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Hello everyone! It's been a loooong time since I posted anything on here. A few years ago my friend and I went in on a big box together and I decided to build an Ork army. It never really went anywhere and the boyz have long since gone missing. So, I decided to give it another shot, this time with the Salamanders. This is the first squad I've completed, with fluff posted below. I'd appreciate any input ya'll can give on paint or fluff!

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(Note: Larger version available at http://i.imgur.com/5fKLif4.jpg)


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2nd Company, 1st Tactical Squad: The White Flame Ascetics
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This battle-tested squad has earned much recognition in their chapter's history, playing integral roles in The Ymargl Cleansing, The Badab War and the last two Wars of Armaggedon.
Normally stationed on the massive moon Prometheus, the 2nd Company is primarily charged with the defense of Nocturne and is only called away on the most important of missions. Salamanders are
admitted to this squad only after proving themselves truly devout in the ways of the Promethean Cult. They add sparks of white to the core of their chapter's flame markings to represent their
inner desire to purify their souls through the tenets of the Cult. Eventually, if a master of the Promethean Cult deems them worthy, a Salamander may re-work their flame design to display
traditional flames rising from the bottom of the pauldron. There is no longer a need for sparks of white; their souls have been forged and scoured clean in the fires of war.

The White Flame Ascetics (or "Ascetics", as it is commonly shortened to) are a grim, humorless lot. They follow the Codex Astartes in nearly perfect manner, with the exception of certain
regulations pertaining to mandatory socialization amongst peers. In this the Ascetics defer to the Promethean Cult and maintain a strict sense of self-reliance and solitary behavior. The Ascetics
are battle-brothers and will have none question their loyalty, but they will rarely call another man a friend. They believe that the man next to you may be the next man killed, and time spent
forging bonds of friendship can be better served training, meditating and cleaning weapons. This has earned them a slightly cold reputation amongst the chapter, with some going so far as to name
them "Nevermourn". This, of course, is not true - The Ascetics will mourn the loss of a squadmate, though it will typically be for tactical reasons rather than emotional connections. When off-duty
the Ascetics find solitary places of meditation on Nocturne's surface, delving the depths of their souls for insight and understanding. This has led the civilians of Nocturne sometimes referring
to them as "the Men of the Mountains".

The Ascetics' most recent conflict of note was the Defence of Nocturne, when the Chaos Sorceror Nihilan, former Salamander Librarian turned traitor leader of the Dragon Warriors warband,
attemped to bore a hole through Mount Deathfire to uncover and steal away one of the holy chapters of the Tome of Fire. The 2nd Company was immediately deployed to the planet's surface to
defend the mountain, but a ground invasion by the Dragon Lords delayed them and allowed Nihilan's Chaos Cruiser Hell-Stalker to fire a Seismic Cannon through the crust. It was only due to the
sacrifice of the Epistolary Pyriel and the strength of Chief Librarian Vel'cona that the Tome of Fire was protected, and the 2nd Company's 1st Squad holds themselves responsible for the near
loss of the precious artifact. They carry that weight with them today and strive to prove themselves in the next campaign to purify the shame from their souls again.

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Notable Members
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Veteran Sergeant Thoros - This veteran earned his Sergeant title after taking up the standard of the slain previous Sergeant of the 1st Squad during the 2nd War of Armageddon, hoisting it above
his head as he rallied the Ascetics to his position and there led them to victory against the Orks attempting to take a valuable munitions depot. He is easily seen on the battlefield, having
since fused the old standard into his powerpack. He carries a custom Combi-Flamer into war and often uses it to ignite the drips of Prometheum that flow along the edge of his Power Sword,
giving off a terrible image to his enemies as he strides towards them swinging a burning blade and spewing flames into their ranks. He commands total respect and obedience from his men,
and they have often times drawn inspiration when they glimpsed Thoros raising his burning blade above the chaos of battle.

Brother Mu'ran - This old Salamander has long since lost his taste for gaining glory in skillful firefights and tests of strength in close combat. He has instead turned to the warm caresses of
flame, and so serves as the Ascetics' designated flamer. Camaraderie is hard to find amongst the Ascetics, but Mur'an would doubtlessly prove the most popular member among the brothers, due in no
small part to his breadth of knowledge and experience. He earned recognition during the 2nd War of Armageddon, where his flamer immolated over 50 greenskins in a single day.

Brother Tulkos - The Ascetics value the service of Brother Tulkos, for he holds a special place as the squad's demolitions man. He is normally stationed as leader of a secondary combat squad, and
has been of great use providing explosive suppressive fire and support from the back of the lines as the rest of the Ascetics advance towards the enemy. When off-duty on Nocturne he is commonly
found visiting with the scout squads training in the explosive mountain ranges of Nocturne.

As a fluffy fellow Salamander player I give you a round of applause.

Well done good sir.

The bases are cool. The banner is the best part.

If I were to give you some words, I'd say you're marines are too clean for my taste and you seem to have applied your paint a bit too thick in some places. This is especially noticeable on the sword.

Other than that, it all looks sweet.

 BladeTX wrote:
As a fluffy fellow Salamander player I give you a round of applause.

Well done good sir.

The bases are cool. The banner is the best part.

If I were to give you some words, I'd say you're marines are too clean for my taste and you seem to have applied your paint a bit too thick in some places. This is especially noticeable on the sword.

Other than that, it all looks sweet.

Thanks man! I appreciate the kind words.

Yeah, they do look pretty "new". I might experiment with weathering in future models. I didn't find out about thinning paints until I finished them, so some of them do look a bit clumpy. As for the sword, no arguments here - I originally painted it trying to fade from base to tip yellow/orange/red/black but it didn't work so well. Re-doing it helped but it definately comes off as a bit thick or over applied.