The Daemon Prince Mortarion

Mortarion, Primarch of the Death Guard and champion of Nurgle, stalking the battlefield of the 41st millenium.

Death Guard Consul Karthago

Pict capture of XIVth Legion Master of Signal Karthago at an unknown location during the Age of Darkness. As typical for a Death Guard Legionnaire Karthago has sustained a significant amount of superficial damage to his battle plate, most of which does not appear to have compromised the armour functionality.

Karthago is equipped with improved communications gear and an auspex, to support the ranged attacks of his fellow legionnaires. He also carries an archaic thurible of unknown origin, which were used more frequently by the XIVth legion towards the latter stages of the Age of Darkness.

Tally Chaplain Glomerata

Pict Capture of Tally Chaplain Glomerata during the initial stages of the New Diemenslandt invasion.

A Chaplain of the XIVth Legion during the great crusade, Glomerata inspired his fellow Legionnaires in battle more through his deeds than through litany. Always at the forefront of attack, the Tally Chaplain continues this role to the present day.

Seen here armed with an archaic plasma pistol, the Tally Chaplain records the deeds of the warriors about him, and keeps a tally of despair for his dark god.

Death Guard Terminators Done

Blightlord Terminators from the Blighted Path warband deploy in force on the prison colony world of Neu Diemenslandt. The terminators were used by the forces of the Death Guard as shock troops during the initial assaults of the planetary invasion.

This unit is equipped for an anti-heavy infantry role with plasma weaponry, blight launchers and a variety of close combat weapons. 

Test SchemeTerminator

So after about a squillion years I finally painted up one of my Forgeworld Terminator models to see how my scheme would look.

Epic Death Guard Mastodon

Supported by a maniple of Deredeo dreadnoughts a Mastodon super heavy transport of the Death Guard legion advances into no mans land.

I had never planned to get a big transport model like the Mastodon for my epic Death Guard forces. I had plenty of Land Raiders for ground based assaults, and was planning to get some Thunderhawks and Storm Eagles (and possibly a Stormbird some day) for air assaults. Plus I have this idea of Mortarion crashing into the enemy with a heap of terminators in a couple of Caestus Assault Rams that I want to try out. But then I had this idea that the Mastodon could double as a Plague Tower in Epic 40k era games, so decided to get one.

Epic Deredeos

Deredeo dreadnoughts of the Death Guard legion searching for targets.

Dreadnought maniples within the legion were typically composed of a mix of contemptor and deredeo assets when deployed in the field. Full deredeo maniples such as the one shown here, while a rare sight, were fielded when specific objectives were required. These deredeos are all armed with the anvilus autocannon battery and aiolos missile launcher, suggesting that they have been designated an anti vehicle air defence role. This type of maniple was often used to support initial planetfall attacks, and then defend the territory taken until heavier reinforcements were landed and the deredeos could be relieved.

Clash with Reality

It's been a long time since I have added to this blog, a little over six months in fact.

I'd like to say that things in the painting queue have been progressing in that time, but unfortunately they haven't. Not much anyway. Reality trumps hobby sometimes.

But I remain a loyal follower of Nurgle, so let's see how my pledge for 2017 went...

The Noxious Blightbringer

A noxious blightbringer from the Death Guard forces sighted on the prison colony world of Neu-Diemenslandt.

As typical of Death Guard legionnaires from the Blighted Path, this individual has retained the pre heresy colouration of the Death Guard legion. The armour itself has been highly modified as is typical of plague marines, being in a severe state of decay, and displaying numerous unsanctioned modifications.

The hoses fitted to the helmet are typical, however the mutation displayed on the armour's backpack indicates that this individual is well advanced down the path of damnation.

Other superficial additions to the armour have been added, notably chain mail, heretic iconography and miscellaneous wargear attached to the belt, as well as trophy's and iconography on the pauldrons.

The individual is armed with an archaic plasma pistol that is likely to be a relic of the age of darkness and appears to have maintained its functionality, indicating that the individual has continued to maintain their wargear despite the generally dilapidated appearance, or that the pistol was of a superior design, or both.  The icon carried by the former legionnaire is of unknown origin, and appears to be archaic in function.

Herald of the Blighted Path

A rare pict capture of the captain of the plagueship Harbringer of Woe; the Death Guard Lord Borshak is known by many names; Borshak the Blightlord, Scourge of Exodus, Borshak the Blade, The Ruinmaker. However the most fitting title, and that which is most topical to Imperial forces in the Neu Diemensland system, is the Herald of the Blighted Path. Borshak's path to dark glory is currently in ascendancy, as he cuts a swathe of despair through the Imperium at the head of a army of heresy. Followed by Death Guard legionnaires, heretics, traitors and mutants, his followers numbers swell and their fanaticism grows as the Path progresses.

Hellblade unleashed...

Hellblades are capable air superiority fighters if deployed in high enough numbers. The Death Guard capitol ship Harbringer of Woe carries large numbers of fighters such as these, and they were active in the skies of Neu-Diemensland prior to the deployment of ground troops.

This pict capture was taken during the late stages of the air war, prior to the mass landing of ground forces from the Death Guard.

Gigas The Samarithan

Pict capture of XIVth Legion Apothecary Gigas "The Samarithan" at some stage during the age of darkness. A native of Barbarus, The Samarithan rose quickly through the ranks of the Death Guard, eventually becoming a Primis Medicae in the Legion prior to it's fall. Here he is armoured in a suit of MKIV plate, complete with fully functioning narthecium. Note the extensive battle damage on the armour of The Samarithan, typical of the legionnaires of the XIVth.

He is armed here with a modified bolt pistol, complete with extended barrel (most likely for increased accuracy, with a high probability of a slight decrease in rate of fire) and some form of chemical augmentation, possibly to increase the lethality of fragmenting bold rounds. He also carries an archaic chainsword, ironically dubbed the Emperors Grace. The Samarithan was a brutal battlefield medic, with one of the highest euthanising rates within his legion. Weather this is due to the inhospitable nature of the war zones that the legion often fought in, or simply the fact that Gigas used it as a motivational tool for his troops is unknown. Gigas was also a vocal proponent for conducting unsanctioned gene-seed research, so it is probable that he overzealously harvested his fallen brothers gene seed for his own gene seed experiments within his legion. Irrespective, a "visit by the Samarithan" became a byword for battlefield euthanasia within some chapters of the XIVth.

The Samarithan also continues to display the prime helix symbol on his tabard and right shoulder pauldron awarded to him prior to the events of Istvaan. The left pauldron has been significantly modified, complete with additional reinforcing and some form of arcane technology, possibly for defensive purposes. 

Also of note is the decapitated head hung from the armour. While displaying trophy kills are a rare but utilised practice amongst some legions, this skull has been positively identified as that of a fellow traitor Death Guard legionnaire, further legitimising the claims that the Samarithan used battlefield euthinasia as a tool for reinforcing the morale of those fighting under his command.

Galatea Pax

A consul of the Death Guard Legion during the Great Crusade, Galatea Pax showed a proficiency in brutal close assaults and firefights. Like other members of his legion, he was able to perform any role on the battlefield, but excelled as a destroyer. He often took on the role of Moritat, choosing his own mission objectives as he saw fit. Nimis Zog, his commander, typically allowed Pax to operate with a large degree of freedom, knowing that his abilities were being put to good use wherever Pax chose to apply them.

Here Pax can be seen equipped for a Moritat role, armed with short ranged weaponry and equipped with a jump pack for rapidly re-deploying to engage his target. Pax has chosen to eschew the use of a second plasma pistol in this case, deciding instead to carry the more reliable legion bolt pistol instead. Note the complex custom targeting scope fitted to the plasma pistol, and unusual design, indicating that it is likely to be a relic of the legion. 

Also of note is the lack of unit and honour markings, with superficial damage present on the armour, which the Death Guard legionnaires often chose to allow to accumulate over time. 

Nimis Zog

Pict capture of Traitor Death Guard officer, Nimis Zog, believed to be taken early in the Age of Darkness. Like all Death Guard legionnaires, Zog was skilled in many aspects of warfare. He proved to be a highly skilled consul, excelling at siege breaker and moritat roles during the great crusade. He later went on to be a capable, if unorthodox, field commander. Zog is armed here with a Power Fist and Lightning Claw, a combination that he used to great effect after the events of Istvaan III. It is believed that the relic terran power fist he is armed with was taken from a defeated loyalist Death Guard who had relinquished his legion and re-imaged his armour in the early crusade Dusk Raiders colours that were in use prior to the rediscovery of their Primarch. Zog is said to have beaten the terran to death on Istvaan III with his own fist after first disabling him with a lethal duel plasma pistol salvo that also wounded Zog himself. Zog retained the fist as a trophy, and used it to great effect against the loyalists he later encountered. Zog's armour appears to be a mix of different patterns, typical of "MKV" armour, complete with molecular bonding studs on the shoulder and leg greaves. 

Hanging from his belt can be seen a pendant from the priests of Davin that provided him with additional protection. It was believed that this pendant contained some form of archeotech field generator due to the significant protection that it provided to it's bearer.

Another item of particular note is the retention of an oath of moment on Zog's belt, indicating that he has retained some of the martial traditions of the legions after declaring his loyalty to the warmaster.

The Pledge for 2017

What I said I'd do, what I did and what I say I will do.

In 2016 I pledged that I would do the following:

1. Paint up the 28mm Death Blades models that I currently own. Purchase what bits I need to do this.
2. Paint up the 6mm Death Guard Models that I own. Including the supporting Titan Legion.
3. Purchase and paint some heavy vehicles for the 6mm Death Blades.
4. Paint up some Dark Future models, including purchasing some models on foot.
5. Finish rolling up and modelling my Nurgle Warbands for Realms of Chaos.
6. Find a like minded gaming group and play some games.
7. Keep going with the Old Lead Undead. Hopefully at a faster rate than 1 model per year.

And here is how I went...

Epic Blight Drones

Blight Drones unleashed from the warp storm forward to engage the foe.

Something Rotten This Way Comes...

Foul Daemons of Nurgle spew forth from the warp.

Death Guard Whirlwind Hyperios

A Death Guard Whirlwind Hyperios squadron providing air cover to Legion forces. The Hyperios are also capable of engaging enemy light armour to a limited capacity, and are often assigned to Legion Armour units where they can keep pace, assist with engaging enemy armour, and provide air defence. Their inclusion in Legion Infantry formations is also common, where they can carefully be maneuvered into cover to provide stronger air defence to infantry formations on foot, as well as mobile air cover for mechanised infantry formations.

Death Guard Objectives

I decided to use some of my spare epic models to make up some objective markers for games that use my Death Guard. These were fairly simple to do, and is probably something that I will repeat for all of my other epic armies.

Some Death Guard Reinforcements

Tactical detachments in the XIVth Legion often operate in dense terrain and hostile war zones. These heavy support squads are an example of a well armed addition that can dramatically increase the firepower of an infantry detachment. Often armed with flak missiles, squads such as these can provide some defence against enemy fliers, however should additional flier defence be required then a Whirlwind Hyperios like the one shown can be added to the formation to make it a viable threat against all but the heaviest of fliers.