Where many were, how few remain - A loyalist SoH project

[MrBear]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZcKJ5IvmrU

 

 

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” 

 

Victorian Hewgo the Miserable, Frank playwright M02

 

 

There are times when I wish that I had never witnessed what I have seen, when the sorrows of glories past are too much to bear for my mortal soul, and I break down in tears. Then there are the moments when my memory wanders to heroic sacrifices no longer known by anyone but me, acts of valor that would fill anyone with pride, and I regain something of my ailing strength once more...

 

My name is Jern Zonalf, and though my part in the tale that I will tell is small and humble, it is important that you know who I were, and why I saw the deeds that I will speak of.

I was born in the 183^rd year of the Great Crusade, in Jermani on Terra itself. I was a weak and sickly child, and it was no surprise that the chance to become an Astartes passed me by, nor was it unexpected that I was deemed unfit to serve as a soldier when I came of age. There, but for my skill with pen and quill, could my life had taken the path of a common laborer.

 

With these talents I was trained as a Remembrancer instead, taught to follow in the footsteps of the Legiones Astartes as they spread the Emperor's Light across the Galaxy and to document their deeds for the generations to come. Glory and adventure beckoned, and thus it was with great expectations that I boarded the ship that would take me from the cradle of Man and into the darkness of space.

I was young then... Not this withered husk of a man clinging to the last threads of his life, racing time as he tries to pass his knowledge on before closing his eyes for good.

 

I will try to find the strength to speak for the voiceless dead a final time, but if that fail, know this.

Once there was hope, once there was a golden future for Man. Once there was a time of heroes...

 

 

 

 

So, this is it. Time has come for MrBear to join the numerous others onboard the Heresy Train. Some of you might already know me for (slowly) painting Night Lords over in the  'Works in progress' section, and if you're not among those: Nice to meet you brothers and sisters! Whether or not you already know me, this is the culmination of my growing interest for the Heresy era of our hobby. 

 

It's going to be an erratically updated project where I'm aiming to build my first 'gaming' army for 11 years. That's right, last time I gamed with far future post humans was back in 2005. I've kept up painting through the years but never built a 'proper' army in all that time, I've simply been a collector. These last couple of years though, I've become more and more interested in the Horus Heresy, and when BaC was released I seriously started to consider a 30K army. I finally gave in, and I've decided that now is as good a time as any to start. With loyalist Sons of Horus as my chosen path.

 

A couple of important things you'll need to know though:  First, I am slow. Don't expect frequent updates, full of painted stuff. Second, I am a very 'background oriented' guy, meaning that I enjoy giving my guys and units backgrounds, and I really don't care much for unit efficiency or 'killer combos'. 'Interesting' characters and units pretty much always comes before powerful but 'less interesting' ones when I paint stuff. It also means that I haven't got a planned list on what to paint, or when to paint it. I have a rough idea on what I'm going for, but that will probably change along the way if past experiences are anything to go by...

 

I can already hear people going: 'Yeah, that's all very nice. But what about models?!' Not much to show yet to be honest, but I have a couple of things prepared:

 

 

 

 

 

These are the tester models I've painted. A bit darker than most Sons of Horus I've seen, but not as far off as they might seem in this picture (I don't have a light box), and I'm going to add some weathering on future models aswell (as in the picture above) so the guys that's going to be part of the army will have a suitable look.

 

Speaking of those guys though:

 

 

 

 

 

Everything is just tacced together at the moment, so poses aren't final. I'm probably going to do some minor conversions on a couple of these guys as well. No sculpting though, I'm terrible when it comes to using green stuff.

 

That's it for now really. I hope to start painting during the week, and if I'm lucky I'll have some pictures showing progress in a few days.

 

Cheers!

Edited August 11, 2017 by MrBear

[Spaced Hulk]

Welcome aboard MrBear!  As a fellow new recruit to the Heresy, I look forward to seeing your army progress. The background fiction is off to a good start (my projects are always background driven as well) and the colour scheme looks cool.

 

Are these loyalists survivors of Istvaan III, or were they absent when Horus purged his Legion? 

[Brother Pheidias]

This'll be interesting.

One thing other loyalists of the XVIth. have done is to revert to Luna Wolves, any reason you're not taking that route, besides colour and bitz-availability?

[MrBear]

Cheers fellas! Thanks for the welcome and support! I'll try to answer the questions below as good as I can. 

 

 

Welcome aboard MrBear!  As a fellow new recruit to the Heresy, I look forward to seeing your army progress. The background fiction is off to a good start (my projects are always background driven as well) and the colour scheme looks cool.

 

Are these loyalists survivors of Istvaan III, or were they absent when Horus purged his Legion? 

 

 

This'll be interesting.

One thing other loyalists of the XVIth. have done is to revert to Luna Wolves, any reason you're not taking that route, besides colour and bitz-availability?

 

 

These guys (I think of the as the CCXIth Company at the moment, that number may change though) are not present at Isstvan III,  even though it would make for a good story, which is one reason they weren't purged with so many other loyalists. I imagine them being part of another expeditionary force pretty far from the main part of the Legion. 

 

When it comes to not reverting back to their previous name and colours... Well, the lack of Luna Wolves shoulder pads is pretty important. There is also the fact that I grew tired of painting white power armour over 10 years ago when I had a DIY marine army in white and gold .  The main reason is a narrative one though, their story will start before the massacre, and they are going to be pretty far from all the main action so news will take some time to spread to them. Without going too much into details (especially as I haven't decided all of them yet ), it will give me some opportunities to set up some possible conflicts for how different members of the company will react when they realise that their Legion has fallen, and the Emperor and Horus are at different sides.

 

As things are a bit more hectic at work than I had anticipated (many colleagues calling in sick) I haven't been able to do much work with the first guys yet. I've undercoated the Praetor and his standard bearer though, and added a few details to the latter:

 

 

I'm really grateful for FW's etched brass set, I'm pretty terrible at freehanding symbols so they make this so much easier. I can possibly show some more progress in a few days if I'm lucky though.

Edited August 11, 2017 by MrBear

[bluntblade]

Maybe you could take a Cthonian symbol (making one up if necessary) with which they can replace the Eye

[Brother Pheidias]

That all makes perfect sense, and from a modelling standpoint, I get where you're coming from.

The opposition to white baffles me though ;)

[MrBear]

Maybe you could take a Cthonian symbol (making one up if necessary) with which they can replace the Eye

 

That's... a pretty good idea, hadn't thought about that angle. I was going to do some kind of Cthonian symbols on a few of them anyway, but something symbolising loyalists is certainly worth considering. They will start out with the Eye though, but your idea might very well be put to use when we start to cover the acutal Heresy part of their story. 

 

 

That all makes perfect sense, and from a modelling standpoint, I get where you're coming from.

 

The opposition to white baffles me though

 

Normaly I would say something along the lines of: "Do you know how hard it is to paint white?" But somehow that doesn't seem suitable in this situation.  Maybe I should give it a try again someday though, I'd probably find it easier now than I did back in the days.  

 

 

 

 

Probably the most minor progress imaginable, but a few thin coats of Mechanicus Standard Grey over a black undercoat is the first step towards these guys having their proper green armour...

Edited August 11, 2017 by MrBear

[Brother Pheidias]

Every step forward counts :D

[MrBear]

The days seem to fly by at speed. My painting? Not so much... Still, work goes on! 

 

 

 

 

They are getting greener, even though the photo 'lies' a little. Taking photos much later than midday this time of year, jeesh... Proof of progress if nothing else though. Highlights and weathering next, then on towards metals and details.

 

Every step forward counts

 

True enough, sometimes it really feels like baby steps though. 

Edited August 11, 2017 by MrBear

[MrBear]

Things are shaping up rather nicely at the moment:

 

 

 

The battle damage looks quite all right for being only the second time I try it. There is some tidying up to do (the face plate of the standard bearer for example), but other than that the armour itself is pretty much finished. Moving on to details at the moment though, still plenty of work to do before these guys are finished.

Edited August 11, 2017 by MrBear

[MrBear]

 

 

”Duty is the most sublime word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.”  Rhobar Eli  Confrat General M02

 

 

I must confess that my heart swelled with pride as I left the surface of Terra, how could it not? I was sent to do the Emperor's work as a Remembrancer, with the Warmaster's own Legion at that, the very Sons of Horus themselves. Does it seem strange to you, young one, that the memory of that departure still can make me laugh until my lungs reminds me to conserve the few breaths I have left? Ah, to be young and ignorant once more...

 

I was shaken from my delusions after I boarded 'The New Day', the transport to which I had been assigned. Never had I imagined such a run-down old barque, millennia old, and pressed into the Emperor's service as a price of war. It was onboard that near-wreck that I got to know that it would never be my destiny to see the Warmaster himself. I sould have known the moment I stepped onboard the craft to take me into orbit, when I saw the faces of my fellow Remembrancers. Naivety... It goes hand in hand with being young, now I know better. All of us were either has-beens, down to their last chance, or youngsters like me, talents who had not yet made a name.

My younger self should perhaps be forgiven the shock, one of my greater shames, I felt when we were briefed in detail about our assignement, and the glories of the 63^rd Expedition Fleet were denied us.

 

We were told instead of the 405^th Expedition Fleet, and of the CCXIth Company of the Sons of Horus that served as it's backbone. I wish that I could say that I faced these news with dignity, that I swore to do the best of what the fates had given me... I could say such things, but then I would lie, instead it felt as if I was the victim of some cruel jest.

 

Our travel through the Warp was unremarkable, boring, and depressing. The only worthwhile thing to mention is the tentative friendships that we Remembrancers formed in our collective misery, and even those were small comforts to the disappointments that we all felt. I can honestly not tell you how many weeks we travelled, it didn't seem to matter anyhow. When we finally left the Warp behind, and entered realspace again, I had resigned somewhat to my fate though. Anything would be better than to stay onboard the ship.

 

We left our temporary home behind us, with no sense of loss, and transfered over to 'The Glorious Burden', the flagship of the Expedition. I did not know then of what horrors and glories that I would witness onboard her. Nor did I yet know Jakhem Strom, who would be the one I followed through the dark days tha lay ahead of me. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, I've actually finished the first proper models for my Sons of Horus, Jakhem Strom himself, and Ohcys Peht, his trusty standard bearer. Two down, many dozens left to come! They turned out fairly well if I may say so myself. Alright, the gold looks a bit flat in the pictures, got to blame the light conditions for that one, and I need to do more with the bases (as Agrellan Badland on it's own is a bit too 'bare') but other than that I'm pretty pleased. Oh, and a few 'oath of moment' will be added, I actually forgot them! 

 

C&C is always welcome if you have any. 

 

Cheers!

Edited August 11, 2017 by MrBear

[BlueBelly1863]

Have always loved loyalist Sons of Horus, and you're off to an awesome start on these guys! I look forward to seeing and reading more. The eye on the top of the banner is especially cool! 

[Chandrian]

Daaaaammmmnnnn That Command set looks good :P.  

 

 

Dittoing Blue about the Eye its super well done! Very "Eye of Sauron esk" LOL 

[Soldier of Dorn]

Brilliant! That bearded head is one of my favorites in the entire Space Marines bits range, and it looks perfect on that body. Painting ain't half-bad either. ;)

[Teetengee]

ooh, pretty...

[MrBear]

Cheers fellas! Been plenty busy these last couple of days... at work unfortunately rather than with models though. Managed to give myself a little hobby time and started the work with the rest of the command squad, with emphasize on 'started'. So far it's nothing more than deciding their final poses, glueing them together and giving them a basecoat. I hope to be able to do more over the coming weekend though.

 

 

 

 

Have always loved loyalist Sons of Horus, and you're off to an awesome start on these guys! I look forward to seeing and reading more. The eye on the top of the banner is especially cool! 

 

Thanks man! I've always had a soft spot for the loyalists of the traitor legions since the ancient days of the first 'Index Astartes'-articles, just took me ages to actually start a project about it though. Got the inspiration for the eye when I read a couple of old WD's and saw the pictures of Duncan Rhodes' Sons of Horus army, his example is waaay better though. 

 

Daaaaammmmnnnn That Command set looks good .  

 

 

Dittoing Blue about the Eye its super well done! Very "Eye of Sauron esk" LOL 

 

Thanks LHL! It feels a bit ironic to use such a classic 'evil' symbol in a loyalist army but I couldn't let the bad guys have all the cool stuff . Besides, it's going to be a little while before this log moves into actual 'Heresy time', got a few units and characters to introduce first... 

 

Brilliant! That bearded head is one of my favorites in the entire Space Marines bits range, and it looks perfect on that body. Painting ain't half-bad either.

 

Thanks buddy! Got to say that I'm pretty fond of that head myself, I had first thought to use it for a Night Lord conversion but I'm happy I ditched that idea so that I could use it here instead.  

 

ooh, pretty...

 

Thanks man! I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. 

Edited August 11, 2017 by MrBear

[Gorgoff]

I pretty much like your commander but you shouldn't use the same colour for his cape as for his sword. That looks odd in my humble opinion, of course! If I may make a suggestion I would use some cool blue colour.

But that are only my 5 cents. :)

 

Uh, the story of the old man. Damn I love that and can't wait to read more of that.

[The Pounder]

Great start!

The stories are a nice touch too.

I'm rubbish at writing fluff so well done.

[Brother Dallo]

MrBear? Heresy? Turisas? Sign me up. 

 

That's a lovely green you have. Have you got a tutorial kicking about? I might see if I can replicate it. A SoH or two might look good amongst my Isstvan III Emperor's Children, who might see paint themselves... one day. 

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Dallo

[MrBear]

Ah, life tends to get a bit busier than expected at times. Because of that this update comes a bit later than expected, but here it is nonetheless:

 

 

 

 

 

 

"”Granted that every war is madness – civil war, fratricide, is the worst of all; it reaches deeper into ugliness, cruelty and absurdity.”

 

Eliw Es'sel – Merk philosopher M.02
 

 

”A cathedral. That was the only way that my stunned brain could interpret the impressions it recieved as I stepped into the hangar bay of 'The Glorious Burden'. I can see you nodding at my metaphor young one, born into these days of resurgent religion that you are, when every moment a new cathedral is being raised somewhere in the Imperium to the hymns of the faithful. I was raised in another age though, one guided by logic and science instead...

 

Pardon me, I digress. It's all to easy these days for my thoughts to wander. The cathedral is still an apt metaphor though, despite how little the shouts of the crew, or the roaring engines have to do with the sounds of a sermon.'Then why use it?', I can hear you think. No, don't deny it, I was young once myself, and being impatient is the natural state of most any youth. I say 'cathedral' because that hangar was like a giant shrine to the spirit of the Imperial Truth. Bright and shining with the promise of technology, it was also grand in a way I had never experienced before, being the first time I had ever been in a place built to the scale of the Astartes. It was humbling, and also uplifting to experience it. That, my boy, is why I liken it to a cathedral!

 

Not that there were any great cermonies when we arrived. No Astartes were present, and the mortal crew had put on faces of jaded campaigners for whom we were not worthy of any notice save the angry shouts and insults if we were in their way. Instead we were 'greeted' by some lesser official on the Expeditionary Staff, displaying an arrogance worthy of any Navigator House, and having a tounge so sharp that most would not notice until hours later how badly it had cut. I must admit that I was impressed by him... Nerim! That was his name! A miserable old bastard he was, but no one could ever find any fault in how he performed his duties.

 

He took us to our quarters where our second time in a limbo began. We were given a day to adjust ourselves before we were ushered before Captain Jakhem Strom and his staff. It was an unnerving experience to say the least, all those Astartes staring at us with blank faces and uncaring eyes. The Captain gave us a formal greeting of sorts, but it was clear that we were alien to him. We were not only civilians, we were civilians without any purpose to which he could relate.

The cermony was thankfully short, but it meant that we could leave our half existence in our quarters as we were given freedom of the ship by the Captain. With exceptions for the armouries, engine rooms and the quarters of the Astartes, unless we recieved invitations of course. It meant that we could begin our work though, even if it for time being was limited to the crew.

 

They tried to stonewall us at first, strangers that we were, and rivals for the attention of the Astartes besides that. It did not last long though. We were fresh faces among those that had heard each other's stories and jokes repeated over and over again for months or even years. It is no wonder that it took us but a week to gain their acceptance, with our talents speeding the process up. Zorna's sketches of the crewmembers proved popular, as were Mathya's and Ulan's singing. What swung the balance most in our favour though, was Tinan and his stories. Those tall tales and frivolous adventure stories, not to mention his bawdy jokes, were so many that they could entertain a whole fleet for decades, making him the instant favourite in any room he entered. Then there is also the... 'carnal' factor to consider... Does that shock you? The men and women of the fleet were the same as any others, most of them, and most of us were young. Such things happened.

My mission might not have become what I had expected, but after a couple of weeks with the crew I had grown to accept it. That was when I met my first Astartes close up.

 

I had been walking through the corridors a late night, when at a juncture, a shadow fell over me. I looked up and saw one of the most terrifying sight I had yet seen, this armoured colossus standing in front of me, with a giant grin upon his scarred and ugly face. If not for all the wine inside me I would have stood there stiff with fear, or wet myself with sudden fright. Instead I found myself making a courtier's bow before the Astartes, who's grin grew wider still before he introduced himself in his guttural voice as Grishal Baar, and told me that he had sought me out for a Rememberance.

 

He told me then of the 'heroics' that he had done, and of great deeds beyond imagining while I wrote them down as fast as my drunken fingers could manage. When I recited my words back to him, he seemed pleased in a way I could not understand, and he complemented my writing and told me to send my fellow artists to him as well.

 

My collegues were pleased with the news of my encounter as this was our first interaction with the Astartes themselves, and for a few days the ship filled with the stories, songs and paintings of brave Grishal Baar's deeds. Then we discovered that it had all been a joke, a way to irritate his closest brother, Shinav Tar. When Grishal Baar's 'legend' grew, Shinav Tar, and many other Astartes, felt obliged to speak to us in order to correct their brother's tales, all while Grishal Baar's thunderous laughter could be heard all over the ship.

 

Can you imagine that he apologised to me though? He told me that he had seen the perfect opportunity to joke with his brothers, especially Shinav Tar, and make use of us Rememberancers as well at the same time. He would not normally had explained himself to one such as me, but he told me that my controlled reaction to his sudden appearance was something he could respect in a mortal. Who would have thought that an abundence of wine could be such a blessing?

 

Forgive me my tears, I miss him to this very day... He was one of the staunchest friends I have ever had, always with a laughter in his eyes. He was such a brightly burning star and deserved better than the fratricide ahead." 

 

 

Taking good pictures after sundown at this time of year feels a bit futile, but here is Grishal Baar:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Followed by Shinav Tar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I might try to take some pictures in proper light tomorrow, but if you have any C&C regarding what you can see or read above you are most welcome. 

 

 

 

I pretty much like your commander but you shouldn't use the same colour for his cape as for his sword. That looks odd in my humble opinion, of course! If I may make a suggestion I would use some cool blue colour.
But that are only my 5 cents.

Uh, the story of the old man. Damn I love that and can't wait to read more of that.

 

Thanks man! Glad you liked it, hope you like this part as well.   Good point about the sword! I didn't think about it during the painting to be honest. Partly because he was in seperate pieces when I painted him, partly because I first thought to give him a black cape, and partly becuase I'm so used to painting red power weapons that it kind of happened automatically. 

 

He might get a blue sword in the future, but I have to think about it as he's glued together pretty tight. Time will tell...

 

 

Great start!

The stories are a nice touch too.

I'm rubbish at writing fluff so well done.

 

Thanks a lot! Always nice when people painting the same faction thinks you've done a good work. Writing fluff is like painting though, it takes a bit of practice but it can be learned. 

 

 

MrBear? Heresy? Turisas? Sign me up. 

 

That's a lovely green you have. Have you got a tutorial kicking about? I might see if I can replicate it. A SoH or two might look good amongst my Isstvan III Emperor's Children, who might see paint themselves... one day. 

 

Keep up the good work.

 

Dallo

 

Thanks Dallo! Glad you like these as well! And while Turisas might not be my favourite band but they have some pretty sweet songs, might be more of them coming up in the future.

I can try to do a 'proper' tutorial with photos when I start painting the next guys, but as for how I did the green:

 

1. Black undercoat

2. Thin layers of Mechanicum Standard Grey

3. Thin layers of Dawnstone

4. Lahmian Medium + Biel-Tan Green

5. Vallejo US Dark Green

6. Dawnstone highlights.

 

The rest is sponging some battle damage with a mix of Eshin Grey + black before highlighting the damage with Dawnstone. Hope it helps! Would be interesting to see your Sons and Children in the future. 

 

 

I will probably start working on the first 'proper' unit in a day or two, until then: Cheers!

Edited August 11, 2017 by MrBear

[Gorgoff]

And it goes on. Great.

[Targetlock]

rock on, i have the sons of horus as part of my loyalist shattered legion :)

[Chandrian]

Shinav Tar really stands out for me and his pose is great!  Really enjoying the use of Cthonian marking son the shoulders and the extra detail that makes models stand out!  

 

Really enjoying your flashbacks/back in the day stores.  i know its jumping the que a bit...well a lot lol, but have you given any thought to make 40k/"present day" versions of these guys??? Pending who service and all! :P

[MrBear]

Cheers fellas! Glad you liked them! Some minor progress coming up, but first some replies.

 

 

And it goes on. Great.

 

Indeed it does, I've started to think about the details for the next 'chapter' aswell. Still very sketchy for now though.

 

rock on, i have the sons of horus as part of my loyalist shattered legion

 

Thanks man, a shattered legion force is something I might very well do in the future as well. What legion(s) are you combining your Sons of Horus with?

 

Shinav Tar really stands out for me and his pose is great!  Really enjoying the use of Cthonian marking son the shoulders and the extra detail that makes models stand out!  

 

Really enjoying your flashbacks/back in the day stores.  i know its jumping the que a bit...well a lot lol, but have you given any thought to make 40k/"present day" versions of these guys??? Pending who service and all!

 

I'm quite fond of him myself, and he will get some more background as the story progresses.  I will try to use a few Cthonian markings here and there, not too many though. While Cthonians will be a major part of the Company it will be a bit more influenced by the earlier legion identity. As these guys are pretty far from the center stage of the Grand Crusade, and Horus, it would only be natural for them to change at a slower pace than most of the legion. 'Present day' versions of characters you say though? That was an interesting suggestion! I will have to think about it, but it's definitely something that could be done. 

 

So, the first 'update' isn't really new. It's just that I realised that the Command Squad totally is a proper, legal unit so I took a group photo of them.

 

 

Winter light and photos doesn't exactly go hand in hand but it's pretty decent. Might have to convince one of my more handy friends to build me a proper light box to make things easier...

 

 

 

The second photo is new though, the first five guys of the squad I'm doing next:

 

 

There will be 5 more guys in this squad as well, and painting may start this weekend. I will try to balance writing midterm review of my students with having an actual social life, the outcome of that will decide if I will manage getting much hobby work done.

Edited August 11, 2017 by MrBear

[MrBear]

Well, I didn't get enough time for any painting this weekend... I did manage to put all guys from the next squad together though, that's at least something:

 

 

 

I have no idea how well such a squad would fare in a game, and I know that support squads doesn't count as compulsory troop choices, meaning that they don't take me one step closer to having a playable army. It doesn't matter though, since I first got the idea for starting a Heresy force I have known that I needed to build a volkite squad. Why? Because they are frickin Martian death rays, that's why!  Can there be a better reason? Choom!

 

The picture is a bit blurry, but you might see that these guys are mostly just BaC-marines with SoH shoulder pads (and some lovely volkite calivers). There are a couple of other parts thrown in the mix to make their legion a bit more obvious as well, but just a few as I didn't want to go 'over the top' on them (there are story reasons for that). They will get pretty much the same kind of paint job as the command squad, with some minor differences as they are 'just' rank and file guys.

 

As to getting them painted though... I won't make any promises on how long it will take, but it will probably be done in a couple of weeks if the Fates are kind to me. 

Edited August 11, 2017 by MrBear