40K: Top Four Marine Bad-Asses You Don’t Know
These Astartes don’t have have models or rules but embody why I’m attracted to 40k and the Grimdark’s over the top epic nature.
Below is a list of characters from the novels that do not, at this time, have models or rules. These guys embody the reason I’m attracted to 40k and the over the top epic nature of the whole universe. If you have any favorites that didn’t make it here please let me know in the comments.. one rules though, you have to tell me why they are so bad ass.
Orfeo Cassandar – Captain of the Ultramarines during the Great Crusade and commander of the Evocatii, an elite group. You don’t know about him because he has only been in one book and was killed. Don’t let that take away from his bad ass status because it took Angron to kill him.
Orfeo singlehandedly defeated a host of rebellious World Eaters. His culling of the traitors only stopped when he came face to face with Kharn. He and Kharn dueled for quite a long time until it became obvious Orfeo would eventually gain the upper hand.
If memory serves, Angron called Kharn out of the fight so the Primarch could finish the job. Angron killed Orfeo slowly and painfully. Still, Orfeo is a total bad ass and makes it on to the list. With more like him the Ultramarines should have made it to Terra.
I can just imagine this dude standing in the middle of a pile of Berzerkers. He likely dispatched these dudes in the most boring way possible because, after all, he is an Ultramarine.
That aside, reading about this dude is inspiring and begs for him to have a Forge World Character Series figure.
Nykona Sharrowkyn – Raven Guard legionnaire and member of the Mor Deythan, the shadow masters. Sharrokyn narrowly escaped the infamous Drop Site Massacre on an Iron Hands Storm Eagle after being wounded by bolter fire.
Why is he a badass? For starters, he successfully put a sniper bullet right between the eyes of the Primarch Fulgrim. Fulgrim would like us to believe that he ‘let’ it happen but I think we know the truth.
Sharrowkyn is a badass because he is one of the few non-Librarian marines to possess special powers to go with his galaxy class swordsmanship. He can bend light and shadow to appear as if he is teleporting. Heck.. he might even be able to really teleport short distances.
This guy has locked up with a couple of legendary foes and walked away. He fought Lucius (the Eternal) twice. The first time he simply cut his face before being washed apart in the tide of battle and the second time resulted in Lucius’ death with Sharrowkyn’s twin swords piercing both of Lucius’s hearts. He leaves Lucius for dead, but we know how that goes…
Not good enough? He also confronts another Primarch, Alpharius ready to battle, but then things get real weird. Still, it adds to his cred and secures his spot on my list.
Beautiful work by the legendary Dave Taylor
Talos Valcoran – Known as the Soul Hunter and a member of the Night Lords Legion. He has the curse that allows him to see the horrible parts of the future, just like is Primarch Konrad Curze.
The Callidus Assassin, M’Shen, killed Curze. Curze was content to accept his fate and ordered his legion not to seek vengeance against his killer. Talos disobeyed the last order of his Primarch and made it his mission to track down and slay M’Shen.. The Soul Hunter brutally mutilated the assassin. Talos makes it on to the list for this, largely because I believe he sends the vid recorder of the whole grisly incident back to Terra along with a message from the Konrad! Check out the balls on this guy.
After a fairly complicated chaos bromance with Huron Blackheart in the 41st millennium Talos finds himself face to face with another 40k beefcake – Jain Zar. Talos has been on the Eldar radar for 10,000 years and they finally decided to take action before he become a larger threat.
During the battle with Zar, Talos allows himself to be speared through the chest so he pull her in close enough to detonate a grenade, thinking he is going to kill them both. Sadly (for Talos) the blast didn’t finish Jain Zar and only served to terminate himself. But come on… Jain Zar is essentially immortal and there is no way he could have known that. Talos’ geenseed was harvested so maybe he’s still kicking around out there in one form or another.
Maybe he’s dead? But he still makes it on to the list for having balls of adamantium.
Nassir Amit – Amit became the original chapter master of the Flesh Tearers in the Second Founding. Just knowing that, it would be enough for him to make it on this list but he is here for his strength of character as much as his brutal savagery and martial prowess.
Amit was one of the first victims of the Blood Angel’s Red Thirst. The Red Thirst temporarily overwhelms Blood Angels from time to time causing them to battle and lose focus. This led to the tragic death of fellow loyalist Space Wolves.
For the honor of the Legion, and to protect Amit, the captain of the Sanguinary Guard, Azkaellon, covered this up. The thought of concealing this heinous crime was enough to bring Amit and his brothers to blows. Amit was fully prepared to answer for his actions but the need to preserve relations between the legions prevailed.
It was from Nassir’s lips that Sanguinius first heard suspect of his brother Horus’s betrayal. The utterance of such a conspiracy nearly cost him his life at the tip of his Primarch’s sword. Sanguinius ordered Amit to recant but he didn’t. Nassir Amit knew in his heart what was going on and knew he had to stay true to his words. Few would stand true in the face of a wrathful Angel. Nassir Amit did because it was what needed to be done. Amit is a bad ass.
Later, when he would take the mantle of Flesh Tearers Chapter Master he would don a suit of terminator armor armed with dual chainfists. As a Captain for the Blood Angels he often fought with a pair of barbed flaying knives. How cool is that? Seth.. take notes.
Sources
The Black Library is a treasure trove of inspiration. I plan to be making my own figures for some of these guys even if they don’t get rules. You can read more about these characters here:
