Index Astartes: Scions of Dorn

[Aurelius Rex]

Well it took close on five years of Development Hell but my Scions have finally got an IA posted on the B&C. Many thanks to the Ordo Literatus, especially SCC and Rogue Trader for looking at huge numbers of drafts of this thing, and thanks again for the brilliant colourplate, RT! :unsure:

 

Now everyone I have given feedback on their IA's over the years can return the favour - or alternatively this is your chance to get your own back. :blink:

 

===================

INDEX ASTARTES: SCIONS OF DORN

'THEIR WILL BE DONE'

F

ollowing the catastrophic failure of the Twenty First, or 'Cursed' Founding, elements within the Inquisition saw the need for a force willing and able to deal with the dangers of renegade Space Marine Chapters. Their response was to ensure that the first Chapter created in the Twenty Second Founding - The Scions of Dorn - was derived from the unaltered genestocks of the Crimson Fists, a Chapter renowned for their close links to the Inquisition. Provided - or some say shackled - with the finest equipment and recruits from the cream of the Schola Progenium, the new Chapter became a Chamber Militant in all but name.

Origins

T

he 36th millennium was a time of strife unrivalled since the Horus Heresy, as power-struggles within the Ecclesiarchy spilled out into Wars of Faith that engulfed whole segmenta in civil war. The Age of Apostasy came close to tearing the Imperium apart, its repercussions even extending as far as The Emperor's Throne-room on Holy Terra before its bloody conclusion. Not even the noble Space Marine Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes were immune to the strife, confusion and tragedy that marked this period in history.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Scionscolourplate.jpg

The Twenty First Founding, decreed just prior to the Age of Apostasy, saw the creation of the greatest number of new Chapters since the Second Founding. What should have been a welcome ray of hope for the beleaguered Imperium proved to be a false dawn, as Chapter after Chapter suffered spontaneous geneseed mutation, gross physical corruption, or simply disappeared without trace. The Twenty First Founding rapidly became known as the Cursed Founding.

 

Several Inquisitorial investigations were launched into the reason for this catastrophe. In each case the finger of suspicion pointed unerringly to the geneseed banks on Mars. Although walls of silence and political pressure ultimately saw each investigation fail, the belief remained that in their arrogance the Adeptus Mechanicus had manipulated the sacred geneseed of the Primarchs in a misguided attempt to improve upon it. Investigators from the Inquisitorial Fortress of Mycenae went even further. They theorised that the Magi had gone so far as to breach the wards on the stasis vaults housing the Traitor Legion geneseed, and had used the debased contents to create new Chapters.

 

Every Cursed Founding Chapter was under suspicion, but in the aftermath of a civil war, with each part of the Imperial machine warily eyeing its rivals, the wholesale destruction of apparently loyal Chapters amongst the Founding was deemed inconceivable. It was finally decided that they would be monitored, and dealt with if the need arose. This resolve was soon put to the test when the Steel Brotherhood Chapter unexpectedly arrived at the edge of the Daedalus system.

 

The Steel Brotherhood were an insular, fleet-based Chapter created during the Twenty First Founding from the Iron Hand geneline, which had accrued a formidable, if savage reputation in the short time since its creation. On arrival in the Daedalus system in the galactic east of Segmentum Solar, the fleet held station beyond the outer planets for sixty-six days. All attempts at contact and offers of assistance were met with silence until the sixty-seventh day, when the Steel Brotherhood turned their guns on the rescue vessels, and began systematically scouring the outer planets of human life. The increasingly desperate astropathic distress-calls found their way to the Inquisition Fortress-world of Mycenae, a home to each of the three main Inquisitorial Ordos, including the newly formed Ordo Hereticus. Mycenae had long been a bastion for Inquisitors of the Puritan stripe, and after their previous researches into the Cursed Founding they instantly recognised the stench of a Chapter turned renegade.

 

Pictcorder images showed that their armour was unadorned with the usual sigils associated with the Ruinous Powers, but they fought in total silence. One image showed a helmet being ripped away in combat to reveal a gleaming metallic skull rather than honest flesh and bone. It was theorised that their parent Chapter's characteristic distain for the flesh had been so heightened that the Steel Brotherhood had sought to replace their entire bodies with cogitators, steel and brass, and in the process removed all humanity and love for the Emperor.

 

Realising that the only force capable of stopping a Marine Chapter was another Marine Chapter, but with the bulk of the Grey Knights half a galaxy away on the southern rim, the call went out to nearby Chapter Masters for aid. None came. All claimed to be overstretched on current campaigns, but in truth distrust of the Inquisition, and especially the concept of fighting their own Brother-Marines must have played a part in their decisions. By the time the Inquisitors arrived at the head of a hastily assembled fleet of Imperial Navy cruisers the Steel Brotherhood had already left, but not before they had systematically exterminated all life in the Daedalus system. From the date-stamp on the scratchy orbital satellite pict-recordings, the Steel Brotherhood left the hive-world of Daedalus Minoris until last. The planetary population of four billion had paid the ultimate price for the Chapter Masters' unwillingness to act.

 

With the trail cold, the Conclave of Inquisitors debated the uncooperative attitude of the Adeptus Astartes on the long, mournful journey back to Mycenae. While the Inquisitorial Chambers Militant were theoretically theirs to command, the Grey Knights were but a single Chapter stretched impossibly thin across the whole Imperium. The Adepta Sororita, although showing promise, were still in their infancy, and with memories of their involvement in Vandire's Apostasy so fresh, some were wary of them. Another option was needed.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/EuripidesIA.jpg

+++ Datafile: Captain Draco Euripides of the Seventh Company

+++ (Deceased) - Ref. Divine Hunter 711 Gamma 9...

+++ Access denied...

Centuries later, when the High Lords of Terra ordered the creation of the Twenty Second Founding, the first Chapter listed in the Liber Militaris Sanctus was that of the Scions of Dorn. Considering that the Scions homeworld was to be the Inquisitorial Fortress-world of Mycenae, it was a testament to the machinations of the original Conclave, and those who followed it, that no note of objection, or even a questioning eyebrow was raised at this unusual turn of events.

 

The new Chapter was created from the genestock of Rogal Dorn, carefully scrutinised to ensure it was free of the kind of manipulation that had so marred the previous Founding. However, while the Imperial Fists are officially classed in the Liber Militaris Sanctus as their Primogenitors, the geneseed used to create the Scions of Dorn came from that tithed by the Crimson Fists, a Chapter already renowned for their close links to the Inquisition. To further cement this relationship, the Crimson Fists were given the honour of supplying a cadre of experienced Marines who became the new Chapter Master and his senior officers.

 

The honour of training the fledgling Chapter, as well as ensuring that it followed in the philosophical footprints of its 'Parent' was given to Captain Vasquez, who became the Scions' inaugural Chapter Master. When the time came to repaint their armour in the shining, lacquered deep green of their new Chapter the veteran Marines elected to keep both gauntlets crimson. They did this considering it disrespectful to the spirit of the armour to completely obscure its original colours, and also as a palpable mark of respect to their Crimson Fist heritage. This quirk was passed on to all new Scions of Dorn, so that even scouts bear two red gauntlets.

 

While Chapters often recruit directly from their homeworlds, this is not possible for the Scions of Dorn, as Inquisitorial decree prohibits all except Astartes and Inquisition personnel from setting foot on Mycenae soil. Another common method is to draw aspirants from worlds where humanity has regressed to a savage and technologically backwards state, or to select warriors based on gladiatorial contests. From their inception the Scions eschewed such haphazard methods, instead recruiting predominantly from within the Schola Progenium. These schools, run by the missionaries of the Ministorum, raise the orphans of Imperial officials who gave their lives in the service of the Emperor. The unremitting regime of physical, mental and spiritual training makes these institutions prime recruiting grounds for commissars and Inquisitorial storm-troopers, but in the East of Segmentum Solar the very brightest and best prospects are summoned to Mycenae.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Plascan1IA.jpg

Ryza pattern plasma weaponry is used

almost exclusively by the Scions of Dorn

Throughout their history the Scions' contacts with the Inquisition have ensured that only the finest and most disciplined young Primaris Psykers are chosen for training as Librarians. In the main these are prodigies found in the course of Inquisitorial investigations, but on occasion particularly promising candidates have been removed from Black Ships en-route to the Scholastia Psykana.

 

Along with the highest quality recruits the Mycenae Conclave has always ensured that a copious supply of arms and materiel flows into the Scions' forges from the nearby Forgeworld of Ryza. Freed from the necessity of producing the basic equipment needed by the Chapter, the Masters of the Forges have instead been able to direct their Techmarines and Artificers energies into producing and maintaining the finest possible wargear for their Battle Brothers. The Techno-Magi of Ryza are renowned for their understanding of arcane mysteries of plasma weaponry, and these insights have proved invaluable to the Chapter over the millennia.

 

Nothing happens rapidly in the Imperium, and the creation of a new Space Marine Chapter is no exception. Carefully and painstakingly the Scions grew in strength, participating first in squad and then company level operations. Yet in spite of the aid given to hone the Chapter into the finest possible weapon there was still a detachment, or distance, between the Scions and the Inquisitors, with edicts being passed down from on high and the Astartes expected to carry them out.

 

Finally, more than four decades after their founding, the word went out that the Steel Brotherhood fleet had been sighted. Despite not yet being at full strength, Chapter Master Vasquez ordered that the entire Chapter be mobilised.

 

 

The Battle for Xerxes

B

efore the Chapter left Mycenae, Vasquez assembled every Scion in the grand hall of their Fortress-Monastery and led them all in an oath of dedication. The slaughter perpetrated by the Steel Brotherhood was in effect the reason for the Chapter's creation, and in the decades since their founding, hatred for the renegade Chapter had become ingrained in the Scions' psyche. With Vasquez's passionate oratory echoing in their hearts the Scions broke orbit, determined that Xerxes would not suffer the same fate as the Daedalus system. The campaign was to be more than just a rite of passage. It would also irrevocably alter the relationship between the young Chapter and the Inquisitors of the Mycenae Conclave.

 

Over the centuries the Steel Brotherhood had been implicated in the destruction of scores of ships and isolated planets, systematically exterminating all life and leaving before a counter-strike could arrive. However, Xerxes, like Daedalus, was a populous system within reach of Mycenae and with Emperor-favoured warp-tides the fleet arrived a week after the first astropathic distress call. The journal of Brother-Sergeant Aeschylus of the fifth company is recognised as being the best surviving account of the campaign, but is not alone in expressing a tension between the Chapter and the Mycenae Conclave:

 

'The agonisingly slow course in-system caused much disquiet amongst the men, who had seen the Steel Brotherhood fleet in orbit above Xerxes Mons and were eager to avenge the destruction of the outer colonies. I must admit to sharing their incredulity at the ship adaptations and course the Inquisition had imposed upon us, but it undoubtedly worked. Whatever their savants had been able to divine from the previous raids made us invisible to the augers of the Steel Brotherhood fleet.'

 

Boarding actions are notoriously bloody affairs but surprise, and a notable lack of opposition, saw the entire renegade fleet taken before serious resistance could be mounted. Only a few of the silent, severely augmented Steel Brotherhood Astartes were present; the remainder were planet-side, taking their sport with the population. The most numerous threats the Scions faced in taking the fleet were, in the words of Aeschylus: 'grotesque servitor-beasts who threw themselves at us, mechadendrites flailing, with daemonic intent.' Even the representatives of the Adeptus Mechanicus there to oversee the reclamation of the rogue fleet were sickened by the perverse melding of flesh and steel, both in the servitors and the ships themselves. The only response from the accompanying Inquisitorial vessel was to order the bodies to be shipped across for a more comprehensive examination.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/AssaultmarineIA.jpg

+++ Datafile: Brother Verren

+++ Ref. Squad Pallas

+++ Additional: Apollyon Mk. 4

While the boarding parties claimed the renegade fleet, bombardment cannon and lance-strikes incinerated any Steel Brotherhood Thunderhawks that revealed themselves while preparing to launch. Only with the renegade airpower grounded did the Scions make planet-fall, but it was clear that they had arrived too late. The continent-wide urban sprawl was littered with flayed corpses and bodies melted into machinery, while innumerable hordes of the daemonic servitor-beasts stalked the pitiful survivors. Xerxes Mons was a planet in its death-throes, leaving Vasquez's oath of protection ringing tragically hollow. It had become a matter of how many thousands could be saved, and to seek out and destroy every last renegade on the planet.

 

The Scions threw themselves into their grim task wholeheartedly. While the bulk of the Chapter searched for survivors and their tormentors, the fifth and sixth companies secured the main spaceport. Aeschylus tells of the desperate running battles fought to buy time for the evacuation, with refugees and wounded crammed into intra-system ships ready for the flight to safety on Xerxes Taal; the last remaining planet in the system. Across the planet the story was the same, as wave after wave of the flailing servitor creatures were herded into battle by silent renegades adorned in distinctively chevronned steel and black power armour.

 

Despite the seemingly numberless hordes of servitor-beasts and the murderous urban terrain the Scions felt that they were slowly winning the war, especially with the benefits of airpower support and the use of judicious orbital bombardments. Their confidence turned to anger when the Mycenae Inquisitors finally broke their silence. Their stark edict was that the Scions must withdraw and return to the fleet: Xerxes Mons was to be cleansed by Exterminatus within the hour. Such a high-handed decree, without explanation or context, went against everything to which the Chapter had pledged itself.

 

Needless to say the Scions were extremely reluctant to leave their vow unfulfilled, but despite many unheeded protests the appointed time saw their Thunderhawks lift off along with the small flotilla of refugee transports. At this the Inquisition ship again handed down a communiqu

Edited June 12, 2007 by Aurelius Rex

[Darrell]

Very well-written, Aurelius! This is definitely a masterpiece work, and though it's quite lengthy, I suggest it as reading to those who want to know how an Index Astartes article should be written for a DIY Chapter (Along with the Castigators). There is a lot here that develops the Chapter, most of which is very subtle (Such as the heavy presence of the Apollyon Chainsword), and adds a lot of depth to the army. I -REALLY- like their recruitment; recruiting from the Ministorum seems like such an obvious choice for a Space Marine Chapter, but I had never thought about it before.

 

Definitely some awesome work here, AR. It might have taken five years to fine-tune, but I'll be the first on the Liber (And take pride in doing so) that it was well worth the effort and wait.

 

My only problem with the article is the stigma of one Astartes Chapter fighting another; I've never heard of such an issue before this IA. Space Marines fighting Space Marines, while perhaps not always in the best interest of the Imperium, has always been a part of the 40K fluff I've read. Where did you get this stigma idea? I first thought it was odd when no one would be willing to come to stop the Steel Brotherhood from scorching an entire system, but then things like the Angels of Absolution stopping the Scions from arresting a renegade Space Marine also seemed odd. It sounds a lot like the "blue wall" you often hear about with police organizations, but I had never heard of a "power armored wall" for Space Marines.

 

The 250 year age flaw is also odd; I wonder what happened to their geneseed that created such a mutation. I'm more curious about why you included it. There's nothing necessarily wrong with it, however from my reading most Chapters may have men spending 200 years as a Sergeant before being promoted to Captain, or from Marine to Veteran Sergeant, or what have you. Only living 250 years would mean that promotions in the Scions of Dorn would be relatively quick, and short-lived, compared to other Chapters. Most players want to extend their Marines' lives ala the Blood Angels. What made you want to cut your Marines' lives short? Again, nothing is wrong with the idea, it's just something I'd be curious to know more about.

 

Definitely a wonderful article, Aurelius. I admit I was a bit scared of the length at first (Normally anything written this long for an IA is filled with a lot of unnecessary information that I have to wade through), but it was well worth the read. I definitely suggest this IA as reading; if you don't feel like sitting in front of the comp, print it off and read it in bed, in the bathroom, or while sitting in the doctor's office. Absolutely worth it, I promise.

 

Good job, AR. Is this an army you actually plan on painting and playing, or just an idea you wanted to get down on paper?

[utilityzero]

i will say this, after having read through this and the castigator's IA, it's much harder to comment on something that seems as complete as this. primarily because of how developed individual ideas and themes are. for example, it's always been a taboo to make a chapter which essentially takes the place of one of the other chambers militant, but that would mean completely reworking this chapter, and as it is, they don't really fill the role of one of the other big three, they're just sort of like Crimson Fists who have come out of the closet about where they stand with the Inq.

 

i have to agree, the 250 year thing is weird and if anything should have been worked into their fluff more completely. most chapters probably wouldn't even bother considering a marine as a veteran until he's got about two centuries of service to look back on so how does that affect your chapter. i'm not saying that it can't be worked around or that it doesn't fit, you just should have added more to that particular section or worked it in somewhere else. as it is, it feels a little thrown in there.

 

but i disagree with Darrel's thing about astartes fighting one another. nearly all the sources i've read have made it clear that chapters normally give one another a pretty wide bearth and look at how many chapters went renegade with the Red Corsairs (can't remember their original name) to protest the way the inquisition was treating them. a chapter of marines is answerable to very few and i don't think another chapter would want to infringe upon the freedom of another, because that just makes it easier for it to happen to them as well.

 

by the way, what is an Apollyon pattern chainsword, and are they produced by the chapter or on Ryza?

[Aurelius Rex]

Well I am glad you have enjoyed the article. :D There are plenty of points but I will try to address a few of them now, and more later.

 

The genesis of the Scions came when I got back into 40K in 2000 after years of Warhammer, epic 40K and Battlefleet Gothic. I have liked the Crimson Fists ever since the first release of Rogue Trader in the mid 1980's and that mixed into the development process along with the awareness that a lot of marine Chapters at the time, both DIY and GW, (Dark Angels in particular) seemed to seriously distrust the Inquisition. In the spirit of the road less travelled might at least yield an original aspect on the Astartes, and the obscure piece of Crimson Fist background from the 1999 Games Day program about the Crimson Fists being close to the Inquisition and had even exterminated two Brother Chapters on their orders, I had a core to work with.

 

Going on the basis that if I was going to do a successor to the Crimson Fists, they should have both something in common with them, while being distinctly different - I didn't want to just paint a carbon-copy of a GW Chapter with a different colourscheme I took that particular aspect of their parent chapter and focussed on it, seeing how working closely with the Inquisition would effect every aspect of the Chapter's character and history. I have always been of the opinion that if you can theme your DIY Chapter then it will be more rewarding to read, and indeed to write, emerging as an organic whole rather than a collection of random idiosyncracies and deviations from the Codex Astartes.

 

On the positive side the Chapter would be favoured with all the advantages that power could bring with regard to recruits, materiel and covert intelligence, but also cursed with near pariah status, with some of your brother Chapters remembering the four Chapters the Scions have exterminated and thinking they have loyalties closer to the Inquisition than to the Astartes community. Given the secrets the Unforgiven keep, I can see them getting very defensive and even aggressive at the sight of a Scions Strike-Force in their vicinity.. Especially if they were hunting a fallen 'renegade marine' at the time. :P Another disadvantage is the danger of Inquisitorial infighting... Reading between the lines it could be supposed that the Crimson Fists may have been victims of this, with Codex: Assassins linking the missile malfunction that destroyed their Fortress-Monastery to an Assassin behind the grassy knoll... Being much more in the front line the Scions have come a cropper of this with the Temple of Celestial Night. Not all Inquisitors are as puritan as the ones in the Mycenae Inquisitorial Fortress. :blush:

 

@Darrell - I have not heard of the 'Blue Wall' before - is it the idea that police officers don't like or trust 'Internal Affairs'? (Although I am sure that if they know corrupt cops they would hate them too.) As Utilityzero has mentioned, some loyalist chapters (lamenters?) got caught up with the renegade Astral Claws more through mistaking the actions as an unjustified attacks on an apparently loyal Chapter. Given the suspicion of the Inquisition I could see the Chapter Masters not wanting to get involved, but being horrified at the actions of the Steel Brotherhood when the full story comes out.

 

Lunchtime is running out, but on the subject of the short lifetime, it was one of the earliest things I wanted to add to the character of the chapter, and tried to weave it in with the Honoured dreadnoughts. It came partly from seeing a lot of DIY's with very long lived marines, even without BA geneseed, and the thought of what would happen if a Chapter had much shorter lifetimes seemed to be an original idea to investigate. I will look into seeing if I can improve the section and tie it in better, but I was leaving it's origins mysterious and get people speculating on the reasons for it... Is it due to something else in their background? Only I know for sure, (or do I?) and I ain't telling. :)

 

I will post some more later, including pics of Scions minis... Some with those Apollyon pattern chainswords. :huh:

[Aurelius Rex]

More...

 

The Apollyon pattern chainsword has never been mentioned in official GW sources - they are entirely my own creation. The intention is that the pattern is one of the many adopted by the Adeptus Mechanicus, but in practice the Scions Chapter Forges are the only ones who see it as a viable option on a large scale. (Think of it as the difference between an Aston-Martin DB9 and a Ford Focus... Both get from A to B, but one costs 10 times more than the other! :D ) Other chapters can make them, but most would rather produce a power weapon in the same time. :o

 

Anyway, the pics! I really have to take some proper pictures of the new Assault and Devastator squads, so until then some of these are WIPs, and others are old pics of the Scions.

 

Captain Aurelius of the second Company

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/HQ/CaptainAurelius.jpg

 

 

Captain Icarus of the 8th Assault Company

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/HQ/Icarus2.jpg

 

Honoured Valerius of the First Company

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Elites/HonouredValerius.jpg

 

 

Sergeant Golgotha (of the Legio Bolter & Chainsword) with Apollyon Mk.6 chainsword... Who went on to appear in Planetfall: Alcmene and the Legio counterstrike AoD...

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/HQ/GolgothaBC.jpg

 

 

Scout Garvan from the recent Resurrection competition

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Troops/Pose1.jpg

Edited December 5, 2007 by Barret

[Darrell]

Nice background material for how the idea came into being, and very nice models! Really like the Dreadnought, and Captain Icarus is both beautiful and well-named. The Scout about to shotgun the zombie in the face is awesome, and Captain Aurelius has an awesome pistol (Silly name though ^_^). I guess I like them all!

 

The "Blue Wall" is a term given to the tendency for police to "circle the wagons" so to speak. Whenever Internal Affairs comes around to ask questions about a police officer, everyone gets real tight-lipped. Police are notorious for looking out for their own, because they believe other people don't understand what they go through every day, and the kind of quick decisions they are forced to make. How could some IA twerp know what it's like to have a perp go for his pocket and you have a second to decide whether he's going for his license or his magnum. That's why such investigations are very difficult, because officers aren't very willing to cooperate with others to see one of their own strung up for making a hard choice that any of them could have been forced to make.

 

That's why I made the parrallel to the Space Marines, sounds like a similar case to me. It is not limited to their distrust of Internal Affairs (District Attorneys and the like are just as suffering for it), but it is a common example.

[utilityzero]

ohhhh... now i see. is it double length or like one and half? i almost feel like i should have one now ^_^

 

i'm assuming you're not trying to add anything rules-wise, right? it's just something to set your guys apart? it's sort of like a cross between a standard chainsword and an eviscerator when you think about it.

 

the 'blue wall' applies to any job where there's a publicly known over-sight method. look at the military or the gaming industry. no one trusts the ESRB, even though they do alot to keep other people from getting to involved in the process.

 

and this is nothing against your or anything, but that shotgun the scout is holding looks ridiculous. it's way too big. i mean, you can't help how is was molded (unless you made that thing from scratch) but... wow, it looks so big in his little hand. but the zombie looks like he's about to put his lips around the barrel so it's all cool... i forgive you.

Edited November 16, 2006 by utilityzero

[Nine_Breaker]

I did a speed read over your lengthly IA: Scions and really liked what I saw! However, I'm short on time at the moment so I'm gonna have to print it out for a closer look. I'll be back in awhile to bring up any problems I see and give a more complete evaluation. Until then "patience young grasshoper." :P

[Aurelius Rex]

ohhhh... now i see. is it double length or like one and half? i almost feel like i should have one now :P

 

i'm assuming you're not trying to add anything rules-wise, right? it's just something to set your guys apart? it's sort of like a cross between a standard chainsword and an eviscerator when you think about it.

 

I think the standard astartes chainsword has about 15 teeth visible, but the Apollyon mark 4 models I chop and pin have 19 teeth visible, and the Mark 6's have about 21 teeth visible. If you look hard you can count them to make sure. That makes the blade about one third to a half as long again, which is noticably different and hopefully looks flashy and characterful rather than ridiculously over the top. If you do make an Apollyon then promise to post the pictures and flag them with me as I would be interested to see your take on them. :jaw:

 

I am not trying to make new rules for them; in game terms they are just chainswords, even if they are really effective ones. (Hehe, making up new rules for your chapter is not the same as originality. :P )

 

 

From what has been explained about the Blue Wall it seems like a good real-world psychological example of the resentment against the Scions and explaining why the Chapter Masters didn't want to intervene originally against the Steel Brotherhood, which is fine by me. ;)

 

and this is nothing against your or anything, but that shotgun the scout is holding looks ridiculous. it's way too big. i mean, you can't help how is was molded (unless you made that thing from scratch) but... wow, it looks so big in his little hand. but the zombie looks like he's about to put his lips around the barrel so it's all cool... i forgive you.

 

Hehe, I have to blame the GW sculpters for the awesomely huge size of the shotguns. :D I just had my mind set on doing a homage to Ash in the Evil Dead series, with a scout taking on the zombie hordes with shotgun and chainsaw - er, I mean chainsword. :D

 

@ Nine Breaker - Good to see you made it here. Remembering the quality of your Dark Hands IA article I would be interested in your thoughts. :)

[Nine_Breaker]

<cough cough>

[Aurelius Rex]

Thanks for the feedback, Nine. I am glad you enjoyed it. Here was what was going through my head on the sections you highlighted - I will bear all this feedback in mind when I come to overhaul it in the future. :)

 

By the time the Inquisitors arrived at the head of a hastily assembled fleet of Imperial Navy cruisers the Steel Brotherhood had already left, but not before they had systematically exterminated all life in the Daedalus system. From the date-stamp on the scratchy orbital satellite pict-recordings, the Steel Brotherhood left the hive-world of Daedalus Minoris until last. The planetary population of four billion had paid the ultimate price for the Chapter Masters

[Heru]

It may just be me, but it just seems kind of unrealistic to say that a Chapter, even if they are composed of uber-killing-machines, could take down an entire system by itself without taking a bloody long time. Considering every planet has a PDF of some sort, this system seemed to have a few settled planets and a hive-world was included, its seems very likely that the Steel Brotherhood would be outnumbered and outgunned many times over. I

[Aurelius Rex]

@ Heru Talon - Thanks. I am glad it inspired you but I certainly don't want to put you off writing the masterwork IA for your chapter. :) I have not specified when the Steel Brotherhood developed the Technovirus analogue. At the time of the Daedalus attack they had only just gone overtly rogue, although they had already investigated severe bionic augmentation from the video footage. They certainly seemed to have developed it by their attack on the Xerxes system, but that was many centuries later.

 

A cyborg has to have a hobby I suppose. :)

[Heru]

I'm actually kind of suprised you didn't limit your Apollyon pattern chainswords to your Veteran Sergeants and such (Master-crafted Close Combat weapon)...

[Aurelius Rex]

You know I thought about ways to differentiate the Apollyon chainsword, but nothing seemed to really fit.

 

I considered having the trait that allows furious charge for the assault squads and veterans with mark 4 Apollyons - the extra strength and speed being explained by the weapon, but I was never completely happy with it. I also wondered about classing mk 6 apollyons as master crafted, but then they could only be taken by veteran sergeants - if I am paying the points for a vet sergeant I may as well go the whole hog and give them a powerswprd or powerfist and be done with it - and I wanted to give the normal sergeants something characterful and distinctive. Also, paying for mastercrafting on a CCW? Exorbitant! I reckon that Master crafting should cost (for example) the same again as the cost of the weapon that is being upgraded rather than a flat fee... It would make MC CCW a viable option, and make MC TH or PF more costly rather than them being the relative bargain they are now. :rolleyes:

 

But that is another thread completely. :P

 

So yes, it would be characterful to make Mk 6's master crafted, but it doesn't seem a viable option under the current ruleset. :P

[The_Chaplain]

Wow, that was a great read! I hope to write an IA article that is as good as this. Just...wow.

[Superknijn]

Fantastic article! :D

[Aurelius Rex]

Devastator Squad Tinaeus from the Ninth Reserve Company

 

This particular squad (combat squad at the moment) comes from the Ninth Reserve Devastator Company, and by tradition the first squad is armed exclusively with plasma cannons from the nearby Forge World of Ryza. This arrangement allows their brutal firepower to be assigned to support Scions' Strike-Forces that are likely to need it, something that has proved exceedingly useful in their battles against the Traitor Legions and renegade Astartes.

 

Brother-Sergeant Tinaeus has led the squad with distinction since the purging of the rogue Order Encarmine marine Chapter in 970.M41. He and his squad was responsible for neutralising the counter-attack by renegade Terminator squads at the conclusion of the conflict. Note the customisations by the Chapter's Artificers to his power armour, and the Inquisitorial Honours affixed to his left leg armour for services to the Mycenae Conclave.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Heavy%20Support/SergeantTinaeus.jpg

 

The Forge World of Ryza is renowned for its knowledge of the arcane mysteries of magnetic containment and plasma weaponry, resulting in an unsurpassed degree of reliability and accuracy.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Heavy%20Support/Plascan1.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Heavy%20Support/Plascan2.jpg

 

The high rate of fire that is often required on the battlefield frequently necessitates that members of the squad carry additional photonic hydrogen fuel flasks for the plasma cannons. Because of the volatile nature of these flasks the containment units are heavily armoured, magnetically shielded from the hazards of the batttlefield and anointed with sacred oils by the tech-adepts of the Chapter.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Heavy%20Support/loader1.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Heavy%20Support/bolter1.jpg

[Ferrata]

Well, I finally got around to reading this article (its not my fault, it takes a lot of motivation to read something this long and not get distracted by shiney objects). There isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said. I would praise Rex for his work, but we don't want his ego to grow any bigger :) There is only one weakness in the entire article for me, the Steel Brotherhood. Everytime I read the name it just interupted the flow of the article for me, like it wasn't quite right. I know the struggle you had coming up with a metal name, but I think this one falls short.

[Aurelius Rex]

@ Ferrata - Well you should have heard the ones I rejected! :blink: Steel Brotherhood will do until I find a better name, but as they are all D-E-D dead it is low in the to-do list.

[Aurelius Rex]

Heroes of the Chapter

Assault Squad Pallas - 8th Company

T

he eighth Assault Company is the place that marines are first trained in the use of the prized mark 4 Apollyon chainswords, a pattern used almost exclusively by the Scions of Dorn. The opportunity to wield an Apollyon in combat is highly sought-after, and the sergeants of the Assault Company are meticulous in ensuring the marines that eventually pass into the Battle Company assault squads are worthy to carry their blades.

+++ Datafile: Sergeant Ephran Pallas - Eighth Company
+++ Ref: Apollyon mk. 6

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Fast%20Attack/SergeantPallasIA.jpg

Among these sergeants, Ephran Pallas has elevated the instruction of the Apollyon to the point of obsession. Under his fastidious and inspired tutelage the Scions in his charge rapidly gain an innate understanding of the idiosyncrasies and intricacies of the blade, extracting maximum advantage from the enhanced reach and rotation speed, while compensating for it's slightly greater weight. When not with his Company, Sergeant Pallas is often found stalking the halls of the Chapter's Forges, subtly terrorising the artificers to ensure that the weaponry they supply is worthy of his marines. Among the tech-adepts of the Forges there are few more devastating sights than the disdainfully raised eyebrow of Sergeant Pallas when inspecting their handiwork.

Chapter legend has it that he is unmatched in the Chapter in the use of the Apollyon, and that he has the ear of the Chapter Master when it comes to deciding if a sergeant is to be granted the honour of bearing one of the rare and priceless mark 6 Apollyons. Yet despite this, he has remained the sergeant of the second squad of a Reserve Company for more than two centuries. Some say that it is due to his obsessive focus on the Apollyon preventing him from gaining the wider vision required for higher office, but most believe that he has found his ideal position in life, and has stubbornly refused transfers and offers of promotion to follow his vocation of training his brother Astartes in the Way of the Blade.



Yes, I know that gamewise he would be better off with a bp than a ccw, but that kind of goes against the background. I would rather paint a pleasing mini than have an optimised gaming one. :huh:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Fast%20Attack/PallasApollyon1IA.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Fast%20Attack/PallasApollyon2IA.jpg

Considering Pallas' obsession with the Apollyon I can only speculate what this guy did to be assigned a flamer instead! :blink:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Fast%20Attack/Pallasflamer.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Fast%20Attack/PallasApollyonBionics.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v732/AureliusRex/Scions%20of%20Dorn/Fast%20Attack/PallasApollyon3.jpg Edited December 5, 2007 by Barret

[Barret]

Among the tech-adepts of the Forges there are few more devastating sights than the disdainfully raised eyebrow of Sergeant Pallas when inspecting their handiwork

 

That's...awesome. I really like the characterization of Sergeant Pallas, for some reason. He's not a world-shattering hero, but memorable and believable. :blink: He reminds me of the Drill Sergeant in Starship Troopers (the book, naturally).

 

The paint job and the swords are great, and, I think, do a good job of showing how well-equipped they are. After all, it takes time and dedication to polish armour up like that. :huh:

 

 

Cheers,

 

Barret

Edited November 27, 2006 by Barret

[NemFX]

I like the idea, I like the extended chainswords and I like how you find ways to justify using plasma (though I'd personally tell my Ultras to keep their distance..) but one thing struck me when I was reading, and I think you might be interested..

 

 

Why don't dreadnaughts have chainsword fingers? Seriously, the hands they have are crap, but the chainswords would pull the enemies closer if they get caught. Plus, it'd be awfully imposing to fight that. Maybe if you are making them another dread you might consider that? :blush:

 

Also, when was it that you can change around dreads? I don't think I've ever seen one with a twin linked heavy bolter, and cyclone missiles.. I've seen dreads with missiles, but maybe I've just missed out on the info since I don't own any..?

[Commissar Molotov]

As I understand, Valerius used to be armed with twin heavy bolters and a missile launcher. Aurelius modified the Dreadnought to look aesthetically like a Terminator with Cyclone Missile Launcher. I've always loved Honoured Valerius; it's certainly always been one of my favourite Scions models, simply because it oozes character. I imagine the easy fix in 4th Edition would be to say that Valerius is equipped with an Assault Cannon and Missile Launcher.

[ras josh]

youre on the ball brother!! that is a sweet batch of fluff if ive ever read some....kinda puts mine in the back burner right now as i think i want to be able to take it to that level.!!!

many thanks, love the dread man!!! that is one of the best conversions i think ive ever seen, great jobo on that