Hello to all.
After seeing the amazing work on Khordale's Black Guard of Morr models I decided to try converting some myself. It worked out very nicely and thanks to the inspiration I got from that (and after losing yet again a battle against the VC
) I came up with an idea for a whole themed army on Morr.
After searching this site for background information I got even more carried away. The fluff I found was great! So I thought of combining all the stuff I found together. My basic idea was not to create special rules for a Cult of Morr but to give a nice decent fluff for the existing standard army rules and build an army from there. The fluff on the following is basically copied and pasted (plagiarized one could say
) from the following links:
http://uk.games-workshop.com/warhammer/religion/1/http://www.warhammerforever.com/onlinearticle.asp?articleID=64The Library on this site
I only altered the fluff on a few points.
I also chose the Light Lore of Magic to represent the powers the Priests of Morr have to thwart the evil of Undeath as well as to bolster the morale of the soldiers in the army. Ruleswise the lore of Death is a no go against undead armies and the light lore makes the most sense... at least to me.
THE CULT OF MORRIntroductionMorr is the God of Death and the Dead, who appears as a brooding but stately middle-aged man in dark robes. The act of dying itself is something he leaves to less peaceful gods: rather, Morr is the guardian of departed spirits. Although death is an everyday fact of life in the Old World, Morr is not a god to be invoked casually and his symbols are thought to bring bad luck if displayed out of place. Instead he is usually called on by the bereaved and grieving. Many Witch Hunters, though ostensibly Sigmarites, will pray to Morr to aid them in returning the Undead to their eternal rest, and in thwarting Necromancers who would disturb his domain. Morr is also the god of dreams for the world of dreams is close to the realm of death, and he is said to be able to weave great magical illusions.
For the common man Morr is not worshipped day to day, but only at funerals or by the bereaved. Yet there are those who have dedicated their lives to the service and protection of the deceased souls and their patron God. Wherever there is life there is also death for it is an inevitable part of existence. Therefore the devout followers of Morr are also found everywhere in the Empire.
Those who willingly dedicate their lives to worship the God of Death are few and they come from a variety of backgrounds. Followers of Morr count among their members nobles as well as peasants, thieves as well as merchants and soldiers as well as scholars. Regardless of their backgrounds the followers of Morr have forsaken their past lives and are brought together for the same purpose; to ensure the safe passage of deceased souls to Morr, to oppose all transgressions on Morr's realm and to serve and remember those who are overlooked by society for on Morr's eyes everyone is equal after departing the world of the living.
Morr's priests, who all wear hooded and unadorned black robes, are mostly found either in small villages around the Empire or in the poorer sections of major cities to help those souls whose wealth or fame in life wasn't enough to secure them a place in the afterlife in the presence of other Gods. There are also those priests who have dedicated their service to the The Black Guard; the Military Faction of Morr's Temple.
Whenever the Realm of the Dead is offended, be it by the occasional grave robber or a Necromancer's death cult or even an occasional vampire, the Templars of Morr go to battle accompanied by cultists and priests alike for the sole purpose of delivering Morr's Judgement to those who have transgressed against Him.
The High and Chivalric Order of Deserved RestAlthough formally called “The High And Chivalric Order of Deserved Restâ€, the Chamber Militant of the Morr Temple is better known publicly as “The Raven Knights†(after the raven icons incorporated into their shields, surcoats and other parts of their armour) or most commonly simply as “The Black Guard†after their obsidian-black armour and terrifying demeanor.
As the chamber militant of the cult of Morr, it is the duty of the Black Guard to take the righteous anger of Morr to those who transgress against his domain, as well as protecting their fellow clerical brethren and the final resting places of the dead.
The Order’s primary concern and purpose is to violently fight practitioners of Necromancy and the Undead who have escaped Morr’s Realm and Judgement.
To this purpose the Black Guards travel widely in the Old World to do battle with the Scourge of Necromancy in whatever form it takes.
The Templars are fielded both as a conventional fighting force, as well as doing deep-cover and infiltration work in smaller units to get to the secret Death Cults that sometimes spring up to protect powerful Necromancers and Vampires.
Sometimes Templars will be working in close collaboration with local authorities to get extra man-power for operations, but just as often Templars will work clandestinely and only care that they hold Divine Authority no matter what secular leader might hold power over the region in which they operate.
All Black Guard Templars dress in black armour with heavy black monk-like habits worn over it. Onto this monastic surcoat may sometimes be found an embroidered raven, symbol of Morr.
Iconic ravens are often worked into shoulder guards and kneecaps of the armour, as well as being repeated on the shields of the Templars.
All armour is forged in the forges of the Order's fortress monastery, under the blessing and watchful eyes of clerics, and is considered holy armour by the cult.
Quite often veteran officers will have elaborate ornamentation added to their armour, a special honour bestowed upon those who have served Morr long and faithfully.
The Black Guard is an almost hermit-like order, the majority of its brothers (as individual Templars are known) filling their lives with the sombre worship of Morr, only sallying forth when the priesthood uncovers some abominable desecration of Morr's domain.
Some lead something approaching more conventional lives as their assignments force them to interact with the outside world and all of its myriad of people.
But like all dedicated servants of Morr, the Black Guard concerns itself with those who transgress against the will of their god – and the domain they safeguard is that of the dead. As such, the Black Guard is more concerned with the dead than the living - a village being burned to the ground by Beastmen probably would not earn their attention, but the violation of that same village's graveyard by a necromancer certainly would.
The living and all their problems are the domain of other Gods and their servants, but once someone passes beyond Morr’s Gates, they become entered into the care of his faithful servants. Thus Necromancers, Vampires and all manner of the Undead are the Order's primary concern, but those robbing graves or opening tombs of old, are also well within their sphere of interest.
The Black Guards are persons of a menacing and unsettling presence, clearly trailing the domain of their Lord behind them, and most common folk dread them for this very reason. They know that they need not fear the Templars unless they transgress against Morr, but the Black Guard are simply too close for comfort to the Realm of Death.
OrganizationThe Black Guard is divided into three Ordos as an Organization, and members are typically directly recruited to these Ordos for their specific skills. Ordo Cura is the administrative, bureaucratic Order responsible for maintaining stocks and equipment and handling communications with other cults as well as local authorities.Ordo Custodia are the veteran Templars, the caretakers of Sylvanian borders, responsible for keeping the threat of Vampire Counts well within the borders of the cursed land, until Sylvania can finally be freed of the Undead. Ordo Silenti forms the majority of the fighting force in the Black Guard Order. Members of the Ordo Silenti are found in almost every city or region in the Empire.
Almost every major city in the Empire has a Temple dedicated to the God of Death. These temples are a place of worship to the followers of Morr and act as a base for the members of the Black Guard. Each Temple holds a battalion of Morr's soldiers, mainly formed by the Ordo Silenti, ready to be deployed in no time at all whenever a need is discovered.
As a Templar Order, the Black Guard has very much an almost military structure, as well as a very clear chain of command, which is of course essential when dealing with such operations as does the Black Guard. Although they are primarily thought of as a Templar Order, the Black Guard have a large number of non-templar personnel that are as essential a part of the organization as the Templars themselves.
The Temples maintain a standing fighting force of spearmen, halberdiers, swordsmen, archers, handgunners and engineers in addition to the Templars themselves. These fighting forces are also often joined by cultists willing to do their share in protecting the souls of their departed loved ones. A large number of clerics, workers, cooks, armourers and similarly skilled personnel are also employed to handle the non-fighting aspects of the Black Guards operations.
The Templars are considered the Black Guard proper and they hold command over the other fighting forces supporting them in battle.
Each Temple is normally lead by a High Priest of Morr who does not take part in the martial activities of the Temple. A Kaptain-Justicar, who is the highest ranking military officer in a Temple, is the commander of the fighting force. In the largest, most important cities such as Altdorf or Nuln the senior officer in the Temple is an Ordo Grandmaster himself.
The Temple's fighting force is divided into companies which in turn are divided into platoons or squads depending on the size of the unit.
The fighting forceCharactersLordsOrdo Grandmaster is the head of the Ordo Silenti in all the Temples of a given region and as such the commanding officer for all aspects of the Ordo's operations in the area. When the need is great he takes on the role of battlefield commander. An Ordo Grandmaster follows all the rules for a Templar Grandmaster in the Empire Army book.
Kaptain-Justicars are senior Ordo officers in charge of a single Temple. They often act as generals for a Temple marching into battle. Kaptain-Justicars follow all the rules for Elector Counts in the Empire Army book (apart from NOT being able to ride a griffon or take the Runefang as a magical weapon choice).
HeroesLieutenant-Confessors are battlefield officers who often lead units of the Black Guard into battle. They also act as second-in-command officers for the Temple. Lieutenant-Confessors follow all the rules for Captains in the Empire Army book, including the Battle Standard Bearer upgrade. Lieutenant-Confessors may not ride a pegasus into combat.
Sergeant-Chaplains are the fighting Clerics and battlefield priests of the Ordo who hold a military rank and who are responsible for seeing to the spiritual health of the fighting force as well as purging those who become corrupted by the Arch-Enemy during the fight. Sergeant-Chaplains follow all the rules for Warrior Priests in the Empire Army book.
Priests of Morr sometimes join the fighting force. Although they are not very good at the martial prowess practiced by the Ordo Silenti members, they still provide a useful asset to the Temple's fighting force. Priests of Morr follow all the rules for Battle Wizards (of Light Magic) in the Empire Army book.
Core UnitsThe Cultists dedication to Morr results in vigorous volunteer military training in the Temple together with the non-templar factions of the Ordo. To represent this all the rules for Detachments apply.
All core choices follow the rules in the Empire Army book including upgrades, command groups etc. Upgrades mentioned later only affect the names (ranks) of the models, not their statistics or points costs.
Black Guard of Morr. Just as Knightly Orders in the Empire Army book. One Lancer-Acolyte (knight) may be upgraded into a Sergeant-Deacon (first knight).
One unit of the Black Guard may be upgraded into Raven Custodia (Inner Circle).
Halberdiers. As in the Empire Army book. One model may be upgraded into a Corporal-Lector (unit champion).
Spearmen. As in the Empire Army book. One model may be upgraded into a Corporal-Lector (unit champion).
Swordsmen. As in the Empire Army book. One model may be upgraded into a Corporal-Lector (unit champion).
Handgunners. As in the Empire Army book. One model may be upgraded into a Corporal-Lector (unit champion).
Archers. As in the Empire Army book. One model may be upgraded into a Corporal-Lector (unit champion). Also one unit may be upgraded into scouts (huntsmen).
Crossbowmen. As in the Empire Army book. One model may be upgraded into a Corporal-Lector (unit champion).
Cultists of Morr follow the Temple's forces into the field of battle. The cultists are not professional soldiers but are formed of the common men. To represent this the cultists follow the rules for Free Companies in the Empire Army book.
Special UnitsSquire-Initiates are the lowest rank of Templars Proper and they act as squires until they have proven themselves worthy of initiation into full knighthood. Therefor they are eager to prove their skills in battle and often act rashly riding ahead of the main force to intercept enemy scouts. Squire-Initiates follow all the rules for Pistoliers in the Empire Army book. One model may be upgraded into a Corporal-Lector (unit champion).
The Silent Guard is a unit whose members are chosen by the Kaptain-Justicar or Ordo Grandmaster. They are specifically trained to fight on foot and the Silent Guard forms a backbone unit to the Temple's foot troops. The Silent Guard follows all the rules for Greatswords in the Empire Army book. One Lancer-Acolyte (foot knight) may be upgraded into a Sergeant-Deacon (unit champion).
As part of their fighting force the Temples of Morr hold a few war machines in their possession as well as engineer members of the Cult. To represent this the Temple may include cannons and mortars into their army. All rules in the Empire Army book apply.
Rare UnitsMorr's Flagellants often follow the Temple into battle. These crazed doomsayers are no different from the flagellants of Sigmar and follow all the rules for flagellants in the Empire Army book.
As part of their fighting force the Temples of Morr also hold a few experimental artillery weapons in their possession as well as engineer members of the Cult. To represent this the Temple may include Helblaster Volley Gun(s) into their army. All rules in the Empire Army book apply.
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And before any of you ask, NO, I haven't started planning what the models should look like, or conversions, or color schemes...
-SirU
