Critical Threat - Zhufor the Impaler

 

On the Brick of Scrutiny today is Zhufor the Impaler.  Despite Khorne's avowed hatred of 'magic', he is The Gatekeeper, as you can tell by the company he keeps.  Indeed, it is by this gate that he and his entourage, as well as the Emperor's Children, have travelled to Devos IV. 

The entourage or posse or honour guard or body guard of Khornate Terminators is a formidable asset. Along with other Skulltakers (and Kharn the betrayer), they make Zhufor a major player in the siege of Xyphonica. 

They're individually the pinnacle infantry on Devos IV.  And after the Blood Pact land, the deference of the Blood Pact to Kharn and Zhufor as Khorne's chosen mean that Zhufor is able to take command of the whole renegade war effort.

Collectively, they represent a huge problem for any enemy.

And for those who end up face to face with them, they are terrifying.

These are the FW kits

Brushwork by Mr Lee.

Critical Threat - Combat Servitor supplied by 'The Cleaved'

 

Critical Threat - Khan the Betrayer

Khan was identified by savants of the Ordos Dintera Minor from witness statements of the Umbrella Factory attack

Khan led over twenty adherents of Khorne (cf "Khornate Berserkers") into the resting 1st battalion of the 1293 Hrossy Yeomanry as they pushed into the north eastern quadrant of Xyphonica.

The Chaos space marines, optimised for close combat, were able to cause a disproportionately high number of casualties before being fought off, meaning that the Hrossey Yeomen were then unable to hold their position and had to rolled out of the front line for a considerable time.

And multiple close and point blank hits by hand held plasma weapons immobilised a lot of the chimera fleet that were lagered in the factory complex.  

Paint by Colonel Scipio.
 

Major General Psikilla Radukar, Cheif of Staff, 3422 Army Group

Former commander of 2 Div, before that commander of one its Itzakhi Drop Troop regiments.

Selected by the Regent General for her Steely Resolve and his appreciation of her ability to keep her mouth shut until she had something to say.

Excellent organisational ability coupled with the tactical flair that comes with the successful command of a Drop Troop Regiment.

As well as an outrageously vicious streak.  

Brushwork by Mr Lee
 

Agents of the Inquistition 10

Survivors of a Dark Eldar reaping, these ladies were infants when their community was ravaged.  Their brothers were committed to Scholam which fed recruits directly into the Departmento Munitorium, for induction into the Imperial Guard; occasionally, depending on need and the individual, into the Commissariat or the Storm Troopers of the Hykerion Rangers.

Dissatisfied with their pre-ordained futures as veterinary assistants, they left en-masse to find a future which allowed some pay back to a hostile galaxy.

They managed to find somewhere where the submachinegun was taught as a martial art.  They all managed to achieve mastery of the firearm.  In the years since, some of them have also become proficient in other weapons.

They have managed to find themselves uniforms and elected leaders from amongst their number.

As a formed body, they've presented themselves to the Ordo Xenos as a tool to be used, a weapon to protect humanity, to take the fight to the Xenos.

They have been sent to Devos IV with the Holy Ordos mission.  There may be Eldar. 
 

Agents of the Inquisition 9

Not Imperial Guard, but personal retainers, hereditary soldiers of one specific dynasty.

Do not mistake their Askarii status for any lack of professionalism.  These men, the sons and grandsons, cousins and so for many generations, have honed their craft to a fine level.

And they are armed and equipped to be the envy of all the 'guard but the Kasarkin.  These men are also schooled in multi layering their thoughts to provide an initial level of protection against psykers.

The current scion of the Dynastic house they serve just happens to be a member of the Ordo Malleous.

It always helps when the boss enthusiastically leads from the front.  It gives them a sense of confidence as well as purpose.  

And their leader, the Inquisitor's tool, is also a formidable commander in his own right.  

All of the brushwork here was done by Pirate Viking Painting.

WTF ?

 One of the more obvious consequences of recent political decisions taken here in recent years is the invalidation of the peace process in Norn Iron.

No matter that the GFA and the peace process were imperfect, nonetheless we have had a much less tense existence since 1992ish.  The basic tenant of the arrangement was that as both sides of the border were actually in the EU and therefore the rules around just about everything were the same so which side of the border one lived was not so important.  But changing the rules has picked at the scab and the wounds have re-opened.  

So browsing table top fix, I was slightly surprised at the timing of this as a release.

https://www.compassgames.com/product/the-troubles-shadow-war-in-northern-ireland-pay-later/

Whilst the game seems to be well researched, I was left wondering how the families of victims would react ? But gaming is really pretty niche and they are unlikely to learn of it's existence.  Given that there were already table top skirmish games out there when we still had boots on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan (were still losing friends and relatives), I possibly should not be surprised.  

I know I've said before that people's hobbies are their own.  And now turning around and holding something up as, in my opinion, poor taste might seem hypocritical.  But the 'it's only a game' line is unlikely to impress those mothers, sisters, daughters, fathers, sons and brothers who are still our neighbours and colleagues.  If I remember some of the victims names, those in the province will tell you what they had for breakfast the day they were murdered. 

This is not a case of 'get over it' for those involved.  People are still being killed (by 'accident': "Sorry, we were aiming at a policeman.").  And our current government appears to not understand or care that their continued mismanagement is making things worse.

We should not pretend that these events did not happen, but turning them into a game is just going to play into the hands of those on both sides who have no interest in how clever and balanced your card game is, they will just use it as one more small piece of ammunition, one more piece of kindling in the very real idealogical bonfire of what is still part of the UK. 

Careless at the very least.