Sunday, January 31, 2010

goodbye January 2010

Holy groxmeat the month went by fast! I can still remember new years eve. in recognition of an awesome month, heres my tally:

games played = 3 (two losses, 1 draw)
mini's painted = 16
notes: I started my first ever video blog (update this wednesday)

Also I have pictures of some skeletons (barrow kings contingent), some tomb guard, and my january progress for the underempires skavenblight paint club:







Friday, January 29, 2010

ok..ok...i'm moving again

Ok so due to football and other family and RL stuff, painting was spread throughout the week. I finished painting 5 skeleton warriors for my Barrow kings contingent. pictures will come soon, as i have to update the war room as well.

Secondly I have also written fluff for my Tomb kings army, and so I thought I would post it. enjoy:

You stand with your army upon the dunes outside the western wall of Quatar, the palace of corpses. The wall is a massive edifice of sandstone. Carved relief’s depicting the jackal god D’jaf adorn its outward facings. The massive main gate made of basalt and chased in gold holds the image of an ancient king, skeletal in feature, screaming his battle cry towards his enemy.

Then you notice the movement. Something starts to emerge from the sands in front of the wall. Slowly regiments of skeletal soldiers emerge from the sands, their numbers beyond counting. Alongside them trot several hundred horsemen, spears reflecting the light of the sun. Then you hear screams. Your head snaps back toward your artillery, positioned at the top of the largest dune so as to get a good view of the wall for bombardment. Several creatures, what look like large scorpions, have erupted from the sands to ambush the artillery. You quickly order several detachments of troops back to aid the battery and then look back towards the enemy line.

The gate opens and from within the city beyond streams a long column of chariots. At their head is a mummified figure, one of the undead priest kings you had been told of. Then you see it. The liche lord bears an uncanny resemblance to the one pictured upon the gate. Seemingly sensing your location, the ancient warrior points his gleaming spear in your direction, and a battle cry erupts from a fleshless throat. The king’s eyes blaze with pure power and then you realize you and your entire army are doomed.

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The hosts of Quatar are not to be denied. For two thousand years since the time of settra the great the white city has stood as a bastion against those who would desecrate and destroy the works of Nehekhara. Among its people the finest artisans of the land could be found and many great statues, of the gods and the kings of the city were lovingly created. Martial as any Nehekharan city Quatar’s fighting forces were one of the most well trained army on the continent, second only to that of Khemri’s legion of the hawks.

Boasting one of the largest contingents of tomb guard in the whole of nehekhara due to the responsibility of guarding the charnel valley, the armies of Quatar, now raised from their slumber, are a match for almost anything an enemy can throw at them. Adding to this is grand vizier Sehenesmet, grand artificer of the ushabti legions guarding the pyramids and holy places of the city. Sehenesmet also oversees the continual repair of the cities bone giants, one of which he has implanted his own body into to lend greater strength to his works.

After the reconquering of the Nehekharan empire by Settra the imperishable during his everlasting reign the many tomb kings of Quatar chose unity in eternal council instead of fighting amongst themselves and subsequently sundering their strength. United as such, the council of kings chose Amon-Zar first and oldest of their number, to lead them. After the council had been formed and their leader elected they set about restoring the defenses of the city, much of which had been left ruinous after the Usurpers treachery.

Slowly the great walls of the city, stretching between the peaks lining the charnel valley were rebuilt, the desecrated Temples and statues restored, and a great council chamber constructed in one of the many levels of the white palace. The sentinels of the city once again stood guard over the Gates of dawn, empty eye sockets peering across the land, fine bows at the ready.

With their first works complete and their domain secure many of the kings chose to return to slumber within their tomb vaults, content to let the liche priests and their fellow kings who chose to stay wakeful in command of the defenses of the city. Several of the undying lords, including Amon-Zar, stayed awake to plan new conquests and great works within the monumental council chamber, only calling forth the remainder of the council in times of dire need or if the matter at hand required their attention.

Alas, all has not been peaceful in the land of the dead since the great awakening. Adventurers seek out the old cities in search of knowledge and gold and orcs run rampant through the mountains. Several times the white city has been besieged, but these punitive attacks have broken against the gates of dawn as if they were the smallest sandstorm against a rocky ledge. Quatar, its defenders, and its kings are immovable and resist time itself from drawing them into its abyss of decay. Nothing that has stormed the walls has survived, and the fleeing remnants have seen arrow storms that block out the sun fall amidst their retreat.

If arrows blessed by the asp goddess do not slay the remaining enemy forces a brigade of chariots and light cavalry will sortie to deal with what little survivors remain. If by some radical extreme the enemy reforms to face the walls once more the tomb guard of D’jaf will take command of the ramparts. Led by Amenemhetan, prince of Quatar, bearer of the twin blades of D’jaf and captain of the tomb guard the heavy infantry hold the walls against any enemy and their unbending line has never been breached.

Now, with fell winds blowing from the north, Amon-Zar has called the council together to discuss plans of war and conquest. So far several of the kings have agreed, but only time will tell the decision of the rest. In the meantime Amon-zar has ordered the armies rise to readiness.

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The Jackal Legion
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Not to be confused with king Lahmizzar of Lahmia’s bodyguards, the jackal legion is the elite of the elite in Quatar’s army. More privileged than even the regular tomb guard of Quatar, the Jackal legions one and only task was to guard the city itself, along with the sacred temple to D’jaf.

Unlike the standing battalions of tomb guard that make up the heavy infantry contingent of Quatar’s army, the jackal legion did not join their king within his pyramid after his death. Instead all members of the jackal legion were interred within a massive underground tomb chamber directly under the gates of Shapesh. This massive obsidian fortification was the principle entry to Quatar’s necropolis. Carved with the likenesses of the gods Shapesh and D’jaf, this entryway served as the symbolic gate to the afterlife. Beyond crowded the sprawling tomb fortresses of Quatar’s many kings, each seeking to expand and increase the defensiveness of their resting places until the complex became a sprawling maze of corridors and vaulted chambers.

Traditionally a prince from each successive generation of the royalty would lead the jackal legion in its duties. This valued commander was known as the guardian of the gate, and wielded the twin swords of the gatekeeper of shapesh. These weapons were symbolic and used in the mortuary rituals of the cities priests as well as in battle. Some say that the wielder was granted supernatural speed to strike down the enemies of his patrons when vengeance was at hand.

To distinguish themselves on the field of battle, the Jackal legion always wielded shields of teak painted black and reinforced with bronze. Such a sight sent many a company of rival cities warriors to flight, eager to be away from these battle hardened soldiers of fearsome reputation.

Thats all for now, till nextime,

M.E.M.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

ARRGGHH i'm hit sarge!

Hey everyone.

Have you ever had that time where you committed to go to the game store to play someone who challeneged you, and then they don't show?

The above scenario happened today. Waste of ten dollars in gas. In trying to start some recovery, I have commenced a painting day for tommorow (sunday the 24th)

Expect a picture update at about ( pm tommorow evening.

till nextime,

M.E.M.

Friday, January 22, 2010

the War Room

i have started a video log on youtube. this is an aside to my regular blog here on blogspot. feel free to check it out:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT2uCKbLf4g

Thursday, January 14, 2010

footslogging through a bog

I've been hacking my way through jungles of schoolwork and a backlog of mini's.

The log is not lost, hold on my brave readers.

hopefully I will have an update sunday!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

UPDATE O RAMA 1

Sorry its been so long guys and girls. i've been busy with school and such. i thought i'd drop in with a pic of my current army (small and illegal it may be)



till next time!

M.E.M.

Monday, January 4, 2010

spearmen command troop finished

well, i finished my first box of mantic elves. very impressed with the mini's and they are lots of fun to paint up. i cannot wait to move on to more of them. as such, i have a bolt thrower primed and awaiting the attentions of my paintbrush!




till nextime!

M.E.M.

Friday, January 1, 2010

A new year, a new outlook on the plan

Hello everyone. I would like to start by wishing everyone a happy new year. Hooray 2010!

anyway, i thought i would post an update. recently i have bought and traded for several more items to take my armies to tournament (2250 pts) level each.

I then decided that since all i have to do is build and paint the remaining miniatures i have in my possesion.

To make this happen i have decided that until all of the miniatures i have (including painting projects i never got around to) are painted i will not be buying any more models and instead will put my wargaming funds away in a stash for a new start after said backlog is completed.

This "new start" will introduce a rotating system to my buying and painting habits. Within this change i will buy, build, and paint up to the next level of points for one of my four armies and then rotate to the next army, repeat the process, and continue on.

This elimminates the need for a "backlog" of miniatures and frees up some wieght from my shoulders so that i can continue my building and painting at a steady pace without having to play catch up.

Thats it for this update, although i may post again tonight with pictures of my current works.

till nextine,

M.E.M.