Emperor's Spears! WiP Army Log

[Rathamanti]

This log isn't dead! A month of travelling came in the way, but now I'm back. And the dreadnought is finished.

 

At least I am calling him done! I could use countless hours highlighting, handsmotching and re-highlighting, but I need to move on to the next figures, if I want to finish this army in my lifetime.

 

 

Edited August 14, 2017 by Rathamanti

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job on the Contemptor. Is the Marine in the sarcophagus actually named "Spear"?

[Rathamanti]

Good job on the Contemptor. Is the Marine in the sarcophagus actually named "Spear"?

Thank you! And no, I just didn't know what else to write. I also didn't know, that the name of the insides is supposed to go on that parchment. Is that so?

[Bjorn Firewalker]

 

Good job on the Contemptor. Is the Marine in the sarcophagus actually named "Spear"?

Thank you! And no, I just didn't know what else to write. I also didn't know, that the name of the insides is supposed to go on that parchment. Is that so?

Sometimes, that is so- see Bjorn the Fell-Handed. Sometimes, it's just the Dreadnought's name (think of warships), which a Marine will adopt when he's interned in its sarcophagus- see Tankred in the 'Damnation Crusade' graphic novel.

[Rathamanti]

My first Primaris Lieutenant is done. I have collected space marines since the 90's, and this is my all time favourite marine model. So sleek and mariny without all the gribblegrabble other marine HQ's carry around. I think the model is beautiful!

 

Oh, and I hope GW and A D-B agrees on this being how Emperor's Spears lieutenants paint their helmets...

 

Edited August 23, 2017 by Rathamanti

[Dosjetka]

I'd suggest cropping your pictures so that the focus is on the models. :tu:

 

Besides that, great work!

[The Doctor Of War]

My first Primaris Lieutenant is done. I have collected space marines since the 90's, and this is my all time favourite marine model. So sleek and mariny without all the gribblegrabble other marine HQ's carry around. I think the model is beautiful!

 

Oh, and I hope GW and A D-B agrees on this being how Emperor's Spears lieutenants paint their helmets...

 

 

 

You got there first, so if he doesnt it's his book that's non-canon ;)

 

Really top notch work.

[A D-B]

 

My first Primaris Lieutenant is done. I have collected space marines since the 90's, and this is my all time favourite marine model. So sleek and mariny without all the gribblegrabble other marine HQ's carry around. I think the model is beautiful!

 

Oh, and I hope GW and A D-B agrees on this being how Emperor's Spears lieutenants paint their helmets...

 

 

 

You got there first, so if he doesnt it's his book that's non-canon

 

Really top notch work.

 

I concur with both points.

[A D-B]

Oh, and I hope GW and A D-B agrees on this being how Emperor's Spears lieutenants paint their helmets...

 

Remember the plume pic I posted a few months back? That chap was a Lieutenant.

 

[Rathamanti]

 

Oh, and I hope GW and A D-B agrees on this being how Emperor's Spears lieutenants paint their helmets...

 

Remember the plume pic I posted a few months back? That chap was a Lieutenant.

 

 

 

 

Thank you, all! You are very kind! But now, A D-B, I will toss and turn in bed at night wondering whether all lieutenants (and HQ´s in general) have your trademark plumes, or if it´s up to each marine to make the choice of being proplume or not... And yes, I know I should just do whatever I think looks cool, rule-of-cool and all that jazz, but I am a canon-nerd, and I know, that it´ll annoy me, if some detail is wrong. It´s the same thing with those damn dark blue right kneepads! 1st world problem, though...

[Rathamanti]

So, I really don’t want to include Guilliman in my army, because the spears chapter isn’t an ultramarine-successor, as far as we know, and because I feel a primarch should be even more powerful and mythic than the actual rules for Roboute suggest. I still want to play with the rules, though, and this is my solution:

 

 

As you can see, it’s very much wip. The two marines are just on separate bases for ease of painting. When it’s done, it’ll be Captain Sellemon Baks (for some reason I’m quite proud of that name...) and his two trusty comrades - all three on a 60” base.

Edited September 30, 2017 by Rathamanti

[A D-B]

 

 

Oh, and I hope GW and A D-B agrees on this being how Emperor's Spears lieutenants paint their helmets...

 

Remember the plume pic I posted a few months back? That chap was a Lieutenant.

 

 

 

 

Thank you, all! You are very kind! But now, A D-B, I will toss and turn in bed at night wondering whether all lieutenants (and HQ´s in general) have your trademark plumes, or if it´s up to each marine to make the choice of being proplume or not... And yes, I know I should just do whatever I think looks cool, rule-of-cool and all that jazz, but I am a canon-nerd, and I know, that it´ll annoy me, if some detail is wrong. It´s the same thing with those damn dark blue right kneepads! 1st world problem, though...

 

I can all too easily imagine what a ballache that would be. I can't promise to align things perfectly, but I'll tell you what: list some questions here and I'll answer them as best I can, in one go. If by any chance you hate helmet crests, this may not be the army for you, but I love your work and I'm entirely certain that officers show rank in different ways than the Chapter's default.

[Rathamanti]

 

 

 

Oh, and I hope GW and A D-B agrees on this being how Emperor's Spears lieutenants paint their helmets...

 

Remember the plume pic I posted a few months back? That chap was a Lieutenant.

Thank you, all! You are very kind! But now, A D-B, I will toss and turn in bed at night wondering whether all lieutenants (and HQ´s in general) have your trademark plumes, or if it´s up to each marine to make the choice of being proplume or not... And yes, I know I should just do whatever I think looks cool, rule-of-cool and all that jazz, but I am a canon-nerd, and I know, that it´ll annoy me, if some detail is wrong. It´s the same thing with those damn dark blue right kneepads! 1st world problem, though...

I can all too easily imagine what a ballache that would be. I can't promise to align things perfectly, but I'll tell you what: list some questions here and I'll answer them as best I can, in one go. If by any chance you hate helmet crests, this may not be the army for you, but I love your work and I'm entirely certain that officers show rank in different ways than the Chapter's default.

Thank you, A D-B! I can honestly say “likewise!”, and it is very kind of you to take the time to answer my questions!

 

Here’s a couple of questions (well, ten) off the top of my head. And sorry for my clumsy English!

 

1. How do the spears denote company, squad and battlefield role when it comes to their armour?

2. What does the dark blue knee pad signify (if it’s even there)?

3. Any pointers on captain, lieutenant and sergeant helmets (and other armour differences from standard chapters if any) would be nice.

4. How do they otherwise divert from the Codex Astartes?

5. What’s the nature of their homeworld, if they have any and if it’s a single-biome planet? You know, for basing reasons...

6. Are they predominantly light, purple or dark skinned or is it a natural mix like earth?

7. Librarians. Dark blue armour with spears-baby-blue shoulder pads? Again, helmet colour?

8. You called them “barbarian watchmen”. Should I find my Space Wolves-bitzbox as in pelts and unkempt beard, or are the spears just nackered and dirty after all that watching, but otherwise still noble and civilised? A little word about their nature would be awesome!

9. I don’t suppose you’ll be willing to hint at which legion they are a successor of, but can you hint at one or more of their specialities if they have any? Heavy armour, fast attack, footsloggers and so on. I need to plan my purchases, and they don’t have to be a Scars successor even though they love bikes, so you wouldn’t be revealing anything...

10. Can one of the spears please be called some variant of (Jens) Balslev? If not then Rathamanti or Sellemon? The first is my name, the others are homemade names I’ve made for characters in my spears army and in WoW. WHAT?! Imagine if one of your favourite authors included your name in one of his or her books. Wouldn’t that be cool and a permanent, little source of joy for the rest of your life?!

Edited October 4, 2017 by Rathamanti

[A D-B]

 

 

 

 

Oh, and I hope GW and A D-B agrees on this being how Emperor's Spears lieutenants paint their helmets...

Remember the plume pic I posted a few months back? That chap was a Lieutenant.

Thank you, all! You are very kind! But now, A D-B, I will toss and turn in bed at night wondering whether all lieutenants (and HQ´s in general) have your trademark plumes, or if it´s up to each marine to make the choice of being proplume or not... And yes, I know I should just do whatever I think looks cool, rule-of-cool and all that jazz, but I am a canon-nerd, and I know, that it´ll annoy me, if some detail is wrong. It´s the same thing with those damn dark blue right kneepads! 1st world problem, though...

I can all too easily imagine what a ballache that would be. I can't promise to align things perfectly, but I'll tell you what: list some questions here and I'll answer them as best I can, in one go. If by any chance you hate helmet crests, this may not be the army for you, but I love your work and I'm entirely certain that officers show rank in different ways than the Chapter's default.

Thank you, A D-B! I can honestly say “likewise!”, and it is very kind of you to take the time to answer my questions!

 

Here’s a couple of questions (well, ten) off the top of my head. And sorry for my clumsy English!

 

1. How do the spears denote company, squad and battlefield role when it comes to their armour?

2. What does the dark blue knee pad signify (if it’s even there)?

3. Any pointers on captain, lieutenant and sergeant helmets (and other armour differences from standard chapters if any) would be nice.

4. How do they otherwise divert from the Codex Astartes?

5. What’s the nature of their homeworld, if they have any and if it’s a single-biome planet? You know, for basing reasons...

6. Are they predominantly light, purple or dark skinned or is it a natural mix like earth?

7. Librarians. Dark blue armour with spears-baby-blue shoulder pads? Again, helmet colour?

8. You called them “barbarian watchmen”. Should I find my Space Wolves-bitzbox as in pelts and unkempt beard, or are the spears just nackered and dirty after all that watching, but otherwise still noble and civilised? A little word about their nature would be awesome!

9. I don’t suppose you’ll be willing to hint at which legion they are a successor of, but can you hint at one or more of their specialities if they have any? Heavy armour, fast attack, footsloggers and so on. I need to plan my purchases, and they don’t have to be a Scars successor even though they love bikes, so you wouldn’t be revealing anything...

10. Can one of the spears please be called some variant of (Jens) Balslev? If not then Rathamanti or Sellemon? The first is my name, the others are homemade names I’ve made for characters in my spears army and in WoW. WHAT?! Imagine if one of your favourite authors included your name in one of his or her books. Wouldn’t that be cool and a permanent, little source of joy for the rest of your life?!

 

I can't answer a lot of these in detail, because some of it may still change and/or I'd rather wait for the book to come out. But I can give it a go. Your army is so beautiful (and the first Emperor's Spears army I've ever seen, which gives it a special place in my heart) so it's a pleasure to try and help.

 

1. They're a lot like the Crimson Fists in that they don't denote Companies. Squads are marked with Nemetese runes or Roman numerals on the shoulder pads or shins, as usual. Nemetese runes look like Ogham. Outsiders can't penetrate the meaning of these specific symbols, but they're never used elsewhere in the Nemetese tongue, and don't seem to be numbers.

 

 

2. That's there. It's a very dark blue, almost black. That's the spot for personal heraldry.

 

A great many Spears have the sigil of the Sentinels of the Veil there, denoting them as the warriors chosen to watch over the region of space called Elara's Veil. The Celestial Lions and Star Scorpions used to have that symbol somewhere on their armour, too. It can be the red and black subsector symbol depicting Elara's Veil on stellar cartography (something Adeptus Mechanicus-ish from the transfer sheets), for example, or it can be a personalised symbol of the nebula itself. (Much in the way the Astral Claws, Lamenters, Mantis Warriors, and Executioners wore the marking of the Maelstrom Warders, in their role as watching over the Maelstrom.)

 

Many of the older Spears have the symbol of the Star Scorpions there, to reflect long campaigns fighting alongside their now-dead younger brother Chapter (use the Red Scorpion or House Malinax transfer sheets, maybe?). Obviously, no Primaris Marines have that.

 

Other Spears have the Celestial Lions' symbol, reflecting long crusades alongside their still-living (barely) other brother-Chapter. Primaris Marines can have that one.

 

Another very common one on the kneepad is the Argent Gauntlet, worn by warriors from both the Celestial Lions and the Emperor's Spears. It's a silver fist, as you'd expect. This is the symbol of something called the Exodus Armada. That's a big deal in the book. Any warrior or any rank can wear it, so it's often the default one. That or the symbol for the Sentinels of the Veil.

 

 

3. Sure.

- Sergeants have red transverse crests.

- Veteran Sergeants have red-and-black striped transverse crests.

- Lieutenants have red-and-black striped longitudinal crests.

- Captains have white longitudinal crests.

- The First Company has the trident marking on their helmets, like in my avatar. A lot of them also have it tattooed on their faces, in red or white ink.

 

The Spears don't necessarily use those names for their ranks, though.

 

 

4. Operationally? Not hugely. Organisationally? Quite a bit. It's complicated.

 

 

5. Nemeton is largely aquatic. Its landmasses are small and mountainous, and heavily forested. There are several equatorial landmasses that are largely marshy jungle. Wherever you are on Nemeton, it's likely raining. Rain is sacred to the Nemetese clans.

 

 

6. All kinds of skin tones, go nuts.

 

 

7. Librarians wear black, with a druidic and priestly vibe. So do Apothecaries. Techmarines wear black as well, but without the druidic/priestly vibe, and wholly tech'd up. They all have white helmets, and a red trident if they've served in the First Company. (Most haven't.)

 

Chaplains also wear black, but their helms are bone-coloured, and they have red tear-trails down their skull-cheeks. Any skulls on their armour have the same blood-tears, representing something from Nemetese legend that I don't want to mention here.

 

Techmarines don't wear many symbols of Mars. They wear the symbol of the forge-moon Bellona - a halo (like a half-cog) over a blood-weeping skull. That's the same symbol as the (mostly black with red patches) Cult Mechanicus and Skitarii Legions of Bellona - Adeptus Mechanicus make for very good allies for Emperor's Spears armies.

 

 

 8. Bone trinkets, talismans, occasional fur pelts, serpent scale-hide sure. These are usually gifts from the Twelve Tribes of Nemeton, not things the Marines have hunted or made themselves. They're nowhere near as common as they are on Space Wolf wargear. Closer to Salamander levels of bling. The most common bling they wear is Nemetese runes on their armour, usually in black, silver, or white - either pantied or carved into talismans. Much like the Spartans, they have codes of conduct that forbid them from being too filthy. Even in the middle of a campaign, they're forced to work on their armour and maintain is as well as they can, to respect the spirit (and as the Spartans did it, to intimidate the enemy, rather that looking battered and weak). 

 

 

9. You're free to do anything. They have a vast fleet, and they specialise in air-to-ground warfare and orbital drop assaults. They're particularly mobile when it comes to deployment and redeployment, and aren't short of air superiority. But like all Space Marines, they're good at pretty much all forms of warfare. They just have an advantage in that specific area when it comes to wargear.

 

 

10. I'll certainly see what I can do, there.

Edited October 4, 2017 by A D-B

[Rathamanti]

]

 

I can't answer a lot of these in detail, because some of it may still change and/or I'd rather wait for the book to come out. But I can give it a go...

I honestly haven’t been this hobby-excited since I was 13 and received the WHFB starter box as a birthday present. After I had finished reading your answer to question number 10, I tried to return to what I was doing before, namely removing moldlines, but I couldn’t because my hands were actually shaking!

 

Thank you so very much, Aaron! This is way more information than I ever could have hoped for; so much to work with (and so much new lore)! And it all sounds absolutely awesome! I can’t wait to see a painting of a Spear Librarian...

 

I have a few follow-up questions, that I certainly don’t expect you to answer, but here goes anyway in case you’re really bored:

 

1. Is there any way of seeing the Nemetese runes for the equivalent of 1-10?

 

3. So does this mean, that all spears (except first company) wear totally white helmets no matter their rank, and the only difference is the colour of the hairs of their plume? I mean, red sergeant helmet with red plume isn’t a thing, right?

 

5. So Nemeton is so small that all its tribes have the same culture (holy rain), or are there only very few people on the planet, or did I misunderstand something?

 

7. When you say that f.x. the Librarians wear black, you mean that their power armour is totally black with a white helmet?

 

I am currently also working on a Crusader Knight for the army, and I guess it would make sense, if it came from Bellona. There wouldn’t by any chance be any lore reason for it to be baby-blue Spear coloured (which I think would look awesome)? Or would it for sure be black with red patches? Or something else entirely?

 

10. Thank you! This would mean a huge deal to me and be a boyhood dream come true!

 

P.S.: I hope it’s okay, that I shared your answers in the thread about your new book. I was just so excited and wanted to share all the new info with the growing spear fan base. If not, I’ll remove it immediately!

Edited October 5, 2017 by Rathamanti

[A D-B]

 

]

 

I can't answer a lot of these in detail, because some of it may still change and/or I'd rather wait for the book to come out. But I can give it a go...

I honestly haven’t been this hobby-excited since I was 13 and received the WHFB starter box as a birthday present. After I had finished reading your answer to question number 10, I tried to return to what I was doing before, namely removing moldlines, but I couldn’t because my hands were actually shaking!

 

Thank you so very much, Aaron! This is way more information than I ever could have hoped for; so much to work with (and so much new lore)! And it all sounds absolutely awesome! I can’t wait to see a painting of a Spear Librarian...

 

I have a few follow-up questions, that I certainly don’t expect you to answer, but here goes anyway in case you’re really bored:

 

1. Is there any way of seeing the Nemetese runes for the equivalent of 1-10?

 

3. So does this mean, that all spears (except first company) wear totally white helmets no matter their rank, and the only difference is the colour of the hairs of their plume? I mean, red sergeant helmet with red plume isn’t a thing, right?

 

5. So Nemeton is so small that all its tribes have the same culture (holy rain), or are there only very few people on the planet, or did I misunderstand something?

 

7. When you say that f.x. the Librarians wear black, you mean that their power armour is totally black with a white helmet?

 

I am currently also working on a Crusader Knight for the army, and I guess it would make sense, if it came from Bellona. There wouldn’t by any chance be any lore reason for it to be baby-blue Spear coloured (which I think would look awesome)? Or would it for sure be black with red patches? Or something else entirely?

 

10. Thank you! This would mean a huge deal to me and be a boyhood dream come true!

 

P.S.: I hope it’s okay, that I shared your answers in the thread about your new book. I was just so excited and wanted to share all the new info with the growing spear fan base. If not, I’ll remove it immediately!

 

Excuse brevity. On my lunch break. Typing fast.

 

1. If you Google "Ogham", you can likely come up with cool variants based on that. Another perfect example would be Googling for "Sumerian cuneiform". These kinds of simplistic but effective Ancient World scripts are what I mean. There was also a really cool WHTV painting video where Duncan did some Word Bearer runic markings on a leg plate. That technique (not the symbols, and nothing to do with the Word Bearers) is what I meant when I said they etch or mark their armour with impenetrable Nemetese symbols at times. 

 

3. Yep. But! They're more or less Codex-compliant, and the Codex lists a squillion ways of showing rank even in Codex-compliant Chapters, so if you want to have several officers show their ranks with the usual/Ultramarine ways, that's not going to break anything.

 

5. Nemeton is a mono-culture, yeah. I usually try to counter that (in a lot of my novels, languages are often described as specific-location dialects like Tizcan Prosperine or City's Edge Nostraman, rather than just "Klingon" or whatever.) But in this case, it's a series of interacting tribes and they share a loose culture, and they share certain cultural touchstones. The main one being that Elara's Veil is a nebula taking up most of the night sky, and they believe that rain is... something superstitious and specific that horrifies the Mentor Legion officer visiting them. 

 

7. Yep. Librarians, Techmarines, and Apothecaries wear black armour with white helmets. They can have whatever colour robes/tabards you/they like.

 

7.5. It could come from Bellona. Nothing in the novel contradicts that possibility. It's more likely to be from Raukama, the Knight World in Elara's Veil. I've not mentioned their colours in the book yet. It could also be in the Spears' colours if you want, reflecting them campaigning at the Spears' side a lot. Nothing will directly contradict that. It's worth mentioning that any Knights may also have the symbol of the Exodus Armada on them, if you want.

 

10. De nada, frater.

Edited October 5, 2017 by A D-B

[Rathamanti]

You simply are a hero, Aaron. And even during lunch break?! Thank you! I can’t wait for the book. I promise I’ll buy a collector’s edition or two!

 

I promise, this will be my last question for now: I am not entirely sharp on knight lore.. when you say, that my knight likely would come from Raukama, does that mean that it is an imperial knight or a knight allied with the Mechanicus (do I use the eagle ornaments or the cog ornaments...?)

Edited October 5, 2017 by Rathamanti

[Draakur]

I will be both overjoyed for you, and almost spitefully jealous of you, if you get your name into canon for your favourite chosen Chapter Rathamanti. Fingers crossed brother. That's the holy grail and ultimate dream right there!

[Rathamanti]

I will be both overjoyed for you, and almost spitefully jealous of you, if you get your name into canon for your favourite chosen Chapter Rathamanti. Fingers crossed brother. That's the holy grail and ultimate dream right there!

Thank you! As I wrote, when I read it, I got so much adrenaline, that my hands started shaking :) We are such nerds... It is truly THE dream! And it would be that if it were any BL-author, but this is none other than A D-B - it simply couldn’t be any better (sorry, if I sound like an a**licker, but you know it’s true)! I really hope it works out. Balslev is a rare name and originally the old name of a tiny, tiny, old village in a tiny, tiny country (Denmark), so I don’t think there’s any problem in it, but I almost don’t dare to hope...

[Rathamanti]

A little progress on my Guilliman count-as. I also finished putting my knight together and magnetising it so I can use all load outs.

 

[Sagentus]

Loving that captain and the Base looks great! Really like the colour scheme for this army

[A D-B]

I am not entirely sharp on knight lore.. when you say, that my knight likely would come from Raukama, does that mean that it is an imperial knight or a knight allied with the Mechanicus (do I use the eagle ornaments or the cog ornaments...?)

 

Raukama is an Imperial Knight World, not an Adeptus Mechanicus one.

 

Also, I forgot to mention, Paragons have white shoulder pads as well as their red-trident helmets. The rims are still sky blue, like the rest of their armour.

[Captain_Krash]

This log is a serious inspiration kicker.

 

Love this board

 

Thanks!!!

 

Krash

[Rathamanti]

 

I am not entirely sharp on knight lore.. when you say, that my knight likely would come from Raukama, does that mean that it is an imperial knight or a knight allied with the Mechanicus (do I use the eagle ornaments or the cog ornaments...?)

 

Raukama is an Imperial Knight World, not an Adeptus Mechanicus one.

 

Also, I forgot to mention, Paragons have white shoulder pads as well as their red-trident helmets. The rims are still sky blue, like the rest of their armour.

Ah, of course. I misunderstood in all my eagerness. So Paragons must be sergeants, lieutenants and captain from First Company, or? I don’t think you’ve mentioned that title before?

 

And Sagentus and Captain_Krash, thank you for the kind comments! I love this forum as well!

Edited October 6, 2017 by Rathamanti

[A D-B]

 

 

I am not entirely sharp on knight lore.. when you say, that my knight likely would come from Raukama, does that mean that it is an imperial knight or a knight allied with the Mechanicus (do I use the eagle ornaments or the cog ornaments...?)

Raukama is an Imperial Knight World, not an Adeptus Mechanicus one.

 

Also, I forgot to mention, Paragons have white shoulder pads as well as their red-trident helmets. The rims are still sky blue, like the rest of their armour.

Ah, of course. I misunderstood in all my eagerness. So Paragons must be sergeants, lieutenants and captain from First Company, or? I don’t think you’ve mentioned that title before?

 

My bad. Paragons are warriors in the First Company.

 

Officers can have 1-2 white shoulder pads, too. Personal choice. But Paragons always do.