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Poor Giorgio. No Marine deserves to be called unremarkable. I'm sure he'll redeem himself in game at some point.

More unremarkable in the sense that when it came time to write his back story I had no inspiration for him. Then again even if you are unremarkable among the Astartes you're still pretty impressive.

Two more Legionnaires for Laertes's Veteran Squad. These will be part of the 5 man maneuver element with Laertes. I have the last two of the fire element assembled, but no undercoat yet as I've found it easier to pair my Blood Angels in pairs.









These two as yet un-named Legionnaires have had their red armor and battle damage completed, and the non-gold metallics base coated and washed. These are the first two minis that I have painted using a wet palette too, and I have to say that it really helps manage the consistency of the paint, especially when working with multiple layers of red, or keeping the paint thin enough to apply battle damage.

The two new guys are coming along nicely. I really like that battle damage you did.

I second what War Kitten has said. The damage looks cool. I picture these two guys, having just returned from the defence of the palace, walking into a sanctum where some White Scars and Fists are resting, skulking past in a commanding silence. I like it!

I just love the battle damage on the Mk 4-helmet. Looks absolutely stunning!

Thank you all. I'm happy that others can see some of the character that I'm trying to build into each Legionnaire.

For the MKiV helmet the battle damage to the right eye was just how the sponge worked, I just expanded it after. With the left shoulder pad it'll look like a round detonated just before it hit his helmet. I'm playing with the idea that the right eye will be painted darker as if it was damaged and it lost power.

The last two members of Laertes's maneuver element, Brothers Nikus and Deo, are now complete. First the pre-assemble shots to better show the battle damage;










Brother Nikus, Veteran Sergeant Laertes's Squad












"Brother Nikus was the last of the Terran Born members of Laertes's squad, and much like Silvio had served in our Legion before Leartes took command of that band of noble brothers. Like all veterans of the 83rd he was a storied warrior. The ornate crest on his right pauldron had been commissioned for him earlier in the Crusade by Laertes himself when he still served as Company Champion. It was a mark of honor and gratitude between them. In that campaign the enemy had compromised our vox communications, and Nikus had acted as a runner between his squad and our supporting artillery. Laertes was leading an assault element in close proximity to the enemy, and thanks to the swiftness of our Brother the shells did not fall on friendly heads." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio


Brother Deo, Laertes's Squad















"Brother Deo was imbued with similar humors as Captain Ennius, but with a distinct bent towards the dour. A quiet, taciturn brother almost the foil of Drago in temperament. He was rarely rattled by any event on the battlefield, his broad shoulders and thick armor proof against whatever could be thrown at him. Early during the Siege when the Rebels first launched their assault a bolt shell clipped the gold wings on his left shoulder armour and detonated in his face. The resulting explosion was enough to ruin the occular connection between his suit and his black carapace. When Tobias attempted to offer aid Deo shrugged and remarked that "Next time the bastards better shoot straighter than I do".

In the dark days that would become known as The Scouring I happened upon him when my humors were melancholic. As I tried to start making sense of the madness I asked him if he thought we'd done enough for our Lord. As gruff as ever he just bluntly stated "Our Legion is still alive. As long as our Father's blood remains we win" " - Veteran Sergeant Alessio


Group Shot of Laertes's assault element;

Could it be? A month with two painting updates? Why yes it could.

The final members of Laertes's squad. Legionnaires Cino and Arturis, as well as the freshly assembled former Sergeant of the squad, Salvi.

Brother Cino - Laerte's Squad













"While Laertes and I both had different philosophies in how to best lead our squads we each learned from the other. Brother Cino's role with the fire support element was proof of that. Recognizing the value of having a Brother who could provide pinpoint fire on priority targets Laertes asked that Cino train under Bertrando to better learn the art of being a marksman. With little specialist sniper weapons available to our Chapter as we journeyed to Terra our Techmarine was able to make Cino's weapon more accurate.

As we fought the Traitors on the wall the additional range and accuracy of Cino's weapon allowed him to assist in disrupting enemy command and communication efforts. When the wall was breached his precise shots caused more than one Traitor hesitate, and bought time for our Brothers to fall back" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

[I don't know quite how I managed it, but Cino's pose reminds me a little of the infamous 2nd Edition "tea tray" bolter pose]


Brother Arturis - Laertes's Squad









"The last member of Laertes's squad, Arturis, was solid and dependable. Almost boring so as his Brothers would jest with him. Unlike many of our Brothers who were natives of Baal Arturis was not given to much ornamentation. Truth be told the most decorated piece of his armor was salvaged from a fallen Brother, his only real indulgence in his appearance was painting the face of his helm back after Signus Prime.. He was much more minded to utility and function, his time between missions not given to any artistic pursuits or spent with Remebrancers. Instead he found comfort in the arming chambers, working diligently on his wargear.

During our mission on Terra his coldest fury was directed not at Horus's offspring, but be made sure they felt his ire, but those of the Iron Warriors. On more than one occasion I could tell that his shots were meant to debilitate and cripple an enemy rather than end their wretched lives. He clearly felt that those who would tear down the walls of The Palace itself deserved a special response." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio


Here is the fire support element all together



And here is their former Sergeant, Salvi, in case the 83rd actually make it to the table top and I feel the need to have Laertes be Company Champion;



Just the addition of a BA chainsword and shoulder pad, otherwise everything else is from B@C

To follow up on last week's update the bases for the third Legion Veteran squad have been completed;



As with the previous minis the bases are the same, white marble with assorted rubble and battlefield debris. The challenge here was that it has been 15 months since the first bases were completed, and I did not write down the recipe. So using only eyeballs and guestimates I got them pretty close to the first batch.

With the bases completed I finished assembling the squad that will be mounted on them;



I don't know how well it came out in the pictures but all the Legionnaires with bolters have had their default mags replaced with drum mags. My initial thoughts for the fluff of this squad is that on the eve of the wall being breached all the squad leaders meet and acknowledge that one squad will face the initial brunt of the Traitors to buy time for the rest of the Company. Veteran Sergeant Ortiz volunteers his squad for this duty, earning them the honorific The Martyrs. Each Brother is equipped with the higher capacity magazines to make the most of their firepower before they are inevitably overwhelmed.

That this Squad should have an honorific similar to the Terminators has me thinking that I may need to add similar names to the rest of the squads. For Laertes's squad they might adopt the moniker of their leader and become known as The Champions, Vizioso's squad are also candidates for this title, but given their history and loss of Captain Eco I'm thinking that they may be known as The Vengeful, Constantin's squad will be called The Guardians as they hunt the biggest threats to the 83rd, and Alessio's squad will be known as The Knights, taking their name from one of Alessio's personal honorifics.

Quick update to show that some progress has been made;



Veteran Sergeant Salvi, former Sergeant of Laertes's Squad. He has a very basic load out, with extra ornamentation and chain coming from the Chaplain Cassius mini.




Veteran Sergeant Ortiz. You can see that I have added some more embellishments to his armor. Part of his back story will be that he is the last surviving member of his Breacher Squad (hence the thunder hammer), and that after The Martyr's lost their Sergeant he was placed in command, taking up his predecessor's combi flamer. I used a small shield from the B@C kit and added it to his right shoulder pad, and I have a scroll affixed to it which will have the names of his fallen brothers. With the gold detail on his chest and helm I'm planning on keeping the face plate black.

Not shown are the heavy flamer veteran who has had some amateur greenstuff work done to his helm to mark him as previously being a member of a Destroyer Squad, and also after getting a box of Reivers I have my Warden conversion almost completed.

Veteran Sergeant Salvi, Deceased - Signus Prime








"My Brother Salvi had lead his squad with honor and distinction for many long years during our Great Crusade to reunite Humanity under The Emperor's banner. Some years my senior in length of service he was always willing to share his hard fought experience with me. While his service and record with the 83rd would have entitled him to his choice of weapons from our armory his only concession to the benefits of rank was his plasma pistol. The chainsword he carried was the same one Captain Eco presented to him when he was chosen to lead his squad after their previous Sergeant fell to Greenskins. He told me that he preferred to wield it to remind him of the honor bestowed upon him.

Salvi met his end, like many of our brothers, on the world of Signus Prime. When all order broke down as we fought the Neverborn he and Laertes fought shoulder to shoulder against the unrelenting, maddening tide. It was his dying wish that Laertes stand beside his men as their Brother as he had stood with him. It was a request Laertes could not refuse"


Veteran Sergeant Ortiz, Breacher Sergeant, Leader of The Martyrs







[Pict Cap 0617EI0; honor scroll listing names of Ortiz's fallen brothers from his Breacher Squad. Archivist's note; the shield device was not present on this subject's armor until after the attack on the Night Lords where Captain Eco fell]



"Ortiz had, since he joined our Legion, served as a Breacher. Like Constantin he favored the heavier MKIII war plate which, in combination with his shield, offered significant protection is the extreme close quarters combat he would be engaged in.

During the ill-fated boarding action against a force of Night Lords Ortiz would lose his squad as they ground through the Traitor's defenses. As we re-organized on the journey to Terra Captain Ennius asked him to take leadership of a 3rd Squad, who had lost their Sergeant in the same action. So it was that the Sergeant with a squad, and the squad without a Sergeant were made whole again. In order to bring 3rd Squad up to strength survivors from other units were drafted in, including the last surviving Destroyer in our Company.

At the wall on the eve of what we all knew would be the wall being breached I met with the other Sergeants. None of us would voice our thoughts and fears to those we would lead into battle, but peer to peer we each knew the truth; for us to succeed in our sworn duty one squad would have to stand their ground and sell their lives to give the remains of the Company time to fall back in good order. There was no hesitation from Ortiz. His squad was optimized for close quarters, and their specialist weapons would be more of a liability in the fighting retreat. Each squad turned over their drum magazines to Ortiz's men so they could greet the Rebels with a second wall, of bolt, blade and flame.

Thus The Martyrs were born, and their flame would burn briefly but bright. Were it not for their sacrifice a great many of us would not have survived to exact our revenge on the enemy."

My hobby time today has been spent doing prep work on the rest of The Martyrs (exciting things like drilling the feet and attaching paperclips for painting and basing), undercoating the squad's two specialists, and undercoating the Warden of the 83rd. For him I think I'll follow the GW tutorial on painting black armor;




Until I have more to show here is a blast from the past; some Scythes of the Emperor from late 2nd/early 3rd Edition (if the bases were not clue enough)








These were some of the last Space Marines I painted before I took an extended hobby break, and I'm glad my painting has improved a little bit since then

Here are former-Destroyer Ludovico and Lazzero pre-weathering and battle damage

I ended up making more progress with these two than I thought, as well as starting to work on my Warden.

Former-Destroyer Ludovico 'The Vulture', Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs






















"Destroyers are a rare breed in any Legion; doubly so for our Legion given our radiation soaked homeworld. It takes a certain temperament, even among those bred for war, to turn such devastating weapons on your foes. Our Company had but one squad of Destroyers, The Vultures, and of those Ludovico was the only Baal native to volunteer to join their ranks. His service as a Destroyer had marred his body. The radiation and alchemical weapons had left him rotten with cancers that defied even Astartes enhanced physiology, and distorted his voice when he spoke.

The last survivor of his squad he took their shared moniker as his own, and he was folded into 3rd Squad to fill the role of heavy weapon specialist. With the ammunition for baleful weapons he bore as a Destroyer no longer available to him he gladly replaced his prosphex and rad missle launcher with a heavy flamer. His damaged war plate was replaced with pieces scavenged from our dead, with only his left greave, right shoulder pad, and helm serviceable.

I did not see his passing, but I heard from others who had. Like all The Martyrs he knew his duty. Separated from the rest of his squad, and the tank in his weapon dry he did not have time to reload his weapon. Instead he took the only option he had left. He detonated his reserve tank - bathing the Traitors who encircled him in burning promethium." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio


Brother Lazzero, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs









"Brother Lazzero was one of the more recent members of our Company. He was elevated to Battle Brother following the Amaranthe Campaign. Where Draigo's humors burned hot and he could be given to rash actions Lazzero by contrast burned cold. I confess that I wish I knew more of my lost Brother, but as we made preparations for travel to Terra opportunities for social encounters were limited.

Lanzo did have opportunity to spend some time with him in the arming cages, and did see potential in the young warrior. It was a shame that his promise was to be squandered because of the Warmaster's folly.

As the wall fell and his weapon ran dry Lazzero walked to the fore of the Martyr's formation. Arms outstretched he sacrificed himself to the Traitor's opening volleys so that the rest of his squad could sell their lives dearly, so that we in turn may avenge them. They kept their word, and we kept ours" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

Warden Caelain Vespucci, IX Legion, 83rd Company




















"Warden Vespucci was a giant of a man long before he ever served in our Legion. Clad in his warplate and armed with his unshakable faith in the Imperial Truth his presence on the battlefield was incredible, leading from the front he galvanized the Brothers of our Legion on to glory with his deeds. A living avatar of the Emperor's will he carried weapons that he felt best suited his role; his crozius arcanum was his badge of office, and his inferno pistol was his judgement writ large.

While devout in his adherence to the Emperor he was not a firebrand as others were wont to be. His calm nature meant that when he spoke his thoughts were well considered, and his judgement sound. He spent much time with the Remembrancers we had on our vessels, as well as having lengthy discussions with Brother Santo. When Captain Eco was being prepared for his ironform and Ennius took command of our Company he would often spend time in consultation with our midnight clad Warden.

His stoic nature was well received during his time spent fighting alongside our cousins in the VII Legion. It was from those warriors that he adopted the practice of chaining his crozius to his arm as he fought. On Signus Prime one of the Neverborn attempted to wrest his weapon from his hand, snapping the bindings. It was with this broken chain that he throttled the existence from its unnatural form. After the baleful events of that campaign, and the extent of Horus's treachery became apparent, we each felt its touch in a unique way. For Warden Vespucci his calm demeanor masked a cold fury that he was all too content to unleash on the Traitors. On Terra itself his cold fury left scores of rebels marking our path to The Palace.

In the maddening days following the decimation of our Company, the loss of our Father, and the death of The Emperor it was Warden Vespucci's sound judgement that carried us through" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio, 1st Squad, 83rd Company


For Warden Vespucci this was a fairly simple conversion, with the main body being the Cassius mini from the 'Kill Team' game. After removing the obvious Ultramarine and Ordo Xenos details I replaced those with Blood Angel specific parts. After using the center of a banner ornament for the parchment on his chest the wings were added to the lower leg armor to try to break up the silhouette. The head of the crozius was re-purposed from Veteran Sergeant Alessio, and a new honorific added in its place. Other parts were added along the way including the backpack with the scroll, chosen to echo Santo's. For the head I finally settled on one of the easy to assemble Reiver heads. To wrap it up an inferno pistol was added as a definitively Blood Angels weapon.

Painting wise this was different for me as he was painted outside in, meaning that I painted all his details first, starting with the gold, and then worked my way back to painting his black armor. For that I was more selective in my highlights and used the GW method for painting The Fallen (Abaddon Black base, highlight Dark Reaper, selective highlight Fenrisian Grey). For the eyes I cheated and used a micropen.

The Cassius miniature is such a great base for conversions of any kind. Great work as usual, I like the idea of using a Reiver head!

Thank you so much. The Cassius mini was a better base for the conversion than I thought, and the Ultramarine decorations were easy to remove. I had considered using a Night Lord helm, or the full Reiver skull helm but when I tried that piece during dry fitting it just worked.

It was definitely a very rewarding model to paint, but some of the gold trim was not well defined from the main armor panels. Thankfully the black hid a lot of that.

That chaplain conversion is excellent! I'll add him to my "conversation ideas I totally didn't steal" list.

 EmberlordofFire8 wrote:
That chaplain conversion is excellent! I'll add him to my "conversation ideas I totally didn't steal" list.

Please steal away. I'd love someone to take what I started and take it to the next level. The good news is that the Ultramarine specific iconography is easy to remove being primarily the backpack, shoulder pad, and purity seal rose. Some Blood Angel specific iconography changed the mini pretty well.

So after kicking around the idea of Warden Vespucci's retinue with some wonderful people on another site I have placed my first ForgeWorld order, and given that I am a huge Blood Angel fan, and my force is a Company of 30K era Blood Angels I did the obvious thing and bought Imperial Fist parts;



My plans is that the retinue will be Legionnaires from across the Legion who have been selected for further training under Vespucci with a view to becoming Wardens. As part of their apprenticeship they have sworn to assist the Warden in upholding the Edict of Nikaea (because as fully fledged Wardens they may be responsible for ending those who have fallen to the Red Thirst). While I had considered the Tartarus weapons pack with axes the Warder pack would give me 5 suitable power axes, a vox and banner I could use (with minor conversion) in my Company, a series of torsos that I could use (with minor conversion) - including one with an Imperial Raptor, some suitable grim helms that are characterful for this squad, and the axe shoulder pads which I could use as this squad's emblem. The current idea is that two will have axes and shields, two will have axes and either plasma/melta pistols or combi weapons, and the Sergeant will have an axe and a plasma/melta pistol.

Not being Wardens these Legionnaires will retain their red armor, but will have their helms painted black, which when combined with their squad specific shoulder pad and weapons will present a unified force, and one which should not stick out from the main force.

As I looked back at some of the minis I have already painted for my force I found that one of the Honor Guard mirrored what I was planning for Vespucci's retinue, so what could be more GW than a retcon?



"Edigio was the first of the Oath Sworn; Brothers whom our Warden had selected for further training. Their role was unique in our Company, the enforcement of the Edict of Nikkea. They were tasked with passing the Emperor's judgement on all those of our Legion who would break his command on psychic powers. Following his bravery in combat alongside Captain Eco our lord sought out Warden Vespucci and requested that the warrior be allowed to set aside his oath and join his retinue. Vespucci refused to let any Brother of our Legion be known as an oath-breaker, instead allowing Edigio to accompany our Captain to fulfill his oath and protect him against any enemy who would use unnatural powers.

Edigio had taken Eco's death on the enemy cruiser hard. All of us who were a part of that boarding action knew he could not have fought harder. His war plate had been extensively damaged as he fought with reckless abandon to get to Eco's side and protect Tobias as he ministered to our Captain. The damaged pieces of his armor were replaced with experimental components that had not yet been field tested. While it resembled the armor he would later wear the materials were not as efficient and the servos required additional power which exposed cables provided. In those dark days necessity trumped many other concerns.

I found him when the dust settled kneeling over Gilberto's remains, his fingers gently closing the eyes of our fallen brother. He spoke to me of his sorrow at not being able to save him from the sorcerous energies wielded by one of our fallen cousins, arriving only in time to end the wretched existence of the Traitor. Together we bore Gilberto's body back to the Palace on Egidio's shield. Over time as we took stock of our losses he carved the names of our dead to the inside of his shield, swearing an oath to avenge each of them." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio


I already have plans for the raptor torso once the VII emblem has been removed. It will be used for the Sergeant of the Oath Sworn, Anellius 'Witch Bane'. A Terran Born veteran, and member of the Legion before they were reunited with their Primarch, he tends to be more fanatical than Vespucci but keeps that restrained to the best of his ability. Coming from outside the 83rd (originally hailing from the 103rd Company) he is the second ever to join the Oath Sworn, and he has a fractious relationship with Edigio, who he sees as having broken his oath.

Such characterful minis! Really like the painting and the effort into the fluff is impressive, and really adds to the drama of each model.

 IGtR= wrote:
Such characterful minis! Really like the painting and the effort into the fluff is impressive, and really adds to the drama of each model.

Thank you so much. The fluff certainly helps me keep invested in the project, otherwise it would be "Blood Angel 43. Blood Angel 44". So many other hobbyists have done amazing blogs with fluff and characterful conversions that I wanted to follow that path when making this force.

Of course my Blood Angels have grown a little bit from what I had originally planned, and I still feel that I have a long way still to go with them. Especially as FW have not yet released minis for this Legion.

With this having been peak season for my primary job, and working a second job over summer, progress has been slow - but I do have progress to share. Three more members of The Martyrs; Legionnaires Jacopo, Tonni, and Fulvio.









[Yes, the one with a helm resembling Iron Man is Tonni]








These minis are about 90% done, with some touch ups needed pre-assembly, and their right arms finished up. For Jacopo I tried a new technique for weathering his black armor; sponge on Leadbelcher and then sponge on Rhinox Hide over it. I have to say that I am pleased with the results and I may go back and add it to some previously completed minis.

So here are the next three members of The Martyrs

Brother Tonni, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs









"Brother Tonni was one of a trio of Legionnaires among The Martyrs who were known as The Artists. Each one of them, even above the others of our Company, were truly gifted in their own art. Tonni's craft was in the repair and maintenance of his armor. He learned his warplate and weapons inside and our, tuning them the same way that a musician would tune their instrument. Our Techmarines had considered him as a candidate for further training on Mars, however some of the Mechanicus delegation were not as kindly disposed to his modifications, as subtle as they were.

I had the honor of handing Tonni the specialist magazine that he would use to hold the line against the Traitors. I have no doubt that he spent his last night making sure that magazine would sing a song of death for our foes" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio


Brother Fulvio, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs















"Fulvio was another soul who, in simpler times, would have created art and wonder to entertain and enthrall. He spent endless hours among our Remembrancers, especially those who were to immortalize our Great Crusade in song, stanza, and epic plays. He told me that he wanted to explore the soul that our Father had given him when he joined our Legion, and also that he wanted to honor his clan on Baal. He not only wanted to bridge the distance between his old life and his new life as an Astartes, but as the last surviving member of his clan he wanted to bridge the distance between life and death itself by properly honoring their customs.

As the wall came tumbling down and our enemies poured in his voice carried aloud from his helmet grill, singing the lament of his clan as he prepared to meet them for eternity" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio


Brother Jacopo, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs












"Brother Jacopo was the third member of The Artists. His gift lay in ornamentation, and many of the decorations and honorifics that the Legionnaires of the 83rd bore in celebration of their feats were crafted by him. To many it was surprising that his was amongst the least decorated warplate of our Company, he preferred to keep his own armor clean so he could spend his time in service to recognizing the mighty deeds of others. His left shoulder pad had been retrieved from a fallen Brother and brought back into service against those whose perfidious nature had destroyed so much, his left greave painted black as a sign of mourning on the eve of our last stand.

I miss his witty barbs and jests with those who would disturb him as he worked on his latest piece" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio

After travelling for a little while with work I came home to my modest FW order, and I have started to work on The Warden's retinue.



The parts in the middle will become Anellius, a Terran born member of the 103rd Company, and the second of the Oathsworn. Where The Warden is described as being calm and well considered Anellius is the opposite of his mentor and closer to a full blooded fanatic. To help reinforce this I see his pose as being close to Vespucci, but mirrored (power axe in right hand, pistol in left hand) to reinforce their contrasting temperaments. The other torsos will be for the two Legionnaires not bearing shields, with the Imperial Fists iconography replaced with Blood Angel specific iconography.

Looking at the parts i have to hand I am short on arms not cradling bolters, so to rectify that I have a Death Company box set ordered and the spare parts from those will form the first half of an Assault Squad, with the other half coming later with the pending purchase of a Blood Angels Assault Squad box set.

So with a lack of painting here is some fluff instead.

"So be clear with me Brother, what is it that you are asking of me?"

Warden Vespucci stood before Captain Eco in the Captain's audience room. The vast chamber filled with frescoes depicting the glories of the IX Legion, and filled with trophies and battle honors that the 83rd Company had earned since setting off on the Great Crusade. Eco was clad in a simple white robe with silver filigree. His ever faithful second in command, Ennius, was clad, as ever, in his heavy Cataphractii warplate and stood arms folded off to the side, observing proceedings. Vespucci could not have imagined an image which would provide a better contrast between the temperament of the two storied warriors who stood before him. Eco poured wine into two ornate crystal goblets before offering one to Vespucci. Taking the offered vessel with a respectful nod of his head The Warden spoke the words he had rehearsed since before he had requested this audience.



"My Lord, I ask your permission to form a specialized unit within our Company. A small unit of veteran warriors selected for elevation into the ranks of The Wardens, whom I would train to prepare them for this sacred task."

Eco paused and considered The Warden's words,
"This is not a controversial request, however the timing of it is intriguing, coming as it does after The Emperor's most recent edict."

The glimmer in the Eco's eyes let Vespucci know that the purpose of his request was already known to the Captain.
"You are correct. Following The Emperor's Edict on the use of psychic powers among the Legions I believe that we must be proactive in how we respond to it, and not to be seen wanting in His eyes or our Father's. Those under my tutelage would be responsible for helping me enforce The Emperor's will upon those who would transgress."

It was Ennius's turn to speak.
"So you would ask our Company's master for his indulgence in creating a squad of executioners among their Brothers?"
As cold and as efficient as ever Ennius had cut straight to the core of the argument. The mild smirk that Eco attempted to conceal with his goblet gave The Warden pause that the Captain may have more than pre-empted his request.

"My Brother I would balk at such a crude description. As you are no doubt aware The Wardens have sworn oaths to oversee the morale and discipline of our brother Legionnaires, up to and including the ultimate sanction against those displaying egregious behaviors. This proposed force would be sworn to me so that I may prepare them for the burden of this responsibility should they rise to join The Wardens."

The stony faced warrior continued,
"And what of our Cousins among the other seventeen Legions? Will your apprentices be responsible for their conduct also?"

Vespucci offered no hesitation in his response,
"Absolutely not. My oath is to our Father. How those among the other Legions choose to conduct themselves is their own responsibility"

Setting down his glass Eco spoke once more,
"Do you have sufficient candidates for this venture of yours Vespucci?"

"My Lord from among our Company Legionnaire Edigio has already been nominated as a candidate to don the sable of The Wardens. I have also had a request from the 103rd Company to take a brother of theirs under my wing, Sergeant Anellius. From amongst the breadth of our Legion we will have more than ample qualified candidates for this task."

"You are aware of what you are asking my old friend. That these warriors will be sworn to you, and that their failings and transgressions will fall to you to answer."

"Lord Captain Eco, to that which much is given much is asked. I would expect no less an arrangement given my unprecedented petition."

The Captain rose from where he sat, crossing to the great window of his quarters, looking out into the vast inky darkness between the stars as they moved onto the worlds they were tasked to bring into compliance the master of the 83rd Company of the IX Legion reached his verdict.
"Warden Vespucci, I will grant your request. In service to The Emperor, Sanguinius, IX Legion, and your oath as a Warden you are hereby permitted to take no more than five Brothers of our Legion as your apprentices. For this sable brotherhood you are to select such candidates and equipment as you see fit to meet your obligations."

Nodding his gratitude Vespucci left the Captain's chambers and began his work.

This weekend I have been chipping away at the last members of The Martyrs, and against my expectations I managed to complete the 7th and 8th Legionnaires; Educci and Vermili

Brother Educci, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs













"Brother Educci was like many of our Father's sons; resolute in the face of the enemy, and always eager to meet our enemies face to face. Defending our section of the wall was a struggle for our Brother and he could often be seen pacing like a caged animal in a fighting arena, waiting his opportunity to spill blood. When Veteran Sergeant Ortiz informed his squad that they would be first to face the enemy I could see the relief in Educci's face.

Like all the aptly named Martyrs he fell so others could live. As we gathered our fallen I was the first to encounter his remains. His armor was rent apart by bolt and blade. The he clearly earned the Traitors's ire given the unspeakable defilement visited upon his flesh. Such was the scale of the horrors we endured at the time we added it to the long list that the enemy would have to answer for. And answer for it they did." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio


Brother Vermili, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs













"Vermili was one given to much introspection all the time that I knew him. His opinions were never offered freely, but always very carefully considered and deliberated. The amount of caveats he would give when speaking rivaled the tally of rounds Arturo would expend in any given engagement. Like his nature his actions were always deliberate. Outside of our marksmen Vermili would expend the fewest rounds, but he was no less an effective warrior than the rest of the Company.

I can recall but one act of spontaneity from him, and that was after Ortiz was assigned to lead the squad. As a mark of kinship with his new commander he painted the crimson for his helm's face black.

I know that he would have given good account of himself before he fell" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio


No progress to report yet on The Warden's retinue, mainly because I want to keep disciplined and finish The Martyrs before I start a new squad. I remember the long lost days of 2nd Edition when I would paint my characters and cool stuff like vehicles, while the troop choices were lucky to see an undercoat. Honestly this has also been one of the hardest squads for me to paint. The Martyrs started out as I found I had more parts than I thought and that was their genesis. Unlike every squad before their fluff came after, and as I decided early on that this entire squad perished I have had to be careful not to fall into the trap of more and more elaborate tales of individual heroics. In terms of painting I did have to cut this batch from four to two, simply because batch painting four felt more like work than a hobby, and I am in no hurry to complete this project. My overthinking aside I've always wanted a Horus Heresy force of Blood Angels since the early 90's so, in a way, this is my dream army and some days I can't believe that I have the opportunity to make this a reality.

The final two members of The Martyrs have been completed, and I present to you Legionnaires Dalibor and Aldalberto.

Brother Dalibor, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs















"Dalibor was one of the youngest members of our Company, and that he never had a chance to reach his potential in forging a new age of Humanity grieves me. He and The Boy were inducted into our ranks at the same time, but that was about all that they had in common. While Andino was headstrong, brash, and always at the forefront of the action Dalibor was quiet and excelled in the second line supporting his Brothers.

I must confess that during our time in Imperium Secondus he began spending more time with Santo, and I suspected them both of being involved in the Lectito Divintatus. As with Santo I kept my thoughts my own. Whatever the scroll was that he bore into battle during his last days clearly enraged the Traitors." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio


Brother Aldalberto, Veteran Sergeant Ortiz's Squad - The Martyrs












"Aldalberto had been the loyal right hand to Sergeant Angolo throughout their service together. As we made our way to rally with other loyal forces in the Macragge system Captain Eco recognized this squad for their valor in facing the Neverborn and apologized for the delay in granting them the right to bear a vexilla. In turn Angolo recognized Aldalberto, and gave him the honor of bearing the squad's standard. In hindsight it is ironic that the squad who would ultimately volunteer to sacrifice themselves had chosen funeral colors for their banner, but in those days we had much to mourn and little to celebrate.

Angolo's decision to place his trust in Aldalberto was not misplaced. In both life and death he refused to let the banner of his squad touch the dirt beneath their feet." - Veteran Sergeant Alessio


The Martyrs, IX Legion, 83rd Company, The Siege of Terra

How'd you make those drum magazines? They're from the Cataphractii, right?

Yup, all the drum mags were left over from that B@C Cataphractii. Only one of my Terminators had a combi-bolter, so that left plenty to spare.

Brother Fidelio, 73rd Company - Warden Vespucci's Sable Brotherhood














"Brother Fidelio was nominated to serve under Vespucci by the 73rd Company's Warden. While the other members of the Sable Brotherhood were sent to the 83rd as a sort of ambassador for their Company I cannot said with firm heart that was the case with Fidelio. I had heard rumors that while he was devoted to the Emperor's vision of reuniting humanity that he had an often fractious relationship with some of his Company, and that he was dispatched to the 83rd so his commanders could alleviate tensions. If this were true I saw no evidence of that in how he interacted with the Brothers of our Company. While he was distant in many ways to most of us I did not take that as unusual given the role he played as Vespucci's student.

Fidelio was present with us during the Signus Campaign. In truth his shuttle joined us just before we departed to rejoin the rest of our Legion to make way to Signus. It was Fidelio who struck the Neverborn of the Warden when the abomination tore his helm from his head, and gave Vespucci the opportunity to recover from the attack" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio



Brother Callisto, 73rd Company - Warden Vespucci's Sable Brotherhood
















"While the rumor was that Fidelio was sent to us due to issues with members of his Company the same could not be said of Callisto. As new members of the Legion he and I had shared a field of battle, and back then it was clear that he was marked for greatness. I witnessed his Assault Squad close in with Greenskins and his ability to read the flow of battle and frustrate the enemy was uncanny. In the never ending melee he never seemed to tire, and every time the xenos would attempt a counter attack he would rally his squad and lead them back into the thick of it.

While we did spend little time with the 29th after that campaign I followed his progress as he rose through the ranks, and when he requested to take up Vespucci's offer I understand that it was granted reluctantly, but that his Captain acquiesced and provided him with some of the best weapons and armor to help him in his new role. I must confess that I was surprised that he would seek to don the black, as many had assumed that he would eventually take the mantle of leading the 29th.

In the dark days following the betrayal his vigor and leadership under fire were most welcome to all in our Company" - Veteran Sergeant Alessio


So after some computer issues I was finally able to share my progress with Warden Vespucci's retinue. I'm pretty pleased with how these two turned out as this was my first time working with any real sort of resin, even on a small scale.

This down time has got me thinking of next steps and potential new projects. I am considering adding a Legion Praevian to the 83rd based on the Iron Hands mini from Deathwatch, but I have also been eyeing up the AoS Stormcast as the basis for a small force of techno barbarians/gene forged troops that the 83rd interacted with earlier in this history. I was thinking that by looking back I could add some more units without breaking the fluff (like Librarians, or Captain Eco before he was interned in his ironform). But in saying that I still have three members of the Sable Brotherhood to paint, a Legion Support Squad to assemble and paint, and a Legion Assault Squad to assemble and paint (and I'm looking at yet more parts for that so I have a 15+ man squad).

I have also made some progress on our narrator, Veteran Sergeant Alessio, The Crimson Knight, and I may be sharing that with the community soon.