Reign of the Lichemaster: Dead Bretonnians

 

Duc Tancred II of Quenelles rushed to the relief of La Maisontaal... according to the rehash of the Citadel Journal scenario published in Warhammer Chronicles. Unfortunately he and his Bretonnian contingent were also soundly thrashed by the unstoppable might of the Lichemaster and now serve him in undeath. According to my research blue and white is the 'canon' colour scheme for Tancred's forces. Though the pegasus head I have not adopted, opting instead for a classic fleur de lys motif- defaced with Kemler's orange spider/crab mark.

Mostly Heartbreaker (from their Fantasy Armies Packs range) undead archers with a few RAFM and the Fenryll champion (displaced from Krell's chariot) make up the 'more armoured' archer unit. 

Mostly classic Citadel plastic skeletons with a few RAFM and some Mantic heads make up the 'unarmoured' archer unit. Lead by a Celtos (Brigade Models) miniature.

In death all are equal... and so the elite foot knights have been crammed into a unit alongside regular peasant levy. They have crowded together at the front at least!

Celtos (Brigade Models)

More Celtos

A couple of classic plastics with 5th ed skeleton ram heads, drum from an empire model and 'beater' from (I think) a 6th ed regiment set

Heartbreaker (two different ranges), Grenadier, RAFM and Dark Arts Studio

Classic Citadel

It feels like a Bretonnian force would include a fair number of men at arms with polearms so there are two large spear units. A very mixed unit of spearmen with some light armour and shields...

Mantic plastics. They were cheap so I thought I would check them out. Not a fan really, but they make ok rear rank troops for variation.

RAFM and Heartbreaker. I think these older Hearthbreaker sculpts are now available through North Star.

Hooray! More Celtos

And more Celtos

And yet more Celtos

...and just regular spear skellies. Yet more Celtos! Yes, I did score a job-lot of cheap Celtos skeletons... but I also love them very much and would have bought them new (but perhaps not so many!) had I not been able to pick up the bundle. They're mostly just bone and metal so can be really quick to paint, especially if you daub Modelmates Rust on instead of painting the metal as I have done. I did balance this out with quite a bit of highlighting though.

Some RAFM crept into the middle to bulk out the unit. Their stance is so wide that it was better to put 3 on a 40x40 base rather than try to fit them on 20mm squares!

And the chariots. I guess Bretonnians are not fabled for their chariots? But since these are made of bone they were probably raised by Kemler from some remains of giant oxen preserved in the La Maisontaal vaults and men at arms delegated to crew them. The first plastic kit I ever got was a skeleton chariot (long after the awesome Skeleton Horde box had been discontinued) and I remember it being such a pain to stick together. I love the kit, but even with years of practice it is still a pain to keep assembled and fell apart several times whilst painting! Not helped by the substitution of some metal parts it must be said. These were picked up in a lot of broken skeletons so have had some mending and alterations to get them back on the road.

Alternative Armies chariot driver. A RPE skull (I do love them so!) replaces a lost plastic head on the archer.

Machineries of Destruction steeds replace the plastics for variation. The two-headed, three-armed skeleton was like that in the job lot so I kept him.

Head plate from the Black Coach to add some variation to the plastic horse. Mix of Skeleton Horde and 5th ed plastics in the crew, but not too noticeable I think.

Last but not least, Tancred himself and his contingent of knights. Tancred is a Ral Partha rider but I didn't like his horse, I believe that's a Grenadier one he's riding? Could be wrong. He has an attendant wizard (probably Jade judging by the scythe?) and two champions. At some point I may do a Tancred on a pegasus as he is represented in the Warhammer Chronicles book, Grenadier have a half-decent one but it's not quite right... A project for the future, maybe. Between them these heroes will lead a unit of knights and one of mounted men at arms.

Citadel (and a Mantic) on lovely Essex (now available just as horses) and a RAFM steed

Citadel and RAFM (and Mantic) on Citadel, RAFM and Essex steeds

Classic Skeleton Horde undead horsemen joined by later Citadel riders on Esex and Citadel steeds

RAFM on RAFM and Essex steeds

One more to go next week!

Reign of the Lichemaster: Dead Bretonnians

Reign of the Lichemaster: Macabre Monks of La Maisontaal

What did Kemler do after he had decimated the settlements in the Frugelhorn valley? He went to the abbey of La Maisontaal where he had once enjoyed shelter and learned camaraderie from the brothers. That turned sour when Kemler's studies become more overtly dark and the Lichemaster was cast out to wander gibbering in the wilderness. The reunion was not to be a pleasant one...

So runs the tale in Vengeance of the Lichemaster (Citadel Journal Spring 86) which introduced the villainous Skaven for the first time. It's also featured as part of the Lichemaster WFRP campaign, adopting different names once again. La Maisontaal existed before the concept of the nature god Taal had been thoroughly explored so its resident brothers as described and shown in the painting by John Blanche (above) for the cover of the Journal don't immediately conjure up images of what a modern WFRP player might expect from Taal-ites. But that's just as well because I never was orthodox in my interpretation of Warhammer fluff. My brethren have adopted the red robes and yellow trimmings of the Blanche painting. 

There are two 'types' of monk described in the campaigns. The 'Warrior Monks' are the 'younger' initiates... yes, they are kung fu monks. There aren't this many in the WFB scenario (indeterminate number in the WFRP campaign) but this doesn't seem an unreasonable amount for a decent-sized abbey. In the WFRP campaign there's a small village adjacent to the abbey and those villagers are porbably among these ranks now as well, plus of course there would be some extra recruits already in the graveyard... Since he's pissed off with the monks I reckon Kemler would find it amusing to arm former followers of Taal with agricultural tools. They are lead by Bagrian (the Master of La Maisontaal in the Journal) and Jean-Louis Dintrans who succeeds the dying Master at the start of the WFRP campaign.  

Fir Bolg Shadow Lord from Celtoc (Brigade Models). He straddles two bases!

An assortment- Citadel, Ral Partha, North Star, Zealot?

Gary Morley Wraiths and standard

Marauder/Night Horrors/Citadel

Harlequin (Black tree Designs)

Then there are the 'Wizard Monks' (magical monks of La Maisontaal), older brothers who have made a study of the mystical arts. Again there are more of these than in the WFB scenario, the extensive crypt of old Masters has been raided for the purpose! I've given these more decorative trim to their robes to show their status. They are lead by Rene de Muscadet, the Master who dies at the beginning of the WFRP campaign and who was responsible for driving out the Lichemaster, mortally wounding him in the process. The former Master is forced to carry his skull, a ram's head being placed on his neck as form of humiliation by Kemler.

Past Masters- Ral Partha, Chronopia and RAFM

Alternative Armies

Citadel, gotta love those old barrow wights

Later LotR... Ringwraiths more colourful than they've ever been before

Alternative Armies, Citadel and ?

Of course the monks aren't the only asset residing at La Maisontaal. Thanks to Bagrian (in the Journal scenario) or de Muscadet (in the WFRP campaign) the abbey is also the current resting place of the Black Ark, a powerful chunk of Warpstone, and the Mechanical Warrior. The Skaven of the original scenario have been repulsed and Kemler has retained possession of the Ark which he is using to increase his power. The Mechanical Warrior he has kept in service as a novelty. In the original scenario the warrior is a Dalek (Citadel released their licensed Daleks in the same Journal issue) but I have gone with a more tin-man style animated suit of armour... until I find a Dalek model that is. The Black Ark is being stored in an ox-drawn casket so Kemler can take it with him should he need to tap its power whilst out and about. The Skaven will not have forgotten where it lies...

The Ark is a repurposed Black Coach with the original coachman now an outrider, dethroned by the Plague Cart driver. I never liked the Black Coach model, it always felt rather too silly, even for a fantasy wargame. The oxen are from the Fenryll chariot.

Next week- the defeated forces of Bretonnia!

Reign of the Lichemaster: Macabre Monks of La Maisontaal

Reign of the Lichemaster Resurrected: Return of Krell

 

Some 5 or 6 years ago I embarked upon an ambitious project to build the undead army I dreamt of back in 1994. You can see how far I got by following the tag LICHEMASTER to get the relevant posts. After pulling together enough finished figures to play through the 2nd Edition Terror of the Lichemaster campaign the project stalled and the incomplete retinue have sat staring at me with their empty eye sockets from various shelves ever since.

I wanted to make it my Deadcember project this year to finally get it done. When Dave announced that the month's Odds & Sods Challenge was 'Machineries of Destruction' my gaze fell on the unpainted skeleton chariots and I knew this was the motivation I needed. I actually finished the army on the 3rd January so just missed fitting it into Deadcember... but as you will see it was quite a large project and I am pleased to have it done!

Allow me to present, then, the first instalment of Heinrich Kemler's skeleton horde...

The 'Krellingtons' (as I like to call them) were already pretty much finished as I used them in my campaign. A few additions and alterations have been made though. I have painted Krell's banner and added a couple of Grenadier and a Denizen skeleton to the ranks. I have also done a bit more basing on them. Originally I wanted my bases for use on my snow terrain, but since I rarely get this out I decided to add some of the tea/coffee mix and sponge scatter I use on the other bases and terrain to make them more flexible. I like the idea that snow and ice follow where the dead walk so am totally fine with white beneath their feet.

New for the Krellingtons this month is a rather fine Fenryll Command War Chariot (with the oxen swapped out, you'll see where they ended up later...) containing Ranlac the Black, Krell's lieutenant.

I had to use the preslotta chaos warrior for Ranlac because of my childhood associations. The Undead 4th Edition army book was the first one I owned (in fact the only one I owned until my decision to collect all of them for the Encyclopedia Warhammica) and whilst it mentioned Krell it had no pictures of the miniature, I am not sure if it was even released by then? I did, however, have the 3rd Edition rulebook with the spectacular undead diorama by John Blanche in it (pictured at the top of this blog post). Stood on a hill above his troops was surely the leader of this horde, a skeleton in yellow armour with a big, black axe. Must be Krell, I thought. Therefore this model is ensconced as Krell in my mind and so I wanted him in the army, in a fine chariot. The colour scheme for Krell ad his unit is taken from the diorama, along with the iconography.

The Blue Blooded Bandits, mentioned in the WFRP Lichemaster campaign and replacing Krell, are my substitutes for Mikael Jacsen's zombies. I don't like zombies. They also just needed bases tweaking and the banner doing, but I have also added a handful of extra models in the form of these fine skellibobs from Broadsword Miniatures, a couple of RAFM models and a Diehard Miniatures undead knight.

The BBB's are formerly the children of noble families who turned to adventuring and banditry to relieve the monotony of their comfortable lives. I have therefore chosen skeletons with rather more armour and fancier weapons for this unit. They're mostly Ral Partha figures from RPE.

The Bandits have also received a chariot, this time the Citadel Machineries of Destruction undead chariot, totally suitable for the month's Odds & Sods challenge. The champion in the chariot is Didier Cousteau, one of Zwemmer's champions according to the WFRP supplement. His banner, a common-enough undead motif, is a reference to the Damned Crew, a gang of noblemen who terrorised London in the 17th century. A band of too-rich yahoos with no sense of responsibility or civility much the same as the Bullingdon Club.

The reign of the Lichemaster continues next week with the monks of La Maisontaal...

Reign of the Lichemaster Resurrected: Return of Krell

The first Oakbound Patreon draws to a close

 

Yes, somehow it's been a whole year since the launch of the Oakbound Patreon Warbands project!

If you missed it the idea is simple- every year we start off in January with an idea chosen by the patrons. In monthly reports we follow the idea through research, development, concept art, sculpting, moulding, casting and painting to a finished set of models which are then sent to every patron. These are exclusive to Patreon supporters and won't be available generally, though if you'd like a set you can jump on the 2023 Patreon project and receive them instead or as well as next year's set.

The theme for this year was "The druid's last stand", inspired by accounts of the fight between Roman Legions and the remnants of British resistance holding out with the druids on Anglesey. A mish-mash rabble of bedraggled warriors are whipped into a frenzy by the 'furies' and supported by howled curses from the druids themselves.

The miniatures were based on concept art by Christian Schwager. Each supporter will have received their metal miniatures in a custom display/storage box along with a colour print of the artwork. 

Discussion is ongoing as to what next year's warband will be. A poll will be appearing next week for supporters to cast their vote so if you're interested in being involved in the 2023 warband project head on over and check out the conversation so far on THE OAKBOUND PATREON PAGE.

The first Oakbound Patreon draws to a close