The Scythes of the Emperor : A Factual History

[The Scythes]

http://www.the-scythes.com/scy_promo_dakka.jpg

 

A few months ago, when I began the Detailed modelling project, another Scythe's painter was also of the same mind. We began talking and soon realised that since 1999 (Launch of www.the-scythes.com and the first SM website registered by GW) my and his own history of The Scythes, during a wane in my work on the Sothans, had generated a swathe of rumour-milling and false truths about our favourite Chapter.

 

For the last three months, comparing my notes from years back and the broad publication resources of Falces Imperatoris (My contemporary) we have confirmed and laid out the most comprehensive history of the Scythes, righting the faux pas our combined histories have set among fellow collectors of the ill-fated Chapter. But! Little did we know the very Inquisition was already hard at work!

 

http://www.the-scythes.com/inq_desk_top2.jpg

 

We have been told this Inquisition Report by Interrogator Sandoe, delves into the background and subsequent demise of The Scythes of the Emperor Chapter. Following this, Interrogator Sandoe will release reports on rumours of a Chapter Barge led Scythe force operating on the Eastern Fringe and a rarely sighted Sothan Frigate that bears strikingly similar colours to the Scythes of old. Suffice to say, the 'interview' process was unpleasant for both myself and Falces Imperatoris.

 

These releases will be available soon as High Resolution PDFs and Low Resolution PDFs. Original artwork, accurate details, from an age old inspiration.

 

~ Sebastian.

www.the-scythes.com

Edited September 26, 2009 by The Scythes

[Sigismund Himself]

Interesting teaser, I look forward to the full release :lol:

[Brother Tyler]

Finally! :lol: I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of this.

[Commander Remiel]

Always been interested in what happened to the the Scythes.

[Messanger of Death]

Ohhh I am excited to see what you have come up with...I've actually got some Scythe heraldry on my Templars. Please don't keep us waiting too long.

 

Messanger

[The Scythes]

Thanks for your interest guys, I'm hard at work on the colour plates and the 'paintings'. I'm really pushing myself graphically speaking. It's been a pleasure working on superb imagery from my collaborator, the images have aided no end in producing great renders.

 

Currently the main art file is some 420megs. The final high quality should be around 50meg, with the low-res at about 18meg.

 

updates as I finish,

Sebastian.

[InsertCoins]

I look forward to the end result.

[Teufelskerl]

As a long time owner of an Scythes of the Emperor army, I've had an abiding interest in them, particularly with the challenges that face them in recreating a fully functioning Chapter.

 

Here is my current bibliography regarding all GW published works that have mention of the SotE:

 

White Dwarf #145, Page 37

White Dwarf #197, Page 29

White Dwarf #198, Page 22-23, 37

White Dwar #218, Page 82, 84-85

Tyranid Attacks: Rule Book, Page 9, 12, 16

Advanced Space Crusade Rule Book, Page 4, 16, 29, 38, 42, 45, 48

Codex Tyranids, 2nd Edition

BGB, Page 128

Epic Hive War Rule Book

 

I know that the SotE are mentioned in regards to the the first contact and fighting during the Damocles Gulf Crusade with the Tau, but which book I will find that portion of their history has not yet been hunted down and transcribed. Additionally, I remember mention that the SotE had contact early on with the Orks, but I haven't found where that is documented. Finally, the writings on the Lamenters being linked to to the SotE is hidden in a codex somewhere, possibly a Chapter Approved, and I have not found it yet. Everything else I have transcribed from the original documents and combined in to one master document.

 

If anyone has info that they could add to this, please do!

Edited September 20, 2009 by Teufelskerl

[Tybrus]

Man I am looking more forward to this then I did to seeing Wolvirin Orgins. At least I know this will be based on fluff and won't just make :) up as it goes like that movie. Tobad you didn't get their budget =)

[The Scythes]

Good list there indeed, similar to the one we compiled, though we may have found the articles you're thinking of, also included some more recent connections in the White Dwarf 300's. I'm finishing up this weekend, releasing this week, got to love work deadlines interfering with my fun! ;)

 

Whilst not a codex, in the least a very solid and factual background on The Scythes of the Emperor, alongside other comments all in one place on this thread looks like :)

 

Next post, the results!

 

~ Seb.

Edited September 20, 2009 by The Scythes

[clanfield]

referance to the damocles crusade is in the old tau codex not sure if its in the new one

[BrotherLoki]

I'm really looking forward to seeing this.

 

Your work on http://www.the-scythes.com/ was the main inspiration for my own Scythes army:

 

http://s290.photobucket.com/albums/ll254/p...0the%20Emperor/

 

Glad to see you've come back to the Imperial fold after your dalliances with the filthy Tau. :D

[The Scythes]

Heheh, thanks Loki :)

 

I've been getting a hankering for doing an all scout combat patrol force in the new year. The multiple pieces in the new Scout kit are just too much too resist I think.

 

Still modelling my Tau, but aiming for doing civilians and generally exploring the Tau background. Be nice for a raid scenario against a Tau commune etc.

 

Anyhow, onto the important bit!

 

I am awaiting some final commentary from Andrew to add to a couple of images I created then I shall compile and release on Saturday (late Friday for some).

 

Thanks for your encouraging feedback, I hope you enjoy the revised, official history report forthcoming!

 

best,

Sebastian.

[The Scythes]

Evening All,

 

After a couple of months of snatched spare time, Andrew and I have completed the First Edition copy of the 'Scythes of the Emperor : A Factual History'.

 

I feel we have both served our penance for the odd historical inaccuracies that have persisted among Scythes players due to our (Andrew Taylor & Myself) notoriety as collectors and players of the Scythes. Some pieces of my original history were misremembered facts and for Andrew, his fiction was so convincing many believed the very characters he created for his own collection were in fact, GW canon!

 

So, here we are. After twelve years of collecting the Scythes I think I can say, this is the most accurate history compiled to date. Fully sourced and cited from Games Workshop and affiliated publications. We have often gone with precedent facts, due to GW's penchant for some odd revisionist time line notes in recent years.

 

Presently we're offering the Low-Res format due to download constraints. We're looking for a more substantial solution before we release the High Resolution file (as it is quite large). If you would like notice on this release, please message me and I will notify you once we have secured a download site.

 

What this is not

The Scythes of the Emperor : A Factual History is not a codex or even a hobby guide. This is a several page report on the history of one of GW's most ill-fated but resilient Chapters. Please don't be upset at the lack of painting guides, tactical doctrine suggestions or house rulings. Though I have included the official colour scheme in the credits and utilised Andrew's historically accurate Marines in the artwork. However, both Andrew and I are collaborating on a new version of www.the-scythes.com, combining our collections to create a site full of all these hobby details, directly relating to the Scythes, naturally. Even more amazing, Andrew might just convince me to paint Scythes in their traditional scheme! ..I know, shocking hey?

 

What we hope

Our intention is for Space Marine collectors to explore the possibility of a Scythes force with the confidence of knowing the background with which they get inspired is accurate and presents a myriad of possible Scythe forces fighting and surviving along the Eastern Fringe. Much like my small warband of marines and Andrew's complete Scythe Company with Battlebarge, there are various ways to represent them in the 40k realm. One thing every Scythe collector can agree on, there's always going to be a lot of scouts and Tyrannic war veteran marines, but how you play them is really up to you and your hobby group.

 

The Future

This is the first edition release, new facts may come to light and even gasp! There may be errors in the release. We hope to incorporate in later editions these new addendum. If you find something we have missed, please contact us and we will cite the source and add it to the next edition with credit. Andrew and I will be working on more materials for www.the-scythes.com and future reports, the first of which is an appendix exploring our collections and divergent histories.

 

And now, feel free to download and share the following PDF file then enjoy the read :

 

 

The Scythes of the Emperor : A Factual History Report [18mb PDF]

http://www.the-scythes.com/dwnld_link.jpg

 

 

Thanks for your comments and critique over the years!

Sebastian.

Edited September 26, 2009 by The Scythes

[Bannus]

Very well done - you have a real talent there....particularly with the artwork. A good read too. I am glad to see the sources well cited (always a good thing) and not entirely "fan-fiction" as many I have seen.

 

What Chapter are you going to do next? ;)

[Skoby]

A very nice read and well presented, I certainly learnt a lot (about half the information was new to me) and it's a great acomplisment to bring all the information together and still keep it interesting and flowing as a single piece of writing. I would be tempted to make some Scythes if it wasn't for bad experiences painting yellow :D.

[Terrible_Trygon]

Tis not working for me. Could you have this as downloadable, so I can view it via Foxit Reader?

[Commander Remiel]

Tis not working for me. Could you have this as downloadable, so I can view it via Foxit Reader?

I had no problems opening and viewing it in FoxIt without having to download. Possibly something set incorrectly with your browser and/or FoxIt. You might try reinstalling FoxIt to make sure your browser does see it as a plug-in. Cannot guarantee that will resolve the issue though.

 

Alternately, if you want to download it, right click the link and select "Save Link as..." and point it to where you would like it saved.

 

Hope that helps.

[The Scythes]

Thanks Bannus, Skoby :o

 

New Chapters eh? Nope.. sticking to my Scythes, Black and Yellow all the way! ;)

 

As for painting yellow? Hmmm, well I have always painted on a white undercoat. I use bad moon yellow, then wash that with Orange (small amount) and Chestnut Brown a couple of times then highlight with a mix of Bad Moon Yellow and Bleached Bone to create a less vibrant highlight. Hope that helps.

 

This FoxIt? I haven't heard of this method of viewing, I'll look into it and see how I can accommodate it.

 

- Seb.

[Hymirl]

Very cool, but now I have to fight off the temptation to make a Sythes army of my own now.

[Ghaust Mortium]

Amzing work. I now must resist an urge to build some scythes

[brother varen]

Nice work. I have followed your work for some time now on the Scythes. I at one time tried to find out information on the Scythes only to find bits here and there. Your hard work and dedication to the Scythes have inspired me into looking into building a scythe army. Now i have a question. Are you going to include on your website pictures of diffrent Scythe armies for newly promoted Scythe commanders? Basicaly ideas as to how to create a Scythe army that goes with the fluff.

 

Why change your color scheme that you use on your Scythes? Many chapters that go through extreme hardships, usually change their color scheme to reflect loss or some battle that changed the chapter in some way. For example: Dark Angel deathwing, Novamarines changed their color scheme for some reason yet to be brought to light. Could be that the Scythes changed their color scheme to reflect the loss of a respected captain, who's healdrey was the new color that they changed to.

 

I would love to see more of your Scythes projects and army pics of both ( you and your friend). Painting advice would also be very helpful for new commanders. Maybe include some fluff on the heros/special characters of your armies. I have tried to look at your site, but believe that you are in construction. I love the thread that you have on true scale Scythes. Would love to see more on that to.

 

What advice would you give to a new Scythe commander in choosing his force/army in keeping with the fluff? What is the time period from the battle of Miral to the end times? How much of the chapter would there be now? Do we have any ideas as to what equipment, space craft, and chapter numbers there are now?

 

But in all, you've out done yourself. Truely you are one of the Emperor's finest.

[TheDarker]

As a fan of the Scythes (and the Lamenters... and Ultras... seems that i have something with unlucky Chapters and/or Chapters with something to tell to the Tyranids) i just can say thanks, and keep your amazing work coming!

[FalcesImperatoris]

I would love to see more of your Scythes projects and army pics of both ( you and your friend). Painting advice would also be very helpful for new commanders. Maybe include some fluff on the heros/special characters of your armies. I have tried to look at your site, but believe that you are in construction. I love the thread that you have on true scale Scythes. Would love to see more on that to.

 

We will probably do more of this on the website over time - but for now you can see my guys on my blog on the Warhammer Forum here:

 

http://warhammer.org.uk/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=56151

[The Scythes]

Huzzah! Welcome to Bolter and Chainsword amigo'

 

Folks, Falces is the writer of the Report, do checkout the link everyone... enjoy The Scythes as they originally were!

 

The future for the Scythes website is pretty bold and involves both our collections. I've taken it down for now to preserve some bandwidth for the Report release, though everything you have asked about shall be catered too in a revamped layout and new art direction.

 

As for painting original Scythes for me? Only an experiment on a special piece, I'll still produce my variation in future Sothans.

 

I'll be sure to update everyone on the progress of the site, and joint projects from here on out. As for showcasing the Scythes of other collectors, that's on the cards and I have a folder of work to put up in the initial Gallery release.

 

thanks for your comments and feedback,

Sebastian.

Edited September 29, 2009 by The Scythes