, only faith will be your guide
Bring the aethyr into your soul

 

From the Book of Lorgar:
Turn to Chaos when lacking true purpose
The Four will fill you with the untapped potential of the Warp
The Truth is within the Word

 

Through these blessed words do we learn our Path

Through these holy scriptures do we steel our Faith

Through pain and fire do we temper our flesh

The Word and the Truth do we bring to the unenlightened

For the Ebon Word we serve
-
First Acolyte Vor Skral

[Lord_Ikka]

 

Sing the coming of the Chaos Gods
Glory to the Dwellers in the Depths
The Iscarne approaches
Iscarne, Iscarne, Iscarne!

 

The Uziren lead us to the truth
Praise the Golden One for the Word
The Iscarne in his shadow
Iscarne, Iscarne, Iscarne!

 

He strides down the Eightfold Path with burning footsteps
He is the Thrice-Born, the deified lord of the Host
Born once on Colchis, the desert world of faith and old gods
Born again on Khur, the ashes of Monarchia bitter in his mouth
Born anew in the glory of Chaos, risen above his mortal flesh
Made to bring Lorgar's writ to the realm of the material
The penitent of the Gods, the fire of the Word
Power without price, steel wrapped in faith
Iscarne! Iscarne! Iscarne!

 

-Ul'chak, The Essorix

Daemon-herald of the Ebon Word

Edited December 16, 2021 by Lord_Ikka

[Monstra Sumus]

Oooo this last one!

[Lord_Ikka]

 

I am the loss of hope
I am the Bringer of the Old Faith
Chaos is in me and I worship the Truth

 

Your worlds will fear my blade
Your bones will splinter at my steps
My warriors will shatter your walls and spill your blood
Your great works will be cast down and shown for the follies that they are
Chaos is all and we are the Word of Chaos

 

The Corpse-Emperor sits on his throne dying
The Four gather and grow
The Despoiler calls the Legions to arms and they answer
The Uziren has left his contemplations and walks again
The galaxy will burn

 

Mortals...

Fear the coming days 

You shall be shown the Word and the Truth
For we are the Ebon Word

 

-The Iscarne

Daemon-Apostle of the Ebon Word, formerly Vol Tuvak of Colchis

Edited September 3, 2022 by Lord_Ikka

[Lord_Ikka]

He waits, shaking as the Nails burn in his brain
She waits, the Warp writhing in her veins
He watches, set upon us by the Despoiler to keep us true
She watches, learning the lore of the Gods from our hands
A blunt instrument, designed to butcher and maim for his Lord
Rampaging beast, chained to the will of the Warmaster
A skilled mortal, taught to summon and weave power from the Truth
Tempting spy, gifting boons to false lords
Neither truly of the Ebon Word, bound to it by duty and ambition
The warrior and the witch
-
Horthag, Hounds of Abaddon observer
Sleanor, vex-hagi seer

 

[Lord_Ikka]

So, this project is indeed a very slow-burning one, but I haven't forgotten about it. It has transformed from just a fun little kill-team/side project to a pretty ambitious potential Armies on Parade diorama display. In one of my other WIP logs, I mentioned working on a Radical Ordo Malleus Inquisitor who is aged and decrepit, turning to Chaos to extend his life to fight against the Archenemy longer (rather tortured logic, but Inquisitors...). I've decided that the Ebon Word will be the Inquisitor's contacts, directing him subtly to find and co-opt the Order of the Barred Gate chaos cult. That, in turn, leads to Sleanor, a witch trained by the Ebon Word's Thaumatist Kol Kolgar, who maneuvers the Inquisitor and his cultist warband to unknowingly open a Warp Gate to bring the Ebon Word and their allies into the Imperium's heart. 

The board is planned to be two separate areas; the first is the ritual area in a desert, occupied by the Inquisitor and his medicae support-vehicle, the cultists, and Sleanor w/familiars. This will be the top "floor", and a swirling Warp Gate (of some sort, maybe lit up?) will connect to the lower area where the Word Bearers wait. I'm still not quite sure where the Ebon Word will be specifically, I need to think about their area/basing, but that is the basic idea. I'm looking to start the actual board sometime next year, as I have still quite a lot on my hobby plate this year with Imperium and a Warhound to finally get around to, but I should be starting some more work on this project in the next few months- making the Inquisitor, working on getting some holy parchment on the Ebon Word, and test painting a member or two of the cultist warband.