Pre-Heresy Salamanders: Pyroclasts; Betrayal at Calth - and some support from Mezoa

Howdy Guys and Girls!

Before I come to my Salamanders, I want to say I'm pretty excited about the upcoming Betrayal at Calth - and will use my two sets to make the core of small Zone Mortalis forces for Word Bearers, Ultramarines, Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors - alongside my ZM board, that's something I'm really looking forward to, and planned since earlier this year. But I know that both Phall and Calth are huge things, and while I'll probably build atleast one set once it arrives to try the board game, the painting will need to wait a few months - Salamanders and Knights wants to be done first!

EDIT:

oh, and another pic of Betrayal at Calth :)

Speaking about the Sons of Vulkan - let's take a look at their organisation and tactics!

Unit Formation and Structure within the XVIIIth Legion

Before the reunification with their Primarch Vulkan, the XVIIIth Legion - or The Fearless, as they were called by allied Exertus Imperialis regiments - had a tendency towards asymmetrical engagements and scattered deployment, utilising Company level detachments numbering 100 to 200 Legiones Astartes under the command of a Captain, with the Legion's senior command acting as a heavy strategic reserve.

When Vulkan took over his Legion, he largely unified his Legion and formed the seven Realms - basically Great Companies. It should be noted that he tried to preserve the spirit of the self-suffiency elements were possible.

The Seven Realms are:
- Hesiod, the Seat of Kings
- Themis, the City of Warlords
- Epithemus, the Jewel City
- Heliosa, the Beacon City
- Aethonion, the Fire Spike
- Clymene, the Merchant's Sprawl
- Skarokk, the Dragonspine

Commanders over the Realms were the Lord-Protectors, below which numerous line companies, each around 120 Legiones Astartes, each under the command of a Captain. Below them were lieutenants, master sergeants, sergeants and legionaries.

Each of the Seven Realms had its own cadre of Firedrakes and Igniax (who were basically the Chaplains of the Salamanders).

The Legion was noted for its superior artifice in the creation of arms, and had a large stock of masterly crafted Dreadnoughts and Terminator armours, aswell as a substantial armoury of heavy vehicles, favouring tanks, boarding rams and gunships over static artillery, light skimmers and rapid attack vehicles - but they never lacked these things in case they might need it.

Destroyers and Pyroclasts

The dreaded Pyroclasts are the burning fury of the Salamanders Legion given material form. Shunning conventional Destroyer units in his Legion, save for a small cadre retained for xenocide operations, due to the tainting and unclean nature of the weapons they wielded, Vulkan created the Pyroclasts to fulfil the role of bringers of utter destruction, creating for them advanced and extremely powerful thermal/incendiary weapons of his own devising. To the Salamanders, fire is more than merely a weapon; it has an almost mystical function and truth, and embodies both purifying destruction and potential for rebirth and redemption. But for renewal to occur, what has gone before must be wiped away; purified by fire. It is this last concept that the Pyroclasts embody, and in battle they are relentless and remorseless, and where they are unleashed there can be no possibility of mercy or reprieve from the fire.

So basically, the Pyroclasts were used instead of Destroyers in most cases - but as far as i see, they still used a pretty small cadre of normal Destroyers too. Sadly the rules forbid you to take Destroyers in your Salamanders Detachment - maybe we will get this option with a new Rite of War?

Support from Mezoa

Hope you enjoyed my post - next week we will take a look at a great hero of the Legion.

Last but not least, i want to show what arrived for my House Vyronii force yesterday :)

regards,

Lady Atia