In this series, we showcase armies used by your humble Jungle Guides. 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.
Battle, endless battle, on a thousand, thousand worlds, for a thousand, thousand years. Millions fought, millions died—were they memories, or dreams? The general had slept for so long that he no longer knew.
At this moment, he recalled—imagined?—with exacting detail how he and his soldiers had blasted through the Syryllian’s lines, gunning down the gelatinous amphibians as they ran. He remembered— dreamed?— how the loathsome, pulsating body of the Syryllian DeoRex had literally evaporated under the repeated blows of his powerstaff. Even now, so many years later, the general felt a surge of joy and pride in his victory, just one of a thousand, thousand.
Suddenly, the general was roused to consciousness by a rich, sonorous voice, one he knew and loved. “Awaken, sweet slave,” the voice said.
The general looked about. Light—a burning white light—had come to the sealed chamber where he had stood, immobile and inert, for so long.
“It is good to see you again,” the voice said, as the light dimmed and coalesced into a shadowy, robed figure who sat in a throne atop a dais at the end of the chamber.
The general raised his powerstaff and took two steps forward. “Remove yourself from the throne of my master,” he growled, his voice little more than a harsh buzzing.
“You remember the ancient traditions. Good. Indeed, I am your master.”
“Crystalord is my master,” the generalk replied. “You are not him.”
“But I am,” the figure said. It stood, and a golden aura flared around it as it transformed into a faceless humanoid made of dazzling, transparent crystal facets. “This is the form I took when you first swore allegiance to me, and Crystalord was the name I used then.”
“As you command,” the general said, laying down his staff and kowtowing on the stone floor.
“Rise, my slave,” the figure said. “Many names I have used, and many guises have I worn. Some call me the Jackal God. Others call me the Deceiver. Right here and now, I call myself Yblis.” The crystal figure morphed into the dim robed figure. “Now, attend,” it said.
An image appeared in the air nearby. A Space Marine in tiger-striped armor fought hand-to-hand with a skeletal figure shod in bronze. “I need a new commander for one of my armies. Lord Thoth failed me in a crucial battle, and destruction has been his just reward,” Yblis said. The image vanished.
“Much time has passed since you served me last, yet I have not forgotten your skill or devotion. I wish you to take Thoth’s place. You will do that for me, won’t you?”
The general held out his hand above his staff, which still lay on the floor. The staff flickered, vanished, then re-appeared in his grasp. “Yblis is my master,” he said.
“Excellent,” the figure replied. “The name you used when last you served me has been forgotten, even by me,” it chuckled. “In addition to granting you new powers and new warriors, I shall also grant you a new form and a new name. Overlord Lucifer I shall call you, the Bearer of Light—my light.”
Lucifer felt no pain, of course, as Yblis raised his hand and a burst of light sprang from it, temporarily overwhelming his photoreceptors. When they resumed transmitting images, he was mildly surprised to find himself simultaneously viewing Yblis from two different vantage points, each a few feet from the other.
He turned and saw himself: one version stood and held his ancient powerstaff; the other wielded a different staff and floated in the air atop the body of a Destroyer. Lucifer thought to reach out, and both versions moved their arms forward. He thought to look back at his master and both heads swiveled. Though he was still of one mind, he now had two bodies to carry out Yblis’ will.
“There is a new force in the universe,” Yblis said. “It calls itself ‘Man.’ I want it destroyed. Exterminated. You will do that for me, won’t you?”
“As you command,” both Lucifers replied.
Continue reading “Armies of the Jungle: Yblis’ Centurions”
