Excommunicate Traitoris: ElectricPaladin's Knights of Blood

[ElectricPaladin]

 

So, I have a sanguinary quandary.

 

What you see here is my current sanguinary priest (my foot priest was a lame plastic model that I cobbled together using some apothecary bits that I found, so I've decided to shelve him in favor of stripping a partly-painted priest and starting from scratch). Obviously, while he's not half bad, he also isn't more than half good. I might be ok with putting this guy on the table as an Elite, but not as an HQ.

 

The question is... can I up his game with a few minor alterations? Change the blood drop into a gem effect of some color (red? green? something else?), add some edge highlighting for the jump pack and aquilla, fix that chipped paint on the sword? Or do you think I'm best off just dropping him in the drink and starting again? He's a metal model - it won't do him any harm.

 

Vote below! The options are...

 

1) Minor fixes could do the trick, and here's what I recommend...

2) Nope. Start him again, and here's how...

 

Thanks in avdance!

[ElectricPaladin]

Nope. Scratch that. I decided to play around and see what I could do, and you know that thing where you feel like the decision is out of your hands so the pressure is off? I did that thing. He's looking pretty good with just some edge highlighting, a green gem effect on the blood drop on his chest and on the hilt of his sword, and with the crossguard gold instead of black. I'll post pictures when he's done.

[AndrewChristlieb]

The green gem effect sounds like a winner. It'll be nice to see some variation on the blood drop. Probably mostly because I've seen about twelve million blood angels pics lately with the new release and seeing that theme get mixed up a bit will be refreshing. 

[Nova_chron]

Hey electric I sent a PM to you looking for some advice on shading the silver because all of my silver is just looking like leadbelcher regardless of trying to shade it with anything

[ElectricPaladin]

No new model WIPs, but I have got some new fluff - a first draft of the Index Astartes for my Knights of Blood, incorporating what was revealed in the recent Black Library fiction. Comments and questions are welcome.

 

• • •

 

Chapter Name: Knights of Blood

Chapter Colors: Silver and crimson

Chapter Badge: Crossed black swords partly obscured by a white shield decorated with a red blood drop.

Founding Chapter: Blood Angels

Founding: Unknown

Descendants: None

Homeworld: TBD

 

Defects: The Knights of Blood share the twin curses of the Black Rage and the Red Thirst that plagued all the sons of Sanguinius. Although, infamous for their zeal in persecuting the enemies of Man, there is no indication that the Knights of Blood suffer particularly from either. Their Death Company is not unusually large, and they are even-tempered and well-mannered outside of battle (which, to some, indicates that their version of the Red Thirst is not unusually strong). The chapter’s detractors believe that the ferocity and brutality of the Knights of Blood reveals a deeper, more subtle flaw in their character, perhaps even a Chaotic taint, while their defenders insist that the chapter is no better or worse than any other descendant of the Blood Angels and their supposed excesses have been exaggerated. Like most descendants of Sanguinius, their geneseed is otherwise extremely pure and they do not fail to produce any of the standard organ implants.

 

Organizational Variance: Despite their flaws and predilection for close combat, the Blood Angels are famously a Codex-compliant chapter. The Knights of Blood have inherited this character, with two notable exceptions:

 

First, the Knights of Blood do not adhere to the heraldry or titles as presented in the Codex Astartes. Instead, they continue to use the knightly titles of their feudal homeworld. Common battle brothers are called “ser” rather than “brother,” captains are called “Lord Captain” rather than “Brother-Captain” and the Chapter Master is alternately referred to as “Grand Master” and “Lord Commander,” depending on the context. The Knights of Blood refer to their chaplains as “Apostles,” their librarians as “Sages,” their apothecaries as “Priests.” Similarly, the symbols and colors by which they denote their squads and companies are a variant of those employed by the Blood Angels, which in turn differ from the Codex Astartes on several points.

 

Second, unlike most Space Marine chapters, the Knights of Blood allow superlatively well-trained chapter serfs to take on combat support roles, such as serving in tank crews of piloting storm ravens and similar craft. The Knights of Blood claim that employing these fearless mortals in this way frees the Astartes of the chapter to perform the duties for which they are best suited - specifically, engaging the enemy in close range firefights and hand-to-hand combat. The chapter’s detractors claim that the Knights of Blood have degenerated to blood-mad berserkers and can no longer be trusted with tasks requiring delicacy or discipline.

 

The Knights of Blood maintain numerous “orders” within the chapter. Membership in these orders is achieved through heroic deeds and permits the Knight to wear a special badge on his armor. Most Knights of Blood are a member of several orders, though a Knight who has chosen one order above all others will declare this by placing its symbol on his shoulder pad in place of the chapter’s symbol. Examples include the Order of the Angel’s Mercy, a badge that can only be earned by saving the life of one or more mortals, or the Order of Golden Blood, which can be earned by suffering a near-mortal wound but making a full recovery. In addition to badges of honor, some of these orders have risen to the status of semi-secret society within the chapter. Membership within an order transcends rank, specialty, and Company affiliation. The Knights of Blood view the Sanguinary Guard as the most ancient and honorable of these orders.

 

Culture/Philosophy: The culture of the Knights of Blood places a great deal of emphasis on personal honor and responsibility. All Knights judged by how well they comport themselves - displaying respect for their superiors and inferiors, resisting the Thirst, showing appropriate mercy for mortals and the defeated - as well as by their contributions to the chapter. The Knights consider kill tallies, trophy taking and the like to be games for the newly inducted; mature Knights take pride in acts of heroism and sacrifice that benefit their squads or turn the tide of battle. The Knights of Blood have an almost feudal structure, where each Knight assumes responsibility for all those beneath him in the hierarchy, including serfs and servitors. Although the Knights of Blood are stiff and formal with their mortal attendants, they show them at least as much respect as they do their wargear and vehicles.

 

As an outgrowth of their ideal of personal responsibility, the Knights of Blood have developed a strong dueling culture. Although duels of honor are common in many Space Marine chapters, the Knights of Blood have turned it into an art form. They fight a huge variety of duels, some of them strange and exotic, and keep to a complex code of who can challenge whom and over what matter. Knights fight duels to resolve insults and disagreements, determine succession (such as which member of a squad should take over as sergeant or which sergeant should replace the captain), or simply to kill time when they are bored. Most of the Knights’ duels are non-lethal, and there are very few circumstances in which killing one’s opponent is not the occasion for censure or even punishment.

 

That is not to say that the “art” of dueling has replaced the aesthetic pursuits that define the sons of Sanguinius. Knights of Blood take great pride and care in the maintenance and ornamentation of their wargear, and some of them pursue other crafts in their spare time. The most common form or artistry among the Knights of Blood, however, is song. When they are not dueling or maintaining their wargear, they gather in small groups to sing the traditional songs of their homeland, other songs they have encountered in their journeys, and ecclesiastic songs praising the Emperor, Sanguinius, and the other Primarchs. The death-chants of the Knights of Blood, sung when they face overwhelming odds, are as beautiful as they are terrifying.

 

Operational Specialty: Like all descendants of the Blood Angels, the Knights of Blood specialize in hand to hand combat and close quarters firefights. Although they maintain the typical number of long-range tanks - and like all Blood Angels successors, eschew immobile artillery platforms like thunderfire cannons - they prefer to use these tanks to support heroic charges. Unlike many Blood Angels successors, the Knights of Blood have a certain fondness for bikes, and they field more mounted squads than most of their sibling chapters, though this preference does not rise above their inborn love of jump packs.

 

Relics

 

TBD

 

Notable Historical Events

 

TBD

 

Notable Historical Figures

 

Grandfather Mors, a Scouring-era veteran Space Marine currently entombed within the sarcophagus of a contemptor-pattern dreadnought in service to the Knights of Blood, is one of the chapter’s heroes. He was originally a member of the Blood Angels who served as part of the training cadre sent to prepare the Knights of Blood for service. He was so struck by the fighting spirit of the young chapter that he remained behind. Over the years, Grandfather Mors has fought in countless battles and has been crippled many times, but his dreadnought shell has always been recovered. Several times he has taken on the role of Lord Captain of the First Company and Lord Commander of the Knights of Blood, but he has never retained the position for long, claiming that command of the Knights of Blood should belong to the living, not the dead.

 

Notable Living Heroes

 

TBD

 

Current Deployment

 

TBD