Ravenfeast's Doom - Frostgrave Warband Project

[Olsson]

After a period of focusing on the world of the Horus Heresy I've decided to make a return to fantasy. During the last year or so Rangers of the Shadowdeep and Saga have proved to be the games I actually play the most. But in Saga I never quite get to put a focus on the narrative side of playing in the way I like, my opponent there doesn't have quite the same desire for it that I do.

There has been some murmurs in the local scene however for Frostgrave. I've played Frostgrave a few times over the years, both the first and current edition. Indeed I even made a slapdashed little warband years ago, but that was made out of the box and wasn't very inspired. So to motivate myself I decided to make a more dedicated warband and see where it takes me.

The group itself will have norse inspirations, their people have lost their gods to a great calamity and set adrift without purpose nor hope in the wake of it. So now a select few who wield the power of the land, and the power what was which still lingers in death, seek the Doom of Man in the City of Ice. For only the death of a world can bring the rebirth of the divine.

So for a start .. we have a thug.

Rille Stjorn

"Since the passing of the Gods our people have been set awandering. Orphaned and cast to winds which have no warmth nor future to offer.
And so more flock to the City of Ice, where the Speakers say the Doom of Men was locked away long ago.
Yet now we seek that Doom, for what is a world without Gods. What future is left to our children robbed of their ways?
 So we seek the Doom, to leave a new world to those that follow us."

-- Rille Stjorn

I had also been inspired by Knight-Captain Tyr's work with his Black Order and had been seeing how much fun he'd been having with Frostgrave of late. Having seen the wonderful cards he makes use of for his warband (If you have not, you ought well have a look over at his blog necedemalis.org) I contacted him and was given some tips to make my own. And so I've also thrown this card together. I'm quite keen to see it all done, together with a few tokens and other such items I've gathered together I am hoping to manage to get a more complete and pleasing player experience than I have before in Frostgrave. I tend to find those extra little bits of aesthetic, immersion and love do a lot to add to playing of the game for me.

[Olsson]

Roturg

"They are Children of the Gods! More than you and I! Children of Stone and Earth, wrought by their hands to protect what is theirs. They are orphaned now!
A fate shared between us, and their might is ill spent without divine will to guide it! And so we must by that will!
 Do not fear them, for they are wise in the land! If not the world! Their strength will be added to our own, to band and clan!
Name them your kin, for a shared destiny lay before our feet! The Doom awaits! And only in its wake shall they find their Mothers anew!"

-- Ilja Raven's Feast at the Moot of Blood & Stone

And so here we have the Troll for Ilja's warband. Roturg is but one of many Children of Stone and Earth who roam lost after the passing of the Gods. The miniature is from the Trudvang Legends board game that I supported on Kickstarter many years ago. It went through quite the waiting period, even now two years later people are waiting for bits of it. But they fit the more Scandinavian fantasy theme that I so adore, the board game itself is about a Swedish RPG called Drakar och Demoner that I grew up with.. More of a Bronze/Iron Age inspiration together with trolls in the John Bauer aesthetic. Rules wise I am sure the more keen-eyed among you can see that mechanically Roturg here is just a Bear. But with the size I figured that'd be the best fit.

[LouieN]

One mean ugly troll.  Looks great

[FramFramson]

Already looking good!

[Tonhel]

This looks cool!

Now I need to find Knight-Captain Tyr's thread!

[Elbows]

I don't much care for Frostgrave, but I do like when people knock out stunning minis for it!

[Olsson]

Yvar Tjolner

"Now do not go thinking ill of old Yvar. He's had more than most of us, more than you and I, it is true. But he has also lost more.
 What is loss to a man who has nothing? Who has suffered since he was but a bairn? But to the man who had everything, it turns memory into a keen blade indeed
 No. Do not scorn old Yvar for his foul moods. Learn from them. One day you too may find your memory a blade used against you."

-- Ilja Raven's Feast

Yvar here shall serve as the archer of this chilled troop. He's made from the Victrix Dark Age Archer box with no real conversions. I heartily reccomend Victrix to most anyone, I've turned to their kits more and more in the last few years. As the troop will also contain two hounds I imagine Yvar here to be the houndmaster, tracker and guide into the frozen city. Someone must lead the people to their sought Doom, after all. In due time I may "upgrade" him by buying him as a scout.

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Lovely work.   

[Knight-Captain Tyr]

Your writing continues to inspire. Love it mate.

(Also, Ija Raven's Feast is very Myth: Fallen Lords-esque, great choice)

[Olsson]

Thanks for the kind words both of you. I had never heard of Myth before reading about it in The Black Order thread, perhaps I'll need to give it a look one day. This next fellow shall work as a Templar I imagine in the game itself. He's (again) mostly a simple creation of the wonderful Victrix Miniatures Vikings kit. I did quite like getting to use the dane axe bits in it, as I've largely played Saga I've gotten next to no use of them so far. The feathers on top are from the Gallic Warriors kit, also Victrix.

I've a pair of Men-at-Arms already painted up sans shields. So that is the next step, and to decide if I am going with decals or a simpler painted theme.

Goðormr

"Theirs is a secret kinship, the Hyard long served as champions and heralds of the God-Touched Jarls.
 Some claim they’re the spawn of blood both royal and divine, born of strength yet never to rule.
  Yet others reckon them the fate that awaits bairns taken onboard the red ships.
Even now as one of their number share my fire I could not say.
Goðormr rarely trades in words, yet it is clear to all he has taken up Ilja as his charge in want of a Jarl’s blood to defend.
 What I can tell you is the tales are not as tall as you’d think, I’ve borne witness to the swiftness of his axe, and what follows in its bloody wake."

-- Rille Stjorn

[Aethelflaeda was framed]

Go for a complex hand painted scheme for the shields…clearly you have the chops.

[Grumpy Gnome]

Looking good!

[Olsson]

The Warriors

"So the First had walked alone through land freshly forged
Awaiting kin that was yet to be and yet to come
In his loneliness he climbed the mountain and made rest
A slumber dark and fel, from which he is yet to wake
Of it are born the wights and fiends of the world
He stirs calamity and rumbles omens of doom
When he rises to greet his kin, now gone
So as it began so shall the Age of Gods pass
With the First walking through lands now gone cold"

-- Saga of the Sleeper

With that all the initial members of Ilja's warband other than she herself and the apprentice are painted up, making it a good little bit of progress for me as I dance between projects as I tend to do. Not all of them have obviously been featured in detail above, but I managed to snatch this little group shot today and figured I'd toss it up. Not every little dog gets their day in the spotlight in the end.

My hope is to play through one of the Frostgrave campaigns down at the local club this summer if I can scrape together enough interest.

[Chimpfoot]

These all look rather ace 🤩👍🏼

[Pattus Magnus]

They do look good. I like the subtle palette a lot. Hopefully you’ll get some players into Frostgrave and get the figures on the table often!