The Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Cal... iban!!

I’ve long been a fan of the Dark Angels. It really started with the first edition of Space Hulk. Specifically the Deathwing expansion.

When Betrayal at Calth was released I really wanted to have a copy for myself, but I have no interest in starting an army for either the Ultramarines or the Word Bearers. So what then? Well… I noticed that Calth changes quite well into Caliban…

So then: The Betrayal at Caliban

Half the forces would be painted to represent the forces of the betrayer, Luther. Half the forces will be loyal to the Lion. All forces will be able to be fielded in 40k as members of the Unforgiven, if not Dark Angels directly. I also want the option to be able to play the board game campaign itself, at least once.

Initially I was going to simply follow the division of forces as set by the game:

Loyalists:

• Terminator Captain
• 5 Cataphractii Terminators
• 10 Legion Tactical Veterans

Traitors:

• Chaplain
• 20 Legion Tactical Veterans
• 1 Contemptor Dreadnought.

But the problem that was sticking in my brain was this: I would have to paint the Cataphractii black (since canonically Deathwing Bone White came much later), and then match them with a squad of DA green tactical marines. It would look odd, and the traitors would also be black, so it would confuse the issue.

So, then what? That means I have to paint the “Traitor” forces of the board game in “Loyalist” colours?

I thought about the story of Calth. Ultramarines are defending their home turf against the attack by the Word Bearers… so then it becomes a game of Attackers vs Defenders.

So then the Defenders are with Luther, and the Attackers (trying to cleanse their own home) are with the Lion.

At the start of the Great Crusade the 1st Legion wore black armour:

After the Heresy comes the creation of the Imperium, the edicts of the Codex Astartes and the 2nd Founding, the creation of the Space Marine Chapters. The Dark Angels follow the ruling of the Codex and divide the legion into Chapters. Yet the chapter retaining the Legion name, without explanation, changes their heraldry to Dark Green.

After some digging around there seems to be two main reasons why the green cane about:

This topic has a fairly simple answer that can be sourced to two stories:

 

1. In “Call of the Lion”, Belath tells Astelan that, per the Lion’s orders, Calibanite Chapters “… are to wear the green of [their] home world’s forests … as a remembrance of the battles fought to tame Caliban …”

 

2. In the Cypher Dataslate, those Dark Angels on Caliban who refused to follow Luther into rebellion “… seem to have repainted their armour” green.

(Sourced from the Bolter and Chainsword forum, amongst others. LinkHere)

So, pre-Lutherian Heresy The Dark Angels of Caliban are adding the green to their armour. Now it seems those on Caliban that rejected Luther painted their entire armour green as well.

This then will be the basis on how the two armies will be painted.