Building up a sensei warband, what's not to like ?

You may remember from some posts ago that I plan on making a sensei warband. I 've always ben surprised to see how few of them seem to make it to the tabletop or even the painting ranges. The sensei are one of the most interesting aspects of the imperial history on the 40k Universe and probably one of the one which lacks to today's fluff.

I'm speaking of a time where Gods of Chaos were fighting gods of Law and when the emperor had a detailed history and past which opened doors to many a stories... But the topic today is not discuss the lacks of modern fluff but to see how we can use the gems of old books.

Here is some brief recap of what you're meant to know about the emperor :

Birth of the emperor : 

The emperor was born by the gathering of sould of countless shamans who sacrified themselves to join their spirit and to form a new deity just like the chaos gods had formed from the feelings of hatred, despair, lust or will for change in the galaxy.

Their combined spirit formed a "new man" which roamed through mankind's history and helped wherever he could, (the text sort of indicates some of our actual great men could have been the "new man" himself).

references and more info can be found in the "Lost and the Damned" tome of the Realms of Chaos books (from page 174)

The Death of The emperor :

 After defeating Horus, the emperor'soul was broken and though a parcel of it remained in its physical body (now living via the golden throne) most of it fled to the warp giving birth to a new spirit : the Starchild.

One can note from this point, the Starcild acts like a god and it terms of gameplay allowes, powers and rewards just like the chaos gods do to their servants.

references can be found  in the "Lost and the Damned" tome of the Realms of Chaos books (from page 184)

The Sensei :

The sensei are basically the sons and daughters the "new man" had all along his life on earth. 

Their most distinct features being :

- They don't age

- They can't have children

- They're psychically invisible to warp creatures
- They generally don't know their origin until they're taught by another sensei or rise up as a sensei themselves.

Funny how this all makes me think about something else :

They also draw their energy from the starchild who in returns for service grants them rewards just like any chaos god would do for his champions.

You can also note that in the "Lost and the damned" book, the Illuminati are a brotherhood of people knowing all the secrets of the emperor and the sensei who seek to sacrifice the sensei to make the starchild gain its full power and to see the birth of a new man.
In the "Slaves to Darkness" tome, the Illuminati are those who have been possessed by a demon but who managed to survive the experience thanks to their strong willpower.
The 2 versions are totally compatible though so no big issue here.

Now with all this little fluff (I can only strongly advise you to go get the tomes and read the original text), how can I use this to forge a warband?

Well the name Sensei is a hint in itself. It's japanese and it describes someone who has authority over a specific field like a teacher.

Japonese origins you say?, that's funny because if I look at the model or the picture taken form the Realm of chaos book :

I see some kind of echoes of something I know well which is Kendo suit (Japanese fencing meaning "the way of the blade")

Black armour pieces over indigo suit? This seems to be perfectly feasible and it should definitely give the sensei a distinct look from other adventurers. The Chain sword could be painted black or even like it's made of bamboo like a shinaï (the bamboo sabre the guys on the pucture ar holding) if I feel silly enough (and I rarely lack non-sense). The clothe he's wearing on the forehead can be painted like a tenugui which happens to be the coton cloth you put beneath the head piece (called "Men") to protect and to absorb sweat.

I think I'm on to something here...

One other thing I'm looking forward to use happens to be one of the rewards a Sensei can receive :

Oh, isn't the little guy on the left familiar? How lucky would I be having a painted version of him already?

Mwahaha, it's so easy ! I already have a redeemed chaos champion to accompany my little band. It will join the band eventually if I roll the e reward and manage to find someone to redeem but it's a nice .

I now have a band led by a Japon-inspired knight of the future who is so charismatic he can even evil beings into good fellows.

What more could I want?
Well maybe this :

Now just dare tell me you don't think about this :

Just give one reason not to do a sensei warband. It has to be the best gang possible in the Roguetrader universe. Just added layers of cool things  making the best hobby sandwich possible. 

Painting's doing well on the band and I hope to have some models finished in a very near future.