Excommunicate Traitoris: ElectricPaladin's Knights of Blood

[ElectricPaladin]

I thought you'd resculpted the chest plate or something...

I wish I was that good.

[Psychosplodge]

I wish I was that good.

I think everyone in the hobby wishes they could do that sometimes...

[ElectricPaladin]

I think everyone in the hobby wishes they could do that sometimes...

Yeah... if I were that good, I mean, I'd still buy minis once in a while, but all the stuff I'd sculpt...

[ElectricPaladin]

Here's another bit of fluff... associated pictures to be up in a couple of weeks, once I finish the models.

If the Knights of Blood have done anything that could damn them in the eyes of their parent chapter, it is probably what they have done with their Death Company.

Before their fall from grace, Knights of Blood sanguinary priests had been hard at work on a cocktail of drugs that they had hoped could restore those taken by the Black Rage to sanity. Even if it only worked on a small proportion of those inducted into the death company, even if those marines remained dependent upon pills or injections for the rest of their lives, it would be a victory for all the Sons of Sanguinius.

When the Knights of Blood were excommunicated, they found themselves in a dire situation. Their numbers were vastly depleted, and they were beset on all sides by enemies. Entire worlds still held grudges against them for the collateral damage inflicted by the crazed battle-brothers, and the Imperium's enemies were closing in. Chapter Master Baalbelith made the decision to use the incomplete serums to control the death company. Instead of being put to death when the battle is over, marines who fall to the Black Rage are sedated - not so much that they fall into a complete torpor but so that they become enervated and biddable - and wakened again when needed. In this way, they have become like dreadnoughts, trapped in a half-dead state. However, with a larger death company to use as shock troops and cannon fodder, the Knights of Blood have been able to preserve their population of (relatively) sane battle-brothers.

The Knights of Blood do not know whether or not the Blood Angels are aware of this borderline heresy. It's possible that they do and have decided, for the time being, to look the other way. Or, it is possible that the Knights of Blood have earned the wrath of their parent chapter and spelled their own doom. Without the cautious support of their brother chapters, the Knights of Blood will be hard-pressed to survive.

[ElectricPaladin]

Ladies and gentlemen... Captain Calin Vassago of the Knights of BLood 5th Company:

[phil035]

Liking this so far can't wait to see it all done

[Popsical]

Well done dude! Lovin' the captain kit bash. Your painting progression is showing too. Keep it up.

[ElectricPaladin]

So, my FLGS is running an "Inquisition War" campaign. Every army (even the 'Nids!) must be led by an Inquisitor and his retinue. The Inquisitor and his retinue will also form 250 point Kill Teams. Campaign games will alternate between standard games of 40k and Kill Team games.

As a result... it looks like a radical inquisitor is going to be recruiting my Knights of Blood to help her to crush her enemies!

Anyway, here's the first model: an inquisitorial chimera.



Did you know that these things can carry models in terminator armor? Like, say... an inquisitor in terminator armor with a psycannon? And also they can have two heavy bolters with psybolt ammo so they're shooting at Strength 6? Holy freaking moly... I think I found some great fire support for my close-ranged focused Knights of Blood.

[ElectricPaladin]

Here's some more fluff I wrote up for these dudes. I'm curious to read what you all think:

Chapter Name: Knights of Blood
Chapter Colors: Silver and Red
Chapter Icon: Crossed swords behind a white shield displaying a single drop of blood
Founding Chapter: Blood Angels
Founding: Unknown, but thought to be relatively recent
Descendants: None
Homeworld: Fleet-based (formerly Immota Primus)

Defects: As Blood Angels successors, the Knights of Blood suffer from both the Red Thirst and the Black Rage. Additionally, Knights of Blood are prone to a berserk state in which they can barely distinguish friend from foe. Unlike the Black Rage, this condition does not persist past the end of the battle, and battle brothers who fall into it can often be restored to their senses.
Relationship w/Codex: Like the Blood Angels, the Knights of Blood are organized around their preference for close assaults. Most companies have an abundance of assault marines and assault veterans in relation to their number of tactical and devastator squadrons.

Organizational Variance: Ever since the destruction of Immota Primus by the forces of the Grey Knights and Inquisition, the Knights of Blood have been a fleet-based chapter. Their second and fourth through seventh battle companies still exist as distinct fighting forces, while the first, third, ninth, and tenth companies have been scattered among the other companies, seconded to them on a semi-permanent basis. The eighth company is said to have been destroyed or corrupted by Chaos, depending on which reports one chooses to believe. The non-battle companies – the librarium, fleet, and other resources – are similarly divided among the surviving battle companies.

Culture/Philosophy: The Knights of Blood are a highly ritualized chapter, observing many formalities, titles, and societies within their ranks. This is highly at odds with the chapter’s bloodlust. Increasingly, the Knights of Blood use these rituals to channel and control their berserk rages. New recruits are trained so thoroughly that they will often obey their commanders despite becoming berserk, and complex dueling codes prevent bloodshed in-between engagements. The Knights’ degeneration has also provided opportunities for the chapter’s few remaining serfs. Only the bravest mortals still serve alongside the Knights of Blood. As the Knights become even more frenzied, they increasingly rely on their mortal attendants for battlefield logistics and even piloting their vehicles in combat. Those serfs who have not fled are some of the Imperium’s most courageous, equally at home piloting a stormraven through enemy fire and staring down a screaming Astartes as he struggles to control his rage.

Operational Specialty: Quick insertion, short-ranged firefights, and close combat.

Recruiting Practices: As a fleet-based chapter, the Knights of Blood recruit as they can from the worlds where they fight. They are not above demanding a tithe of suitable children as a show of gratitude from the mortals they save.

Training Practices: The Knights approach their recruits with cautious brutality. Those who are unworthy must be weeded out before they are exposed to battle, but initiates are also valuable, as they have already been implanted with some of the Knights’ precious stock of geneseed. Similarly, new recruits must be taught how to embrace their new condition, but they must also learn how to control their blood lust and obey their superiors even when that control fails. Knights of Blood initiates are usually grouped into small teams and held responsible for their “brothers.” They learn how to beat each other into submission to prevent embarrassing lapses. The trainers, similarly, are fair-handed but utterly piteous, dispassionately delivering cruel punishment and honest praise. Thus do young Knights learn to rely on their battle brothers and both love and fear their commanders. Because recruits are rare, the Knights of Blood tend to field them in a support role as snipers rather than in a close-combat oriented role.

Heraldry Variance: The Knights of Blood display squad type (tactical, assault, or devastator with the color of their right kneepad, following the helmet colors used by their parent chapter (red for tactical, yellow for assault, and blue for devastator). Individual squads are distinguished by the color and shape of the symbol overlaid on top of the color. Unlike their parent chapter, all Knights of Blood wear red helmets, except for their veterans, who wear gold helmets.

Notable Historical Events: The Knights of Blood were founded and immediately placed under Inquisitorial supervision. The training cadre sent by the Blood Angels were watched carefully, frequently interfered with, and finally departed prematurely, deeply disturbed by what they had seen. They were unsure whether the Inquisition planned to use these new Astartes, blood of their blood, as a microcosm of the Blood Angels to learn something about their curse or merely as shock troopers under their control – like the Grey Knights, but with even less honor and independence – but either way, it was not acceptable. The Blood Angels tolerated the situation for several centuries before they found an opportunity to contact and educate their successors. Nobody knows exactly what passed between Commander Dante and the master of the Knights of Blood, but the young chapter immediately severed their ties with the Inquisition and moved to Immorta Primus, a new world far from the Inquisition’s watchful eye.

This disillusionment may have been what spelled the chapter’s downfall. Having learned that much of what the Inquisition had passed on to them was lies, they had little faith in any of the Imperium’s mortal institutions. Inquisitors were suspect, of course, but so were planetary governors, warmasters, and even the High Lords of Terra. Although they worshipped the Emperor as a paragon, the apex of humanity, they felt that his Imperium had become piteously corrupt. The Knights of Blood became known as a troublingly independent chapter. After one too many moderately corrupt sector potentate – and his family, a significant portion of his military, and anyone else who got in the way - lost his life to a Knightly purge, the Inquisition and High Lords of Terra excommunicated the Knights of Blood.
Notable Historical Figures

[lævus]

Love the deep red you've got going on, works really well with the silver.