Armies of the Jungle: Kabal of the Ozone Scorpions by Kenton Kilgore
In the From Idea To Reality series, we chronicled the process of creating an army from scratch. In this series, we will showcase the finished results of our labors – the completed armies (as much as any 40K army can ever be considered “completed”). By detailing how the army was collected, how the background and color schemes were developed, and how the army is used on the battlefield, we hope that this series will provide inspiration for those interested in collecting similar armies.

Introduction
FITR described in detail how I built up what was, at the time, my second army: the Kabal of the Ozone Scorpions. This army has been idle for many a year, waiting for a new codex. Happily, the latest version of The Book of the Death Twinkie recently fell into my clutches, so let me present to you (or re-present to you long-time Jungle Fanboys and Fangirls) the “Callous Drowboys.”

Army List
Currently, the army totals just over 4100 points and consists of two detachments:

• Archon Syryx Lynatharr w/ husk blade, soul trap, shadow field, combat drugs, haywire grenades
• Succubus Dr’zzllah w/ agonizer and haywire grenades
• Dr. Jheste.  Haemonculus Ancient w/ webway portal, venom blade, stinger pistol
• Vulnayvya.  Haemonculus w/ webway portal, flesh gauntlet, and stinger pistol
• Dr. Fybze.  Haemonculus w/ webway portal, close combat weapon, scissorhand, liquefier gun
• Dr’zzllah’s Stepsisters.  Four Hekatrix Bloodbrides, all w/ haywire grenades. Sky Scorpion Venom w/ extra splinter cannon and night shield. 
• Stinger Squad 1.  Six Kabalite Trueborn: two w/ blasters; two w/ shredders; one w/ splinter cannon; one w/ shard carbine.  Sky Scorpion Raider w/ flickerfield, night shield, aethersails
• Stinger Squad 2.  Six Kabalite Trueborn: two w/ blasters; two w/ shredders; two w/ splinter cannons.  Sky Scorpion Raider w/ flickerfield, night shield, aethersails
• Stinger Squad 3.  Six Kabalite Trueborn: two w/ blasters; two w/ shredders; two w/ splinter cannons.  Sky Scorpion Raider w/ flickerfield, night shield, aethersails
• Deathstalker Scorpions.  Nightfiend and 9 Mandrakes
• Wormwood’s Warp Scorpions.  Aberration Wormwood w/ flesh gauntlet and liquefier gun; 6 Grotesques
• Silver Scorpions.  Hekatrix Blygos w/ agonizer and 7 Wyches, all w/ haywire grenades.  Sky Scorpion Raider w/ flickerfield, night shield, aethersails
• Handmaidens.  Hekatrix Phaedra w/ agonizer and 9 Wyches, all w/ haywire grenades. Sky Scorpion Raider w/ flickerfield, night shield, aethersails
• Ring of Honor.  Hekatrix Eklavdrah w/ agonizer and 7 Wyches, all w/ haywire grenades.  Sky Scorpion Raider w/ flickerfield, night shield, aethersails
• Blue Scorpions Squad 0.  Sybarite and 19 Kabalite Warriors, including one w/ shredder and two w/ splinter cannons
• Blue Scorpions Squad 1.  Sybarite and 19 Kabalite Warriors, including one w/ shredder and two w/ splinter cannons
• Blue Scorpions Squad 2.  Sybarite and 19 Kabalite Warriors, including one w/ shredder and two w/ splinter cannons
• Blue Scorpions Squad 3.  Sybarite and 9 Kabalite Warriors, including one w/ blaster and one w/ splinter cannon.  Sky Scorpion Raider w/ flickerfield, night shield, aethersails
• Black Scorpions Squad 1.  Three Reavers, including one w/ blaster and one w/ cluster caltrops
• Black Scorpions Squad 2.  Three Reavers, including one w/ blaster and one w/ cluster caltrops
• Black Scorpions Squad 3.  Four Reavers, including one w/ blaster and one w/ cluster caltrops
• Jheste’s Wicked Joy.  Talos Pain Engine w/ twin-linked heat lance
• Jheste’s Guilty Pleasure.  Talos Pain Engine w/ twin-linked heat lance
• Jheste’s  Dirty Secret.  Talos Pain Engine w/ twin-linked heat lance
• Vulnayvya’s Voice.  Cronos Parasite Engine w/ spirit probe

I didn’t have any Mandrakes in previous versions of the army, but my friend Patrick Eibel bought and painted me a squad as a Christmas present, and they not only look cool, but they kick butt, too. I used to use Warp Beasts, but now I prefer the new-and-improved Grotesques, so those figures have been reassigned. 

The Talos model resembles a giant mechanical scorpion, so to fit the theme, I had to have some. Because a Death Twinkie army can never have enough speed, I have some Reaver jetbikes, which are a lot better under the new codex than they used to be.

Modeling and Painting
Almost all of the army consists of Third Edition-era figures that I collected over several years. While the new models (especially for the Kabalite Warriors) are very cool, I need more like I need a swift kick to the oompa-loompas, so I will not be purchasing any. 

As discussed in FITR, I’ve painted my figures to resemble the Drow, my favorite villains from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. The “fluff,” or background, for my army says that they have been mutated by exposure to strange radiation within the Maelstrom, where they lair, hence the difference in their appearance from other Dark Eldar. 

Instead of going for the expected “black, black, and more black” look for their uniforms, I was inspired by the hated Dallas Cowboys to put them in blue and silver. Also, when possible, I try to use two visual themes for the army: “fallen Eldar” (that is, using Eldar figures for my guys) and scorpions. 

Accordingly, the new Archon Syryx Lynatharr model is a Scorpion Man from Reaper Miniatures. It’s a fantasy figure, but I think it works perfectly well, and is appropriately menacing. The new Syryx also ties in with my Grotesques, represented by Giant Scorpion models also from Reaper.

As I mentioned, my friend Pat painted my Mandrakes, but given as how the Scorpions are dark-skinned, he thought he’d do the reverse and paint them as albinos. Fluffwise, it doesn’t really work, as Mandrakes are supposed to be creatures of shadow, but as anyone who’s ever seen my female Space Marines knows, I happily disregard the fluff when the opportunity for a cool paint job or conversion comes along.

The last item I’ll mention is my Cronos Parasite Engine, which I've had for a few years. It's a Scorponok toy (based off the first Transformers movie) from a McDonald’s Happy Meal. Laugh or sneer (or both) all you want, but it was better than paying $40 for a Talos and having to convert it. Plus, it was very easy to paint.

Their reign of terror lasted for a thousand years, until the complacent Scorpions were surprised and routed by a new Space Marine Chapter, the Fighting Tigers. Many of the Scorpions managed to flee into the nearby Maelstrom, but the Tigers imprisoned Syryx Lynatharr, alive and conscious, in a stasis chamber. Eight hundred years later, during the attack on Veda by the Warband Bloodcomet, the stasis chamber was damaged and Lynatharr escaped. His sanity had snapped under his long confinement, but he found the remnants of his kabal and reasserted his rule. 

Exposure to strange radiation deep within the Maelstrom has mutated the Scorpions, turning their skin jet black, their eyes burning red, and their hair silvery-white. Their eyes are sensitive to light, so they prefer to fight at night. Their very touch withers plants and drains the life from animals. 

For a while after Lynatharr reasserted his rule, the Scorpions merely conducted raids on various  targets, with some success. Once he felt his forces were ready, Lynatharr ordered them to retake Tharalon, their ancient subterranean city on Veda, while the majority of the Fighting Tigers were off-planet during the First Crusade for Auros IX. Space Wolves under Ferin Ironhammer repelled the Dark Eldar, but Lynatharr accomplished his secret goal: to recover a crystal figurine of great but mysterious power from beneath the Scorpions’ ancient city there. 

Using the figurine, Lynatharr escaped certain death in the final battle against the Wolves, then freed his daughter/concubine Dr’zzllah from interdimensional imprisonment inflicted upon her by Vect. Assisted by the Haemonculus Dr. Jheste, Lynatharr recently used the figurine to deliberately mutate himself into a loathsome combination of scorpion and Dark Eldar. What else the figurine can do—and what else Lynatharr will do with it—remains to be seen. 

Lynatharr and Dr’zzllah are intent on acquiring more figurines: she led her followers against the Sisters of Mercy to obtain another in the hope of gaining sufficient power to overthrow her father. Lynatharr is aware of her treachery, however, and actually seems to encourage it…. 

Using the Army
The army has what I consider to be all the elements of a “balanced” army, possessing shooty units (Warriors and Trueborn), close-combat units (Wyches, Mandrakes, Grotesques), fast units (Reavers, Raiders), tough units (Taloses), units that can take casualties (Warriors again), and—best of all—fun units (Archon, Succubus, Haemonculi). While the army might be a lot stronger if it limited itself to, say, only fast- and assault units, it’s more flexible, more interesting for me to play, and more difficult, I believe, for opponents to deal with.

In the past, I made copious use of webway portals, but I no longer desire to base my strategy solely around a gimmick, and in any event, the new codex has toned them down (previously, you could bring vehicles through portals; that’s no longer the case). I’ll still use them to get slow units (slow by DE standards, anyway) like Taloses, Grotesques, and infantry Warrior units where they need to be.

As of this writing (February 2011), I haven’t played with the new-and-improved Ozone Scorpions yet, but I’m hoping to get the chance soon…. (evil grin).

Related Pages
Armies of the Jungle
From Idea to Reality

Posted February 2011 
 

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