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Hi guys.
I have been painting GW minis for many years. I have recently decided that I want to tell a story with my armies. So I am expanding on the fluff behind my Imperial Guard to encompass some Space Marines, as well as hopefully Chaos Marines and Cultists/Renegades. The basic idea of the story is the lose of an Imperial planet, Gora, to a Slannesh cult, and the armies sent to reclaim it. More fluff will come in the future.

To get things started though, I want to show off some marines that I have been working on over the last week. They are form my homebrew chapter, the Angels Indomitable. They are not decended from either of the actual Angels chapters, but that so far is really all I know about them. I stripped some old marines I bought in the 90's and painted up a test mini about 2 years ago. But then I got into painting other things and they never went anywhere. But some recent FW stuff has pushed me into getting some new minis, and I got myself painting.


These are the first three guys I have finished. The one with the brown base is the test mini using GW Enchanted Blue. Which I have none left of. So I made a mix of VGC/VMC paints that is reasonably close.


This is a suit of lovely Mk4 Armour from FW with a FW bolter. Need more of these.


This is a bog standard trooper. He has all the different bits I have on my current batch of guys, which means he had like 20 different steps to paint him. Though one of those was a white dot in his eyes.


These are the remaining guys, less the Mk6 Flamer dude that is almost finished on my desk. If I finish off the standard troopers by the end of October then I will have a go at the Captain.

So, there's my start. Let me know what you think.

Nice! I love the paintjob, it's cool and easy on the eyes, cant wait to see more and read some more fluff

@lipsdapips: Thanks for the reply. I think the best thing about the paint job is the fact that it's easy. I'm not the fastest painter, but I can do these in about 3 hours each, with everything. And I think they look good too.
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So I have been working away over the few days. I managed to complete my Mk6 Flamer dude, and a sergeant for the squad. That means I have my first 5 guys. Maybe even my first troops choice, though I haven't owned a current SM codex in years. I'm quite happy with how I am going at the moment, but not so happy at the photos. I don't think my photo setup with a light booth and nice lights has produced a better shot then my iPhone on my desk. Though I like the grey background I added. Must do more of that.

Anyway, here are a couple of photos.


Brother Sergeant Tiberius. Leader of the first squad of the Angels Indomitable mustered for the Gora Reclamation.


Flamer dude. I need to get some names together for this guy, and the rest of my painted brothers.

Hope you like what I have done.

Hi guys.
Did a bit of work on my background. This is supposed to be in the voice of a scribe reviewing historical records years/decades after the conflict. I hope you like it.
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The World of Gora

Planet Name: Gora II
Sector: Fable
Subsector: Gostus
Segmentum: Ultima

System: Gora (4 planets [1-4])
Last Planetary Survey: 095.M39

Gora

Gora is a mid scale agri-world supplying food to several systems in the Fable sector and beyond. Gora is a marvel of ancient tech found only on it's surface. Towering structures the size of cities dot the surface. Many layers exist in each structure, and the layers are several meters high. These structures are great hydroponics systems, providing the conditions needed to grow many crops, all on a planet almost as harsh as Great Mars. Fuel is provided by penal colonies, mining great seams of rock that is refined down to the necessary components.

Population: 1.85 million (human and abhuman) circa M39. Estimates based on population growth figures give a figure of between 2.2 and 4.9million in M40. Penal colonies were maintained at around 250,000 prisoners.
Climate classification: Cold moderate climate
Climatic regions: Predominantly steppe, with moderate sized polar regions. Several large mountain ranges.
Mean Surface Temp: 1.8deg celsius
Seas: none
Flora and Fauna: The planet had a stable local eco-system, based on cold resistant plants, and small rodent like creatures. Several introduced species managed to survive as well.
Principal Exports: foodstuffs
Principal Imports: fuel, penal labour
Food Supply: local

Urbanization

The population of Gora lived primarily in the agri-domes. Within the agri-domes the environment was stable, allowing people to live and work without the concerns living on the surface would require.
The agri-domes were vast structures, housing both the workers and machinery to run the great farms within. They appear to be relics of the Dark Age of Technology. Records show there were several visits by Tech-priests in the past. Though the outcome of those visits were not available to this humble scribe, we must assume that there was sufficient interesting technology to be found, as a permanent small Tech-coven could be found in the capital.
The capital city, if it could be called a city, was the great dome of Coradon. As well as the usual farm works and food processing plants found at other domes, Coradon was surrounded by the largest of three spaceports found on Gora. The planetary governor and his advisors were to be found here, and the Governor's palace sprawled over much of the area of the top layer of the dome.
The energy needs of the agri-domes were substantial. To support their needs, a local ore was mined that can be refined into the needed fuels. The bulk of the mining work was done by penal labour. The penal labour camps were stocked from both local and imported criminals, and were guarded by Adeptus Arbites squads.
As well as the more well known agri-domes, several small scale open air hab-complexes existed. These appeared to be inhabited by the descendants of outcasts and criminals banished to perish in the cold dry wastes. They were tolerated because they caused no problems, but provided little value to the rest of the population.

Military Presence

The local forces of Gora were fairly small scale, consisting primarily of garrisons stationed in the agri-domes and at the spaceports. A small system patrol force of the Imperial Navy existed to protect shipping interests from pirate raids.
The PDF was supplied with the most basic of resources. Autoguns, flak vests, and basic communications equipment were what can be expected of the average trooper. Some units were better equipped with heavy weapons, but there was practically no armour or artillery to support them. A single squadron of Thunderbolts, manned by pilots from the Imperial Navy, was stationed at the spaceport at Coradon.
Other than the PDF the only force of any strength were the Adeptus Arbites guarding the penal colonies, as well as a small precinct in Coradon.

----------------------------------------
Thanks for reading. I intend to write a bit more about the history of Gora, and then will get on to some background for my SM.

Let me know what you think.

I LOVE fluffy upates!

Great work so far, both on your marines and the planet background

My only comment about the fluff is the primary export/reason for population. It seems unlikely to me that giant agri-domes would be built on a inhospitable planet (there are plenty of verdent planets across the universe, no?), so there must be another reason for the IoM to be there like strategic military value (unlikely) or natural resources (which seems to fit the best). On the other hand, if you're really keen on the agrculture angle, you could better explain the agridomes as retrofitted mining operations after the aforementioned resource was mined out. i.e. "Well all of the unobtainium is gone. What should we do with all of these domes?"

Anyways, just my thoughts. Looking forward to seeing some Gora PDF!

Cheers,
Rawson

 Rawson wrote:

My only comment about the fluff is the primary export/reason for population. It seems unlikely to me that giant agri-domes would be built on a inhospitable planet (there are plenty of verdent planets across the universe, no?), so there must be another reason for the IoM to be there like strategic military value (unlikely) or natural resources (which seems to fit the best). On the other hand, if you're really keen on the agrculture angle, you could better explain the agridomes as retrofitted mining operations after the aforementioned resource was mined out. i.e. "Well all of the unobtainium is gone. What should we do with all of these domes?"

Hi Rawson.
Thanks for the comments. I really like imagining the worlds and stories that are involved with the minis I paint. I will disappoint you though by saying that the Gora PDF is not yet on my radar. I have an IG force, the Pholus 96th, that will make an appearance soon(tm), and have plans to add in some other regiments for fun, so I think they will make an appearance someday, just not in the near future. I also decided I need to do something fun with the outcast. Possibly as scouts or the like.

As to the problems with agri-domes on a barren planet. I agree with absolutely everything you say. I would point out though that my scribe, in his years of delving into ancient records, informs me that it seems likely that the agri-domes are relics of the Dark Age of Technology, and that they are said to have existed when the planet was rediscovered. If you want to know more then you will have to read "A Brief Record of the Known History of the Planet Gora", a short 67 volume treatise on these very things. Or just wait for my next fluff update

---------------------------
No pictures today. Just worked on a new guy a bit last night after some computer games. Will get to working on my next fluff update over the next few days. Long weekend this weekend means more painting time. Yay!

Thanks for reading.

Schmacker10 wrote:
If you want to know more then you will have to read "A Brief Record of the Known History of the Planet Gora", a short 67 volume treatise on these very things. Or just wait for my next fluff update

Uh...I think I'll wait for the fluff update (or for it to come out on video) Good thinking though, I didn't put the dark age tech thing together.

Messrs, maddams, lords, and masters, find here your humble servants meager attempts to gather a history of the planet known as Gora. Though my father never said who charged our family with this grand task, I am honoured that it may be of service to someone someday. I apologise profoundly for the shortness of the history, for there was only so much that we could find, but in these few short volumes of text stand all records relating to the planet that exist to date within the Imperium, as well as my families learned opinions on what we have found.

By the Emperor’s will, you humble servant, Karog.

Inscription found on the first page of book one in the 67 volume series A Brief Record of the Known History of the Planet Gora.

The Dark Age of Technology

… Though we can surmise many things from the data that exists about the planet, the most interesting is the fact that it was likely first inhabited sometime during the Dark Age of Technology. As is well known, there is a vast lack of information from this time. What records one finds are usually fragmented and hard to decipher. A thirty year journey into the vast archives of Holy Terra itself revealed little in the way of hard facts (for all information found see appendices B1- B5, volumes 22 - 24). What we can say is that Gora, at the time of colonisation, was a verdient, thriving planet. The colonists grew and thrived. Eventually the planets basic food supply could not provide for the population, so the great agri-domes were built. When or how this happened, we could not find. What little information the Adeptus Mechanicus provided backed up this conclusion. …

Rediscovery

… By the end of the 32 Millenium, the Fable Sector was an area of interest to the Imperium. Several crusades expanded the number of inhabited planets to well over fifty. During the Harigrave Crusade of 457.M32, the planet of Gora was rediscovered. When the explorator ships arrived they found a planet barren and dry. An atmosphere existed, but it was well below the normal habitable range. Dotted across it’s surface were more than one hundred huge structures. Many seemed to be little more than ruins, but a few, maybe fifteen or twenty, clustered around the planet's equator, still seemed to be inhabited and functioning. When forces deployed to investigate they found small colonies of humans, a planetary total of no more than three hundred thousand. The humans were at first afraid of the contact, but soon became more open. They were integrated, and left pretty much alone. There was little of value to the Imperium as a whole to be found on Gora. Though humans could live there, the cost in effort and resources was far beyond what could be afforded. A small garrison station was put in orbit, and the crusade moved on. ...

The Vendras Plauge

… By M34, Gora had become an integrated part of the economic structure of the Fable sector. By now the population had risen to near eight hundred thousand, and the efforts of the coven of the Adeptus Mechanicus had managed to get several more of the grand agri-domes running. Small scale export of foodstuffs to some of the more overpopulated worlds of Fable had begun. However, all was not well in Fable.

In 325.M33 a new planet known as Vendras had been rediscovered. A stable, functional, and receptive human population was present. The planet fell into line with the Imperium and within the next few centuries was one of the major providers of foodstuffs for Fable, and in some cases beyond. As well as the high quantities of foodstuffs, Vendras also provided regular tithes of regiments for the Imperial Guard. Records found regarding these regiments note them as ferocious warriors, willing to meet any challenge in the name of the Emperor. Many great victories carry the banner of Vendras.
Records regarding what happened mid-M34 are sparse, in many cases the trail lead to a sealed deadend. From what we were able to find this is what we know. Someone grew suspicious as to how Vendras provided so much, yet seemed to need so little. An investigation occurred that uncovered terrible things. The one things we know for sure is widespread cannibalism. When these despicable actions were uncovered was uncovered the world and it’s people everywhere flew into a howling rage. Anywhere a man or woman of Vendras stood they tore at whatever was around them. Whole regiments of Imperial Guard became savage beasts. Millions suffered at their hands (see appendix K4, volume 38, for information on the separate military actions required in Fable sector alone to subdue these forces). Billions more suffered by the immediate and acute shortage of food that arose. This so called plauge forced the sector rulers to look for ways to supplement their food supply. Their eyes fell to Gora. Large numbers of Tech Priests were dispatched to re-commission as many of the agri-domes as possible, and new population stocks were provided to run them. Within a few decades the food supply of Gora had become one of the lynch pins of the Fable sector. ...

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

Thanks for reading. I have been working away on my marines, and have finished two more. Plan to put some photos of all 7 I have done so far up tomorrow. They are starting to look quite nice. Also, there will be one more history fluff piece, and then onto the Angels Indomitable for a bit.

I like it! IMHO, great fluff can explain any implausible scenario!

@Rawson: Glad you like it. I have written some more, just need to sort out the last bit and I'll have some more to post.
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Well now, 9 days is a long time for nothing to happen. Well, not nothing. I have played a pile of World of Warcraft, done some house hunting, planned out some hobby stuff for the next few months, and finished painting the rest of the squad of Marines. So far I don't have any good picks of them, but I plan to get some better ones in the next few days. Hopefully post a pic for each of them, as well as a squad pic.

Some pics:

The whole squad. It gives me a good feeling to have them all together and finished like that. Still need to finish their bases, but that can be the next couple of days work. Done by the end of the month.


These two fine gentlemen are the first (left side of the screen) and the last painted from the squad. The first guy, as mentioned before, was done some time ago with GW Ice Blue, and the rest over the last month with a mix of my own. Close, but not quite there, for a match. Pretty happy with how they go together.

So, whats up next?



That's the base of next months project. I'll show that off shortly

And just so I feel nice, if you have not seen them before, go and look at Victoria Miniatures. Some awesome looking bits there. I have them lined up for January next year at the moment. Hopefully I keep to the schedule, so I can get my hands on them.

Until next time.

Very nice, I love your blue, not something I've seen before.

Where in NZ are you?

Thanks prototype_X. I'm sure I have seen it (or something like it) somewhere before, but I'm really chuffed with it. I'm pleased you are too.

prototype_X wrote:
Where in NZ are you?

Dunedin. Cold, wet, sunny, warm, "stuffed if I know what I'm going to do today" Dunedin.

Nice models. The blue looks good and the well-worn effect is nice.

Ahhh, Dunedin. If you're ever in Auckland flick me a PM and we can see about a game

@prototype_X:Sure thing. Though I am a bit bumkin-ish. The couple of times I have been to Auckland the size of it just annoyed me. So used to basically being able to walk anywhere I want to go.

Well, todays update is my last piece of Goran history. Just some extra bits and pieces that have helped shape the world that this war is fought over.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Waaaargh! Krikroc
… Once they had finished the realignment, the level of production rose by 4.28% (see Appendix M4-M6 volumes 41 - 45 for details on yearly, decadal, and centennial food production for M35-M38). But greater dangers awaited Gora in late M37 then a change in the food types produced.
In 466.M37 Imperial records make first note of the growing greenskin threat on the edge of the Fable sector. By 721.M37 raiding of shipping and isolated settlements on border worlds had grown to pose a serious threat to the stability of the entire sector. A request by some local planetary Governors initiated the Highghast crusade, intended to cleanse the Ork threat from Fables borders. Very few records exist of the crusade, the most likely being it was an unmitigated disaster that lead to the worst Waaaargh! seen in that part of the Imperium to this day.
What we can tell from the recovered records tells us that the crusade engaged the greenskins on many fronts. Though some small victories were gained, a Warboss by the name of Krikroc Toofstomper managed to win several victories against the Imperial forces. As his victories grew, his renown grew, and soon greenskins were flocking to support him. Soon enough he had amassed a force that was able to crush the Imperial forces, and allowed him to turn his eyes to Fable.
Though Gora was never directly attacked by the Orks, two full regiments, the Gora 2nd and 3rd, were raised and deployed to the fighting. This is significant in that only one prior, and three since have ever been raised. As well as the regiments raised, the planet was expected to raise production to assist in feeding the now swelled forces in the sector.
After the defeat of the Waaaargh! in 806.M37, the remnants of the Gora 2nd/3rd Regiment were returned to the planet to help maintain production levels. This return bought the only influx we have been able to find of military equipment heavier than a lascannon to the planet, and much of it can still be found as part of the planetary defence forces on the world. At the same time, the Imperial Navy added a small system defence fleet, and stationed two Thunderbolt squadrons on the planets surface. ...
The Ptolemy Man
… Local records are not specific to the cause, but an estimated 7% of the population contracted the infection, and the resulting deaths caused disruptions to food production for the next generation.
At the end of the karga virus outbreak, the planet went through a stable period. Imperial records are decidedly sparse about this time. Local records are more forthcoming. The most interesting, and possibly influential, event is the appearance of the Ptolemy Man. Though considered a myth by many residents of Gora these days, there is strong evidence in the local records that the Ptolemy Man was real.
The records of his birth and youth are hearsay at best. The first solid evidence of his presence talks of him as an outcast and wanderer who arrived in the southernmost agri-dome around 355.M38. The records speak of him as a humble figure, working to aid others as he could. He shared where he could, helped to heal those who were sick and injured, and spoke of acceptance and love for his fellow man. The people of the agri-dome responded, working together as never before. Statistics for the time show that the dome’s productivity rose by more than 10% after the Ptolemy Man arrived.
This is where the records become most inconsistent. No local records speak of the Ptolemy man's death, but local legend has it that he mysteriously went missing one night, and was never seen again. The locals took him to be a divine incarnation of the Emperors Grace, and there is a small sect of the Ptolemy Man the Saint resident in several agri-domes across Gora.
The truth of the matter seems a little murkier then that. The Ptolmy Man is mentioned in a few missives from Gora around the time of his arrival. It seems that the changes he was making were noticed, at least by the local Imperial servants. Not long after those few mentions there is a decided lack of information. What few records we could uncover all lead to dead ends, or hyper-sealed doc-crypts. This humble scribe suspects that some faction within the Imperial hierarchy found problems with who or what the Ptolemy Man was, and decided that he should be removed. That he is now revered as a saint in parts of Gora speak to the strange ways the Emperor moves....
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Well, that's that. I hope you like it. In miniatures land I threw some weathering powders on my Marines bases. I don't think i used the right colours, as it doesn't look quite right. So I think Ill throw some more on another day and see how it goes. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to put up a photo of the goal for November. I have teeth being ripped out though, so might not be in the mood for it. In fact, I suspect I wont be in the mood for much other than sleeping and feeling sorry for myself. Stupid teeth.

Until next time.

So, I said I would get you some photos of the Marines I have completed. Say hello to the whole of Tactical Squad Tiberius:


Don't they just look precious?

And now for individual shots:


Borther Sergeant Tiberius himself. Was going for a paler skin-tone then I usually use. A good start, but I think I will use greys on my next attempt.


Brother Ravus, heavy weapons specialist. You can see a bit of the red of the weathering powders on his base, but needs moar!


Brother Septus. Nothing special about this guy. Poor thing.


Brother Marcus. Another plain Jane.


Brother Heratio. I like how the weathering powders worked on the skulls, but still needs moar!


Brother Argus, bear of the Emperor's purging flame. I really like the FW kit that this guy comes from.


Brother Bishop.


Brother Claudius. The only Marine so far to carry extra stuff.


Brother Anvilik.


Brother Fortus. I love the FW Mk4 armour, and this type of bolter is awesome.

So that is Tactical Squad Tiberius.

But wait, there is one more photo. What is on the cards for next month?


A member of the Pholus 96th Regiment's air support. I got it last year sometime, and started work on it. Then it sat for a while. Then I added the decals. Then it sat more. Now I am going to finish it, so it can fly true beside my Valkyrie.

So that's me for a bit. Another hour till my dental surgery, so this has filled in time fairly well.
Until next time.

If I could write English essays as well as you wrote your fluff then I'd be sorted!

 lipsdapips wrote:
If I could write English essays as well as you wrote your fluff then I'd be sorted!

Ah the good old english essay. Thanks for the compliment on my writing. English would be a lot more fun if you were allowed to write fluff stories in your exams.

Have returned from dentist and have almost got feeling back in my mouth. Just a bit of tingling left in my lower lip and chin. So tomorrow, sick day for recovery, might get some painting done yet.

Until next time.

Long time, not post.

Things have been busy. Putting in an offer for our first, home, getting married, and deadlines looming at work. Painting has actually been rather relaxing. And successful. Here I present some photos of my all but finished Vulture, belonging to Flt. Lt. Spangler, one of the leading combat pilots of the 96th Pholus Regiment.


The yellow thing is a rubbish bin. Not the best to take photos on, but good as it was outside in decent light. Here you can see that the Vulture is pretty beat up. Seen a lot of combat this one.


This shows off the weapons. Not a legal combo I don't think, but I will be sorting our a set of missile pods for this one sometime soon. The weapons are the parts that are not yet done.


Oh god, the yellow-ness!


Here is one of the parts I am most pleased with: hazard cables! There are a whole pile of little cables on this baby, and all of them are hazard striped. Not always the neatest, but I think they look pretty cool! You can also see some of the heat discolouration of the engine, and the soot at the back. Lotsa ideas for this came from Model Masterclass Vol. 2 from Forge World. Good books.
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So, what do you think? I'm pretty chuffed with how she turned out. Possibly a little heavy on some of the weathering, and a little light on some of the oil streaking, but will sit nicely in amongst the rest of the force. Once I finish the weapons for her, she will be done, and then a bonus paint for the rest of the month. A Commisar! Yay! Black... oh crap. Anyone got some good guides on painting black?

Until next time.

Just wondering, what is your technique for chipping? Sponge? Salt? Brush?

Cheers, P

prototype_X wrote:
Just wondering, what is your technique for chipping? Sponge? Salt? Brush?

Cheers, P

Chardon Granite sponged on, with Boltgun Metal brushed on top of the sponging to show further wear. Initial placement of sponging is something I'm working on, but really happy with the outcome.

Cheers! Oh and it looks really realistic by the way!

prototype_X wrote:
Cheers! Oh and it looks really realistic by the way!

Thanks prototype_X, much appreciated.

Today I did lawyer things for trying to get a house, so time was short. I did get next months group in the mail, and threw one together, to see how easy it will be to get all the magnets I want in place. I will show a picture of that tomorrow, along with my Commissar. Hopefully I will get some paint on him before then.

Until next time.

So, I never did quite get to the putting of paint on my Commissar, but I thought that I would show him off anyway. That and show a teaser of next months joys. Oh the joys.


Here he goes flailing at something in front of his face. Probably a guardsman of somekind.


Here he is with his butter knife, ready to carve up some squishy things. Did I mention that I love magnets? I should of, cos they're gunna be all over...

Meet Jim. He likes walks on the rocks of a barren, dusty planet, with his trusty array of death dealing cuddle tools:


Stormbolter and Powerfist


Lightning Claws


Autocannon (Assultcannon) and Chainfist


The missus' favourite, always a joy

So, yes, I have some Cataphracs, and I plan to make as many combos as possible possible, with the addition of tiny tiny magnets. Only problem I have is that there is only five pairs of shoulder pads, that came with the bodies, and I have closer to ten pairs of arms that I want to make. So I have to come up with a way to bridge that gap. Still, so awesome the minis.

Until next time.

So I spent a good portion of yesterday day painting. I decided I wanted to get my Commissar done. Then I could spend some quality time working on my Catphractii before November ends and I run out of time. In fact, there could be a hitch in my December plans. I may be moving into a new house! As long as the lawyer stuff gets sorted that is. So work now means less to do in the middle of a big shift.

But lets skip that and move onto some photos. I would like you to meet Commissar Carlos Montigue. The photos are a bit average unfortunately, but that is what it is:







All in all I am pretty happy with how he turned out. Hunted the Google for some inspiration images, and saw some really cool non-black cloaks out there, but I wanted to have the fairly standard Commissar look. The highlight on the black is a bit brighter then I had thought it would be, but it works well enough.

And just cos, here are some photos of my currently painted guard stuff. I will have to sort out some good photos of each of these, but here they are as they stand now:


Members of the 96th Pholus Regiment's Armoured Brigade, supported by a Command Valkyrie of the Air Support Brigade. You can also see some Eldar and some Tyranids that are in need of painting (probably sometime early next year for those guys).


Infantry Platoon, with Commissar, and supporting Veterans. Can't see them very well, but the Vets are actually Imperial Beastmen in the back there. Need to sort more of them out too. Want to have a whole three squad platoon of Beastmen eventually.

So, there's some shinies. Next task, write some fluff about the Angles Indomitable, and about the Pholus 96th.

Until next time.

So I wrote some fluff. But instead of the Angels Indomitable or the Pholus 96th, it is instead part one of the story of the Gora Reclamation. Enjoy, if you will, The Rise:
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The Rise

Known only as Garlon, the instigating character of the Rebellion of Gora rose far from his humble roots. None are sure when he fell under the curse of Chaos, but the outcome of his rise devastated not only Gora, but destabalised much of the surrounding sub-sector.

the first records of Garlon place him as a middle son of a mining family in the southern province of Fraytus. The Fraytus province was small, it's major features being two small mines and a young Agridome. Like all sons of mining families Garlon was raised to lead, whilst being taught the skills and discipline needed to run a mine. Not being the eldest son, Garlon was not destined to inherit his families mine, and so needed another trade. Though there is no record of how or when, Garlon starts turning up in party records as a minor functionary in the provincial bureaucracy. Records of his activities and successes show him to be in his mid twenties at this stage, highly successful for someone so young in such a stagnant population.

All the early records speak of Garlon rising from a minor health inspector, to senior inspector, chief inspector, and finally provincial secretary of the inspectorate in the space of little more than seven years. As a secretary of a provincial department, he was a high ranking member of the local party and, during the next election, was elected as provincial Governor. A trawl of all surviving planetary records shows that no other had ever been elected to such a prominent position so young. We can only conclude one of two things: he was a consummate politician, or he was already swaying people with the powers of Chaos. The dramatic speed of his rise, to this point and in the years to follow, lend weight to the theory that he was already an agent of the Ruinous powers.

though the power of the party was codified to the highest level on Gora, factions within the party still fought one another for supremacy. The two strongest factions, the Miners Guild and the Farmers Consortium, or the princelings and the paupers as they referred to each other, provided many of the powerful politicians on the planet. When one faction gained supremacy over the other, a new governor for example, they would institute policies that favored their faction over others. Garlon, risen to a governorship, at first was seemingly little different. He instigated new tariff rules, and trading schemes that seemingly favored the princelings. But it soon became obvious that his leadership would not be as biased as was usual as he cut prices on raw fuel and liberalized working laws to favor not only the paupers, but the bulk of the work force of Fraytus. At the end of his first two years in charge, Garlon had increased productivity at both mines by at least 30%, expanded production in the Agridome close to 50%, and opened two new layers of the dome that had not been inhabited since times unknown. These new layers, rather than being new food production, were turned into housing and parkland, allowing regular citizens of Fraytus their own homes and leisure spaces for the first time.

The prosperity of Fraytus province grew, and soon enough the next round of local elections arrived. Garlon was popular in his province. Using that popularity, Garlon ran not only for provincial governor, but also for a seat on the prefectural council. The prefecture was the next level of governance above a province. Prefectures gathered several provinces together into regional based groupings. They were seen as a stepping stone to planetary congress. It was not unheard of, though very uncommon, for someone to hold both a Governorship and a seat on a prefectural council. And yet, the records say, Garlon was elected to both positions with ease.

Fraytus was part of the Huntoa Prefecture, one of the smaller, less populated, southern prefectures. As a member, and very quickly the head, of the prefectural council, Garlon pushed for liberalization of rules similarly to those made in Fraytus. Implementation of these rules expanded the production of the whole prefecture immensely. Soon they had surpassed several of the larger northern prefectures.

With increased productivity came increased demand and increased needs. The prefectural council made a submission to the Council of Oligarchs, requesting the construction of a small spaceport within the prefectures boundaries. It seems that, until this point, the central government had been little aware of the outstanding progress and increases in productivity that had been occurring in the south. Though the records are fragmented, several investigations seem to have been started into the party apparatus of Huntoa prefecture, and into Garlon specifically. In all but a few instances, the reports returned with glowing results. Similar investigations into other party members seem to have regularly been little more than show, returning the results most likely to favour the central government figure that had requested them. Why this did not happen in the case of Garlon appears to have baffled even the locals.

As is so often the case with situations like this, we lack more information then we have. A large hole in the narrative of Garlon seems to arise shortly after the last of the known investigations completed. The hole span several years. The next mention of Garlon is as a leader of the Huntoa prefectural delegation to the planetary congress. The congress was supposedly a body that had the power to make laws that affected the whole planet. It meet thrice annually to discuss the current state of the planet, and to vote on laws offered by the Council of Oligarchs. The Oligarchs were the real power holders, writing most of the laws that the congress debated and voted on. Most Oligarch laws were passed, whereas the fate of laws introduced from the floor were less certain.

It seems that Garlon’s success at moving his agenda forward stall in the congress, at least for a short while. There are at least three mentions of him having submitted a law to begin liberalizing life for the whole planet as he had done before. In all cases they were soundly defeated when the were voted upon. It seems that the older members of the Oligarchs did not like the possible effects, and ordered members of their factions to vote the laws down.

The next mention of Garlon places him as a member of the Council of Oligarchs, and assistant to both the Master of Defence and the Master of Trade. Like so many things about Garlon, such a rise was unheard of, and no records remain to explain how he got there. At the time he held this first placement on the Council, he could have been no older than his early forties. The average age of the rest of the Oligarchs was closer to eighty.

The records of the Oligarchs are much more thorough than those of the rest of the planet. We are able to see Garlon’s quick progression from assistant to Master of both Defense and Trade. By the time the bi-decennial change of power occurred, two years after initially becoming an Oligarch, Garlon’s position of power was unchallengeable, and his rise was complete.

Garlon was proclaimed Regent of the Oligarchs, the equivalent of Planetary Governor, and proceeded to implement his liberalisation plans for the entire planet. Prosperity and happiness spread across the planet. But with it came an infectious rot that would soon break out into a cancer upon the entire population.

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Hopefully you are not asleep when you get here. If you made it then I thank you. There is a lot of background that is left implied or un-mentioned that I thought up whilst I was doing this. In all I am pretty happy with how it worked out. What do you think?

Until next time.

Great stuff! I love the premise of hindsight history with information gaps

No real CC, just a typo with

and assistant to both Garlon of Defence and Garlon of Trade

Garlon should be a title here, not his name, right?

Quick question: what heads are you using for your IG?

Keep up the great work!
Rawson

 Rawson wrote:
Great stuff! I love the premise of hindsight history with information gaps

No real CC, just a typo with

and assistant to both Garlon of Defence and Garlon of Trade

Garlon should be a title here, not his name, right?

Quick question: what heads are you using for your IG?

Keep up the great work!
Rawson

Hey Rawson. Thanks for reading, and being my copy editor! You are absolutely correct about the name in that instance actually being a title. Whilst writing the stuff I had been calling Garlon 'the master' until I could get a name I liked. At the end, when I had his name I did a find and replace, and missed those two places where the Master was used correctly.

The heads are from Westwind Miniatures, US In Steel Helmets and their companions US in Steel Helmets and Netting. They are quite nice, and fairly cheap. I plan to get some of the Forage caps some day to use for artillery men and the like.

Eight days is a long time with nothing posted. But I was not idle. I have gotten all my Cataphractii terminators undercoated, and washed ready for proper painting. I have also been working on my sculpting. You see, I have bought a bunch of Victoria Lamb minis, and I am going to turn them into Tallarn. Cos their cool. Tallarn's are cool.

Not much more to say, except I ma having trouble taking pictures of the Tallarn guy. He's just a prototype, so will hopefully have some better shots of better works soon.


My Cataphractii sergeant underway. Ther arms are still only at the wash stage, but these things have a lot more detail then the last guys I painted. Still, they look good.


Tallarn. Using kilted legs and Victorian torsos form Victoria Minis. Really good stuff. Sculpted head gear and sash. Can't really see the sash from here.


Really crappy photo of the back of the guy. Sash is to knit the parts togeather, and will hold their knives when I get them.

Hope you like them

Until next time.

Well, firstly this is some great work. Love the blue and weathered marines. IG is really nice too I'm looking forward to more.

I do have one comment. Have you considered painting the cables and joints in the SM armor? Maybe a charadon granite with nun oil wash? I think it would break up and accent the blue further. But it's not really important because they look great.