Cult of Golden Tears Redux

[ToyShip]

That dude with the Thousand Sons helm and the shield? He is friggin’ perfect. I plan on taking my time and digging through this log. So much beauty to behold.

[NightHunters]

Those Blades are lovely chap, and the Eldar axe is a really nice touch!

[Vairocanum]

The new models look amazing! Loving the sense of motion of the guy with the sword. Can't wait to see more!

[hushrong]

That dude with the Thousand Sons helm and the shield? He is friggin’ perfect. I plan on taking my time and digging through this log. So much beauty to behold.

 

Thanks ToyShip, perfection is what these dudes are after. But you may want to save judgement for after he gets a paint job haha. Unfortunately they got me behind the brush. I only wish I could have saved the raised part on the face plate of the helm. Goofed up filing it down and decided to try and save it by making it look like a Greek helmet a’la 300’s Spartans.

 

Those Blades are lovely chap, and the Eldar axe is a really nice touch!

  

Thanks NightHunters! Needed a change up in weaponry and had that on hand. Looked brutal and elegant so had to try and put it to use.

 

The new models look amazing! Loving the sense of motion of the guy with the sword. Can't wait to see more!

Thanks Vairocanim! Happy to have these guys finally built up. I was ready to take an older mini of mine and swap him in for that standard bearer. Only realized recently I sold him off...So now I’m plotting on how to get him back. Anyways, we will see about the future of these dudes. I’d love to build more but I am feeling the pull of the Black Legion again.

[hushrong]

What makes your hearts truly beat for life, brother?

What purpose is there in anything, if nothing makes you feel alive?

-Radec Xerxes

===

Radec looked upon his own image cast in ceramite and gold and it stared back with its dull, lifeless lenses. Its layered plates of lacquered purple and plated platinum had been crafted in the form of a demi-god. The trimmed edges finely wrought with gold depicted the representation of proud warriors upon a battlefield like one of the many heroic paintings strung up within imperial galleries. When Radec donned his armor it became a walking sculpture of an artist whose only true passion and art was war.

He looked at his armor upon its display stand and saw himself as his enemies would see him. A brute, engineered at the hands of a false god, who sought perfection.

His artificers had already begun the repairs to the damage he sustained from fighting the xenos. Their victory over the Eldar was not without losses and scars. Radec turned his attention away from his armor as his servants prepared his body for the victory feast to come. They had washed his naked form with perfume scented water. With carved and shaped corral they scrubbed his soaked flesh. They removed the dead and hardened outer layers of his flesh so they would grow back smooth and soft.

Radec smiled slightly as he caught a glimpse of one of his slaves pocketing a handful of scraped flesh. Clutching it like sponge in her hands before hiding it beneath her robes. Surely, this one would trade it for something valuable among the slaves-stock castes. He had heard stories the mortals would use it for an ingredient in an aphrodisiac. Although they were worthy to attend to an Astartes, especially a lord such as himself, these slaves were of a lower caste of servants. If they were not he would indulge in his curiosity and ask what value the dead flesh of a demi-god could fetch.

The slaves would rinse and cleanse his naked form two more times before drying his body. Some began to take small brushes and pigments to decorate his naked flesh. Filigree would be drawn around the ports that connected him to his armor along with other curving & flowing designs. Then they would apply sweet scented oils to his musculature and his hair. With silken robes he would be dressed and then adorned with golden rings, bangles, and necklaces. Then to finish his attire laurels of platinum would be placed like a crown upon his head.

Radec would turn to inspect himself in the large mirror of his arming chamber. His slaves, their faces hidden behind jade masks nailed into their skull, bowed before their lord. He looked and checked his features like a legion mentor inspecting his neophytes. Satisfied he dismissed the slave with a gesture of his hand. As he continued to look upon himself he would then see his armor in the mirror.

He closed his eyes and he could feel himself within its confines. He could feel his lungs stinging as he breathed the recycled air with a tinge of incense that had been added to the armor’s filtration system. Radec could feel the concoction of combat drugs being pumped into his body. They burned at first before a tingling numbness overtook his senses. Only hours ago he had removed his armor and once again longed to wear it. Everything felt so dull when he was stripped of his beloved armor.

He would take his sword from its weapon rack and affix with to his waist with a leather belt. Radec had cleansed it himself after the last battle. He held its ivory hilt in hisright hand and longed to draw it in battle once again. After a deep breath he had left his arming chamber to make way his way to the feast.

-

Radec walked amongst the art and sculpture choked corridors of the Cult of Golden Tears warship. The vessel he served upon, the Jubilant Herald, was taken from its previous masters with blade, bolter, and blood above Holy Terra itself. It had then been enhanced to a vessel worthy of the Emperor’s Children and their finer tastes. He had passed patrols of automaton slaves soldiers with their mechanicum masters. The war priest would bow slightly in recognition of an astartes lord in its presence while the mind-numbed and lobotomized soldiers marched on, only obeying the basic commands of their machine master. He would pass legion slaves that would prostrate themselves low and fellow astartes who would salute their superior with a clenched fist slammed to their chest.

The salute humored him as of late. There was still pride and honor among traitors as their throne-loyal cousins had branded the Emperor’s Children and their fellow conspirators as such and insulted them. All while hounding them into their exile within the dreaded Eye of Terror.

Finally he had made his way to the Grand Gallery. He looked upon the large, golden doors and its keepers. A long carpet of silk lead to the wide, double doors that served as the main entryway. The most noticeable keepers were the four ogryns, two to each door. Their massive muscled bulk was left bare save for the purple robes that was tied at the waist and hung down to the marble floor at their feet. The flesh itself was adorned with multiple piercings; many chains were linked from their piercings to the ornate shock collars fitted to their neck. Several chains were clasped to their wrists and were connected to the doors they watched over. Large masks were fixed to their face, each looking like the cherubim depicted in the artwork so common with gothic styling.

Beneath the behemoths a dozen warriors in full battle plate saluted as Radec drew closer. Much like himself, they bore platinum upon their armor with finely wrought gold artistry. The telltale signs that these were among the legions best duelists. Radec would return a salute to these assembled warriors. Much like his own coven of warriors they preferred the path of a swordsmen and duelist who challenged only their enemy’s best. He knew each of these Palatine Blades by name, their capabilities, and their accolades. Radec would often wonder the outcome if his own Palatine Blades dueled against the Lord Commanders own.

He often would watch hypothetical duels played out in his imagination between the platinum plated warriors and theorize who would survive knowing how each fought. He was optimistic more of his warriors would live and fight on but Radec was not one to believe so without doubt. There was often no room for reservation for any Emperor’s Children, let alone an astartes. However, Radec knew arrogance could be a weakness.

As the warriors dropped their salute one would signal to the augmented ogryns to make passage. Each door had been beautifully crafted to form an image of a grand horse racing across an open, grassy plain. The creature roamed wild and free as Radec believed he and his kin should by right and not enslaved, or worse, to a false emperor. It was a belief that would join a chorus of contempt that would cry heresy against this false emperor. That heresy became a sin, a damnable mark, which saw Radec and those like him broken and fragmented.

As the doors opened the sounds and scents within escaped and bombarded Radec’s senses. The tantric music and the smell of burnging incense, food & wine, and the mingling of intimate flesh overcame him. There was a time when this would drive his senses and desires wild. Now, they only felt hollower with each passing day. Radec strode in and the doors closed behind me. He could sense a tinge of jealously off the guardians on the other side of the doors and took some joy from their displeasure. He understood their jealously. Who would wish to be absent from such a feast that celebrated a great harvest of Eldar souls.

The Grand Gallery had come to serve many purposes in time. Like a long sunken canyon the hippodrome had served as a theater, a gladiator arena, and primarily as a racing stadium. Black sand covered its surface till it met high towering walls of red and gold that would soar into the spectator stands, redesigned like an amphitheater. The hippodrome itself was vast and large that it easily would serve as a parade ground for battalions of mortal infantry. The former master of the Jubilant Herald, the sons of the Khan, had used it to race their warbikes amongst other activities that satisfied their craving for speed. Currently, slaves and beast fought to the death on the black sands against one another and the astartes that could not resist the chance to shed blood in front of an audience.

The viewing stands that sat high above the hippodrome were redesigned into large, stepped tiers. Each being able to host entire squads of warriors with all the pleasures and desires they sought. Radec had passed one long table where a rare culinary delight was being consumed. Among trays of shellfish, peppered meats, and succulent fruits laid an Eldar male nailed to the tables golden surface. It had been stretched out like a beast being prepped for a butcher and with expert care slowly being carved apart and consumed. Radec watched as one of his brothers fed a slave a portion of what had been the eldar’s right bicep using a long, two pronged fork. They ate it raw while keeping the xeno alive. The fresh, raw meat and the aura of the creature’s pain paired finely together when consumed. He even saw the eldar’s crushed soulstone, done so that when the creature passed its soul could be offered to their Legion’s patron Prince. He watched as Ajax, this covens leader, dip salted bread in a pool of the xenos blood and dipped it in the powdered shards of its soulstone before consuming, wondering if it was solely to offend their victim further.

As he made his way to his coven’s alcove among the amphitheater he witnessed more debaucheries that his kindred practiced with ever increasing glee and devotion. Either gluttonous or carnal it had become the norm amongst his legion. Screams of pain and moans of ecstasy intertwined with the rumblings of the tantric music that barely roared above the melee taking place upon the sands of the hippodrome. Astartes warriors continued to slaughter unwilling victims and beasts as their compatriots cheered them on. All the while bodies were being dragged off and away from the black sand by menial legion slaves as the bloodshed continued around them. It was fresh meat for the kitchen that fed the victory feast.

Radec joined his closest brothers. Their position, on edge of the hippodrome directly overlooking the bloody display, was awarded due to his rank and status regardless of rivalry amongst the Cult’s officers. His coven greeted him with cheers and salutations as they reclined on the floor pillows with their wine and clutching their slaves. Radec himself only smiled and raised a glass presented to him by one of his own pleasure slaves. He would sit and drink and as more of his own harem came to him, dancing for his pleasure, massaging his muscles, and kissing his flesh. Such meager pleasures meant little to him these days. He would wonder if he was cursed as though something had burned out and duled his senses and nerves that had once allowed him pleasure.

As his warriors drank and consumed he watched the battle below in the hippodrome. He was certain he was watching a mock battle of what had just transpired. The Cult of Golden Tears, along with their former legion kin, had hidden themselves from the view of an elder craftworld. Their sorceries had improved and it had enabled them to stalk, trap, and ensnare a promising trophy. For days they boarded and battled amongst the defenders. Every xeno was pressed into the craftworlds defense and donned armor and weapons to try to repel the Emperor’s Children. In time they slaughtered the Craftworld leadership and dashed any chance of a unified defense. With their sonic weapons they would wreak havoc upon the craftworlds infinity circuit, damning countless souls to dreadful oblivion. And with victory they would enslave the survivors.

Beneath him many of those survivors were once again fighting for their lives for cruel entertainment. Clad in useless but mildly ornate armor and given barbaric weapons they would battle astartes armed for war. Bolters erupted skulls and chainswords savagely tore flesh. It was never meant to be a fair fight. It was not even meant to be a fight. This was merely a show with the end results being more flesh for refreshments paid for with ever more precious Eldar life.

-

She was breathing heavily. Tash’nae had been beaten and laid low before being bound and taken away like so many of her kind. Broken and weary they had stripped her of her robes and armor and threw her into a cell with survivors of their craftworld. When she had awoken they had force crude armor plating over itching garbs that were obviously used and never cleansed. The sweat and blood on them reeked of fear, pain, and agonizing death. She and her elder kin, a couple hundred strong were marched from holding pens onto a black sanded arena, with hundreds hissing and howling at their appearance. They were given weapons only to have monsters unleashed upon them. The creatures would bloody them and drive the Eldar apart.

She would cut down whatever dared to make her their next meal. A monster of many eyes, teeths, and tentacles had charged forth at her. It used its many armed to roll itself while its eyes blinked and razor fanged maws bit & chomped on air. Blood drooled from many of those orifices. Some may have been its own but much surely would have come from her own kind. With a blade in hand she struggled to cut and slash at the beast’s many limbs and hold back its bite. Its limbs would batter her as she fended off its attacks until she plunged her blade into a large eye. She had put her weight into the thrust and her arm, still gripping the hilt, sunk deep into the cavity and the flesh beneath. She could feel smooth bonelike nubs, its smaller human-like teeth, gnaw on her forearm as the beast began to wail.

Show would pull her arm free as one of the beasts many mouths would try to bite at her sides. She fell to the sands once her arm was released after one of her kindred proceeded to thrust its spear repeatedly into the creature. Tash’nae did not know what organs the abomination had, nor would she ever learn it had once been one of the gene enhanced mon’keigh. However, whatever the spear would eventually pierced had put down the creature. She rose to her feet and wished to thank her savior only to see a chainsword tear the elder from shoulder to groin. She quickly grabbed the spear the now dead elder had carried and heard the spectators cheer on the bloodshed.

-

Tash’Nae knew this slaughter was merely entertainment for the celebrating spectators above her and she hated her captors even more for their continued cruelty. They had destroyed her only home and reveled in the murder of her people. She had tried to summon her psyker powers only to be burned around her neck. A collar had been fitted and its wards punishing fire suppressed her greatest weapon, her mind. She no longer battled with her singing spear; the enemy had shattered it in her grip. Tash’nae barely warded off the astartes as they came to cleave her limb by limb.

Tash’nae twisted and twirled the spear in her hands, batting away a silver axe that had come for her blood. She had already injured and retreated from two of the astartes already. They were fast despite being armored. Striking the soft armor behind their knee had slowed them. However, there was nowhere to run. Tash’nae faced the warrior and looked upon his armored features. Wailing faces of silver and gold adorned his warplate while his helm mimicked a daemon of She Who Thirsts with its feminine features. A topknot of white hair hung high above its helmet and across its neck a chain bearing soulstones. She could see each was covered with dried blood that had soaked into each shattered jewel. Tash’nae thought of the millions of souls once thought saved that these wretches had sacrificed to their deranged and hungering goddess.

Rage overtook Tash’nae, invigorating her exhausted muscles, and setting fire to her soul. If she was to finally die then she would slaughter as many of these astartes as she could. The warrior raised its axe high, twho-handed, over its helm and brought its full weight down. In a flurry of spinning silver she once again tried and swatted the warriors weapon away, breaking his two handed grip. Yet it could not stop gravity, the axe came down and Tash’nae was driven into the sand.

It had sliced through her left ear. Tash’nae felt the blood flow down the remains of her ear and down her neck before the pain. She had felt the blood seep into the burning wounds on her neck where her collar had burned her. It was then she felt free of its punishing burn. The collar had saved her life as the axe came crashing down on its warp tainted surface instead of her neck. It had been shattered and she had been spared. Tash’nae snarled as she saw the mangled collar in the sand.

She rose to her feet, feeling an inkling of her power return to her. Tash’nae looked at her would be killer and anger flowed through her veins. The audience watched as power bled from her aura and the astartes began to twitch and convulse. She had focused all of her rage and malice at the legionnaire before her. The warrior collapsed to his knees and tried to scream but the air was being pulled from his lungs. Tash’nae gripped her spear and thrust it into the soft armor of the astartes neck. She turned the spear to the left and the right, severing more flesh and drowning the legonaire in its own blood. When she withdrew her weapon its armored form crumbled into the black sands.

There was a gasp of mortal slaves before the entire audience was quiet and the music stopped. This was not to happen and now it seemed an enemy psyker would spoil the feast. Hundreds of legion officer eyes fell upon Tash’nae until one rose to his feet, looked upon her, and smiled. She stared back with nothing but hate and anathema. Tash’nae did not know this one warrior but her very soul cried out for his death.

-

Radec rose to his feet after watching Kholois slain at the end of the Eldar’s spear. He recognized this one. He knew this one and drew close for a better look while the others merely stared. The warlock he had beaten in a duel and offered to the Lord Commander. It no longer had the fine robes and armor of her kind. Now her face was covered in filth and blood with her soul burning bright. She still lived and now she was free of her restraints. Impulse took over Radec’s tuition and instinct. Desire spurred him on. He grasped the sheathed sword at his side and leapt down to the black sands to confront this one once again.

---

So some fluff to kick things off. The one thing I like about 40k is all the lore and background, and making a piece of it my own. I've noticed that I had not posted much fluff in my logs and thought it was time to share a continuation of it for my Cult of Golden Tears. I've tried to go over it a few times but I am sure there are still some grammatical errors so please bear with me. Hopefully I will have more snippets to share in the future that are a bit more compact. Aside from that I also finally painted a rhino this last weekend.

This one is ready for the tabletop. I have barely painted a mini in recent history and it had been a HECK of lot longer since I painted my last tank. I really think the last time I tried was the second or third time I attempted and Astral Claws army...and that was ages ago. Anyways, I am happy with its. Mostly happy I have gold treads as that is something I have always wanted on my EC vehicles. Also was happy to dab each rivet wiith some gold. Blinging and peacocking son! I am not happy with the edges. I couldn't think of a way to highlight metallic purple so I just drybrushed them silver. I think the next one I will drybrush the edges with black more, and do the silver on top of that lightly and hope that helps. Also did no tlike how gold was applied to the brass etch on the front. I'll need to improve on that in the future.

And the gang with their ride.

This is just a nice visual milestone for me as I keep working on my Emperor's Children. One Squad and one rhino down!

As always thanks for stopping by!

[Pearson73]

A good read, it's nice to have some background to further depict the warband. I particularly like that until the feast you could very easily be describing a pre-heresy scene upon an Emperor's Children vessel, though it is later revealed that this isn't due to a lack of depravity within the force, but rather the fact that Radec is so thoroughly corrupted that even the most base behaviour is as nothing to him.

 

The gold treads work well on the Rhino, as do the Blood Angels doors, they match the warband's name perfectly. I would say that the white on the frontal glacis looks a little plain, perhaps some damage or an ornamental pattern could break this up?

[Sagentus]

these look amazing Hush!! always a great to see more Emperors Children :D

[Dwango]

Nicely done hushrong. That's a lovely metallic looking purple!

[Johanhgg]

Reeeeaaally nice! Just found your thread brother! Great work!

[hushrong]

A good read, it's nice to have some background to further depict the warband. I particularly like that until the feast you could very easily be describing a pre-heresy scene upon an Emperor's Children vessel, though it is later revealed that this isn't due to a lack of depravity within the force, but rather the fact that Radec is so thoroughly corrupted that even the most base behaviour is as nothing to him.

 

The gold treads work well on the Rhino, as do the Blood Angels doors, they match the warband's name perfectly. I would say that the white on the frontal glacis looks a little plain, perhaps some damage or an ornamental pattern could break this up?

  

 

Thank you Pearson! And yes, fluff just adds character to an army of plastic and paint. Feels good to put some out there for mine. I’ve been slacking on that front. Especially ideas that have been rattling in the old brain for some time. And I wanted to see if I could do something different with Radec, a Slaaneshi champ who feels like everything is decaf.

 

I also like the idea of sprucing up the white front plate! Especially an ornamental design. Thinking on it I would like to add filigree that mimics very ornamented frames on classical paintings. Need to find a decal sheet! Thanks for that idea!

 

these look amazing Hush!! always a great to see more Emperors Children :D

  

 

Thank you Sagentus! Going to be working on these guys for awhile...and I’m hoping EC (as well as World Eaters) get some codex & new plastic mini love from GW in that time to keep it going!

 

Nicely done hushrong. That's a lovely metallic looking purple!

  

 

Thanks Dwango! I’ve got to give credit to Tamiya’s metallic purple spray paint and the always reliable Nuln Oil. It’s helped makes painting this army easy. Except on rhinos (or large, flat surfaces).

 

Metallic paint and the nuln oil worked well on my marines with small surfaces, nooks, and crannies. I tested that out on the bottom of my rhinos and no bueno. Tried half in nuln oil and the other with that blue nightshade. Nope.

 

Reeeeaaally nice! Just found your thread brother! Great work!

Thanks Johanhgg! I’m just a simple man trying to finally have a fully painted army haha!

[Sagentus]

it would be awesome if both WE and EC got some plastic love ... in the mean time we will have to make do =/ eager to see how these come on !!!

[Verux]

Great work all the way around. The purple is lovely and the conversions add so much character to the models.

[hushrong]

it would be awesome if both WE and EC got some plastic love ... in the mean time we will have to make do =/ eager to see how these come on !!!

No joke! We got Tzeentch! We got Papa Nurgle! Two more to go and I'll be a happy camper when the time comes. As for these guys, more painting to come but have been taking a break. I think this week I'll started on noise marine squad 2.

 

Great work all the way around. The purple is lovely and the conversions add so much character to the models.

Thank you Verux! It's been fun working on them. Hoping my painting gets a bit better as I keep painting them up!

[Galloway]

Great story and great models as always

[Lucerne]

The painting is solid!

[Mechanist]

Loving the fluff. Great way to show the downward slide the EC are on as senses get dulled so only more and more extremes can awaken them.

[hushrong]

Great story and great models as always

Thank you Galloway! I'm hoping I can keep it up!

 

The painting is solid!

Thank you Lucerne!

 

Loving the fluff. Great way to show the downward slide the EC are on as senses get dulled so only more and more extremes can awaken them.

Thanks Mechanist! I hope I can expand on it. I just really want something a wee bit different and a Emperor's Children going numb seemed like a good idea. Everything seems plain and maybe it's killing him to find that next high, something worthwhile.

[BadgersinHills]

Really good work. The minis which were so nice before paint look stunning after. :)

[hushrong]

Really good work. The minis which were so nice before paint look stunning after. :)

Thanks Badger! Hoping I can keep it up haha. I’ve taken a hobby break the last two weeks. Starting Monday I’m on to the next squad! Little nervous as the FW kakophoni are in the next squad and I want to make sure they look good. And I want to find a nice skin tone to paint as I have some bareheaded dudes too coming up.