From a Sky of Iron, the Luna Wolves 14th Chapter

[Blissful Brushes]

This is going to be a blog filled with heresy, quite likely a butchering of the canon I’m afraid. I like the Luna Wolves, but never really warmed to Horus. I’ll put all of my divergences from the established truths in spoiler tags so if you’re just here for the modelling and pictures you can skip over all of the heresy. The big black books of the HH were my initial bible for this project when it first started to percolate a decade ago. I always found the legion structures from the novels to be something that was only ever given token attention, so Betrayal was the inspiration for my Chapter's focus, rather than the novels themselves. The second point of heresy is that I'm using the primaris scale marines and converting them to MkIII and MkIV power armour, I just like the scale more and when I (eventually) add Imperial Army or Mechancium detachments the marines will look more imposing.

 

For now I'm building up the third platoon, I'm 20/36 marines built I think so I'm getting there slowly but surely.

 The Debacle at Kranis Gorge (M30.803)

Spoiler

The compliance of Genthis Prime was meant to be a showcase. A stubborn but technologically capable human empire, the Genthian Sovereignty had refused integration. For the Luna Wolves, it was a standard campaign, and for Marius Varos and the 14^th Chapter, it was an opportunity. Fresh from the exhilarating news of his Primarch's discovery, Varos was burning with ambition to prove his Chapter's worth. He saw the campaign's crux—a breakthrough of the heavily defended Kranis Gorge—as the perfect stage for the 14th's armoured might.

The plan was conventional. Legionary assaults would pin the Genthian lines while the 14th Chapter, acting as the sector's armoured spearhead, would smash through the gorge's main defences and exploit onto the open plains beyond, targeting the Genthian command echelons.

The assault began with a thunderous roar. The Luna Wolves' attack pinned the Genthian forces, and as planned, the 14th Chapter surged forward. A wedge of Sicarans and Predators, with Varos at their head, slammed into the mouth of the gorge. The initial Genthian defences, reeling from orbital strikes, shattered under the onslaught. Varos, his blood up at the sight of the breach, made his fatal decision, committing his reserve elements too early.

Inside the gorge, the resistance stiffened horrifically. The Genthian Sovereignty had layered their defences in depth, creating a vast kill-zone. Anti-tank emplacements, hidden in cliffside caves, opened up on the compressed columns of armour. Infantry kill-zones, pre-sighted with heavy weapons, scythed through debussing Astartes. The aggressive Cthonian squads, pushing forward with more ferocity than discipline, ran headlong into these prepared ambushes and suffered grievous casualties. The glorious charge devolved into a grinding, brutal slog.

But the true disaster was unfolding behind them.

Varos's decision to commit his entire force had left a gaping, undefended wound in the main Luna Wolves battle line. The Genthian commanders, far from broken, saw the incredible opportunity. They launched a swift and devastating counter-attack, not into the meat grinder of the gorge, but into the vacuum the 14th had left behind.

The Genthian armour and shock infantry did not hit Astartes. They slammed, unopposed, into the vulnerable second echelon. The Imperial Army supply columns, laden with fuel and munitions for the entire sector's offensive, erupted in chains of catastrophic explosions. Mechanicum detachments, vital for battlefield repair, were overrun and annihilated. Artillery batteries were silenced before they could re-deploy. The entire logistical and support network for that front of the war was, in the space of thirty minutes, erased in fire and blood.

The command vox, once filled with Varos' orders, became a cacophony of panicked orders to pull back by second-line troops and disbelief from Legion command. The offensive wasn't just stalled; its legs had been cut out from under it.

The withdrawal was the ultimate humiliation. Battered and bloodied, the 14th had to fight their way back out of the gorge, harassed every step of the way by the emboldened defenders, dragging their crippled vehicles with them. They emerged to a scene of utter devastation. The smoking pyres of hundreds of support vehicles marked the grave of their ambition. They eventually formed a new line and contained the Genthian counter-attack, but the price was horrific, and the strategic failure was absolute.

 

I Company "Seren Syrthio" ORBAT

• Battalion: 2nd Skyfall Battalion
• Designation: 1st Company
• Specialization: High-Risk Drop Pod Assault & Beachhead Establishment
• Commander: Centurion
• Approximate Strength: 114 Astartes

Company Profile:
"Seren Syrthio" (an Albian phrase for 'Falling Star') is the First Company of the 2nd Skyfall Battalion. Tasked with the most dangerous missions, they are the tip of the spear, deploying by Drop Pod and are responsible for creating and holding the initial beachhead against overwhelming odds. Attrition is high, but the prestige of serving in I Company is immense, attracting the most aggressive and determined warriors in the battalion.

---

Company Command

Role: Deploys with the Breacher Platoon to provide direct leadership at the point of impact.

Company Command Squad:

• Centurion: Thunder Hammer, Artificer Armour, Refractor Field.
• Sergeant: Power Gladius, Artificer Armour, Company Banner, Refractor Field.
• Company Champion: Power Axes, Artificer Armour, Refractor Field.
• Vox Operator: Bolter, Artificer Armour, Nuncio-Vox, Refractor Field.
• Apothecary: Plasma Pistol, Artificer Armour, Narthecium, Refractor Field.
• Weapon Specialist: Melta Pistol, Plasma Pistol, Artificer Armour, Refractor Field.

 

I Platoon

Role: The first wave. Their sole purpose is to carve out a secure perimeter. They operate directly under the Centurion's command.

Platoon Command Squad:

• Lieutenant: Master-crafted Power Sword, Artificer Armour, Boarding Shield.
• Sergeant: Power Axe, Artificer Armour, Boarding Shield, Platoon Vexilla.
• Apothecary: Power Gladius, Bolt Pistol, Boarding Shield, Narthecium.
• Vox Operator: Power Gladius, Bolt Pistol, Boarding Shield, Nuncio-Vox.
• Special Weapons Operator: Power Weapons, Artificer Armour, Boarding Shields.
• Special Weapons Operator: Power Weapons, Artificer Armour, Boarding Shields.

1^st Squad:

• Sergeant: Power Weapons, Boarding Shields.
• Corporal: Squad Vexilla.
• Legionaries: Boarding Shields.

2^nd Squad:

• Sergeant: Power Spear, Artificer Armour, Boarding Shield.
• Corporal: Power Spear, Boarding Shield, Squad Vexilla.
• Veterans: Power Spears, Boarding Shields.

3^rd Squad:

• Sergeant: Power Sword, Boarding Shield.
• Corporal: Power Gladius, Boarding Shield, Squad Vexilla.
• Legionaries: Power Gladiuses, Boarding Shields.

4^th Squad:

• Sergeant: Chainsword, Flamer, Artificer Armour, Boarding Shield.
• Corporal: Chainsword, Flamer, Squad Vexilla.
• Legionaries: Flamers, Chainswords, Boarding Shields.

5^th Squad:

• Sergeant: Chainsword, Plasma Gun, Boarding Shield, Augury Scanner.
• Corporal: Chainsword, Plasma Gun, Boarding Shield, Squad Vexilla.
• Legionaries: Plasma Guns, Chainswords, Boarding Shields.

---

II Platoon

Role: The exploitation force. Deploys immediately after the Breachers to expand the drop zone.

Platoon Command Squad:

• Lieutenant: Power Axes, Artificer Armour.
• Sergeant: Platoon Vexilla
• Vox Operator: Chainsword, Bolt Pistol, Nuncio-Vox.
• Apothecary: Bolt Pistol, Combat Shield, Narthecium.
• Special Weapons Operator:
• Special Weapons Operator:

1^st Squad (Veteran Assault):

• Sergeant: Power Glaive, Wrist-mounted Flamer.
• Corporal: Heavy Chainsword, Squad Vexilla.
• Veterans: Power Weapons, Bolt pistols.

2^nd Squad (Assault):

• Sergeant: Power Fist, Artificer Armour
• Corporal: Power Maul, Squad Vexilla.
• Legionaries: Chainswords, Bolt Pistols.

3^rd Squad (Assault):

• Sergeant: Sergeant with Power Spear.
• Corporal: Power Sword, Squad Vexilla.
• Legionaries: Chainswords, Bolt Pistols.

4^th Squad (Assault):

• Sergeant: Power Fist, Bolt pistol.
• Corporal: Power Axe, Squad Vexilla.
• Legionaries: Chainswords, Bolt Pistols.

5^th Squad (Support):

• Sergeant: Volkite Charger, Artificer Armour, Augury Scanner. 
• Corporal: Volkite Charger, Squad Vexilla.
• Legionaries: Volkite Chargers.

---

III Platoon

Role: Company reserve. Deploys to shore up the perimeter, smash determined enemy counter-attacks, or provide the final push to secure the objective.

Platoon Command Squad

• Lieutenant: Power Fist, Artificer Armour, Plasma Pistol.
• Sergeant: Power Weapon, Hand Flamer, Platoon Vexilla.
• Apothecary: Bolt Pistol, Combat Shield, Narthecium.
• Vox Operator: Bolter, Nuncio-Vox.
• Special Weapons Operator: Plasma Gun
• Special Weapons Operator: Melta Gun, Combat Blade.

1^st Squad

• Sergeant: Lightning Claws.
• Corporal: Power Axe, Squad Vexilla.
• Legionaries: Chainswords, Bolt Pistols.

2^nd Squad

• Sergeant: Power Maul, Artificer Armour.
• Corporal: Lightning Claw, Plasma Pistol, Squad Vexilla.
• Veterans: Power Weapons, Bolt Pistols.

3^rd Squad

• Sergeant: Thunder Hammer, Combi-Bolter, Artificer Armour.
• Corporal: Lightning Claw, Plasma Pistol, Squad Vexilla.
• Legionaries: Bolters.

4^th Squad

• Sergeant: Power Axe, Bolter, Artificer Armour.
• Corporal: Volkite Charger, Squad Vexilla.
• Legionaries: Bolters.

5^th Squad

• Sergeant: Plasma Blaster, Artificer Armour, Augury Scanner.
• Corporal: Plasma Gun, Squad Vexilla.
• Legionaries: Plasma Guns.

---

 

Edited November 8, 2025 by Blissful Brushes

[Blissful Brushes]

The Aftermath of Kranis Gorge:

Spoiler

The aftermath of the debacle at Kranis Gorge was swift and absolute. In later years perhaps Horus would have simply stripped Varos of command or worse, but an overt punishment would draw attention to failure within the legion. Instead, the 14^th was cut off from the wider Legion and dispatched to an as-yet uncharted sector of the galaxy. If Varos could rebuild the 14^th independently of the main body of the legion whilst continuing to expand Imperial territory then he would be returned to the fold. Varos had to prove he was more than just a warrior, and he would drag the 14^th with him.

 

Survival and Foundation (c. M30.803 - M30.815)

 

The Long Silence:
The journey from the heart of the Great Crusade to the desolate coordinates of Sector 733-Gamma was a long and silent one. The customary boisterous camaraderie of the Luna Wolves was replaced by a grim, brooding quiet. Every Astartes, from the stoic Terran veterans to the prideful Cthonian survivors, felt the sting of their collective disgrace. The shame was a palpable weight, a suffocating shroud in the halls of their small fleet. They were no longer the celebrated sons of the Primarch; they were outcasts, a failed experiment cast into the dark.

This extended period in the void became a brutal crucible for Lord Commander Marius Varos. Stripped of the glory of the front lines, he was forced to confront the direct consequences of his arrogance. The ghosts of Kranis Gorge were his constant companions: the faces of the slain Cthonian recruits, the smoking pyres of the Army supply columns, and the cold, disappointed gaze of his Primarch he imagined in his mind's eye. The warrior's fire that had defined him was nearly extinguished by the sheer weight of his failure.

It was during this long transit that the Chapter's command structure was reforged by necessity. Varos, the warrior who disdained logistics, was now forced to become its most attentive student, for survival depended on it. He learned to husband resources, to plan for contingencies beyond the next charge, and to listen to the counsel of the specialists he had once dismissed. It was a harsh, humbling education.

First Contact: The Voltoris Gambit (M30.804):
Upon arrival in the sector, the reality of their isolation hit home. There were no friendly fleets, no established charts, no support network. There was only the mission: to conquer in the Emperor's name, and to survive. Their long-range auspexes eventually found a flicker of civilization—Voltoris Prime.

To the Varos of old, Voltoris would have been another nail to be hammered by the full force of his armour. But the lessons of exile had been learned. Reconnaissance revealed a world weakened by internal corruption but possessing significant industrial capacity and planetary defences.

The compliance of Voltoris Prime thus became a stark departure from their old methods. It was a campaign of patience and precision. Intelligence was gathered, power structures were analysed, and vulnerabilities were identified. Varos, Voren, and his senior officers planned not a breakthrough, but a decapitation. The operation was a masterpiece of surgical strikes. Small, elite squads, many led by Cthonian sergeants like Jax Zoltar whose gang-warfare instincts were perfectly suited to the task, struck at the heart of the planet's ruling crime families. There was no glorious armoured charge; there were only swift raids in the night, the precise application of overwhelming force against key nodes of power.

The gamble paid off. With its corrupt leadership shattered, the planet's government folded with minimal resistance. The 14^th Chapter had secured a vital first foothold, a source of raw materials, and a population pool for their first aspirants, all while conserving their irreplaceable heavy armour and munitions. It was not a glorious victory in the grand tradition of the Legion, but it was a victory nonetheless and a crucial first step on the long road to rebuilding their strength. It was the first foundation stone of the domain they would carve from the darkness.

I'm hoping to build a company that’ll deploy entirely by drop pod, so they’ll be very assaulty but without the jump packs and as I’ve got a huge amount of bits stacked up from years of unfinished projects they’re going to be pretty well equipped, I doubt they’d be game legal unless they all went in as veterans. But I think 114 marines with 19 Drop Pods would look really cool, and possibly with some dreadnought drop pod shenanigans to round the company out before I move onto the rest of the battalion who would be jump packs deployed.

 

Command Squad, III Platoon, I Company:

I'm missing the platoon medic - the bits haven't arrived yet :( so I'll have to wait for the full command squad.

 

Individual photos in the spoiler as they're huge!

Spoiler

Baelan Jaxx, Lieutenant

 

Lachlan Vorr, Vexilla

I'm not sure if I need to add a bit to the chest plate as it's a bit plain.

 

Rhys Magran, Weapons Specialist (Chainaxe)

 

Rhain Cador, Weapons Specialist (Melta)

 

Cormac Valerius, Vox Operator

 

 

The next squad is going to be the support squad who are all armed with plasma guns. I did buy the hellblaster squad, mainly for the additional leg poses and the backpacks will be used for demolition parts in the Engineer platoon (IV Company), but from a HH perspective, what are your thoughts on the additional cabling and whatnot on a HH era plasma gun, rather than the 'modern' plasma guns.

Edited November 21, 2025 by Blissful Brushes
Formatting

[The Lost Son]

They look great and I like the background for the force 

[Blissful Brushes]

Thanks @The Lost Son, much appreciated :)

 

No paint on plastic just yet I'm afraid. I think I'm going to finish building all this platoon fully and then paint them efficiently (ish) otherwise I'll never actually finish this if I do it a model at a time. Currently I have 20/36 built and the Company Champion, of which I've got a few test minis painted up. This week's progress has been the completion of Sergeant Castor of 3rd Squad, III Platoon's veteran squad, along with some progress on the command squad's final member - the apothecary, now that a narthecium has arrived from Kromlech. 

 

First Contact: The Silent Forge (M30.806) 

Spoiler

By M30.806, three years into their exile, the 14th Chapter had secured Voltoris Prime. They had a foothold, a source of raw materials, and their first potential aspirants, but they were bleeding. Kranis Gorge and the subsequent compliance had taken a toll on the 14^th. Master of the Forge Sten’s reports to Varos became increasingly stark: without access to a true Forge, their Sicarans would fall silent, their power armour would degrade, and their ability to wage war would wither and die. The Chapter was facing a slow death by attrition.

Driven by this existential threat, the Chapter's Astropaths and fleet augurs began a desperate, systematic search of the surrounding void. It led them to a system shrouded in a haze of industrial output, at its heart a world girdled by ancient orbital plates and flickering forge-lights: Valinaris.

This was not an expeditionary outpost of Mars; it was a ghost from the Dark Age of Technology, a fully-fledged Forge World that had survived Old Night in total isolation. Its rulers were insular, dogmatic, and deeply suspicious of the unknown.

Making contact was a delicate operation. A fleet of Astartes warships appearing unannounced could be seen as a prelude to invasion. A single frigate, the Silent Vigil, was dispatched to the edge of the Valinaris system, its weapons powered down, its posture non-threatening. From this vessel, Sten broadcast a carefully crafted greeting in an archaic dialect of Mechanicum cant, a formal overture of respect to the masters of the Forge.

The response was cold and immediate: a focused energy spike as the Forge World's orbital defence lasers locked onto the Astartes vessel. A clipped and emotionless voice, demanded identification and purpose, questioning the purity of their machine-spirits.

For days, Halvar Sten engaged in a tense techno-diplomatic exchange with the ruler of the Forge World, Fabricator Locum Elektra Vance. He did not lie, but he was economical with the truth. He presented the 14^th Chapter as an autonomous Crusade fleet, loyal servants of the Emperor of Terra and the Omnissiah, tasked with bringing enlightenment to this dark sector. He spoke of their shared heritage, of the quest for knowledge, and of their urgent need for succour—refit, resupply, and the ministrations that only the Cult Mechanicus could provide. He carefully omitted the word "exile," instead framing their isolation as a mark of their deep-ranging mission.

Intrigued but profoundly wary, Fabricator Locum Vance agreed to a parley. The meeting was held on Valinaris' primary orbital dock, the "Forge-Anvil," a colossal station of dark iron and humming plasma conduits. Halvar Sten, accompanied only by a small honour guard of his most senior Techmarines, met the Fabricator Locum. Vance was a terrifying figure, more machine than woman, her consciousness distributed across the station's network, her physical form an avatar of gleaming steel and whirring mechadendrites.

She subjected Sten to a rigorous examination, a theological and technical inquisition. Sten answered with humility and precision. He spoke of their Chapter's plight, of their reverence for their wargear, and of the resources they could offer from the compliant world of Voltoris Prime—a trade of raw materials for refined technology.

Vance and her council of Magi remained impassive. The arrival of these "Astartes"—figures from their most fragmented historical data-hives—was a disruption of a stable order that had persisted for millennia. Their power was undeniable, but so was the risk they represented. She acknowledged their petition but made no promises. "The logic of your request is being calculated," her synthesized voice stated. "The auguries must be consulted. The integrity of your machine-spirits must be assessed. Valinaris endures through caution."

The first contact ended not with an alliance, but with a fragile, threadbare understanding. Valinaris was aware of the 14th. The 14th knew where to find the heart of technology in this sector. The relationship was a cold equation, an exchange of potential needs and assets. There was no trust, no brotherhood. It would take an act of war and a baptism of fire two years later, in the Neras Belt, for the cold logic of this first meeting to be forged into a true alliance.

 

My force is set at the outbreak of the Heresy but having these centuries of back story is what really brings an army to life in my eyes, otherwise they're just an expensive collection of models. My, and indeed everyone's challenge is to try and get this backstory into the models to really make an army unique which with power armour is easier said than done...

 

The Third Squad is III Platoon's veteran squad, commanded by Sergeant Castor (Background in the spoiler). In terms of conversion work this one's been quite involved as I've had to resculpt the hands for the power maul/thunder hammer as it's a Votann one and the hands looked tiny compared to the vambraces, I don't think it was a bad effort to be honest for a first attempt. The helmet is a Ultramarines one from FW (I think - it do be nigh on 10 years old), the pad is a MkIII and has the name plate which all my dudes will have for identity purposes, and I think it's a tigurus pattern bolt pistol holster which is probably older than 10 years at this stage. Due to time in service he's got artificer armour which was a thing in HH1, but no idea now. I might give him a combat knife, I'm not entirely sure, his left leg looks a touch bland compared to the right.

 

Sergeant Castor, The Unbroken

Spoiler

Heritage and Induction:
Castor hails from the warlike clans of the Albia region on Terra. His earliest memories as an Astartes are not of glorious star-faring crusades, but of mud-choked trench assaults against techno-barbarian fortresses in the Pan-Pacific Dust Bowl and brutal tunnel-fights beneath the Urshic plateaus. He earned the right to wear the Emperor's lightning bolt, the Raptor Imperialis, in a merciless compliance action against a gene-cult, a mark he has maintained with grim pride ever since.

The Early Great Crusade:
As the Great Crusade launched, Castor served as a line Legionary in the Luna Wolves. He fought on a dozen worlds, learning the art of war from the Legion's finest. He saw the Primarch, Horus Lupercal, only rarely, not keeping such rarefied company, but like all his brothers, was swept up by the charisma and martial genius of his gene-sire. Yet, Castor's loyalty was always layered. First and foremost, it was to the Emperor who had personally walked the battlefields of Terra. Second, to the Legion and his Chapter - the brotherhood of warriors who bled alongside him. His loyalty to the Primarch, while genuine, was filtered through these older, more foundational allegiances.

Kranis Gorge and the Exile:
By the time of Kranis Gorge, Castor was already a seasoned veteran Sergeant. He led his squad in the initial charge, his experience telling him something was deeply wrong with Varos's "all-in" command. He witnessed the recklessness firsthand, saw the undisciplined aggression of the newer Cthonian recruits lead them into kill-zones, and fought with disciplined fury to keep his own men alive during the brutal slog and humiliating withdrawal. The shame of the event and the subsequent sentence of exile hit him hard, but where it broke younger men, it only served to temper Castor's resolve into something akin to granite.

The Long War in the Dark:
It was during the exile that Castor truly came into his own. He was never ambitious for higher command; he saw the political manoeuvring and strategic burdens that broke Lord Commander Varos and had no desire for them. His place was with the men, his boots on the ground, his power maul in hand. He requested assignment to the nascent airborne formations, seeing the high-risk, close-quarters nature of drop assaults as the purest form of an Astartes' duty.

He became the bedrock of the 3rd Platoon in "Seren Syrthio." Lieutenants came and went, promoted or killed in action, but Castor remained. He became the platoon's unofficial mentor, the repository of its history and its conscience. He taught the new recruits from Voltoris, Neras, and the other compliant worlds what it truly meant to be one of the 14th Chapter - not just how to fight, but how to endure, how to hold the line, and how to protect the brother next to you. His quiet authority is absolute; a single word from him carries more weight than a shouted order from a fresh-faced officer.

He is the "Unbroken" not because he has never been wounded—his body is a roadmap of scars held together by sheer willpower and augmetics—but because his spirit, his loyalty, and his sense of duty have never once faltered, from the mud of Terra to the darkest corners of their forgotten sector. He is the living memory of the Legion, and the unshakeable soul of the Chapter.