The Undead Rise!

[jetengine]

*lightning flashes, revealing an ancient, wooden door. It creaks open slowly*

"Welcome, welcome..."

As something of a hobby butterfly, I find focusing a large force into a specific system a waste of time. My LOTR Goblins will no doubt be punching Oathmark humans in the nads, whilst my SPQR Gauls rampage through Erewhon. What I'm basically saying is this blog will focus less on specific builds and more "theme". Numbers may not be exact, dudes may not fit profiles 100% etc etc.

Anyway, I've got a YUGE Dwarf force sitting in boxes awaiting paint. But, like all dwarves they're patient, they can wait for me to paint them up some foes to smash. After numerous failed attempts to get Greenskins off the ground I decided  on something a tad spookier. Every fantasy company has SOME form of undead, giving me alot of options visually and they can be fairly quick to paint. Whilst I considered ghosts only, it felt a bit boring and Egyptian style mummies were right out (all that blue and gold looks like a knightmare to paint), your evil western undead force though is something I can dig.

Welcome to the force, the Grand Liche King Hiermonious Noste   himself, accompanied by two shadowy necro-constructs and a simpering toady. Whilst initially seen as a lord of darkness, he is a complex figure, seeking balance in his immortality. One can only play at super villainy for so long before looking for the stability of 'scary but legitimate nation'. With a long (but detailed) non-aggression pact signed, his neighbours are aware of the difficulties in 'trespassing' on his soverign soil. They do however gain relief in that anyone stupid enough to attack them, has to go through HIM first.

[Knight-Captain Tyr]

Nice stuff! Yeah, in favour of more 'theme' blogs for sure (not to say there aren't a good deal already, but I really enjoy them). Looking forward to seeing where this goes

[Melnibonean]

Very nice.
Like you I never seem to be able to build armies for one definitive game system and always try to collect figures to use them in multiple sets of rules.

[Vladimir Raukov]

Lovely work on the undead and it's nice to see a bit of backstory. I'll look forward to future updates on this undead nation with great interest.

[jetengine]

Vampires are a threat in this world. Common enough to be known and feared, yet rare enough that they will always be outnumbered, they rely on secrets, lies and subtlety to shift the pendulum more their way.

These creatures of the night have long and ancient roots, some suggest that the first Vampire was a person whose heart was irreparably shattered by loss, all the blood draining from within. To survive they would have to prey on their fellow man, gaining strength the more lifeblood they consumed. A simple story perhaps, but it's noted Vampiric transformation isn't simply a case of a single bite, there's a complex set of mental and emotional triggers attached and misery is a notable one.  For who but the most detatched from life would wish for undeath?

None the less, some of these fiends are more prominent then others and within Hiermonious Nostes court lies six of the most well known. Figures of infamy, renown and burgeoning diplomatic importance, they jockey and curry favour with their lord for time, interest and petty scores. They walk the sunlight hours, bereft of a majority of their abilities, assured that no one would be foolish to attack lest they bring down the fury of a liche  on their homes. Noste may find them irritating, but they are very valuable, for immortal perspectives are hard to find, especially ones willing to be flexible.

The leader of this little coven and the one with most courtly influence is Neva Belvrad. Officially the head of the treasurery, she also has her talons in many other pies, keeping an intricate spy network both within their nation and without. Whilst she has aims in getting more control over the King, she dare not allow some upstart outsider an assassination attempt. Her liege would not only be furious but she just couldn't deal with the hassle of running an entire nation. Keeping the economy afloat alone is a severe challenge, more used to having money lavished on her then doing so for others.

Even so, she has made great strides since her posting and the burgeoning living population of their nation have become stable for the first time in the fifty years since the treaties were signed.

Whilst her kind are not born with great magical ability, they are naturally attuned to Necromanctic energies. With appropriate tutelage from her liege she has become a powerful mage in her own right. Combat may not be her forte, but when pressed her combination of vampire physique and overpowering dark abilities can turn the tide.

[BeneathALeadMountain]

Excellent work my friend! My little chaps (when not something fixed like WW2) tend to be built/planned around using them in as many systems/rules as possible. I have Fireforge Northmen as my Rohan or Gondor force (from my impressions when I read the book the first time as an eight year old and some artistic licence) as I love the SBG rules and have additional converted brettonians wielding halberds that step in when playing Erehwon as Town Guard and they will hopefully stick with the profession when I play ‘Guilders’ (a thieving game being played by a LAF poster). I also like to ignore the strict classic fantasy racial tropes and have a more integrated society in my games (I love 3rd WHFB and the original WHFRP book but happily change/adjust things to fit my vision).

Keep up the good work,

Andrew
BALM

[Vladimir Raukov]

Lovely work, I like the bricks she's leaning on...is that blood, or just red paint to hide the evidence?

[jetengine]

Vermin to some, prophets to others, Ghouls sit on a rather bizarre knifes edge socially. Ghouls are a form of pseudo-undead, contaminated by necromantic energies and frequent cannibalism   they descend from humanity into a primitive, monstrous, state. To the rest of the world they are a debasement of man, a mockery of all that he is and could be, deserving nothing less then the sword and the torch. Within Noste's Kingdom however an odd movement is forming.

Ghouls are known to babble and shriek, often considered the wails of their former selves or animalistic howling, yet there is a pattern of sorts to it. Whilst frequently driving 'civilised' residents to madness, those within the Liches Kingdom have begun to take these sounds as cryptic hints to the future. Hours are spent trying to divine meaning from seeming madness, good fortune has often been attributed to certain combinations of noises, whilst others render poor harvests. Even so, this is a relatively niche set of beliefs and there are still many all too happy to burn out nests of the beasts.

[Reed]

Gingers! Ghouls! Ginger Ghouls!!

[jetengine]

Gingers! Ghouls! Ginger Ghouls!!

Now you can understand their aversion to the sun

[jetengine]

Uounor, the land of the dead. Long known to the 'civilised' lands as a realm of dark magic and monsters, it is intrinsically tied with its most monstrous inhabitant, Emperor Hiermonious Noste. The bones of a thousand failed attacks litters the earth. They do not stay idle long.

One of the most basic Necromantic arts is the animation of the undead. Whilst Zombies are often considered the entry level within this realm of spellcraft, Skeletons are seen as a more reliable aid in all things requiring competency.  Uounors major building projects, military bases and agriculture are often staffed exclusively by legions of silent worrkmen, alk working diligently under a Necromancers will.

When war arrives these warriors lower the plow and pick up the sword, often the very weapons they fought against their new nation with.

[BeneathALeadMountain]

I really like them. Every good fantasy skirmish collection needs some skeletons. Basing is great, I presume by the spears that they’re oathmark skellies?

BALM

[jetengine]

Animating the dead is a complex thing, a mage must not only impart their power into the lifeless receptacle, but also weave a series of instructions for the subject to follow. It is an economy of sorts, where the cheapest (the Zombie) relies on little energy output and more muscle memory, whilst the elite High Guard can take multiple days of focused spellcraft to ensure the best results.

Your average Zombie is used as a beast of burden, the sight of them pulling farming equipment is fairly common across Uounor.  In battle they are expendable meatshields, any death they cause is a mere bonus. The High Guard on the otherhand are shock troops and bodyguards for VIP's, the Ambassador of Veretioz was quoted saying "These...things unsettle me, but I must admit they outpace my own troops and show an unerring amount of dedication"

[jetengine]

I really like them. Every good fantasy skirmish collection needs some skeletons. Basing is great, I presume by the spears that they’re oathmark skellies?

BALM

Thanks!

They are indeed Oathmark, though the odd GW bit is in there.

[jetengine]

Cail is widely considered an abomination, a tall order within a nation of horrors. A ghoul that has become...more, somehow. He is clearly sentient, communicates with little difficultly  and can utilise tools. All this and more has unsettled long held beliefs on the nature of Ghoulhood and its interaction with undeath, a rogue factor spoiling the serenity of Nostes Empire. His courtiers have attempted to keep Cails existence a secret from "His Imperial Majesty" but word is spreading faster then they can control. Tales of a Ghoul leading roving packs, cracking a fearsome whip all the while attacking llivestock are hard to explain.