Due to a mixture of my own ineptitude and my computer's total failure, I'm going to have to submit this in two halves. These are the models that I have pictures of available on my university computer. When I get my home computer to come back to life, I'll add the pictures from there into this topic. Sorry if this is a bit unorthodox or awkward.
THE HIVE MAIDEN
In Sceleris Hive, people have long whispered about a twisted, living nightmare that lurks in the bowels of their city. A true horror of the night, she strikes out unforgivingly at whoever is foolhardy enough to walk the streets alone at night. When her name is spoken, it it spoken only in hushed voices and with the utmost fear, as if uttering it aloud might be an ill omen. Her real name is long forgotten, remembered only in the memories by the dead and the insane. Those who know of her now know her as 'the hive maiden'. Few have glimpsed her, and fewer still have glimpsed her and lived to tell the tale.
ELDRETH DRAMATHIRE (SLA'HH)
On the fringes of the Imperium, beyond the reach of the astronomican, there lies a small, habitable world with a human populace possessing a technology level not far in advance of the iron age. Almost two centuries ago, the inhabitants of the world were greeted by what they believed to be Sla'hh, their goddess of vanity and beauty. By demonstrating technologies far in advance of what the planet's populace was able to create, and the mere fact that she doesn't appear to age, Sla'hh has convinced the population that she is a goddess. She demands human sacrifices daily, and she refuses to accept the sacrifice of anything other than beautiful human females. Her daemonic guardians, the "ghuk'hss" or "shadow hands" ensure that her will is done, keeping the humans in check.
The truth is that Sla'hh is no goddess. She is an exiled dark eldar named Eldreth Dramathire, who came to the planet through a long-forgotten webway. Along with a handful of mandrakes, she has managed to seize control of the planet's population.
Pyrekeeper Silas is a very focussed and purposeful individual. He was once a petty criminal on the streets of Vitium Hive, but when he was twenty one, the Emperor appeared to him in a golconda-induced vision, and urged him to join the planet's Redemptionist movement. Suddenly feeling a sense of purpose and belonging that he had never felt before, he joined the Redemption and soon became a very high ranking member of the movement on Gellar's World. Almost a decade later, whilst leading an indescriminate Redeptionist purge of a nearby drug den, Silas discovered the unconscious, drug-riddled body of Inquisitor Evad, who at the time, was something of a hedonist, carried away with his own power and having forgotten the responsibilities that went with his Inquisitorial rights. Silas was disgusted by the Inquisitor, who had neglected his sacred and holy duties on a binge of hedonistic, drug-addled pleasure. However, he realised that through the Inquisitor and his office, he would be able to access more places, more worlds, and would therefore be able to spread the word and message of the Redeption to countless new people. Evad, when he eventually regained consciousness after the redemptionist attack on the drug den, felt endebted to the Redeptionist for saving his life from what he had thought was a chaos cultist raid. Silas managed to wheedle his way into the inebriated Inquisitor's retinue, and by the Inquisitor's side, left Gellar's World forever. As he predicted, he saw many worlds whilst 'in service' to the Inquisitor, and on every world, he managed to nurture the first spark of a redemption cult before the time would come to leave. All this time, Evad was still heavily addicted to Golconda, and other expensive drugs. He had been trying to get off the drugs for years, but no matter what he tried, he could never shake the habit. It wasn't until explicator Sophie Vandus, one of Evad's acolytes, returned from a prolonged investigation in the Zahaar system that she would recognise that the Redemptionist was drugging the inquisitor's food. Regardless of how much Evad tried to get off of the drugs that were ruining his life and career, he would never be clean, as the Redemptionist was keeping him inebriated. She quickly discovered that Silas had been using the Inquisitor to spread his own perverted religion, and she attacked him. Silas's face was heavily scarred in the attack, but he managed to escape. Evad eventually recovered from his drug abuse and Sophie still serves with him as a faithful and loyal explicator to this day. Silas still travels the galaxy, attaching himself to whoever he can to keep moving, to spread the word of the Redemption across the stars.
XENOMORPH (omega-two-twenty)
Somewhat common in the likes of Sceleris Hive, this strange lifeform is surprisingly prevalent throughout the Levitus Subsector and much of the distant reaches of the ultima segmentum. It is thought that they are kindred with the tyranid race, but these appear to be native to our galaxy, unlike the Tyranids.
The omega-two-twenty have a remarkable parasitic life cycle. First, they are spawned as an egg, normally laid by a 'hive queen', which is roughly similar in appearance to a tyranid hive tyrant. This is one of the main reasons why some scholars believe that these two races are kindred - their leadership castes both bear a distinct similarity to one another. Once an egg hatches, a "headgrabber" or "facehugger" will spring from within. This headgrabber, as the name suggests, will latch onto the head of the first available host and inject a potent neurotoxin into their brains through two small teeth which penetrate the temples. At the same time, a long probuscus slips down the victim's throat, and an omega-two-twenty embryo is implanted inside. Once this is done, the headgrabber then falls off and dies. The host will soon regain consciousness, and will feel no adverse effects until almost a full day later, when his chest will suddenly explode and a juvenile omega-two-twenty creature will emerge. This creature will attack any humans that it comes into contact with, rendering them unconscious, and then wrapping them in a cocoon of saliva-based resin somewhere near to where the eggs are laid. Thus, the life cycle is complete.
Omega-two-twenty spread between worlds primarily through stowing away on imperial ships. An individual omega-two-twenty who is away from the hive for long enough will eventually adapt and become a queen, able to lay eggs and start a new hive. Landing craft in the Levitus Subsector must be rigourously checked before takeoff and landing to ensure that no eggs have been stuck to the outside of the craft. After the horrors that happened on Alderin VII, the local authorities have chosen to err on the side of safety.
More to come...
