The Emperor's Lost Mines - Introduction

The Emperor's Lost Mines - Introduction

Many centuries ago, when the age of Chaos was ended by Sigmar's intervention, the races of the Tallowlands, many of them simple ordinary folk, rose and took arms against the forces of Chaos.  They joined with Sigmar's Stormcast Eternals to retake their lands in the name of order*

They needed to start equipping armies and anyone willing to fight..  In the southern realms of the Tallowlands, they found what they needed.  Rare ore from the hills and mountains and the purest coals and fuels for which to make a Forge - the forge of spells.  It was from here that the finest weapons and armour would be made, both magical and non-magical to equip the forces of Order as they pushed back against the forces of chaos at the start of the Age of Sigmar.  

One of Lucifer216's beautifully painted Stormcast Eternals

It was a time of unity, a time of peace — but it could not last.  Soon the Sinian Empire formed in the North and the races of men, dawi and aelves faded back into their fiefs and squabbles.  They had pushed chaos almost fully out of the Tallowlands and they wanted to enjoy the peace.

The Mine though, and the Forge of Spells, was not forgotten.  The area became first an outpost of the Sinian Empire and later a vassal Fief ruled from Krag-maw Castle, all the while supplying now a small but still significant number of magical weapons to the heroes and generals of the Sinian Empire.  Some of these would be locked in vaults but many of these were put to active use in defending the Sinian Empire from threats both internal and external.

Eventually, complacency set in.  The mine itself was overcome.  There are conflicting reports.  Some say it was a local Necromancer, yet other a beastman raiding party. Perhaps they both raided it.  The result was inescapable.  The mine was looted and its glory and even its very location were lost.  The Sinian Empire was too busy with internal problems to try and recover its remote outpost and its location was lost to time.

*Although behind closed doors this was a simple desire to be freed of slavery and tithe brought by the complacent and ancient forces of Chaos.

Musings on the fabled ‘Treasure Goblin’

Musings on the fabled ‘Treasure Goblin’ from the correspondence of the adventurer and explorer, Zarathustra d’Jons

I have only been in the Tallowlands for a fortnight and my curiosity has been piqued by the frequent earnest — and somewhat heated —discussions I have overheard in several taverns regarding a most curious phenomenon — the elusive ‘Treasure Goblin’. It seems that many adventurers have sworn that they have encountered a curious sight — a goblin-like figure hunched under the weight of a massive sack of gold coins and other valuable items that when attacked quickly scurries away, scattering no small amount of coinage in the process and then once it has gained enough of a lead on its pursuers, it jumps through a gold-rimmed portal never to be seen again. While some have claimed to have killed such a creature (and it must be noted that most of the adventurers who make such claims quickly retire and enjoy lavish lifestyles), no corpses have ever been brought back for inspection and dissection.

While most of the speculation around Treasure Goblins seems to hinge on where they might be found and the vast amounts of riches in their possession, the exact nature of the Treasure Goblin (also known as ‘Loot Fiends’), comes a close third. I’ve heard a score of different theories but the most compelling I’ve heard so far are the following:

The first is that Treasure Goblins are native inhabitants of Chamon, the Realm of Metal and are at best only distantly related to their more commonly encountered cousins, Due to the sheer amount of change magic that saturates much of the realm, Treasure Goblins have developed an ability to creature tiny and very transient realmgates. The males use these to help them gather valuable items for their horde-nests as they are in constant competition with one another to have the biggest shiniest and most valuable nest with which to attract the females of their species. While no-one I’ve interrogated has directly laid eyes upon a female Treasure Goblin, I am told that they are several times more intelligent than their male kin and that natural selection has made them unparalleled in the art of assaying the value of precious metals and magical items. One drunkard tried to tell me a far-fetched story about a civil war between Fyreslayers that was triggered when one clan tried to sack a community of Treasure Goblins, only to find that their would-be victims had hired another clan in defence.

The second theory is that Treasure Goblins are in fact lesser greed-daemons of the Youngest God and while they are normally encountered in the Circle of Avidity — the outermost boundary of Slaanesh’s most pleasing and wondrous realm — such is their avarice that they have an uncontrollable urge to plunder the Mortal Realms. It is also said that during the height of a great reveal in which our beloved Lord gave himself over to sensation as is his divine nature, a greed daemon dared to sneak past the God and his/her handmaidens and ran off with Slaanesh’s scepter. In his wrath, Slaanesh decreed that from that moment until the end of time, the offending greed-daemon and his ilk should be cursed to wander the realms, endlessly compelled to stuff more valuables into their sacks but for every item added, another is doomed to fall out, so they can never be satisfied.

As a devout servant of the Youngest God (and how could I not be given that I live for the thrill of discovery?) perhaps it is not surprising that I find this to be by far the most compelling explanation. In addition, it makes me question some of the good Cardinal’s assumptions about the Tallowlands. If it is so unmarked by the touch of those beyond the veil, then how is it that Slaanesh’s name is evoked so openly when discussing such a matter?

I should add that only the most unhinged claim that Treasure Goblins were first encountered in a sub-realm with some similarities to the Tallowlands called Sanctuary, whose human inhabitants supposedly claim to be descended from the offspring of Stormcast Eternals and daemons. I find this utterly preposterous, although now I come to think about it no-one has told me that one of Sigmar’s chosen can’t procreate in the conventional manner. I will have to ask the dear Cardinal about this, as he may well know more.

Despite the dubious evidence for the existence of Treasure Goblins, I am told that the adventurers of the Tallowlands have a well-honed procedure should they encounter one. Given that a Treasure Goblin not swiftly killed will quickly escape through a portal, a savvy adventuring party will attempt to strike with overwhelming force and attempt to close off all potential avenues of escape.

When first spotted, a Treasure Goblin is often lost to the world, counting and recounting the contents of their loot-sack. Canny adventurers therefore do their level best to avoid disturbing the Treasure Goblin at first , instead taking great pains to try and find a route around it, so that when they inevitably attack it, it will flee back in the direction of rooms and chambers that the party have already explored, thereby preventing a blind head-along rush into unknown territory.

The necessity of this approach is often emphasised through the retelling of a tale known as Migloth’s Folly. Migloth by all accounts was a priest of Ranald whose love of treasure frequently caused him to lose all situational awareness (a phenomenon referred to by the adventuring fraternity as ‘loot-blindness’), necessitating a great many rescues by his fellow adventurers. One fateful day, Migloth spotted a Treasure Goblin and immediately gave chase. In his loot-blind haste, he failed to realise that he had run straight past a group of bemused Orruks who subsequently put a stop to his desperate race after the Treasure Goblin via the vigorous application of several ‘big choppas’.

Dead hands never tire

I'm nearing the end of my lockdown-supported Ossiarch Bonereapers project. It's now only Katakros who stands between me and hobby completion.

Here's a look at some of the stuff I've painted recently, starting with the Ossiarch endless spells. While some might ungenerously say that endless spells are Games Workshop's way of getting another £22.50 out of everyone who wants to buy a new Battletome, I love the concept — as it adds so much character to each army, really emphasises the high fantasy tone of Age of Sigmar and provides an extra dollop of cinematic feel to the gaming table.

I painted mine using a very restricted colour palette — both for speed and to emphasise the fact that they are almost completely made of magic rather than magically sculpted bone.

Up next we have a trio of Ossiarch characters, my Liege-Kavalos, a Mortisan Soulreaper and Vokmortian. I kept the Mortisan Soulreaper in my standard army scheme as I didn't really see the need to make him look more sinister and I was keen to see what he'd look like in a less dark scheme. My Liege-Kavalos fought me every step of the way — the model has a lot of detail crammed in around its centre and feels very cluttered compositionally. When I first saw the Vokmortian model, I was reminded of the opening scheme of 300 and while it's a nice enough model, it could have done with being on a larger scale to allow more space between the staff and his head.

Finally, here's my two Mortek Crawlers. I used a lot of contrast paints for the brown gradients/transitions and I was surprised at how just how much you have to dilute down the contrast paints to do so. My favourite bits are the glowing skulls — which I did using the method set out in the Battletome.

Painting the Emerald Wardens

I have something of a love/hate relationship with Instagram — on the one hand, I love the sheer amount of inspiration to be found and the amazing standard on display across the miniature painting community really motivates me to work on my own painting skills. On the other hand, I really don’t like the way that it currently tells you how many (or in my case how few) liked your work.

 Anyway, having really gotten into the Age of Sigmar lore and with my Ossiarch Bonereapers (the Nehekankh) almost completed, I had a hankering to do a Stormcast Eternals army and started looking on Instagram for inspiration for colour schemes, as most of the standard ones just weren’t grabbing me and I didn’t want to go down the (admittedly) awesome Hammers of Sigmar route. I stumbled upon baalu_wildheart’s incredible evocators painted in the colours of what I assure are the Celestial Vindicators and was instantly smitten!

I’ve not included any pictures of her models, but do check out the link, you won’t regret it. As I’ve long wanted to try my hand at the non-metallic metal (NMM) look, I thought it would be worth giving it a go. I realise that this is hardly an original approach, but given how much I have to learn as a painter, I think it’s really helpful having such beautiful models as a reference and a yard-stick for comparison.

 Rather amusingly, having experimented with a basecoat of Kabalite Green, sketching the highlights with Corax White and then using thinned Kabalite Green and another method (basecoating with a 4:1 mix of Kabalite Green and Corax White, followed by lots of glazes), I’ve discovered that baalu_wildheart very kindly posted details of her recipe for the turquoise and red some time ago.

 However, I don’t consider it time wasted as it’s been good practice. That said, I am glad that I started with the Stormsire's Cursebreakers from Nightvault rather than a part of my main army.

 Here’s my first attempt — she’s still WIP and now that I have a better idea of what I’m doing, I’m tempted to go back and fix a few things.

And here’s a (very WIP) second attempt. The use of glazing means I’m much happier with the transitions, but I reckon that the basecoat probably should have been a touch darker).

 I should add that while I love Baalu_wildheart’s colour scheme, I’m not a big fan of the Celestial Vindicators — they feel too much like pre-heresy World Eaters for my taste and while I do like the XIIth legion, I wanted to do something different lore-wise. Given that Apologist and others really wanted me to create my own Stormhost with some good links to the Tallowlands. It occurred to me that it would be great to have an band of stormcasts defending a damaged realmgate to Hysh that bathes everything in an emerald light and came up with the idea that they’re all drawn from partisans/guerilla warfare fighters — those who kept on fighting after their lands had been conquered by Chaos before Sigmar’s Tempest and the Age of Sigmar. You can find my background for my Emerald Wardens here.

A quick side-note on painting — one of the things I’ve learned fairly recently is the importance of continually looking at the model you’re working on from as many angles as possible. With the sheer amount of detail on modern miniatures, it’s very easy to miss areas and given that the eye relies on the borders between details to resolve them, it’s essential to be as neat as possible where one colour/material meets another (e.g. where the turquoise armour meets the gold trim). I’ve found that the Citadel Model Holder really helps in this regard.

To help provide consistency, here’s a list of all the paints I’m going to be using going forward. 

Baalu_wildheart’s turquoise armour recipe 
Vallejo Model colour Dark Sea Blue base colour Glazes of Game Colours Jade Green and Foul Green and Aquamarine (Pacific Color) for final highlights.

 Baalu_wildheart’s red fabric recipe 
Vallejo Model colour Burnt Red, Calvary Brown and Basic skin tone

 Red fabric (GW paint alternative) 
Basecoat Mephiston Red Shade with repeated applications of watered down Red Tone (in the shadows only) Highlight with Evil Sunz Scarlet, for the sharpest points on the folds use a 1:1 mix of this and Jokaero Orange, followed by pure Jokaero Orange.

Red gems 
As fabric but ignoring the shading step and starting with a basecoat of Gal Vorbak Red, highlight of Word Bearer Red, then Mephiston Red. Do final highlights of Jokaero Orange/white, then gloss varnish

Soul Crystals 
Basecoat Temple Guard Blue, Highlight with Lothern Blue, Highlight with 1:1 Lothern Blue/Corax White Final highlights on the corners of the crystal with Coax White. OSL the surrounding area with glazes of very thinned down Temple Guard Blue.

Off-white shoulder pads
Basecoat Morghast Bone Several layers of Wraithbone

NMM Gold
Basecoat Game Extra Opaque Heavy Brown (72.153), Wash with Sepia (72.091), Highlight with Game Extra Opaque Heavy Gold Brown (72.151) Highlight with a 1:1 mix of Heavy Gold Brown and Corax White Corax White for the most extreme highlights

 NMM steel 
Basecoat with Game Colour Cold Grey (72.050) Highlight and shade with mixes of Cold Grey and white or black as required. Note the NMM Vallejo guide/kit has a few more steps for adding some tone, but these aren't needed given that the areas are small and will get glazes for tone anyway on the swords. Note that the coloured swords require very light basecoats on which to work, so I’ve realised that it’s probably best to go Celstra Grey, Ulthuan Grey, Corax White (the latter used for the sharp highlights and little diagonal lines) and then apply contrast paints.

Blue/green/yellow transition on swords Talassar Blue and Warp Lightning contrast paints, with a thinned glaze of Lamenter Yellow towards the top. Basing Stonework/paving Rakarth Flesh Edge highlights and stippling with Pallid Wych Flesh Glaze of thinned down Dryad Bark (medium, and a little bit of water) Thinned down yellow glaze Mud Dryad bark, highlighted with roughly a 2:1 mix of Dryad Bark and Corax White. Leaves Basecoat Jokaero Orange Agrax Earthshade wash Red Tone wash

Loot For the Loot God!

"Sure, battle is delightful. yes, I've got a mission and a cause that are very dear to me... but really, when you get down to it, its all about the loot." 
- Grand Duke Chaunterwick- 

As you have seen we are supposed to be painting Age of Sigmar armies for our Tallowlands campaign.

so, Naturally, in true PCRC fashion, I've got sidetracked and painted something else...

found a nice box of funky objective, so now they are ready to play.

Ironbreakers marching on

Paint in progress

Not quite ready for the warpath yet, but I'm pleased with how this regiment of Ironbreakers is coming on. I think the yellow shields have made a big difference, helping to break up the all-metal impression they had previously. It also adds a welcome splash of colour.

The shields were painted with Averland Sunset (note to self: buy more of this paint), then washed with Seraphim sepia. Once dry, I diluted reddy brown – Skrag brown, I think – to a very thin consistency using flow improver. This was washed over the shield. While wet, I used a clean, dry brush to lift the wet paint off highlighted areas, leaving it in the recesses and towards the  bottom of the shield. It's a nice quick way to establish shading on curved areas; one I usually use for Space Marine pauldrons – so nice to see it works here, too.

Diversity and uniformity

All the modern dwarf models are very similar in pose and equipment – they're differentiated by little more than having four styles of heads and four weapon options across two boxes; but they are cross-compatible. The Hammerer boxed set, for example, also builds Longbeards; but both Hammerer and Longbeard heads fit on the Ironbreaker bodies. It's quite limiting – particularly when I've been spoiled by the sheer cross-compatibility of ranges like orks, marines and guard.

To further complicate matters, I'm rather stuck with particular combinations, as the army is made up of second-hand ready-built units. For example, the models above include ones with heads from three different groups – ironbreakers, longbeards and hammerers. This is partly a blessing in disguise, as it's given a much more believable lack of uniformity to the unit – after all, if you call up troops from your lands and tell them to bring their gear, you're unlikely to have them all equipped with the same style of helm. It also adds some welcome variation in faces and heads, something that often makes multipart plastic kits less characterful than their one-off metal sculpts equivalents.

On the other hand, this doesn't make things easy for playing, so I've been at pains to differentiate the units where possible. This is as much for visual variety as anything else, but will also hopefully be useful when playing games, making it clear where one unit begins and another ends. In addition to the colours of the shields, they also all share an ancestor face design.

If you know you're going to be building an army using multiples of the same kit, pre-planning might be worth it. Picking a particular design of shield (or weapon, or helmet, or body style) for a unit offers a nice way to add some subtle character. You often don't have to be completely exclusive; there are often sub-variants – the standard dwarf kits include a few ancestor head variants. Similar enough to hand together, but not completely uniform.

I also thought I'd play around with some knotwork patterns. I didn't want to go straight for a big banner, so had a play on the drumskin.

The Adventures of Nathaniel Hultz: Part IV

The Hurricanum and the Celestial Council
They say the design for the 'Emperor Karl Franz'* vehicles were handed to the Celestial Council by Sigmar himself and that he laughed with joy** when the first of these vehicles was created, a template for all of the others.  The design has changed little over many centuries although the celestial wizards of Alba Mesa, of which I am one, use their mechanical beasts to pull the sacred device.

It was with great honour that I was asked to take charge of the Cosmic Smite - the 'Emperor Karl Franz' that was stationed in the temple at Alba Mesa and to take responsibility for its sacred duties.  Although primarily a vehicle of war, the machine has other peace time functions as well and I intend to discharge these duties well.

I have not yet been invited to sit in the circle of sovereigns in the council much to my frustration, what else do I have to prove, was victory in the battle of Broken Pacts not enough for them?  Did I not save them in their hour of need?  I fear some suspect that I have achieved my position too quickly for one so young.

I must continue to be patient and assuage any suspicions they have.  I have not read from or used the book now for some time.  Not because I fear it, it has been most helpful to me and indeed nothing to fear, but because the use of its lessons may raise suspicions.

It is possible I will not need the book any further, I have gained much mastery and knowledge and there is no need to tempt fate.  If I am right though we can begin to reclaim the charred lands and to drive chaos and its foul allies back towards Nygorach - perhaps they can be contained for good.

*Although without a name for the vehicle it is wise to assume that the inscription on the vehicle is its name.

**We hope it was joy

Painting Snorri and Nialon

Painting Snorri, Nialon and Coln

I'm finding the odd mix of soft and hard detailing on the plastics a bit of a bear, but these Forgeworld pieces were a real treat to paint.

Work-in-progress

Nialon himself looks thoroughly grumpy yet determined: very characterful. He's the first white-bearded dwarf I've attempted, and I'm quite pleased with the result. I suspect I'll use the same technique – blue-white base highlighted up to a creamy yellow-white finish – for the bulk of my Longbeards.

To the base above, I added a few tufts of static grass from Gamer's Grass.

The completed figure's not hugely different – I mainly concerned myself here with tidying up the leather and picking out the various gold bits. I did experiment with brighter fabric, painting the ruddy leather above with a bright blue, but decided against it in the end and reinstated the deep red. It gives a lovely earthy feel to the figure, and frames the face nicely.

Coln, on the left above, was fun as well. Having areas of skin beyond the face is always nice, because you can play around with varying the hue. The back, neck and forearms can be darker than the inside of the arms, for example, suggesting that he's not always wandering around half-naked.

The strawberry-blond beard and hair was very enjoyable, and I think it's the bit I'm most pleased with. It really runs the gamut from deep dark to bright highlights – you can see how much cleaner my paintwork on Coln's beard is compared with Nialon's. That could do with a bit of tidying up... but time is pressing on.

Being a younger dwarf, Spilaf has a ruddier complexion and a darker beard. I used some red and purple washes to bring out some colour. The deep, clean lines of the sculpt made painting the face a cinch, even taking into account the helm. The plastics, on the other hand, have really soft, vague detailing on the faces, which makes them far less fun. Probably why I've done basically all the characters and finished none of the troops!

It made sense for me to try some brighter colours for Snorri – as the banner bearer of the hold, he's an important figure, and needed to stand out. Unlike Nialon, who gets to choose his own clothes (and has opted for practical everyday wear), this was a good chance to try some brighter hues. He's thus wearing an honorific uniform of red and yellow.

Again, I started off with really bright colours (Vallejo Flat Red and Flash Gitz Yellow), but the result felt slightly wrong for dwarfs, suggesting modern dyes and cleanliness – neither of which I want to evoke with this army. I therefore glazed over them with Averland Sunset and Doombull Brown, muting them a bit. The resulting mediaeval flavour of muted reds and yellows worked well, and I think I'll extend it further elsewhere in the army; perhaps for the Cyng himself and his personal guard. The banner itself was a good opportunity to experiment, and a rewarding one.

I opted for various precious metals around the banner, and a boar symbol for the hold. It's important when painting things like this to picture elements separately. The boar symbol would – in my mind at least – be central, which in this case meant that it would be overlaid by the sculpted book. That meant I had to take that into account when adding it, painting around the book as though the boar continues under it. I hope the symbol still reads properly.

I decided the book itself would be a Book of Grudges – that's something I really like from the classic Warhammer dwarf background. To that end, I've added some text using a mix of black and sepia (pure black is too stark) – and then I've scored out a few (presumably completed) entries with red lines!

Profile: Da Questin' Grot

Mightiest servant of Squigmar and the only grot to have paddled across the Mystic Lake, Da Questin' Grot is the undisputed commander of the armies of Grotonnia. Unusually skillful in combat for a grot, he rides into battle atop his faithful steed Hobnail, the biggest and meanest cave squig seen in a generation. Having captured Hobnail when just a squiglet, he raised it on a healthy diet of warm milk and enemies until it became - in the eyes of many - the living avatar of Squigmar itself.

Progress update: Knights of Grotonnia

Nothing more than a photodump!

The Emerald Wardens

When Sigmar closed the Gates of Azyr, he consigned countless millions to the darkest of fates. Yet while the God-King turned his face from the mortal realms, many brave souls continued to fight on, even after their nations had been conquered by the barbaric hordes of Chaos. Hopelessly outmatched, theirs was a war fought with brains rather than brawn, in the shadows where sabotage and assassination were the tactics of choice. Those few who could not, would not, stand aside and let their conquerors obliterate all that had come before quickly learnt the value of misdirection, intelligence and subtlety. Those with magical talent soon became indispensable to the resistance, providing advanced warning of raids and determining who was telling the truth while those skilled in less subtle arts focused on destroying the fell monuments to the ruinous powers and places of worship that allowed daemons to enter the mortal realms.

Despite countless precautions, all of these partisans eventually came to grisly and unspeakable ends, either denounced by collaborators or hunted down by warbands created with the express purpose of weeding out dissent. To the surprise of their persecutors, as the executor’s axe fell often the condemned would vanish in a flash of lightning. Witnesses sympathetic to their plight would whisper that perhaps the gods of order had not forsaken them and the cycle of retaliation and reprisal would begin again.

Once the souls arrived in blessed Sigmaron and forged into Stormcast Eternals, they were amazed to find that Sigmar had not entirely forsaken them after all. However, this was of cold comfort to many for prior to their deaths they had been forced to make many terrible decisions — thanks in part to the bloody reprisals their occupiers would met out after every successful raid or assassination — and had been forced to watch their loved ones endure unspeakable hardship and the foulest of treatment at the hands of the ruinous powers. Even their initial forging had not expunged the pain of their memories and while they carried out their training with commendable diligence, there were some among the God-King’s council who feared that he had erred in creating such a troubled legion of warriors.

When the storm broke and the Emerald Wardens were at last unleashed, many of their number experienced no small measure of catharsis as they at long last were able to vent their fury upon their oppressors. However, on too many occasions, the Wardens would carry the day only for one of their number to collapse in mute horror as they witnessed all that remained of their former lands after centuries under the warping touch of Chaos.

 As the initial conflicts wore on, those who returned with their memories of their mortal lives burnt away by through their return to the Anvil of Apotheosis were looked upon by their fellows with a mixture of envy and pity, for there were no small number to whom their recollections of the past still defined them, no matter how painful they were to bear. For some, the memories of the past grew louder, not fainter with time. After more than one Emerald Warden deliberately died so that they may be reforged in the hope of losing their guilt to the Anvil of Apotheosis, large quantities of water from Lake Lethis in Shyish were procured at great expense so painful memories might be lost without the need for such drastic measures.

However, many of the Stormhost’s high command were concerned that in the rush to forget the horrors of the past, it might be deprived of valuable experience and information that might be invaluable when disseminated in secret to those mortals looking to throw off the brutal rule of Chaos, To this end, a small suborder was founded — the Unburdeners — with the task of recording all of the Emerald Wardens’ mortal memories, no matter how painful. When one of the Stormhost asks to drink of the waters of Lethis, tradition requires that they spend many hours telling an Unburdener every detail from their past, so that it may be recorded on vellum and stored in the Grey Chamber.

Some of the Emerald Wardens that have undergone repeated reforging seemed suffused with a fey emerald light while others would spontaneously recite seemingly nonsensical phrases that would later be recognised as true prophecies.

The grim demeanour of the Emerald Wardens is starting to lighten. When they were first posted to the Tallowlands, a significant minority of the Stormhost saw the deployment as one prompted either by Sigmar’s wish to keep them out of his sight least they prickle his conscience or in the foolhardy belief that time spent away from the horrors of full unbridled war would eventually salve their wounds. However, in establishing the Stormkeep of Zo and its supporting network of fortifications and waystations, the Emerald Wardens now lay claim to those who now fall in righteous battle within the Tallowlands — souls that have not languished under the yoke of the ruinous powers and are therefore free of the bitterness that lurks in the heart of some of its longest-serving members.

While this recent development has started to salve the wounds of the Stormhost’s past, it has only widened the isolation between it and its peers, as some of the more traditional Stormhosts fear that the number of souls who have spent their lives in service to the Everqueen entering the ranks of the Emerald Wardens makes its loyalty to Sigmar suspect. There are also some who look less than charitably upon the Wardens’ penchant for tricks, feigned retreats and misdirection, not to mention their tendency to speak in riddles and spout prophecy disguised as nonsensical gibberish.

However, none can question the remarkable battle record the Emerald Wardens have won nor the many battles in which they have fought in perfect synchronicity with their Sylvaneth allies.

After the fall of the Sinian Empire, the Emerald Wardens spent the best part of a decade warring against a tangled mess of barbarians, goblins, orcs and other more foul things, all seeking to take advantage of the sudden power vacuum and raid the Empire’s territory to their savage hearts’ content.

As would be expected, given their history, the Emerald Wardens maintain large Sacrosanct and Vanguard Chambers, with the latter comprising souls gathered from those who harried the hosts of chaos from the wild places of the mortal realms. Wardens of the Sacrosanct Chamber are frequent visitors to the Celestial College, where they can often be seen discussing the latest signs and portents with the College’s most accomplished wizards.

In the wake of the Necroquake, the Emerald Wardens have been given new orders. With the Penumbral Engines no longer working as Grungni intended,  Sigmar has recalled that two Grand Stormvaults are located within the Tallowlands — the Bloodied Briar and the Nightmare Hive. The former takes its name from the huge tangle of thorns that surrounds it, said to have been created by Alarielle herself at the God-King’s request and filled with dire artefacts plundered from Shyish in the hope that the life-magic coursing through Ghyran might counteract their potency. The Nightmare Hive on the other hand is filled with the most dangerous creatures, spells and magical constructions that the Everqueen and Sigmar discovered when they explored Ghyran together. Recently, the Emerald Wardens have heard rumours of a force of undead constructs moving slowly towards the Bloodied Briar. With no wish to repeat the Anvils of the Heldenhammer’s defeat at the Midnight Tomb, the Emerald Wardens are taking no chances and are preparing to crush this threat with overwhelming force.

Battlecraft
The Emerald Wardens rely heavily on illusion, misdirection and manoeuvrability. Their Lord-Celestants often seek to bewilder their opponents through their ability to call in reinforcements from Azyr and the speed of their Prosecutors. The Stormhost is also well known for its lateral thinking — At the great battle of Morlan-Zen, the Lords of the Fly watched in horror as what should have been an unstoppable wave of Beasts of Nurgle halted in its charge due to a battlefield that had been seeded with all manner of squeaky toys and shiny baubles the night before. Worse was to come when a squad of Vanguard-Hunters let off a great display of magical fireworks to the rear of the Rotbringer host, prompting the Beasts to excitedly crash through their allies’ ranks in an effort to get a better view of the aerial display.

Heraldry
While the colours of the Emerald Wardens closely resemble those of the Celestial Vindicators — a state of affairs some attribute to either an unimaginative and somewhat lazy scribe or a great surplus of viridium, the magical mineral used to tint sigmarite green —the finish of their armour is far more polished. While the similarity is something of a sore spot between the Celestial Vindicators and the Emerald Wardens, it has also proven to be an asset, given their contrasting approaches to war. Many battles have been won by the enemy expecting a full frontal assault only to die to a thousand cuts, or for the precautions required to guard against frequent raids making them easy prey for a spear-tip thrust to the heart of their host.

The Red Moon

The Red Moon Rises: part 1

He deflected her attack and struck back. She turned it aside with her blade and shot past him...she smelt amazing...Pain erupted as Tova struck his elbow, ribs, and nape of neck with her "knives". She was quick!
"Point to me!" she smirked.
Hjorvard felt his face redden as they reset, he had to blot out the distractions! They were training, this was important, lose focus and it could cost you everything!
He longed to wield an axe, but more exotic weapons were scarce so you had to prove yourself as a warrior to earn the right to wield them. 
Training had been tough, but it felt good. Strength and skill had vastly improved since they'd started, but it was all coming together. Honing their fighting skills to instinctive reactions had taken a lot of work over years but they were almost there. 
The orange sky said the gentle gaze and protection of Lady Lisu was waning. They needed to be ready, the time was almost upon them. 

It was unusual sleeping in until mid morning, but tonight was going to be exhausting. Hjorvard still ached from yesterday's training, bruises were starting to show, but he did his morning stretches and went to help prepare the food.
As Father cut the meat he looked across the table. 
"When I came of age it was a time of mixed emotions." he announced "You know the words, you've seen the rites, you understand what is expected... get through the ritual. yes, its in front of everyone you know, but its just a ceremony. Its tonight you have to prove you are worthy. its tonight and every night the blood moon shines that we are all counting on you to do your part."
he went quiet and seemed to finish, then he caught his wife's gaze across the table.
"...but don't worry" he continued "your mother and I will be with you. now lets eat, then its off to the temple."

Father Torpal's sermon went on for quite a while. the theme was duty, loyalty, remembering your roots, and doing your part. It was just the two of them coming of age this season, and the eyes of the whole village were on them as they knelt at the altar, observed the rites, and the blessing was performed. It was nerve wracking, but the blessing was to give them strength for what lay ahead. 

Hjorvard stood outside the temple gazing at the horizon. No trace of Yellow, The Lady Lisu was gone from the sky, and it was clear. Was that a touch of red on the horizon? his stomach fluttered with nervous anticipation. 
The punch to his arm snapped him out of the daydream. "well, you didn't mess it up!" Tova said with a look of mock surprise. 
"you didn't either," he replied 'can't you think of something better to say?' he thought, he could have kicked himself! "Rorralarach will rise soon."he said
"it will" she nodded.
they gazed out at the hills on the horizon. She held his hand and rested her head on his shoulder. He froze and felt his face redden. The nervous butterflies in his stomach had turned into a bag of fighting ferrets...and one of them had escaped and was heading elsewhere!
"are you ready" he asked
"Almost" she replied
"what do you mean?" 
still holding his hand she stepped round to face him, gazed into his eyes for a moment, then kissed him. He paused, startled, then kissed back. he'd been imagining it for weeks, but it was better than that. Amazing! 
They parted. 
"what was that for?" he asked. 
she looked sheepish, then a little melancholic "just in case..."
The Bell rang.
They started, and looked towards the hills. a line of red had appeared on the horizon. 
"Its our first duty to make sure the children are safe in the temple vault." she said.       
he nodded "crazy to think we don't have to spend another night down there ever again!"

The vault was secure, The gate was barred and they stood with all the adults of the village by the wooden palisade that marked its edge. The sky was mauve above, fading through to magenta, and the red moon was visible above the horizon.              
"I can see them!" someone shouted
"steady yourself! his father flexed his brawny shoulders, "breathe and remember your training" he growled. 
"we'll see you in the morning, dear."  his mother said to reassure him. 
They could hear the noise of movement carried by the wind.
oh gods! he could see them! men, beastmen, other things? there were a LOT! and they looked crazed! He could feel the blood pumping in his veins, his heart thumping in his chest. he shuddered, he felt sick. fear? elation? nerves. His hand trembled so he gripped his knives tighter. They were almost here! He could see fifty..no a hundred... no, more! He lost count. Stopped trying to count. The terror, excitement, and anticipation mingled into one. 
They were two hundred yards away, and running. he glanced left, then right, seeing tensed warriors, steely determination, and set fighting stances. 
At a hundred and fifty yards, he felt his knee tremble and his stomach lurch. but he controlled it. 'remember your training' he growled at himself. 
a hundred yards. 
He could feel the ground pounding, and smell the approaching horde. Heart pounding, nerves singing, he tensed... then relaxed.           
he glanced above at the moon, so big, so red, a moment of calm. 
Then the Red orb of Rorralarach glared back, deep into his soul! he felt its power course through him. 
The last thing he remembered was roaring "Blood...!" as the frenzy took hold and he joined the harvest. 

Court of the King: Dwarf dramatis personae and rules

Fielding the Throng of Nog: Dwarf rules

Dwarfs appears in the Cities of Sigmar battletome, but as with the other species inside, it's a rather curtailed list in comparison with previous standalone armies. Despite this, the Age of Sigmar rules appear to be very flexible, and most of my army can be fielded as-is, with a fair bit of 'counts-as' and a seasoning of discussion with the other players.

Where possible, I'm using the most up-to-date rules. In strict game terms, the Throng of Nog will be a Cities of Sigmar army, that uses Dwarfs as Allies. In a worst-case scenario, it will simply be an Order Grand Alliance force.

In general, I'm using the Cities of Sigmar battletome rules (accesible through the free Warscroll Builder on GW's website) as my first port of call. As a second line, I'm using the Dwarf Warscroll Compendium, again on the GW website. This includes the Pitched Battle profiles (that is, the points values) for a lot of the old models that no longer have rules, like the Grudge Thrower. There are one or two things still missing from that, and that's meant a dive into the older Dwarf Warscrolls from the first edition. This is a more complete lists, but doesn't include Pitched Battle profiles.

To that end, I wanted to 'show my working' in the rules I've chosen to represent the models I like best in the game – and hopefully avoid any nasty surprises or unintentional interactions. I've listed them as follows:

[Name] – [Warscroll being used] [(source]) XXpts

The source is either the Cities of Sigmar (CoS), Dwarf Warscroll Compendium (DWC), or Original Warscrolls (OW). 

***

LEADERS

Cyng Nurnanog – Dwarf Lord (OW) 130pts*/Warden King (CoS) 110pts

The most difficult model of all, unfortunately, is the army's leader! For this, I'm using the Dwarf Lord battlescroll from the first release of Age of Sigmar, as this is oddly the only way to get access to the Shieldbearers:

A standard Warden King, the up-to-date equivalent, is 110pts; so as a stab in the dark, does 130pts sound like an okay starting point for the improved profile?

More conservatively, he'll count as a standard Warden King (the shieldbearers presumably being too tied up to add much to the fight!).

Either way, he'll be the army's general whenever he makes an appearance.

***

The Runesmith Tremblestave – Runelord (CoS) 90pts

A lovely model, I really wanted to field this wizard back from the days when dwarfs had elementalists and similar wizards. A Runelord seems entirely appropriate.

***

Eorlcyng Nialon the Disapproving – Warden King (CoS) 110pts

 Nice and simple, Nialon is perfectly fine in the army.

***

Coln – Unforged (DWC) 80pts

Trollslayers etc. don't exist in the same way in the Age of Sigmar, but there are up-to-date rules for their spiritual successors, the grief-driven 'Unforged' in the Dwarf Warscroll Compendium.

***

Snorri Spilaf, Thegn of Nog – Thane with Battle Standard (DWC) 80pts

The lack of characterful models like this is the main reason for me diving into the older rules. I could use him as a Warden King, but as you'll see here, I've loads of models better-suited for that. I guess treating him as a Runesmith – based on the banner bearing terrible runic magic, rather than Snorri himself – could work, but I'd prefer to use the Dwarf Warscroll Compendium rules, copied below:

***

 Eorlcyng Broggi Diamondback – Warden King (CoS) 110pts

Work-in-progress

 As with his fellow Eorlcyng Nialon, Broggi of the Diamondback Hills is fine as-is. After all, if it's not Broggi, why fix it?

***

BATTLELINE

Thegn Kazasturn, Gesith of the Cyng – 30 Ironbreakers (CoS) 330pts

Background-wise a lieutenant to Cyng Nurnanog, Kazasturn will lead a unit of Ironbreakers.

***

The Weartling Cwichelm – 20 Ironbreakers (CoS) 260pts

Not to be outdone, Cwichelm will bring his snazzy Crimson Few into battle as Ironbreakers.

***

Jorj Svensson – 20 Longbeards (CoS) 220pts

Work-in-progress

Jorj will lead a motley collection of models I like, being fielded as Longbeards.

***

Klimt of the Eastern Woods, Far-Ranger – (DWC/OW?) 20 Quarrelers – 240pts

(If taken as a Far-Ranger – 100pts)

Depending on how the model comes out when painted, he may be promoted to a Leader, using the 'Not-Bugman' Far-Ranger rules. For the moment, however, he'll simply be the leader of the crossbow-bearing Quarrelers. These are in a weird place, as they appear in GW's warscroll builder, but the only Warscroll I can find is the original one. Perhaps an oversight? For the moment, I'll use the Pitched Battle profile from the DWC, and the Warscroll from the OW:

***

ARTILLERY

They've not yet arrived, but I've been able to source a stone thrower and bolt thrower, the rules and points for which I include here for completeness:

Bolt Thrower (DWC) 120pts

Grudge Thrower (DWC) 180pts

***

Phew! A last reference image, from the Dwarf Warscroll Compendium:

Well, that wraps up the basic stuff. I'm pleased to see you can field a dwarf army by the letter of the rules without too much counts-as or fiddling around with Allies (with the possible exception of the Lord riding on his ancestor's shield; but I'm confident the PCRC won't worry too much about him. We've done custom special characters before, so effectively he's that).

Of course, this still leaves things like Artefacts and Command Traits. I'm not really au fait enough with how Age of Sigmar works, so I'm open to any thoughts on how to approach this. Use the Cities of Sigmar ones? The older dwarf ones? Something else? Make up our own?