Frostgrave / Mordheim henchmen part 1

I've done a bit of initial modelling for my Frostgrave / Mordheim war band.

I've thus far produced a barbarian, a couple of crossbowmen, and a dude with sword and shield.  The conversion work is relatively light here, mainly consisting of head swaps, although they weren't straightforward ones. Quite a bit of sanding and cutting was required, along with some filling.  The parts are largely from the Empire State Troops and Crossbowmen boxes, along with some stuff from the Warriors of Chaos Warshrine and Forsaken kits, as well as the Beasts of Chaos Ungor kit.

I also produced an objective or treasure marker.

For those that missed it, I also posted up my sorcerer and apprentice the other week.

Not too much more to say than that at this point!

Beastman Psykers / Sorcerors for INQ28, 40K Renegades & Heretics, and Frostgrave

You may recall that some time ago I started work on a coven of renegade psykers for use in a proposed Renegades and Heretics army for 40K.  That whole wider idea has kinda been shelved for the moment (more likely indefinitely).

The most likely use for these two gnarled individuals will be in games of INQ28 / Inquisimunda, where they will no doubt be associates of Inquisitor Daubenton...

More recently, I was made aware of a relatively new game called Frostgrave. It's a small scale skirmish game where your force is led by a wizard and his/her apprentice.  That's the respective roles these chaps will play for Frostgrave if I ever get round to playing it.  The hardback rulebook itself is really nice and is available for around a tenner from places such as Amazon, but the full price is only something like £15, so I'd recommend supporting an actual games store if you fancy it.  The ruleset is really simple and dynamic. The other great thing about this game is that you can use suitable models from any range, and that all people in your warband set out with the same stats. You just recruit others that you feel would be suitable and pay for extra equipment from your store of gold. One Stevie Boxall of Corehammer fame has promised me an intro game at some point in a few weeks, so expect a bit of a warband to appear at some point.

Inquisimunda: Archaeotech

I've been away from the blog, but not entirely idle.

I'll be putting up some more posts over the next couple of weeks, with any luck!

But for now, here's something I cobbled together, with no real purpose in mind, beyond being something that might act as an objective, or have a specific use in a campaign...

Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor & Wolfhound

Over the last week or two, I've steadily been working away at this representative of the Ordo Hereticus.  I bought the base model on a whim.  It's from the http://wargameexclusive.com/ web store.  On taking it out of the packet and blue-tacking it together, I thought she could easily be accompanied by a hound of some kind on a chain.  After an abortive attempt to attach her to a Fenrisian wolf (far far too massive), I opted for one of these wolfhounds from the Orion King in the Woods model.

The casual, menacing prowling motion seemed to fit well with the Inquisitors strolling pose. I think they turned out well as a pair. It's also the first double-basing I've attempted.

C&C welcome as ever.

Inquisitor Ziegfried Daubenton, Ordo Malleus – what we know or are able to surmise part 5.

+++Accessing Ordo Abstruse Datacoils+++

+++Sub-designation: Ordo Malleus+++

+++Ident code: 4612 Alpha Epsilon+++

+++Access granted: Welcome Interrogator Ignatius Basildon+++

+++Thought for the day: Beware the mutant; they have many forms.+++

Log entry: 3501AC

Subject: Inquisitor Ziegfried Daubenton, Ordo Malleus – what we know or are able to surmise part 5.

It is a matter recent of Ordos Abstruse record that Daubenton first encountered Inquisitor Contrino of the Ordo Xenos and {name redacted} reportedly of the Ordo Seriphos during his searches for a way to breach the Warp storm, and either reach or re-establish contact with wider Imperial space. The exact details of what transpired are somewhat scant, and thus are the subject of much speculation. Contrino, as many will attest, is also considered to be of radical persuasion.  Of {name redacted} far less is currently known.

Around this time, it is a matter of record that Contrino had been investigating the reported comings and goings of Eldar vessels in the sectoral fringe region known as the Shawl of Felicitẻ. In the course of her investigations, Contrino had located an Eldar excavation site on the northern pole continent of Dreyfus’ Wolde. It is suspected that through covert observations of the xenos (may the Emperor smite them) activities, Contrino had discovered a dimensional ‘portal’ or stable warp passage of some kind.

I have recovered the following excerpt that seems to relate to this from Daubenton’s personal logs:

“After intercepting a coded data squirt designation {redacted} Ordo Xenos, whilst patrolling in close proximity to the world of Caspian III, in the Shawl of Felicitẻ region, I decided to go planet-side with a team and investigate.  I deployed some of my abhuman agents to scout the region from which the data squirt had originated. Shortly, my scouts encountered a loose screen of Ordo Xenos agents. After some initial confusion and a very brief skirmish, inquisitorial idents were exchanged, and a meeting was set up with one Inquisitor Contrino (of whom I was aware by reputation) and another Inquisitor, {name redacted} reportedly of the Ordo Xenos (Ordos Seriphos).

Seemingly, Contrino had been investigating sightings of Eldar vessels in this region of space, which had led her planet-side.  She had covertly observed the Eldar activities, which seemed to focus around excavating an area at the foot of a landslip.  Thanks to the employment of some xeno-tech of Tau origin, the presence of her agents remained undetected by the Eldar.

Over the ensuing days, a large gateway was uncovered, and the Eldar had proceeded to employ some kind of grav device to force open the gateway. As it opened, this caused the scree above to collapse, partially blocking the gateway and slaying several of the Eldar. This caused visible consternation amongst the survivors, who had then recovered their dead and temporarily left the site.

The next day, the Eldar had returned and a group of them were observed entering the gateway, leaving behind a small force to guard the external site.  After 5 days with no activity to report, the small Eldar force appeared to become more and more relaxed, and were eventually ambushed and killed by Inquisitor Contrino’s team, in return for only minor casualties. Contrino proceeded to set up a defensive perimeter facing the gateway. It soon became clear to Contrino that the group of Eldar that had passed through the gateway had not been alerted by the fracas outside.

The interior of the gateway, upon investigation proved to be a steeply descending tunnel, approximately 300 metres in length, terminating in an immense archway containing an opaque energy field of some kind at its far end. Infrared and seismic scans showed that there was no further subterranean structure.

Simple scans of the energy field did not indicate that it would be harmful to carbon based life forms, and thrown rocks seemingly disappeared and did not rebound from it. Further testing involved sending servo skulls through the field. The first two passed directly through the field, and contact with them had been immediately lost. The third was programmed to perform a ‘U-pattern’ manoeuvre, which saw it pass through the field and return, with no apparent harm to its functionality. After some swift reprogramming, it was sent on a similar manoeuvre, with commands to perform a scan, and obtain visual recorded data.

Upon its return from this second manoeuvre, the data it captured was downloaded to a portable cogitator, and the results (which I have personally reviewed) were very interesting indeed. The archway, from a logical perspective should open into a subterranean area of some kind. However, the data actually indicates an above ground outside area, under the shroud of night (importantly, I would state that local time was at the middle of the daylight cycle). Analysis of the star scape indicates that the other side of this arch opens out somewhere in the Avignon region of the Seriphos Sector.

Inquisitor war band update: Death Cult Assassins

A goodly while ago I kitbashed these death cult assassins, and now I've finally gotten them painted.

Toying with the idea of calling them the Cult of the Bloody Grail.

Here's how they turned out.

Inquisitor war band update: Methuselah the abhuman Pariah

Methuselah is an abhuman, sub-designation: Beastman. He also has the dwarfism genetic disorder, which means he has a stunted stature. He also carries the extremely rare 'Pariah' gene, which makes him effectively a psychic 'blank', with a naturally occurring sphere of 'null' influence about his person.  Psykers find his close proximity to be unbearable, and will find themselves cut off from the warp and their mind powers whilst within his sphere of influence.

Sadly, it is not only psykers that find carriers of the 'Pariah' gene repellent. Other individuals find it incredibly difficult to be in the close presence of these poor wretches, but are unable to explain exactly why. Certainly in such semi-primitive societies (such as those of the sub-designation: Beastmen), for an individual such as this to survive to adulthood is rare in the extreme. Firstly, given his physical disability alone, it would be a normal cultural practice for such a creature to be abandoned in the deep wilderness soon after birth, to live or die as fate sees fit. Secondly, given his genetic 'gift', I would hypothesise that his mother would have been left severely mentally disturbed by carrying such a child to term. Even were the mother to survive the extreme mental trauma of birthing a child of this nature, how would she then be able to love and nurture him?

It is said that only other 'Pariahs' are able to easily tolerate each other's company. Although given the scarcity of this gene throughout the human population of the galaxy, the likelihood of such 'Pariahs' crossing paths is negligible. They are however a useful resource, and can sometimes be found in personal retinues of Inquisitors, where their null presence is a viable anti-psyker defence. Other applications for their unique talents have included induction into the Assassinorum as designation: Culexus.

Given the practical applications of such individuals, a delimiting device used to suppress the sphere of their null influence was developed by {name redacted} in the year of our Holy Emperor {redacted}. This particular individual has been lucky enough to be fitted with such a device after finding service in the personal retinue of Inquisitor Daubenton.

However, the previous experience of a life of extreme loneliness and rejection has resulted in this poor wretch becoming bitter and distrustful in the extreme of all but his closest confederates (Daubenton et al), who hold him in special esteem. He has been schooled, and is literate, numerate, and understands many of the societal niceties habitual hygienic practice that seem to escape the vast bulk of sub-designation: Beastman.