Pride blossomed in Suppurax Grulgus’ chest as he surveyed his warriors marching through their conquests and the ruins they had once called home. The 5th Plague Company had fought bravely and efficiently, but the resistance had been scant. He closed his eyes. Smoke, half-clotted blood, ruination, rot… he was surrounded by the aromas of war. Suppurax breathed it in deep, feeling the heady smells suffuse his being, igniting his senses. War was how he honoured the Daemon Prince Shurghol’gh, blood was his offering. He loved the coppery tang of the blood. He loved the corruption in the air. He opened his eyes again and looked across the agonised faces of the conquests. They were innumerable. Poles with impaled conquests, often two or three of them, covered every patch of open ground for as far as he could see. Blood oozed from their still-living bodies, while their faces writhed in silent agony. The Sanguous Flux will hold them in this state for centuries, their unclotted blood seeping into the ground, turning into another fertile garden for his beloved Nurgle. The ground sloshed a brownish red as Suppurax moved to rejoin his warriors. He didn’t even know the name of this world the Imperium had no doubt once been so proud of. It will be Nurgle’s soon.
John and I will be playing a simple Kill Team/40k campaign on Sunday. This is a little bit of background story to introduce the army he’ll be playing.
One of the nice things about Kill Team are the random background, mission and squad quirk generators. They can offer inspiration. For John’s army I’ve gone with:
- Virulent: These warriors are infected with the very foulest of Nurgle’s contagions (i.e. the Sanguous Flux), and have devoted themselves to spreading them far and wide.
- Seize and Profane: A vital location (i.e. the administrative sector of Benus Majoris as it represents the Imperium’s control) or enemy asset must first be captured, and then utterly desecrated with filth.
- Justifiable Arrogance: Revoltingly proud of their Legion, these traitors are determined to uphold its reputation as the galaxy’s most unyielding martial force.
These are simple narrative cues, but they can really bring a force and its interaction with a setting alive.
I’ll talk about their opponents in the campaign next time!
Owen