The Sun in the Mists
"What do yo mean you've lost him?", the darkness of Duskhaven's night retreated from Engrin's smouldering body.
"You promised his oath would be fulfilled at the end of the battle", Tark's rage pushed the night further back.
"And if he died, you owe us his body", Durbak's runes flared as he advanced towards the cornered Mistweaver Saih.
Mist seeped into the ruined building and suddenly there was a miststeel blade under Durbak's chin.
"Viserhyx, what a pleasant surprise!", sarcasm dripped from Laelanyel's every word as the Caengans halted, the air around them shimmering.
"I'll get you your Runefather, sons of Grimnir. In exchange, I only ask you lend me your blades, as I've agreed with him", the creaking of mistbows accompanied her words as more Shadowkin materialised out of the mist. "Is this a fair deal?"
"It is, aelf", replied Tark, smouldering rage sending sparks flying all around. "But mark my words. Fail to return Aef-Grimnir to us before Hysh rises again, and the whole Caengan lodge will be after you".
The Sun of Xereus had risen as soon as Mogrum had lost control of his ritual and the scrimshawed bone had vanished into dust. Now, the Sun was moving onto Duskhaven town square, chasing the darkness with its cerulean light.
The Cleavermaws huddled in a ruined inn, for once silent and glancing sideways at the Sun.
The Gloomfen Hunters entered the town, ready to claim the Sun for themselves.
Vyserhyx's Stalkers moved out of the building, two trails of fogs heading for the opposing warbands.
Laelanyel approached the Sun, the Caengans taking defensive positions around her.
Narlek Swiftblade emerged from the mist and slashed at Bosun Higgs, only to find himself clubbed unconscious by Harad's cannon.
Bekliel tried to hold the Gloomfen Hunters at the entrance of a narrow alley. Yet the aelfs broke through him like a surging tide and flowed into the town square.
Arrows flew from both sides and the air was filled with shrill Khainite cries and booming Zharrgrim warsongs.
Under the cerulean light, aelf and duardin bodies littered the cobbles.
Iyshak materialised in time to see the Cleavermaws leaving the shelter of the ruins and moving onto the square.
Laelanyel felt the bestial mind of Mogrum reachign for the Sun. Its skull visage turned slowly around, falling on a Khinerai and on the Caengans. And then, she found herself surrounded.
The Mistweaver gasped, her lungs filling up with mud summoned by the Hunters' Tidecaster. Staggering, she let her shadegheist ravage the Gloomfen Hunters and the mist take her through the Erebusia Gate.
Harad's cannon boomed, sending Iyshak tumbling down from the balcony he was shooting from.
Laelanyel emerged from the Sunken Gate. Still half-drawn, she did not see Mogrum and his lads falling on her. The Mistweaver found herself pushed against a wall parrying Mogrum's bladed totem-staff with her mist staff.
As she lunged forward, her dagger aimed at the orruk chest, her lungs contracted again and she fell flat on the ground, coughing mud.
The Weirdnob Shaman growled in frustration, his prize taken by the Tidecaster's magic. Now that both duardins and aelfs were gone, his boyz pushed the Dead Man's Chest forward and prepared to capture the Sun.
Laelanyel crawled away. When she felt safe, she removed her mask and wiped the salty mud from her lips. Once again, she was left with nothing, a queen without a crown. And yet, that crown had been so close... as long as Aef-Grimnir was by her side. Much as she hated to admit it to herself, she needed the Runefather. Especially now that the stern gaze of a whole lodge was set upon her.
Viserhyx's Shadowkin Stalkers
The Shadowkin that served Laelanyel as her soldiery were chosen among those showing the strongest affinity with the shadows and mist of Ulgu. Not simply able to pierce Ulgu's shroud with their keen eyes, they could merge with it, their bodies turning into a dense, swirling fog. Any interloper in Laelanyel's kingdom would found themselves arrased by flitting shadows, long hafted arrows raining on them from unexpected directions. And if any was able to pinpoint where the attackers hid, they soon found themselves surrounded by masked, black-skinned aelfs whose vicious miststeel blades were as deadly as their arrows. Ever since Laelanyel's departure, they broke up into small roving warbands. Whether exacting their revenge on the servants of Chaos, robbing Sigmar's faithfuls foolishly exploring Ulgu, hunting the tribes of Gorkamorka for sport or chasing undead processions, they still await for Laelanyel's return and the day when they will reconquer their lost lands.
I kept the colour palette the same I've used on Laelanyel and Drevakh Xosh, with black skin, white hair, grey fog and purplish metal. Since the Tree-revenants have tatoos and ritual markings sculpted on them, I've added touches of purple on them too, to further hints at the Shadowkin's connection with the magical energies of Ulgu.
Viserhyx, the Shadow-walker
Narlek Swiftblade
Anielyn
Iyshak
Bekliel
Not only I'm really happy with how they turned out, I was also able to finish them just in time for the final game of Spellbreakers at Realm's Edge! So, stay tuned to see them in action...
The Shadowkin Stalkers
I'm adding a few more models to the Shadowflames. The snippet of fluff that inspired them mentioned the Shadowkin, which I've started to represent with the Mistweaver Saih and the Tenebrael Shard. But I also wanted some rank and file soldiery to represent these Ulgu aelfs. And that they are aelf has been confirmed, at least in my head-canon, by this other oblique mention in the new Blades of Khorne battletome.
I wanted something that brought together the design cues of the Silver Tower aelfs, namely the naked torso of the Tenebrael Shard and the mist of the Mistweaver Saih. The Tree-revenants were already perfect: naked torsos without legs and wielding vicious looking aelfish blades. All I had to do was adding the mist and the missing left arms.
For these, I got some Wyches arms as they're both the right size and wearing armour similar to that of the aelfs. However, I swapped some of the Wych weapons for bows from the old Khemri Skeletons. We all know the bow is the aelfs' favoured ranged weapon, don't we? This way, they can also count as WYSIWYG Shadow Warriors, whose special rules and background fit the idea of sneaky aelfs from the Realm of Shadows.
For the mist, I mounted the torsos on two lengths of wire armour, placed were the legs would be. I then covered them in greenstuff, modelling strands of it to join the 'legs', as if the lower half of the bodies had turned into mist.
The greenstuff also allowed me to hide the unsculpted part of the torsos and the joint with the left arms.
The heads are from the Bloodbowl Elven Union Team. I gave them all masks to link them with the Mistweaver Saih whose face is hidden as well. Once the neck was cut and the masks glued in place, the heads fitted surprisingly easily on the Tree-revenants' neck joint. All that was needed was a slight trimming of the plastic and a generous amount of plastic glue.
They won't be finished in time to join the Shadowflames for the finale of Spellbreakers at Realm's Edge, but you won't have to wait long to see them painted and read about their story.
