Captain-Inquisitor Lazaros

"He shall have a great doom upon his brow, he shall be a witch of great power, he shall be altered in the physical form, he shall be able to talk and walk with the animals” 

Captain-Inquisitor Lazaros is the master of the Black-aarke Garm's Maw and one of the Ordo Opscuros most zealous members. Originally a hard line Thorian serving as a daemonhunter in the Ordo Malleus, he's become more and more radicalised since joining the Ordo Opscuros - a minor ordo monitoring the black ships, notorious for their incarnationist agenda. He is now for all intents and purposes a devout Horusian, plying the stars searching out wytches and psykers that could serve as a Divine Avatar. A vessel powerful enough to contain the Emperor reborn. 

Lazaros has served the Inquisition for over 300 years and at this point he's more machine than man, the few remaining organic body parts are encased in a towering exoskeleton.

Here he is next to Quartermaster Clavius and the pilot Eliakim. 

The Veteran finished

Finally back to painting!

Recap of the background:

The Veteran the sole survivor of an entire stellar legion. The rest of the grand army he belonged to got wiped out in the pandemonium of the mysterious event known as the Fourth Conflux. 

He carries the weight of two million mens failure on his shoulders in the form of the bones of soldiers from the annihilated regiments. 

Tired and weary he presses on - his final mission to lay down the remains of his battle brothers at the steps of the imperial palace. 

He is his late comrades only hope for redemption in the eyes of the Emperor.

Wing Commander

Here's the second finished character for the Black Arke retinue - the crews pilot, Wing Commander Eliakim.

The cultists are modelled with a marked forward stoop. Didn´t really notice just how stooping his gait was until I had finished the model and took these pictures. I might go back and straight him up a bit. 

Here he is next to Clavius. I think the dark paintscheme works quite well on these guys. 

Quartermaster Clavius

Greetings, dear readers.

Today I present to you my first model for the Pilgrym Black Ship crew - Quartermaster Clavius. 

Clavius is Captain Inquisitor Lasaros surly second in command and serves as Quartermaster on the Black Arke Garm's Maw. 

He manages the Hold, where the unsanctioned psykers are interred, and has the honorary title of Warden of the Occlusian. 

Pilgrym II - The Questing Knight

My first painted character is up on Iron Sleet along with some backstory:

http://ironsleet.com/2016/04/05/the-questing-knight-pilgrym/

Here's a WIP pics to show the process. I tried to build a model that looked wholly medieval at first glance - an archetypical foot knight - but that revealed it's sci-fi-ness upon closer inspection. 

A Murder of Crows - part II

Alexander is back with the second saga-style battle report. For this game we wanted an actual objective so we decided whoever could get a sorceror to the central monolith and have him/she/it stay there undisturbed for one turn would be the winner.  The idea was that he then had managed to complete a dark ritual and attract the attention of his warbands corresponding patron God. Over to you Alexander:

The land was one with the Great Black Wolf. All was darkness as the sun scorched the Wolfs belly, screaming in eternal anguish, his howl drove men mad. And on the darkened field of Vigrid corpses stirred in response to the atavistic call. Time bent, twisted and broke. Blood flowed into wounds and souls returned to the mortal realm. Aetheric fish swam through the air, centaurs bounded across the field and great hulking warriors readied their arms again.

The land spasmed under the disturbing influence of gods and mortals. With a primordial convulsion the earth broke, heaving the Gate upwards, climaxing in a jet of mud and lava. 
All those who’s souls were bound to the mystic planes felt the Gate call them. They were the key. The key was their blood, freely spilt it would open an entrance into the Great City. The true home, birthplace, paradise and hell made one. The city whose name is Dis, where stands an empty throne and a leaderless host. The call was clear, claim me. Claim me who dare. Claim me and rule.

Bright burned ambition. The calling was irresistible and men and beast answered. The ascended knights floated forward, toward the Gate they steered the steeds. Great trolls lumbered onwards and many formed warriors marched with them.

With incredible speed the pain slaves stormed towards the Aetheric raiders of Kithelon. Blood would flow, death would have his harvest.

As magic blood was spilt the dedicated children of disease slowly made their way toward the Gate. Nothing else mattered. Let the insane follower of other gods act on their whims and needs. The Gate is everything. He who holds it, holds the realms.

The first shaman to stand before the Gate was Utgarthilocus. He cut himself again and again, let the blood flow freely. Let the Gate open.

He held glory for but a fleeting moment, a heartbeat of godhood, a blink of an eternity. Like sharks the Ascended plunged into him. Beneath a maelstrom of steel and fangs the magician disappeared. Leaving but blood and bones behind.

Mawgut roared with laughter as the Order of the Gash fell upon him. Fate broken open and before his eyes he saw it play itself out again.

And again the cult warriors fell to his blade. Even as they shuddered into rotten corpses they felt such excruciating pleasure from the kiss of his steel and fangs. Shadows fell upon the last few. Enormous tick-trolls towered over the slaves of Slaanesh, their saga ended in an avalanche of flesh.

Ill fortune, dark omens, sorrow and death. These were the gifts Slaanesh heaped upon his children. The Great Beast was driven mad with jealousy and threw himself upon the parasitic trolls. But alas, to no avail.

Like wasps the warriors of change buried their steel in mighty Surtr. Again and again his bright blade ended their lives, more warriors stood ready to die. 

The Gate unguarded, but not for long. The Princes of Pestilence stood ready to die for their wizard as he began the ritual of opening. Not fish nor man could pass them by. 

Kithelon screamed in anger as yet again his trolls were brought low by the foulest of warriors. The strands of possibilities were twisting out of his grasp. His warriors died but it mattered not, he would not be denied again!

Heat blossomed outward from the opened Gate. Nergal the plague sorcerer shriveled and died as the key he had provided broke the last seal. Mawgut Gloop strode through the Gate, his to claim as his enemies fell. 
His birth cry thundered over the field as he ascended into daemonhood. On the field of Vigrid the last of the unworthy had fallen. Blessed be the name, blessed be the Lord of Plagues, blessed be the Great Maggot.

And in the high heavens the Powers laughed. A new toy, an old toy, a broken toy. The three champions would meet again. Death was always followed by birth. In damnation there is no beginning and there is no end. There are only the whims of mad gods.

Pilgrymmage begins

The first pilgrym minis from yours truly are up on Iron Sleet! Head over there for the full feature:

http://ironsleet.com/2016/04/01/jeff-vader-unleashed/

The Enemy Within

GW has been revisiting several factions from the golden days of the early 90´s recently. Knights, Adeptus Mechanicus, and Harlequins among others. One such faction I thought we´d never see again, something long lost in the mists of time, were the Genestealer Cultists.
Therefore the release of Deathwatch Overkill came as a very pleasant surprise indeed.



I managed to lay my grubby mitts on some hybrids and promptly painted up one just for fun - straight out the box for once. Damn I love these models.

Trollaloll

Before part two of the Path to Glory battle report here's the turnarounds on the Biletrolls I promised to put up days ago. 

And yes, I will also do the promised tutorial on the blightking champ. Eventually. 

A Murder of Crows - part I

Finally we can present the first part of the battle report from last Saturday´s epic clash.

Our bard-in-residence Alexander, opted to write up the report in his signature "norse saga"- esque style. Over to you Alexander:

As an age of darkness fell across the world, the Crimson Crow cawed.

In answer, from the south sea, the Sea of Claws, the Great Beast emerged. And on his head was the Third Crown and he bore the Mark of Pain. And the Host of Colours cried out a name to the uncaring gods. That name was Chargul Doldrekk.

Then the Golden Crow cawed.

And from the North Sea rose the Raven Lord, answering the call. The Aetheric Raider, the Knight Scholar, the true child of chaos. In his left hand he held the Tome of Fate and in his wake followed a glittering multitude of neophytes. From their souls a tortured whisper echoed across the Chaos Wastes. Kithelon.

Finally the Black Crow cawed, at long last awakening the Great Wolf.

As the wolf howled, the third host shambled forth across the Isles of the Dead. The jovial killers - the diseased followers of Nurgle. Sardonic laughter filled the air as they approached, for only they truly saw the world for what is was. And the champion chosen to deliver the final pun of that great cosmic joke was Mawgut Gloop, favoured child of Grandfather Nurgle. 

And as the three lords met on the field of Vigrid, the Great Wolf rose up and devoured the sun. It was the red sign. The blood eclipse. The final call to war. Blades were bared in joy and shields were rattled. The withered grass would soon drink its fill of blood. And the gods roared with delight. 

Zelgul Scalecackle led his knights in a headlong charge upon Spleech and his blightkings. Schemes and plans set aside, now was the time for steel. Ancient scores would be settled and one of the champions sent to the narrow house. 

A chilling wind rose, turning into a screaming vortex from which a coven of chaos trolls shambled out into the material realm. Hate burned within them as they laid eyes upon their bloated cousins. Twisted abominations stared at each other with malice.

While the children of decay and progress fought in blind frenzy a shadow fell over the sorcerer Feldrek Flameborn. Surtr, giant lord of Muspell, was upon him. Twice sang Laevatein, the blade of flames, and in a burst of colours Feldrek disappeared.  

Having held back at first Chargul Doldrekk - Gods Hand - stormed across the field. The Chaos Lords claws were soon stained vermilion as he laid waste to the Fatekin that served Kithelon. 

The Great Beast Chargul Doldrekk howled in triumph over his broken foes.

Spleech and his followers cut the Ascendants ascendance short and turned their attention upon the fish trolls. In a daring and deceitful move the Order of the Gash attacked the two chaos lords as they dueled.

Snarling Doldrekk threw himself upon the festering Blightkings. Claws rending and tearing, fangs bared in a frenzied scream. Following closely Surtr followed his lord into the mêlée. Where even the magical trolls had failed the combined might of these two primordial beings would triumph. Bones broke and decaying flesh was torn apart.

The slaaneshii centaurs - the Order of the Seed hunted well. Nergal the Plague Sorcerer, was soon added to the trophy rack.

Neither man nor beast could best Mawgut Gloop. Even as his flesh was torn asunder it reknitted itself and formed new disgusting shapes. His spear struck again and again, every strike a killing blow.

But in the end the day belonged to The prince of Pleasure. For while the children of Nurgle and Tzeentch fought well they could not defeat the sly cunning of Chargul Doldrekk and his childen dominated the battlefield.

So to recap - in our first battle Alexander cleverly held back while the forces of Nurgle and Tzeentch clashed. Then he swept in and decimated our already weakened forces. After six rounds he was the only one with any models left (other than champions) so we decided the victory belonged to him.
It was also time for lunch...

This game was a real brawl without much strategy as we simply wanted to get a feel for the rules. All in all we were all pretty pleased with the game mechanics - though the fact that we had three players and we initially didn´t know the rules slowed the game down. We´ll be back soon with round two where some actual tactics came into play.