The sky cracked, spilling a baleful red light over the blasted landscape. Iorveth Threx looked up from his work and surveyed the approaching army. Significantly larger than anticipated. No matter. He would adapt. The dark, red-tinted clouds swirled high in the air as he completed the final connections on his latest project. The formerly inactive machine shuddered as energies, both electric and aetheric, flooded through its systems. Cogs and gear clanked and ground. Pistons slid in and out of their housings. The machine stirred. What had once been misshapen mound of metal shifted and reordered itself, forming itself into a distinct predatory shape. The cannons that comprised its forelimbs spun a slow cycle and the beast took a step forward, its ironclad foot planting on the decking with a resounding clang. Threx laid his iron hand on the creature’s flank. Dark energies pulsed under his touch. Acceptable.
A servitor approached and blurted a fractured spurt of nonsense code. Either reprogramming or sacrifice lay in its immediate future. It turned and shambled away. Threx followed. The preparations were complete and soon the enemy would have more than just his machines to contend with…
I’m taking a bit of an odd list to Adepticon. It’s not a list I planned on making. Not for this event anyway. I mentioned a list late last year, in the wake of the Chaos Marine Codex. It was a pure Chaos Marine list and combined some Khorne elements with a lot of Slaanesh. A tonne of cultists, some Noise Marines, a big squad of Slaaneshi Marines. Slightly hordeish. That was this list I was going to take, but I ran into a problem, and that was painting the thing. In particular, painting the Marines. I had a colour scheme vaguely in mind, but the models themselves were just so busy with detail, I couldn’t visualise it properly. I was going to go with a grey base and black trim, with a bright red/pink/purple colour for lights and sigils and what have you. But I couldn’t settle on a look that seemed right. The scheme would take a while to paint on each marine due to the detail on the models and as each test was taking upward of forty minutes to complete, I was fast running out of patience. I seriously considered bringing Necrons or Dark Eldar to the event. But thanks to the Daemon Codex, I now have an alternative plan.
My Warpsmith was always going to be a Chaos Iron Hand, because, you know, me and the Iron Hands. So it was a natural fit to have him in charge of the Daemon engines and fortifications, rather than my Slaaneshi Chaos Lord, who would have all the Marine resources. The Warpsmith (Iorveth Threx) would have scrapcode infested servitors and menial workers that would fit into the cultist mould quite nicely so I could have two distinct armies that could nevertheless fit together in what I called a storyline list focusing on the corruption and capture of a forgeworld.
Given the problems I had getting Chaos Marines painted, daemons were tempting, as they all have broadly the same schemes and the models were less detail-heavy and could be painted faster. But I didn’t have enough Daemons to form a list I was happy with. Then in steps Iorveth Threx. Being Khorne-worshipping already, it was a simple matter to write some Khorne Daemons into the list, focus on a relatively low model count so I could get everything painted in time (still ongoing, as it happens), and have it fit my storyline nicely. And so, I present to you: The Malicant Locus, Defence of the Daemonforge.
Primary Detachment
HQ: Bloodthirster
Troops: 10 x Bloodletters
Troops: 10 x Bloodletters
Heavy Support: Soul Grinder with Mark of Khorne
Heavy Support: Soul Grinder with Mark of Khorne
Allied Detachment
Warpsmith Iroveth Threx: Mark of Khorne, Veteran of the Long War, Axe of Blind Fury
Troops: 10 x Cultists
Troops: 20 x Cultists with 2 Flamers
Fast Attack: Heldrake with Bale Flamer
Heavy Support: Forgefiend with 2 Hades Autocannons
Fortifications
Bastion with Quad Gun
All that comes in at 1,500 points. I’ll get into some tactics and try to justify myself tomorrow.
So long!
4 comments:
nice fluff story
chaos iron hands are always cool whats his backstory
Thanks! I'll probably do a short story (a few thousand words)to fill out Iorveth's backstory, but the bare bones are that he was leading a squad of loyalists on garrison duty and the world revolted due to incitement by the Word Bearers (naturally). He and his squad were manning the last bastion of the Loyal and beseiged on all sides. As the war grew longer and longer, and more foul magics were used the situation grew ever more desperate for Threx and his squad. In response, Iorveth became more and more inventive in his approach to survival. He would buzz with ideas of how to construct combat aids and ordnance from the equipment and supplies scavenged from his enemies. his creation grew more and more ramshackle as the Word Bearers shifted tactics and sent waves and waves of ill equipped cultists against the Iron Hands, forcing them to expend their ammunition and equipment, receiving precious little in return. Iorveth approached his re-appropriation differently from then on. Though metal was lacking, flesh was in easy supply. Using the inspiration that visited him constantly, he created new devices, new machines. He manipulated the Word Bearer's own servants and rituals to tips the scales in his favour. his machines improved and the death rates spiralled, as did Iorveth's already fractured sanity.
When the Imperial Army broke through to his bastion, the Malicant Locus, he was unable to tell them apart from the hated foe he had been fighting for aeons. they were just more sources of salvage. more grist to the mill of his Daemonforge.
And that's about it. Like I say, that's the bare bones. I should be able to flesh that out (sorry for the pun) into decent story...
You stated that your list was1500 points, does that mean you are signed up for the friendly tournament?
If so, I hope to see you there, I will be the large gentleman with the oversized battle wagons.
Hey man,
yes I will be attending the Friendly, as I've grown apart from the heavy competitive mindstate and just fancied lighter gaming.
If I don't find you, then seek me out and we'll have a drink.
I'm normally fairly easy to spot, but if you cant see me, just follow your ears. I'll probably be talking!
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