Hallow'd Ground - Game 1

The Harvest of the Dead

Ever since the betrayal at Gothizzar during the final stages of the Realmgate Wars, countless devoted sigmarites had searched for the Great Necromancer. Nagash's name had been wispered with even more hatred after his legions attacked the Seeds of Hope during the Season of War. Yet, there seemed to be no sign of the Great Necromancer. Then, from the Harrowmark in Shyish, rumours of a death plague bearing all the hallmarks of Nagash's sorcery spread through the Realms. In Venythia, Lothar Valdemius saw an opportunity to finally turn the Gilded Hand to open allegiance with the God-King. If, by chasing the Great Necromancer in Sigmar's name, he could secure a foothold in Shyish for the Gilded Hand, the alchemists might finally relinquish their mistrust for the King of Azyr. Lothar pledged with the Gilded Hand Elders to dispatch him and his Church of Sigmar's Retribution to the Harrowmark. The Elders, keen to get the Warpriest and his sermons out of Venythia for a while, accepted his request.

Thunder rumbled and echoed over the distant ragged mountain peaks that surrounded Wortbad. Leaving the shelter of a derelict barn, Lothar led the Penitent Brotherhood into the gloomy village. Avram kept close to the Warpriest as the human sped up to keep pace with Sharpbeak. The Gryph Hound had already picked up a trail.

Pieter von Toorn left the group to investigate a nearby cemetery. Something was wrong in there, he could feel it.

Suddenly, another rumble was heard. Guttural voices rivalled with the thunder as a ragged band of orruks in garbs that mocked the attire of serious Witch Hunters swarmed into the courtyard of a boarded up inn.

The hulking Warboss took a Fellwater Troggoth and a maniple of boyz out of the inn.

Another group of orruks lingered at their back, attempting to get into the inn.

With a bellow, the Warboss charged toward Lothar, his grunts hot on his trail. Sharpbeak was trumpled over.

Taken by surprise, the Warpriest was bearly able to hold his ground. Avram, on the other hand, made the orruks paid dearly for their rushed attack. And then, as the first drops of blood seeded the ground, the wind took on a mournful whistling and dedwalkers sprung up around Wortbad.

Pieter was surrounded, and only his skill with the great sword saw him fending off the surprise attack and felling one revenant.

The unengaged orruks ganged up on a lonely zombie that had claw its way out of the ground close to them.

The Penitent Brotherhood, seeking a chance to wash their wickedness in battle, charged in to protect Lothar from the Warboss and his minions.

Lothar raised his voice in a prayer to Sigmar and as his wound healed he landed a couple of blows on the surrounding orruks.
Then, a thick mist rose, the groaning of more deadwalkers echoing from unseen directions. It was no time for heroics. Nagash's hand was at work and the orruks were simply a distraction. It was better to fall back and try to figure out what, or rather who, was behind the deadwalkers raising.

Silver Tower - Tzaangors

Although slowly, work on the Silver Tower models goes ahead. Over the past few weeks I've painted the Tzaangors.

I really like these models, so I decided not to convert them. I also really like the textbook blues-ish skin. However, I don't particularly like the 'eavy Metal choice of colour for the armour. The hue of blue they've used for it doesn't contrast well enough with the skin. That's way I've decided to paint the armour in the same purple I've used on my Heretic Astartes. I knew blue and purple contrasted well, plus, who knows, I might be able to use the Tzaangors in 40k games too! After all, the Tzaangors first featured in "The Lost of the Damned" as servants of the Thousands Sons, so there's hope they'll feature in the coming 40k supplement for them. In any case, they might do for some characterful daemons.

Just like for the heroes I've already painted, I've used the Sahttered Dominion bases. This time, again to contrast the different parts of the models, I've swapped the blue on the tilework for yellow. The green-yellow really makes the Tzaangors pop out and it still matches some of the Silver Tower boards.

I've used yellows and greens again on details like feathers, gems and loincloths, but kept the purple for the mane of the model with shield.

I imagined the tentacles on the model with two axes to be covered in a tiny layer of ooze, so I gave them a coat of gloss paint.

Hallow'd Ground - Hallowen's Age of Sigmar Campaign

An introduction

It's October, days are getting shorter, mornings colder and trees are starting to change colours. This means only one thing: winter is coming...no wait! That's another thing! What is really coming is Halloween!

Warboss Kurgan and me often tried to celebrate Hallows Eve with a themed, evening game, but this didn't always work. Yes, real life got in the way!. So, this year we have decide to build our Halloween's celebration into our regular lunch-time gaming and run an entire Halloween themed campaign. We will only use the 'The Deadwalkers' Battleplan from this summer Throne of Skulls. What's better than a zombie invasion to celebrate the spookiest festivity of all? We will not randomly generate the objectives, rather, every week we'll select one around which we'll build the campaign narrative. And of course, our warbands will be themed too.

I'll be bringing my Devoted of Sigmar, the Church of Sigmar Retribution. I featured them some months ago on the Tales of Sigmar blog but then didn't have the time to give them a proper background. That doesn't work well for some of the main characters in a story. It is time to remedy!

The Witch Hunters

Pieter von Toorn joined the Order of Azyr as a young man haunted by visions of Sigmar himself calling on him to cleanse the Realms of the Chaos taint. The spirit-eyed youngster rose swiftly through the ranks of the Order.

By the time the first Stormhosts were ready to clear Azyr of orruks and other beasts, Pieter was a Captain leading a small band of Witch Hunters in scouting missions that paved the way for the Stormcast's offensives. He personally handpicked them.

Ludvig Mannhaft, Pieter's mate since their training, tempers the Captain's fiery nature with his cold and lucid rage.

The dashing Friederik Abscheu is a tracker and hound trainer of unsurpassed ability.

In the young Jakob Finster, Pieter saw a dedication akin to his own.

Their repute among the Order is undisputed and whenever an enemy of Sigmar must be tracked down or precious relics recovered, their names are always the first to be put forward.

Sigmar's Hound

Friederik Abscheu found this litter of griffon cubs in the wilds of Azyr, their mother slain by rampaging orruks. After directing the freshly forged Stormhosts against them, the Witch Hunter took great care to raise and train the cubs. Under Friederik's attentions they have become a fiercely loyal pack, a sharp word and few whistling sound is all that their master needs to unleash them against Sigmar's enemy.

Lothar Valdemius and Sharpbeak

Ever since he joined the Church of Sigmar, Lothar Valdemius dedicated himself to the mastery of Sigmar's teaching and the knowledge of the Realms before the coming of Chaos. Every waking moment he was not training with his hammer or communing with Sigmar, he spent in Azyrheim libraries. It was because of his knowledge that the Grand Conclave chose him to explore Chamon. The Warpriest gladly accepted and only asked for the best trackers the Order of Azyr can provide. The Conclave summoned Pieter von Toorn and his team and gifted Lothar with Sharpbeak, a young, fierce Gryph-hound. Their orders were simple: move out from the ruins of Elixia and rally all the untainted survivors he could find.

Avram the Daemonslayer

The duardin known as Avram was a builder and warrior in one of the Dispossed clans tasked with the rebuilding of Elixia after the rediscovery of Ghal Maraz. He saw all of his kin slaughtered in a single, daemonic attack attempting to re-seize the city. Driven completely crazy by remorse, he took the path of the Unforged and stalked the least secure corners of Elixia in search of revenge. He found Lothar and Pieter's team cornered by a horde of gibberish Tzeentchian daemons. Single-handedly, he despatched the Lord of Change directing the horde. When Lothar offered him a chance to bring his and Sigmar's revenge to the furthest corners of Chamon, he gladly acccepted.

Wilhelm Glaubig and the Penitent Brotherhood

Ever since Sigmar's retreat to Azyr, his Cult had been grudgely tolerated in the lagoon city of Venythia. Yet, the alchemist of the Gilded Hand ruling it understood well how the Devoted could boost the fighting prowess of their Free Companies and keep Venytia safe through the Age of Chaos. Wilhelm Glaubig was one such man. A self-thought Warrior Priest, he was convinced that the Age of Chaos was Sigmar's punishment for humanity wickedness. He preached that only the mortification of the body could bring about the return of the God-King. Over the years, he rallied a rag-tag band of former mercenaries brought to the edge of insanity by never-ending war. As the Storm of Sigmar broke, the Penitent Brotherhood were certain that years of repentance were rewarding them. They fought at the forefront of the Free Companies, eager to rest their eyes on the glory of the Stormcast Eternals. When Lothar Valdemius and the Witch Hunters brought the Word of Sigmar to Venythia, Wilhelm knew the God-King has finally deemed him worth again.

The Militia

When Lothar reached Venythia, he had already gathered a small band of survivors. Chamonite slaves freed from the yoke of Chaos, they made for a good if unruly fighting force. Led by Russ Krahe, a pit fighter Valdemius had rescued from a Chaos tainted arena, they could be relied to fight until the very last. As the Realmgates Wars came to a conclusion, survivors from many disbanded Free Companies had joined them. Not all of them are true believers, but their hatred of chaos is all Lothar asks of them.