Trench Crusade Armies Painted – Heretic Legion & Iron Sultanate Commission Work
Ever wondered what would happen if the Knights Templar made the worst decision in human history? Welcome to Trench Crusade, where that question gets answered in the most brutal way possible.
Picture this: Jerusalem, during the Crusades. A group of heretical Templars decide they know better than God himself. They perform some unspeakable ritual, tear open the gates to Hell, and doom humanity to 800 years of warfare. Fast forward to 1914, and instead of trench warfare against Germans, you’re fighting literal demons with machine guns.
We recently completed two armies for this fascinating new game, and honestly? The lore hits different when you’re painting miniatures that represent humanity’s absolute worst decisions coming back to haunt them.
The Heretic Legion: Servants of the Damned
Our first army represents the absolute worst of humanity – those who bent the knee to Hell itself.
The Path to Damnation
Joining the Heretic Legion isn’t like signing up for a regular army. You don’t walk into a recruitment office and fill out paperwork. Instead, you make an unholy pilgrimage to the burning bronze gates of Hell itself.
The journey alone kills most wannabe recruits. The Valley of Tears – the road leading to Hell’s gates – is littered with charred bodies of those deemed unworthy. Many are still half-alive, writhing in perpetual agony because their wickedness wasn’t quite black enough for Hell’s standards. Harsh crowd, these demons.
Those who make it within sight of Hell’s Maw get branded with the mark of their chosen Archddevil and equipped with weapons that would make an Imperial Guard quartermaster weep with envy. Heavy flamethrowers, corruption-powered armor, and guns that probably shouldn’t exist in 1914 but absolutely do in this timeline.
Warriors of the Damned
The Heretic Legion isn’t just about human soldiers – though they form the backbone of Hell’s forces. Heretic Priests lead these warbands, fallen clergy who traded their souls for power. They perform Goetic spells that can make enemies’ ears bleed and eyeballs burst. Charming dinner conversation, right?
Then you have the Death Commandos – silent killers with stealth generators that literally hide them from God’s sight. And the Choristers, who’ve embraced suicide as a tactical option because apparently some people really commit to their job.
But here’s where it gets really fun: Hell sends its own creatures to support their mortal servants. War Beasts made from captured and possessed animals, Artillery Witches who serve as mobile artillery, and other abominations that make you question if the Templars really thought this whole plan through.
The Iron Sultanate: Last Bastion of the Faithful
On the other side of this eternal conflict stands the Iron Sultanate – and these folks have been dealing with Hell’s nonsense longer than anyone else.
The Invincible Iron Wall
When Hell literally opened up in their backyard, the Sultanate did what any reasonable civilization would do: they built the biggest wall in human history. The Iron Wall stretches across their borders, bristling with artillery and defended by some of the most skilled warriors in the world.
This isn’t just a defensive structure – it’s a statement. While other nations send expeditions and Crusades, the Sultanate sits right next to Hell’s domain and says “Come at us.” They’ve been holding this line for 800 years, which says something about their stubbornness levels.
Masters of War and Alchemy
The Sultanate’s military doctrine revolves around mobility and precision. Their Azeb conscripts are masters of feigned retreat and skirmish tactics. When demons charge their lines, the Azebs fall back, draw them into carefully prepared kill zones, then the Janissaries – the Sultan’s elite household troops – counter-charge and finish the job.
But the real innovation comes from the House of Wisdom and their Jabirean Alchemists. These guys practice “takwin” – the creation of artificial life. The resulting creatures, like the Lions of Jabir, are fast-moving horrors that harass enemy flanks while Brazen Bulls serve as living artillery pieces.
It’s alchemy meets warfare, and the results are both fascinating and terrifying. Medieval Islamic science turned into weapons of war against literal Hell. You can’t make this stuff up.
Faith in Action
What makes the Sultanate compelling is their position as the first line of defense. They’re not safe behind the English Channel or Atlantic Ocean. Hell is their neighbor, and they’ve spent eight centuries proving they can handle it.
Their expeditionary forces venture beyond the Iron Wall regularly – hunting apostates, recovering ancient relics, and generally making life difficult for Hell’s forces. They know the enemy better than anyone because they’ve been fighting them longer than anyone.
Ready to Commission Your Own Trench Crusade Army?
These two forces represent just the beginning of what’s possible in the Trench Crusade universe. With more factions coming and the full game launching soon, there’s never been a better time to jump into this brutal alternate history.
Looking to get your own Heretic Legion or Iron Sultanate painted to tabletop perfection? We’ve got the lore knowledge and painting skills to bring these damned and faithful armies to life.
Drop us a message about commissioning your Trench Crusade warband – let’s discuss how we can capture the grimdark beauty of this hellish Great War.
