Index;
During my teenage years the army which saw the table top the most and in fact, claimed the most victories was my converted Lost and the Damned force. Back in 2003 GW released the Eye of Terror codex, a book full of a few campaign themed armies for one of Abandon's Black Crusades. This "Traitor Guard" list gave me the rules to field the undead guardsmen I had been converting and turned the odd few models into an army. Unfortunately I'm not sure where this army ended up, a few models might be kicking around in my garage but I'd assume most of them are still at my parents house.
This brings us to the first concept in my ideas queue. Re-building this undead themed 40K army. Even if I found my older models, the conversion work wouldn't have been something I would want to reuse 18 years later. Most of the standard traitors were the Skeleton warriors of the time holding lasguns. Some zombies had Cadian parts and I remember using oversized toy skeletons has my big mutants. No, I think if its worth doing again, everything is built from new.
The second concept which I've been toying with is the Lazotep Mummies from the Amonkhet range of Magic the Gathering cards. For those not familiar, warriors from the Amonkhet plain become mummified in Lazotep and resurrected to fight again for the arch villain, Nicol Bolas.
Lazotep is effectively magically enhanced Lapis Lazuli and leaves the body of the warrior encased in a hard blue skeletal shell. It's like taking the Egyptian parody the of the Thousand Sons to the next level and it's Awesome!
So two undead themes kicking around. Question is, can they be combined or is this blog going to separate into two different armies?
On the one hand, the traditional undead, gory, rotten with an earthy colour pallet. On the other hand, bright blue and gold crystalline skeletons. The first very much suits a Nurgle themed force (which was what I picked back in 2003), the later very much suits Tzeentch...
A choice in Codex
So before unpacking the themes, I want to look at the current rule options now that the Eye of Terror codex is a thing of the past.
To do so, I think it's worth outlining the units the Lost and the Damned army could pick from in 2003;
For the HQ options, you could field a Chaos SM Sorcerer and Chaos SM Champions, effectively CSM sergeants who would lead units of the traitor guardsmen.
With Elites, you could pick from Big Mutants (S6, T4, with 3 wounds), Possessed and Daemon packs.
For Troops choices, you had units of Traitor guardsmen, Mutants and Gibbering Hordes (Swarm bases).
Chaos hounds, Daemonic beasts, Sentinels, Roughriders and Hellhound tanks could be picked for Fast Attack.
Lastly you had the options of Defilers, Chaos Spawn, Leman Russ's and Basilisks for Heavy Support.
Last of all you could pick the following from the Chaos Space Marine codex of the time; 0-1 HQ, 0-1 Elites, 0-2 Troops and 0-1 Fast Attack.
Now the two Codex's I'm looking at for 2022 are the current Thousand Sons and Death Guard books. A choice between Tzeentch and Nurgle again.
HQ options
I think it's fair to say that either current codex has suitable HQ choices. I could easily field some sort of Liche, Daemon Prince or nasty controlling the undead hordes.
Elites
Big Mutants were meant to be Traitor Ogryns and the Death Guard book has suitable proxies in the form of Beasts of Nurgle. As for the Thousand Sons book I'm looking through, (not the current edition I might add), there doesn't seem to be anything I can use.
Daemon Packs and Daemons in general are something easily solved with allied units from a Daemon Codex. I'm not really concerned with the current version of stat lines. The fact is you can field something akin to Daemons either way.
As for the Possessed Chaos Space Marines, there seems to the same unit option in the Elite section of the Death Guard codex. Not so much for the T-Sons.
Troop Choices
For troop choices, Both codex's offer replacements for the Lost & the Damned Traitors. Chaos Cultists fill the gap nicely but don't have access to the same armoury. The old Traitors had access to all the weapons regular guardsmen do, give or take.
As for the old Mutant unit, the Death Guard offer Poxwalkers and T-Sons have Tzaangors. Mutants were a simple meat shield with a S3 and T4 profile. Poxwalkers would defiantly suit the unit of Zombies I used to field but I had thought about using this melee troop choice for the Lazotep Mummies.
Gibbering Hordes of old literally used the Nurgling stat line for whatever swarm base you wanted to use. So the Death Guard book has this covered.
As for the "allied" Chaos Space Marines, well it's a pick between Rubric or Plague Marines.
Fast Attack
Hounds and Fast Deamonic Beasts seem to be ditched. I mean I guess you could reuse the Tzaangor Enlightened or Plague Drone stat lines but both are flying... The same goes for the Rough Riders. Guess these will have to be parked.
Sentinels could vaguely be (flying) Foetid Bloat Drones. Clutching at straws here but it's a vehicle stat line in the Fast Attack choice for the Death Guard. Nothing like it in the T-Son list.
Lastly we have the Hellhound Flamer tank. The Deathguard Myphitic Blight-Hauler would work as a proxy. Again the T-Sons are falling short of options.
Heavy Support
Defilers feature in both codex's which is good.
Chaos Spawn feature in both books but are now Fast Attack options.
As for battle tanks, either have options for the classic CSM Predator. So a version of a Leman Russ might as well be there. They have a tank as far as I'm concerned at this point.
The Death Guard book have Plagueburst Crawlers which could be a corrupted Basilisk.
While the Thousand Sons book has things like the Vortex Beast, Forgefiend and Maulerfiend. All might be good options for the old Tomb Kings Necroshpinx model I have. Would really suit the Lazotep concept. I think the Death Guard can take these as allied units from the Standard Chaos Space Marine book however. Or if I'm really looking to use this Necroshpinx, I could proxy it as a Helbrute, which is an Elite choice for either codex.
Verdict?
I think the Death Guard book would be a worthy successor to the old Lost and the Damned list.
Getting that theme to work
So the Lazotep Mummies are much tougher zombies and behave as trained troops on the battlefield. I'm looking to convert the Mortek Guard with Tomb Kings parts which will mean they fit the melee choice on the table top. I'm thinking the tougher Poxwalker stat line would work here.
I could also "break" parts of their Lazotep plating to reveal the corpse beneath it.
So these could be the Elite (not in the Codex sense of the word) troops on the battlefield. Those captured battlefield casualties, mummified in Lazotep and returned to serve a new master.
By using Poxwalkers as the Lazotep Mummies, I forego using the classic looking Zombie horde which I had in the 2003 list.
The other troop choice is the standard Chaos Cultist. These are the planned skeletal guardsmen. While they will be skeletons with Autorifles, I don't think they should be painted blue. Lazotep is like an armour over the skeleton hence why I'm using Morket Guard, which are a much bulkier undead that suits this. With that in mind, if I'm using regular skellies for the ranged infantry, I think there should be a separation in colour, I.E. regular bone coloured skellies for the Cultists.
Hopefully it's as if the army raises a lot of undead, but not all can be mummified in Lazotep. They (the Liche) reserves this magical Lapis for the troops in need of it the most, those in close combat? This is a working idea clearly.
The thing I'm struggling with most is the clash between the bright blue, gold and rather clean undead look of the Lazotep Mummies and the dirty, traditional undead with mixed and tatty equipment of the Cultists. I wonder if the idea of recreating my old Lost and the Damned army and this Lazotep theme should be two different armies?
In any event, I'll start converting various units and see what happens. I don't imagine I'll have enough for a full army any time soon, so the question of whether these two ideas go together is a problem for later.
Early concept models
So, on to the actual models. Or at the very least some working concepts. As I've loosely decided on above, the Cultists will be the risen guardsmen and other damned inhabitants of the 40k universe. While the tougher "Poxwalkers" will be those undead mummified in Lazotep.
I still had a single sprue of 90's era Warhammer Fantasy Battle skeletons. I reckon it must be left over from the first time I made this army, which is fitting. I also cast some Cadian legs in resin, deliberately trying to leave air bubbles. These turned out to be really useful for boots with skeletal toes jutting from them, or fitting a bone down the middle of a shin guard.
As for the Cultists weapons, I had two options. Either I model the Skellies with the guns they carried while alive, Lasguns, Galvanic Rifles, Bolters and all sorts in between. Or I model them to fit what the rules state a Cultist carries, Autoguns. I figured that it's easier for the army to be rearmed and reloaded if they all carry some sort of standard issue rifle and as this army is going to be heavily converted, they should at least be armed with what the codex states. To avoid further confusion.
Autoguns however are a pain. Apart from a few expensive Necromunda white metal sprues and of course the official cultist models, Autoguns are not readily available like Lasguns are from the numerous left over Cadian boxsets littering the country. No, Autoguns would have to be built.
I settled on reusing Kroot rifles and the magazine parts of the new Primaris Bolters. Cut down and reshaped, I think they'll do. It's also easier to model the Skeleton's hand holding the trigger area than it used to be back in 2003 when I used Lasguns. These new rifles look pretty brutal as well, which will help with the theme.
Cadian bodies have also been combined with some ribcages and the empty helmets stuck over some skulls. I do plan on adding tattered clothing and other bits of old uniform. Whether it's on these 4 or just others in the army once I find new parts.
The left hands however will need green stuff each time. I've cut down the original Skeleton fist (which would be stuck to the back of a shield) and used green stuff to add the fingers and thumb holding the gun barrel.
As for those Lazotep Mummies, Morket Guard are the base with a Tomb Kings head swap. The Kholpeshs come from the Thousand Sons Terminator sprue (which hopefully will not be an issue to keep locating spare ones...). Lastly, which is a bit of a problem, Mortek Guard left arms are modelled to the shields they come with. Which leaves me trying to find suitable left arms to hold the Tomb Kings shields. Currently these two have Eldar Guardian arms holding the shield. I'm hoping this won't be too noticeable once it's all painted. Unlikely this method will be the standard one moving forward.
06th of May, 2023
It's been a while. About 18 months in fact but I'm back with this project. There's probably some joke I could make about resurrecting such an old blog about undead minis. Ah well.
Now I have to say I think I've settled on a direction now, maybe. Well visuals mostly but not quite the lore just yet. More on that later. In actual fact it was back in February of 2022 I finished painting the Magic the Gathering inspired Skellies, linked here. This threw a spanner in the works that I didn't bother to remove until a week or so ago. After finishing the bright blue skeletons and starting on the drab Cadian skellies I lost momentum. I just couldn't get the two batches of test mini's to gel with each other. In the end, a few days ago, I gave up. Nothing else to it, they'll have to be separate armies and I'm more interested in dabbling in abit of my own Necromancy and bringing back my teenage army. Ah, knew there was a "joke" in there somewhere.
So the Lapis Mummies will be something else eventually. For now I sat about converting up more skeletal guardsmen and once I have more than 4 finished, I'll update the blog with some pictures. For now, I want to try and hammer down the lore reason the undead roam the 40k universe.
I've come up with a few lore "friendly" solutions to the problem. Trying to think of why different races could turn to Necromancy and how'd they do it.
Option 1 - Whoever smelt it, dealt it
Have to say, despite the fact I'm very likely to use the Death Guard book for this army, Nurgle as a reason is my least favourite. It's just too easy. It's not particularly interesting or it has been done before. Oh look boys, the God of Death and Decay has risen the undead. Yawn.
I'm also going for more of a skeleton focused theme over zombies, so there's not going to be the gore and rot that comes with a typical Nurgle palette.
Option 2 - They've gone full Vampire, never go full Vampire
This one gives a decent aesthetic but doesn't answer any of the how questions. A Blood Angel gets hold of a Vampire Counts army book and takes it as an appendixes to the Codex.
More of a fun take on it as I quite like the idea of a bright red Blood Dragon Vampire, I mean Blood Angel leading the army.
Option 3 - Resurrection orb goes brrr
This one is actually a favourite of mine at the moment. Necron Lord wakes up after a millennia taking a nap, only to discover some pesky Humans live on his world now. Oh and his Necron army is AWOL because reasons.
Armed with nothing but a Resurrection Orb and a frag tonne of glowy green nanite robots, he infects the local populace and does what Necrons do best. "I'm gunna go build my own Necron army, with blackjack and hook..."
The resident undead 40k army giving the living factions a taste of what undeath is like, is also kinda cool too.
Option 4 - Insane in the membrane
This one is certainly more plausible than some of the others and I guess is the default Chaos option. A Psyker goes rouge and after being hunted down by the local Arbites, starts raising corpses to defend himself. Soon enough he's threatening the the planetary defence force. More and more Imperial units are drawn in, fuelling his every growing army of death.
It's a safe option for sure but not one I think will provide much option for a centre piece to the army. Just some Chaos sorcerer unless I come up with a better way of depicting the model on the table top.
Option 5 - Even in death I still serve
This one is the only loyalist option I can think of. Either directly affiliated with the Legion of the Damned, or just just powered by the same faith in the Emperor, certain Guardsmen refuse to fall. "I didn't hear no bell".
It's an interesting take and it would be good to be the good guys. However it does limit me to human models and I was very much planning on converting undead aliens too.
Option 6 - Crystal hippie crap
This option was my Eldar "solution" to Necromancy but more fitting for the Dark Eldar. Same sort of principle to their Wraithbone constructs imbued with the soul of a departed warrior. Maybe a Dark Eldar Haemonculus starts experimenting with Soul Stones on mortal races. Gathers enough momentum to seize power and all of a sudden "I am the Captain now".
It would certainly explain the myriad of alien races I'm planning on including for the army but I've always hated the Dark Eldar so not really feeling this take.
Anyway, that's all I have for now. Let me know your favourite option for the army's lore or maybe you've got an idea for another direction to take. Let me know.
14th of May, 2023
OK, so after a few days thinking it over I think the Necron solution to Necromancy is still my favourite and despite all the comparisons at the start of this blog between the Thousand Sons or Death Guard codex, I think I'm going to use neither. After looking at the wargear and stat lines of the Genestealer Cult book, I reckon I can make a better "traitor" guard list from that.
So with this entry, I'd like to expand on the fluff, explain my Genestealer reasoning and provide the first few painted mini shots.
Resurrection orb goes brrr
So, Necrons...
I'm thinking that for one reason or another we have a solitary Necron Lord. Maybe he was banished or broke away from the rest of his kind and sort solitude. In any event he wakes up after a millennia of slumber to find his primordial resting place has developed into a war-torn Imperial world with varying alien races competing for territory.
He has no army of his own to defend himself and reclaiming his planet will be no easy task. Time however is still on his side as no one knows about his tomb yet, preoccupied as they are.
Short story part 1
The Necron Lord surveyed the desolate surface of his planet, his optics glinting faintly in the murk. He turned with mechanical precision and descended into one of the countless laboratories buried deep within his tomb. A project abandoned millennia ago demanded revival: Canoptek Nanites. Once engineered to corrupt and dismantle the bone constructs of an ancient enemy, these microscopic marvels would now serve a new purpose.
Weeks passed in silence as the solitary Necron labored beneath the planet's crust. Distant explosions sent tremors rippling through the tomb, unsettling ancient dust, but the Lord paid them little mind. His focus remained absolute.
At last, the prototype nanites were complete, ready for testing.
¬¬Target acquired: Imperial sector... Abandoned bodies detected... Movement minimal. Risk acceptable¬¬
The Necron Lord chose his target—a ruined manufactorum reduced to ash and rubble during the ongoing wars. He stalked through the shattered remains of a recent skirmish, his towering frame moving with uncanny grace. Scanning motionless combatants, he injected select cadavers with surgical precision.
When the syringe was emptied, the Necron Lord activated a countdown on his ocular interface. Without a sound, he vanished into the labyrinthine shadows of his lair.
As the timer reached zero, he returned to the desolate sector. Corpses shambled through the ruins, their decayed forms twisted into a grotesque semblance of animation. His glowing eyes flickered, sending a command that froze the restless dead in place. They turned to face him, awaiting further instruction.
¬¬Initial results acceptable¬¬
Yet, the experiment was not without flaws. These reanimated vessels were crude, capable only of basic hostility and labour. They would serve little purpose in the grander design.
The Necron Lord retreated once more into the earth, his new guards trailing behind in eerie silence.
Cycles of relentless work culminated in phase two. This time, the Lord required no surface excursion. The decayed thralls lurking in his tomb had been modified, their hollowed skulls equipped with pressurized canisters connected to nozzles that protruded grotesquely from their mouths.
In the dim, flickering light of his chamber, the Necron Lord activated the second wave. The undead rose again and marched to the surface, their movements guided by his will.
Private Harkin leaned against the remnants of a hab-block, a faint grin on his face. He’d been dodging picket duty for weeks, but tonight, it was finally his turn. Despite longing for his bunk, he savored the fleeting peace and quiet under the fading sun.
The Orks had been routed two nights ago. The killzone his platoon established had decimated the greenskins, leaving Harkin confident they wouldn’t return for at least a week. He exhaled a stream of smoke from his Lho-stick, flicked the butt over the barricade, and stretched. Tonight, he’d check out that intact Amasec cabinet he’d heard about—apparently stashed in a nearby building with a decent view of the fortifications.
His platoon was enjoying well-earned rest after grueling days on the front line. Letting Simmerson skip his shift tonight would earn Harkin leverage—those officer ration packs weren’t going to trade themselves.
Harkin rounded a corner, daydreaming of real food, when a figure startled him. A Vostroyan guardsman stood motionless in the shadows.
“Oi, Bearskin!” Harkin called, steadying his nerves. “You lost?”
The soldier didn’t respond.
“Hey! Ain’t you lot supposed to be on the other side of the lines?” Lowering his lasgun, Harkin approached. “Take your mask off, can’t hear a word you’re sayin’—”
The Vostroyan turned with unnatural speed, its breathing apparatus hissing ominously. A faintly glowing green gas spewed from the nozzle, engulfing Harkin.
He dropped to his knees, coughing violently. His vision blurred as a strange, shimmering glow overtook the world. His trembling hand came into view—was it glowing, or was he?
Nanites surged into his nervous system, dismantling and assimilating his mind, marrow, and being. Overwhelmed, Harkin collapsed, his thoughts fading into oblivion.
Private Harkin had been a soldier for nine years, ten months, and six days. He’d excelled in the Whiteshield program, survived two brutal campaigns, and saved a Commissar from a squig. But at 27 Terran cycles, his life ended.
And yet, he awoke.
He staggered to his feet, his surroundings a haze of incomprehension. Rubbing his eyes provided no clarity—his vision no longer depended on organic eyes.
¬¬Vision routed through host processing unit... functional¬¬
Confusion gripped him.
¬¬Host consciousness detected. Archiving data... complete¬¬
Harkin felt as though he were blinking rapidly, his skull humming with strange activity. He couldn’t grasp who—or what—he was. Yet a singular, overwhelming directive took hold:
¬¬Retrieve weapon. Move to target location¬¬
Deep below, the Necron Lord tracked the progress of his creations. Each drone infected multiple new hosts, swelling their numbers. Losses to enemy forces were minimal.
The experiment was yielding promising results.
However, an unanticipated effect emerged: the nanites consumed much of the organic carbon in each host, leaving behind skeletal husks that bore an unsettling resemblance to the Necron warriors of old.
If the Necron Lord could find humor in anything, it might have been this grim irony.
Soon, he would reveal himself to the parasites that defiled his world.
As I was trying to go to sleep several nights ago I thought about the nanites, undead firing guns and how I could excuse a more melee focused unit on the table top beyond, oh they're zombies and those are skeletons.
I settled on the idea that if the Canoptek Nanites infected a living host, they would have enough time to download key information. Combat protocols, strategic training, certain memories etc. This way I could convert skeleton warriors driving trucks, tanks, using equipment as the host's knowledge would remain memory banked to a cluster of nanites perhaps hidden within the skull of the victim itself.
Who knows, maybe the host remains as a whole or in part trapped within their decomposing remains.
Whereas if the nanites infected beings who are already deceased, there is no knowledge to obtain. The body can be moved but would require instruction and guidance beyond basic commands. In this way I can excuse melee units composed of infantry ordinarily predisposed to long range combat.
Stealing from the Genestealers
As I mentioned at the start of this entry, I've given up on the idea of using the Death Guard codex. So much for the start of this blog, almost all of it has been discarded.
I think I've settled on the idea of using the Genestealer Cult codex instead. While the DG codex would be a good start, most of the units are power armour based and that's not really going to work for all of the skeleton guardsmen I had planned. Whereas the GSC book has plenty of human based units and some melee troop chooses beyond the one size fits all Poxwalkers of the Death Guard.
They also have bikers in the Genestealer book which will allow me to include the Rough Rider cavalry I had in my original army.
The standard line infantry for the GSC also have a wider selection of weaponry compared to the current edition Chaos Cultist rules I had planned on using. Greater room for converting minis.
However all of this is an issue for future me. Currently I have lots of undead Guardsmen to finish. Speaking of which;
The Minis
So far the production line hasn't be effected. I have plenty of Kroot rifles and bolter parts to make the auto rifles. The 90's skeletons make ideal frames from all sorts of uniforms or troopers and so far have mostly been made into Cadians and Catachans.
The new Deathrattle Skeleton's plate mail will make things a tad harder. So far however they do make pretty good undead Vostroyans and might be useful for Tempestus Scions.
Greenstuff has defiantly been a resource at play here and I've used instant mould for a few of the parts like the Vostroyan gas masks.
Lastly for this update, I've started work on a couple of Genestealer Cult specific models. Namely skeletons holding the mining lasers and other GSC specific equipment but more on that later.
27th of May, 2023
Over the last couple of weeks I've been busy converting more guardsmen and started work on some more undead Tau figures after I found out that the Skulls boxset from GW contained all sort of alien, well um, skulls.
But before I share the next load of minis, I found myself stuck on a train for my usual trip into the capital for work. 4 hours is a long time and this month I started typing up more lore of the Lost and the Damned. So if you'll indulge me;
Short Story part 2
Colonel Griess waved another soldier past, his voice sharp. “Quickly!” he barked, urging the retreating infantry toward the landing zone. It all felt unreal. For months, his regiment had held this sector against the Orks, only to see it reduced to this—a battered force of six platoons, cobbled together from the remnants of Imperial units. He clung to the hope, perhaps foolishly, that other survivors had escaped elsewhere. But his experience told him otherwise.
Another Cadian rushed past, followed closely by two Vostroyans and a Catachan lugging a heavy stubber. Griess directed each of them toward the correct route, offering precise instructions to the non-Cadian troops. The lines were in shambles, but order had to be maintained.
By the time the Colonel realized they faced a new foe, it was too late. The sickness had already spread. He was a seasoned veteran, but the memory of what had become of his men churned his stomach. None of the army medics had been able to slow the infection’s advance. The Tech-Priests had vanished with some of their own after falling ill, leaving behind only whispers and suspicion. Griess suspected they knew more than they let on, but it hardly mattered now. The lines had collapsed, and retreat was their only option.
The skeletal guardsmen that now stalked his soldiers were more than a twisted mockery of life. They fought with the same discipline and tactics they had known in life, but with an unnatural resilience. Shots that should have killed a man outright only momentarily staggered them. More chilling still, the dead moved in eerie synchrony, as though guided by a single will.
What the Orks had failed to do in months, the undead accomplished in days. They shattered the Imperial defences, raising the fallen within the heart of their fortifications. The Commissar of the Cadian 26th had claimed he’d seen something similar once before and spent his final days hunting signs of heresy. After executing two soldiers from Red Platoon for supposed treason, the rest of the platoon abandoned him to the advancing undead. Griess suspected that if the Commissar were still alive, he wouldn’t be for long.
The Colonel had made a controversial choice. His Imperial forces had been fighting a war on two fronts, and their northern enemy—an enclave of Tau—had thus far been too preoccupied with the Orks to engage the Cadians directly. That stalemate now served a new purpose. It was into Tau territory that Griess led his retreat.
A week earlier, two scouts had returned from the Tau lines with astonishing news: the Tau still had dropships, fully operational and capable of escaping the planet. The scouts’ attempt to retreat back to Imperial lines, however, had not gone unnoticed. Tau patrols intercepted them and extended an invitation. Negotiations followed, and the Tau commander, recognizing the humans’ desperation, offered not only a truce but a proposition: join the Tau Empire. In exchange, the Imperials would gain safe passage off-world and the promise of a new life as part of the Tau Auxilia.
Colonel Griess had fought too many wars. There was always another campaign, another enemy. It never ended. The idea of starting over—a life without war—was intoxicating. But what choice did they have? Serve the Tau, or be consumed by the undead hordes? He rubbed his eyes, trying to stop the maddening twitch in his left eye. He hadn’t slept in days.
Private Harkin stood among the shambling ranks of undead infantry. He remembered moving to this position but couldn’t recall the last few moments. The blackouts were maddening, but not as maddening as the seething hatred he felt for the living.
To his right, the hulking skeleton of a long-dead Ork hefted a looted heavy weapon. Harkin had hated Orks in life, their insatiable hunger for chaos and carnage. Now, he hated himself. Did he hate himself in life? He couldn’t remember. Perhaps he must have, or why else would he be here, fighting alongside this legion of the damned?
Harkin crouched behind the remnants of a wall, peering over the edge at the Tau landing site. The living clustered together, human and Tau alike, preparing to flee. His bony fingers gripped a crude auto rifle. He missed his lasgun, but its charge had been spent long ago. Now, most of the undead wielded makeshift projectile weapons, cobbled together in manufactorums repurposed by the smallest of their skeletal thralls. Even in death, the Necron Lord’s efficiency knew no bounds.
Harkin scanned the field, calculating the open ground between their position and the enemy. He reached to scratch an itch on his temple, only to stop mid-motion. He couldn’t feel anything anymore, but the phantom sensations remained. He hated them.
At that moment, his squad rose as one. Their glowing eyes turned ¬6 degrees west¬, and they sprinted ¬58.4 meters¬ across the exposed terrain. Bullets tore through their ranks, but the undead pressed on without hesitation, reaching cover and returning fire in perfect unison.
Later, Harkin found himself standing over the remains of a Tau drone controller. Fragments of a shattered sniper drone lay scattered around him. He vaguely remembered moving into position behind a wall but had no recollection of the final push. Another blackout. He loathed them.
As the undead advanced, the living scrambled to their dropships. Harkin stared after them, clutching his weapon. Somewhere deep within the ruins of his mind, a voice whispered. It was faint, almost drowned out by the Necron Lord’s commands, but it was there.
He hated the living. He hated himself. And yet, he followed.
So anyway, I kinda like the idea that these damned warriors retain some knowledge or traits of their former selves. It can be explained away as a requirement of the Necron Lord for trained and battle hardened troops, with maybe an minor side effect of the individual in question retaining some of their personality. Albeit poisoned by the Necron Lord's hatred of the living. It opens up a possibility of rebellion too, maybe they one day break free from his domination and the sweeping blackouts as a result of being directly controlled by the Necron.
18th of June, 2023
So over the last couple of weeks I've been busily converting more infantry models and I have a lot ready for paint but not many actually finished. For now however I can share my new Tau additions, which became possible due to the Skulls boxset, which seems like its primary purpose was base litter for your models.
However for this army, it's given me Tau and Kroot skulls. The Kroot model was built from all sorts of bits and pieces and I can't say I'll be adding many more due to the fact that I need Genestealer feet and the bones from the Ghoul boxset to build another.
7th of July, 2023
I have to say it's been a busy few weeks and as of typing this, I've started working on units other than the standard cultists. More on those later.
For now, I've been continuing to add to the Neophyte Hybrid units. However I do need to start building more with the heavy or special weapons. I think I have too many autoguns for now.
I also received the Avatars of War Orc skeletons in the post. I had planned on limiting myself to GW parts only, but this would mean no dead Orks in the army, which just wasn't going to work. Especially happy how these guys turned out.
Lastly, I've also built my first character model. The rather fancy looking Dire Avenger Ex-Exarch will count has my Kelermorph.
16th of July, 2023
In this update, I'm happy to report I've added more than just run-of-the-mill cultists to the force. I was lucky to find a ebay listing full of random Sister of Battle parts and when it arrived, the loot was better than expected. I was on the look out for a few helmets, gloves and the like, but this listing had enough random parts to build 5-6 Seraphim.
I got stuck into kit bashing them with some Myrmourn Banshees and before I knew it, I had a unit of Hybrid Metamorphs ready for paint.
I was pretty reluctant to use so little of the Myrmourn Banshee figures as I had originally planned on just giving them Sister of Battle arms and heads etc. In the end I thought it was more in keeping with my theme to Undead-ify 40k models than 40k-ify Age of Sigmar models.
The hand flamers were all built from regular flamers with the middle section of the barrels cut down. I would have liked actual Sister of Battle hand flamers but I wasn't going to wait to find some before I built these. Impatient I know.
As for the centre figure, she was meant to be holding my cult icon. I just haven't figured out what that will be yet. So her outstretched hand awaits some sort of bead glued in place later on down the line.
The colours of the ghostly cloaks were inspired by the model I aim to have as my army general, the Necron Necromancer. You see the Necron Psychomancer figure has this cool pixelated skull being summoned in front of him and it's painted in a similar blend of colours to the cloaks above. As the army is built from so many different units, I want some recurring colours present to tie it all together. In part, that's why they all have glowing green eyes.
As for what's next, well the Psychomancer is built. I've also got proxies for the Achilles Ridgerunners and Atalan Jackals. I'm very much looking forward to getting these finished!
11th of September, 2023
It's been a while but i've not been idle. It's been a busy few weeks building and converting lots of kits that lead straight into painting them all. Don't worry however, my pile of shame still exists, I've just been super motivated to finish this army.
First up is my Atalan Jackals. Well, annoyingly i'm still 2 models short on account of the new rules stating a squad size of 5 or 10 and the box sets I bought coming in 5's and 3's... Not sure currently what the last two bikers will be but for now, I'm happy with a Human/Ork mix.
I've also made sure that base sizes remain correct here, with one of the Ork bikers counting as a Heavy Stubber equipped quad.
Next up are my Achilles Ridgerunner proxies. I'm not that keen on the official models and had been looking for a reason to paint a few of the Ork hot rods on account of them being awesome. So I took the opportunity to expand on the armies greenskin... green bones... dead Ork presence.
I've also deliberately painted these models to resemble the official models on the boxes, in an attempt to reinforce the corruption of the living theme. It's the same reason i've not been painting any of the tattered infantry uniforms in my own colours but sticking with recognisable uniforms.
Also, now you're thinking about this tune...
And finally for this entry is the big bad lad himself, the Necron-mancer Patriarch. Not really any conversion here aside from a head swap from the old Empire Wizard model. No, I quite liked the voxel skull spell he had going on and the model in general as is.
This is the mastermind behind all those nanites bring people back from the dead. The only shame of it is, as he counts as the Genestealer Patriarch, he can't actually join the unit of Sister/Banshee/Metamorphs. Ah well, they look good together.
Next up are more Banshee Metamorphs, cult icons and another character model.
19th of October 2023
Cult Icons
I've been mulling over what to do with the cult icons for a while. I don't think they should be banner bearers like the official Genestealer Cult models and although I have a few models to represent the icon bearers now, I'm not convinced these will be the final executions.
The basic principle is a bit of a mash up between your standard Necron Warrior and Glowing Ghouls from the Fallout series. The Nanites infesting the host is either instructed, gains enough experience, or has sufficiently replicated enough to start the transformation process. Slowly replacing bones for metallic counterparts. I also considered this could happen if the skeleton takes enough but prolonged battle damage. Each destroyed part rebuild from metals absorbed until they're almost entirely metal.
In any case, the models glowing green are stacked full of Necron energies and can raise their fallen Death Cultists (as opposed to the spirit of the rule, in which new models are reinforcements).
Short story part 3
The entity once known as Harkin stood still in the darkness of the catacombs, his skeletal frame radiating the faintest trace of energy. He had been chosen, and his transformation had begun. The process was ineffable, not bound by any clear ritual but rather an internal ascension that marked his status within the Death Cults. Those who underwent this change would become one of the Lord’s elite, joining the ranks of his personal legion. While the transformation unfolded, Harkin’s mind processed the vast future before him.
His body, now a vessel for nanites infused with ancient energy, pulsed with life—or something like it. A sickly green glow replaced the surrounding darkness, a sickening luminescence that poured from the very bones of his frame.
Soon, he would return to the surface to seek more raw materials. The nanites hungered for metallic alloys, their relentless cravings insatiable. Piece by piece, the carbon components of his former human body would be replaced by cold, unyielding metal. His mind remained sharp, focusing on the tasks ahead. The weapon he carried—his prized firearm—needed modification. He had already begun crafting a heavy axe head to be fitted beneath the muzzle brake. But that was only the beginning. To truly unlock its potential, the gun must be converted to fire a disintegrating jade beam, a deadly energy weapon worthy of his new form.
Harkin had served alongside other icons of the Death Cults before. These figures, glowing with unnatural energy, shared a deeper connection to the ancient Lord, and in turn, rebuilt the bodies of fallen cultists. Every shattered bone was carefully reshaped, every bullet wound filled with metal and nanite infusion. The greater the damage, the longer the repair took. These Cult Icons were skilled metal-smiths, able to manipulate and bend the very metals of their bodies, fusing organic and synthetic materials into something beyond life. Harkin had always admired them. Now, as he underwent his own transformation, he was proud to take on this new role, moving ever closer to becoming one of the true eternals.
The conquest of the planet was nearly complete. The Necron Lord, using the knowledge drawn from the memories of his fallen subjects, had assimilated the secrets of the universe. The Eldar presence on this world had either been bent to his will or had fled in haste. No doubt they would seek to warn their kind of his return. Other races—youthful, foolish—still resisted, but their defiance was futile. He had used their numbers well, turning them into fuel for his growing legion. Even the humans who had been absorbed into his ranks retained fragments of their past selves, but they were no longer a threat. Their minds could still be bent, twisted to serve him.
However, the matter of future threats lingered in his thoughts. While he dominated the surface, the void above his world remained vulnerable. He had no significant presence in orbit, no means of defending against incoming foes from the stars. His human captives had spoken of a warrior sect—highly advanced soldiers of their race—who would not let him hold this world uncontested. Their arrival was inevitable.
And then there were the others. The dregs of humanity, those who served the ruinous powers or worshipped the devouring hive—a species that sought to consume the very carbon structures of his legion. These foes would come, he was certain. They always did.
It was not the time for complacency. There was still much to be done. He had to delve deeper into the ancient vaults, to unearth the secrets of his race’s greatest technologies. The power to fortify his defences, to control the skies, and to annihilate any who would dare challenge him. Only then would his dominance be secure.
Magos
Quite accidentally, I decided to build a Magos out of some of the spare parts kicking around my hobby station. Literally holding parts against each other that prompted a "I know what this could make" eureka moment.
Like the Kelermorph proxy before, I wanted to keep the pose similar to the official model to emphasise what this model is meant to be on the table top.
For this model, I used sections of an oversized paperclip that came from a Christmas cracker some years ago. The plastic is pretty neon and knew it would come in handy one day.
More Hybrid Metamorphs
So while I've already converted 5 Hybrid Metamorphs out of Sister of Battle models, I knew the unit wasn't at full strength yet. Also, as I clearly hate myself, I decided the last 5 models of the unit would be Howling Banshees. So that's blending 4 colours and white armour...
While I'm happy with the end result and family photo, I don't want to add anymore of these models to the army! It felt like weeks had passed painting these newer 5.
So what's next? I want to start work on the "allied" Guard units. Thinking rough riders and a Hell Hound. Extra reason to paint huge vats of glowing goo with the latter!
19th of May 2024
Well it's been an absolute age since I updated this. Truth be told, I lost all painting enthusiasm towards the end of last year and have only recently forced myself to finish the Rough Riders I had converted.
While it's been several months since kit-bashing these guys, I can say that the horse armour was made by creating a mould of the new Rough Rider kit and creating a few green stuff copies.
and that's all I have for now. Still got more to create for this army in my pile of shame. Stay tuned.
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