Warband Fluff & Color Scheme Feedback

[Avindskjold]

As the title says, I'd like some feedback on a bit of work I've been doing for my warband. There's an entry I've done on my blog here, though I'll paste what I have below as well. I wanted to be a little different from the usual depiction of Bloodbound, while having a strong daemonic component. It's a little lengthy, so I'll put it in a spoiler.

Spoiler

 

The Paladins of Kharneth are something of an oddity among Bloodbound warbands. Whereas the Goretide and Skullfiend Tribe may gnash their teeth and throw themselves at the enemy with reckless abandon, the Paladins of Kharneth carry themselves with a grim restraint. When they march, they do so in ordered drill, with seldom an utterance, save for the commands of their champions and Bloodstokers. Although Khorne demands blood from his followers, their way is not that of wanton slaughter. On the eve of battle, the Paladins of Kharneth muster in silence. As they stare down their enemies, their Bloodsecrators chant liturgies of hate and their Slaughterpriests execute prisoners in bloody rituals to discern the tide of battle. They march forth in organized ranks, baring down on their foes,  a wall of brass and steel. Only when the battle lines are joined do the Paladins bellow their contempt, and tear their axes into flesh.

To an onlooker, the Paladins of Kharneth appear to be well-disciplined and restrained; especially for Bloodbound. In truth, every warrior harbors the same callous fury  as his counterpart in another warband. The Paladins burn with the urge to kill, maim and slaughter the same as all others who pledge allegiance to Khorne. However, it is their way to suppress these compulsions until the very last moment. The Paladins lock away their rage until they clash with the enemy, and unleash their hate tenfold. Theirs is a grueling lifestyle, in which the rigors of suppressing their anger fill their minds with images of violence and their vision turns red.

The Paladins of Kharneth are not led by a singular lord, although they do follow a similar Gorechosen hierarchy as other Bloodbound. Instead, they follow the word of Mel'kanor, a Bloodthirster of the Third Host. Much like the Paladins themselves, he is an enigmatic Bloodthirster, embodying more so the spirit of martial prowess, guile and generalship than mindless bloodletting. Nevertheless, he is still a greater daemon of Khorne, and his wrath is infectious, stirring the Paladins to greater heights of butchery. Mel'kanor's sponsorship of the Paladins comes both as a source of gratification and irritation to the Blood God: There is no doubt that their many campaigns have contributed to Khorne's mountain of skulls and rivers of blood, but the methods of the greater daemon and his mortal "project" are unorthodox. Mel'kanor has a habit of evading his master's fury, only to reappear with offerings and deeds so great they are impossible not to reward. Therefore, his place among the hierarchy of Khorne's Bloodthirsters is assured. Whereas the Axes of Skarbrand tear after their fallen patron's leftovers, the Paladins of Kharneth slaughter with a purpose, doing the Blood God's will as Mel'kanor's clergymen.

The origins of the Paladins of Kharneth can be traced to the warband known as Lord Khuldrak's Reapers. They were once one in the same, however a division in leadership saw the warband tear itself in two. Proud and self-assured, Lord Khuldrak refused to fight under the command of the Everchosen. Furious, Archaon sent riders of the Varanguard to punish his insolence and make an example of the warband. Ezdas, Exalted Deathbringer of Lord Khuldrak's Gorechosen, thought it unwise to disobey Archaon; he had conferred with the warband's Slaughterpriests, who saw it as Khorne's will to join the Everchosen's assault on the Realms. When the Varanguard came to reap vengeance, Ezdas and a cadre of loyal warriors turned on their lord. Broken and near death at the end of the battle, Khuldrak was dragged back to Archaon, his warband divided. Ezdas fell in the slaughter, leaving his remnants leaderless. They fought under the Everchosen for a number of campaigns, before they were claimed by Mel'kanor, seeking a foothold in the Mortal Realms. Under his leadership and doctrine, the Reapers forged themselves anew.

The Paladins of Kharneth retain the colors of their old warband, donning blackened plate, trimmed in bronze. Their numbers swell as they conquer weaker Bloodbound, and many variations of their colors can be seen. All Paladins, however, have the icon of the warband branded or tattooed somewhere on their body. This rune resembles a primitive depiction of a Bloodthirster; no doubt an homage to the greater daemon that commands them. 

 

As for the color scheme, I like a lot of the options in the battletome. The Skullfiends' black armor with red helmets is a real nice look, and the Iron Horde are totally different from the usual expectations. I also like the photo of the Eight-blooded on page 65. I wanted a scheme I could be diverse with, as if the warband was an array of different Bloodbound united, so I think I will opt for Lord Khuldrak's Reapers (p.55) with variations here and there. I'm really inspired by this photo in the old WoC book: 

The lord is predominately red and brass, but the warriors below are mostly clad in blackened armor, with red here and there in different places. I think this is a good mix and makes each warrior unique; more representative of what you might see in a real warband. So that said, what do you think about the fluff?

[Arkiham]

I've kept my army all as one warband, more fluffy I'd say 

[Avindskjold]

How 'bout the fluff itself? The history, the Bloodthirster lord, doctrine, etc.?

[Arkiham]

Hmm yeah it's good, it does deviate some what from the current fluff for khorne but that isn't a bad thing. 

He does indeed reward martial prowess as well as bloodthirsty killing so it could work, in one of the books there's an exhalted deathbringer who is fighting for khorne for a chance to fight khorne for revenge for what he done, so it shows they're not all mindless savages.

[RuneBrush]

Quite like it, only thing I'm not 100% convinced on is the Bloodthirster being the head honcho - personally I'd have used a Daemon Prince as he's slightly more "mortal" and potentially have been the Hetman who ascended closer to Khorne.  But that's purely how I see things in my head rather than being canon  

[Avindskjold]

7 hours ago, Arkiham said:

Hmm yeah it's good, it does deviate some what from the current fluff for khorne but that isn't a bad thing. 

He does indeed reward martial prowess as well as bloodthirsty killing so it could work, in one of the books there's an exhalted deathbringer who is fighting for khorne for a chance to fight khorne for revenge for what he done, so it shows they're not all mindless savages.

I wanted to show Khorne's followers aren't all madmen all the time.  I've always taken the in-book fluff with a grain of salt; GW does like to exaggerate everything to emphasize the grimdark.  I think it's an avenue that could be explored more - Khorne's followers do require some measure of discipline, as it is their sworn duty to make war in his name. Fighting each and every day has to take a mental and physical toll, not to mention the rigors of travel, keeping an army fed, logistics, etc. We all know GW fails to mention the nuances of war in text! 

There's an instance in the 2nd edition Epic Renegades Supplement that says: 

Quote

...Khorne is a noble warrior who respects strength and bravery, who takes no joy in destroying the weak, and considers the helpless unworthy of his wrath. It is said that fate will spare any brave warrior who calls upon Khorne's name and pledges his soul to the blood god. It is also said that Khorne's daemons will hunt down and destroy any warrior who betrays his honour by killing a helpless innocent or murdering in cold blood...

In any case, Khorne may be a primal force of destrction, but his mortal followers are diverse. Who's to say they all operate the same way?

 

6 hours ago, RuneBrush said:

Quite like it, only thing I'm not 100% convinced on is the Bloodthirster being the head honcho - personally I'd have used a Daemon Prince as he's slightly more "mortal" and potentially have been the Hetman who ascended closer to Khorne.  But that's purely how I see things in my head rather than being canon  

Perhaps; I just wanted to justify taking a WoK 'thirster as a general.  I've been keen on building off one of the existing warbands in the book, and the Axes of Skarbrand revering their greater daemon patron inspired the idea; although he sure doesn't lead them in his current state of mind! 

[CrimsonKing]

The whole 'hunts and destroys warriors who kill innocents etc." is a modern notion and sorta flies in the face of the usual slaughter and pillaging Chaos Hordes would be up to, see also: "Khorne cares not from where the blood flows" Gaining favor for doing so however is a different story.

Aside from that part I agree they wouldn't be mindless savages. Possibly like the Vikings (not historian, but how characters are portayed on the show) with a narrow morality on the 'might makes right' scale but otherwise with a functioning, however brutal, society.

With AoS there is more rationality for a GD to lead mortals, as the realms often provide energy to sustain GD indefinitely, so why not do so if blood could be spilled? As amazing as endless combat in the dimensions of the gods is, it always felt like a prison they would be eager to cross out of.