My first Kill Team (WIP)

[Kaede45]

So in-between trying to flesh out my Christian faction in 40K, trying to educate myself on the lore of the setting & buying way more models than I should, I decided to purchase a Kill Team as that seems like the easiest & quickest of the 40K tabletop games to start. I went with the “Inquisitorial Agents” team as I had planned to have my faction have its own (not quite so violent) inquisition. So far I have 5 of the members (mostly) completed:

I painted them red because I had Monty Python’s “Spanish Inquisition” skit on my brain & thus decided that they should have a special ability called “Unexpected” where I always get the first turn because nobody expects the Celestial Inquisition!

 

I'll add more later as right now I gotta go, but let me know what y’all think, thank you & God bless.

[Firedrake Cordova]

It looks like you're off to a good start.  

 

I like the special rule you've concocted  

[TheArtilleryman]

Ollanius Persson would like a word, as the last living Christian that is no longer living :p

[Kaede45]

I finished my Kill Team, so I’ll begin posting images of them as I figure out their names & stories (which are of course subject to change). So I’ll start with the leader.

Matthias Estrada

Born to the lord commander of the Royal Militarum branch of Ordo Celestia, Matthias was expected to become a fine soldier (possibly even a Commissar). However, Matthias was not exactly cut out for it while his twin brother Jacob passed with flying colors. Matthias lost an eye during the training, but did not lose his spirit. He chose to leave the Militarum & joined the priesthood. Here he flourished & was found to have the ability of celestial preaching; when preaching the word of God, those willing to listen will understand him, even if they wouldn’t otherwise understand the Gothic language. His ascent to becoming a member of the Celestial Inquisition came when he was a missionary on a world where he encountered a young man possessed by a powerful Daemon. Matthias’s spiritual discernment allowed him to determine its name & he was able to exorcise the daemon. The two were captured by an inquisitor of the Imperium & imprisoned on his ship, where Matthias was able to help a gun Servitor reclaim his mind & the three made their escape by signaling a nearby vessel of Ordo Celestia. Matthias put together his retinue & has been commissioned to bring the light of Jesus to the galaxy.

[Kaede45]

Gideon Slate

When the Aureum System returned to the galaxy, Ordo Celestia launched a campaign, the Lucis Adventus. During this time, their forces would conquer 12 star systems over the course of five years, mainly through diplomacy. However, often these conquests required fighting some enemy, usually Daemons, Tyrannids, Orkz or Drukhari. Where fighting was necessary, the chambers militant, mainly the Royal Militarum, would be dispatched. One of the first commissars leading during this time was Gideon Slate. Slate led his forces to victory many times over, becoming possibly the Militarum’s most decorated commissar. His soldiers would follow him to the gates of Hell if he led the charge. Unfortunately, near the end of the Lucis Adventus campaign, Slate & his squad would run afoul of an Imperial Inquisitor who captured them. Slate & his squad were tortured for information, yet none would break. Out of pure spite, the inquisitor had Slate lobotomized, turning him into a gun Servitor, then using him to execute the rest of his squad mates! For seven years, Slate served as a weapon against those he once called allies, but by divine intervention, Slate was aboard the inquisitor’s vessel which was taking Matthias Estrada to Terra. Matthias, through faith, helped Gideon to reclaim his mind, freeing him from the Inquisitor’s control. Though his mind is his own again, Gideon is still haunted by the horrible things he did under the control of the mad inquisitor. He has vowed to serve Matthias as a part of his retinue as a sort of penance for his actions, even if they were not of his own will.

 

Design note: I originally was gonna make the meltagun his default weapon & most of his “fluids” were going to be some reddish color, but I wanted him to have “black” skin & part way through painting him, I realized I was basically making Cyborg from Teen Titans & thus decided to roll with it. I also was originally going to call him Brutus, but with the Cyborg design I gave him the name “Slate” as Slate is a type of stone & a play-on-words of Cyborg’s name, Victor Stone.

Edited April 11 by Kaede45
Added a design note

[Firedrake Cordova]

I like that you're coming up with a fairly chunky amount of background for each of them

[Kaede45]

Valdor

One of the more enigmatic members of Matthias’s retinue, Valdor is an autosavant of the Archivists, an organization tasked with keeping the history of the Scions. While most autosavants of the Archivists were free agents or assigned to specific provinces of Scion controlled worlds, in the era of the Light’s Return, every squad deployed includes at least one autosavant to follow them on the ground & one to observe from afar, recording the deeds of their squad & the events they are involved in. Those who follow soldiers on the ground are often given cybernetic enhancement &/or military training, though they will attempt to avoid fighting as much as possible. It is their sacred duty to ensure that as history unfolds before them, as much of it is recorded & returned to their sacred archives on Eden, for generations to come to read & learn of them, that the lessons of the past may aid them in the future. Valdor is somewhat unique in that he is directly descended of the Archivists’ founder & leader, the perpetual Balthazar Braun, who has served as the Scions’ chief archivist since before the Great Exodus, when the Scions first left the galaxy for the Aureum System. Valdor takes his task seriously & records every deed he witnesses, but he has also grown quite fond of Matthias & his retinue, considering them friends. He has claimed that Matthias’s retinue consists of the most exciting historical figures he has had the privilege of witnessing.

[Kaede45]

Timothy Krause

A young man, born a psyker, Timothy’s childhood was difficult at best. Viewed as a pariah by his community, Timothy spent most of his days alone, with only his sister to keep him company. Things would take a turn for the worst when Timothy became possessed by a powerful daemon, who offered him a “better life” before seizing complete control of his body & powers! Timothy had gotten his revenge against those who persecuted him, but the weight of his sins came when the daemon caused to murder (& possibly consume) his own sister, whose skull he still carries. When the Scions arrived as part of a Mission, Timothy would encounter Matthias Estrada, whose spiritual discernment had led the missionaries to Timothy & exorcised the daemon, freeing Timothy’s soul. Timothy & the missionaries were soon captured by an Imperial inquisitor, who sought to use Timothy as a daemonhost, but after Matthias freed the gun Servitor Gideon, the three were able to signal a nearby Scion vessel for rescue. Timothy has remained with Matthias ever since, being the youngest member of his retinue. As is commanded by Ordo Celestia, he uses his psychic powers as little as possible & only when necessary. He has been gifted with prophecy, the ability to hear & speak the words of God, which has been helpful in directing Matthias & his retinue towards the places where they are needed the most.

[Kaede45]

St. Xerxes

Xerxes’s life was always difficult. He grew up in a hive city on a deathworld & was viewed by others as a psychopath & murderer. However, after he & his gang were arrested & taken to a prison colony off-world, his homeworld would experience an attack from genestealers who had been there for generations. Xerxes himself claimed that his murders were only against these cultists & that he had a sense for how to sniff them out. This claim earned him the title of “Saint” & a position as a member of an Ordo Xenos inquisitor’s retinue, where he served for many years. During this time, Xerxes & his master encountered a detachment of Ordo Celestia’s Royal Militarum led by Commissar Slate on a mission to destroy a Xenos invasion. Though wary of each other, the two sides agreed to a truce & the joint operation would be a success, both leaving on amicable terms. It would be almost 6 years before Xerxes & his master would encounter Ordo Celestia again while working with an inquisitor of Ordo Hereticus (or so it seemed). The Inquisitor would have Xerxes’s master accompany a squad of Astartes to scout a planet for heretics & Xenos. Here, Xerxes’s master would meet his end at the hands of a detachment of Ordo Celestia. Xerxes would join the ensuing battle, but would notice the impossibly fast response of the Imperium & he would bear witness to the beginning of the Scions’ war with the Imperium. He would also witness the Scions’ pathetic response, as they were in full retreat leaving only 12 soldiers to cover. Xerxes overheard one of the dying soldiers warning that the inquisitor had initiated exterminatus on the planet & Xerxes was off planet in the nick of time. He then entered the service of the inquisitor, a man named Morgott Voltairian, Grand Inquisitor of Ordo Blasphemia. Xerxes would witness the utterly monstrous behavior of the inquisitor, learning why most refer to him as Morgott the Mad, even by other inquisitors. Xerxes’s life change would reach its inevitable peak when he met Matthias Estrada. Xerxes had been tasked with killing Matthias, but the missionary spoke to him not as some form of superior, but as an equal, & with the simple statement: “You are forgiven.” Xerxes felt a bizarre kinship with him, opting to capture the missionary instead. Aboard Morgott’s vessel, Xerxes would speak to Matthias, who told Xerxes things about his life that Matthias shouldn’t have known! He told Xerxes that his shame was preventing him from confronting his guilt over what he had done, that Xerxes past had been full of lies & deceit, mainly coming from himself. Xerxes broke down in tears & when Matthias made his escape, Xerxes followed. Xerxes was willing to accept execution, but Matthias made him a penitent in his retinue. Xerxes still struggles with his violent behaviors, but with Matthias & the others, he feels as though he has a new lease on life.

[Kaede45]

Penitent XIII

XIII (13) is one of the more guarded & quiet members of Matthias‘s retinue. A former soldier, he was imprisoned for dereliction of duty, but has been given a second chance by serving as a bodyguard of Matthias. He wields a repentia’s Eviscerator as his main weapon, wears black robes & a hood over his head, which is actually glued to his face so that it can never be removed. This was his doing as he wishes to hide his identity from others around him, especially Matthias. He is very protective of Matthias, but is loath to speak of his past. However, despite his best efforts, he doesn’t even realize that Matthias knows who he really is. XIII is Jacob Estrada, Matthias’s twin brother. Jacob was an accomplished commissar in the Royal Militarum & hero from the the age of upheaval, the five year gap between Lucis Adventus & the Scion’s war with the Imperium. He led the first penitent squad, a small group of prisoners who were given a chance to redeem themselves by serving in the military (a sort of suicide squad). His squad, at its peak, consisted of 12 members, each of whom Jacob was quite friendly with & included several Militarum soldiers (including an Ogryn & a Halfling), a few disgraced Auric Knights, a Kroot mercenary & a Drukhari POW. His squad was very successful on almost every mission they undertook, but ultimately Jacob would end up being partially responsible for the war with the Imperium. After the death of his father in one failed mission, Jacob would inadvertently kill an inquisitor of Ordo Xenos, leading to a swift & deadly response by the Imperium. Jacob has little recollection of what happened, but knows that he abandoned his squad, who all died. He submitted himself for execution, but this was denied & subsequently suspended indefinitely when evidence came out that Jacob did not willingly abandon his comrades. Regardless of the facts, Jacob still blames himself for what happened, but Matthias has given him renewed purpose as he believes that his little brother can right the wrongs Jacob had committed & thus has sworn to see his mission through to the bitter end.

 

Design note: I forgot to mention it in his bio, but the seal on his shoulder has the names of his former squad mates, the members of the first penance squad, written on it. He had it placed on his bare skin as punishment for what happened & to remember their names.

Edited April 15 by Kaede45
Added design note

[Kaede45]

YORICK-7958135 “Poor Yorick”

When servo-skulls were first introduced to the Scions, many viewed them with disdain. The use of human remains as machine parts was seen as disturbing, however their use throughout has been widely accepted thanks to the Archivists. Through some reverse engineering, the Archivists have been able to mass produce their own servo-skulls without using actual skulls. These “YORICKs” are standard issue in all branches of Ordo Celestia as information gathering devices that can serve multiple purposes with a variety of modifications. Each YORICK is outfitted with transmitting devices that allow them to send gathered data to the main data stores of the Archivists back on Eden. Thanks to the YORICKs, the Archivists have been able to keep an incredibly accurate account of history for future generations to study & learn from. YORICKs also have non-military & even civilian use, granting the Archivists a plethora of historical information to comb through. Once transmitted, the data is read by one of thousands of Archivists who divide the data into one of several categories of historical significance & sensitivity. Data deemed important is sent down the line where it is scrutinized further until it eventually reaches the Chief Archivist; the perpetual Balthazar Braun, who commits only the most important data into the grand librarium.

Scion servo-skulls are called YORICKs as when they were first shown to the Archivist Balthazar, he held it aloft & said “Ah, poor Yorick. I knew him well…” quoting the scene from Hamlet. Though he did so as a joke, the name stuck & as such, to this day all Scion servo-skulls are YORICK. This YORICK was nicknamed “Poor Yorick” by Matthias as when he found it, it was severely damaged. Though he has been able to repair it, it still has some glitches such as in its spacial awareness system, causing it to often hover into obstacles & even stuttering when asked to report data. Matthias constantly saying “poor YORICK” led to him simply naming it as such. Though he has been offered more functional YORICKs by the Ordo, Matthias claims that this one has a special place in his heart as he, of course, “knows him well…”

 

Design note: initially I was going to replace the servo-skull altogether with something else, as I didn’t want my faction to deal in using human brains for computers, but what made me keep it & give such a backstory of why they would even use skull-shaped computers is that I actually have a plastic skull, which I keep in the trunk of my car, that I have taken to calling “Poor Yorick.” From there the idea of people using these things & all of them being named after an inside joke just felt right.

[Tallarn Commander]

A nice model and some fun back-story.

[Kaede45]

Valerie Slate

Daughter of the renowned commissar Gideon Slate, Valerie was born a psychic blank, which many Scions view as a blessing since warp entities & daemons can do little to her & even fear her. She speaks in a monotonous, almost dry tone as is common amongst psychic blanks, making it difficult for her to convey her emotions & for others to interpret said emotions. She loved her father very much, but their relationship became strained in the years leading up to & during Lucis Adventus, when Gideon was unable to spend much time with his family. Valerie resented her father for his absence & when he returned briefly after the conclusion of the Scions’ campaign, she scolded him & expressed her resentment. Sadly, not long after this, the Age of Upheaval started & Gideon was captured by Morgott the Mad & declared dead. Valerie was devastated, blaming herself & wishing she could take back everything. She developed a deep seated hatred for Morgott & joined the Silentium, Ordo Celestia’s version of the Sisters of Silence, in hopes of carrying on her father’s legacy. However, in spite of her martial prowess & incredible skill, Valerie was denied the opportunity to be deployed as the Grand Matriarch of the Silentium saw through Valerie’s facade, seeing her hatred & thirst for revenge as her true motive. For years, Valerie was confined to the abbey in Gethsemane, until the day that Timothy Krause came to the monastery hoping to find something. During his visit, he felt the daemon that had previously possessed him trying to take control of him, but he was saved when Valerie approached him, silencing his psychic powers & seemingly driving the daemon away. Timothy felt a peace that he hadn’t experienced in so long & the two began to develop a relationship. Timothy requested that Valerie be added to the retinue under the pretense that her presence could keep his powers in check & Matthias agreed with the ulterior motive of reuniting her with her father. Their meeting was as awkward as you could imagine, with Valerie’s hatred for Morgott stoked even further by what he had turned her father into & Gideon upset that Matthias would pull something like this. Regardless, their time together has helped them mend their broken relationship, Valerie has begun an intimate relationship with Timothy & has finally been allowed to leave the abbey. With Matthias & his retinue she has begun a healing process to overcome her grief & learn to control herself & her powers.

 

Design note: I got the Sisters of Silence Vigilator Squad as I saw the Inquisitorial Agents requisition ability & decided that I wanted to have some on hand. Of course I used a head I purchased off Etsy as I don’t really like the “bald woman” look & think that women should never be bald (I know how bad that is). Anyway, her model was the hardest one I’ve done so far & has helped me appreciate just how customizable first-born space marines are.