#wargaming art

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Honorable knight and his loyal and faithful steed

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Starchild all grown up, with her friends and extended family going off to give local planetary goverment a visit to request better rights for beastmen...that won't totally lead to something weird...won't it...

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Pin-up style Tawkin art for Trench Crusade, playing with idea of "what would be drawn on planes and in books in a culture that is not allowed to depict humans as they can't draw art of creations of god..."

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The Accursed Mother of All - A bit of a bored sketh of a concepted born out of random things seen on youtube and from me job. All life we know off has one common ancestor, LUCA, so what if this scientific concept from biology is thrown into a fantasy setting with all of it's weird and wacky modes of evolution, what makes for best story? Well one of my takes on it, the accursed mother of all, baring traits mostly of animals granted, with branch horns and fungoid fuzz, one could play with idea of universal common ancestor to all living things in a world being a monstrous primordial god or goddes for sure

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Inspired by Warhammer fantasy kislev hags method of spellcasting, I present to you the hag of 40k. Hags are peculiar kind of user of psychic powers, often themselves not true psykers, but rather ones that know the craft.

Unlike usual chaos bound psykers or sorcorors, they don't open up the path to realm of souls on their own, but command spirits of such nature to do it for them, less so concentrating to cast magics and more so...damanding an effect to occur.

This is process however, does have few differences - first of all, dangers of opening rifts to daemons or mutations or other complications don't seem to occur often with them.....However, a different effect is seen.

Hags are notable for losing their youth, looking a lot older, more haggered and eventually more monstrous then their true age would tell...however, they don't lose their strength or health, as some claim with age, as hags grow uglier, their health gets...stronger. They mutate in a way themselves, often starting to take on traits of the spirits they commune with to use these powers they manifest...

Hunted by inquisition, considered heretics, hags rarely deal with chaos, in fact, to many a chaos warband hags are deemed to be most dangerous monsters, as they often will gather chaos mutants and turn them into warbands against chaos forcers, as this might lead to some sort of fixing of the chaos corruption sufferent by the mutant in rare few cases....

Lastly, the nature of spirits hags commune with is...odd, some claim it's akin to Fenris spirits, some world soul, while others claim that in truth those spirits are shards of ancient psykers, reminaing in material realm to avoid being davoured in the warp....or even daemons of no true masters nor true mind of their own...

Seen here is a typical hag from an imperial world, often found in small communities or in underworlds of cities. Some agents of inquisition note her scaled mutated skin and the odd stave she handles, as something lingers at the end of it....

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Let's put Good Guys into 40k: The Blackstone and The Great Rift

I return home from my visit to the warhammer world and other spots....

Thus inspired and reinvigorated I return, as the crew get around to one problem they kept facing...travel across the galaxy slows down around the rift...but they noticed an old craft from their own times...perhaps there is help with the rift yet.

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Let's put good guys into 40k: Diplomacy....

We are nearing the end of my plans for time being, as I won't be able to draw for a few days. Thus I will just say you this, the dice has been cast, the players known...the end times of 40k begin, yet question is...what will end? The universe...or grimdark times themselves?

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The Slanni of 40k (My personal little homebrew reimagening of the species)

Before the Imperium of Man, and even before the Yldari, the Slanni ruled a mighty galactic domain. The Slanni claim to be, and may actually be, the oldest of all the races in the galaxy. During the heyday of their old empire, they discovered and nurtured many primitives species, encouraged their evolutionary process, all while eradicating or moving more dangerous species, and seeding many worlds with life.

-An old eldar saying translated into low gothic.

Slanni might or might not be one of the oldest species left in the galaxy, mostly in small pockets around the galaxy, though to be harmless by most, merely a group of primitive, idiotic reptilian creatures…Yet there might not be fully truth to it, or not…What is clear however is this, slanni are indeed old and not uniform as some Imperial and even Aeldari record keepers considered, as indeed now new secrets arrive, how much truth they might be…For today, few of their kind seem to be…stirring and awakening. 

Inquisitor Sebastian Strochos II

Excerpt from biology report by Adept Squaminus of Adeptus Biologis on Slanni.

What is know is this, slanni is term for multiple different races or perhaps even species of intelligent or somewhat intelligent reptilian creatures, usually with four limbs and occasionally a tail, often baring scaly hide that can have wide range of colours, for indeed, humans have acquired many forms during their short travel across the stars…and these creatures been out there for far..far longer, at least according to adeptus mechanicus palaeontology findings. Slanni are also incredibly long lived, some claimed to be around for tens of thousands of years, as well as having great memories for creatures so long lived, however these are only accounts acquired about slanni dealing with other species, as no report of direct contact with slanni exists at this time, at least none done by the forces of inquisition…

Their reproduction is not known, as their small numbers would show slow and difficult reproduction, yet findings by few xenologists argue to the contrary that either some technology or even just plain biology allows slanni to reproduce at incredibly rapid pace, however this seems to be not true for all populations…possibly being an outlier, not the rule.

Lastly, they are claimed to be incredibly talented, old and powerful psykers, as just about everyone of them rivals most well trained human psychers and some claim that most powerful ones can overpower aeldari ones. 

However…it seems younger fossils of the species and few fresh corpses show the trend of smaller and weaker creatures being around today, many rarely being above the size of a ratling, and not nearly as powerful, thus perhaps only the old creatures are so powerful, though as live specimens weren’t ever caught of examined, it’s hard to determine the truth.

Culture information gathered from various xenos mercenaries. 

Slanni once held the great galactic empire, one of the first ones of such nature to even exist, however those days are now long gone and forgotten, as but a few slanni remain, scattered in pockets across the galaxy in small tribes, groups or at times just few individual slanni. Thus slanni don’t build grand cities, or even at times proper settlements, and there is no is no great unified empire nor unified goal this species holds any longer, rather various slanni have their own goals, though two types have been found across the galaxy that are of note.

Warriors - The Few tribes grow wanting for their empire back together once more, same way many other races in the galaxy try to hold onto their old glories. And just like others, these tribes come together, rise in power, and go to conquer other worlds, only for some other force to be meet and just like multiple empires before, collapse and disperse back into small groups of scattered remnants. This cycle of war and destruction left those Slanni whom are warriors and consider themselves as proper rules of the galaxy in great number at their height but with greatly weakened technologies, with exception of few rare ones that instead choose to protect remains of technology of the long lost old ones, or contain various horrors of Xenos origins… Wardens - Singular slanni or groups of few slanni sometimes still follow way of life that one could call “gardener” or “warden” as they reside on various worlds, usually caring for various ecosystems of the planet or even adopting primitive species with potential for intellect and nurturing these into new civilizations over thousands of years, as well as protecting them from all the dangers of the galaxy, with their incredibly dangerous potential as psykers as well as using technology that is both arcane and advanced…

Technology and Military might - Based on black market technology captured by the ordo xenos.

Slanni technology tends to look quite ornate, detail and blocky, showing brutal beauty akin to that of ork technology, just of remarkably higher artistic level. Armour is rare, instead they using various force field technologies and other primitive looking devices that in fact hold tiny parts of ancient technologies, such as ring sized melta weapons much akin to those make by jokero (showing possible relations in knowledge in technology?), however these only been recovered from the more war like slanni, and only being used by their leaders. Slanni seem to also know great deal on psychic manipulation of technologies as well, mixing it with few devices they use, but it seems while possessing strong (possibly even inherit knowledge of how to make and operate technologies of such kind), they often choose to not use it fully, instead taking up somewhat primitive use of technologies instead. However, full unleash of such technology is horrifying, for it’s known well in records of ordo xenos that quite a few imperial forces were stopped and destroyed by certain slanni using technology that was far beyond their comprehension…Thus all devices captured from slanni are usually locked away or destroyed in fear of their destructive or in some case…creative potential.

Slanni also seem to have a certain lack of transport technologies. They often use various beasts as war mounts and transports, and if they build vehicles, they are often simple wheeled or tracked variaty, though a rare walker has been seen in their ranks. They lack native ability to space travel all together.

Some exodite mercenaries had informed orod that slanni also have great mastery of manipulating living things, turning minor beasts into great giant predators or turning simple shrubs into jungles, over matter of few short centuries, though it’s not clear how this is done as process itself has not been observed.

“Most of those things have degenerated into simple beasts, as brutish and war like as the orks, but only sometimes as smart…They just fight one another or those around them, pay them no mind, they are no little danger” - Rough translation of Eldar Warlock’s explanation of the Slanni on unknown world. 

Ties with old ones - Many claim, and some even think it’s true, that slanni are in fact related to or were first creations of mythical old ones, creators of aeldari, orks and many other species, however many craftworld eldar are reluctant to comment on the topic, finding the slanni merely old reptiles, some even going out to try and destroy em, however, slanni don’t share same attitude toward aeldari…Instead they treat eldar as if they were…children, much to annoyance of the eldar (or at least that’s been the claim of some mercenaries who seen the interaction).

Though some even wilder theories claim slanni are descendats of the old ones, but half breed ones, being mixed with other species created by the old ones and old ones that created them, as there are degrading terms used by eldari claiming slanni type known as warriors are in fact part ork.

Relationship with other Species of the Galaxy: 

Slanni have met quite a few species across the galaxy and are well known to some of them. Warden slanni have been not too rare sight to certain exploration branches of imperium of man, and these worlds often proved difficult to settle and take over, as entire regiments of soldiers would be lost…and thus instead worlds are left behind, or isolated, often puluting their orbits with debri to prevent space travel in the future.

Aeldari had quite a few times fought slanni and few exodite groups have resided on same worlds as slanni, often going to war with more warrior like groups, usually for minor local resources or for sake of old and weird honour or right based things. Lastly, it’s been noted that on a few worlds, slanni sometimes take control of more weak willed creatures, taking over their minds to work as a form of protection of some ancient device or object, however, these worlds are often avoided by most things whom know better…

Thus despite being widespread, ancient and dangerous as creatures, slanni spend most of their time in small conflicts or isolated on lone worlds. They are few in number, many refuse to use their technologies or even full power and if needed could be simply eradicated, however, official word on it is simple among imperial forces: They hold world of low value, and would be just a drain of resources to remove. This was the imperial line for a long time...However, after the fall of Cadia and opening of the Rift…Some things have changed.

Wandering Slanni

During last days of M41 Ordo xenos would come in contact with specimen most peculiar, a slanni, one like many of those observed by the order over the past few thousand years, yet this one was unlike any other, a giant brutish creature, wearing armour made by the orks, act rarely seen outside the greenskin species, and weirdest of all, the creature was on ork ship and the orks called this creature their “warboss”. What they had found was first of the slanni whom in the age of chaotic and wild universe choose to leave it’s homeworld and…explore the universe, and this shouldn’t have been a problem, one slanni while powerful is not invincible, nor is it truly dangerous on large scale…but here sat a creature that flew in a fleet of orks, and not only managed to survive but thrive and rule over the creatures and most unusual of all…these orks didn’t act fully like proper orks, as further exploration and skirmishes found other xenos fighting in their ranks and even abhumans such as ogryns and…humans. Why…were these orkiods not slaughtering the species infesting their ships? And why were the orks smaller then usual? This lead to new investigations, infiltrators and assassins were sent, and creatures were captured. What came of it was more puzzling the presence of the creature itself. Orks, while still violent creatures that will fight to the death with ease, were a lot more likely to deal with other species then even Blood Axe clan orks would, in particular, making getting information from them at least relatively easy. They would hear weird tales of their previous warboss being slain by the current warboss, the “Greenest Boss” they seem to call em, and gave long and unusual account of various fights and feats of might and as the brutish beasts call it “kunnin” that the creature shown. When asked why they follow the creature, they just replied ‘He is biggest and greanest and most kunnin”, so while “how” creature became leader of these orks was found.. “Why” was not clear yet. However, a great plan by Inquisitor Sebastian Storchos would lead to this being partially answered as well. In a naval skirmish with the fleet of the weird xenos, he managed to capture both the slanni and some of the creatures serving under it, in particular, a couple of the humans and ogryns. Ogryns were well, violent to contain against their will as all ogryns were, however as per most unusual request of the captured slanni did calm down…the humans not so much, a few of them being quite fiercely resistant to being taken to an imperial ship. Ogryns proved of little use, their dumb minds and talk showing they were just loyal “to big boss” because he was “good boss”, seemingly sharing the same mindset as most primitive colonies of such abhumans.

Humans were a bit more difficult, as they seem to be quite loyal to the creature they were fighting with, and quite hostile to imperial forces, as only per use of xenos auxiliaries aboard the ship was there a way to do a proper questioning. It would see a lot of the humans were either taken in or born in the warband and held heretical beliefs, many of them of course executed for it. 

What were these things? And what will they do next was the question that will not be answered any time soon it seems....