My Word Bearers Warband

[Redboot Giddyman]

Finally painted them all, so here they are.

 

For context, all of my Chaos Warbands operate primarily in the same section of space, called "The Osiris System" after one of the main planets in said system. It's a Chaos-controlled sector of space, but one where Chaos worshippers have managed to build their own functioning societies. Nothing particularly pleasant of course, but not really much worse than life for the average citizen of the Imperium either (if at all). And much as the countless worlds of the Imperium are protected by the Adeptus Astartes, Imperial Guard, and others, so too are the worlds of the Osiris System protected by multiple Chaos Warbands, as well as Chaos Guardsmen and similar. 

 

Basically, think of the Osiris System as a much, much smaller, Chaos-aligned version of the Imperium. 

 

There are two "main" Chaos Warbands, but neither one is ready yet (as I'm saving them for last!) so I'm showing off the "smaller" Warbands first. Beginning with, fittingly, a warband from the very first traitor legion. Enjoy!

 

[Redboot Giddyman]

Will also post pics for each individual CSM (yes, all of them), complete with bios. Let's start with the Chaos Lord of the Warband:

 

Menelek Kallo

“Do understand: we do not seek to fight for the sake of it. We do not seek to slaughter out of bloodlust. Rather, we seek to enlighten. Alas, sometimes a teacher must resort to strict discipline.”

 

Leader of this Word Bearers Warband, Menelek Kallo is a Chaos Lord with Jump Pack, somewhat unusual among the Word Bearers who typically place less emphasis on aerial combat than the Black Legion and Night Lords do. But Menelek is as capable as any from his brother traitor legions in striking from above, and also an excellent shot with his trusty Master Crafted plasma pistol, vicious in melee with his Lightning Claw, and a superb tactician. Above all though, Menelek is dedicated to the Word Bearer’s twisted mission of conversion, a devout worshipper of the Chaos Gods who wishes to bring others over into their service. He loathes the Imperium as a whole, but sees the masses who fight for it as naïve children who must be educated.

 

Design Notes:

I wanted the Word Bearers Chaos Lord to have a jump-pack, as while I am aware that Jump Packs are mostly associated with Night Lords and Black Legion, there is nothing forbidding Word Bearers from having them. I gave him some brass to make him look fancier, which I felt was right for the leader of a Warband. This is also why I did up the plasma pistol in gold, to better indicate that it's a Master-Crafted weapon. 

 

It may be hard to tell, but there are exactly 17 skulls on the base, in reference to how the Word Bearers are the 17th Legion. If you're wondering why the broken Space Marine helmet is yellow and not blue, I decided to make a lot of the dead Space Marine trophies/bits for my Word Bearers characters Imperial Fists ones instead of Ultramarines 1) to do something different and less expected, and 2) because I think the yellow provides a good color-contrast to the Word Bearer's dark red (this is also why most of the eye lenses and plasma weapons for these Word Bearers are light blue: it contrasts better than orange). With that said, I did give Menelek here an Ultramarines Veteran Sergeant helmet on his trophy rack, taken from the Battlefield Trophies box and put on the trophy rack after I clipped away some of the spikes to make room, since the two are arch-enemies after all. I figured if anyone deserved such a prestigious trophy, it would be the Chaos Lord of the Warband. 

 

 

Since it may be hard to tell, there are two gold service studs on the skull with the bionic eye. That's because I intended it to be the skull of a Dark Angel who had 200 years of service under his belt. The better to convey the power of Menelek here that he could slay such a foe. 

Edited June 10 by Redboot Giddyman
Tidying up

[Redboot Giddyman]

Abbas

“None so blind as those who will not see. Fortunately for you, I have much experience in opening other’s eyes to the truth. But can your mind handle it, I wonder? We shall see.”

 

Leader of the Word Bearers Terminator Squad, Abbas goes to some lengths to channel his legion’s Primarch; favoring a mace as his weapon but also a capable sorcerer, Abbas also works to turn others to the cause of Chaos and tear down that which the Emperor has built. Having borne witness via visions of the past to the Emperor’s cruel destruction of Monarchia, Abbas concluded from these that Lorgar and the Word Bearers were wholly justified in turning on a patriarch who had treated them so shabbily. Abbas has thus vowed to carry on Lorgar’s work. He delights in using his powers to make Imperials see that their beloved Emperor loathed the thought of being deified, and thus their fanatical devotion to him is the very opposite of what the man they claim to so love would have wanted. Abbas generally finds the appropriate next step after breaking the offending Imperial’s brain figuratively, is to do so literally with his mace.

 

Design Notes

I had actually done multiple Chaos Terminators before I got around to doing any painting (I have probably bought more copies of Chaos Terminators than I have any other individual Warhammer set except for Legionnaires). Since I'd given a bunch of them maces, when I was deciding which ones would go to what Warband, I decided to make most of the mace wielders Word Bearers in honor of Lorgar and his own signature mace weapon. To give his trophy rack more personality, I added a Tau skull and a Battle Sister trophy helmet to it (the former from the Citadel Skulls box and the latter from the Battlefield Trophies box). 

Edited June 10 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

Chemosh

“Your Emperor will not save you from the green tide coming to sweep you and your loved ones away. Fortunately for you, I will. And all I ask in return is that you listen to what I have to say.”

 

2^nd-in-command of the Word Bearers Terminator Squad, Chemosh is a true disciple of the faith. Wielding his Reaper Autocannon against all “nonbelievers”, he guns down those who reject the worship of the Chaos Gods with fanatical zeal. However, Chemosh would prefer to convert, and to this end he has taken to battling Ork forces besieging human settlements that are largely defenseless against such attacks. His reasoning is that, while the Orks obviously cannot be swayed to the cause of Chaos, those humans he “rescues” from them just might in gratitude. Thus has Chemosh gunned down countless Orks, and in so doing swayed many humans he’s “saved” in this way to embrace the Dark Gods. Chemosh is no stranger to fighting other enemies though, and like all Word Bearers he most relishes getting to slay their arch foes, the Ultramarines.

 

Design Notes

 

I really love the look of Ork skulls. I just do. Between that and the fact that the Orks are, along with the Tyranids one of the two "swarm races" in 40K, I've developed a fondness for decorating some of my CSMs with plethoras of Ork skulls to convey that they're awesome one-man-armies who plow through tons of Orks. This is far from the last time you'll be seeing this with my designs, nor is this the most extreme example. 

 

And no, I don't hate Orks. Far from it. But again, they usually come in huge numbers, so where one Ork has been killed, you have to figure many more have besides. 

 

Anyway, since he's a Word Bearer I figured his trophy helmets should be Ultramarines in origin, so he's got one from a rank-and-file, and one from a Sergeant. 

 

 

Another thing I love about Ork skulls: the ones with an open jaw can be put on empty spikes on a Chaos Terminator's trophy rack as a quick and easy way to spruce up said trophy rack. 

 

Here's another shot, the better to see all the skulls. Convert and Chemosh here will happily take care of all your Ork-related troubles (or your money back!)

Edited June 10 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

Sardis:

“It has been too long since I have outdueled a worthy foe. Try not to disappoint me.”

 

Armed with a glittering Power Sword, Abbas’ third-in-command Sardis is an adept duelist, perhaps the most so of all the Word Bearers allied with the OATS. He certainly keeps himself in practice often enough. Obsessed with facing opponents in one-on-one duels, Sardis relishes getting the chance to fight a worthy foe, whatever their origins. One of his favorites was fittingly an Ultramarine, those bitterest of the Word Bearer’s foes. Impressed by his sword skill and amused by his defiance, Sardis did not just take his helmet and skull as trophies as is typical, he kept the rest of his body and armor too, displaying the now headless skeleton encased in power armor in his quarters as a gruesome decoration. Also to be found within his quarters are weapons taken from those he believed fought well with them…just not well enough to defeat him.

 

Design Notes:

 

Yes, he is indeed carrying the shield and sword of a Deathwing Knight. I love those big shields and Power Swords a lot, and I saw absolutely no reason why Chaos Space Marines can't have them too. So I took a squad of Deathwing Knights and mixed the pieces with one of the many squads of Chaos Terminators I bought. Sardis here was the one I painted in the Word Bearer's colors. 

 

 

Once again I used the open jaw of an Ork skull to add to the trophy rack, as well as adding an Adeptus Arbites helmet too just because (hey, I think they're cool, and I'd argue there are way lamer foes to die to than a Word Bearers Terminator who's a master swordsman). 

 

Once again the trophy helmet is an Ultramarine. I promise they won't be that for ALL my Chaos Space Marines. But I figure for the Word Bearers specifically it made sense given how much the two hate each-other. 

Edited June 10 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

Herod

“As I was enlightened, so too will I enlighten others.”

 

Once, Herod was a normal man, one of many converted by Abbas to the worship of Chaos. Now he fights directly under Abbas as one of the Chaos Terminators in his squad, recently ascending to the position after much distinguished service as a Legionnaire. Like Abbas, he fights primarily with a mace, though he also carries a combi-weapon for ranged attacks, as he lacks Abbas’ prodigious talent in sorcery.

 

Design Notes

Nothing too fancy here. As stated earlier, I made the plasma weapons for my Word Bearers a light blue. I know orange is the color of Heretic plasma weaponry (at least by default), but again, I felt that the light blue provided a better color contrast to the dark red than orange. I saved orange for my Iron Warriors warband. 

 

Another Power-Maul. Again, meant to evoke Lorgar and his mace. 

 

Edited June 10 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

Phlegethon

“Fear not, Sister. You will be seeing your beloved Emperor soon.”

 

A veteran of campaigns against the Sisters of Battle, Phlegethon actually holds some admiration for them, as he shares their common enthusiasm for using “cleansing fire” against those who reject the faith. It just so happens that his faith and theirs are diametrically opposed, and so Phlegethon has had to kill a great many Battle Sisters. Nevertheless, he respects their conviction, though he would also welcome the chance to turn some of them over to Chaos. Having seen what the Sisters of Change who fight beside the OATS are capable of, he is curious to see what other kinds of Chaos-aligned Sororitas would look like.

 

Design Notes

 

In hindsight I should have given this guy way more Sisters of Battle trophy helmets than just the one. Oh well. I prime all my trophy skulls and helmets, so maybe at some point I'll add more. Considering the bio I gave him it would make sense. 

 

Not gonna lie, I really love that horned skull pauldron. Skull logo pauldrons are best pauldrons. :)

 

Edited June 10 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

Well, that's the Chaos Lord and all the Terminators. Possessed and Legionnaire bios and pics coming soon. 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Looking good!  You should also slip in some whole army photos, so we can see your whole force together.

 

What's the story behind the guy with the partially blue armour in your legionaires squad?

Edited June 10 by Dr_Ruminahui

[Redboot Giddyman]

2 hours ago, Dr_Ruminahui said:

Looking good!  You should also slip in some whole army photos, so we can see your whole force together.

 

Thanks! Though aren't the first couple of photos the whole Warband?

 

2 hours ago, Dr_Ruminahui said:

What's the story behind the guy with the partially blue armour in your legionaires squad?

 

Marduk. A Word Bearer who favors Tzeentch above all other Chaos Gods, and so has his color scheme.

 

If you look closely, you can likewise see Word Bearers who favor each of the three other Chaos Gods too. Bios for all of them pending. 

[Tallarn Commander]

Excellent models with some fun, creative back stories! For the last few years I also have been making my Chaos Marine trophies Imperial Fists.

[Redboot Giddyman]

30 minutes ago, Tallarn Commander said:

Excellent models with some fun, creative back stories! For the last few years I also have been making my Chaos Marine trophies Imperial Fists.

Thanks! Glad you think so! Will be posting the bios for the Chaos Chosen and Legionnaires soon. 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

1 hour ago, Redboot Giddyman said:

Thanks! Though aren't the first couple of photos the whole Warband?

 

Indeed, they do seem to be - your terminators were being so stealthy I missed they were there... 

 

One thing I would consider is fully finishing the bases - some textured paint, or even a more even paint job which cleans up the "over brushing" from painting the models, would greatly improve their overall look.

[Redboot Giddyman]

5 hours ago, Dr_Ruminahui said:

 

Indeed, they do seem to be - your terminators were being so stealthy I missed they were there... 

 

One thing I would consider is fully finishing the bases - some textured paint, or even a more even paint job which cleans up the "over brushing" from painting the models, would greatly improve their overall look.

Yeah, I'll admit I never do bother with painting the bases. I guess I should try it at some point. 

[Redboot Giddyman]

Possessed!

 

Atilla

“I am the greatest of my number. To face me is to know death, Imperium whelp.”

 

Given how they are often just a light push away from being little more than feral monsters, Possessed can’t generally be said to have much of a concrete leadership structure, but to the extent that this particular squad of Possessed Word Bearers have a leader, it is Atilla. Bearing three arms as a result of his mutations, Atilla is a ferocious melee fighter, in a near-constant state of rage and always wanting to tear into any enemies in front of him. His transformation was presaged by visions of great rivers of boiling blood and the galaxy aflame in the worst Chaos war since the Horus Heresy. Perhaps this is why he is as berserk as he is.

 

Design Notes

Yes, this guy has three arms. I forget what exactly prompted me to do that, but I think it was because I liked the two arms behind him like he's trying to do a bad attempt at a Naruto ninja-run but ALSO wanted him to have the cool chainsword weapon since he's the squad leader. Either way, given what Chaos mutations are like, I figured it would not be unbelievable to have a three-armed Possessed.

 

Once again, the dead Space Marine stuff are Imperial Fists. It was actually with Atilla here that I first committed to this choice, as I was trying to decide on a color for the dead Space Marine base-topper. And again, I felt yellow contrasted nicely with dark red. So here we are. 

 

And I added a different Imperial Fist's skull (still in helmet!). 

Back. I really love the eldritch green fire contrasting with the demonic red armor and black horns. Really completes the whole "Space Demon" vibe (or "Space Daemon" as it were!). Likewise, I love the green tentacles, as they give me a "Great Old Ones" vibe. 

 

I went with pale gray for the skin to reference Daemon Princes of Chaos Undivided in things like the Total War: Warhammer games, as they seem to always be a mix of charcoal gray and black in color, including the Godslayer from TTWH III. Since the Word Bearers are Chaos Undivided, I went with it here. 

 

He's ready for his close-up!

 

I like to think the Order of the Sacred Rose Battle Sister helmet there belongs to that jerk from the Penitent series who condemned poor Venthia to a Mortifier even AFTER she did everything that was expected of her. Seriously, what an a-hole. Like, I know we all hate Leandros and everything, but I'd argue this lady is orders of magnitude worse. But that's a blog post for another day.

Edited June 11 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

Asura

“Kill for Khorne, die for Khorne! Kill for Khorne, die for Khorne!”

 

A cautionary tale in the danger of actively seeking gifts from the Chaos Gods, and especially in seeking too many too quickly, Asura threw himself into every battle hungry for the favor of the Dark Gods in general, and Khorne in particular. Amused, Khorne decided to give Asura such power…by mutating him into a Possessed. To Khorne’s mind, this action is beneficial no matter the result; if Asura lasts and causes enough destruction, Khorne may one day see fit to elevate him to Daemonhood. And if not, then he’ll still be more than if he had remained a common Legionnaire. To Asura’s own feelings, Khorne cares not.

 

Design Notes

Unlike the aforementioned Atilla, Asura here favors Khorne specifically, so I went with a vivid red for him instead of the pale gray I use for Chaos Undivided. 

 

For reference, I almost ALWAYS use Skeleton Horde for anything having to do with bones (even after spilling a pot of it once and ruining one of my pants in the process). But I DID get Morghast Bone and Ushabti Bone, so I decided to try them out here for the bone parts. I think it came out OK, but I still preferred the Skeleton Horde look overall, so I generally still stick with that. 

I tried to convey that the axe handle is made from bone but with black wrappings on the handle. I think the axe IS supposed to have a bone handle, so that's what I tried to do. 

Another poor Imperial Fist. I swear I don't hate these guys (really!) These ones were just unlucky enough to run into my Word Bearers. 

 

OK, if the Sisters helmet on Atilla's base isn't that jerk from Penitent, then the one Asura's holding here definitely is. 

Edited June 11 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

Tantalos

“ORKS!”

 

Believed to have once been from Armageddon, Tantalos was driven mad by the bloody conflicts with Orks on that storied world, and madness is ever a fertile place for Chaos to recruit new minions. However, Tantalos’ madness also meant he never learned discipline, and so it was not to be his fate to rise through the ranks and become a Chaos Chosen, Terminator, or Lord. Instead, he has been mutated into a Possessed. Now with the Word Bearers, the only remaining trace of his original personality is his violent hatred for all things Ork.

 

Design Notes:

I told you all Chemosh wouldn't be the last time I had a bunch of Ork skulls on a CSM character's base. This is also one of the times I stuck a trophy skull onto the back of the backpack, as I've found I like doing that to give my CSMs one more trophy. Plus, it makes their backpacks less plain. 

 

Unlike Asura, I don't think I made this guy red to indicate his being Khorne-aligned but rather because the hoof-feet were giving me "Satan" vibes. Honestly, that was probably what GW themselves were going for with that design in the first place, so I decided to play it up. I guess that means he should be carrying a pitchfork instead of a chainsword, but GW sadly has no Pitchfork weapons in 40K (yet). 

Edited June 11 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

Tarantulas

*Mandible Clicking Sounds*

 

Where Chaos Possessed typically grow increasingly feral as a result of their transformations, the one known as Tarantulas seems to have retained a level of primal cunning. Lacking the raw brute strength of his fellows, Tarantulas instead favors ambushes and hit-and-run tactics. Notably, he has become poisonous as a result of his mutations and uses this venom to great effect. Further indicating his mind is more intact than most other Possessed, he seems to take some level of sadistic pleasure in watching foes succumb to his poison.

 

Design Notes

Those three legs absolutely gave me insect/spider vibes, so I decided to really lean into that with this guy. Plus, I like the contrast of the neon/acid green with the dark red of the armor. 

 

I think I also had Shelob from Lord of the Rings in mind when coming up with the character and personality of this guy. Not just a spider-like monster but also a poisonous, stalking predator who you can just tell is sadistic even without them uttering a single word. 

Edited June 11 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

“Impaler”

“I will run you all through!”

 

No one knows the name of this particular Possessed Word Bearer, so instead he is simply known as “Impaler” on account of the brutal stabbing appendage coming out of one of his hands. Living up to his name in full, Impaler is a being wholly without subtlety, and rushes headlong into every battle. That he lacks self-preservation yet still lives is a testament to his ferocity.

 

Design Notes

Alright, I'll admit I got kind of lazy with this one in terms of name and bio. I do still love the bone wrist-blade thing. Very Baraka (or, ironically, Black Dragons!)

 

Edited June 11 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

And now, rounding things out with the rank-and-file, we have the Legionnaires, starting with the squad leader:

 

Hades

“What does the Imperium offer? Lies and hypocrisies, that’s what.”

 

Squad Leader of his band of Legionnaires, Hades was brought up on stories of the God-Emperor’s hypocrisies and cruelties from a young age, most especially the destruction of Monarchia. Accepting that such a being was wholly unworthy of admiration, Hades accordingly chose to align himself with those who would oppose the Emperor’s designs. Like most Word Bearers, he favors no one Chaos God over the others, internalizing the traits of theirs he admires and disregarding those he does not. Caring somewhat for the men under him, Hades is a fair leader (by Chaos standards at least), and his men respect him. Though capable with a Power Axe, Hades’ preferred weapon of choice is his Plasma Pistol, modified and upgraded to fire distinct green shots instead of the orange plasma shots more commonly seen among Heretic Astartes. Whether or not this is a result of integrating Necron tech into the pistol is unknown. Either way, Hades is a sharp-eyed marksman and rarely misses a shot.

 

Design Notes:

I made one of his arms black for some fashionable asymmetry and to make him stand out more visually as the squad leader (and hey, red and black is usually a winning color combo). 

Better look at his (possibly part Necron tech!) plasma pistol. Nothing against the standard blue and orange for Loyalist and Chaos respectively, but I like coming up with other plasma colors besides those, if only for the sake of variety. Plasma weapons are my favorites ones in 40K (at least for ranged weapons anyway), so I like having some fun with them. 

I think of Hades here as being almost like a WB equivalent to Titus: the likable squad-leader who looks out for his men. Honestly, I think despite their legions of origin being arch-enemies, Hades would have some respect for him. 

Edited June 11 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

Malebolge

“Accept the Word and be enlightened. For we bring truth; the knowledge of Tzeentch, the realities of war and mortality Khorne and Nurgle make plain to all, and from Slaanesh the acknowledgement of our own desires and the strength to realize them. Yes, we bring truth!”

 

Hades’ 2^nd-in-Command, Malebolge also serves the role of the squad’s “preacher”, going into battle with a book of verses to the Dark Gods mounted on his armor like a totem and usually having one of said verses on hand to shout out. He looks forward to going to battles in new places, as it means new opportunities to seek out more heretical texts and works preaching the word of the Chaos Gods. Unsurprisingly, he takes great pleasure in killing those Inquisitors and other lackeys of the Corpse Emperor who would dare to burn such texts. He is quite good at inspiring his fellows to fight harder, but whether this is owing to mild Psyker power affecting their minds or simple charisma (or both), is unclear.

 

Design Notes

Got this guy's "chained book" backpack attachment from the Chaos Legionnaires Kill Team box-set before it was just turned into the latest Legionnaire box-set. As such, this was the only one I had for a while, and I figured such an accessory made most sense for a Word Bearer, so here we are. 

 

Man did the paint-job on that Battle Sister helmet not turn out great. Oh well, I'll just pretend it's all dirtied and smudged from being left on a muddy battlefield after it was separated from its owner's body. 

Dang, the brain is visible from where part of the helmet and skull got cut off! I'll just pretend it was another Sister who put someone in a Mortifier to make me feel better about it XD

 

Back-shot. 

 

 

In the words of a character from a movie I've never actually seen: "Convert now. Or fall forever!"

Edited June 11 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

Dispater

“Your faith in your Corpse Emperor will be shattered as surely and as easily as your bones.”

 

3^rd-in-Command of the squad, Dispater spent some time fighting alongside the Iron Warriors, and demonstrates this by painting some parts of his armor in their harsh, metallic color. Having also taken many of the Iron Warrior’s strategies to heart, Dispater seeks out weaknesses, both in structures and in people, and works to exploit them with ruthless precision. Favoring a Power Maul as his weapon of choice, Dispater has smashed aside numerous foes with it. Though he respects Hades as much as the rest of his squad does, he is also crueler than him, and his squadmates are grateful that he is third-in-Command and not second, meaning he wouldn’t become the one in charge should Hades ever fall.

 

Design Notes:

I had considered making this guy an Iron Warrior instead, which is why in honor of my original plan for him I gave him that part of his bio about having spent time with the Iron Warriors, as well as some parts of his armor being done up in the Iron Warrior's metallic dark gray. Specifically I made his helmet and one of his pauldrons that color, and I think it helps him stand out visually, which is appropriate for one of the guys in charge. 

Better shot of the pauldron done in Iron Warriors paint (itself my go-to paint for metallics for Chaos characters, as even besides the name of the paint I find that a darker colored metallic makes more sense for most Chaos characters). 

 

Like many of my Word Bearers, this guy too has a Power Maul to reference Lorgar's mace. 

Back-shot.

 

"Iron Within, Iron Without! Wait a minute, that's not my line..."

Edited June 11 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

Achilles:

“Another victory, and another kill. Was there ever any doubt?”

 

One of four Word Bearers in Hades’ squad to favor a specific Chaos God over the others, lustful and prideful Achilles favors Slaanesh. Ever seeking new conquests of more than one kind, Achilles revels in the fact that his inability to bear children as an Astartes allows him to wench as much as he pleases without any consequences (or at least, that is how he sees it). Like his squad leader, he favors a Power Axe as his melee weapon, sadistically delighting in chopping his foes to bits. Few of his squadmates especially like him, but all respect his skill.

 

Design Notes

Since the Word Bearers worship all the Chaos Gods, I wanted some of the Legionnaires in the squad to each favor a single, specific Chaos God to make the overall squad more unique and memorable. I chose this guy to be the Slaanesh representative because he looks like a model in the 40K Ultimate Guide by Guy Hayley and Gav Thorpe that is identified as a member of the Emperor's Children (nice book by the way, definitely looking forward to the Age of Sigmar follow-up!)

 

Back-shot. The long tongue coming out of the skull felt appropriately creepy and disturbing for a Slaanesh follower I thought. 

 

Better look at his Power Axe with glowing green "eye" (to match the green eye lenses of his helmet). 

 

Edited June 11 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

Pollux:

“What are you all complaining about? I don’t smell anything.”

 

One of four Word Bearers in Hades’ squad to favor a specific Chaos God over the others, Pollux gives his devotion to Nurgle. Given his being a heavy weapons specialist who overwhelmingly favors the heavy bolter, his choosing to seek the blessings of the Chaos God most known for both ponderousness and endurance makes a certain degree of sense. In any case, it seems Grandfather Nurgle has indeed taken a shine to him, as Pollux’s body has already begun to be altered by the Plague God’s “gifts”, his skin having turned a sickly green among other mutations. And then there’s his smell…

 

Design Notes:

Personally, I think that "bald head with horn" option in the Legionnaires kit really does give me Nurgle vibes specifically. That was what inspired me to pick it for my Nurgle-favoring Word Bearer here, as I generally prefer to give most of my CSMs helmets instead of bare heads, which I feel could really use more variety beyond "bald, snarling, and hideously deformed" (most of my CSM OCs here and in my other Warbands don't look like that under their helmets!). But again, for the Nurgle favoring one, that head that was just screaming "Nurgle" to me made sense. 

 

Back-Shot.

 

Remember: spreading disease and despair with a smile!

 

Edited June 11 by Redboot Giddyman

[Redboot Giddyman]

Geryon

“Feel my wrath and the wrath of the Blood God through me!”

 

One of four Word Bearers in Hades’ squad to favor a specific Chaos God over the others, Geryon chose Khorne. Though like his squad leader favoring a combination of Power Axe and Plasma Pistol, Geryon is the inverse of Hades in that he prefers using the former to the latter and also has none of Hades’ mild ability in sorcery or Psyker arts per Khorne’s hatred for such things. As with nearly all who follow the Blood God, Geryon is excessively aggressive, violent, and bloodthirsty, with only his respect for Hades reigning him in to any extent (though it probably also helps that he knows any fight between the two would end with Hades as the victor and Geryon as a corpse). Ironically given how their chosen Chaos Gods loathe each-other, Geryon and Achilles mostly stick together due to both of them being fairly unpopular with their squadmates.

 

Design Notes:

Truth be told, I find the pose with his Power Axe kind of awkward. Not sure how it happened exactly, but here we are. I still like how the mini as a whole came out, but I do wish the axe had been positioned differently. 

 

And yes, the brass parts of his armor are meant to represent his Khorne affiliation, as brass/bronze are a popular secondary color for Khorne after his trademark red. And with the Word Bearers already being red, every little bit helps. In hindsight I should have maybe also given him a Khorne Berzerker helmet too, but I might not have had one at the time. 

 

Back-shot. I kind of like that the Daemon Face decoration on his backpack now looks like a Bloodletter. Appropriate for a Khorne follower. 

 

Edited June 11 by Redboot Giddyman