Messor

Here is the progress so far on the story for this challenge. I kinda bs-ed most of the details pertaining to ship function, because I really haven't read any 40k lit about that. I'm planning to go for about six pages, but we'll see if I can really tease that much out of it. The Toll of Failure “We have our heading, courtesy of the Arch-Magos,” The Marshall boomed to the command deck, “Lay in the course, sync with the fleet, and let us be about it. They tell me the voyage may take weeks. I know I’m not the only one who would see this system put well behind us.” The Marshall didn’t turn from the viewport as he made his last statement, but Mahlur knew that the Chapter Master referred to him. He ill concealed the angry grimace that pulled at his face, and turned and left the deck to seek the solitude of his own quarters. A few corridors clear of the command deck and any living presence but a couple of passing servitors, he allowed himself the release of slamming a gauntleted fist into the bulkhead plating as he passed. When at last he reached his quarters he sunk into the bench along the rear wall, and tried to recite some of the focusing litanies the Wardens taught. The peace he hoped for did not come. Though he had escaped the perceived judgements of his brethren, their whispers and glances, they were replaced by the tumult of his own mind; his mistakes during the challenge, the taunts of his opponent repeating again and again, filling his ears in a way that could not be silenced. When it finally became too much he lurched to his feet and let a guttural roar of impotent rage tear from his throat. Panting as the anger subsided, the blood pounding in his head seemed to drown out his thoughts, he stood, looking around the room and letting the feeling ebb from him. After some time, minutes probably, but it felt longer, the ship’s captain spoke over the ship-wide vox. “All hands to warp stations. The Reilios enters the warp in five minutes.” Mahlur slumped, and began removing and stowing his armor. He lay awake on his slab when he felt the tell-tale jolt of the ship breaching the warp, and allowed the otherworldly hum of the geller field generator far below to guide him to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hardin had been attending the bulky and demanding generator engines for only two days without sleep. Others had gone longer in the past; even he had, on occasion. So he was sure, despite the toll the long hours had taken on his body, that his senses were still acute enough for the work. He understood the importance of making it known if he felt too fatigued; the geller field was all that kept the ship and everyone aboard from suffering horrific deaths. But at the same time, he knew he would be punished if he was suspected of shirking his tasks. So he pushed on, and it was no bother, really. He could handle it, he was sure. The problem was that if he really was as awake and functional as he wanted his crewboss to believe he was, then he hadn’t imagined that flicker on the field integrity cogitator. That could mean only one of three things. First, he had imagined it, and the fatigue was getting to him; he needed to take his lashes and be relieved to rest. Second, that there was a problem with the cogitator. Fixing that would only be possible to one of the attendant tech adepts, certainly not him, and he sought one out now, fervently praying to the God-Emperor that this was the case. For the third possibility was that there had, in fact, been a flicker in the geller field integrity. In which case, they might all be doomed already. Spotting an engineseer monitoring another cogitator, Hardin hurried toward him. A few steps away, though, there was a mechanical groan from beneath the deck grating, a pop and a rush of stale air and dust blasted Hardin in the face. For a nearly a minute he was reduced to teary-eyed, doubled-over coughing. When he straightened up, the enginseer had approached and was berating him in choppy mixture of low gothic and bursts of static, and mechano-tendril pushed him aside to get at the grating. Hardin shook his slightly swimming head, and blinked, furrowing his brow. He had been doing something important. But now he couldn’t remember what. Begrudgingly, he concluded that fatigue was getting the better of him, and he reported to his crewboss for relief. Finding a comfortable position with the growing bruises from the ensuing beating proved difficult, but eventually he settled in his slot bunk and let weariness claim him. As he took his first sleeping sighs, a thin cloud of fine white dust-like motes issued from his nostril and dissipated through the room.

Glad you asked. Mahlur's story will be expounded in the next part of the challenge, and his significance will become apparent. Once finished, the story will complete this Index entry. I like the idea of including some passing descriptions of abilities relating to the gene-seed, I'll give that some close thought. Thanks for checking it out, StratoKhan!

While the details behind Sidon's present condition aren't super important to the story of the Flaming Swords (and I don't think the absence of those details detracts from the story at all), they make for a pretty interesting story themselves, something that might someday be fun to delve into in a narrative campaign or something. I do think that the Inquisitorial elements involved are being rather narrow in their scope. It makes sense to investigate a Chapter with a suspicious background; we see that often. But the Flaming Swords are sitting on mysteries that could be every bit as impactful and every bit as heretical on their homeworld. While the Swords themselves may not take interest in delving deeper into those secrets, outside factions will (like the Mechanicum you mentioned). That's one thing I think would be worth giving mention in the Swords' story; the degree to which other parties have taken interest in Sidon's secrets since the Swords settled there.

That's metal as all get out, Nineswords. Looking forward to the new stuff!

The Depthwatch Chapter Risen From the Unknown There exists only a small, albeit dedicated, sect of Imperial scholarship that still gives credence to stories of the Depthwatch Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. Though a number of references to marines bearing the armor and heraldry associated with the Depthwatch exist, they are only that: references. No reputable accounts, much less recordings, have been found that would truly confirm that the Chapter existed. It has only been through the sponsorship of a small and relatively insignificant dynasty of Inquisitors that the search for information regarding the Chapter still continues. There is still much debate within their circles, but the majority belief among these scholars and Inquisitors is that the Depthwatch was created during the 24th Founding and came to be stationed in the Segmentum Tempestus, where most of the myths originate, and which aligned with the need for fresh Imperial defenses at the time. It is generally assumed that the Chapter must have restricted itself to patrolling reaches of empty border space, regions that might make tempting openings for xenos incursions. This fits with the few existing records of materiel requisitions to the region for which any notation on the recipients has been lost. Many of those searching for the truth behind the Depthwatch have long held the belief that somewhere in the galaxy, its progenitor may still hold records that would finally solve the puzzle, but between the reticence of many Astartes to allow Inquisitorial interference in their affairs, and the lack of any hint even to what genetic lineage the Depthwatch bore, no search has yet proved fruitful, and the trail has long been cold. The search has recently been rekindled, though, following reports of the bodies of Primaris marines vanishing from the battlefields where they fell, and the strange Astartes that always seem to be present when it happens. The Blasphemous Truth, whispered from tomes in the Black Library Home World It would be a great triumph for those pursuing knowledge of the Depthwatch to ascertain even what might have been their home sector, let alone a home world. In the past the stories and legends attributed to the Chapter have originated in the Segmentum Tempestus, and new attention has been brought to the region as separate forces of multiple space marine chapters, including the Champions Eternal, the Wolfspear, the Moritficators, and the Raven Guard have raised claims of unidentified, but ostensibly loyalist astartes, absconding with the bodies of fallen Primaris marines. With the voice of the Raven Guard involved, more groups within the Inquisition have begun to take interest, while the Champions Eternal have vowed to find and punish the desecrators themselves. Turn the pages. Go deeper. Recruitment Who or where the Depthwatch recruited to their ranks is impossible for Imperial scholars to know, given the much more fundamental questions that they still cannot answer. If some feudal world ever contributed its youth to their ranks, no record of it has been uncovered, though not for lack of trying. Read, mortal, know the truth hidden by the Empyrean. Combat Doctrine Collected myths and songs associated with the Depthwatch paint a picture of a force focused on ambush tactics. Epics, their origins lost to oral tradition, tell of "star sailors" who made use of celestial bodies like asteroid fields and nebulae to strike unexpectedly at invading enemies. More than a few of the tales describe them striking from all directions, always seeking to remove any chance of retreat in order to utterly destroy their foes, rather than simply repel them. That truth is dark should come as no surprise. Organization Like their recruitment methods, the scant information that researchers have gathered over the centuries is not nearly enough to support guesses as to how the Depthwatch was organized. Like knowledge, survival demands sacrifice. Beliefs Occasionally the debates that take place about the chapter broach the subject of their beliefs, more specifically their loyalty, but the discourse is only questions, never answers, and from decade to decade popular opinion sways on whether this lost chapter was traitorous or true. Reality and belief, eternally intertwined. Gene-seed The genetic origin of the Depthwatch is as lost to the Imperium as the rest of the Chapter's history, a subject of endless discussion among the tiny faction of scholars that still defend the Chapters existence. While a few go as far as to try inferring lineage from the scant descriptions of the Chapters character, most others deride anything less than verified genetic data, something that most researchers have given up ever finding. The same seed engenders both truth and lies. Chapter Tactic Warrior Apparitions Unnatural mist and improbable pools of water seed the battlefield moments before the Depthwatch arrives. Their sudden appearance, and the strange occurrences that seem to accompany them keep their enemies off balance until it's too late. When resolving an attack with a ranged weapon against a <Depthwatch> unit more than 12" away, the unit counts as having the benefits of cover. Enemy units within 3" of a unit with this tactic suffer -1 to their Leadership. Memory woven from the recollections of Men and Aeldari Discussion thread: HERE A semi-formal pdf version is now available in the downloads section HERE.

Thanks. I'm gonna have to revisit them at some point; I don't know if it's the paint job or my photography, but I'm not a fan of these pics.

Well, forgot a crucial step, but I painted them, so I figured I should post them: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/362736-it-the-pallid-procession-iron-gauntlet-2020/?p=5587573

Well, I got 80% through painting these fellas for the second challenge before remembering we needed to take pre-paint pictures. A lesson in not procrastinating: you forget stuff. They came out alright for a two evenings at the table. We have here Calvera himself, the Pallid Preacher, and Brother Alvorid.

Thanks for your effort, Dos. You have served well!

Thanks KBA! Just trying to find time now to sit down and paint the models for the next part of the challenge.

Only four months to finish three battlesuits! But I'm sure my other minis are grateful for the breaks I took to paint them. Here's the final member of the squad, and a group shot. Next comes my ISO Vespid-counts-as, then I think I'll be ready to go after the commander! I suppose at *some* point is should properly detail the rest of the weapons. I've also started tooling around with bits and greenstuff to convert the Coalition Ethereal, Gir'hos, a more war-like member of his caste than most.

That sounds slick! I wanted to paint some Tron Tau, so mine are fire warriors with some 3rd party jump packs. Part of the fluff for the Sept is their discovery of a nearly extinct digital race that in exchange for bringing them back from the brink, helps refine the Tau's hardlight technology and uses their own to support the Greater Good, particularly militarily.

Thanks mithril! I do have these guys magnetized. I have one more battlesuit in this squad that's probably my highest priority, and then I will be focusing on my counts-as Vespid squad.

I, Brother Messor, in service to the Pallid Procession and the Great Unclean One, vow before my brothers and sisters of the B&C to complete Challenge the Second and submit it to the Liber before the deadline. I vow to support my fellow challengers to the best of my ability. May the powers curse me if I fail.

Finished another battlesuit, the Shas'vre of this squad! Weapons are not fun to paint, so after getting the gray on those, I'm probably gonna save them for later. Also, is there a bbcode to resize images, or does that need to be done before linking them?