# Knights of Blood



## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

I have been tinkering with bits and bobs here and there with this army for a while and I’ve decided it’s time to knuckle down and get on with things. So far, the plan is to put together a 2k points army made up of stuff I like. I have no idea whether or not it’s a competitive list and at the moment I’m not that bothered, I’ll find out through trial and error what does and doesn’t work and will make adjustments over time. Hopefully I will be able to work on at least one unit per month barring any major disasters and fingers crossed I’ll hopefully be able to stick to this and see it through!

So, for those that don’t know, the Knights of Blood are a Blood Angel successor chapter that have been declared renegade, they have brief mentions in Codex: CSM, BA and I think they also make an appearance in an IG Dex. My initial plan was to do a pretty much straight up BA army but with an alternative colour scheme but I just ended up getting bored. So, I rethought things and thanks to some very inspirational stuff from other Heresy members, I came up with a new plan. 

So, the list/checklist (I’ll edit this as I go with ideas and changes)

HQ: 
Dante- No idea at all at the moment, anything but the actual Dante miniature.
Honour Guard - Beastman conversions (Thanks to FFX for the idea!) 

ELITES: 
Furioso Libby dread
Assault Terminators- Tyranid claw conversions for the lightning claws, undecided on what else yet.
Sang Priests X3 - Dark Angel veterans

TROOPS:
Sang Guard- Tomb Kings heads to represent death masks, Dark Eldar Scourge wings
Death Company- Khorne berserkers, DC shoulder pads, beatsmen arms (sort of going for the Kharn the betrayer look) Chain axes.
X2 Tactical Squads
Vanguard Vets

HEAVY:
Devastator Squad

A couple of Rhinos and that’ll do for now. 

So far, I’ve got my bits to make a start on the Honour Guard. I’ve made up one today as a tester, he will be my Blood Champion, I’ve made a start on the painting and will crack on over the coming weekend and hopefully get my first squad done.
The lighting for these pics is terrible as my lamp is knackered and I need to get a new one, painting without it is really starting to piss me off. But they should do as a little teaser to get things started.



















He’s still very much a WIP but things seem to be going Ok, I am intentionally going for a very dark palette, I want them to look dark and menacing and I’m trying to stay away from making them bright and cartoony. 

C&C welcome


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## facelessone (Jan 18, 2010)

Looking good .I like to see what your doing on the FA and H units...


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

@Facelessone, Thanks! I'm still trying to work out what to do for those units too, for the Heavy I thinking of maybe Obliterator type conversions?

Sanguinary Novitiate conversion for my Honour Guard done today (the others will be done tomorrow) there's still a few bits to do, cleaning up some mould lines and some more chainmail sections then he'll be ready for painting. 
I'm very happy with how he's turned out, especially the blood chalice which came from a dig through my bits box. 



















Still crappy photos, sorry! Still waiting on my new lamp.

C&C welcome as always!


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

Quick update, Chaosy Dante nearly done so here are some wip pics...


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

Another couple of minis added to the painfully slowly growing force.
A Chaplain with jump pack, my first adventure with Failcast. the first one had a ruined jump pack, I called GW they were very polite and said they would send me out another and that it would be perfect, apparently this mini is supposed to be shit as the second one was even worse than the first. 
He now has a Death Company back pack instead.



















And a character mini I'm still writing fluff for at the moment, Anastas the Exile.



















As always, C&C welcome.


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## Minizke1 (Feb 7, 2010)

Not sure if I like the beastmen heads, but other than that, everything looks fantastic.


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

Cheers!

The Beastmen marines are explained in the fluff I'm writing, I want the final result to be sort of a twisted mirror image of the BA's. Whereas Dante is ancient and remains free from the Black Rage, is an honourable and noble warrior. My chapter master is a crazed lunatic, well on the way to falling to chaos. 
His beastmen honour guard have already fallen, they believe that as they have already fallen from the emperor's light there is no reason to deny their bestial side and they fully embrace their gene flaw, seeing it as a blessing of Sanguinius. 
I'm taking a lot of influence from how the Soul Drinkers were deceived into almost turning to Chaos, only this time the deception is more deep rooted and is working.

The knights of blood have been tricked into believing that Ka Bandha (sp?) and Sanguinius are one and the same and that the daemon represents the savage side of their primarch that he tried to repress. When Sanguinius died Ka Bandha's influence over the chapter grew and gave them the black rage. So they now worship both aspects of their primarch, the angelic Sanguinius and the beastial Ka Bandha. 

It makes more sense in the stuff I've got written but that's the general over view of what's going on with the knights of blood in Norm's mind.


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## Minizke1 (Feb 7, 2010)

And now you're a genius in my eyes.


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## jaysen (Jul 7, 2011)

This is Heresy and must be stopped. The Blood Angels have called a Fatwa against the Knights of Blood. We must purge the unclean!

Good job, man. It's great to see such creativity and people willing to push the envelope.


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

Thanks (I think) isn't a Fatwa going a bit far, they're just a bit misguided is all.....


More stuff coming soon, just got to get through a pile of commissions and an even bigger pile of college stuff first!


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## Lubacca (Sep 4, 2011)

Wow. 

Fastastic looking stuff so far, very creative! Definitely pushing the envelope but in a very good way, I'm highly intrigued. 

Where did you get the Jump Pack Effects btw?


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

Lubacca said:


> Wow.
> 
> Fastastic looking stuff so far, very creative! Definitely pushing the envelope but in a very good way, I'm highly intrigued.
> 
> Where did you get the Jump Pack Effects btw?


It's something I've seen on here (Can't remember who did it but I'll try and dig out a link, credit where it's due and all that!)

It's GS, wire and layers of tin foil and kitchen roll dipped in pva. to build up the smoke/exhaust effect. Then painted yellow through orange to dark red and then dry brushed with repeated coats of black and grey. 
I'm not 100% happy with it yet, I think it still needs some playing around with to get it right.

Thanks for the the kind words and encouragement!


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## turel2 (Mar 2, 2009)

oh I like this project 

Keep up the good work !


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

Thanks Turel2!

Here's the link to where I got the idea for the jet pack flames

http://www.heresy-online.net/forums/showthread.php?t=36001

It's a very cool idea and well worth a go IMO.


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

While the painting and modelling side of things has ground to a bit of halt I have been able to get some of the fluff that outlines my dastardly plans for my blood thirsty BA successors written up, more to come when I have the time to get it written.

The sections with --------- are still waiting to be written, when I've got the info I need or the right inspiration I'll get them done.

Chapter Name: Knights of Blood 
Primarch: Sanguinius
Founding: Unknown
Home world: Carolingia (Destroyed, now fleet based)
Speciality: Shock Troops (noted for use of seemingly primitive close combat weaponry)


Early History

Little is known of the creation of the Knights of Blood, any records that have not been deleted by the Inquisition were either destroyed along with the Chapters home world or lays forgotten in the deepest vaults of the Blood Angels on Baal. 
Their home world, Carolingia, was a pre black powder feudal society ruled by hereditary lords and their knightly orders. Knights of Blood recruits were drawn from the most powerful families with regular competitions in the form of jousts and melees held to find the best young aspirants. The champions of these competitions could then go on the take the trials of the Chapter, a gruelling and brutal test of martial skill, fortitude and mental endurance. The strongest would go on to be inducted into the ranks of the Astartes, the weak would not survive. 
The feudal nature of Carolingia was reflected in the Knights of Blood Chapter organisation, although strictly speaking, they adhered to the Codex Astartes, titles and ranks within the Chapter followed the traditions of their home world.

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The bloodlust that haunts all of the sons of Sanguinius equally affected the Knights of Blood. They have tried to deny this dark part of themselves through a life of strict discipline and an iron code of chivalry. Honour and pride are strong within all Astartes but the Knights of Blood took the path of rigid discipline to the point of fanaticism, living puritan lives of self-denial. 
For millennia their approach seemed to work, although cases of the Black Rage were not unheard of, they remained at a considerably lower frequency than among the other sons of Sanguinius. 

Major Engagements. 

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The Fall

For at least two thousand years, the Knights of Blood were paragons of honour and righteousness, the Black Rage seemed to be subdued and controlled within these sons of Sanguinius. However, their gene curse was always there, just beneath the surface. That curse finally revealed itself in full force during the defence of Cadon Prime in M37. 
While the Blood Angels were fighting for their lives against the forces of Abaddon on Mackan, the Knights of Blood were racing to lend their support. Three full companies were sent to aid their brothers against the foul Chaos threat including the feared Myrmidons, assault Terminators of the first company. Unknown to the Knights of Blood, Alpha Legion operatives had gained access to the human crew of their ships and sabotaged vital systems including the ships Gellar field generators. 
Forced to drop out of the Warp only hours after entry the Knights of Blood found themselves stranded in deep space, life support failing and their crew falling prey to insanity and possession. Units were dispatched throughout the fleet to round up and execute the crew while the Chapter’s Tech-Marines tried to carry out enough repairs to allow the ships to make it to the nearest system, Cadon. 
A galactic backwater, the Cadon system was home to Cadon Prime, a dying Hive World that had long ago exhausted it’s mineral wealth and now existed as a penal colony operated under the jurisdiction of the Adeptus Arbites. 
Within hours of reaching orbit the Astartes made planet fall, their ships too dangerous to remain aboard they left servitors to carry out repairs on the craft that were salvageable while they waited for support to arrive. Once on the surface all communications with their hamstringed ships was lost, com links failed and even the sensor arrays of Cadon could not locate the ships in orbit. 
The knights of Blood immediately began preparing defences, expecting an attack to begin soon. They rounded up what able men they could find among the penal colony’s guards and inmates. The Knights were still a very sizeable force; a full third of the Chapter was present on the surface, something they hoped the attacking force would not be ready for. 
The coming attack was swift and brutal; Dreadclaw drop pods thundered down from the heavens and disgorged their payloads of Chaos Space Marines of the Black Legion. Their strikes were surgical in their precision, the Black Legion were a much smaller force but they managed to strike at the heart of the defenders spreading fear and panic among the humans, who quickly became a hindrance to their allies. The Knights of Blood fought back hard, dealing heavy losses to the Black Legion but they did so at a great price to themselves, giving up their own lives to defend the people of Cadon, as their code of honour demanded. Despite their high casualty rate the Knights soon had the Black Legion in retreat, pushing them back towards their Dreadclaw landing craft using disciplined ranked firing protocols and rapid close combat charges. As the Black Legion retreated heavy weapons teams unleashed volleys of missiles, lascannon and plasma fire, destroying many of the vessels as they attempted to flee. 
Just as the penal colony began to celebrate their apparent salvation the atmosphere around their chivalrous defenders began to change, an almost touchable air of malice fell upon the Knights. They began tearing at their armour plates, pulling their helmets off to reveal crazed expressions and twisted features while others fell to the floor in maniacal screams of laughter. The Knights cried tears of blood as their mouths filled with glistening fangs, their once angelic features now twisted and insane. Within mere moments of the Black Legion retreat, the killing began again. Bolters were fired until their clips were empty, chainswords tore at flesh and bone until they became so clogged with gore that their blades stopped and their motors burned out. Plasma coils glowed white hot before exploding and killing both the user and anyone unfortunate enough to be too close. As the Knights of Blood slaughtered they feasted, nearly drowning themselves in the blood and flesh of the people they had just minutes before been defending. Thousands of years of self-denial, of meditation, prayer and sacrifice had been for nothing as three hundred Knights of Blood fell to the Gene Curse of Sanguinius. 
In the aftermath of their genocidal rage some of the Knights seemed to almost recover, some semblance of their former selves returning but those few, and soon the whole Chapter, would never be the same again. The Knights of Blood’s fall from grace had begun. 

The Knights of Blood initially suspected sorcery was to blame for the sudden and terrible change that had destroyed nearly half of the Chapter. Those too far gone were put to death and the few that showed signs of lucidity were incarcerated and interrogated by the Chapter’s Librarians. No sign of sorcery or chemical attack was ever detected. 

With each engagement, the insanity grew, more and more Astartes fell into the feral rage of Cadon Prime, from small incidents to the full slaughters of Obsus Prima and Helka II. The Knights of Blood were soon brought to their knees, their honour destroyed and their numbers dangerously low. The only ray of light was the fact that more and more of the Marines that had fallen to the Gene Curse seemed to be making at least partial recoveries, first and foremost in the Knights of Blood’s minds was their duty to the God Emperor and Sanguinius. Even with the curse striking them down at such a disturbing rate they still had an obligation to defend the Imperium from it’s enemies, if innocents were killed they would find peace with the Emperor.


Heterodoxy, Heresy and Blasphemy. 

For centuries, the Knights of Blood’s descent into insanity continued and their numbers dwindled, forcing them to draw recruits from further afield and from less desirable sources. One of these recruits was a youth called Letholdus, a promising aspirant with strong but controlled psyker ability. Letholdus was a powerful telepath, able to read even the most guarded minds, he was also a fearsome warrior using his power to anticipate his opponents every thought. 
Due to a combination of raw ability and attrition within the ranks of the Librarium, Letholdus quickly gained power and influence within the Chapter, soon becoming a trusted advisor to the Chapter Master, Tybalt. Many within the Chapter did not trust the young Librarian, accusing him of using sorcery and witchcraft to sway the minds of his superiors, thus gaining favour and honours he did not deserve. 
This mistrust did not sway either the Librarian or Chapter Master; Tybalt had a far greater use for Letholdus than simply reading the minds of his enemies. Letholdus could see into the minds of the unfortunate victims of the Gene Curse. 
Other Librarians had tried and failed to penetrate the rage and insanity of the gene curse, many of them driven insane themselves. Letholdus could not only see into the twisted minds of the Knights of Blood, he could decipher the insanity and report what he had seen, what he told the Chapter Master would damn the Knights of Blood and all of the sons of Sanguinius forever. 
The curse that affected the Knights of Blood was not the Black Rage as had been thought, this was something other, something much darker. The battle being fought in the minds of the fallen was not Sanguinius’s final battle with Horus but the Primarch’s battle with the Blood Thirster, Ka’Bandha. This battle was not fought on Signus Prime or before the Eternity Gate on Terra, this was a war being fought in the Warp, now. As the revelations unfolded the story Letholdus recounted grew ever darker. 
The battle of Sanguinius and Ka’Bandha was not simply a Demigod facing a Daemonic enemy, Ka’Bandha and Sanguinius were in fact one and the same. A single soul torn apart when the infant Primarch was spirited away from Terra. One half the noble Sanguinius, the angelic psyker who would lay down his life for his father, the other half was the Black Rage that was unleashed when Sanguinius was struck down by Horus. 
While alive, Sanguinius had been the stronger half, existing in the Materium he had a stronger link to the minds of his Legion, he instilled in them a sense of honour and pride that prevented them being destroyed by their animalistic sides. The Blood Angels remained savage warriors as the unconscious influence of Ka’Bandha was written into their Gene Seed and could not be escaped. When Sanguinius died the blood lust in their unconscious minds was set free, from that moment onwards the Blood Angels and their successors were damned to insanity. Only the psychic imprint of their Primarch had kept them sane for so long but that echo was fading and the strength of Ka’Bandha was growing. 


Redemption Through Damnation

The revelation of Letholdus shook the Chapter Master, he fell into a pit of despair and terror, a state that no Astartes is equipped to deal with. Tybalt, accompanied by Letholdus and Benedict, the Knights of Blood’s High Chaplain, withdrew from the Chapter to further investigate their findings and to decide the chapter’s future. 
For ten years the Knights of Blood were leaderless, their violent rampages continued and the Inquisition soon took a vested interest in their activities. The Myrmidons of the first company maintained a limited degree of authority over their battle brothers but as the sanity of the chapter faded so did the strict discipline they had clung to for salvation. Carolingia had descended into anarchy, small warbands split from the leadership of the chapter, once proud Astartes became petty warlords leading bands of Carolingians into savagery as the Knights of Blood tore themselves apart. 
An Inquisitorial task force was sent to investigate reports of brutal and apparently random raids carried out in the systems close to Carolingia, on every world they found slaughter houses, corpses piled high and left to rot in the streets or survivors that told tales of Space Marines enslaving entire populations. Each story and charnel house led them closer to Carolingia and the Knights of Blood. Reports were made to the High Lords of Terra who saw no other option, the Knights of Blood were declared renegade and Exteriminatus was declared on their home world. 
As the Inquisitorial ships entered the Carolingian system Tybalt, Letholdus and Benedict returned. Letholdus used his now considerable strength to speak directly into the minds of the Knights of Blood, the chapter had a new purpose, a new calling and a new god. Instantly united under the thrall of Letholdus, the disparate warbands joined together in a common purpose, their first objective, the Inquisitorial fleet rapidly approaching. 
For a world that was a raging scene of chaos and anarchy mere hours before, the evacuation of Carolingia was swift and efficient. The Knights of Blood’s full fleet swung into action as the chapter and their human allies prepared to face a common foe. They initially retreated, hiding their fleet behind the system’s sun and waited in silence as their home world was destroyed in a hail of firepower. The knights of Blood then unleashed their full fury on the Inquisition’s ships and crew, smashing through the thick debris that was once their home the Knights of Blood ships launched their counter strike. The ship to ship fighting was brief, despite the massive firepower possessed by both sides the newly formed asteroid field left the ships cannons redundant. As soon as the ships were close enough to make use of their weaponry it was too late, as the first volleys were fired the Inquisition knew they were out manned and out manoeuvred. The Knights of Blood had no intention of fighting this defining battle at a distance, they would fight man to man. Boarding torpedoes smashed into the gun decks of the Inquisition ships disgorging their payloads of the newly galvanised Astartes right into the heart their enemies. For the first time the forces of the Imperium saw what the Knights of Blood had become and how far they had really fallen. Fighting at close range with seemingly primitive weapons, swords and axes, maces and hammers as well as the traditional ordered and disciplined bolter fire common among all Astartes. But it was not the swift and brutal tactics employed by the Knights of Blood that struck terror into the hearts of the Inquisition forces, it was the animalistic and beastial appearance of the Astartes. Mutation had taken hold within the chapter, turning their once handsome features, an aspect shared by all sons of Sanguinius, into twisted visions of beastial rage. Braying, snorting goat headed warriors tore at the flesh of their victims or gored their opponents with twisting horns. Cloven hooves trampled the dead and dying under foot as the boarding forces rampaged towards the bridges and engine rooms of the ships. The fighting was over in moments but the slaughter lasted for far longer, small pockets of resistance were hounded through their ships and annihilated with savage and sadistic glee. 
Their bloodlust sated for the moment, the Knights returned to lucidity and took control of the Inquisition ships, spreading the humans of their home world throughout their new fleet. The flag ship of the Knights of Blood, The Sanguine Rage, was refitted as the chapter’s new fortress monastery, at it’s heart a new temple built in honour of both aspects of their Primarch, the Temple of Duality.


So, there it is (so far at least) some things will probably change as things develop or as people throw ideas around (please throw some ideas around!)

As always, C&C very welcome!


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

Another minor update before I start on the rank and file (I just got a stack of the dodgy snap fit SMs, they are boring minis but should be ok for bulking out the ranks)

So, here is Letholdus, Chief Librarian of the Knights of Blood. He is a kitbash from several different sets including Sanguinary Guard, Chaos Space Marine, Assault Marine, Death Company, Beastmen and an old Terminator. 





































And a nice family get together, aahh!










As always, C&C welcome!


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

Fantastic work Norm. Don't know how I've missed this thread till now. Loving the Chief Librarian and the exile in particular. One question though. Is it the librarians hand that is meant to be glowing, or is the OSL from something else? Probably just me being dim.


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

Thanks!

It's supposed to be the hand but I'm not happy with how the hand itself has come out. The hand is from a skeleton mini but painting it with the OSL has washed out all the detail, not sure if giving it a wash with Thraka Green will help or hinder?


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## Minizke1 (Feb 7, 2010)

I have a similar conversion in my honor guard as far as the hand and Sanguinary guard bolter are concerned. That being said, you can have the trophy for the betteruse of it.  cheers.


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## Firefighter X (Apr 21, 2010)

Norm, Norm, Norm, Norm....

I guess I should say something since you've named me as an accomplice early on in this Plog. Where shall I begin? How about THANKS!!!!, sincerely. To me there is no greater compliment than for someone to take inspiration from my humble offerings.

I like what you've got going here. It's great to see your spin on my Beasties. I'm digging the dark colour scheme. They look ancient and dirty, which is the same deal I've got working with my Zerkers. I love the OSL on the Libby. I really dig the "action poses" you've got happening here on the minis. Great fluff and backstory too.

Now a few questions about your conversions. Are you using Gor parts? I don't recognize the bits as Bestigor parts. I might have to call up DJ24 and grab a box of them for variety. [ Yes, I'm still working on a few more myself ].

Great stuff mate. I look forward to seeing more.

As for your Dante conversion, might I offer up a bit of inspiration in the form of my raptor kitbash/conversion test mini?











Cheers,
FFX


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## normtheunsavoury (Mar 20, 2008)

Yep, they're Gor parts and the odd Ungor bits I'm using, I got a box of mixed bits off of Ebay for a few quid. The arms fit really nicely but the legs do need a lot of work to get them to fit the SM torsos, the bestmen conversions are at least a head taller than a normal marine once done. 

I'm thinking of going with a more Possessed feel with the Death Company when I get round to doing them but I need to get the Honour guard done first. Then it's on to the rank and file which will be a mix of Tactical and Assault Marines and some fantasy marauders as cannon fodder (think either summoned daemons or IG allies but armed with fantasy weapons).


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