Spellbreakers at Realm's Edge - part 6

The Burning Head of Thalia

The day of Gloryson was back to the expected weather for the time of year - cloudy and cold.

"What's this place called?" said Kaptain Mogrum as the Cleavermaws gathered in a graveyard at the edge of the gloomy forest.

"Um. Thalia... I think?" said Mr Deadwood. Behind him a few of the crew started whispering to one another and pointing over the Kaptain's shoulder at the huge skull formed of swirling ghostly energies, mud, rocks and tangled branches that floated over a charnel pit.

Mogrum was in a foul mood today, his head hurt and he wanted to cut down any arguments among the crew before they even started. Otherwise one or more of them would be getting turned inside out.

"Right, listen you lot. That there thaumaturgic phenomenon is properly called the Burning Head of Thalia. Got it?" said the Kaptain in a loud voice.

The crews' faces went blank for a few moments then, slowly, started to contort into expressions of doubt and they made a few dubious noises.

Green aetheral energies crackled across Mogrum's fists as they clenched and unclenched a few times.

Some of the brighter hands caught on quickly, "Yep. That's definitely it!" said someone at the back of the crowd. A few of them nodded and made more certain sounds while elbowing their dimmer neighbours. Soon the whole crew was in agreement.

Mogrum turned his back on them and strode off through the graveyard. He tried not to hear the crews' muttered discussions behind him.

~ 🕱 ~

At the far side of the clearing a number of other warbands gathered, all seemingly intent of harvesting the energies of the Burning Head. The Hunters of Gloomfen, The Shadowflames and the Murderfist Tribe led by the Aspiring Deathbringer Erdeni Batur. 

The Gloomfen Aelves and the Murderfist Bloodbound headed toward each other.

Mogrum cast a Mystic Shield on himself.

Laelanyel, the Mistweaver Saih, and Drevakh Xosh, a Tenebrael Shard made straight for the Hound of Khorne and his handlers.

Tark the Fyreslayer made to intercept the Burning Head, hoping to be able to bind it and draw it to their spellforge to capture it.

But the Endless Spell had a will of it's own, and it changed direction! It smashed straight through the centre of the melee and destroyed the Bloodbound involved! Both the Aelves were wounded but not badly.

The Fyreslayers Tark and Durbak attacked the nearest target - the first of the orruk pirates.

Bosun Higgs drew his kutlas and ran-through Durbak, while Ledger Nud and Liberty Snik fended off Tark's attacks!

Drevakh Xosh disappeared into the shadows then reappeared among the Bloodbound.

As the Hunters of Gloomfen activated their Deluge Key and turned the ground to slick, sucking mud. Then peppered the Tenebrael Shard with arrows!

The Aelves and Bloodbound smashed into each other.

Casualties were heavy on both sides!

As the Burning Head of Thalia swept off into the wilds, out of reach of the four warbands, Bosun Higgs brought down a second Slayer!

~ 🕱 ~

"That weren't the Burning Head of Thalia. That were the Firey Cranium of Helike." said Dogwatch to no one in particular.

Mr Sludga punched him in the back of the head.

~ 🕱 ~

This was the Spellhunters Battleplan again (from Malign Sorcery) but as there were 4 of us playing this time we used 2D6 for Initiative (stolen from Kill Team!) and the player that rolled lowest (and went last) in each Battleround got to move the Endless Spell if it was not bound by one of the warbands.

We called it a draw at the end as although the Endless Spell was closer to the Murderfist's objective than any of the others, the Shadowflames had one model with control of it.

Viktor's side of this tale is here.

Spellbreakers at Realm's Edge - part 5

The Melpomenian Aethervoid Pendulum

Mr Sludga and Mr Deadwood stood in the prow of the Cleavermaw, looking out over the forests below them. The ungainly ship rolled in the Autumn winds - it was unseasonably warm and dry - the month of Gloryson was almost always unceasingly rainy.

The two orruk Bosses took turns to look through a large brass telescope.

"It always moves along the same path." said Sludga. Deadwood nodded and handed back the spyglass.

"Aye. Back and forth, swinging like a clock... thing."

The subject of their observation was a great silvery axe, that seemed to slip in and out of solidity, trailing a wake of ghostly blue-white fires. The fabric of reality seemed to be torn by the swinging apparition. Contorted faces writhed in the flames, they continually appeared and moved around and disappeared again as the huge blade swept through the same stretch of forest over and over.

"It be an Aethermatic Pendula." said Dogwatch from behind them.

"No it ain't!" said Double Barrel sharpley, "It's Aethervoid. It's the Melpomenian, what the locals in the Toofless Dragon Inn was talking about.

Dogwatch rounded on Double Barrel and drew a blade.

"Aethermatic." he insisted, adding "Yer lubber." for emphasis.

Double Barrel put his had on one of the loaded pistols jammed into his belt but he didn't have time to draw it. As Dogwatch lunged forward Mr Sludga's meaty fist connected with the side of his head. The bearded orruk pirate dropped to the deck and the matter was settled. It was known as The Melpomenian Aethervoid Pendulum after that.

~ 🕱 ~

The Cleavermaws tracked down an Aethervoid Pendulum after following clues picked up in Blackrocks. When they were in a position to capture the Endless Spell they found a band of crypt ghouls were also persuing it.

Kaptain Mogrum stood by an Umbral Spellportal and had the distinct feeling he was being watched. He stared into the black rippling surface of the portal for a minute but he could only see another area of forest, with nothing recognisable in sight by which to place it.

A small band of ghouls, dressed in ragged scraps filthy of cloth, loped along behind their ghoul king.

A huge beast of a crypt-haunter called Mossblade, who wore a helmet made of a skull from some long-dead beast, prowled along near the other mordants.

Snaplock Harald took aim at the creature with his cannon but most of his shot took chucks of stone out of a mausoleum wall.

The Cleavermaws tried to get themselves into position to bind the Pendulum as it passed them, while not getting too close.

A few of them moved to intercept the mordants.

The Pendulum swung back toward the Shattered Circle, and the mordants.

The ghoul king charged at Harald, Sludga and Deadwood.

Bosun Higgs and a couple of deck hands ploughed into the ghouls on the Shattered Circle.

The Crypt Haunter attacked the orruks who were busy trying to bind the Endless Spell.

The fight around the Pendulum's path intensified.

Ledge Nud, Double Barrel and Dogwatch lurked in a graveyard and attempted to bind the spell too.

Mudshroud the ghoul king roared in triumph as all his opponents fell!

Bosun Higgs held on and fought hard as his mates went down.

Oiler Tunn and Ledger Nudd managed to focus the enchantments stitched into their pistols and bind the Pendulum.

King Mudshroud tried to take matters into his own hands.

Time and time again Kaptain Mogrum tried to cast Foot of Gork, but every time he either failed to manifest the powerful spell or Mudshroud unbound it.

The orruk Kaptain was growing frustrated and desperate.

Bosun Higgs started to gain the upper hand felling the ghouls one by one and somehow avoiding their festing claws!

Mogrum backed around the arcane Death Tree as the last of his crew battled with it, edging it closer and closer to the Dead Man's Chest.

Mossblade dealt with Oiler Tunn.

Higgs took out another ghoul and once again avoided becoming their dinner!

With a metallic shearing sound, the spell-energy of the Aethervoid Pendulum shredded then coalesced into the Dead Man's Chest and solidified into Shyishian Realmstone. Mogrum slammed the lid shut and the orruks fled back to their ship with their loot!

~ 🕱 ~

This was the Spellhunters Battleplan again (from Malign Sorcery). The Cleavermaws were able to claim a Minor Victory as the Aethervoid Pendulum was closer to their objective marker than the Court of Spades' and they still had models on the board at the end of the game.

Viktor used my Flesh Eater Courts warband for a bit of variety. They turned out to be a lot of fun in Skirmish! His view of this tale is

here.

The Mushloonz - part 9 - Skragbad the Loonboss

"Oy! Ya zoggin scum-bags!" bellowed Skragbad as he strode down what passed for the main street of the Dankwood Lurklair. Faces appeared at the windows of the shanty hovels piled up on either side of the road. They soon disappeared again (and shutters slammed closed) when they saw who was shouting. Skragbad was pleased by this reaction and it boosted his self-confidence. He started shouting even louder.

The mob of semi-armoured thugs that trailed in his wake helped as well.

The self-titled Knights of Skrag laughed sycophantically as Skragbad pushed over a market stall, sending mushrooms and squig-parts bouncing and rolling across the hard, compacted dirt.

The food seller cowered behind his ruined stall as Skragbad continued to bawl at him.

"Ya ain't paid up dis munf. Ya know dat we can't make sure nuffink bad happens to yer if ya don't pay for us ta look after ya."

He stamped on a particularly juicy mushroom for emphasis.

- 🍄 -

Skragbad the Loonboss. 

I carefully chopped off the "moon helmeted" head and added a head from a Squig Hopper Boss - then added some robes, as I felt that just the hooded head made him look a bit unbalanced in terms of "fabric vs. armour". I used bottom of one of the curtains from a Coven Throne and greenstuffed the gap between it and the armour.

He was painted with the same method I have used on almost all of the Mushloonz: a black undercoat with a zenithal Mechanicus Standard Grey spray base-coat.

I base-coated Elysian Green on the skin, lightly dry-brushed the whole model all over with Pallid Wych Flesh, then I washed the skin with Athonian Camoshade. The robes were washed with Nuln Oil then tidied up with a mix of Abbadon Black and Mechanicus Standard Grey, painted over some of the dry-brushing that was too heavy and into the areas of deeper shade.

The reds are just Evil Sunz Scarlet with a wash of Carroburg Crimson then a highlight of Evil Sunz Scarlet again.

- 🍄 -

The Knights of Skrag

Skragbad's little band of bullies and thugs were made from half the riders from a Squig Hoppers kit, with the helmeted heads for the Boingrot Bounders alternative build, that comes in the same kit, instead of hooded heads. Making them work as infantry was mostly just a case of gluing one foot onto the base, but a couple needed something to stand on to make them look right.

I have already undercoated them and hope to have them painted soon.