7th Company, Graven Star Chapter - Torbenos' Bearers of the Word

[Torbenos]

 

 

 

 

Sergeant Iton Sa'rki
Line Officer of Squad Illimu, Despoiler Designation
7th Company of the Graven Star Chapter
XVIIth Legion "Word Bearers"

 

 

[Torbenos]

 

Managed to organise another whole day affair. This time it consisted of a 2v3 game with each side having a total of 5000 points spread between them. On the side of the traitors were World Eaters and Word Bearers with the support of a Warhound. Whilst the loyalists were a mix of Iron Hands, Imperial Fists and a small section of Salamanders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Torbenos]

 

As can sometimes be the case with large projects like that event I fell out of practice a bit in its wake. I've put together a squad of Gal Vobak and a Mhara Gal but for whatever reason painting them did not excite me. I did some more work on my Praetor and his Command Squad, but ran out of the bitz I feel I need to mark them out as more than rank and file. Ordered some cloaks, but those seem to be taking awhile.

 

In the end I decided to fall back on the true joy of kitbashing, and a squad of veterans. After consideration I settled on a simpler squad with just bolters and chainsword. From the more recent Battle Force box I had acquired some of the new MK3, and figured such a squad may be the place to use them as to mark them out from the other marines on the table. These will mostly consist of the Chaos Space Marine Kit together with both old and new MK3.

 

I was quite pleased with the first veteran, as shown here.

 

 

Excited as I was I've thrown together another three in the last few days, the pose hasn't ended up quite as good on these. But I like them fine enough. I'll be looking into getting my hands on some brass rod potentially and have the vexila be a proper flag. And add in some more with slung bolters and the chainsword out.

 

 

 

 

 

[Pearson73]

You just can't beat well-bashed bolter bearers, they're the heart of the legion! The mix of parts looks great. I defo recommend getting the brass to make your own vexillae.

[WAR]

Love the vets so far

[Torbenos]

Thank you both. Still chasing down the rod for the vex. Threw together another guy in the meanwhile, with some printed arms.

 

[StratoKhan]

Very nice work on the vets, great additions to the unit so far. As for the brass rod, I took a pic of the ones I got recently, don’t know if it helps you out. I know it took me a while to find the right thing.

[Torbenos]

 

Finished the first five legionnaries of my veteran squad. With hindsight I think I should have put more decals/scribbles on them, may try to amend that on the next five. I am considering what to equip my Sergeant with. It mostly stands between chainsword, tainted sword and a thunder hammer. The squad shall also require a name, I've no thought about it too much so if someone has a suggestion I'm all ears.

 

 

[Torbenos]

 

Put together another two veterans for the squad these last few days. Combining the new MK3, old MK3 and the CSM kit is working quite well so far. I am generally happy with how they are coming together. I'll be out of bolters without the moulded hand soon though, so suppose we shall have some more wielding their bolters. I went with a CSM head on one of these new marines, a choice I am not 100% certain on, so I'd be glad for a second opinion.

 

 

After this I am contemplating putting together a Rhino for these vets to drive around in, which would mark the first vehicle for this force and the first departure from the initial purpose of being Zone Mortalis only. I also spend a little time sketching out ideas for mission objectives, I havn't had a game since the big one seen above and come summer I should like to get back into it.

[The Pounder]

Those veterans look proper solid!

 

The mix of parts you’ve used really give each one his own story.

[Cactus]

Two great builds there. I'm a big fan of hand held vexillas (vexilli?).

 

I think the 40k Chaos head seems slightly off to you because it looks like a warped mkIV helmet on an otherwise mkIII armour suit. There's nothing wrong with mixed armour in principle but in this case the overall effect is maybe too incongruous.

[Pearson73]

Continuing to look great! I actually like the Chaos helmet, though it might stick out a bit if all the other members of the squad are wearing stock MKIII. I think the vexilla is well done too.

[Torbenos]

 

 

Ith'ax of the Mhara Ghal
Contemptor Dreadnaught
Unknown Company Serrated Sun Chapter
XVIIth Legion "Word Bearers"

 

Ith'ax pictured here during its service to the 7th Company was seconded to the Graven Star from the Serrated Sun Chapter following the Battle of Calth together with a contignent of Blessed Sons. Largely kept isolated from the rest of the 7th Company Ith'ax proved to be unable or unwilling to enter hibernation protocols as one might expect from the Annunake. 

 

In the wake of the Battle of Calth Ith'ax has proven an invaluable assault component of the company. Most commonly deployed onto the battlefield alone following incidents of friendly fire in the heat of battle. XIII Legion tacticians have made a strange note of the fact the dreadnought is rarely if ever seen near the other elements of the Serrated Sun joined to the 7th company.

[LameBeard]

I’m with @Cactus. I love that chaos head and am actually saving a copy for my own 30k Word Bearer - maybe a sergeant or a consul. I’m just not sure about it on the Mk III.

[Torbenos]

 

Strife Upon Krassus Gamma

 

The 7th Company of the Graven Star Chapter of the XVIIth Legion came into conflict with their mechanicum allies upon the world of Krassus Gamma during their advance in the Herith Sub-Sector. Their assault having stalled due to logistical strain they were in dire need to resupply, yet the Mechanicum laid claim upon the resources of the world as their due, citing their oath of allegiance to the Warmaster.

 

This soon devolved into open warfare as the 7th Company took the prometheum fields by force. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Pearson73]

Cool to see some Skitarii on the field! How did they fare against the Astartes?

[Torbenos]

 

This time around not so well, the mechanicum hadn't brought much able to deal with my tankier close combat units. My lightning claw terminators dealt with his chaff, and he didn't have much to challenge my Mhara Ghal and Gal Vorbak on the field. Although the Mhara Ghal was tied up the entire game dealing with two domitors and the archmagos on the throne.

 

The possessed units are good to increase my points as I do not have the biggest collection right now, but I feel they weren't the most fun to play against. Not if you lack your own melee punch anyway. 

[Torbenos]

 

 

Squad "Aš Utu"
Unknown Designation
Unknown Company Serrated Sun Chapter
XVIIth Legion "Word Bearers"

 

Squad Aš Utu is pictured here during the assault of the Sithra Hive-Cities during the Herith Campaign of the early war. Part of a Serrated Sun allied contingent attached to the 7th Company following their actions during the Battle of Calth, they were quickly placed under the command of Centurion R'har Ikton. They served with distinction throughout the Herith Campaign, although were noted instigators of internal conflict with other contingent of the battle fleet.

 

Following the death of Magos Alren upon the world of Krassus Gamma they were confined to isolation upon the vessel "The Divine Storm" outside of combat engagements by the order of Centurion Ikton.

 

[Torbenos]

 

 

It was the cracking sound of a scorpius bolter round that broke the silence and began the engagement. Squad Ussu has tracked the Imperial Fist patrol through the shattered remnants on the city for three hours, and had finally received reports that support squads were now nearby. Sergeant Harkan had his eye on the officer who hid amongst his terminator clad bodyguard, yet this time his keen aim failed him. As their obsolute doctrine demanded of them he saw their heavy weapon team climb onto the nearby battlements, and soon the ruins where they had deployed would suffer the taste of heavy bolter fire. He called for his own support to advance, with their location revealed they would not long withstand the withering response of the VIIth.

 

 

 

 

It was forever in Centurion Ikton's character to seek out the most capable foe upon the battlefield and take his head. This doctrine had served him well upon Calth, and he had no doubt it would serve him well here. And so he called out a challenge for the officer of the VIIIth, he knew not his name but the man carried himself with a martial pride which betrayed him. Ikton's maul crackled with foul wrap-energies, eager to crush the man's spirit as much as his body.

 

 

 

Only one of the cataphractii now remained, swamred on every side by the roaring swords of Squad Illimu, yet he proved a stalwart warrior. Where his centurion, his brothers had all fallen before their righteous onslaught this one refused. He wielded his maul with a brute strength which lay beyond even the might of his warplate. The teeth of their blades were worn down to nubs against the thick ceramite. He should have fallen. He should be dead. Yet he denied them.

 

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Some photos snapped during a small meeting engagement played out today. In the streets of a city made into rubble the Imperial Fists patrol were set upon by a Word Bearer ambush. Chanting the words of divinity the Word Bearers sought to take them on in melee, thinking they had the advantage. But they were struck down by the mighty bolters of the VIIth, and while Ikton yet again slew a warlord in worthy challenge the 7th Company were the ones forced to retreat in the end.

Edited June 18 by Torbenos

[calgar101]

Some great photos there, those minis look stunning.

[Torbenos]

Pictured is the 7th Company's deployment upon the world of Firan Secundus. In the midst of the fleet's advance in the Herith Sub-Sector they were re-called to the Firan System. The largest hive world away from the central planets of the sector, Firan had become a vital recruitment and staging ground for the fleet to reinforce their mortal components. Following the strife upon Krassus Gamma intermittant conflict remained between the 7th Company and the fleet's World Eater elements, it was partially to diffuse this before it came to open warfare that they were chosen to answer the distress call from Firan.

 

 

 

 

Upon arrival to the world the cause of their distress proved clear to all. A fleet of xenos-ork craft had arrived four solar months earlier, and after an initial assault upon the hives had been forced out into the red wasteland. This had however made any terrestial connection between the hives impossible and due to this the population of Hive Carvi had begun to starve lacking the neccesary food surplus from lesser hives. 

 

 

 

And so Centurion Ikton was given the task of cleansing the red waste of its xenos population. What followed was a swift but brutal campaign that spanned three months. 7th Company was forced to adapt to a style of warfare to which they were unaccustomed to hunt down the xenos forces. After the culling at the Ivos Array the operation was declared a success, while tens of thousands of orks remained upon the world they were no longer able to threaten the major transportation routes. The company was quickly recalled to the front of the assault, as the main fleet was now nearing the vital Forge World Solvak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've had the pleasure of playing a good number of games recently. This last one of particular note as a friend of mine got inspired to want to use his ork army, which hasn't seen much use in a few years now. After some browsing he settled on using Always Strikes First's fan-made rules for orks in Horus Heresy 2.0. With only a single game done I can't say too much about them other than I did not feel like it was overwhelmingly bad or good. I lost in the end, but that was largely due to playing Onslaught and the orks having fewer units to give up points with.

 

As it was my first time playing against anything other than other space marines it was quite novel to fight an enemy that did not also enjoy the protection of power armour. Squad Illimu got to enjoy their first moment of glory as they charged an ork mob and sent them fleeing before cutting them down to a man in the very first turn of the game. The Mhara Ghal continues to be the dread of the field, except the one game where a Leviathan snipped it up in a single turn. 

 

I've a few small projects for the force that seem to have stalled out a bit, largely finishing the rest of my veteran squad. In theory I'd also like to finish my Praetor and his Command Squad, although I continue to feel that they do not mark themselves out as being above the rest quite enough. A rhino for the veterans has also been constructed.

[Torbenos]

 

The stalwart 7th Company will soon be joined by aerial reinforcment from the navy attached to the Herith Advance. 

 

 

 

I've always had an appreciation for warhammer aircraft, yet as I did not play Imperium for a good few years I've not really painted an aerial fighter since a Stormtalon at the dawn of 8th edition 40.000. This Lightning was a bit of a treat for myself, and it came together surprisingly easy. The cockpit needed to be filed down a bit to sit and I shall confess there are a few spots where I did not fill in some gaps, but at the very least they are not strikingly noticeable at a glance.

 

I decided to not paint it in Word Bearer colours as to represent an element from the attached fleet, the Astartes to not go to war alone after all. It will also make it more neutral to be used as terrain, as aircraft has a tendency to end up. It's also my first time applying an oil wash to a larger miniature. While it certainly improved its appearance I did learn a few things. I did not leave the red to cure or matt varnish it before I applied the oil, the main result of this are the spots where the q-tips rubbed off the paint. A part of me thinks it is passable as weathering, but I'll not lie and say it was intended.

 

I've another question ahead of me as well, which is how to base this beaut. My usual force is on decidedly in-doors necromunda bases. These are not avaliable in the size relevant here, and it's also a bit questonable to have it flying indoors. My current thought is a neutral city rubble affair, but I am not decided. I'm happy to have suggestions.

[Torbenos]

Squad Minnu "The Fates of Vespator"
Veteran Designation
7th Company of the Graven Star Chapter
XVIIth Legion "Word Bearers"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LameBeard]

Beautiful stuff here!

 

I don’t think you should rule out a ZM-style base for the aircraft. After all, wouldn’t it launch from a massive launch bay in the side of a spaceship? Aren’t they void-capable? So something that looks a bit more like a runway and less like engineering could work.
 

Otherwise I think city rubble would look cool too.

[Torbenos]

Lieutenant Dahl Viseron
Unknown Command Element
7th Company of the Graven Star Chapter
XVIIth Legion "Word Bearers"

 

Lieutenant Dahl, pictured here during the Herith Advance, wears modified Mark III "Iron Armour" battle plate. In tradition with the XVIIth Legion it is decorated with various runes of Colchisian origin, said to be marks of warding and martial might. Take note of the artificed helm, wrought into a more organic shape as to enhance the fearsome appearance of the wearer. It has also been decorated with a top knot, a style more commonly found amongst the XVI and V Legions. Dahl is armed with a standard Phobos-pattern bolt pistol and a presumedly artificed power sword of unknown pattern, remarkable for its size.

 

Of note to Legion Intelligence is the mark emblazed upon the tasset, this has been designated "Accus" due to its axe shape. Similar to the established Amutu mark this is not believed to denote rank structure, but as the mark has also been identified upon other fighters in the Graven Star Chapter is it believed to mark out a hierarchy beyond the martial rank structure within the Legion. Its exact nature remains unknown.