Caliban Rises - TWA's First Legion Project Log

[Wrath of Bruinen]

"He who falls, must first rise"

- Ancient Calibanite proverb

What does it mean to be a knight? A knight must be brave, yes. He must be honourable, certainly. He must not stay his hand against injustice. But what separates a knight from a warrior, a barbarian?

My friends, it is no accident that the words 'knight' and 'night' are so similar in Low Gothic. To be a knight is to court the darkness, to wear it as a cloak. Every cut of his sword must surely hack at his own soul, every gallant charge towards the enemy is a step further into the shadow.

​When the Emperor's Angels came to Caliban, it is fitting they came garbed in black, for only light can reveal the shadow.

- Writings of Sar Jacques, Knight Warden on Caliban, M31

Hello everyone,

I've decided to take the plunge and get into 30k, returning to my beloved Dark Angels. Progress is slow but steady, as I will show below, but I have big plans for building at Caliban-themed First Legion army.

Here are the first two of hopefully many terminators! They aren't quite finished yet - still a few details and highlights to go, but any feedback or constructive tips are very much appreciated. Enjoy!

[Xenith]

Looking good!

 

I don't know if the angel on the rock icon is appropriate, though, as the rock didn't exist during the heresy!

 

Minor point, but your high level of painting warrants attention to detail

[Wrath of Bruinen]

I don't know if the angel on the rock icon is appropriate, though, as the rock didn't exist during the heresy!

 

 

Alas, you're probably right. You'll be horrified to know the rest of the squad have them all too!

 

I wanted to give them something to make them immediately recognisable as Dark Angels, so hopefully a few historical inaccuracies will slip by

[Huggtand]

Looking really nice!

 

I really don´t mind the icon since you allways can say its a referens to the the castle Aldurukh, the Rock of Eternity.

[Xenith]

Yup, you can always say the rock is metaphorical, and a foreshadowing of things to come.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Xenith

[Wrath of Bruinen]

The Beasts are rising...

What separates man from beast? It would be better to ask how similar they are, I think. We both have such capacity for violence, for ruthlessness, for destruction. For centuries, the knights of the Order hunted down the beasts, and by the Lion's command we destroyed them all. It was the first of our Primarch's many mistakes.

When the Great Beasts started to return, in the dark corners of our planet, we realised how much a part of Caliban they truly were. Our brothers, bitter over our banishment, sought to oppose the Lion with their every action, and hunted down the beasts. But rather than killing them, they tamed them - nay, tamed is not the right word, for nothing on Caliban can ever truly be tamed. Nevertheless, they brought the beasts under their control, united in heart by darkness and violence, and rode them into battle, for Luther!

I know this one won't be for everyone, but here's my latest update - a knight of the Ravenwing riding a Great Beast, which will be a counts as jetbike

[Cloud Runner]

Looking good, and re the angel on the rock - paint them as clouds :D

 

I've always seen them as positioned on clouds in the past (old 2nd ed artwork too) so tht should work out.

 

 

Gonna keep a keen eye on his thread

[Wrath of Bruinen]

Thanks Cloud Runner - I'll have to try out the 'cloud rocks' and see how they look

[Wrath of Bruinen]

Life is never easy; some challenges are simply harder than others. This was always true on Caliban. Before the Emperor's Angels descended on our home, life was a struggle - food was hard to come by, the winters were bitterly cold, and the ever-present danger of the Great Beasts lurked over our heads. After the Imperium, we had plenty of food, and the Beasts were gone (for a time), but our lives were in no less peril. Our physical dangers had reduced, but instead we were locked in a struggle for our souls. What does it mean to be a man of Caliban? There is one thing, above all else, that makes a Calibanite.

Determination.

Certainly, the quality is not unique to Caliban - there are plenty of tales from Old Terra of heroes who refused to give up. But on Caliban, that grim resolve, that refusal to surrender, permeates every fibre of our being. It was born through our toil against a harsh landscape, forged in our battles against the Great Beasts, and tempered by the harsh realities of life on a Death World. We took that determination into our wars against the enemies of Mankind, refusing to take one step back against the xenos and the lost.

And when the Lion abandoned us and sent us home in exile, our determination burned away our shame. When the Lion returned for us we would be ready....

- Writings of Sar Jacques, Knight Warden on Caliban, M31

Hi everyone,

Just a quick WIP update today as I have been super busy and haven't posted in a while - Terminator sergeant and his banner. As I say, still obviously unfinished, but any comments or critiques are welcome

[Bob Hunk]

Haha, amazing!  Firstly, wonderful painting! Although I'm not sure I could actually see the Dark Angels employing the Great Beasts as mounts in fluff terms, I'm 110% on-board with that model, which looks fantastic! Looking forward to seeing more.

Edited June 1, 2017 by Bob Hunk

[Wrath of Bruinen]

Thanks heaps for your kind words Bob, I appreciate it.

 

I'm anticipating that the great beasts conversions will be polarising, but I'm glad you like the models :)

[Wrath of Bruinen]

There is no finer way to wage war than from within a suit of Cataphractii terminator armour. To be an Astartes is to be unstoppable, but to fight clad in those relic suits is to become invincible; Caliban's fury made manifest.

- A common saying amongst the Knight-Champions of the First Legion

After almost 2 months, I've finally finished my first squad of terminators. Hopefully progress will be quicker from now on.

For the First Legion! For Caliban!

[Knight of the Raven]

Is it wrong that what I like most about these models is the bases?

[Vairocanum]

The Ravenwing riding the great beast is fantastic! I think it's a great idea, great looking paint scheme too. Looking forward to seeing more from you!

[Wrath of Bruinen]

Is it wrong that what I like most about these models is the bases?

 

Not at all! They are super easy to make as well

 

The Ravenwing riding the great beast is fantastic! I think it's a great idea, great looking paint scheme too. Looking forward to seeing more from you!

 

Thanks a bunch - it means a lot. More to come soon!

[Wrath of Bruinen]

Come friend, let me tell you a tale of tragedy and woe, from a time full of tragedy and woe. I speak, of course, of Mordr

[Charlo]

Great concept, top execution.

 

Especially lose the RIDICULOUS weapons :D

[Allart01]

The mace and shield are a little too busy for my personal taste, but the conversion skills they put to show are nonetheless stunning.

Great job!

[Wrath of Bruinen]

Thanks for the comments Charlo and The_Bloody

Small update today - Lord Cypher (I will use as a plasma Moritat until we get rules for him)

Very simple conversion I did from the Betrayal at Calth set when it first came out. I would love to get my hands on the new model, but this one will do for now.

Hope you enjoy!

Edited July 9, 2017 by TheWeepingAngel

[Vairocanum]

Although simple, that Cypher does look great! Is there any free hand/checkers on the back of the cloak?

[Wrath of Bruinen]

Although simple, that Cypher does look great! Is there any free hand/checkers on the back of the cloak?

 

 

Ooooh, no there isn't but thank you for the suggestion. I'm busying trying to get everything ready for a tournament at the end of the month, but I will definitely come back to his cloak when I have time.

[Jackalwolf]

I like the knight. that counter zenital picture is brutal.