The Ashen Stair - Lord Veritant Boer WIP

Lord Veritant Boer traverses the Brittle Wood.

The Ashen Stair - The Watcher

Back to the Ashen Stair....

The Beasts in Bits

Alpha meet Beta

Two is always better than one. Really feeling this project and I have until 19th July to finish it. Manageable? I think so.

Pin-cushion

"Through hail of arrows and bolts it came, I fear our efforts had naught but vexed it."

Fur-ocious Sculpting

Just back from Germania and straight into some sculpting. Should be ready for a slap of paint in the next two days.

Give The Beast a Hand!

So The Beast of Morrsbachs hand arrived today. He's about 70% finished in this photo. Sculpting and base work to come next before a spray and finally a paint job! He'll be reaping a hefty toll in no time!

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The Ashen Stair - Sigmars Death / My First AoS Game!

Hodrin Felhammer looked out over the plain. The wind blew great clouds of ash into the sky, making it near impossible to see. There below the hill they now crested he could just about make out the ruins of some long dead settlement, what walls remained turned grey from an age of weathering this harsh environment. This ruin, nestled in the foothills of the Ashen Stair, was like any other that dotted the region save for the ancient tower that stood looming at its edge. It is said this tower is what brought the town to its end. Felhammer didn't doubt it. It was a ghastly thing that although abandoned constantly emanated dark energy and as such screamed out as a beacon to all sorts of foul beast that roamed the land. Such beasts now awaited them, lurking within the pale copse that stood at the foot of the tower. He could smell them and they knew it.

 Felhammer looked to his brothers, small in number as they were, each one was capable of holding their own against such filth and more. They had been tested. More than tested. Who were these foul things to stop them from returning to mighty Sigmaron. Who were these. With a snarl he slammed his hammer against the edge of his shield. The Sigmarite sent out a loud note across the gap between hill and copse, which rang out for several moments before silence once again descended on the scene. As he turned to his men a monstrous braying sounded from amid the trees, answered moments later by several larger roars to the east of the tower itself. It chose that moment to start raining. "Let us begin".

As one the Liberators moved forward, coming to a stop in perfect formation at Felhammers right. They slammed their hammers against the edge of their shields once, as he had done and again the sound echoed out to meet the creatures that opposed them. The Liberators were like black mountains, their silhouettes unwavering and their power absolute. They wore the abyss about them and their shoulders heaved, not with exertion but with white hot fury. The heavy furs they wore across their pauldrons rustled like great manes and the bones that hung on their armour chattered and clicked in the wind. They were as death cometh. Sigmars death.

 Behind them upon the hill stood the Judicators, each similar to the Liberators but for the cloaks they wore and the cowls that hid their faces in place of the Liberators death masks. They carried heavy skybolt bows and boltstorm crossbows which they now readied.. Each loosed arrow and bolt guaranteed oblivion to the Beastmen that blocked their path. For Beastmen they were.

 The shapes stalked out from between the trees, anthropomorphic creatures wrapped in rags and wielding huge wicked blades. They carried a large ugly banner marked with the symbol of the god of pestilence and decay, Nurgal. The bearer of this banner drove it into the ground before emitting a bray that was carried by those around him. They slammed their weapons into the nearby trees and earth. Butting heads and thumping fists into chests. They're blood was up and retreat was not an option.

 Felhammer observed a slightly smaller creature to their left, clad in pale robes and wielding what appeared to be a staff covered in bones. He deduced that this must be their leader or shaman. He was certain of this when after a moment of waving its staff the air around the creature took on a ghastly hue which seemed to envelope the pestilent Beastmen under its command. The Beastmen surged forward.

"Shields!" roared Felhammer, as with inhuman speed the Foe reached the Liberators line. The Liberators had just enough time to raise their shield-wall before the frenzied Beastmen crashed upon them. Hacking and slicing at the warriors, they managed to bring one brother down before in turn losing two of their foul number to the swings of hammers. "Only the Faithful!", roared Felhammer as he smashed his shield into a beasts muzzle, sending him falling backwards and leaving just enough of an opening to bring his hammer down and crush the creatures skull. "Only the Faithful", answered his brothers-in-arms. Another Liberator fell beneath the blades of the frenzied Beastmen, several more creatures dying in return. This fight was taking a dark turn. These creatures were not as they first seemed.

 The fighting churned on and on, Felhammer and his brothers blocking and striking, blocking and striking. For every Beastmen they killed however, three more would stand in its place. Suddenly, a horn blast emitted from behind the beastmen and they doubled their already substantial ferocity. Felhammer swung about him with his hammer, knocking Beastmen sprawling and spraying sharpened teeth, broken bones and foul blood in every direction. The rain continued to come down and the ground became a quagmire of blood and wet ash. Before he realised it he stood alone. Beastmen lay dead and dying all around him, as did his brothers. His Liberators had been slain, brothers he had fought with for his entire reforged existance, dead. He could barely believe such a thing. Across the now churned earth he saw the Shaman step out of the forest, it rattled its staff again and a chariot pulled by strange horned quadruped creatures came roaring towards him. Felhammer turned to order his Judicator brethren to fire when an enormous force hit him square in the back and sent him several metres backwards. His entire body screamed in agony before he finally hit the ground and blacked out.

Between dreams of sweet oblivion and golden sunrises Felhammer caught glimpses of the continued battle that followed. His Judicators firing at the oncoming chariot. A trio of enormous Bullheaded creatures emerging from the shadows of the ruin. The swooping charge of the Prosecutors, like angels of vengeance made manifest. Yet more brothers fallen to the foulness of chaos blades. Broken wings and shattered bows. The braying face of that accursed Shaman and finally, once again, oblivion.

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If you've made it this far, I hope you enjoyed my little narrative battle report for my first ever game of Age of Sigmar. I will be writing more and they will be tying into the setting of the Ashen Stair. This is not the last you've seen of Hodrin Felhammer and his brethren. Until next time, beware Old Night and safe travels.

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The Converters Curse / Ulfsark

Okay so I've tried to keep my posts relatively organised this year but I just can't seem to beat the inspired bug. I've been trying to post a WIP and then bring myself to finish that WIP before posting get ANOTHER WIP! It's tougher than it looks! Particularly when you're such a manic converter like myself. I can't seem to go a week without being inspired to build ANOTHER model and leave an array of unpainted miniatures on my desk. It's not a case of lack of discipline I think, I just make the most of the time I have to get all my ideas down on plastic so to speak. There's always time to paint t later right?

Enough of my waffling I hear you cry! Here is the latest of my conversion work. The Beast of Morrsbach. Work in Progress. Man or Monster?

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AoS - Lightning among Stars

It's not INQ28, but heres a little sketch I put together for a project this year. Once I'm done painting my current workload the aim is to move back into fantasy for a little while. This will be the beginning of that. A lightning powered vessel, created to bring Sigmars wrath to those not of land. It's early days yet, but I'm very excited about this concept.

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Skulls!

"In times of Myth he held the stair,

Down which the godly went.

Alas, upon his heads he did bring forth,

The wrath of heavens sent."

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I love TKMaxx. Halloween in TKMaxx is a hobbyist and weirdos dream. I can't count on two hands and feet how many times I've seen something awesome there that's inspired a new drawing or model to make. This time around however it's this amazing skull set. This cost me €9.99 and will be used to create a piece of terrain for my Ashen Stair setting. I haven't completely decided yet what to make of it but the above Rhyme is something I threw together to give some direction. As of yet it could turn out to be a tower or I may chop it apart to use as separate modular pieces. Who knows!

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Sketch Eternal

I haven't put pencil to paper since before my son was born. It's a shame really because I really love drawing. I just haven't felt the urge or pull. That changed tonight whilst watching Xena: Warrior Princess with my lady and the little man. It's not much. But it's the best I could do with dim light, no reference and a blunt pencil.

I've been working on a Stormcast Eternal miniature conversion for the last while. Gathering the appropriate parts has been painstaking. I've been helped along the way by bits drops from friends.

This character is a mystery even to me. I've this idea of a bulwark of a man. The last of his kind. Standing sentinel over a sundered mountain pass. The ground caked with the ashes of the fallen. Thousands upon thousands of bones half buried beneath grey-black mounds. He bears the relics of those who gave their lives before him. A fallen brother fastened to his shield should they both return home. In this place Sigmars light is but a dim flicker. There is no return for those lost. 

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Bearing the Dead

And I shall bear them,

Unto the day Azyr' halls draw near.

So that they may be reforged anew,

My Brothers few.

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See More at:

The Ashen Stair

Marble, made Man

"Unto ash I return thee"

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A New Age Begins!

My gaming group has decided to give Warhammer: Age of Sigmar a chance. To begin we've decided to host a little modelling competition amongst ourselves. Pick up a copy of this weeks White Dwarf, post a picture of the Free Stormcast Eternal, unpainted. The following picture should only be of the miniature complete. The miniatures will be viewed by a non-participant and the winner will recieve a little prize. Simple really. I'm excited.

I've played Warhammer for 15 years, so the massive change in the models, lore and rules set has me both excited and wary. I have although always been more of a modeller, painter and lore enthusiast than a gamer so I'm not as bent out of shape as a lot of gamers out there. The Stormcast are awesome models, a triumph by GW in my eyes, as are they're Chaos counterparts "The Goretide". I can't wait to get some paint on this guy. Also, they don't look like Space Marine. Get over it. Sheesh!

Are you looking forward to this change in direction for the game? Yes? No? Let me here from you!

Safe travels folks and beware Old Night!

-JL

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