Assassinorum: The Assassins

And after another month, the entire contents of Assassinorum: Execution Force are fully painted!

I have always loved the classic Assassin models and their paint scheme. Even if I had already painted a classic Eversor in the traditional black leather, I decided to stick again to it for all the new sculpts. There's something in the black leather that speaks of hidden menace to me, and I didn't want to miss on that feeling. Plus, painting black is easy! For the details I went for brown leather on the belts and straps, greens and blues as spot colours on cables, grenades and phials, white for skull helmets and masks and a touch of gold on some of the weapon details. So, all in all, not a paint scheme that will call anybody's attention, but that's the point about Assassins. You don't want them to be spotted until it is too late, right?

The Vindicare

The Eversor

The Callidus

The Culexus

You are probably waiting for some fluff for each of them, as I always give a bit of back-story to my models. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but not this time! As the most hidden and secretive weapon at the disposal of the High Lords of Terra, it is only fitting that they remain an unfatomable presence. The only thing you will know about them is that they have struck, as the dead count mounts...

Season of War Weeks 1 & 2

A Clash of Battlelines

Ever since the Realmgates War ended, the Gilded Hand Free Companies had claimed the Black Dale. In the middle of the valley climbing to one of the minor doors into Greywater Fastness, the Stoneivy Arc led to the plains around the Adamantine River in Chamon. Through the Arc, minerals mined inside Greywater Fastness flowed to Venithya to be exchanged for chamonite steel tools enchanted by the Gilded Hand alchemists.

It was good trade, until the siege begun. Rumours of every door into Greywater Fastness being under attak had reached Blackrock Dale, but there Gudrun had to deal with the immediate threat of the Ironfang Orruks. For days, their crude cannons had hammered the Free Companies' outpost, and now the true assault had begun.

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Gudrun knew they cannot hold for much longer, until reinforcement from Venithya could be brought in, so he ordered the Penitent Brotherhood to sneak around the orruk lines and reach Stoneivy Arc. If they could not sneak around, the crazed humans were more than able to smash their way through.

Meanwhile, Ishmael was leading the Deck Crew in a sortie to silence the one cannon that had got in range of Greywater Fastness' gate.

One of the Rotmoons mobs moved to bar the way to Stoneivy Arc. Crying their devotion to Sigmar, the Penitent Brotherhood charged headlong.

The Flagellants smashed their way through and made it for the Arc.

As the Deck Crew finally managed to press forward and pepper the cannon with their quarrels, Gudrun was crossing cutlasses with Kaptain Alunzo.

"Parley!" shouted the duardin captain. With a growl, the orruk warboss took a step back. "Let's sort this according to the code, will you? You name your champion. Tomorrow, at dawn, he will sort this bloody matter with our champion. What'd ya say?"
"Yarrrr! Tomorrow at dawn!". As the orruk retreated shouting orders, his toothy grin didn't promise anything good.

A Champion Emerges

At dawn, the orruk chanting resumed. A single word rang through the Dale.
KURGAN! KURGAN! KURGAN!
"The git!" spitted out Gudrun. "He brought in the Adm'rul himself. Roight! Cargo! You deal with him!" A muffled grunt, perhaps a laugh, was the notoriously silent ogor's reply.

The two armies lined up around the rock where their champion were trading anchor and cutlass blows.

Both champions were already bleeding from countless small wounds, when Cargo managed to latch his anchor around the hilt of Kurgan's cutlass and open up his guard. An headbutt and a forward stab was all the ogor needed to fell the massive orruk.

Shouts erupted on both sides and the two armies charged forward.

Unloading their pistols, Gudrun, Cargo and Gregorius Pecker led the Deck Crew into the Rotmoons' centre. If they could eliminate Kaptain Alunzo they might finally break the siege.

On the left, the Stokers and Ishmael took position on a narrow cliff and were able to hold off the outnumbering orruk reinforcements.

Buoyed by his victory on Kurgan, Cargo took on Kaptain Alunzo and his retinue. Alas, the trickery of El Doctoro marked the dismissal of the ogor.

An enraged Gudrun charged in. The ogor might have been unpleasant, but he was one of the best hands on the Grudgebreaker.

Unexpectedly, the orruk fall back. What treachery were they up to now?

The Lost Tablet of Phos Campaign: Game 4

The Power of the Tablet

"They're coming!" cried Steve as he rushed into the Palace of Ramehelik. "Give me the Tablet, let's see if it can be of any use". Snatching the artefact from Skargat's hands the halfling rushed for the Palace terrace.

The ogors lined up in front of the Palace main entrance, ready to take the orruks' charge.

And then the Rotmoons were upon them, reinforced by a bunch of Fellwater Troggoths that had just emerged from the nearby Realmgate.

The combat raged furiously, the Ironforged smashing and hacking orruks and troggoths alike. On the Palace terrace, Steve frantically tried to crack the inscriptions on the Tablet. Their initial impetus spent, the Ironforged started to fall to the Rotmoons' overwhelming numbers. And suddenly, Steve devised the first syllable of the tablet incantation. On a voice not of his own, he chanted the ancient spell and a wave of rippling light washed forward, repelling the Rotmoons through the Realmgate

As the blinding light faded away, Steve realised they had won. The Tablet was theirs and the orruks were gone. But, with its power used, was the Tablet still worth to the Gilded Hand Elders?

The Lost Tablet of Phos Campaign: Game 3

The Chase

The halfling and the ogors had reunited at the Temple of Shemlek, as planned, to decide who would carry the Tablet to safety.

Suddenly, a guttural taunt boomed through the ruins. Kaptain Alunzo and his Shaman El Doctoro were striding purposefully down the sand-swept plaza in front of the Temple. Not far away, the Rotmoons boyz piled through the pillars of the Gate of Mahalik.

"You better split up and run! I'll try to slow them down" snapped Steve while notching an arrow onto his master crafted bow. "Skargat! Remember that I've lost my men in the sandstorm! You better make their sacrifice worth!"

With the Warboss and the Shaman hot on their trail, the Ironforged rushed forwards.

On the other side of the Temple, Skargat felt safe with his precious cargo, when suddenly the heat shimmers in front of him coalesced into the shapes of the boyz that had crossed the Gate of Mahalik

Bellowing, the orruks charged the Tyrant.

Skargat swiftly dealt with the mob and moved to rejoin the Ironforged on the edges of ruined Phos. The Tablet was almost safe.

And then, bullets whistled by as the Rotmoons' Meneater jumped out of his hiding place.

The grots that had laid in ambush with him fell to the befuddling influence of the mystical monument.

The Meneater charged Skargat just as Kaptain Alunzo and El Doctoro caught up with the Ironforged.

The combats were brief, but with the boyz recovering from the Tyrant's bashing there was no other choice than to mount a last defence within the walls of the Palace of Ramehelik.

The Lost Tablet of Phos Campaign: Game 2

To Find the Tablet

"Didn't I tell you so?" standing on an up-turned pot, Steve was sticking his chubby finger into Skargat's belly. "The orruk shaman led them to where the Tablet is!
The Tyrant shuffled his iron-shod boots uncomfortably.
"And keep your pets away from my pots!" added the halfling bashing an inquisitive grot's head with a ladle. "Or you'll find them in the next stew!"
A muffled laugh came from the nearby ogors.
"What are you laughin' at, you lot?" Skargat's backhand knocked an ogor unconscious. "Move! There's a sandstorm comin' and a few orruks to bash!"
As the Ironforged marched forward, Skargat hung back, just outside the building where they had made camp.
  

Was the Tyrant nursing his wounded pride or was the heat playing tricks on him? Ste couldn't make it out as the Rotmoons came into view. The halfling turned to his Kitchen Crew. "Right lads! Let's give these big boys some cover!"

A Fellwater Troggoth and the Rotmoons' Meneater slit from the orruks and headed for the ogors. The boyz made it for the building where Skargat was still, inexplicably, lagging back.

As the Meneater unloaded his pistol on the Ironforged, the Troggoth charged forward. The ogors lost one of teirs, but under a rain of hot soup managed to disengage from the Troggoth and move forward.

Skargat finally recovered his senses and bursting out of the building slammed onto the orruks felled a good few with some well-placed axe swings.

Running away from the approahing sandstorm, Steve and the Kitchen Crew risked getting too close to the Troggoth. Yet, the brute run for the ogors. It looked like the orruk Warboss had instructed it well, thought Steve upervising another soup shot that got rid of the Rotmoons' Meneater.

With a bellow, Kaptain Alunzo charged Skargat, freeing the boyz to chase after the Ironforged.

The Troggoth catched up with the Ironforged, but as the sandstorm closed on them, the ogors tought better to rush for the Temple of Shemlek than to fight.

With the sandstorm raging around them, the ogors took shelter among th fallen pillars. Hours later, as Steve had told, they found the Tablet buried under the Temple's central stone.