Reign of the Lichemaster: Kemler, Zwemmer and Krell

Stories of the return of Heinrich Kemler from the depths of his madness are as confused and shrouded as the man himself, or what is left of him. Indeed it is unlikely that Kemler ever did (or ever shall) return to sanity, for what sanity is it to call the dead from their graves and pledge allegiance to the fickle powers of Chaos?

The peaks of the Grey Mountains has been a hideout and a refuge for heretics and bandits since the earliest days of the Empire. Those cast from the towns and villages make their way to the desolate, snow-capped heights and eke out a barbarous existence preying on isolated hamlets and vulnerable travellers. Most are simply victims of circumstance and the heavy hand of justice but amongst the hidden valleys lie some darker powers which draw the outcasts into their midst. The Frugelkluft valley below the Frugelhorn is one such place. These days a small hamlet by the name of Frugelhofen clings to the wide end of the valley and there are a few farms dotted around but only the dwarves dare to go far into the Frugelkluft, and then only because of the gold seam to be found at Grimbrin's mine. The seam is dwindling and those dwarves still there continue to tap it for family pride. Back in the time of Sigmar, however, there was no settlement in the valley and the glacier which crowns its upper end reached far further down and filled the valley with a shimmering mirror lake.

 

 

It was at this site that Sigmar's forces defeated Krell, one of the nine lords of Nagash. That battle went down in history as the Battle of Glacier Lake and the treacherous ice claimed as many victims as the great chaos champion's undead horde. Nevertheless, Krell was defeated and interred within a great, magical tomb high up in the glacier so that none should ever find it again. Perhaps it was by design that the records of the battle disappeared so that none even remembered the place where the battle had been fought, many suspecting it lay further south towards Tilea in the region of the Vaults.

Time marched on and the Empire grew. The glaciers and lakes began to recede. Settlers pushed their hamlets up into the foothills and bandits and miscreants were drawn up into the mountains. It was almost as if some power was pulling them towards the Frugelkluft.

At one time the most notorious bandit crew working the passes were the Blue-Blooded Bandits, a pack of disinherited aristocrats lead by the tyrannous and warlike former-duke Adolphus Zwemmer. Zwemmer had made a pact with a daemon of Nurgle which, when discovered, lead to him being exiled, sentenced to death and chased across the land by witch hunters. When Zwemmer was finally brought down a few of his most fervent supporters carried his body away into the mountains and buried it in the Frugelkluft valley, not far from the magical tomb of Krell. Zwemmer's daemon patron, robbed of his champion and already a low thing in the eyes of his pantheon, clung to every chance of growing in power. When Heinrich Kemler appeared, wandering in the mountains delirious and insane, the daemon saw how it could secure another mortal servant.

In return for strength, life, the service of Zwemmer with his bandit host and the use of the daemon weapon Heinrich Kemler swore to kill and commit the souls of those slain to the service of the daemon. If it thought it had secured the devotion of the necromancer, however, it was much mistaken. Kemler's wanderings were not as aimless as even the Lichemaster believed them to be. He was being guided by another purpose to the foot of this ancient glacier...

Clarity of mind restored, Kemler remembered what he had been seeking in this desolate region, what his delirium had whispered to him and what secrets he had learnt. Having dispatched Zwemmer and his small army of skeletons to raise the nearest settlements to the ground that he might, in turn, raise their inhabitants, Kemler turned his attentions and footsteps towards the glacier. Zwemmer's band fell upon the dwarves of Gimbrin's mine and Wernicke's farm, adding their former occupants to the legion of the damned.

Kemler, meanwhile, had made his way through the crevasses and ice tunnels of the glacier and arrived at the concealed entrance to the tomb of Krell. The evil power that had drawn so many black-hearted bandits to the region had called to him and shown him the way. With his newly-acquired strength he was able to break the seals and release the former lieutenant of Nagash from his prison. There and then Kemler struck his second dark pact and acquired as an ally the lord of the undead and his foul henchmen. The Lichemaster and his new champions fell upon the vulnerable Bogel's farm and massacred the Kassenbrincks. Then, merging with the Blue-Blooded Bandits, they turned upon the village of Frugelhofen...








At least, that's my attempt at reconciling the twin narratives of Terror of the Lichemaster, the Undead Armies Book and WFRP Lichemaster. And here's my attempt at the protagonists:

Kemler- on foot and on horseback. The models are Bob Olley Essex (the riding figure is actually called a lichemaster) and look suitably mad to my mind! The splendid horse is from Reaper and courtesy of Mr Harry. I'd imagine this is Kemler's much-abused pack animal, sacrificed in the ritual of releasing Krell and then pressed into service once more. I used some silicone putty and resin to replicate Kemler's owl familiar for the back of the horse.

Adolphus Zwemmer- I've been after this Chaz Elliott "Undead Lord" from Ral Partha (formerly Heartbreaker) for some time. In my head he was most likely modelled on this chap from the D&D adventure 'Haunted Tower':

 

But now I track down the image and actually compare them that doesn't seem likely. Nevertheless, that's where the inspiration for the colour scheme came from, that and the BBBs are described in Lichemaster as wearing green armour. They are warriors of Nurgle after all.  The BBBs themselves will all be wearing armour of a heavy, chaos-kind. This mini is pretty massive, probably more impressive than a minor champion like Zwemmer ought to be, but maybe Nurgle blessed him with a grotesquely rotund girth to match his height?

And Krell- This is a figure I used to have in my original undead army (along with the 4th Ed Kemmler) and in my eyes a preferable sculpt to the original TotL one (which I think was just a re-appropriated skeleton hero). However, when I first read of Krell in the 4th Ed Undead Armies Book I did not have the model and there was no picture of it in the book. I didn't have a GW anywhere near me and my local hobby shop had a very limited supply of blisters which did not include the lord of the undead. I did, however, have WFB3 and so the yellow-armoured champion in John Blanche's diorama:



 

forever became the image of Krell in my mind. He has, after all, got a large, black axe! So my Krell is painted after this chap. He will be getting a chariot to ride in to elevate him in status above Zwemmer (hence the lack of basing). I'd imagine there's quite a hefty rivalry between these two former champions of Chaos. Krell is the more powerful by a long shot, but Zwemmer's daemon patron holds the secret to Kemler's longevity and whilst it cares no longer for Zwemmer himself it is uneasy about Krell's allegiance to other Chaotic powers.

 

More to come as I move on to the units!

Reign of the Lichemaster: Kemler, Zwemmer and Krell

The Emperor's Seraphim- Astartes Praeses

The tome known as the Mythos Angelica Mortis records twenty Astartes Chapters which it calls the Astartes Praeses. These Space Marine Chapters were founded to provide constant watch over the Eye of Terror against the incursions of Chaos. Among this list are the Marines Exemplar, the Night Watch, the Relictors, the Subjugators and the White Consuls. Not listed in the tome are the Emperor's Seraphim. The Seraphim were indeed part of the original founding- guardians of the Scelus Sub-Sector assigned to stand sentinel against the threat of the Black Crusades. The Seraphim are known to have been equipped for specialist ship-borne combat, with advanced Tactical Dreadnought armour and close assault weaponry issued as standard. It is also recorded that their Chapter Master, Leopus Nix, was a potent psyker and was reported to have forbidden the use of scanners in boarding actions when he was present, guiding his squads more accurately by sense alone. Yet the Seraphim disappeared from their posts and history does not reveal their fate.

------------------------------------------------------------------

My first Space Marine army was the Terminatrus Chapter- cheesy I know, but I was about 10! When I got back into 3rd Ed they were reinvented as the Emperor's Seraphim and were comprised as entirely of Terminators as the Army Lists would allow. Now just recently I have got inspired again to play some Space Hulk and, even better, some Space Crusade. To this end I have stripped the Emperor's Seraphim again, and as I have no real interest in picking up a Marine army (too busy with the Mechanicus) my plan is to paint up both sets as purely for use in the board games. I'll be doing Ultramarines and Blood Angels for SC- but there's a dilemma. I see SC as being set pre-Heresy, as part of the Great Crusade. I'm going to use Mark VI armour (not pre-Heresy I know, but my favourite armour type) but I've never been keen on the Imperial Fists so was going to switch to the enigmatic Mentor Legion which has always been a preference of mine. But ML aren't a part of the first founding so do I go for the Fists because it's more accurate to the fluff or for the Mentors because they're so much cooler? Hmm.

Anyhow, back on topic, I'm going to be painting up a squad of 10 Blood Angels Termies and 10 Deathwing Termies for Space Hulk but I've got some nice early metal Termies that I'm going to paint up again as Emperor's Seraphim, hopefully doing a better job this time. The Seraphim are a part of the Astartes Praeses who slipped up on one occasion, letting a Hulk drift through from the Warp, past their cordon and into Imperial Space.

Realising their mistake too late they pursued the trail of the craft, but by the time they reached it the Hulk had made landfall on a primitive but loyal Imperial world. The devastation was complete. The Seraphim were not equipped to carry out the rites of Exterminatus, but in the name of the Emperor they could not allow the abominations that were spawning upon that world to survive. The Seraphim spent a decade cleansing the planet thoroughly, square mile by square mile, preserving their ammunition by engaging at close quarters with merciful death. This was a scar which would never fade for the Seraphim. For shame they could not return to their posts, nor would they abandon other worlds to the same fate. They swore, standing among the wreckage of the planet, that they would suffer no Hulks to go unchallenged in Imperial space but to hunt and cleanse them until the darkness took them.

Other Chapters have reported the appearance of unmarked but distinctively Imperial ships in the vicinity of Hulks they have been dispatched to investigate. As squads board the Hulks they find themselves joined by mysterious Terminator-suited figures bearing the badge of a fiery, winged axe. These Marines offer no communication and stay hidden in the shadows but the evidence of their presence is always accompanied by carnage- Xenos of all manner; Orks, Eldar, Tyranid and the abhorrent forces of Chaos, slain in the most brutal of fashions, their threat utterly annihilated.

The Emperor's Seraphim- Astartes Praeses

The Contingent Plan

Here's a basic layout for the Snotling army, which should make up to about 3000 points worth of snots. Some of the text has not Print Screened very well, but I think it comes across. The idea is to divide the army into contingents. Several of these may combine to make up units, but I wanted lots of variation and to be able to create 80s-style warhammer units with characterful leaders and definite style. Each base will effectively be a mini diorama of the contingent, with an appropriate label giving either the name of contingent or the leader/champion. Lots of colour, lots of variation, lots of crazy madcap fun!

Obviously there aren't 'official' rules for most of these troop types, stay tuned for the Cave Snot Armies Book featuring such glorious entries as the Snotling Blasters, Shroomies, Sawmasters, Shamen and Wierdlings.

The Contingent Plan

Warhammer Armies: Cave Snots

I've been penning some thoughts for my force of diminutive goblinoids and have come up with some background for the much-stamped-upon snotling race. Enjoy!

The smallest of the goblinoid races, snotlings are usually seen as the crummy slaves of large orc and goblin tribes. Here their presence is occasionally required to pilot one of their destructive wagons into battle or to soak up enemy fire at the front line, but most of the time the snots spend their lives doing all the miserable things that nobody else wants to do, and usually end up being eaten for their troubles. Pretty much everything eats snotlings. But all that the greenskins and the other, larger races of the warhammer world know of these runty creatures is but a facet of the snotling race; for deep below even the deepest dwellings of goblins, dwarves and skaven there are countless tribes of snotlings avoiding the gaze of their predators.

Whether snotlings may be truly classed as animal or not is a matter of opinion, since each and every snotling was once an inanimate scabspore mushroom. This peculiar strain of fungus, once it reaches maturity, develops a kind of cognisance, begins to sprout facial features and limbs before finally detaching itself from whatever it grew upon, shedding its mushroom cap and becoming a snotling. Because of their trans-classificational origins, snotlings are inherently at one with the natural world. Save for snots who are pressed into service by other races, snotlings are peaceable and only usually go to war to protect their clan or to avert some natural disaster which their special relationship with the earth has warned them of. It could be that if snotlings were able to develop to their full ability they would go a long way to righting the injustices of the world. Sadly their status as little more than food for most creatures and their delight in hazardous pursuits of all kinds means they are seldom able to live long enough to become an influence. There is nothing snotlings love more than the rush of adrenaline participating in extreme sports such as cliff diving, barrel rolling and white water wagonning. Snots have a special relationship with trolls, who are usually of the opinion that pretty much everything is food. Maybe because snots are viewed as food by pretty much everything else the trolls have a soft spot for the little green fungus people and are often enlisted to help defend snotling colonies. In exchange for this they get to eat any potential threats to the tribe which include, well, pretty much everything really!

Because of their nutritious diet and clean living, snots can live for centuries and grow to the size of a large goblin, but because of their high number of predators and penchant for risky activities only a few ever get the chance to enjoy their longevity. Since they grow from mushrooms, snotlings are genderless, however they refer to the few snots who manage to live long lives, grow to great size and so become the leaders of the snotling clans as ‘big momma snots’. Maybe this is because these snotlings are wise, mature, maternal and always act with the best wishes of the snotling clan at heart. Alternatively it could be because their long lives suggest they never really understood the appeal of the kind of dangerous tomfoolery which occupies most snotlings most of the time. Alongside the big mommas, the snotling clans are overseen by the tribal chieflings. These snotlings have distinguished themselves by their daring (some might say stupid) exploits and have won the respect of the tribesnots. They get less respect from the big mommas who have to pull them back in line whenever their actions begin to endanger the wellbeing of the clan, usually by sitting on them. 

The origins of magic lie in the incursions of chaos into the warhammer world and as creatures of nature the snotlings are terrified of its unnatural nature.  They do, however, know a thing or two about plants and the most adept snotlings can create truly startling (and sometimes quite useful) effects by blending and consuming potions. These are the shaman of the snotling tribes, strange individuals usually given a wide birth by all ut the most inquisitive of tribesnots. Their powers of deduction, clairvoyance and healing are made occasional use of in times of great need, but the unfortunate likelihood of such benefits being accompanied by the spontaneous combustion or mutation of the shaman or subject usually means the need has to be very great before they are consulted. They are just about trusted on matters of weather and good times to harvest fungus, which are usually accompanied by nothing more than a few bruises. Long-serving shaman (very lucky shaman) tend to acquire strange deformities such as abnormal growth, extra limbs or weird distortions of the body. These become badges of honour for the shaman. Younger shaman who have yet to acquire such distinctive traits (or blow themselves up) usually cover themselves up in long robes and hoods to try to gain an air of mystery, who knows what hideous form lies beneath? A popular game among tribesnots is to step on their robes at opportune moments and send them headlong into muddy puddles. Snotlings are generally pretty comfortable with their bodily appearance and wear very few clothes except for a simple loincloth. Since they have no reproductive organs quite why they feel the need to cover these areas of their body remains unclear. A few ambitious snots might fashion themselves clothing from vegetation, the hides of dead animals (usually rats, anything bigger is hard for a snotling to bring down) or anything else they find lying around. Some even make suits of armour for themselves from assorted kitchen equipment or loot items from Halfling settlements (about the only race snots aren’t too badly matched against). These are usually worn as badges of honour or to increase their chance of surviving some hazardous new game rather than for warfare. Snotlings have ingenious minds (dangerously so) for creating contraptions from odd bitz and pieces they find lying around. Successful creations, particularly those which can be employed for the mass hilarity of the whole clan, are highly praised and their inventors given pride of place at the banqueting table. This usually encourages them on to even more daring feats and more often than not results in the demise of the hapless engineer. Those inventors whose creations fall short of the mark usually don’t survive the test run to learn from their mistakes.

In all the warhammer world there are few creatures as persecuted, threatened and downtrodden as the diminutive fungus-born snotlings, yet there are also few who are as playful, happy and good-willed as these green-skinned runts. Their tribes are havens of jollity in an unhappy world, governed by benign matriarchs and united in the quest for fun and a worry-free, if short-lived, existence.

Warhammer Armies: Cave Snots