The Track to the Great Gathering
It is told that when the Valley of Defilement opened and the Promethean Tower came to life once again, the Flesh Barons stared at the wastes in terror. The mighty and the desperate, the gambler and the outlaw, the dead and the dying, all came to feel the mad rush of road war and death again. Furious battle was joined and soon mushroom clouds of dust covered the furious sun. There lied the wreck of the Promethean Tower, its black blood and sacred tech unclaimed. From the heights of the Broken Mountains, the Rustmen looked down in disbelief and stirred. But then, Red Wind returned. In caves and tunnels, the Purebred hid. There, Great Warfather Arun and Mahela the Keeper of the Flesh weighed the tribe's ancient scavenging rights. They both knew they had to defend them if the Promethean Tower's bounty was to be theirs. And as Red Wind left, they took the Purebred onto the track to the Great Gathering.
The First Day
The Great Flat opened in front of the Purebred. Sharp rock-glass shards and the scattered remains of settlements. Nothing good had ever come out of the Flat. Yet it was the shortest route the Purebred could take. Eshelon the Raider was sent ahead, scouting. The Great Warfather followed the Rider, his own son Larg and Yash the Blemished with him. A crumbling refinery lied ahead, offering shelter for the rest of the tribe and the faint hope that some Stone Blood could be found. But alas, others were already there. From Ashtown they had come, their metal helmets glinting in the sunset. The Purebred and the Wasters squared up to each other. Then an hissing roar and the Wasters' lizardthing was on Eshelon. Shots rung loud, raising clouds of red sand around the Purebred. Little could Arun do but call his men back. In the open of the Flat, you do not take on a dug down enemy.
The Second Day
Upon sunrise the Purebred reached Crashpoint, where it is said that those travelling the Great Flat could wash the dust away from their throats. Warfather Dez left Yash, Larg and Eshelon at the edge of the town and made it for the closest drink hole. Suddenly, the fur on Snapper's back bristled. Armed figures slinked through the shadows. The Ashtown Wasters too had come to Crashpoint. Warfather Dez' rage bolied up and he claimed ravenge rights. Bullets flew through the streets of Crashpoint. And then, the Hymns for the Black Machine filled the air. The Disciples of the Black emerged from their hiding places, restoring the town peace with a barrage of grenades. By old tradition, their was the right to settle matters in Crashpoint in the sacred name of the Black. Phospho spoke for them and declared the Purebred had broken the peace. They were to leave immediately. On that day, Dez swore he would have satisfaction.
The Third Day
It was in abandoned Solitude that the Purebred stopped to search for tech. Arun was leading the scavenging party when he was confronted with the Thing. The Great Warfather charged, his serrated poleharm splitting the wretch from neck to groin. He did not care whether the Thing was alone, such an aberration could not be allowed to mar the land. And in his indignation, he angered the Stash Riders that had taken the Thing among themselves. Hot beams flashed, Dez' flamer roared, Larg's shotgun barked, but soon the Riders' superior weapons took their toil. Securing what they could, the Purebred left Solitude. It had been a good day, the Laws of Da-ar-vin had been enforced and the tribe had enough tech to make for good trade at the market in False Hope.
The cast
We had our first meeting of the campaign to drool over each other's models and discuss the scenarios and fluff guidelines for the first weeks of the campaign. So, without much further ado, here you have the cast.
The Disciples of the Black, by David Whitworth
The Disciples worship the Black as a life giver. It runs the machines, it is neither good nor evil to them, just life. The Rustmen are one incarnation of Its Spirit as are the ancient fallen God Machines. They see it as their sacred duty to protect the Black.
Desert dwelling mutants: murderous, criminal and sneaky. From the Broken Mountains to Endcliff, across the desolate expanse of The Barrens past Windgrip, Malady and False Hope, the Slipgibbets scavenge the desert and battle with rival gangs. Always willing to stab an enemy in the back (or a friend, if needs be!). They are spiteful, treacherous gits.
A band of tech gangers that may not be human… They rag it around the Tor Megiddo Wastes in the Stash Wagon, looking for different and exciting substances to ingest.
The Purebred
Followers of the cunning Keeper of the Flesh, brutes obsessed with eradicating the taint of mutation from their tribe.
The Rustmen, by Saul Painters
The sacred metal creature from the myths of old, thaught lost since the Long Dark. Feared and revered in equal measure by the Yaike Yaike, they have been seen in increasing numbers since the Promethan Tower was destroyed, their strange behaviours both mistery and omen.
Another gang, the Ashtown Wasters by Ade Roberts, will also join the fight, but were not fully ready to have their picture taken.
I've also completed some more terrain, although not everything that I planned. I've added a second shanty, built exactly as the previous one. Here you can see the supporting structure made of sprue parts and a section of movement tray.
This time I decided to keep the colours of the walls and tarpaulin more distinct, hence the yellow canvas.
I've also repainted some tank traps and a truck I had made for my Astra Militarum/Chaos Cult detachment.
The truck will, most of the times, serve as a terrain piece, but it is ready to be pressed into service for 'The Caravan' scenario.
The last thing I needed to do, was to give names and a bit of background to each member of the Purebred. Here they are.
Great Father Arun, the Warleader
A giant of a man, Arun is the peak of the Keeper's efforts to breed the strongest and purest of humans.
Warfather Dez & Snapper
Hot tempered and rash, Dez seems to get along only with his trusted dusthound, Snapper.
Warfather Jax
Cool and calculating, Dez is often the only Purebred able to restrain Arun's most aggressive tendencies.
Larg, the Tribesman
One of Arun's sons, Larg just came of age and is eager to prove himself in the eyes of the more experienced warriors.
Yash, the Blemished
A Blemished since his youth, Yash is Arun's trusted attack dog, always at the Warleader's side in the thickest of fights.
Eshelon, the Rider
Nobody knows where Eshelon comes from. A loner, he keeps to the fringes of the Purebred's camps, never removing his hood. Why he joined hte tribe is still a mistery, but his skills as outrider are considered vital by Arun.
Kurk, the Blemished
A Warfather until not long ago, Kurk is still in the Keeper's care. Few doubts that, when he will return to the tribe, his shame will make him a dangerous fighter.
Mahela, the Keeper of the Flesh
Mahela had just seen twenty Red Winds when she was entrusted with Da-Ar-Vin's Book. Although Blemished shortly after, her understanding of Da-Ar-Vin's teaching is so deep that nobody dared to challenge her position. Old and withered, she is still acutely aware of the need to steer the tribe in the right direction. If she does not doubt Arun's prowess and tactical acumen, she is increasingly worried about his tyrannical attitudes.
