Of Renegades and Comm-link Stations

No, I haven't been super-productive and finished all these lovely models in the 5 days since I've finished Kalyustar. In fact, they were ready before I started working on him, but I hadn't the time to post them. You know, real life getting in the way of the hobby.

The Renegades known as Marduk's Heralds were a project I had in mind since painting the baddies from Assassinorum: Execution Force. I simply kept postposing it as Age of Sigmar was taking all of my the attention. But with the release of the new edition of WH40k and the beginning of our campaign in the Malfactus Rift I returned to it. I wanted to turn the three Chaos Sapce Marines from Assassinorum into a full squad, but I wanted to do it on a budget.

I had a couple of sprues of Tactical Marines left over from my Iron Hands army, all the unused bits from the Chaos Terminator Lord and Chaos backpacks kindly thrown into our commonal bits box by my gaming mates, which made for a really good starting point. However, I was still missing a few arms, heads and shoulder pads. After an afternoon rummaging in said commonal bits box, I fished out Chaos Warriors heads and arms, Chaos Forsaken shoulder pads and a Plague Monk banner giving me all the bits I needed. I didn't have enough weapons to give all the basic Marines the same equipment, but with the new rules mixing equipments is finally viable gamewise, so I didn't bothered at all!

The colour scheme was already set since I painted Marduk Fatebender, so I simply replicated the purple and magenta armour with green, yellow and brown as spot colours.

Marduk Fatebender

The ruined comm-link station, instead, was a new idea that emerged as we were planning scenarios for the Malfactus Rift campaign. In fact, in the narrative for that campaign, this terrain will represent a failing Astronomicon Repeater. Although, with Malign Portents and Dread Solstice having drawn us back into the Mortal Realms, we don't know when we are actually going to play that game!

I've combined a Thermic Plasma Regulator with Ryza Ruins, using an old movement tray (who said they became useless after Age of Sigmar release?) for the flooring. For the antenna I've used various Eldar and Imperium vehicles bits, again fished from the commonal bits box. The cooler (?) I cut to make room for the antenna ended up as some sort of control panel on the platform.

I painted the comm-link station to match my Mancunius Dome terrains, but going for reddish walls to distinguish it from the more hab-block like terrains I already had.

A corner of Mancunius Dome

The rusted metal was painted by stippling brown, orange and metail paints onto the model. In doing so, the antenna came of, but it was good as I then repositioned it, leaving more space on the platform so that taller models can be placed on it.

I'm not sure when they all will see the tabletop, but sure they will.

Kalyustar the Soulchemist

Kalyustar stared into the empty sockets of the skull. Its green-black shine had an almost eerie quality. Kalyustar's thoughts drifted back, to the Eclipse. Back then, his obsession was the elusive sigmarite, the only substance in the Realms he had not been able to add to his laboratory. He had wrested many secrets from sorcerers and priests, in the gloom of the Eclipse, until a wizened sorcerer pointed him towards Shyish and its realmstone. In the Harrowmark, he had come so close to capture a large amount of it, only to see it fall in the ghostly hands of the White Lady. And now, as more dread portents plunged the Realms in confusion, he held it in its vitrified form. Yet, he was no longer sure he could waste it to capture some sigmarite. And then, the voices came back. 'With me, you could capture an even more elusive substance. With me, you could refine and mould it'. Kalyustar the Soulchemist, the voices had called him. But whose soul was to be melted and refashioned in the crucible of his magic?

I wanted to model a new version of Kalyustar, the Wizard I had created for the Ex Profundis' Eclipse competion, ever since, during the Harrowmark Run campaign I had started to turn in-game events into the beginning of a possible fall from grace.

When Malign Portent was announced and with Warboss Kurgan and Wailslake we started to plan for our next campaign, I decided it was time to do it. We were already setting our campaigns in Shiysh, in the Harrowmark region created by Warboss Kurgan, so it only seemed logical to explore how Kalyustar would be affected by the events of the Time of Tribulations. After some chat on the DAoS group, I took on the suggestion by Matthew Benner to use a regular Battle Wizard with scrying sphere, but to swap the sphere for a skull, to hint at Kalyustar's inner struggle over alchemy or necromancy.

I once again found a Liberator head and cut the halo and cheek guards to recreate Kalyustar's mask. Kalyustar's staff was again made exactly in the same way as for the first model: the twin-tailed comet staff top was shaved to leave only the sphere, which was then topped with the Liberator halo and decorated with vials from the Freeguild Crossbowmen/Handgunners. More vials were added to Kalyustar's belt, as a nod to the vials hanging from the barding of his horse in his previous incarnation.

For the skull, I had initially used one from the Khemri Skeleton Warriors, but I realised it looked too big and I was not really happy with the almost caricatural look of the eye sockets (first WIP picture). I then replaced it with a smaller, more realistic skull (second WIP pic). I also dry-fitted the left arm with the open hand hovering above the scrying sphere, as I really liked the idea of him kind of caressing the skull. Unfortunately, the hand hid the face if I wanted to keep it staring at the skull. So I took another left arm from the Wizard kit, removed the staff hand and replaced it with the open hand.

The flowing stole of the left arm was square, so I shaved it and touched it up with green stuff. At the same time, I resculpted the area around the sleeve rim that had been damaged when removing the staff. In this way, both arms are now covered in pointy sleeves. The addition of the drawn back hood from the Wizard kit completed the conversion and ensured that all elements of the original model were also in the new one.
I have obviously replicated the colour scheme of the first model, but went for slightly darker hues for the mask and robe and added some corrosion to the staff top. As I was painting the model, I realised that, if I had painted the skull as if bone, this would have created no contrast between the mask and the skull. Luckly, the fluff in Malign Portent made it clear that Shadeglass is vitrified Shyishian realmstone. It was too good a narrative hook not to pick it up.
Now, Kalyustar the Soulchemist, formerly of the Gilded Hand, will fight through the Time of Tribulations in our very own Skirmish campaign Thy Soul to Keep. Who knows, at the end of it, I might have to convert yet another Kalyustar as a fully fledged Necromancer.

Thy Soul to Keep, Prologue

The Perfect Storm

Pieter van Toorn still laid semi-comatose on a straw bed in the derelict barn of Wörtbad. Unlike the Witch Hunter, Kalyustar had shrugged off his injuries in no time. It was as if the air of the Harrowmark itself was a balm to the wizard. The more he basked in the howling winds, the better he felt. And then, as the superstitious peasants started muttering of dark omens, the voices had come. Strange, half-heard wispers in the gloom. He followed them to places where the energies of Shyish run strong. The peasants of Wörtbad looked ascance at him as he made for the woods alone. There, he started to realise: no ur- and aether-gold, no elusive sigmarite would witstand the passing of time. No matter how the magic of Chamon could change and refashion them, they would eventually decay. Kalyustar was dwelling on such toughts when he heard a strange commotion coming from the barn. He rushed in and found Lucius Scopos, the only among his men he had been able to find in the tangled woods, pushing the Witch Hunter back onto his bed.
"Wizard, you... saved me?"
Kalyustar simply nodded, his white mask hiding his surprise as he felt a new kind of energy swelling from van Toorn.
"This is... unexpected. But it matters little, you are still being judged. And you, marksman, clear the way!". van Toorn rose, steady as rock, and started buckling his zwihander to his belt.
"The God-King sent me a dream. I saw a tide of skulls smoothering the lands. It is a sign, something is stirring and we have to stop it. Which side are you on, Kalyustar of the Gilded Hand?"
"Why, of the blessed forces of High Azyr, Herr van Toorn! Lead the way, I sure must serve in this time of malign portents".

As the trio made their way through the streets of Wörtbad, a light mist rose.

Gaunt figure coalesced out of the mist, the White Lady spurring them forward.

A foppish crew of orruk skypirates emerged from the woods at Follow's End as the mist started to lift and skulls to fall from the sky.

Pieter van Toorn drew his blade and with a prayer to Sigmar advanced towards the revenants. Kalyustar cursed the man's rushness, but knew better not to rouse his suspicions and charged to his side.

One of the orruks picked up a skull and started to yell at his mates. The brutes stared around for a moment and then, as quick as they had come, they retreated into the woods.

As Kalyustar swung his staff at the spirits, he recognised the familiar faces of men lost at the Freebooter's Tower. There they were, beyond the fragility of flesh, and still with all of their fighting spirit. The wizard retreated, as another skull fall from the sky and the voices came back. Could that be the answer you were looking for?

"Get it!" shouted Kalyustar, sending Lucius to the pumpkin field.

The spirits of his former men swarmed over van Toorn and reached for Kalyustar. A blaze of magic dispersed them. Are you sure they won't come back? Won't it be wonderful if you could command them again?

The White Lady drifted around Deathwatch Manor, her chilling screams stunning Lucius, while a skeleton crawled out of the ground to reach for another skull.

Kalyustar moved to intercept the White Lady before she could reach the pumpkin field. A wall of sound hit him, his horse reared and then the White Lady was upon him.

Grab the essence of the animal before is gone! Yes, you can mould it like iron, with your magic. There! Let the animal go, you don't need it. Come to the field, your man is still here. Come! What is he holding?
Kalyustar lifted the object. Greenish-black glass, in the shape of a skull. As he stared at it, he knew the voices were its. There is much we can do, Kalyustar the Soulchemist.

The Malfactus Rift - Part 2

The Plague and the Shadow

She had managed to remain undetected ever since accomplishing her mission. It had been a routine assignment. Infiltrate a mining union on Hathara to eliminate their heretical leader and ensure production quotas, meager as they were, were maintained. Then, the sky had flared purple. Hiding among the miners, she had witnessed the planet plunge into confusion as the warp anomaly cut it from the rest of the Imperium. She lost contact with the recovery ship, her only hope to stay hidden until the storm receeded. When two fiery trails appeared in the sky, she had hoped her troubles were over. Then the Xenos and Heretic Astartas had wrecked havoc across the facility. The few miners that had witnessed the clash were now falling sick, the mark of Chaos on them. She had granted the Emperor's Peace to many, but the Plague was faster then she could ever be. Was there no hope? Would her fall too? A glimmer of light caught her attention. It pulsed, and then consolidated into a green and purple robed figure. She started stalking the new arrival.

"Translation successful, Lord Severus. I can see the miners. They are...tainted" Kasander shielded his mind, yet he still perceived the chorlting of a bloated deity.

"No sign of the Heretics. The Orks are still here. Their witch...so powerful!"

The Astropath felt the build up of psy-energy around the Ork Wyrd as the brute shouldered his way through the shambling miners.

Kasander tapped onto the Warp, translating himself away mere seconds before the greenish blast hit the spot were he stood. Sickened miners stared mindlessly at him, the Walking Pox plain to see on their gastly grins.

She saw the Orks growling in frustration as the Astropath reappeared, reading their guns to take the man down. Her training kicked in, revealing her true form.

Kasander heard the commotion. The Orks were fighting something, a blur of black and green. He bent his mind to the Cobalt Snake, only to find the connection with Lord Severus had been severed.

He had to send a signal out, New Drekport had to be warned, the Plague had to be stopped. Carefully, he avoided the Poxwalkers to approach the Hexagrammatic Cogitator he had spotted.

As he reached the machine and projected his mind into its psy-crystals, warning lights flashed. He recoiled, a cloud darkening his Warp-sight. There was a Shadow in the Warp...