Rogue Trader-esque Warbands and Character Conversions, and anything else I fancy making ;)

Thought I'd post up about my other little 40k projects that I tinker away with when waiting for bits to arrive for my exodites

I'd been wanting to branch out a little into some of the other factions of 40k, but really don't want to go through the slog of building up whole armies of other factions which would just take me away from my exodites.

Plus, I've found a lot of inspirational stuff about Blanchitsu-style modelling from places like The Convertorum: http://convertorum.blogspot.co.uk/
Iron Sleet (check out the Space Wolf stuff for background fluff that really gets to their potential as more than just 'Wolfy Wolf McWolf-lords': https://ironsleet.com/
Weirdingway's Navigator Household: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/584689.page

So, I came up with the idea of making models for a Rogue Trader run Spaceport on the fringes of Imperial space, where humans and xenos mingle and live in general unease (as opposed to outright hostility). Bought some bits and got cracking

First off, the Rogue Trader that runs the place (pending a name), and his retinue of MT guards. Although his rejuve treatments aren't working as well as they used to, his mind is as sharp as ever...



Next steps for these guys is an Ogryn bodyguard, and probably re-posing his head so he's not staring straight at the ground :S

Then we've got my augmented human Mercenary. Some say he's a surviving Thunder Warrior, some say he's an Alpha Legion operative, some say he's a technobarbarian worshipper of Khorne. All of these things could be true, or none of them. All you know is that for the right price he'll make anyone disappear...


I like to think that he lost his arm when his previous Plasma Pistol exploded. Didn't end well for the man he bought it from...

Next up is my two Imperial Pilgrims, on the pilgrim path to the holy ruined temple of Vandhol, where it's said the Emperor knelt to pray during the Great Crusade. Eventually there'll be a bunch of these guys (counts-as Conscripts...I hardly think they'd be military trained).


Armed with shotguns...because this is the Imperium after all

Accompanying them on their erstwhile journey is two mercenaries from a Knight World, an Archaeotech Rifleman and a Man-at-Arms. Through the close ties with the Knight Worlds and the Mechanicus, much of their equipment bears similarities.



I'll probably expand this warband to include a Questing Knight Errant (before being inducted into the Knightly Houses, sons and daughters of the nobility must undertake a quest in the deep reaches of space. Escorting this band of pilgrims on their journey is the charge of this Knight Errant).

Speaking of Ad Mech, my Explorator's warband has expanded with a few more Skitarii eventually he'll get a Sicarian Infiltrator/Ruststalker, and maybe an Arc Rifle Skitarus as well.



What Rogue Trader outpost is complete without a Squat survivor?

Meet George and Lenny (if anyone gets the reference I'll be pleased!).


Lenny the Servitor is immensely strong, but a little slow after his lobotomisation. However, he compliments George's sharp wits nicely.

Speaking of Servitors, I made this little dude but not sure who he's going to tag along with yet...


Citizen: Don't you think putting those purity seals next to the plasma vent is a bad idea?
Tech Priest: Don't question the will of the Omnissiah...

Last of the human warbands we've got my Mining Guild, operating one of their asteroid mining operations from the Rogue Trader's spaceport.


Miner: Well, you see, some of us lads have wound up being stooped over from so much time in the mines...
Commissar: Doesn't that guy at the back have three arms?
Miner: Oh that's Mutie Joe. We take in some of the mutants around here and give 'em jobs crushing rocks. Keeps 'em off the streets you know.
*Commissar makes mental note to contact the nearest Deathwatch fortress for information on Genestealers Cults...

That's the last of the human denizens...so onto the xenos!

These Tau bodyguards will eventually be guarding a Water Caste emissary on their mission to open diplomatic relations with the Rogue Trader outpost. There's two Breachers, two Riflemen and a Pathfinder tracker. I'll probably include a drone or two, a Shas'ui, and Earth Caste technician and maybe a stealth suit. Oh, and lots of Tau propaganda posters



An Exodite tracker. He'll be getting a more animalistic companion, as well as some Corsair/Dark Eldar/Outcast buddies.



My first two finished Freebootaz (names pending again). Working on re-posing Nom Chopski with his Big Choppa from earlier in the thread. Really need to find somewhere that's got the cigar-toting arm in stock...



Last but not least...Ratfink the minor xeno! Come to him for all your mechanical repairs...especially if you've tired of the extortionate rates the Mechanicus charges.



I've got a couple more that are still WIP:

Kroot Tyranid Hunter (with a poisoned blade made from splicing together Tyranid bits...clever Kroot)


A Skadiir Hunter from The Convertorum: http://convertorum.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/the-hunter.html



And a true-scale Fallen Dark Angel


Although he believes he's still a loyal servant of the Emperor, he often heeds the whispers of his diminutive daemonic companion. Whether it's working for the good or ill of the Imperium is not currently clear.

I've got another couple of ideas for warbands too. Eldar Corsairs, Outcasts and Dark Eldar/Haemonculus slave traders are all on the cards. I also want to make a couple of human civilisations from beyond the reaches of the Imperium (technobarbarians using Marauder stuff, and some that still use/manufacture Solar Auxilia armour and weaponry). Oh, and Lizardmen...in spaaace!

I also want to work in some more Chaotic cultures too. There's no reason low-powered warbands wouldn't hide away in this den of iniquity. I've got ideas for a Khornate warband who are passing through, and I've fallen in love with the new Tzaangor models (Rogue Trader Guard: Summon one more daemon and I'll blow you out the airlock!).

Not to forget the Grot Revolutionaries

Aww com on man! Now you are just making the rest of us look like we are not even trying.
Jeebus flippin' crêpes, how do you have time to make so much awesome stuff? And now with hilarious dad-joke-pun-names?

Thanks man! Not at all! Love the posing of your Talos...pointing towards its next victim, and love your Sslyth too big improvement over the monopose GW finecast ones

Great looking crew!

Thanks a bunch man! Something to tinker around with at least

Nice looking conversions!

Asd a lover of using them myself, I recommend using them as an Inquisiton Wardband.

Not sure how I missed your comment Squidmaster but thanks dude! It was looking up all the cool INQ28 stuff knocking around that prompted me to start on these guys

Recently stumbled upon a little envelope of bits I'd completely forgotten I'd ordered which had the last few bits for my Knight Errant because if there's one thing I need it's another member of the Primered Legion...




The fluff is that the sons of nobles on Knight Worlds must embark on a quest out in the galaxy somewhere to be inducted fully into a Knight House (they can't all have giant death-robots can they?).

This chap's decided to guide some loyal servants of the Imperial Faith on their pilgrimage through this dangerous corner of the galaxy, assisted by his loyal retainers:

Finally got some of the bits to finish off a couple of little dudes I've been working on

First off the xenos, my Skadiir Hunter...




...and a Tarellian mercenary





Next the mutants I bought this guy's head on a whim ages ago, and instantly thought of the whole 'beastmen of 40k being desperate to prove their worth to the Emperor' angle that 40k has. Of all the Spaceport denizens, this dude spends the most time making sure his armour and weaponry is both gleaming and beautiful. Anything to raise his status higher than his abhuman nature would otherwise permit.



Does that make him ever-so-slightly Slaaneshi...as an Inquisitor I'd be suspicious

It's also a little nod to this old-school Beastman model with its gleaming breastplate:

Well, had some bits and pieces turn up today (couple of days after my customary payday splurge!). Ended up modifying my WIP Truescale Fallen Angel so much that he's barely recognisible from his previous version



Definitely like this version though! He's a big fella too. Proper Marine sized...



Also, got my bits to finish my first Tzaangor (love anything that means more xenos!).


Arbiter: Will you please stop that infernal squawking, and put that bloody great cleaver down too! And you (points at a furious trader), drop the bolt pistol please. Who do you think you are, Captain Lysander?

(Turns back to Tzaangor) Look, there are places in the Imperium where you'd be shot dead on sight, but by the grace of my employer as long as you're not summoning some ungodly gribbly tentacle monster I'm forced to let you live in relative harmony.

And you (points to trader again), you should know better than expect a fair deal from a Tzaangor. Tricksy slippery buggers to a man. Always check the currency twice before handing over the goods. Honestly, sometimes I don't know how people like you survive in this universe...

What a wild bunch of guys. I wish GW would make a couple of abhuman/mutant/beastmen merc units available for hire for the more civilized factions.
And if they do, I hope they steal all your ideas.

Thanks dude!

Yeah I've thought for a while that a little sub-codex called 'Mercenaries and Renegades' would be a kickass little idea for GW to produce. Give a load of little options to take light formations of Mercenaries alongside the rest of your army as Allies of Convenience, and an opportunity to do a bit of fan service nostalgia with some oldschool RT era dudes

Stuff to include:
- Kroot Mercenaries (expanded ruleset similar to abridged version of old Kroot Mercs codex)
- Human mercs (including rules for technobarbarians, Necromunda-style gangs, cybernetically enhanced dudes, surviving Thunder Warriors, rogue Astartes, Gue'vesa etc.)
- Ork Freebootaz
- Beastmen...in spaaace!
- Abhuman mutans
- Xenos! (Hrud, Tarellians, Rak'Gol, Zoat survivors, Squat survivors etc.)

No need to give them all models either, although some would be nice just a bunch of rules and ways to include them would be really helpful for people looking to make thematic armies, small-scale warbands or run R/T-style roleplaying things

Also, they could use it to try and patch over some of the weaker codices. Say, for instance, if you made Ork Freebootaz available in small MSU squads or as ICs attachable to standard Ork squads, and then give them access to a cheap Kustom Forcefield you'd give a decent buff to a codex that's sorely in need of one

Latest bit of conversion work

Some people say he got the Dark Eldar to surgically modify his eyes so he can see in the dark. Some say he now owns a Kabal because he kept what he killed...



Also made some little grimdark plastic Tallarn/desert IG dudes my thinking is that when IG regiments finally conquer somewhere and get their right of settlement, there's no real guarantee the place they settle is going to be a half-decent place to live. After all, they have probably not long blasted it to smithereens in battle. So, I'm guessing that some will take their gear and their military experience and go become mercenaries



Lastly, got the bits to make a dude that I've been waiting to make for ages a Longshanks!


We call him...Captain Longshanks. Because, he's our captain...and...he's a Longshanks...
Alright, leave it out. Us naval armsmen didn't exactly go to the Schola Progenium or nuffin...

He's skinnier, and a fair bit taller than standard humans, although I must admit I'm not sold on the choice of head...



Also took a couple of pics of the truescale Fallen Angel to demonstrate how much bulkier a Marine is to scale.



And a family photo of all the various mostly-human dudes I've got so far jsut missing an Ogryn and a Ratling really


From left to right: Squat, Human, Longshanks, Genetically enhanced technobarbarian, Astartes

I'm always extremely impressed by people who can kitbash the way you do. I've never been able to do that easily, and your models are delightful.

Also, I knew about the Pilgrym project, but not the Convertorum, so thank you for sharing that!

Thanks dude!

If it's any consolation, I've always been envious of people who can paint like yourself the skin on your wracks is beyond brilliant, and your freehand work is absolutely stunning

Hence why I've got a primered legion probably at least as big as the painted portion of my army!

Couple more little dudes made

As far as villains go, I've always found the whole 'they do evil things because they're nasty people' thing to be a fantastically boring and unrealistic motivation for an antagonist. In real life you get the occasional psychopath go on a killing spree just for the fun of it, but quite honestly even the most successful serial killer pales in comparison to fairly moderate fascist dictators. Real industrial-scale evil is usually carried out by people who genuinely feel that they are doing the right thing.

So, I wanted to have a crack at bringing that to the Chaos Space Marines who I've always thought are ripe for that sort of grey-area interpretation also, as a principally Eldar-guy they just had to be Slaaneshi

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The Angels of Ascension were formerly a loyalist chapter founded from the Blood Angels. During their time fighting in the glorious name of the Emperor they embodied the beauty and splendour of Sanguinius. Resplendant in glorious hand-crafted armour they were the very embodiment of Angels upon the battlefield, and beloved by the population of the Imperium. A love which was reciprocated by the Angels themselves. However, on every planet they served, they saw nothing but toil and misery.

Dissillusion with the Imperium took decades to creep into their minds. Wherever they saw misery and opression, it was the machine of the Imperium to blame. This lasted until they were deployed to the world of Gomorr to quell a cult insurrection. Upon arrival, they saw the cult had spread nothing but joy and ecstacy to everyone it touched. At last, they had found the answer. Rather than quelling the insurrection, they pledged themselves to its cause and slaughtered the beleaguered planetary government. Reporting that the insurrection had been defeated, they returned to their duties, and resolved to bring the light of the cult to every new world they conquered.

It was decades before Inquisitor Io traced the source of the blossoming Slaaneshi cults in the sector to the Angels, finally deducing that the pattern of cults followed the chapter wherever it went. Marshalling the forces of half a dozen Imperial Guard regiments and a whole Space Marine chapter, they smote down the Angels and declared them Excommunicate Traitoris.

Since then, the surviving Angels of Ascension have changed their modus operandi. They scattered throughout the Imperium, acting not as a single warband but a myriad of individual agents. Each Angel descends upon a world, posing as a loyal Astartes, and sets about ingratiating themselves with various planetary powers. They preach the word of the cult, where the sacrifice of the noble few can ensure the absolution of the many. They corrupt the government, and convert the masses. Life is good for the faithful. The fate of those who pay the price for such a life is beyond comprehension.




Bedecked in exquisite finery, the Angels of Ascension appear to the world to be model examples of the Emperor's glorious Astartes. However, their elaborate facade hides their true nature. Beneath their statuesque masks lurks mutated predatory faces. The script of their purity seals twists and turns as it's read, subliminally implanting dark and twisted suggestions into an onlooker's mind. Truly the Angels are one of the most insidious threats this sector has faced in millennia.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But in order to truly make a villain you need more than just a solid motivation. You need rivalry.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The Iron Crusaders are a minor chapter founded from Iron Hands genestock. Operating as a fleet-based crusading chapter they frequently deployed chapter-wide crushing their foes with overwhelming force. However, while passing through the Salazar's Reach sector they were requisitioned By Inquisitor Io in his campaign against the Angels of Ascension. The final battle broke the Angels, but it was costly for the Crusaders as well. Reduced to a fraction of their original number, and with none of their upper command surviving, they were tasked with a new crusade. Each Crusader was provided with an Inquisitorial sanction, and sent out into the galaxy to hunt down the remaining Angels by any means necessary.




Brother Tiber was fortunate to have survived the conflict with the Angels of Ascension. He had sustained wounds severe enough to put any battle brother into a Dreadnaught, but so had nearly all of his chapter who weren't killed outright. It was only their gene-coded predisposition to accepting bionics that had saved many of them, alongside the sway of Inquisitor Io to muscle the forgeworld into undertaking the assignment. Well over half of his body was cybernetic now. He considered this a mighty boon. Provided everything was well maintained, he could outlast an unaugmented Astartes in almost any arena. This he had found valuable beyond measure when hunting down the remaining Angels.

A clank in the distance betrayed the presence of his quarry. Hastily, he compressed that particular thought process and focussed on the mission at hand. 6 cultists had entered the room, silhouetted by his augmented vision. He engaged a number of combat subroutines in his expanded consciousness to analyse the situation, housed in his tethered servo skull. An entire human brain dedicated its entire processing power to predicting potential sequences of events, and distilling them down to the most likely situations. After a minute or two suggested actions pinged into his virtual vision. He activated his whirring servo mechanisms and rose from the dark like an unholy mechanical monster. The first bolt shells impacted on two cultist's head and torso respectively, detonating spectacularly. From there, he continued his stride to behind a stack of ammo crates while the cultists scrabbled to find their assailant. Pausing slightly, he crouched low and leapt from the opposite side of his hiding place, strafing the area with bolts while a hail of autogun bullets clattered off his armour. His expanded consciousness analysed the pattern of bullet impacts on his armour to try and determine where the cultists were likely to be shooting from. Blindly hurling a grenade over his shoulder, he was rewarded by a splatter of gore as another cultist bit the dust. Pausing to run another calculation, he counted down a timer before stepping out from behind the pillar to swing his Thunder Hammer into the gut of a third cultist attempting to flank him. Seamlessly continuing his movement he broke into a charge, shoulder barging the next pile of crates over where the last cultist was hiding. Behind it he found...nothing. That wasn't as predicted.

He quickly scanned through the last few combat possibilities and checked their locations. Still nothing. The last cultist must have fled. This was concerning. His plan here had been to enter the complex initially undetected, ensuring that any sentries were silenced without raising the alarm. He would have to scrap the long-term calculations he'd spent days meditatively computing. From here he would have to rely on his wits and snap-algorithms. Alas in all probability his chance of catching the Angel responsible for this cult was ruined, but he could at least shut down its burgeoning activities on this world. Checking the adjustments on his mechanical arm, he stalked off into the next room.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've also got a bit of a WIP guide for the Iron Crusader which I'll post up in a bit

I've also been mucking about making some Mechanicus-like techno-mercenaries. First off is my attempt to justify the 9" movement of a Dunewalking Ranger:




He's a tall dude. Here he is next to one of my earlier attempts at an adversary for the Angels (although I ended up preferring the Iron Hands bionically enhanced guy as it's more of a contrast between the angelic CSM and the cyborg 'good guy'). It also shows just how big Sigmarines are that the Angel stil lstands a head above even a Truescale Marine.



And next to a normal-sized dude (who is the first Cultist for the Angels).



The rest will have to wait until they're all finished as I'm really pleased with the idea!

I've been thinking recently about just how varied the Imperium must be, but how comparatively little opportunity the official fluff has of really exploring that variation (given that they have a business to operate so can't go scurrying down little rabbit holes of 'what if'). To me, the culture of the Imperium seems to be pretty solidly medieval (or World War) European, with a few cursory nods at other cultures like the vaguely Mongolian White Scars and other such stuff. However, to my mind when mankind first reached out across the stars it would have taken all the myriad cultures of old Terra along with it. So, it would follow that when cut off from each other during the Age of Strife the various planets of mankind would start from a distinct base culture and develop from there.

This gives you a ton of scope for making distinct human cultures (and distinct military doctrines), based on technologically upgraded historical cultures. So, running with that theme I've decided to have a go at making some small-scale warbands riffing off that idea here's the first I've come up with.

Hailing from a world known as Antigona, the Antigonoi have a very distinct cultural and martial heritage that predates the formation of the Imperium. Their primary infantry forces are comprised of blocks of bionically enhanced 'Myrmidon' armed with long taser goads and protected by heavy shielding. Fighting in close order, the primary function of these units is to pin enemy squads in place.





These phalanxes are supported by a number of different auxilliary forces. The first are the Psiloi: lightly armoured mobile ranged infantry that harass the enemy and provide covering fire for the advance of the phalanxes.




The second are the Sarissaphoroi: heavy taser lance-armed cavalry that provide a hammer blow to break enemies pinned by the phalanxes. Working in concert, this form of warfare allowed the Antigonoi to carve out a large interstellar empire during the Age of Strife which remained independent until conquered by the Ultramarines during the Great Crusade. Despite their loss of ultimate independence, they still remain a powerful force in the sector.




The Sarissaphoroi are of particular interest to Imperial archeographers. It's speculated that at some point in their history, the Antigonoi had contact with the extinct and heretical culture known as the Interex. The biological modifications made to the Sarissaphoroi are thought to echo the centaur-like Interex techno-warriors described in ancient myth, which also feature heavily in artwork on archaeo-structures of the sector dating to the height of the Antigonid Empire.[/i]



What do you think?

The Greek theme certainly is interesting. Although I have to ask, you really like centaurs don't you?

Thanks man!

Yes, I do appear to like them don't I?

Little update my Knight Worlders have a new member. Meet Rainard the Falcon



Yes I did buy Celestine just so I could get one of those sweet organ jetpack things. No I don't have enough money for food this month. Yes I am happy with my decision

I have got a plan for many of the other bits though. I did actually make Celestine and she really is a beautiful model. Came across as a little bland in pictures, but in person and up close she's packed full of little intricate details. I'm thoroughly impressed I did however think she was still a little clean-cut to look properly Imperial though, not baroque enough. So I've tried to fix that a little...




What do you think?

Also, bonus internet points if you can guess what I'll be doing with her actual wings seeing as I don't think they look Imperial at all...

Lastly, I've been thinking of ideas for minor xenos recently. Less ideas for whole new civilisations, more like the Vorcha from Mass Effect. Lower-level xenos that get around the galaxy by hitchhiking on the vessels of warp-capable races. Given that Imperial ships are usually city-sized monstrosities with miles and miles of derelict and abandoned corridors there's plenty of scope for some xenos tagging along. Of course, this being 40k, most of them would be predatory

Here's the first



The starships of the Imperium are colossal constructions. Most are easily the size of cities, with populations to match. These vast vessels harbour many dark and deep reaches where the crew fear to tread, and are home to many twisted creatures. Abhumans such as Ghilliam and Hullghasts inhabit these untrammelled depths, but down in the deeps humanity is not alone. Many xenos species also stalk these abandoned halls.

One such species is the Aethercap, a lone predator that hunts the inhabitants of a starship using acute psychic capabilities. It's unknown how they come to hitch-hike upon starships, but they are common enough throughout the Imperium. Their intelligence is a matter of some debate. Although they have never been known to communicate with humans and never been observed with weaponry of any sort, bionic modifications are fairly common among their kind.





I was also thinking up some potential rules for one in a Rogue Trader/INQ28 style game. Something like standard Guardsman statline but with 2 wounds. ML1 psyker with access only to Life Leech. However, they can regain wounds above their original 2W limit, and if they kill a psyker they gain a Mastery Level and can cast twice in a turn. Dangerous to your average human initially, and getting more and more deadly the more the feed

I've actually got some paint on the first mini that isn't part of my Eldar not based yet though as I don't have any basing material that's not for deserts. I don't even have a dark grey paint! What do people normally do for industrial terrain/starship interiors?






I've also noticed a load of mold lines and gaps that I'd somehow missed, so I'll go back and clean those up

Details of Mars' pre-history are scant indeed, buried beneath the weight of time and technology. However, ancient Martian myth tells of a time before the ascendancy of the Tech Priesthood, where the proto-Skitarii of the first Tech Magi did battle against the fearsome gene-engineered tribes of the south-eastern mountains. It was only through their allegiance to the Emperor of Mankind that the Magi were finally able to rid the red planet of their mortal enemies.

However, it would appear that not all these green men were eradicated by the Priesthood. I have visited the fearsome tech-tribes of this far-flung sector, whose ancient legends tell a remarkably similar story. Their ancestors were driven from their home by steel men draped in red. A few stricken refugees fled on a stolen voidship, finally making planetfall on this world far from the clawing dendrites of the Magi. They named this world after the name for their homeworld in their strange tongue: New Barsoom. - Extract from the Journal of Chrysoloras the Archaeographer, 965.M41


Gene-altered warriors of the Tha'ak techno-tribe of New Barsoom









Combining two of my favourite things Edgar Rice Burrough's Barsoom, and porting other IPs into the 40k universe with added lashings of grimdark I've been wanting to do some techno-Tharks for ages but just hadn't got round to it. Then, I stumbled across this picture which was just too cool to leave alone



Too cool by far not to have a 40k version as befitting the green men of Mars they're big beasties too here they are next to some Gue'vesa for another idea I'm working on



Couple of other little dudes I've been making first off is a Crow-Scout for a band of wasteland nomads I've had an idea for.






He's based on the one pane of a comic I read ages ago and always thought was really really cool. It's called Spindrift and the art style and ideas really are top-notch http://www.spindrift-comic.com/comic/00/0 Here's the dude:



Last little gribbly is this guy a creepy servitor pack mule! Probably attached to my Knight Worlders





Now, I think it's about time to get some paint on some of these guys

I said I'd get some paint on someone


What's that son? Oh, he's our Crow...
...No he's not one of us. Comes from over the hills to the north somewhere...
...No they usually wander around alone. Sometimes five or six get together and talk in their scratchy Crow-speak...
...I'm sure Abhiru would say they're plotting something. Bit excitable that boy. Not sure myself. All I know is they've got damn good eyesight. Now shh, hear that convoy approaching? Get your rifle ready. You'll see why we keep him around.

Finally got round to painting my Knight Errant I had been umming and arring about what paint scheme to paint him in but ultimately plumped for the same one I always do the idea behind the sector is that it's been ravaged by Nurgle so every planet is uniformly desertified. I could start a new place, but if any of the models end up together the basing will be disparate. Plus, this way he can be doing his errant travelling through the same sector



"Excuse me good sir, can you point me to the nearest...wait...don't do that...my friend here needs his skull to live. No I would not like to be sacrificed to the hungering gods. Just point me towards the nearest Prometheum vendor please."

Had a little fluff idea that I just couldn't leave alone so the little pack mule got painted up pretty quickly!

The Pilgrim's Guide to the Galaxy: Salazar's Scar
A most curious region of space. Salazar's Scar, as it's known to the locals, is located on the very eastern fringes of the Imperium. Discovered by the eponimous rogue trader in 651.M37, it was promptly marked down as an area of little economic interest, with a limited population and only a passing trade in eldar artifacts.

The Scar itself is a crescent-shaped reach of star systems comprising 50 or so habitable worlds. Habitable in this case is a generous definition, for each and every life-supporting world is comprehensively desertified. Only a few worlds sport hives, which mostly operate as individual polities rather than forming any sort of interstellar government. Space travel is limited, although there are a few shipping lanes that run between the more heavily populated worlds and derelict orbitals. Most inhabitants are techno-tribal in nature.



Amalgams
Amalgams are a curious tradition among the Knight Worlders who inhabit certain reaches of the Scar. In their basest description, they're composite servitors, constructed from a number of different individuals rather than a single vessel. Not too dissimilar to chimerics the galaxy over, really. However, it's their social function that's most fascinating. Members of Noble Houses, and some of the more powerful Ignobles, exact tribute from those who they have bested either in single combat, martial enterprise, or political manouevering. The lattermost is frowned upon as unchivalrous somewhat, although that in itself might be a ploy by the more manipulative Lords.

Basically, it works like so. The victor in a tussle of any sort is provided with a servant from the losing party. This servant is incorporated into, or forms the beginning of, the composite-servitor known as an amalgam. These amalgams form a living display of one's victories, and an indication of one's social standing. Particularly powerful victors, or those who win particularly decisively, may demand a particular servant be donated. Or, rather, they may make a suggestion it would be most unwise to refuse. Thus, not just the size but also the intricacy of an amalgam is impressive. There is tremendous artistry involved in creating the most impressive amalgam, the better to display your societal standing.

This practice has bled out into the other cultures in immediate contact with the Knight Worlders, so it's possible and even probable that one would encounter such creations in the populated sections of the Scar. It's important to keep alert to the presence of them, lest you be surprised by the true political standing of an individual you are liaising with.






At first, Thibaut didn't realise the creature in front of him was an amalgam at all. It appeared to all the world to be an ordinary servitor, albeit a very finely made one. However, from this close, his optical bionics noted the fine lines of stitching criss-crossing its skin. With this revelation a shiver ran down Thibaut's spine. What colossal edifice of political and martial might would be required to be able to acquire the donations of...over 330 his bionics implied...tributes of such close physical and genetic similarity as to be almost indistinguishable from a single being? His own amalgam, cobbled together from three hodge-podge tributes he was quite frankly lucky to have acquired, was quite pathetic in comparison really.

He glanced around the receiving-hall and spied at least two dozen similarly adorned servitors. Now that he knew what to look for, the stitching was easy to find. Sweet merciful Salazar what had he gotten himself into? Suddenly, going Errant didn't seem like such a good idea after all...

+++Access Astropathic Burst Dated 257.057.M42+++
...
---Estimated Point of Origin: Antigonos System---
---Callsign: Unknown Archaic Designation 'Diadochus'---
---Status: Intercepted---
---Flagged: Problematic---
...
+++Recall Excerpt+++
...
At last, the yoke of the Astartes has been lifted. Harried and overstretched, they have not the might to contain us. Join me and sail to the stars oncemore. Join me and reforge the empire taken from us. Join me and Antigonos shall rise again!
...
+++End Excerpt+++
...
+++Redesignate following pict-captures: Hostile, Retaliate With Prejudice+++
...





...
+++Cease Access and Distribute+++