Chaos iconography and symbolism on the non-devout

[Irate Khornate]

As likely previously stated. The energies of the warp do mold and shift their armor and at times the individual inside the armor as well. As for the artwork and models themselves you have bands/individuals of CSM from each legion that actively seek the power that the dark gods offer. As for those that don't, it's a bit expensive making multiple kits for the same unit just for aesthetic taste. Pretty much just costs a lot less to make one armor set and the art to match what's advertised.

[Closet Skeleton]

Most chaos worship is transactional, its not about 'faith' or 'devotion'. Nurgle is the odd one out among the gods in having devout worshipers, Tzeentch is purely venerated by sorcerers who foolishly think they can get something out of the bargain, Slaanesh cares that you intoxicate and overwhelm your senses more than they care about veneration. Khorne of course cares not where or how the blood flows.

 

Word Bearers are unique in treating chaos like a traditional religion, doesn't mean that other forms of chaos worship are any less chaos. Night Lords and Iron Warriors aren't devout or religious but they're still worshiping chaos in their own way.

 

I consider anything published after RT ( 2nd and on) to be fan-fiction. Do the realm of chaos books contain or any WD from RT any guidelines ?  Or perhaps some index from that era contains the sacred/blasphemous texts you are looking for?. If not feel free to do as you like ;-P

 

First ed material has all chaos space marines as either active chaos worshipers or strait up possessed. There's no nuance in the Realm of Chaos books, even Fabius Bile is just some random slaanesh worshiping EC officer who gives a quote. Only the Cult Chapters get any real detail, with the Black Legion getting a smaller section. The idea that Legions vary in their commitment mostly comes from 3rd edition Index Astartes articles.

 

The only chaos stuff in the White Dwarf Compendiums are Traitor Terminator rules, the possessed genestealers and a few lines about the Badab War being caused by Huron's daemonic possession, so even less nuanced than Realm of Chaos. Chaos just isn't a big deal in first ed.

Edited May 5, 2021 by Closet Skeleton

[MaliGn]

Most chaos worship is transactional, its not about 'faith' or 'devotion'. Nurgle is the odd one out among the gods in having devout worshipers, Tzeentch is purely venerated by sorcerers who foolishly think they can get something out of the bargain, Slaanesh cares that you intoxicate and overwhelm your senses more than they care about veneration. Khorne of course cares not where or how the blood flows.

 

Word Bearers are unique in treating chaos like a traditional religion, doesn't mean that other forms of chaos worship are any less chaos. Night Lords and Iron Warriors aren't devout or religious but they're still worshiping chaos in their own way.

 

I like where you're going with this, all the atheist vision of chaos advocates out there bang on about iron warriors abhorring daemonic influence and replacing the daemonic mutations that they suffer with bionics as evidence of their rejection of chaos completely but that's not what it is at all. It is a rejection (or attempt at rejection) of the consequences of working with chaos. It is the vain pursuit of having something for nothing, gaining the positive without accepting the negative. These are marines that cannot deny the existence of chaos, they live with and see it on a daily basis so they see no reason to worship it any more than they would worship a table, but there are processes to follow when utilising chaos to achieve their ends, which they may as well do given the potential power to be gained by doing so. If that process means embossing a chaos star on the side of your bolter to mean it jams less often now that its previous machine spirit has been destroyed then so be it.

 

The same can apply for a renegade chapter, cut off from the support of the mechanicum they may have to resort to more esoteric means to maintain their equipment, and the more desperate they get the more susceptible they are to the lure of chaos.

 

Chaos is insidious, pervasive and corrupting and once on the path it is a slippery slope to utter damnation.

 

Also we are given the scope to interpret these things however we want the words can, most, some, may, lots, and soon are all open to interpretation and flexibility, if you insist on playing chaos rejecting chaos marines go right ahead, but the concept is by and large lost on me.