An army of the End Times: The House of Shattered Tears Part 3

Here is the final part of my End Times army project, soon to be followed by a post showing a few army shots.

House of Shattered Tears: Part 1, Part 2

The Salt-Blood Reavers

The Salt-Blood Reavers crewed the ship that brought Dazmir to the Tower of Infinite Woe. These corsairs are captained by Dresla Salt-Blood, a cruel maiden of the seas who belongs to a lesser corsair house pledged to House Victarian. Taking a lover from amongst the high elf house-guard, a grim elf named Althrithar, Dresla marches with the House of Shattered Tears hoping to earn the patronage of Dazmir - the Hand of Doom.

The Blades of the Tower

The Blades of the Tower are an old order sworn to the House of Shattered Tears. Many a soldier or servant of the Tower go mad from the strange magics that surround the Seers, those thus afflicted come to wear ceremonial torture helmets that keep the unfortunate elf lucid enough for mind control. Most continue to descend into further insanity; the helms rendering them little more than automatons. Some however ascend to a new level of consciousness as they are able to gain some understanding of the visions of the Seer. These elves are deemed stable yet expendable enough to wield cursed swords; becoming powerful shock troops with no sanity to hold them in check. The Blades have long been considered an abomination by the other great houses of Caledor and for the past few thousand years mad elves that would usually qualify have instead been ritually executed to end their suffering. With the arrival of Dazmir and the House of Shattered Tear's alliance with Doombringer however, Prince Astalaton has reformed the order to serve in the bodyguard of the Hand of Doom; directed into battle by three of Dazmir's personal retainers.

Tyrek Tallhelm the Scarred was a childhood friend of Prince Astalaton, his sworn-sword and loyal companion in many a campaign. Carrying the ancient banner of the Tower of Infinite Woe he has proudly served the Prince for hundreds of years. The mind-bending magics of the Seers have taken their toll on him though and in recent years Astalaton has watched his friend fall to insanity, eventually placing the ceremonial torture helm on Tyrek himself. Rumours abound that it was this event that caused the rift between the Prince and his seer sister, Tyrek Tallhelm now little more than a screaming automata who continues to carry the standard of the Tower into battle completely heedless and unaware of any danger around him.

Tales from Frostgrave - Part 1

Avrilar inhaled the freezing air of the city, tasting the sweet tang of death upon the air. From his position atop a ruined watchtower he could see for miles across the southern quarter of Folstad, or Frostgrave as it was now known, miles upon miles of ice and ruin amidst which wizards fought one another for long-buried mysteries. The necromancer smiled cruelly as he thought of so many he had buried under the snowdrifts and of the many who had shortly risen to fight for him; the secrets on their pale lips his long-sought prizes. 

He had been in the city a few months now plying his bloody trade in search of the power he desired and the cure he craved. Scorning the practice so common amongst his peers of hiring mercenaries to do their dirty work for him, Avrilar had brought a company of half-wights with him; their half-living flesh and pliable minds proving more reliable than greed-driven mortals. His only living companions were his champion: Vortigrin the Dreadknight and his apprentice Elthiria of Valacre. 

Vortigrin had served Avrilar for many years, a man with a talent for murder who wished only to continue his gory work in both this life and the next. Elthiria had been apprenticed to the necromancer for many years now though he remained ever wary of her. He had heard far too many stories of wizards killed in their sleep by impatient or power-hungry pupils and he wished not to feature in any such future cautionary tales. She remained dutiful and willing to serve her master, something that seemed only to make Avrilar more paranoid though he would not send her to her grave, not yet anyway: he still had uses for her. 

She had taken no issue with coming to Frostgrave, indeed she had relished the opportunity to explore the thawing myth. To Avrilar’s surprise it had been Vortigrin who had been least pleased, the northman remembering fell tales of those ancient ruins. Promises of power however had swayed him quickly enough and the necromancer had not been forced to call upon old oaths of fealty. Certainly he had not wanted to force the issue least either of them uncover his true intentions nor did he want to reveal much about his dealings with the Cabal who were sponsoring this venture. Vortigrin would have called him a fool and Elthiria would have no doubt begun plotting to supplant him should he say too much. The Cabal had approached him with an offer he couldn't refuse and little did his companions know that every day he was getting more and more desperate. 

Thankfully the Cabal had not forced him to endure the presence of one of their own agents and give the game away. His shadowy benefactors had been surprisingly flexible and willing to grant him a great deal of autonomy. In return they asked only for several choice artefacts and the death of a few certain individuals, all of which was little trouble for the necromancer who had already found two of the artefacts in question and had slain some nobody illusionist the Cabal apparently had taken issue with. The artefacts puzzled him somewhat, seemingly random and inconsequential he couldn't see what possible use the Cabal could have for them. He had entertained the notion of keeping them for himself in order to unravel their secrets, but he was no fool and thought better than to cross the people keeping his operation afloat. 

A representative of the Cabal had come to collect the first artefact shortly after he had acquired it. The demon had worn the guise of a traveller robed in black but overall presented an unconvincing figure as the mouth of it’s disguise failed to move as the creature spoke. It took the artefact, a rusted albeit jewel-encrusted sword, in one gloved hand and gave Avrilar a heavy purse in exchange with the other. They also exchanged rumours of happenings in the outside world and in the city before the demon warned Avrilar that the Cabal was sponsoring other wizards yet to come to the city, amongst them a chronomancer who could prove a powerful ally or a dangerous foe. The demon’s stolen skin managed a smile as the creature left and Avirilar was anticipating seeing it again any day now since he had recovered the second artefact: a bent and battered sceptre taken from the hands of an overconfident elementals riding high on her most recent find. 

Avrilar had had little trouble against the other wizards in this part of the city thus far barring a random encounter with a particularly tricksy enchanter. Recent news however had proven somewhat unsettling. The day previously he had heard rumours that a Sanctifier had set up a base somewhere in the southern quarter and had gold to spare for any mercenary willing to help reclaim relics of the Light. Avrilar had then spent a fair bit of coin to confirm his suspicions and the news his spies returned with unsettle him further: Tyriak Lecter had come to Frostgrave. Avrilar had crossed paths with the fanatical thaumaturge before; the encounter costing him an arm. In return Tyriak’s left eye had fallen to the necromancer’s scythe and both parties had sworn vengeance upon the other. Avrilar doubted that his presence alone had drawn the cleric to the frozen city though he knew it wouldn't be long until Tyriak learnt of his presence. Avrilar was fairly well known to certain circles within Frostgrave. Circles Tyriak would certainly be seeking to cleanse soon enough. 

Some good might come out of this news at least, he mused. Tyriak could very well eliminate some of the competition for him and might even put an end to the summoner that had been troubling him in recent weeks. The self-proclaimed Corpse-Bane and his imps had been playing havoc with the necromancers of the city for about a month now. Appearing out of the storm and slaying any who offer any resistance; he had been ritually executing necromancers and their apprentices whenever he managed to capture them. Avrilar’s spies had brought back little useful information thus far: the summoner never seems to hire the same mercenaries twice, never for more than one job and pays them well enough that no questions are asked. 

Vortigrin had also collected rumours about a savage soothsayer and a genius engineer coming to the city though he had learnt little more from the camps he had visited under the guise of a northern mercenary. Elthiria had been managing his correspondences with a few of the other wizards in the quarter and she had managed to form some agreements between him and a select group of others. Pacts he fully intended on breaking when the time was right but vital for now if he wanted to keep track of the competition. His spies brought in daily reports of occurrences across the entire city yet many of his objectives remained elusive.

Fulfilling the terms of his contract with the Cabal was going well, though the thoughts of them sending other agents to the city perturbed him. However his own plans were going less well, his agents were yet to locate the true resting place of Curalimil the Alchemist. Raids on two other tombs had been met with stiff resistance from strange cultists and neither had contained what he sought though they had enriched his operations. 

Avrilar was soon disturbed from his thoughts as Elthiria came to stand next him, he turned to regard her noting the specks of blood around her eyes so poorly wiped away in haste. Necromancy was taking its toll on the young elf, something that mildly amused the elder wizard though he just hoped it wouldn't damage her too much before he had need of her. She held out a scroll which he took with his artificial arm and opened before him. Another report, it seems that another necromancer in the southern quarter was looking for Curalmil the Alchemist’s Tomb as well. He certainly couldn't allow that. Avrilar held out his hand and one of his demi-wights obediently handed over his rusted scythe. He grinned to himself beneath his respiratory mask as he raise the blood-encrusted edge to the light; another day, another death and another chance for the power he craved...

An army of the End Times: The House of Shattered Tears Part 2

Part 1: The House of Shattered Tears

I have now added the Island of Blood set to this army to help  pad it out a bit more and bring it up to around 2000 points. I have also managed to cobble together a few more units out of spare pieces which you can probably see lurking in the background of a few of the pictures.

Prince Astalaton

Prince Astalaton is pretty much straight out of the box barring a head swap and an axe replacing his lance. A sombre and stern man who, like his forebears, has been deeply effected by the curse of his house and the strange magics of the Tower of Infinite Woe. He is renown across Caledor as a man of uncompromising principles, his honour bound code of conduct earning him the title of Lord-Justicier of the Doomspire Fleet and a place on Doombringer's High Council upon his alliance with the Dreadlord.

Due to the unsettling magics that surround the Tower of Infinite Woe and the curse of its lords, no dragons have every been pledged to the service of the House of Shattered Tears. Instead tradition has seen the princes of the tower ride upon the backs of Griffons which adorn their banners.

Morvarel the Seeker

Rather than have another regular wizard in this army I decided to convert the Island of Blood mage into a Loremaster of Hoeth. This was simple enough, I simply removed the head and arms, didn't attach the regular chest piece and added new bits before covering any gaps with greenstuff. I also positioned him at an angle on his base rather than face-on to emphasise his pointing arm. Morvarel the Seeker is an old friend of Prince Astalaton who has long studied the Tower of Infinite Woe, devoted to knowledge above all else he gladly became Dazmir's apprentice and has begun to embrace darker arts.

Lady Arianne the Seer

Lady Arianne is Prince Astalaton's sister and is the current Seer of the House of Shattered Tears. Gifted with powers of foresight and tormented with dire visions of the End Times she is a sombre soul, cursed by blood and righteous in wrath. She is accompanied at all times by her handmaidens who are drawn from the families of lesser noble houses sworn to the Tower of Infinite Woe. To serve the Seer in such a capacity is considered a great honour but a deadly one for the madness such proximity may entail. When a girl leaves to become handmaiden to a seer her family will throw a great celebration before performing a ritual funeral after she has gone.

Lady Arianne with her Handmaidens

I have always loved the Spellsinger model and this was the perfect excuse to buy one. The handmaidens are some of the old Handmaidens of the Everqueen that I picked up years and years ago and have never actually finished painting. At various times I have considered using them in several different armies but I have never fully committed to a particular role or colour scheme for them until now.

I thought I would just take a moment to speak about Instant-mould, which without I would not have been able to get very far on this project at all. I have used it for the face masks of Dazmir's bodyguard as well as for some shields, sea dragon cloaks and a few other little bits and bobs. It is fairly cheap, you can pick a packet up off of Amazon for about £12, and is reusable. You can use it to make very simple push-moulds that can be quite useful for replicating a part for use across an army. For example I can see this being used to create large amounts of custom shoulder pads for space marines and I already have a few ideas of using it to replicate some armour parts for my Dark Angels. I would recommend it for any hobbyist looking to try some modelling to add some extra unique touches to their army.

Reviving My Dark Eldar - Elites

Here are some more photos of my recently revived Dark Eldar army. You can find more pictures of all aspects of the army by clicking on the 'Parade Grounds' page found near the top and scrolling down to 'Scions of the Skin-Lord'. Clicking on this will take you to a page dedicated to the army full of background, pictures and links to associated posts. You can also find many of my other armies on the 'Parade Grounds' and you should probably check them out. 

Or you can just click this link to go straight to the page: Scions of the Skin-Lord

Trueborn Squads

Reviving my Dark Eldar - Talos Pain Engine

Here are some more photos of my recently revived Dark Eldar army. You can find more pictures of all aspects of the army by clicking on the 'Parade Grounds' page found near the top and scrolling down to 'Scions of the Skin-Lord'. Clicking on this will take you to a page dedicated to the army full of background, pictures and links to associated posts. You can also find many of my other armies on the 'Parade Grounds' and you should probably check them out. 

Or you can just click this link to go straight to the page: Scions of the Skin-Lord

The Beast of the Pit

Thoughts on Age of Sigmar - Rage, Optimism and the Uncertain Future...

Well this has been an interesting few weeks. After the demise of the Old World we finally see what has come to take its place and the emergent Age of Sigmar has divided the community. Here I will attempt to gather some thoughts from across the internet as well as throw in a few of my own ramblings with regards the new release. More than anything this is for posterity's sake as I think it will be interesting to look back on the dawn of this new era of Warhammer in the months and years to come.

I will address the three core aspects of the game (as I see them): the models, the rules and the fluff followed by a lengthy conclusion. Throughout I will attempt to include both the positive and negative   though I forewarn you I shall probably tend towards the latter though I try to keep some optimism. 

The End Times: Archaon - Review

So the end has finally come. This is it, the final swan song of Warhammer as we know it. I realise it has taken me a long time to review this book since its release, this is partially due to exams and other commitments I have had, but it is also due to a profound sense of detachment. The world has ended, that is how this book ends and that is a very jarring phenomena for someone who has invested a lot in this setting. This book has not been an easy read.

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

If you haven't read my other End Times reviews yet you can read them here:

• The End Times: Nagash - Review
• The End Times: Glottkin - Review
• The End Times: Khaine - Review 
• The End Times: Thanquol - Review

The fifth End Times volume, as ever quality and presentation remain high. The first book is 264 pages and the second is  79 pages.

I will write this review much like the other four, discussing the background then the rules before moving onto whatever random musings and comments I can think of. 

An army of the End Times: The House of Shattered Tears Part 1

Whilst waiting for layers of paint to dry on Nagash I have been working on this side-project. In an attempt to empty Limbo (my aborted projects box) I have gathered together a range of elven miniatures in an effort to make a coherent army out of them and with the advent of the End Times I can do just that. Thus, far my efforts have been largely successful with several units assembled and a slew of lords and heroes converted to accompany them. I have also developed a colour scheme for them using some of the paints and techniques I have picked up from painting Nagash - essentially a Caledorian colour scheme of green and red but fairly unique in my opinion.

WARNING: END TIMES SPOILERS AHEAD!

If you want to re-familiarise yourself with the events of End Times Khaine you can read my summary and review of it here: End Times: Khaine - Review

As you can see much of this army is made from some rather random miniatures, some old and some new. In my efforts to empty Limbo I have managed to remove nearly all of the elf and dark elder spare bits and pressed them into service, and rather successfully thus far at that I think.

WIP House of Shattered Tears

The House of Shattered Tears is an ancient family of Caledor whose seat is the Tower of Infinite Woe, a grim pinnacle half-sunk beneath the waves and surrounded by blasted wastes from wars long past. The dynasty that controls this northern outpost of the dragon princes has long been gifted with the powers of foresight and prophecy, once seen as a blessing it has long been considered a curse. The sinister and distressing foretellings of their mages giving the family, and their abode, their names. This ancient house is led by the brooding Prince Astalaton and his sister Lady Arianna the Seer. It was her visions that convinced her brother to support Prince Imrik in his alliance with Malekith and to even go so far as to join themselves to a Dark Elf house: that of Doombringer...

Inquisitor Mortimer Rex - Ordo Xenos Radical

"We can learn much from the Xenos if only we open ourselves to them"

Once a proud servant of the Imperium, Inquisitor Mortimer Rex has fallen into sadism and debauchery from his dealings with the Dark Eldar. Desiring knowledge and power above all else he has aligned himself with the Scions of the Skin-Lord to learn from their Haemonculi the secrets of life and death. In exchange he has betrayed the Imperium by revealing the location of military outposts across the sector allowing the Dark Eldar to evade Imperial patrols and strike undefended worlds. The Ordo Xenos has declared this renegade inquisitor Excommunicae Tratoris but none have yet found him as he travels from world to world performing vile experiments for his xenos masters.

Nagash - 2 months of work and 41 paint pots later...

This has got to be one of the most challenging models I have ever painted and I am really happy with the results. As soon as I saw the model I knew that I simply had to own it and I finally managed to get my hands on the Great Necromancer just after Christmas. It then took me two months to buy all the paints I needed for him and then paint him. 

I largely followed the painting guide you can buy and download. I would certainly recommend it if like myself you were worried about doing such an amazing model a disservice. The only major deviations I made was that I added a layer of xereus purple to the armour after naggaroth night and I painted the warpstone gems like the eyes with an added green glaze to give a glowing effect. 

This post is largely just a gallery of the finished model, for more pictures of my Undead Legions visit the Parade Grounds. Enjoy. 

Reviving My Dark Eldar - Troops

Here are some more photos of my recently revived Dark Eldar army. You can find more pictures of all aspects of the army by clicking on the 'Parade Grounds' page found near the top and scrolling down to 'Scions of the Skin-Lord'. Clicking on this will take you to a page dedicated to the army full of background, pictures and links to associated posts. You can also find many of my other armies on the 'Parade Grounds' and you should probably check them out. 

Or you can just click this link to go straight to the page: Scions of the Skin-Lord

Haemonculi Apprentices

Skin-Reaver Warriors

The Hobbit - Basing my collection

One thing I decided to do over Christmas was to actually base my Hobbit collection rather than simply leaving their bases black. Using some instant mould and a lot of greenstuff I made suitable bases for all of the models from the 'Escape from Goblin Town' set which I think turned out quite well. I also took some time to base the other misc. Hobbit models I have picked up over the past few years. 

Warriors of Order Sketchbook - Part 4

The End Times: Thanquol - Review

This End Times book managed to melt the GW webstore servers when it went up for pre-order, everyone evidently in a rush to grab one before they went out of stock like Glottkin and Khaine did after not even an hour. With hardback books not being sent to stores this meant that there was actually plenty for everyone and the book remained in stock in the UK for a few days afterwards before becoming available in soft back only. I was one of those who sat constantly refreshing for about an hour, crawling towards the checkout bit by bit between server timeouts. Whilst my efforts were ultimately a bit overzealous considering it didn't go out of stock in ten minutes, it was a very stressful evening and I was overjoyed when my order was confirmed. 

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

If you haven't read my other End Times reviews yet you can read them here:

• The End Times: Nagash - Review
• The End Times: Glottkin - Review
• The End Times: Khaine - Review 

The fourth End Times volume is slightly longer than the Glottkin and Khaine books and was the same price, as ever quality and presentation remain high. The first book is 233 pages and the second is  63 pages.

I will write this review much like the other three, discussing the background then the rules before moving onto whatever random musings and comments I can think of. 

Warriors of Order Sketchbook - Part 3

Reviving my Dark Eldar - Lord Havelock Dread-Hand

"I can taste it in the air, the sweet elixir of battle. Blood. Sweat. Fear. Pain. I drink it in through every pore of my skin and feast upon it with my hungry eyes. I live for the violence of our age; if only so that I can dance as a gore-drenched God amongst the stars revealing in my own murderous prowess."

Gladiator and assassin-for-hire, Havelock Dread-Hand was hired by Admiral Karzein Depravum shortly after the fall of Lethis on Lehron IV. Whilst Durizael was incapacitated, Karzein decided to flee to Kharcis Prime to escape the wrath of jealous Archons in the Dark City. The Admiral sent Havelock to Commoragh where he managed to retrieve most of the information stored by the Depravum in their Citadel as well as several relics which had not already been taken by looters. He bought them to the Fleshless Palace on Kharcis Prime and was rewarded with sponsorship from the Faceless Archon and the title of 'Lord' within his court.

This model happened a bit at random as I was taking apart some models I decided I no longer wanted in my army. The parts just fell together and after one quick mock-up later I decided this would be a perfect addition to the Scions of the Skin-Lord. Using nothing but his fists (albeit augmented with Hydra Gauntlets) Havelock relishes getting close and personal to the kill. His stance screams arrogance and also contemplation; as if he has just torn your guts out with his hands and is watching you writhe around on the floor dying.

In games I will be using him as a Succubus with Hydra Gauntlets, probably in smaller games when I don't want to field an Archon but want maximum killing power.

I was going to post my review of End Times: Thanquol this weekend but for various reasons I am yet to finish reading the book despite it sitting open on my desk permanently. I should however be able to get that review up next weekend as I have a far less busy week this week than last. I have been able to do some more painting though this week; Nagash is about half-way finished and I have done some converting with my elves but not much. All of this I should be able to get on the blog sometime near the end of the month. 

At the summit of the Doom-Spire

No light pierced the infinite darkness of the Doomspire as that lonely tower sailed across the aetheric waves of eternity. 

Deep in the gloom of uncountable horrors stirred hidden servants of the black prince; half-crawling, half-limping upon misshapen limbs they carried their ill-gotten prize through the archaic mazes of crumbling stone and cyclopean edifices towards their master. As they ascended the forbidden stair dull globes of witch-light illuminated their passage. The grey light, pale as a winters morning, caused the creatures to recoil, clawed hands were swiftly raised to yellowing eyes unused to all but the subtle glow of drauglin magic. Alas they carried on, each clack of their hooves upon the iron steps echoing into the infinite abyss around them, a sonorous and repetitive sound unhindered by nought else; for that which slept in the blackness cared not to wake and remained silent.

For forgotten eons they marched, never speaking nor turning back. Higher and higher they went with no sustenance or sound, only occasionally interrupted when one of their number fell from the stair; tumbling with a whisper into oblivion. Their trek of ages would be recorded by no man for there were no men, nay there was no such concept of time itself for the Doomspire floats on the currents of a dimension long forgotten by the scholars of Raxas Prime and never sensed by such primitive apes as those who inhabit that lonely rock Earth. Their journey took them to the highest point of that reality, a godforsaken place of twisted ruin and black fire where the powers of the old void conducted their unknowable affairs. 

To the chief of these beings did the creatures present themselves, cowering and mewling before his power. The masked figure of the Hand of Fate, the King of Destinies known to mortals as the Doombringer, did observe these most wretched of monsters who dared to come before him. Regarding them with eyes older than the universe he did take from them their prize; a small thing, nought but an image and a strand of text. He observed this tribute and with a knowing smile did free his servants from their pathetic existence as he began to fill the outer heavens with the sounds of his laughter.

The Hobbit - Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm

For Christmas my brother bought me this excellent miniature which I consider to be one of the best models to come out of the Hobbit range GW have done. In fact I liked the mounted version of his model so much I have slightly converted it to use as my avatar/antagonist within some of the Dungeons and Dragons games I run. This model is beautifully sculpted and elegantly captures the elven king in all his martial glory wielding his duel blades, cloak whirling about him. 

Thranduil, King of the Woodland Realm

This model was a real joy and challenge to paint in order to get the metallic quality into his robes, this was of course helped immensely by the quality of the sculpt which had lots of folds and creases perfect for making contrasts which I, of course, have managed to photograph terribly.

The metallic red-orange colour on the inside of his cape was difficult to achieve but I think turned out rather well and I would like to try out again on some models in the future. I was thinking that it could work really well contrasted with blue armour trimmed with silver and gold, perhaps if I ever feel like resurrecting my Tzeentchian Warriors of Chaos this would make a somewhat unique colour scheme.

The orc blood splattered on his swords, robes and cheek was simply a mix of 'Blood for the Blood God' and a small amount of 'Abaddon Black' which I think is suitably dark enough to represent orc blood but not so black in order to make it unrecognisable as blood.

I used greenstuff to sculpt some cobblestones on his base to represent the streets of Dale he fights upon later on in the final movie when he becomes unmounted from his elk. Speaking of which I found it odd that GW sculpted him upon a horse rather than the elk which he is seen riding briefly in the first film and is prominently shown in the third. 

Only a quick Hobbit post this week as I have been very busy with reading for my new modules and consequently haven't had much time for hobby work. In fact despite receiving End Times: Thanquol on Monday I am yet to read beyond the introduction I have been so busy. I should hopefully get some time to read it this weekend and get a review up next weekend for you. 

Nagash, Elven Hosts and Sauron - New year, new projects

This week I have finally begun my new projects for this year after settling back into university. My main project is going to be Nagash, whose model I have wanted ever since I first laid eyes upon it, and then as a secondary project I will be attempting to build an Elven Host from various unfinished endeavours. I would also like to try and do some more canvas pieces this year, the first of which I have started can be found nearer the bottom of the post, and I thought I might as well put some of this art on the blog. 

This. I have needed it so bad...

Everyone and their cat seems to do unboxing photos/videos on the internet so here is my relatively poor attempt at one. The box design is quite nice, something very clean and slick about it being white that really helps to show off the model. The outer box seems to be unusually robust and made of higher grade card than usual, there is then a regular card tray that pulls out containing the sprues. 

These are the two sprues, the base and the instruction manual which also contain his rules. Rules in the box are a pretty good idea, one that I have only seen positivity for from the community. I was quite amazed that they managed to fit such a complex miniature onto only two sprues and even as I built it I was blown away by the detail and overall ambition of the model. He is sitting on my project table now ready to be sprayed and I can't wait to get to work painting him.

You can read my review of the first End Times book featuring Nagash here where I also talk a bit about the accompanying model release: End Times: Nagash - Review.

This pile of seemingly random collection of plastic and metal is a selection of various elven miniatures that I have acquired throughout the years, many in a state of total disrepair or simply without a use. They have languished in Limbo for some time now and this year I have decided to make them into a coherent force to field alongside my Dark Elves. I will be using the rules from End Times: Khaine to make a Host of the Phoenix/Eternity King. Thus far all I have done is stick the dragon together and drawn up a few plans, over the next few months I will be posting updates on this project including the overall cost of restoring and rebuilding this army. 

This year I have decided I would like to do some more canvas pieces and actually finish them. After falling out with oil paints I have largely been painting with acrylics, however I am terrible for starting pieces and never finishing them after losing interest about halfway through. This time however I have plenty of curious flatmates wandering over to my room from time to time who expect to see some level of progress. I have started two pieces, the main one being this painting of the Eye of Sauron inspired by his appearance in the Hobbit films. This is about half done with lots of work still being needed on the pupil and edges of the eye. I am also going to try and paint the One Ring text around the eye as well which should nicely finish it off. The other painting you can see in the background of a few of these pictures and is a bit of an abstract/surreal piece I will be posting when it is finished with the accompanying short piece of text that inspired it. 

This is my project table at the moment, two paintings started and Nagash ready to be sprayed. I am yet to fully assemble the great necromancer as he would be near-impossible to paint as a single piece. I should hopefully be able to start painting and post some pictures of Nagash in a week or two time, no idea when I will be able to work on the Elves or the canvas pieces. I have been spending a lot of my leisure time reading at the moment as my reading list tripled in size over Christmas and neither my copy of End Times: Thanquol or several books on 20th century history have arrived yet which will need reading almost as soon as I get them. Nagash is also going to take quite a long time to paint on account of the fact that he will require a lot of paints I don't own and I have a limited budget so it will take a few months to even get hold of the paints I need for him. 

Right, that is pretty much everything I am up to at the moment. I probably ought to go back to researching the formation of nation-states now so I will see you again next week, hopefully with a review of the new End Times book if I can read it in time. 

Doombinger out.