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The Severed Angels


Dammeron

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Since the advent of the new Chaos Codex, I've been heavily inspired to re-create my classic Slaanesh warband, the Severed Angels. Background wise, they are rather unusual, in that they serve as allies for my Dark Eldar Haemonculi coven, the Tattered Veil. Though Eldar in general tend to despise Slaanesh, the Tattered Veil do not; rather, they regard Slaanesh as the ultimate expression of their race's inspirations, referring to Him/Her/It as "The Living Art." They also do not demonstrate the same contempt for "lesser" species that their fellow Eldar do; rather than regarding species such as humanity as cattle, they regard them as children, whom it is their responsibility to raise and enlighten in the ways of transcending the flesh; making it a medium of art.

 

The Severed Angels themselves are an offshoot of the Emperor's Children legion, who were lost shortly before the legion threw in its lot with Horus and descended into Slaanesh worship. Taken by the Veil whilst investigating the disappearance of an entire Imperial civilisation alongside a small force of Thousand Sons, they were "re-educated" in the labyrinth-dimension the Veil inhabit within their own hermetically sealed pocket of the Webway, eventually emerging in time to take part in the assault on Terra alongside their fellows.

 

Transformed by their experiences in both body and soul, they embraced a philosophy of total transgression, believing that the evolution of humanity and consciousness in general can only come about through conscious transgression of proscribed parameters. In their eyes, this applies to flesh and thought as much as it does to deed, culture, morality etc. Therefore, extremes of state; moments of incredible pain, despair, epiphany, ecstasy etc are all means by which consciousness may test its own parameters, coming closer to the state of utter divinity embodied by Slaanesh.

 

 

*By the by, forgive me for the quality of these images; I'm getting used to a new camera received for Christmas (not that photography is really my craft of choice anyway :jaw: ).

 

 

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0021_zpsa6df4a5a.jpg

 

 

First up, some Possessed; the Oneirohihm; Children of Dreams. It is part of the Severed Angel's recruitment philosophy that all who are inducted into their brotherhood must first realise their own abstract state within the Warp. This consists of many, many months (often years) of ritual debauchery and self mutilation, in which they cultivate a daemonic echo within Warp space. The true test of their comprehension is bringing this echo to full sentience, then reaching a condition whereby they can go to meet it within their own dreaming fugues, recognising their own essential selves. Some are so overwhelmed by this experience, so utterly enraptured by their abstract states, that they bond with them in a perverse marriage of daemon and mortal. Unlike other Possessed, there is no distinction between possessor and possessed; the two sentiences merge as one, becoming a thing of protean flesh and perfect soul. Many do not survive the process, their flesh expiring whilst their abstract states retreat to the Warp. For those that do, there is a place amongst the Oneirohihm; a most select and exclusive fraternity.

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0022_zps2e587a5d.jpg

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0016_zps33490335.jpg

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0024_zps08042424.jpg

 

Malahyde, known as The Surgeon amongst his followers; once a devotee of the Tattered Veil's flesh-craft, utterly obsessed with the patterns and configurations flesh could be put to, he eventually reached a point whereby his own flesh had become so utterly warped and modified, he could barely stand, let alone bring the Severed Angel's enlightenment to others. As such, his servants created for him a part mechanical, part flesh vessel, through which he could still experience the delights of unnecessary surgery:

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0029_zps84e08182.jpg

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0030_zps00047fa8.jpg

 

http://s1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/?action=view&current=DSCF0033_zps823077d8.jpg

 

 

As you can see, Malahyde isn't finished yet; there's still alot of green stuff work to do. The various bio-mechanical details sculpted into his carapace are based off of H.R. Giger designs.

 

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0035_zps2b572bb1.jpg

 

 

An Aspiring Champion of the Severed Angels. As you can see, bodily modification is taken to the utmost extreme with these chaps:

 

 

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0041_zpsfcdaeb02.jpg

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0043_zpsa5390b3d.jpg

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0051_zpsb78650fa.jpg

 

 

 

 

The Pearlescent Spire; all that remains of a chapter specifically created to hunt down and chastise the most egregious violators of the Imperial Creed. Conditioned to be the ultimate hunters, they took extreme pride in their reputation as being inescapable; tracking quarry across entire galaxies before bringing them to heel.

 

A number of engagements alongside other chapters, most notably the Imperial Fists, brought their tactics into question, when it was observed that, not only did they routinely engage in certain pre and post battle rituals that the Fists considered "unwholesome," but that they would often "toy" with their prey; allowing them to escape or believe that escape was possible before bringing them to ground.

 

The Chapter was declared excommunicate after a series of engagements with Eldar raiders in which, it seemed to their allies, both Eldar and Space Marine took unhealthy pleasure in baiting and sparring with one another, the constant feints, counter-feints, chases and sparring matches seeming like a game or theatrical show, much to the distress and suffering of the planet's human settlers.

 

Harried half way across the galaxy, the Spire found themselves prey for the first time in their existence. Lacking any means of operating as such, they were quickly bled to the point of extinction, until a chance encounter with the same Eldar whose sport had led them to their disgrace allowed them sanctuary in Slaanesh's own gardens. There, they found steeds to ride and quarry to hunt throughout eternity. The thrill of the hunt would never end for them, nor would they ever be prey to their former brother's judgements.

 

 

In game terms, they are simply bikers of Slaanesh with an Icon of Excess.

 

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0015_zps062e1e75.jpg

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0013_zps54dd196f.jpg

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This is easily the most chaosy army I've seen in a long time. Covering a Space Marine in spikes, human trophies and jagged weapons is plenty evil looking, but these guys have the true property of chaos unleashed with what are plainly horrific mutations, almost 100% asymmetrical poses and shapes, lord knows what growing out of god knows where...

 

It's perversely and properly Chaos. I hope the painting lives up to the modeling.

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Holy mother of Chaos. That is inspired. Some of the coolest ideas ever. I love the body modification aspect to Slaaneshi CSMs, but not all the sexual connotations, and you've captured what I think is best about Slaanesh, and indeed Chaos in general. Looking forward to seeing some paint on these beauties!
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I've always had mixed feelings about followers of Slaanesh for various reasons, but this army is something...right.

 

Looking forward to seeing more :tu:

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First of all, many thanks indeed for the encouragement; I don't have as much time to work on my minis as I'd like, but it's certainly something I enjoy greatly. With the Severed Angels, I really wanted to demonstrate how a Slaanesh army could be as idiosyncratic and distinct as its Khorne or Nurgle equivalents. I've always preconceived Slaanesh and his followers as somewhat Clive Barker-ian in nature; all about transgressing proscribed parameters, and that is where the central theme of this army came from. I'll post a more detailed background as and when I have time; suffice to say, it is rather long and elaborate.

 

In the meantime, here are some more bits and pieces I'm currently working on:

 

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0088_zpsa851ff83.jpg

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0089_zps9c86eb95.jpg

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0090_zps32d9d135.jpg

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0091_zps582450bf.jpg

 

Aha, clearly not of the Severed Angels, this chappy was originally part of my 3.5 Death Guard army. Named "Sniffles" by my regular opponent, he fell out of service with the advent of 4.0, when he became just a generic Greater Daemon, which annoyed me greatly, considering the amount of time I spent making him particularly "unclean."

 

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0095_zps5a9f2c62.jpg

 

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0096_zps97030e1a.jpg

 

The head is sculpted from green stuff, with gribbly mouth extrusions made from goblin giant spider legs. I dislike the more recent head for the Great Unclean One set, so I set about creating something a little more Lovecraftian in nature.

 

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0092_zps68d0504a.jpg

 

Details of Sniffle's back. There are about six layers of paint on this guy; I have a tendency to be rather obsessive with this sort of thing; I keep going and going until I feel it's somehow "right." The flesh took a long, long time to get the desired effect, and is rather tricky to achieve, unless you have a day or two to spare :P

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0098_zpsf4e00312.jpg

 

 

Plague Zombie Tau protecting their "Daddy."

 

 

 

Right, back to the Severed Angels, this time with a W.I.P piece from the Flesh Forges:

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0099_zpsb2a332d9.jpg

 

A Flesh Forge slave, given the honour of riding a certain daemonic beasty into battle. A certain prevalent sub-cult within the Severed Angels have an abiding obsession with the engineering of flesh into different forms. Utilising the forbidden arts and technology of their Haemonculi tutors, as well as the sorcery of their Slaaneshi overlords, they labour within the Flesh Forges, creating engines of living, biological matter and daemonic sentience.

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0101_zps6ae9a1c0.jpg

 

This particular monstrosity was crafted from the carefully cultivated nightmares of an entire civilisation, the Fleshsmiths and their sorcerer brethren carefully nurturing and cultivating the fears and desires of the culture until it was ready to take shape and sentience. Tearing from its womb in the Warp, they bound it in stolen flesh and arcane machinery, the daemonic entity driven mad by the contradictions that inform it. Now an entity of pure torment, it spends much of its time sealed in the labyrinths of the Tattered Veil's dungeon dimension, its insane dreams seeping through the lower reaches, poisoning the minds and souls of those held captive within.

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0102_zpsa7225e24.jpg

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0103_zps6abfc2b2.jpg

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0104_zpse6dfdc59.jpg

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0105_zps9667c03a.jpg

 

 

 

This guy is still very much W.I.P; I'm still working on getting more technological details onto the dragon anatomy. Much of the armour plating from the Heldrake kit actually fits very well with a little bit of cutting and stretching, but I still feel it needs a little more to capture that "daemon ENGINE" vibe.

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Simply amazing stuff mate, very imaginative (sp?). When you mentioned Slaanesh & Clive Barker in the same sentence it's as if you read my mind. That's exactly how I view Slaanesh - like the Cenobyte's from Hellraiser. Very impressive paint job with 'Sniffles', how long did he take you to make/paint? I am bowled over by the Daemon Engine you got coming on. Cracking thread to follow!
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Finally, the fabled Severed Angels of Dammeron in the flesh. Well, you know what I mean. These guys actually exceed all of my expectations if I am to be truly 100% honest. I never would have expected something on this scale. And that Heldrake! Yippy kai yay!
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Finally, the fabled Severed Angels of Dammeron in the flesh. Well, you know what I mean. These guys actually exceed all of my expectations if I am to be truly 100% honest. I never would have expected something on this scale. And that Heldrake! Yippy kai yay!

 

 

Many thanks, Kol; really enjoying this project at the moment. I'm still not 100% on the Heldrake yet; he still needs a little something to make him less "zombie dragon." I'm thinking a little more in the way of mechanical extrusions from his ribs and back. I also had the idea recently of having more mechanical dendrites extruding from him with impaled, tormented souls or something to that effect ^_^

 

Next in the works are a particular sub cult of the Severed Angels known as The Surgeons; angelic entities who have taken sadism and the sculpting of flesh to the utmost extremes. They're going to be made from Blood Angel Sanguinary Guard, onto which I'm going to try and sculpt surgical masks and lots of hideous tendrils which flower into arrays of surgical instruments (think the Cenobitic Doctor Channard from Hellraiser II).

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Many thanks for the comments, guys; as I said before, highly inspired and motivated by this force, primarily because I'm very pleased with the background I've developed for it, which seems to be driving much of the modelling decisions at present.

 

At present, I'm also considering an allied Tzeentchian force, composed of non-Rubric marines who managed to foresee the consequences of Ahriman's epic spell (thanks to the manipulations of a particular Tzeentchian Daemon Prince) and escape before it caught them.

 

Unfortunately, where they escaped to turned out to be pretty unpleasant :lol:

 

As a result of their experiences there, they are afflicted with myriad different curses; each individual marine suffering his own particular malady. As such, the sorcerers that guide them have come to the Severed Angels and their Tattered Veil allies hoping that their flesh craft will provide some measure of relief from the afflictions. Unfortunately for them, the Severed have other ideas, since they do not understand why they would want to abandon such a glorious suite of experiences as they've been gifted. As such, they are instead attempting to teach them to appreciate the conditions rather than curing them.

 

will any of your marines look like other lesser known Cenobites? Loving this army cant wait to see more

 

I think they probably will; though I don't necessarily produce minis with an eye towards the specific 40K rules per se (if I get an idea, I usually just do it and then see if it fiys any particular rules slot later), I did recently have the idea of producing some Obliterator/Mutilator type creatures that exemplify the aspect of Slaanesh as Lord of over indulgence; essentially, monstrously bloated cannibals whose bodies have been altered via surgery and mutation to consume anything and everything. I think the "Butterball" cenobite might be a good basis :( Also, I'm going to attempt to model one that is in the process of devouring a live foe. Should make for an interesting project :)

 

As for the other Cenobites, I have been looking through some of the Hellraiser comics of late (both from the 1980s and the more recent publications). There are ALOT of potential designs that might form the basis of individuals or units in the Severed Angels. Stay tuned!

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http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0095_zps5a9f2c62.jpg

 

 

http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b598/ExaggeratedElegy/DSCF0096_zps97030e1a.jpg

 

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn...

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