Free Companies of the Gilded Hand - 11

The Road to Armies on Parade, Part 2

Horribly late, but not because I failed to finish my board for Armies on Parade. Rather, the hype for Shadows of Commorragh made me forget to post about the trip of the Free Companies of the Guilded Hand to the Manchester Warhammer store.

As planned, I updated the colour scheme on Gudrun's Grudgebreakers (tribute to Long Drong's Slayers) and Steve 'Seagul' Boffin's Kitchen Crew to match the rest of the Free Companies.

I've also rebased a few objective markers I had done for Mordheim as they'd been perfect to represent the chest and scattered loot from the cover of the Dogs of War Army Book. Obviously, since then they've seen some action in Warcry games.

What was left to do, was to set them on the board. I decided to use my Ruins of Phos, the first set of scenery I did at the dawn of the Age of Sigmar.

I'm really proud that the board captured the spirit of the Dogs of War Army Book cover by only using models developed with gaming, rather than a painting competition, in mind. Alas that was a reference only hoary hobbist could get. So, while with a couple of guys we spent the morning reminishing about the Dogs of War army, the popular vote went to more current, and definitely better painted, Age of Sigmar boards. But who cares, I had fun!

And in case anyone was wondering, Kalyustar was on the board as well, just lurking in the back. That wizard always had a certain attraction for forboding locations.

In fact, you'll soon see him walking again through the twisted woods of the Harrowmark. Stay tuned!

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.

The Lost Tablet of Phos Campaign: Game 1

The Lost Tablet of Phos

Deep into the Sands of Revelation laid Phos. In all the Realms, no city was as blessed with wisdom and knowledge, as the Hyerophantis Order toiled in its granite temple and recorded the knowledge glimpsed from the light of Hysh on stone tables. The city was first lost to Nagash’s armies and then pillaged by the roaming hordes of Chaos. Yet, it is said that one last Tablet is still hidden in the sand swept ruins of Phos, one that holds secrets so powerful they could turn the tide of the Season of War. It is Skargat’s Ironforged Ogors that the Gilded Hand Elders have entrusted with retrieving the Lost Tablet. With it, the Gilded Hand’s Free Companies will have the power to retake the lost Venythian outposts from any interloper, or so it is believed.

The Obelisk's Secrets

"Get movin' you scum!" bellowed Skargat, bashing his axe flat on the neck of the nearest Ogor. "The hoomies said something about reading some stuff on the Obelisk of Tahaluk. The sooner we get there, the sooner we'll get some new pieces of iron for our collection!"

Shaking his head, Steve 'Seagull' sneaked away to find a high spot from where to survey the ruins. He couldn't understand why the Elders had assigned him to Skargat's expedition and he made no effort to hide his dislike for the ogors.

"Chief! Over there! Orruks!" shouted Kamog "And it's really good steel they wear!"

"And they're headed for the Obelisk...good, we'll also get a few extra suits of armour! Charge lads!"

As the Ironforged rushed forward, the flashy orruks spread wide to encircle the ogors.

From his hiding place, Steve rained arrows in the melee, while Skargat and his lads bashed and cut left and right. The orruks couldn't stand the Ironforged stamped and where soon sent realing from where they add come.

From the distance, Steve spied the orruk shaman intent on studying the Obelisk's inscriptions and then running away laughing gutturally. The Ironforged held the battle field, but maybe they had been to late?