Hobby: Necron Combat Patrol

 

Some time ago now, I completed a small combat patrol of Necrons for what I've been terming the 'Galthadra Dynasty'.  A lesser branch of the wider Nihilak Dynasty, the Galthadran Necrons hail from the Belt of Calces in the heart of the Vahland Sector. Their awakening has caused some issues of late for the Imperium, and for several other lesser Xenos races that call the core of Vahland sector home

I wanted to go for a different scheme than I had seen on Necrons, while still keeping on theme for them being a spooky undead force.  I settled on a rusty brown, with accents of yellow, white and brassy gold. To give the impression of a worn and weathered robot but while maintaining some of the pomp and heraldic grandeur that I think of when I think about the Necrons

Originally the force was intended to fight against the Sages of Enmity [LINK] as an introduction for an ex to Warhammer 40,000 back in 9th edition.  That obviously did not come to fruition as you can probably guess that didn't end of working out. But I still got plenty of games in of 9th and 10th. 

The wider club's collection of Necrons, which is now in the many thousands of point's is largely painted in Nihlak Codex compliant colors. But this brown little unit still remains.

This sort of mismatch doesn't bother me to much, I've always enjoyed the history that tabletop games that can communicate. I've met so many people through this hobby and my collection of miniatures reflects the changing interests, styles of moments of my life. I think that's really special.  So even though the Brown Crons represent a painful moment of personal seperation and loss in my life, painting them helped me to find resolution with that breakup.

One of the reasons this blog is still going is after all because I'm a bit of a nostalgic person that likes to wax poetic and talk about life and toy soldiers.

I hope you enjoyed! 

-Your Favorite Madman-

Hobby: Bretheren of the Praeses Vahlandia

These two gentlemen are Space Marine's I kitbashed to playtest my game 'With Strength Enough', the final version of which will be set in my own setting, but the playtest environment is set in Warhammer 40,000.  Given that, I kit bashed a whole smattering of one of Astartes characters with different loadouts and aesthetics. Its always fun to sit down and bash out some random space marines and go through the bits boxes to make something interesting.  

The idea is that a player can come along and find something relatively close to an archtype they want to play as, and get into the play experience without much fuss. I don't have any real lore for these two, other than that they are a part of the Neuvo Praeses Vahlandia, the successor organization to the old Praeses Vahlandia that I detailed some time ago. Essentially a Deathwatch organization that allows for the justification of any given space marine chapter I might encounter to perform limited actions in Vahland while still making some degree of narrative sense. 

 Thanks for reading! 

-Your Favorite Madman-

War for Jornath Lore Video

I've recently uploaded a condensed timeline of the War for Jornath to my Youtube channel, given that we've passed the decade mark on the campaign and with more folks than ever joining Grey Mountain Gaming. I thought it might be a good time to sort of collect the story in one place in preparation for a formal campaign book

If you are interested in following more of Grey Mountain Gaming's narrative exploits in the Vahland Sector, including Jornath, Havaris, Edras' College or any of the other long format campaigns please read out wiki Librarius Vahlandia, follow us on Patreon or go to our website 

I hope you enjoy the video!

-Your Favorite Madman-

Unit Profile: The Sages of Enmity

 

Born of the Ultima Founding the Sages of Enmity Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes began life as members of the Unnumbered Sons of Guilliman, known also as the Grey Shields. Drawn from the genetic progeny of Ferrus Manus these men fought within the mighty armada of the Indomitus Crusade, plying the stars to arrest mankind's headlong plunge into ruin. When the devastation of the Praeses Vahlandia was discovered by the Crusade upon their arrival in the Sector, the sanction was given to form a new chapter to stand sentinel in Vahland. 

The Sages' Chapter Master, Zhong Kui. was chosen for his even-handed temperament and capable mind for political maneuvering, a useful skill in the often tumultuous political, religious, and military organizations that make up the Vahland Sector. Master Kui, after much discussion with his new Chaplains, based the Chapter's heraldry on the tragedy of their Primarch, The helm and arms of each brother would bear a blood-red pigment, symbolic of their father's sacrifice, and referencing the chapter's teachings where the origins of a warriors power lie in the mind and are channeled outward through the arms. In contrast to the fiery red, the core of their armor would be a slate gray showing their immovable resolve and acting as a symbolic metaphor for their role as the bedrock of humanity, for without the constant sacrifice and strife of the Astartes, the dominion of Mankind would surely topple.

The Chapter's Organization follows the Codex standard as laid down by Primarch Guilliman but has the quirk of the Order Youxia [You-She-Ha], which is a variation on the Crux Terminatus Honorific within other chapters, it essentially signals personal veterancy, meritorious adherence to the cult and creed of the chapter, and highlights the Brothers aptitude in combat. The Youxia, make up all manner of ranks throughout the Chapter, and each bear specially forged power blades and a ritual plumed helmet as a signifier of the honor they bear. 

The Liberation of Haspis Marina was the first conflict that the Chapter took part in, Vahland Sector's capital world, it was paramount that the new stewards of the region take part in freeing its highest offices of the taint of Chaos. A brutally hard-fought campaign, which lasted for 7 Months, the action saw the Sages of Enmity and hundreds of other Imperial formations sweep through a Chaos Tainted Coalition led by major elements of the Word Bearers. The aftermath of this action would have deeply resonating aftershocks, with many of the traitor coalition fracturing across the Sector and going on to launch their own campaigns in the years that followed, some of the Sector's most notorious villains and most glorious heroes fought at Haspis Marina, such as Galgathrax the Unwholesome, and Captain Corporis of the Sons of Medusa. The Campaign is memorialized on the Chapter Standard with a flaming sword plunging through 9 spheres wrapped with a twisting serpent, noting the Emperor's Sword wielded by Robute Guilliman, the nine worlds of the Haspian system, and its occupation by traitors.

Following the victory at Haspis Marina, the Sages of Enmity journeyed to the nearby system of Iocles, where the Chapter founded its homeworld, in the high altitude mountain ranges of the systems prime world, adopting its barely industrialized society as theirs. Master Kui, favored the world for its similarity to Medusa, the world of their gene line's progeny, and for its supposed "Sage Kings" who operate fledgling client states amidst the bones of a once ascendant Dark Age of Technology civilization. 

When the 1st Jornathii Ork War began, some 93 years following the Liberation of Haspis Marina, the Sages of Enmity had several smaller campaigns throughout the Sector under their proverbial belts. The Orks of the Skinner Worlds had been a spot of anxiety for the Chapter, Ork Empires are notoriously volatile, and prone to violent land grabs. The Sages were scattered throughout the Vahland Sector, when the initial Ork landings occurred on Jornath, dealing with threats from a number of great and lesser Xenos and Heretic forces. It was hoped that the Jornath system, being the seat of some of the Urient Sub-Sectors most prolific trade guilds, and noble families would be able to bring to bear such overwhelming manpower and equipment that a landing by Orks in such numbers as were present on the world in the Early War period would not greatly threaten regional stability. When the Emerald Scream incident occurred, triggering a major fleet deployment of Orks from the Skinner Worlds, it became clear to the Sages of Enmity that they would be required to aid in the defense alongside those Astartes and Imperial Guard Armies already present in the system. 

The Sages of Enmity arrived shortly after the Fall of Ankou, in fact, their 2nd, 4th, and 6th Companies arrived in the system during the final hours of the Battle for the High Civitans Palace, during which they joined forces with the withdrawing portions of Battlegroup Ankou, and took positions with the Jornathii System Defense Fleet and Battlefleet Vahland where the took part in what is still the largest orbital fleet action in the Sub-Sectors history.  When the Orks broke through and began landing forces in the Writt Expanse, near Hive Oakenzid, the Sages of Enmity took to the ground alongside thousands of other Astartes and millions of PDF and Guard troops. In that time many great actions occurred, with members of 4th Company neutralizing a formation of Xenos Gargants under Traggazog Metalcap, and the 2nd leading the push of 10th KCC, the 7th Chonn Heavy Infantry, 32nd Antinar Deepers and the 12/16th Oakenzid Conscripted Levy in the jaws of Ur Bloodstamp, one of the Starflaya's prime lieutenants, resulting in the death of that great foe at the hands of Color Sgt. Felica Janol of the 32nd Antinar Deepers, earning the respect of Captain Hóng tāo. The 32nd to this day bear the Sages Chapter marking on their regimental banner, alongside the mummified skull of Ur Bloodstamp, which hangs from the banner pole. 

In the years following the 1st Jornathii Ork War, the Sages have been active in advocating for a number of significant military expeditions in the Sink of Erasmus, and the Skinner Worlds to neutralize the significant threat posed by these dens of the aliens and heretics before they can again sally out to sew havoc through the sub-sector.  As the Chapter ages, they have continued to refine their Cult and Creed, focusing on a methodical and dispassionate response to threats, and placing special credence to rapid ruthless strikes to eliminate their targets. 

Hosk: Shrine Raid

Happening 97 years before the War for Jornath. The liberation of Haspis Marina was the conclusion of the Indomitus Crusades effort to free the Vahland Sector from the dominion of Chaos, it saw the Grand Armada of the Imperium, plunge into the Chaos held Sector Capital system in a titanic brawl that lasted several months. In this solo play game, I explore the opening shots of the Liberation Campaigns Ground War as Imperial Strike Teams land on the Resort World turned Bloody Chaos Alter of Hosk to prevent the Chaos forces from summoning forth massed daemonic allies to halt the invasion 

Imperial Strike Force, 

 3 Assault Intercessors from the Sages of Enmity,  a team of scions with plasma cannon and Sgt with power sword,  a tempestor (Captain Desjardin) with plasma pistol, and a 4 man scion command team with medic.

The Lost and the Damned, 

3 Marines from the Word Bearers with a Reaper Autocannon,  2x Five Man squads of Traitor Guard (catachan rules) 1x 5man squad of mutants and Renegades (cultists with mark of nurgle) and  Daeg Steelheart, Mortal Champion of Nurgle (Company Commander with  T4, and 6+ FnP, and a power sword)

The Landings on Hosk were a brutally nightmarish affair, Hosk, the 6th planet in the Haspian System has been used by Chaos Worshippers as a blood soaked alter for their worst proclivities, where thousands met cruel ends as sacrifices to the Dark God's to bring forth armies of daemons to plauge the Imperium.  The Chateaus of the Sectors Elite have become temples overflowing with blood and adorned with the discarded corpses of tortured slaves.  Each of these places were targeted for destruction in the opening phases of the Imperiums Reprisal campaign to retake Haspis Marina, the Heretics had to be denied their otherworldly allies at every turn.

The Imperials storm into the temple. The plasma gunner immediately slays a word bearer, but the fusilade of hit shot rounds results in little else.  The Lost and the Damned respond with autocannon and lasfire in kind, killing 3 of the stormtroopers in the point squad, one of the Traitor Guard teams charges the ill fated squad, but neither can cause any kills

The Sages of Enmity sweep into the Assault, killing the traitor guardsmen only to be charged by another squad of traitors, the entry squads plasma gunner is slain by lasfire, on the flank the stormtrooper command team slays 4 mutants, and is charged by the last remaining mutant alongside Daeg Steelheart, two of the elite die at the hands of Steelhearts blade.  Autocannon fire wounds one of the Sages, and Captian Desjardin injures a Word Bearer with his plasma pistol

Captain Desjardin and the Entry Team Sgt break off and surround Daeg Steelheart, there is a fierce melee, in which the champion is dealt two wounds.  The Astartes of the Sages of Enmity finish off the traitor guard and move to attack the Word Bearers.  The Heretic Marines preempt them, and make their charge, killing one of the loyalist, and suffering no damage in return

The Loyalist Astartes slay the word bearers after several turns of melee combat.  Steelheart slays the Entry team Sgt, and the lone mutant manages to slay both of the remaining stormtroopers from the command team.

Imperial Victory.  

Jornath: Goading the Hoard.

As the System Fleet and Battlefleet Vahland fight a holding action against the amassing Ork Invasion Fleet, Astartes forces on Ankou's surface engage renegade Ankouvian's turned feral by xenos psyco-scrapcode, and begin to lockdown Linces Hive, the Capital of Jornath's errant moon, and the crux for the Imperial's defense plans. In the out-hab zones, Knights of House Raven lure off swathes of aliens from their landing zones, destroying them in detail or guiding them into carefully prepared Imperial Guard kill zones. These baiting strikes are wildly successful, buying time for the Imperial Dragoons and other Astartes to fully secure Linces and begin working with a flood of freshly arriving Guard Regiments to fortify the Hive and prepare the moon to bulwark against the coming greenskin storm.

Sir Heximus in the Unyielding Storm, and his attendant Armigers, race through the Hildegard Residential Precinct, breaking nearly a thousand greenskins into smaller groups among the blasted ruins, before striking with massed autocannons, and the crashing might of metal feet into the alien's loose ranks 

The Cadian 32nd and Idirian 5th lend Las and Cannon shot to the cause, scything down Orks under Jagtur Bazz Wursnik in a shattered freight management yard. 

The Vitritan Interregnum: Game 1

Vitritus is a former Imperial Manufacturium planet on the extreme eastern borders of the Urient Sub-Sector. It was rendered a dead world by Capital class weapons 450 years ago, by the expansionist Xenos Empire of the Septimanians. That perfidious alien race was rendered all but extinct by the might of Imperial retribution forces, but internal divisions about resettlement rights, and a century-long disagreement between the Sub-Sector Administratum and the Mechanicus over the proper composition, resourcing requirements and leadership of a recolonization and exploration fleet to rebuild those worlds devastated by the Xenos attacks allowed the planet to slip into the ever-growing sphere of influence of the so-called "Skinner Worlds" a clutch of Ork infested systems. With the sub-sector Navy not willing to kick the proverbial hornet's nest, without a significant build-up of military force to take on the likely tidal wave of Ork's responding to an incursion, Vitritus was left to rust away on the peripheries of Imperial space, until resources could eventually be sourced to return. 

When the War for Jornath erupted, threatening the Sub-Sector's primary trading conduits, the Imperium and the Orks of the Skinner Worlds poured resources into the fight, leaving the peripheries of their respective territories, empty of patrols. Opening these regions to predators of a far darker kind, the myriad forces of Chaos, led by the Renegade Chapter the Centurions of Innocence, wormed their way into the poorly guarded zones. In their reaving they learned of a small Mechanicus mission to the ruins of Vitritus, to revive a supposed piece of immensely potent archeotech to turn the tide of the war against the Greenskins.  It was no time before the 2nd Company of the Centurions of Innocence, and a strike cruiser packed with scum and traitors the sector over found itself in the sensor shadow of the Vitritan Sun...

=======================================

I wanted to take a bit of a break from the Orks, and work on a smaller more elite force to play around with. My immediate thought was to make one that was more ranged oriented, but alas the viscera of close combat took hold and I've made a choppy Chaos Space Marine force, around the World Eaters faction trait. 

My opponent for this slow grow league/campaign/narrative thing is my arch-nemesis Chris and his fearsome Metallica Adeptus Mechanicus forces. 

My Centurions of Innocence Strike Force.

Daemon Prince [Dark Mechanicum Bio Assault Drone]  with Wings, Warp Bolter, and Talisman of Burning Blood.

Chaos Lord with Black Axe of Ul'Occa,

2x Khorne Berzerker Squads,  Champion with Power Fist and Plasma Pistol,  Marine with Plasma Pistol, and an Icon of Wrath for each squad.

10x Cultists.

Chris' Adeptus Mechanicus of Metallica 

Techpriest Engineseer

Techpriest Manipulus (represented by an Infiltrator Alpha figure)

Sicarian Infiltrators 

3x Skitarii Vanguard Squads

Sydonian Dragoons Squadron.

The Ruins, of the Vitritan Capitol Fabricatorum Complex. 

We are using the Cities of Death rules from Chapter Approved 2018 for this game, and we rolled the "Decapitation" Mission from the same book which is a combined deployment map and objective overview. It felt appropriate, as it seemed reasonable that the Marine's first goal on the planet would be capturing/killing a Mechanicus ground commander to ascertain their progress in finding the archeotech, or just to cause havoc while the renegades begin their own search.

The Cult Mechanicus set up in the center field, I deploy the forces of Chaos in cover and close together to benefit from the Lord of Chaos aura ability while my berzerkers close in.

My Daemon Prince swiftly crashes into the Sydonian Dragoons, killing two of the clanking machines and wounding one. All other Chaos units advance towards the enemy.

The Mechanicus respond by surrounding the Daemon Prince with Vanguard, and the Manipulus lowering his toughness (a Vanguard special ability) and placing a character threat into the mix. The Sicarian Infiltrators and the Vanguard gun down the Cultists and move into the street.

The Last Sydonian Dragoon deals considerable damage to the Daemon Prince which is quickly finished off by Rifle Butts and Iron Mechadendrites. The Khorne Berzerkers hit the Vanguard and Manipulus and quickly exact a bloody revenge. The Chaos Lord engages the Sicarian Infiltrators in close combat and gains the upper hand thanks to the mortal wounds from his daemon weapon.

With Power Armored Madmen closing in, the Enginseer blurts out an Error-Abort Code onto the Skitarii Cohorts Noospheric Network. Chris Concedes at this point and Game 1 goes to Chaos.

-Your Favorite Madman-