Kalyustar's Cursed Company
Kalyustar closed the skin bound tome and turned to his liutenants, a faint green glow leaking from his mask eye slits. Rhedgar and Krunti stood to attention next to him.
At the far end of the graveyard, the soil stirred and two warriors pushed themselves up. Behind them, a gor emerged from the dark woods.
"Well done, Soulchemist!" the Shadeglass Skull wispered. "You reach far and wide".
Kalyustar felt pride swell inside him as he watched Keinrich and Tollich inspecting the troops lining up in front of them.
"What an excellent Company!" purred the Skull. "Look at their pristine uniforms, how their feathers dance in the wind!".
"Indeed, my old friend, indeed! Faithful and loyal, too" replied Kalyustar, bitternes in his voice.
Even after so many years, his men's betrayal pained him. He had kept them safe through their voyages in the Harrowmark and still they listened to the wretched Witch Hunter and abandoned him in the woods.
What was wrong, when the Winds of Shyish blew strong, in using them? He knew it then, and he was even more certain about it now. The Necroquake had marked the beginning of his new life and through the Arcanum Optimar he had seen Spellhunters rushing through the Harrowmark in search of easy gains.
Not for him their greedy adventuring. He bided his time instead, channeling the raging magical energies to raise a Company that would serve him and never question him, no matter what.
"But do you know how they call them?" the Skull's voice intruded into his thoughts. "The men of the Harrowmark call them the Cursed Company, and you the Exile."
Bitternes turned into rage.
"Yes! They show me no respect. But those pig-headed peasants' mockery is about to end. You've heard of the Twsited Oak, haven't you?"
"Oh, I did. And what do you plan to do, Soulchemist?"
"I'll find it. I'll unlock its secrets and powers. And with them, I'll make the Harrowmark mine. And then, I'll laid my vengeance upon the Gilded Hand and their pityful armies of untrustworthy mercenaries!"
"Good, Soulchemist! Good! The Master is pleased..."
Kalyustar, the Exile
As we prepare to play another campaign in the Harrowmark, I've decided to continue exploring Kalyustar's fall and made a new version of him as a Necromancer.
His trademark mask (a stripped down Liberator head) is still there as is the Skull he clutches in his left hand (from the Necromancer model). I've reintroduced the bottle (from the Battlemage kit) he carried in his first, mounted incarnation, but this time kept the smoky skull emerging from it. What I have changed is the top of his staff (from the Necromancer kit) to further show his allegiance to Death. The red of his cloack is now further faded and I've also added some weathering on it.
He will lead a Warcry Legions of Nagash warband, which allowed me to model another tribute to yet another Regiment of Renown: Richter Kreugar the Damned and his Cursed Company, on which I have based the yellow and black colour scheme.
Thronir, Krunti and Rhedgar, Skeleton Champions
I have replicated the Dwarf and Elf skeletons using a 4th edition High Elf Spearman and a Battle for Skull Pass Dwarf Clansman. The human skeleton is a metal Armoured Skeleton with a shield from the Freeguild range.
The Swordmen, Skeleton Warriors
The Halberdiers, Skeleton Warriors
The Skeleton Warriors are made using the Khemri Skeletons kit with bits from the Freeguild range and greenstuff for the scraps of uniform. I made the raising skeletons as I chopped the legs from two models to convert a pair of Grave Guards.
Keinrich and Tollich, Grave Guards
In their case, the majority of bits is from the Freeguild range, with heads and legs from the Khemri Skeletons.
The Gor
Since the original Cursed Company included many non-human skeletons, I've made a Gor one. Except for the Chaos Marauder shield, it is entirely made with bits from the Khemri skeletons. And I've plans to add a skaven and an orruk!
Deployment markers
Finally, using the tombstones from the Khemri Skeletons and accessory from the Freeguild range, I've also made tokens to mark the deployment points of my Dagger, Shield and Hammer.
The Mists of War
Kalyustar came to his senses to find himself held by grim looking Wörtbaders. The armed peasants looked at van Toorn in puzzlement.
"But... Herr Hexenjäger... that falling star left a bloody trail in the sky!" said one.
"He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named is coming!" added another speaking in panic over him.
"We must hurry or..."
"Enough! Can't you see that was a sign from Sigmar? The God-King will deliver retribution to those that threaten this land! And I can not wait to be in Wörtbab to question this treacherous wizard" van Toorn's damning gaze fell on Kalyustar.
"There is wisdom in these men's words, Witch Hunter. Lunaghast still speaks to me and..."
"Silence!" a fist to the stern cut the word's out of Kalyustar's mouth.
As he gasped on the ground, a red haze creeped in, filling his lungs. The wizard convulsed, his mind and body ravaged by the vanishing voice of Lunaghast and a violent thirst for battle.
A Red Mist now covered the whole Harrowmark.
The Wörtbaders spread around swinging their weapons at the creeping mist, an unnatural frenzy in their eyes. A greenish glow cut through it as the Haunted Gate flickered and the Raidho Othalas emerged from it.
The Red Mist parted to reveal a regal looking spirit surveying the woods from the battlements of the Freebooter's Tower. Below it, his minions advanced through the woods.
"He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named!" the wisper came from the Wörtbaders.
"Prepare your bows and pistols! We'll fight them and we'll send them away from your lands!" the note of aggression in van Toorn's voice resonated with the men, replacing their fear with battle lust.
The Kharadron spread out of the Gate and levelled their weapons at the advancing undead. And yet, the ghosts advanced, material and aetheric shots alike passing through their forms. He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named floated down from the Freeboter's Tower and joined his servants.
With a chilling laughter, Lyrd Radclyffe emerged from the Red Mist and riding past Kalyustar schyted through the Wörtbaders.
Kalyustar fought the pain wracking him and harnessed his powers to dispatch the Hexwraith.
Screaming furiously, van Toorn charged and mauled the Deathrattle warrior that had been jarringly advancing towards them. The Witch Hunter then turned towards the distant duardin, a homicidal light in his eyes.
The duardin stubbornly planted their feet and prepared another salvo. Yet, they too were about to give in to frenzy. That much Kalyustar could see through the ruddy haze.
It is the Mist. Run, Soulchemist! the voice came clear, chasing away the pain that was plaguing Kalyustar. Without a second tought, the wizard slinked away into the woods. As he sped up, he glanced back to see humans, duardin and nighthaunt bathed in the seething Red Mist, their battle frenzy growing stronger with every bloody lung-full.
The Well of Souls
The Balemoon had risen every night since Kalyustar had found the shadeglass skull. The voices had come even more often, and by the Balemoon light they spoke of the Shattered Circle, where the souls of those dieing in the region were drawn. There, Kalyustar could find his lost men. If only he could continue to evade van Toorn. He had left the Witch Hunter for dead, but knew that it took more then some spirit hosts to do away with the Azyrite. And then, next to the Balemoon, Lunaghast had appeared. 'Follow the Balemoon now, Soulchemist! Use the secrets unveiled by Lunaghast to rejoin with your men'. Kalyustar looked up at the two moons and knew that was right. His men had died for him, they deserved a new life, a new chance to fight.
The morning mist was lifting as Kalyustar and Lucius left Wörtbad and made for the clearing were the ruined dais known as the Shattered Circle laid, trapping the souls of the departed.
They were almost at the clearing when they spied the Rotmoons in their elaborate armours and ruffs shouting cheerfully in the direction of a crew of Kharadron also converging toward the Circle.
"It seems the orruks are invoking the Code of the sky-pirates" wispered Lucius arming his repeater crossbow.
"We better..."
Kalyustar did not hear Lucius finishing his phrase. The wizard's attention had been caught by the low moaning of a spirit host, floating around as if searching for something.
An enourmous hook wistled through the woods, impaled Lucius and then dragged him towards the Kharadron. Kalyustar barely heard the guttural laughs of the orruks as he found himself repeating a cantrip the voices were wispering.
The spirits heard the cantrip and were drawn in the open, there to be caught by the rays of the setting Balemoon. As their essence dissipated, Kalyustar moved forward and trapped it in the shadeglass skull.
The Kharadron advanced towards the Circle, more of their kind approaching from the east. Kalyustar could not understand why, but they too seemed intent on collecting the souls drawn to the Circle.
Pieter van Toorn slowly advanced through a decrepit graveyard. Although he loathed Lunaghast, he had to admit that the Dark Moon had indeed revealed him where to find Kalyustar. Yet, he stopped, realising the Rotmoons were striking an alliance with the Kharadron.
The main group of Kharadron halted, listening to the orruks' offers. In response, one of the duardins rushed for Kalyustar, menacingly swinging his sky-pick. The wizard took a step back and out of his robes tossed a glimmering vial at the duardin's feet.
"Perhaps you should reconsider your priorities, master Kharadron, if nothing else, for this aether-gold".
Screaming in frustration, Kapitán da Leeva charged in, his pistol firing a mixture of rock salt and screaming gheists. The apparitions dragged the duardin away, leaving Kalyustar at the mercy of the orruk's cutlass.
Grinning, van Toorn prepared to charge. No one but him would have the wizard. The sudden arrival of a Rotmoon halted him on his track. He readied himself to take the charge, yet the orruk never made to him. As the brute stepped into the Balemoon light, he fell to the ground, his soul dragged toward the centre of the Circle.
Spitefully, the orruk's soul took a Kharadron with it. Orruks and duardin's were now fighting to claim control of the Shattered Circle. Kapitán da Leeva pistol continued to spit salt and gheists.
van Toorn let them fight. Their quarrels were none of his concerns. When the Kharadron withdrew, their arcane devices loaded with souls, and the orruks disappeared into the woods, the Witch Hunter gestured to the men that had been hiding in the graveyard.
"Those were the Raidho Othalas, they ship-wrecked during the last storm and..." the man's word died on his lips under the Witch Hunter's stern gaze.
"Keep your local news for yourself. I'm not interested in those Arkanauts, yet. This wizard left me at the mercy of Sigmar's enemies. That's a grievance I have to settle."
