The Second Massacre at River's Crook

Beastmen (Tim) vs Tempestrians (Gill)


Lord Ruin stood motionless and silent in the trees, his tough grey hide barely visible in the shadows, surveying the approaching Tempestrian force beyond the river. It was a sizeable army, easily powerful enough to rout the defensive troops he had lying in weight in a straight battle on open ground.

But they had the river to cross. And this was a place they had known devastating defeat already at the hands of Ruin's allies, the Dwarfs of Gorak Duraz.

It was in response to that conflict that he had come himself to the front line with his entourage of roaring Beastmen.

Lord Ruin knew well the Knights of Tempest Falls. Why wouldn't he? He used to be one of them.

Shatana, the Fay Enchantress of the Border Princes, led her archers forward to the edge of the river and bade them take up position, edging forward. The northeast border of Tempestria was imperilled here and a stand had to be made against the foul creatures of the Drak Heart. Complacency and fear could play no part. The dirty beasts had to be routed out and exterminated.

But across the river, the bushes parted and dozens of baying and stamping Gors emerged, clattering their swords against their shields, taunting this invasion force, daring them to cross the river.

They got their wish.

The Knights of Tempest Falls hurdled forward, driving their horses into the shallows at the bend in the river, while the archers shot volley after volley into the air in arcing fire down toward their unclean foes. 

At Lord Ruin's command, the Beastmen remained still but the Bray Shaman behind their ranks whispered foul and forbidden words of power, summoning something dark and terrible from the woods behind the lines of the Tempestrians, something with every ability of the unnatural Jabberslythe but cast into an even more grisly form. The great beast leaped forward on its mighty legs, tearing the crew of of a Trebuchet apart in seconds, even as the Bray Shaman fell to his knees from the power-draining exertion.

The Knights clattered up the opposite banks and charged full on into a pair of Giants, immediately impaling one and bringing it down. Its partner roared in rage, swinging its gargantuan weapons into the horses, slicing heads from bodies despite the magical protection provided by Shatana, the Fay Enchantress.

The remaining giant hacked most of the remaining knights apart then chased down the rest as they tried to flee.

The Tempestrian archers had cleared all attacking forces before them and were approaching the river ready to make the crossing, but they hadn't reckoned on the filthy bloated monster rampaging through their rear.

The beast leaped into their ranks from the flank, devouring some men and simply bisecting others until all were running in terror before its vicious assault. No force could stop this creature. They were doomed!

And as this happened, Lord Ruin himself was tearing apart the other strike force of knights, driving them back into the water and pursuing them there, dragging them down beneath the surface to drown of be crushed.

He surged up onto the opposite bank, right in front of Shatana and there she stood her ground.

Only one unit remained to her now of archers and as these were hacked apart by a speeding chariot and the remaining giant, she took Lord Ruin to battle herself.

It was an impossible fight.

Despite her unrivalled magical prowess, there was no way she could hold her own against the holder of the Dark Heart. Lord Ruin drove her to the ground and it was only her magic that spirited her away before the death blow was struck.

Lord Ruin had led his forces to victory again. Surely the Tempestrians had to have learned their lesson.

There was no route through here!

Army Showcase: Beastmen!

I finally have a playable and legal Beastmen army! Yippee!!!

Er.. . (clears throat)... Let's have a look at it. 

The Complete Army

Beastmen Giant

Beastmen Giant

Beastmen Chariot

Chaos Spawn

Chaos Warhounds

Doombull

Doombull

Elephant Lord

Gors and a Shaman

Gors and a Shaman

Gors

Shaman

Shaman

On the Painting Table: A Beastmen Lord... with a Difference!

As you may have noticed I tend to get very excited about new projects.

I'm sure you'd agree I am right to get excited about this one.

How cool is this guy!?!?!?!?

This monstrous fiend is the new Special Character Lord for my Beastmen army who will, when the time comes and the story catches up with modern times, get a hefty chunk of storyline in the Tale of Years.

For now I don't have a name for him yet or even much thought on his stats.

I'll be looking at those for the War Mammoth for a starting point but I don't want him to be quite as powerful as that (mainly as I want to maintain my incentive to buy one one day).

Scale-wise here's how he matches up to the Beastmen and Giant I have already. This guy is all about being a centrepiece and he fits that role perfectly.

Painting-wise I started on very dark grey and worked my way up. The tusks were Graveyard Earth | Kommando Khaki | Bleached Bone. I wanted to keep these subdued so scrimped on the lighter colours.

His pose is a tad static for battle but he does look like the regal head of his army, coldly directing his slavering troops before wading into battle himself. Which is how his character will develop.

For those interested, he's the Poacher model from McFarlane toys - still available on eBay. If you get him as well you'll find that the sword is more posable than it looks. Mine snapped at the hilt though which limited me to the down angle.

The only real downside to this model is that weird skull he's holding. I don't like models holding decapitated heads and such. The image created is too much of a snapshot. Surely he doesn't ALWAYS carry his lucky skull into battle.

Or maybe he does.

Perhaps I should write rules for him and his lucky skull!

On the Painting Table: Beastmen Giant and Bray Shaman!

Man, I am so close to having a reasonably sized playable Beastmen army and that's partially thanks to this dude!

Say hello to my Beastmen Giant!

I painted my original Beastmen Giant a year and a half ago and though I bought this guy on the same day it's taken me this long to get round to painting him. I actually lost him for a while!

He was another Papo toy originally but based up on a chariot base (this one made by sticking smaller bases together) and painted to match my Gors, he blends into the army quite well.

His upper torso is Khaki | Brown Ink | Khaki | Dheneb Stone. The armour is dull metal | black ink | dull metal | bright metal. The bronze bits are Warplock Bronze | Dwarf Bronze. The horns are khaki | bone | off-white.

But what about scale...

Well he's about right... for a giant.

He's a nice model with plenty of detail work

It's going to be interesting having two themed giants in-game.

Unfortunately I have several giants already and actually find the rules terribly dull. The quirkiness actually just irritates me.

Here he is next to my other Beastmen Giant. They make quite a nice pair.

I'm thinking of writing these up into my Tale of Years, not as mindless oafs but as strong and revered characters.

And here's my new Bray Shaman!

This guy was an easy conversion from a Beastman Gor with one of the more distinctive heads and a lance from the Chaos Knights frame.

It's just enough to make him stand out and with my other Bray Shaman (who is a bit better), complete the magical element of my army.

Fell Things in the Watchtower of Filigree Plain

Never before, within the Border Princes, had such a horde of Ogres been arrayed, stretching out across Filigree Plain.

The Beasts and the Dwarfs of Chaos had insulted them on this land and now stood in mockery, leering from the tower top of the Watchtower at the Ogre's defeat.

King Maw bared his teeth and growled. This insult would not go unpunished. He would have Filigree Plain and he would have that watchtower if it was the last thing he did!

He let cry the signal for battle and all his monstrous infantry charged forward into battle, the Ironguts speeding in toward the Watchtower itself, nestled as it was against the wood hillside on the edge of the plain. They battered down the door but the Chaos Dwarfs inside fought in the opening and windows, batting them off. Nevertheless, the Ironguts killed far more of the Dwarfs than the Dwarfs killed of them.

But rather than fleeing, the Dwarfs still held! And before the Ironguts could attack again, a great and powerful Gorgon ripped through the undergrowth and battled the Ironguts, preventing them from continuing the fight.Behind it came a whirling spawn of chaos, all blades and hooves and grasping mouths.

The rest of the Ogre force swept across the plain, starting to close the arc toward the watchtower, but more of the fell creatures of Chaos came over the rise and ran toward them on hooves or stunted legs. And in their midst strode a gargantuan behemoth of metal smoke and flame: a K'Daai Destroyer, the ultimate expression of the malice and power of the Chaos Dwarfs: a gigantic metal statue come to life by sinister ritual.

The Leadbelchers let forth a tremendous volley of cannon fire but did little to harm it and King Maw realised there only hope was not to kill it but to draw it away from the Watchtower, long enough for them to take control of it.

Sending his Hunter and Sabretusks, his Maneaters and Gnoblars, King Maw's forces swamped and lured the Destroyer further and further away from the watchtower, hoping that in that, the battle might be won.

Meanwhile, with all the brutality within their monstrous frames, the Ogres battled against the Beastmen Gors, the Doombull and Leonine Giant, their numbers faltering but not breaking. King Maw himself strode to the aid of the Ironguts, as did his Slaughtermaster, and then finally the Gorgon fell, and with it, the Spawn.

At that moment, if they had renewed the fight against the Chaos Dwarfs in the tower they might yet have won, but they stood back long enough for the Leadbelchers to let fire at the tower. The ancient stone was too strong for the cannonballs though and the Dwarf armour within withstood much of the rest that got through.

The Ironguts charged in again but though they slew many Dwarfs, it wasn't enough and they were running out of time.

With the K'Daai Destroyer closing in on them, all they could do now was withdraw and plan anew.

Plan anew to take back Filigree Plain from the fell things of the forest.

A Knight's Duty

Tempestrians (Gill) vs CHaos Dwarfs & Beastmen (Tim) 

And in the east, as from a dark cloud, the unholy alliance of Beastmen and Chaos Dwarfs descended on the village of Spitbranch, roaring in their against all that lives and loves. 

But the valiant knights of Tempest Falls rode hard to meet them, bringing holy lance to unholy fur and armour. Arrows flew as the filthy ones used cunning to hide their coward faces behind brick and mortar but the fleet hooves of the barded warhorses could not be outmanoeuvred.

The beasts brought down Pegasus Knights and others but a new ally has joined the Tempestrians, taking complete control of all magic on the field, a Fey Enchantress, but one of dark hair who had never been seen before. 

And though the forces of evil were devilish in their ploys, they could not resist the power and will of the forces of order. Skirmish after skirmish fell to the knights, and though the evil ones slayed almost their equal, they were within hostile lands and far outnumbered.

 In time they were defeated. 

And sent back to their murderous hills to plot once more the downfall of mankind. 

Deluge of Evil

To the northeast of the fair land of Tempestria lies a forest so thick, it beggars all desire to enter it. And more, the legends of the evil that dwells under its dense boughs are enough to quail and heart with fear and overwhelming trepidation. It is known as the Stygian Wood.

And within that wood, at its deepest valley, further in than any human has ever ventured, and protected by mountains all round it, sits the Drak Heart, the stinking fetid dwelling of the Beastmen.

For years the outer edges of the Stygian Wood have been silent and no man knows what horrors have been perpetrated further in; but Chaos is ascending now. The ancient and evil rocks brought down from the heavens by the dread arch-necromancer Nagash have wakened things that should never be wakened, and now they come, baying and howling, charging down through the thickets of the Stygian Woods toward the open pastures of Tempestria and the castle of Tempest Falls.

After her victory against the Kingdom of the Great Maw, Queen Rachel d’Astatic was ranging eastward along her borders, inspecting the defences she had ordered be placed to guard against incursion. Up until now, the Stygian Wood had been an impenetrable bulwark as significant a stopping-point as a cliff; but now, encouraged by Methuselah, her lover, her ambition to cleanse all the Border Princes of evil required the purging of these woods.

It was as she entered the camp that the howling started.

 Long had tales been told of a threat that might exist from this quarter, but no serious provision had been made to prepare for it. Having said that, Rachel’s own protective bodyguard of knights as well as the garrison already in place would surely be enough to see off all aggressors.

Rachel ordered her archers into position, waiting to do to the Beastmen what they had done to the Ogres, but the Cloven Ones were more wily. They did not run across an open plain toward the ranked arrowmen, they came through the woods obliquely, forcing the archers to redeploy, wasting precious time.  

The knights galloped forward to engage the foul-smelling warriors as Rachel, powerful as ever, incinerated a giant with a single volley of magical Tzeentchian fire, but even as they impacted the front of a large unit of Beastmen Gors, their captain got the feeling they’d been lured into a trap.

And then the trap was sprung, as a huge Ghorgon burst through the trees and into their flank, ripping them apart one by one.

The Beastmen Shaman concentrated, sending out his dark consciousness, and as he walked along entranced, a gargantuan Jabberslythe, under his control, emerged from the undergrowth and darted forward.

A Tusgor Chariot slammed into the other unit of knights as the Jabberslythe descended on them from the side, once again ripping them apart and sending them fleeing.

The rocks thrown by the Tempestrian catapult kept missing their target and then the mechanism jammed, just as a pack of Chaos Hounds leapt onto the crew and started to devour them.

Realising she was about to be charged by the Beastmen Doombull, Rachel turned her horse and fled and the Doombull caught up with the remaining knights, sending them fleeing once more before its mighty axe.

The battle was lost and Rachel kept on fleeing. Powerful though she was, she could defeat an entire Beastmen horde, almost undamaged, by herself. As her archers were eaten alive by the Jabberslythe, she galloped away, frightened for what the future held.

Most definitely for ill, the Beastmen were here. The Drak Heart and the Stygian Wood had opened and the deluge of evil had begun.