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Beneath Terra - Inquisimunda & the XIth Legion


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Act I: He Who Roams the Ruins
 
"Who the Lost One is? Depends on who you ask, I suppose. A daemon wearing the skin of the Emperor's holy warriors. A relic, birthed of betrayal. The child of a forgotten father. Many things and yet none of 'em. We fear and rever him, like heathens worshipping the lightning-born inferno. Sometimes he kills, yet other times he protects us. Such is the nature of fires, they do not chose, they simply burn."
 
                                                                                                                  -Elder Grawh, Scryer of Clan Taurach
 
"You have seen him, haven't you? The ashen black and blood red armour of the demi-god? Yes, yes, he is as ancient as the oldest of the Emperor's children. True, he does not wear any of the eighteen legions livery, but you seem to forget: They came as twenty."
 
                                                                                                                  -Lord Ulrat, Scribe of the Rusted Coven
 
"Once he might have been a hero. Now he is naught more than cinder. A relic of an age long past and best left forgotten."
 
                                                                                                                  -Hag Elana, Fateteller of Numo's Inn


http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp194/hodoalmir/truescale20shot201_zpsnjgeq05d.jpg
 
Beneath golden towers, amongst the dry and ashen wastes of Terra's true face, there roam relics of a hundred ages past. Ages of peace, Ages of blood. Disorder and Unity, back to back, face to face. Fabled tales and vaunted saga's are buried beneath the macropoles. Broken corpses, clad in sea-green and blood red, dark iron and proud yellow, have long since rotten away in their mass-graves, only leaving back bleached bones. Deep within these ruins walk schemes, wraiths and ghosts of the past, perhaps better forgotten. Or are they, perhaps, an eldritch omen of sorts? Those who would know might already be dead or not yet born, not that it would change a thing in the world.

There is still one, roaming all of Terra, aimless yet with such a grim determination, that he still might have some purpose. He, known only as the Lost One, wanders on hidden paths and speaks forbidden words. The man is as old as the legions of yore, a remnant of those once forgotten by grandfather and kin alike.

http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp194/hodoalmir/truescale20shot202_zps4gbzgstu.jpg
 
Rare are the sightings, yet all confirm the same. The giant is clad in ashen black, like blood-wet cinders left after a battle. He sports a giant cleaver, orkoid in appereance, yet too refined to be such in nature. Chains scratch against his swordarm's wrist, perhaps reminders of an existence sworn to war? Many tales are woven into his being, making him out to be a god, a devil or perhaps something inbetween the two. Some, a rare few, say that he is a harbinger, that he screams out into the void, calling for those that abandoned him. Perhaps, if I dare say so, he wasn't abandoned at all. Perhaps he was left back as a reminder.

http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp194/hodoalmir/truescale20shot203_zpsqdynzib7.jpg

 

There was once a girl, born somewhere in the slums of lower B'gdalesh, who claimed having seen the Lost One. She spoke of hearing only whispers, like the crackling of a dying flame, untainted by vox yet still warped by age. The ancient giant apparently had spoken three words to her.

 

"The Fire Fades."

 

She died a short while after, having deteriorated like a fruit exposed to the sun. Her skin dried out like parchment and her flesh had all but atrophied. Her bones as frail as glass and her frame shivering and jittering with every step. The eyes I had found most unsettling. Pitch black pits, not like the eyes of the Rex Noctis or the Custodis Corvus, but actual pits. As if someone had dug out the pearly orbs of organic matter with spoons and replaced them with seeping, wailing darkness.

I have seen many things in my life, dear friends, have bested daemon, heretic and xenos alike for almost three centuries, but never have I felt such dread as I do now, writing down these words.

May the God-Emperor protect us all.

 

Lord-Inquisitor Laurenz Kotophardi

 

--------------------------------

 

Hello everyone! I'd like to welcome you to my very own Inquisimunda project. Perhaps some of you know this feeling, but sometimes I just get burnt out painting all the Horus Heresy stuff. Then I like to just build a character or two, completely unrelated, and muse upon the finer and deeper nooks and crannies of this universe we all love and share. This has spawned quite a sizeable collection of characters, cults and more.

To this end, I have decided to start writing some more fluff to all the stuff I've built and actually expand on some more mysterious and eldritch stuff. I've been playing Dark Souls lately, so please do excuse the influences but I think that some of the stuff might intermingle quite well with the more metaphysical implications of the 41st millenium.

 

Hope you like it, stay around, have a chat and I'd like to hear your opinions!

Edited by The Observer
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Wow. This...this is very nice. Hats off to you Observer, some brilliant fluff/background you have there, and a nice model to back it up! I think I'll be following this very closely. 

 

Favourite line though - ' True, he does not wear any of the eighteen legions livery, but you seem to forget: They came as twenty.' 

Personally, I really like that, even though the whole thing is beautiful. Fine work brother :D

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No doubt inspired by Pilgrym. :wink:

 

I admit that I'm not particuarly sold on the model; the torso and sword in particular don't fit the model, in my humble opinion. The fluff is excellent however.

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Wow, overwhelming responses! Thank you all for the kind words!

 

@Aeternas; Thank you very much for the praise! :D I was pondering quite long what legion to make the giant and nothing seemed to fit, so I took a stab into the XIth, something I wanted to do for a long time.

 

@The Psycho; Again, thank you very much! The Pilgrym thing I'll be adressing in a second.

 

@Dosjetka; Now, I am truly honoured! I can see what you mean, I am not too happy with the torso either, but the Lost One has been my first Truescale endeavour and I guess it isn't to shabby for what it is. :) He has been sitting on my table for a few weeks and I just wanted to get to painting him, so I eventually gave into the itch. The sword was a conscious choice, particularly because it is visually unfitting for an astartes. The inspiration came to me after re-reading Die Zwerge by Markus Heitz, a german fantasy novel, in which the protagonist takes an elvish blade and tries to reforge it. The blade smoulders and melts partially, taking the form of something wretchedly crude, yet elaborate and deadly. As fire and ash will be a big theme in my version of the XIth Legion, I actually wanted to use this half-molten, barbaric cleaver design. Still, I am very thankful for your comments. Would you have any tips or advice for torsos in the future?

 

@Bjorn Firewalker; Thank you very much, glad that the slight eerie feeling I wanted to convey got across! :)

 

@Pearson73; Thanks, there are two or three things coming up the way! :)

 

Now, about Pilgrym. Yes, I frequent the Iron Sleet blog (Probably more than anyone, refreshing the stuff every two hours for that sweet, sweet Inquisimunda fix) and yes I took quite some inspiration. However, I try to leave other people projects, especially Inquisimunda stuff, as untouched as I can (Does not mean I don't take inspiration, only that i don't try referencing it without the creators direct approval) and thus you won't see any Red Church stuff from me. Over the years, I have gawped in awe at the things that people have created and have written much stuff Inquisimunda related. But, I've always lacked a place to set my stories and characters, kinda like a theater director might lack a stage. What Pilgrym truly did for me, was take away this stigma of writing things about Terra. Before Pilgrym, I've always flirted with the idea of Terra but felt a bit too awestruck by the it (How could anyone do Terra justice?), but then, lo and behold, a few guys write vast amounts about the crone-world and suddenly I fell the drive and indeed assurance that one CAN write convincing and good stuff set on Terra. It is, essentially, a mix between a macropole, a shrine world of the ecclesiarchy and a trove of history, ancient geography and treasures. Basically, the most awesome and flabbergasting stage for anything Inquisimunda related!

 

Thanks again for all the kind words folks and I hope my rambling has made a bit of sense! :)

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Act II: To Light the Fires far

 

"When the last day dawns and the greatest of all lights threatens to fade, we will all kneel in the carcass of this realm, wailing and gnashing our teeth beneath the bleeding skies. Then, and only then, shall the forgotten son return. He shall stand before his father, his own flame naught but embers, wrought in a shroud of ashes and sorrow. Indeed, so grim will that day be that He, praise be unto His grace, will require the aid of the one he cast out so many millenia ago. When the bell strikes midnight, the First Sinner will stand at our gate."

 

                                                                                                                                       -Ivanka, the Mad Seer of M'riana's Trench

 

"I can see him clearly in my dreams. A giant, gaunt and famined like a revenant, clad in dark iron and ancient gold. He looks at me with those dead eyes, whispering words that I cannot understand. Everything I hear is the roaring inferno of his soul. A great fire, once golden and pure, now tainted and cold. He is free of the Archenemies corruption, that much I can tell. It seems, perhaps, as if something else has broken him. Something all to human. Sadness maybe. Or solitude."

 

                                                                                                                                       -Diary of Astropath Jonas, confiscated by His holy Ordos

 

"I remember them. The brooding sons of the XIth. I have vowed to never speak any of their names again, the only oath I have never considered breaking. They were...ghastly. Great warriors, no doubt. You should have seen them, an avalanche of black ceramite and gold. Beautiful, yet so terrifying. The XIth were amongst the greatest of us all. No, the Wolves didn't purge them. I doubt they would have been capable of doing that. I doubt anyone would have been. They were simply...forgotten."

 

                                                                                                                                        -Lord Kormun of the XVIth, Champion of Karnath

 

http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp194/hodoalmir/2016-05-202000.45.16_zpsavt5q3xz.jpg

 

Troubling. The past few weeks have been very troubling. Astropaths all across Terra report the same message. A picture, or rather a thought. Prokov, my personal assistant, tells me of a single ember in the dark, clasped cautiously in two big and armoured hands, and a voice whispering two sentences.

 

The Fire fades. Father, it is time.

 

What alarms me, is the source and nature of this message. It comes from Terra. Somewhere beneath our feet, in the deepest catacombs someone calls out into the sky. The call flashes up, every few days, like a spotlight in the night. Just for the fraction of a second and without a trace it vanishes again. Nothing. Not even a ripple in the Netherrealm. If this truly is the Lost One, then we must find him. Only the Emperor knows what he might lure to Terra otherwise.

 

Signed,

 

Lord Inquisitor Laurenz Kotophardi

 

http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp194/hodoalmir/2016-05-202000.39.29_zpsol36kywq.jpg

 

Week 9, day 6: The Subject remains elusive. Of the four Inquisitors and their retinues only two still remain. Someone, probably the Subject, has waited for our groups to separate and took us out one by one. Very insidious. I suspect that he had aid, how else could one single Astartes kill two Inquisitors, several henchmen and three Blackshields? The frequency of astropathic messages has increased, maybe the Subject is afraid?

May it be as it is, I am confident in the success of our mission, despite the losses. We are heading towards the K'rn Gora Underhives in the east of Y'g Slavia. Our oracle, Ivanka, has been brabbling about an ancient thing wandering beneath hills of black iron and nuclear glass.

 

http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp194/hodoalmir/2016-05-202000.43.01_zpsy8bdlzfe.jpg

 

Week 12, Day 3: Ivanka is growing restless. She proclaims that we should not be here. While she is mad, her talents as an alpha-plus psyker in prophecy and empathomancy have been of great help. A pict-skull has been following us for twelve days, always enough far away for us not to reach or snipe it, yet close enough for us to see. It appears to be a long-range picter, which raises the question as to why it is this close? It could be much further away and not risk getting detected by both auspex and eyes. Perhaps it is a warning? A message, telling us, that we are being watched?

We are now completely assured in the Subject being the source of the astropathic message. Infact, his means of sending them seem to be so sophisticated, that he was capable of sending one to us, and only us. Today in the early hours, Prokov had started shaking and thrashing around, breaking his wrist in the process, as he recounted the message's words to us.

 

Return from whence thou came, lest thou too becometh cinders.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Good evening everyone!

First of all, very very sorry for the shoddy pictures, my nokia just broke down and I only had an older samsung at my disposal. There will be better ones, as soon as I get my hands on something more suitable for the job. All in all I am very happy with the figure, a nice and relaxing excercise.

Hope you like him as much as I do. :smile.:

 

Have a nice day folks!

Edited by The Observer
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Excellent work dude! The fluff is particularly well done and inspiring. It makes me want to have a go at creating some stand alone characters of my own. Great stuff :tu: 

 

The mini is great too, but I can't help but feel that the torso lets down the awesome conversion work a bit.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing some more :)

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Act III: A Guide to Nowhere
 
"Seek the patchy rat, or the ratty patch. Rat? Patch? Yes. No. Both? Neither. Before we find the winding path of light and dark, fire and ash, we must understand what that path entails. We must discover. Discover what has been forgotten. Remember. Forget. Begin at the end. End at the beginning."
 
                                                                                -Ivanka, mumbling in her sleep
 
"You seek Patch? Why, who would willingly look for that nasty bugger! Yes, yes, a guide and pathfinder he is, but let's be honest: everyone knows that he'll stab you in the back and loot your cold corpses! Bastard stole my rifle just the other day."

 
                                                                                -Mutja, Carawan Trader
 
"Poor Patch. Always trying to do good. Honestly, I don't think it's his fault. He just can't help it. His hunger for mischief is just too great. Patch is a fine boy, y'know? I ought  to know, I am his aunt after all! But...Terra changes people. Some leave its bowels and halls as great men. Other as hollowed husks."
 
                                                                                -Auntie Blotch, Seamstress of Crven District


http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp194/hodoalmir/2016-05-202019.19.26_zpsnc8143br.jpg

 

"Trusty Patch? Aye, that'd be me! How can i help ya?"

 

It's a paradox, really. Terra, home of the Ecclesiarchy, the holy Ordos and Him atop the throne, yet mutants sprawl around everywhere. While the Ordos might appear unified in their adage of purging the mutant, several Inquisitors have undertaken the grueling task of studying these wretches. Why, I cannot fathom, but my dear colleague, Lord-Inquisitor Alexei Naudrić, has been one of the greatest explorers on this topic for almost five centuries. Such a great mind, yet concerned with imperial filth.

Anyways, Ivanka, poor soul, has been growing increasingly frantic in her sleep. Whenever she is awake, she scrawls her prophecies on anything she can. A few days ago, she had lost her quill and ink, which prompted her to sharpen her finger with a knife and use the bone and blood as writing instruments. She told me of Patch, a little, twisted thing. Apparently, to find the Subject, we must trust this beast to guide us deep beneath the earth, into old and forbidden halls. What awaits us there, Ivanka cannot or will not tell.

http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp194/hodoalmir/2016-05-202019.18.33_zps98athy58.jpg

 

"I like rats. Sure, they stink and you'll probably die from their bite, but they are fluffy and smart. And they taste good."

 

We have spent three weeks with Patch now. I am still wary to trust him, but there is some likeable quality about him. Beneath these green lenses is a devout follower of the God-Emperor's church. Many mutants apparently are, or so he tells me. As a testament to his faith, he showed me the cloth wrapping of his rifle. What, at first, appeared to be just grey and grimy wool, was actually white linen covered in tightly scrawled lines of prayer. Fascinating. A mutant, the lowest scum that crawls upon the face of Terra, has shown me more devotion to and knowledge about his church than most ordinary men and even bishops have.


http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp194/hodoalmir/2016-05-202019.17.57_zpscwabj7fq.jpg

 

"That skull? T'was Lennie, my dear brother. Loved him, truly did, but the villagers would have him killed..."

 

Interestingly enough, Patch was capable of covering many conversational topics. He had rudimentary knowledge about history and culture, was fond of philosophical discussion and was not shy of asking questions. I see what Alexei meant. Patch, perhaps the rest of his lot too, are not as devious as we would like to make them out. I will have to write a petition to the High-Court, it would be a shame to let so many devout followers go to waste. Now, Patch wanted to show me some kind of fascinating grove, somewhere near the Shardusha Cliff...

-----------------------------------------------------

 

Evening folks! Thanks for stopping by and having a chat, means a lot to me. :)

 

@Bjorn Firewalker: I aim to please! :)

 

@Kurama: Thank you very much for the kind words. I am an avid fan of your own work, keep up the good work!

 

@ChromeZephyr: You and me both friend :D Let's see where this takes us^^

 

@Kizzdougs: Another one of my favourite painters! Congratulations on your amazing start into the ETL. I would definitely advise everyone to try out this kind of stuff once in a while. It is immensely refreshing and helpful. There is so much to explore and to write about, it's a shame so few people actually try. Personally, I'd love to see what you could come up with Kizz, something great I bet! :) As already said, not too happy with the torso either, any ideas for the future?

 

So, there will be quite a few things coming up in the next few days, mostly only unprimed figures as exam-week is already leering at me. Prepare for a Gladiator/Executioner mix, Inquisitor-Lord Alexei and a crazed mechanicum-defense drone hellbent on destroying living things!

 

Oh boy are we in for a ride!

 

Have a nice day chaps, see ya tommorrow :D

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Well, I just found this thread and I am truly sorry I didn't see it before, because this is great. I couldn't help but reading Patch's lines with an irish accent :P Also this line "she had lost her quill and ink, which prompted her to sharpen her finger with a knife and use the bone and blood as writing instruments" made my skin crawl because man that's nasty, but the good kind of nasty.

 

Keep going!

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Act IV: The everlasting Judge
 
"Tired and scarred he awaits. The Giant, tethered to life through his ever-hot blood. He, who cannot rest, no matter how vile the blade lodged in his heart is. He, so cursed that his flesh will never decay, denying him the peaceful earth. He, who bears a friends mark on his chest. He, who awaits the Ordained. He, who guards the Relic of the First Sin."
 

                                                                                               -Ivanka, One of her more lucid texts
 
"I'm afraid 'tis not a good idea to venture into the old archive, sire. Not that I am unwilling, please do not misunderstand me! Nono, you pay a handsome amount. but as yer travel-guide, so to speak, I must advise ya from entering that old and foul place. I don't mind me some feral muties or mad servitors, I'm a good shot after all! But, the Iudex roams there...and he is not fond of visitors..."
 
                                                                                               -Trusty Patch, overlooking the Shardusha Cliff
 
"Iudex, an ancient titel indeed. Means a great many things, amongst them Judge, as you would have guessed. But an Iudex is so much more. He is guardian and executioner at the same time. Those unworthy of holy duty he puts to the blade. Those worthy he takes upon a pilgrimage. A guide, a mentor and ultimately the last sanction for those who fail on their path. Following an Iudex is a path of no return."

 
                                                                                               -Sokolov, Wandering Preacher


http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp194/hodoalmir/2016-05-202019.13.40_zpsfwldomx0.jpg

 

"Speak or begone, little humans. This is no place for the meek."

 

Terror. That is the only thing I feel. I have seen Astartes of all breeds; the noble Ultramarines, the bone-chilling Charcharodons Astra and the frenzied Flesh Tearers. Each and every one of them was awe-inspiring. Awe, not terror. This human...No, this thing inspires nothing but sheer and utter fear. He reeks of violence, of spilt blood. When I ask him of his origin, he speaks of Goddardia, the ancient gene-vaults annexed by the Emperor, sealed again during the age of heresy. A place forbidden even to us, the Lord-Inquisitors. Not that we could have opened it, which we did attempt several times. He is no mutant. He is more. Genetically perfected flesh, elevated to higher spheres of existence. If only we could salvage this technology for our own needs...

http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp194/hodoalmir/2016-05-202019.12.39_zpspv2v9fug.jpg

 

"I have seen the greatest wars ever fought upon Terra. The Unification, The Horus Heresy and the banishment of the Sinner. That is why you are here, is it not?"

 

He calls himself Iudex Ulrak, a name he has chosen himself. Patch's presence appears to be the reason for his peaceful demeanour, as they seem to know each other. The mutant offers him food and drink several times, yet the giant declines, saying that the only nourishment he needs is the Flame. I have spotted a mark on his chest, small, the size of a silver coin. An inked shield with a single desicated rose placed in the centre. Alexei's sigil. To each of my inquiries he answers "All in due time, little man, all in due time."

Naturally, I have tried to force him to speak through my power and influence as an inquisitor. His laughter and complete disregard were...sobering.

"Down here, where gods and devils meet, where legends and myths walk amongst us, your rank bears no meaning and no power. You would do well remembering that."

The spoken words did not sound like a threat, but a warning.

http://i411.photobucket.com/albums/pp194/hodoalmir/2016-05-202019.11.26_zpsjiz9n2xr.jpg

 

"The age of true darkness approaches, Laurenz. Soon, a decision will be made, to either stoke the dying flame or to snuff it out. How will the Sinner decide? Will he rekindle this hopeful flame with his final hymn? Or will he let the world come tumbling down, letting the cold king upon golden throne cluth to his crumbling crown?"

 

His atire and trinkets appear to bear highly symbolic value. Surprisingly, this is one of the few topics to which the Iudex actually gives answers. He refuses to wear most of his armour as he is not a warrior anymore but rather pilgrim, monk and judge in one. His duty lies not in war anymore, but in teaching a select few the secrets of ages lost to the chaos of the Administratum, the secrecy of the Emperor and the tomb that time is. To this end he wears a cowl, the attire of both executioners, scholars and judges in ages long, long past. The two skulls dangling from his chainmail skirt are inscribed with a II and an XI. The Iudex explains, that even though the Purged and the Lost's punishment was to be utterly forgotten, someone had to remember them for the brothers and companions they once were. The golden spine embeded in his back is a collection of trophies. Vertebrae schackles taken from various enemies slain throughout the Unification and then gilded, a practice eerily mirrored in cthonian culture. I shudder at the idea of the humongous brutes that must have produced such bones.

He has so much to tell, yet he prompts us to follow down the dusty and mouldy halls of the Y'g Slavian royal archive. The Iudex proclaims "That a friend awaits at the border of truth and myth."

-----------------------------------------------

 

Good evening friends! :smile.:

 

Here I present the Iudex, a figure that will prove pivotal as more and more about Terra, the First Sinner, the Lost One and the XIth and their connection to the dying Astronomican is revealed! :biggrin.:

The figure was a blast to convert, the new AoS are a god-send for all Inquisimunda fans! From Truescale to primarchs and everything inbetween is possible with them. Anyways, very straightforward conversion. I cut to shape a Deathguard helm from Forgeworld, glued it to the Priests head, gave him a cowl, replaced the axehead and glued on some trinkets and bobs.

 

@KBA. Thanks mate, highly appreciated! :smile.:

 

@Bjorn: Good idea actually! Have thought about something similar before starting the plog, but I've instead opted for more of a "fate" approach, meaning that the story is told through connections that appear coincidental but are actually ordained by fate, as almost everything in the 41st millenium reeks of magic and occultism. I will reserve actual XIth legion characters to a very few as I want to build a clear identity before I start a huge plog about them sometime in the future.

 

@GrandMagnus: Thank you very much brother! :biggrin.: Yeah, i try to go for as grueling and grotesque as possible. :smile.: You just wait, poor Ivanka will have a heckload more of stuff going on...

 

@Pearson: Thanks, it was actually quite easy. Just cut away the head and replace it with a ruststalker head, add a few gubbins to his back and voila. Thats it.

 

@Ch@oZ: Thanks a bunch^^ A literary construct? Depends on what you mean :wink:  A novel? Probably not, but there is a grand XIth legion thread and perhaps even blog in preparation that should hit the board somewhere around november. The rest is mostly just my rambling in this thread^^

 

@BrotherJim: Thanks pal, glad to please! :)

 

Thanks again folks, wish you all a pleasant day!

Edited by The Observer
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Thanks mate! Did you use green stuff on the torso? If so, a fine grade of sandpaper is great for smoothing it out once it has dried properly. It also really helps to keep what ever tools you're using on the green stuff properly lubricated.

 

Looking forward to seeing some more :)

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The Iudex is pretty amazeballs. This might actually tip me over the edge into buying another Slaughterpriest for conversion fodder now.

 

The fluff is certainly starting to ramp up now, isn't it. I am on the edge of my seat waiting for what happens next.

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