“Pain is…a lesson that the universe teaches us. Pain is the preserver from injury. Pain perpetuates our lives. It is the healing, purifying scalpel of our souls. Pain is the wine of communion with heroes. It is the quicksilver panacea for weakness – the quintessence of a dedicated existence. Pain is the philosophic vitriol which transmutes mere moral into immortal. It is the Sublime, the golden astral fire!”
– Unknown Chaplain of the VII Legion
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In the aftermath of the Siege of Terra, the final battle of the Heresy had a lasting effect on the Imperial Fists and their entire culture became defined by the struggle. Company’s were named by their position in the Imperial Palace (i.e. “Daylight Wall Company”) and many Battle Brothers became known by their “wall names” (such as Slaughter).
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The Imperial Fists are known to practice Scrimshaw using bones from the hands of their dead. After battle, Space Marines who distinguished themselves in the recent combat are awarded the skeletal hands of fallen battle-brothers, the individual bones of which are adorned with carvings, designs, and otherwise ornamented. Scrimshaw is undertaken solemnly by Marines of the Chapter and seen as an opportunity to practice mental discipline, focus, and attention to detail. Finished scrimshaws are worn as jewelry and ornamentation, particularly by officers.
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The Pillar of Bone is a holy relic belonging to the Imperial Fists located on Holy Terra. The Pillar is all that remains of a once great Fortress-Monastery and recruitment chapel which was almost entirely destroyed during the Horus Heresy. Rather than rebuild the Fortress, the Chapter left the ruins largely unmodified except for a number of symbolic alterations, most notably filling the bolter holes that riddled the structure with Scrimshawedhands of battle-brothers lost during the defense of Terra.
Today, the Pillar of Bone provides a dual function to the Chapter. On the one hand, the relic has the symbolic function of serving as a battle honor. On on the other hand, the Pillar retains its practical use as a recruitment chapel, ensuring that Terran battle-brothers continue to be among the Imperial Fists. Captain Darnath Lysander is among those recruited from the site.
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Veteran of the Watch, Centurion Grigor, of the Daylight Wall.
Rembrancer Aurelio
Chapter serfs X85U and X148V
Greetings again,
Getting slightly carried away. But then again, half a year of time so might just as well have all the Pilgrims have this level of detail. Each of them is pretty heavily converted, but Sentinel Grigor has been one of the most evolved conversions in a long time…
This is the first group of Pilgrims. There will be themed NPC groups like this. Available as allies and or assets depending on the affiliation of player’s characters. The actual game will be a culmination of months of email roleplaying as players build their retinues and jockey for position and gather intelligence.
IRON SLEET 
Very nice once again – both the fiction and the conversion is spot on. Already there are some very inspiring and original ideas coming out of this series. The space marine himself is excellent, even without that bright yellow paint the vibe of the Fists is instantly apparent.
Looking at the retinue that accompanies the Imperial Fist I’m curious to know a little more about their conceptual background. Beyond being serfs what role does each play (they appear to be specialised and individual so presumably there’s more to it than just cleaning his armour)? I’m particularly interested in the one furthest to our right – is that a chapter relic of some kind he’s carrying? A piece of masonry brought down during the siege? It’s clear a lot of thought has gone into them so I’d be interested to know a little more about who they are and why the Astartes has them.
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This is interesting because I’m actually using the Imperial Fists scrimshaw device as a hook for part of my current narrative project as well. The figures here are great.
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Beautiful – as always.
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A great read. My mind is a buzz with imagery. The models look great. I quite like b & w it creates a mood.
Well done.
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Great work, I love the twist carrying holy remains. A very nice use of the breacher torso as well 🙂
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I will be looking forward with extreme interest to how you approach the bases. Terra will have to be something special. You’re in the position to be setting a course. I imagine gold, dust, and blood to be part of the recipe..
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All bases will be different based on where I see the models starting the “game” 🙂 John saw some finished and called the basing “ash”. I really liked the description. I imagine this utterly grim world with flashes of brilliance and insane scale.
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I’m interested in what the fellow on the right is doing. The black and white photos invariably set off the finished photos nicely, though I still miss the putty-and-plastic conversions that color WIP pictures show. The marine looks a little chicken-legged though- the size discrepancy between the kataphron torso and stormcast legs is a little too much. Do you plan on bulking them out?
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I disagree on the leg discrepancy. Have you actually worked with those legs? They may be thinner in the ankles than calfs unlike regular marine legs, but they are nice and sturdy and quite wide from the front planar view. 🙂
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I’ll look forward to more views then. It’s exciting to see all the output from you guys.
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A fine group of miniatures you have here.
I cannot wait to see you take on Imperial Fist yellow.
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Airbrush and oils is such a cheat for tough colors such as yellow 🙂 Takes all of five minutes to get a really nice even coat that has inbuilt highlighting.
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