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Ancient Vaako

the Immortal, the Cerberite, honoured veteran of the XII Legion Astartes


In his dreams, he is still at Cerberus Station, its steel corridors and rock catacombs bathed in amber warning lights, the ropes of blood and viscera on every surface like the studies of a mad artist. The renegades have taken a terrible toll in blood, and he can see the corpses of station personnel, fallen inmates and the remains of servitors, strewn like ragdolls across the floors and makeshift barricades. And between them, in far smaller numbers, yet still shockingly common, the bodies of his brothers, the grey blue ceramite shards of their armour like cracked eggshells. All is quiet, strangely enough, yet the air is heavy with the scent of bad deaths.

When he rounds the next corner, he finds himself face to face with one of the monsters, squatting atop a pile of broken bodies. It is dying from a thousand cuts already, but just too stubborn to realise it yet. Its armour is cracked and scarred, but he still recognises it as an earlier, cruder version of his own warplate. Even then, he senses in his bones that their kinship goes farther still.

Up close, its animal stink and the sharp tang of its chemical secretions are almost overwhelming: the cancerous odour of a biological experiment slowly breaking down into its composite parts.

They quietly observe each other for a moment then, and in its rheumy eyes, he sees the ending of an age -- but there is more there: infinite sadness. A sense of betrayal. The broken spirit of a once proud warrior, now merely a tool discarded by its own creator.

+++

He awakens underwater, his lungs filled with icy liquid. As usual, it takes a moment for him to remember where he is. And what he has become. While jagged Nagrakali runes dance before his eyes, his gaze turns downward to the men a merciless conqueror king has crudely reshaped into his brothers. He wonders why they have come. Why they will not let him sleep and dream of betrayal the colour of blood and amber light. And then they begin to speak, and speak for a long time, and while their words weave a tapestry depicting a world gone mad, he remembers the spiteful, sad gaze of a discarded, broken toy and realises, with grim certainty, that it is all happening again.



A Terran veteran from the days when the XII legion was still named the War Hounds, Brahim Vaako is one of the oldest members of the 4th assault company. His status as a honoured ancient of the company made his support crucial when Captain Lorimar succeeded the company’s former commander, Lord Valna, whom he had slain in the fighting pits.

Unlike many Terran-born veterans of the World Eaters, he has never felt any resentment towards the Primarch Angron and the changes the latter had wrought upon the legion: During the quelling of the Cerberus Insurrection, the campaign in which Vaako would first distinguish himself, he saw the last Thunder Warriors die, and their fate and the World Eaters‘ role in their demise planted the seed for a growing disillusionment with the Emperor and the Imperial Truth in him, long before the Horus Heresy ever broke out.


First of all, cheers for the comments, everyone! So here's the finished Contemptor, and let's not mince words: I am incredibly happy with how the model has come out! So let's take a closer look at him:













While adding the blood, I drew on the suggestions provided by you guys, yet tried to keep it fairly low-key: The fist was a no-brainer, of course. Regarding the legs, my rationale was that any fallen enemy at the Contemptor's feet could only ever hope to reach as high as the Dread's shins -- and would likely make a terrible mess down there while expiring Also, there may or may not be suggestions of bloody handprints in that bloody mess At the same time, the effect also provided me with a good way to add some detail to those barren inner sides of the legs.

One thing I really spent a lot of time on was the use of matching decals to create both a feeling of belonging to the XII legion and a kind of personal heraldry for the character:

The numeral "IV" stenciled onto his chest plate proudly proclaims his allegiance to the 4th assault company:



Meanwhile, the row of three hound heads appearing on his torso is a reminder of his participation in the quelling of the Cerberus Insurrection, a campaign that also earned him the epithet "Cerberite":



Speaking of personal heraldry, the one thing that fell by the wayside during the painting stage, surprisingly enough, was the heraldic shield on Vaako's left shoulder: I originally really liked the idea of having it there as a way of showing personal heraldry, but when I tacked it own, it turned out the shield really upset the model's colour balance -- so it had to go.

The base came together in a pretty experimental way -- which makes me all the happier that it looks pretty much like I imagined it On a related note, let me just say once again that that fallen Marine from Ahriman's base is just a lovely little bit!



And here's Vaako together with his smaller brothers again:



I think this little group serves as a pretty neat proof of concept of what I want my 30k World Eaters to look like!

As always, let me know what you think!

Very Nice. Good addition to the group.

Excellent work here, KS! I like the dead marine as well, and the massive brass icon is a definite focal point.

He looks like one nasty piece of work. Awesome colour choices KS!

Thanks a lot, guys! Like I said, I am really happy with the model, and I am glad you like him as well!

Deine Umbauten sind eine echte Inspiration, hab' meine World Eaters quasi nur wegen dir angefangen

oh.. english. Right, erm..

Your conversions are such a massive inspiration for me, that i decided to start my own 'converted' World Eaters Army..
I'm really thinking about starting my own World Eaters Blog here - somesort of 'Krautscientist-Fanboy-Blog'

@ EverlastingNewb: Vielen Dank!

That is high praise indeed. Taking a quick look at your gallery pictures, though, I don't even think your blog would have to be fanboy-ish, as its more than obvious that your work can stand on its own two feet! So definitely go for it, and feel free to post a link over here as well, once you have set up shop!

Damn, KrautScientist, that Contemptor is a masterpiece. Really captures that 30k feel, and the tragic, savage nobility of the World Eaters then. Well done.

Awesome. Especially like the War Hounds motif and the Ultramarine stomped into the dust!

EDC

Vaako looks awesome!
At first I thought you were going to paint that chest plate as a planet, since the teeth look like they're eating it (-> World Eaters). But, the stenciled "IV" is a nice touch as well.
The buried body is a sweet touch to the base.

gorgeous work as ever KS

Love that Contemptor

Thanks a lot, guys!

After a short break, it's time for a new update. Here's a sneak peek at my mostly finished 30k World Eaters Tech-Marine, the second of two models I have vowed for the Loyalty and Treachery event:









I hope I'll be able to put the finishing touched on him later this week!



In other news, and if you'll allow me a moment of personal pride, my blog - "Eternal Hunt" - is five years old as of this week. To celebrate the occasion, I am currently taking a look at some of the fantastic models given to me by fellow hobbyists since the start of my blogging career:



Check out the relevant post here, in case you're interested.

And as always, let me know what you think!

Happy birthday to the blog, it's a great milestone! A lot of high quality work has gone on here, and it is great to see it continue.

I didn't think the World Eaters had Techmarines, I'd imagine they'd try to fix something and get pissed off doing it after 5 minutes . Either way, it's a fantastic model, well done.

 WarbossDakka wrote:
Happy birthday to the blog, it's a great milestone! A lot of high quality work has gone on here, and it is great to see it continue.

I didn't think the World Eaters had Techmarines, I'd imagine they'd try to fix something and get pissed off doing it after 5 minutes . Either way, it's a fantastic model, well done.

Grats on keeping the blog running. Nice to have a bit of history.

I suspect the WE techs are big on “percussive maintenance” aka just hit it until it works.

Congratulations on such a big achievement! You've definitely made it if an artist uses your work as reference.

Liking the Techmarine myself, excellent use of the SE legs.

Thanks, guys!

Regarding the World Eaters' use of Techmarines, I got the feeling from reading Betrayer (and Kharn: Eater of Worlds) that the Legion was still trying its best to maintain the workings of a "regular" legion, at least up to the moment where the nails would invariably take during the height of battle. Plus there's also a fluff reason why Deracin is a bit more "together" than your average World Eater, but we'll be getting to that in a minute:


Deracin

the Keeper of the Forge, IVth assault company Techmarine, XII Legio Astartes

“To think we lost a brilliant mind like that! But how should we have known? A jewel like that man’s mind, hidden amid the midden heap that was his legion. A genius fallen among the butchers. Even as we fight his daemonic creations today, we can only wonder about the marvels he could have brought to our Imperium.
There are those who look at the Istvaan Atrocity or the Siege of Terra, and who count the dead and the debt Imperium paid in flesh and blood during those dark times. But the true tally of the Heresy is measured not in bodies, but in minds forever lost to our cause, and therein lies the true tragedy.”

Archmagos Veneratus Sacharia Hyle, The Age of Scouring, M31





“Aye, Nove Shendak cost me half of my body. But in the end, those injuries were what let me keep all of my wits, and for that I will always remember that blasted hellscape with a certain …fondness.”

Techmarine Deracin







During the time of the Great Crusade, when the XIIth Astartes Legion was still known as the War Hounds, brother Deracin was a brilliant and ferocious warrior who could be found at the forefront of every battle. This zeal cost him dearly when he sustained horrific injuries during the Nove Shendak campaign, requiring extensive augmentic reconstruction work to be saved. Worse still than the lost limbs was the heavy nerve damage Deracin incurred, damage that necessiated complex cranial implants to keep him combat-worthy. A lesser man might have been interred into the sarcophagus of a dreadnought due to such injuries, but Deracin trained relentlessly to overcome his injuries and push the artificial parts of his body to the limit, trying to prove to his brethren that his “reconstruction” hadn’t dulled his edge one bit.

All of this should be for naught, however, once the legion had been reunited with its Primarch and renamed the “World Eaters”: Angron ordered his Apothecaries and Techmarines to outfit the whole legion with the Butcher’s Nails, implants patterned after those he had received as a gladiator on the world of Nuceria.

The nails implanted into the Primarch’s skull were artifacts from the Dark Age of Technology, and the Techmarines’ dabbling in archaeotech was far from an exact science, producing all kinds of unforeseen incidents. As a consequence, the implants Deracin had received earlier to mend his injuries interfered with the nails, preventing him from utilising his full potential on the battlefield. For Angron, a legionnaire that couldn’t unlock the nails’ full power could only be considered a failure. So Deracin found himself relegated to the rear guard in more and more battles, sidelined and tasked with petty battle logistics and mundane assignments, and growing ever more frustrated.

It was Lord Captain Lorimar who discovered that, deprived of a chance to prove himself in battle, Deracin had begun to apply himself to the maintenance of the legions’ wargear and weaponry, demonstrating a brilliant grasp of technology and an intuitive understanding of even the most complex mechanisms. So Lorimar requested Deracin for his company and let him be trained as a Techmarine. And it was then that brother Deracin found his true calling:

He may have been a brilliant fighter, but as a Techmarine, Deracin became a marvel. His brilliant, analytical mind allowed him to construct mechanisms on par with the most advanced work of the Mechanicus. His work earned him the envy of numerous Techmarines from different companies and, indeed, other Legiones Astartes. In time, even Angron himself began to display a sort of grudging respect for the son he had despised. And through fateful irony, the implants that prevented Deracin from tapping into the Butcher’s Nails’ full potential actually kept his brilliant mind intact, even as the rest of the legion descended into frenzy and insanity.



So here's my finished World Eaters Techmarine, base and all. This has been an interesting case, because the model is a younger incarnation of a character from my 40k World Eaters army, Huntmaster Deracin (featured in more detail earlier in this thread). So the challenge was to create a model that hints at the character's later incarnation without going totally overboard. Here's a comparison with both versions of Deracin:





40k Deracin is quite a beast, in his massive and baroque armour -- and let's not forget that rather monstrous servo-harness! So the three goals here were to a) build a model that would look reasonably like it was the same guy B) hint at some of the design cues of the 40k version and c) still read as a 30k Techmarine. Looking at it now, I think I've done a reasonably good job on the model!

So that means two down, one to go -- and about six weeks to finish my Angron model. Sounds about right

As always, let me know what you think!

Wonderful stuff. Does a nice job of preserving the World Eaters vibe and feel, while extending the range of the army. Well done.

Fantastic work on Deracin. I thought the model was great in and of itself, and I enjoyed the fluff. Then seeing the 40k version of him and the side-by side, it impressed me even moreso. It really works very well.

Also, the dread is great. Again, your talent in both build and painting continues to impress.

Excellent work as ever, I love the pre and post heresy comparisons.

EDC

Yes .. all inspirational stuff for my own World Eaters.

Have you tried writing a short story/novel? Because I would give it a good read based on all of your fluff that you create, it really is inspiring like Solar said. As for the model, you carried out those 3 objectives perfectly IMO, because they do look like the same guy, yet set in different eras. The painting is flawless, you're very talented with painting white. The conversion itself is also great, using various parts (some from AoS I believe) to create this guy. High praises all around mate!

I've been silently reading Dakka for years now – this thread however finally made me get a proper account, just to tell you how awesome your stuff is. Incredible ideas, great execution!

Thanks a lot for the kind words, guys! I really appreciate it!

@ WarbossDakka: I am especially happy about the fluff-related comment, as writing is indeed one of my long time hobbies. That being said, writing fiction in a language that isn't my first language is hard work, for obvious reasons. I do think I have my moments, though Anyway, thanks again!

@ arsenewenger: Vielen Dank!

That is high praise indeed! Now that you've registered, you might as well keep commenting, eh?

Hey everyone, a small update for today: Thinking about how to paint my FW Angron model (the third model for my Loyalty and Treachery vow) has unexpectedly lead to a minor breakthough on another project, namely to convert yet another version of Angron based on the freebie Slaughterpriest that came with the first issue of the "new" White Dwarf.

Now my idea was to create a "missing link", so to speak, between Forgeworld's version of Angron (showing him in the latter stages of the Great Crusade) and my early gladiatorial take on the Primarch:



Now I wanted this new version to take some cues from Wayne England's depiction of Angron from the old Horus Heresy trading card game:



And while my original attempt didn't really go anywere, I just had an idea yesterday. So here's the model as it looks right now:





As you can see, most parts of him are still only tacked together, but I do think I am on the right track.

Once again, getting the head and Butcher's Nails just so was very important, and I am pretty happy with the result:



As always, let me know what you think!

Hmm, I wonder how you're gonna get rid of that Khorne icon...

That's a sweet looking model KrautScientist!

"Angron Through the Ages" I see. What an excellent kitbash so far! I was very happy that the September WD came with this slaughterpriest, as it's my personal favorite in way of AoS chaos heroes.

That is damn impressive. I think it's right on the mark.

I have to agree I think you need to lose the khorne icon on the waist but damn good job converting!

Sweet mother of mercy, that's such an amazing conversion. Top work, as ever!

EDC