The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's hobby corner

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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Kakapo42 »

bluebonnet78 wrote:interesting bio.
I liked the glade guard minis and i like the idea of a good character slowly growing more feral or losing touch with his humanity through a wound. But I wonder though since he is becoming cold of heart and eventually he will grow insane, , isn't it impossible or pointless for him to try and become kind and compassionate towards others? maybe i'm overthinking it...
The idea is that he's fully aware of his predicament, and fully aware of what will eventually happen, and when it does he doesn't want to be remembered as cruel or a tyrant, so he tries to be the best individual he can while he can so that he'll be thought of fondly when he does finally crumble. The point more lies in leaving behind something good rather than any immediate payoff as it were. Of course his condition does influence his thought processes at times, so this doesn't always go over smoothly..
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Kakapo42 »

Yesterday I finished the second of my army's characters, Moni'qeth, the army battle standard bearer. The standard itself didn't turn out quite like I originally envisioned it, but making it closer to my original ambitious designs proved to be infeasible.

I had some difficulty in deciding what to put on the standard. On the one hand I want to follow the GW studio army as closely as possible, but on the other hand I had some ideas floating around on things I'd like to put on a flag. In the end I came up with an elegant solution- both options! Now the front of the standard has iconography important to me (it is after all supposed to be my personal flag), and the reverse side has the runes on the GW studio example.

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Unlike the Highborn, she fits quite comfortably in either of my to current regiments. I was originally planning to put her in my Eternal Guard, which made sense to me at the time because she'd both give them some extra combat resolution and make them stubborn, but I'm starting to have second thoughts after I realised just how vulnerable she is- at the time when I was writing up the list for this force I forgot/did not realise battle standard bearers could still take light armour, so she has absolutely ZERO protection whatsoever, just Asyendi's Bane and the Hail of Doom Arrow, and I will not change any part of the list if I can help it (and no there is no room to give her some light armour, as it's 5 points short of 4000). It sort of works out, since the model doesn't really have any armour and I like to be as WYSIWYG as possible (the reason I haven't given the Highborn the Helm of the Hunt, despite it's usefulness, is because the model doesn't actually wear a helmet or any other visible headgear), but at the same time I do worry that my original plan of putting her in the Eternal Guard might be a liability since it will put her in more danger of being killed. Which is a shame, because she looks really cool at the forefront of them, banner waving high.

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Oh well. Maybe I'll be able to magic up some protection for her or something.

And now for some more background. What responses I did get seemed positive enough, so I will continue writing silly back-stories for my models.
Moni'qeth, Bearer of the Royal Battle Standard of the Meadows of Heaven

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A native of the Glade of Poppies, Moni'qeth is one of Maxamaron's oldest and dearest friends, having been at his side both in and out of battle since long before he became Wishmaster. Like many who dwelt in the Glade of Poppies, she was distraught and heartbroken at the destruction wrought upon the province during Cyanathair's first onslaught at the start of the Secret War, but was nonetheless able to quickly put aside her sorrows, publicly at least, and turn to heading and directing the rebuilding of her home. Her instrumental support in this task, as well as that of consoling the grieving survivors of the ruined province, resulted in her election as leader of the province after it's reconsrtuction, it's original leading noble line having been wiped out in the fighting. Nonetheless however, it seems that the devastation of the Glade of Poppies has influenced her deeply. There are times when she can be found to be quiet or solemn, as if silently lamenting the tragedy to this day. Though she was not present at the battle of the Glade of Poppies, it is believed that the bow she carries belonged to a noble who was and perished in it, though what the relationship between the two elves was has faded from memory, and now only she knows. No-one quite certain for sure just how deep those past events have cut, for she confides the true extent of her sorrow to no other. The full extent of what tragedy or loss she has felt is known only to her and the Forrest.

Despite this, Moni'qeth remains at most times a bold and courageous leader, and is strongly loyal and supportive of Maxamaron even as he battles with the Winterheart. It is for this reason, and her long history of friendship with him (even saving his life on numerous occasions) that she was chosen by the Wishmaster to be the one to carry his personal standard battle, as well as certain particularly significant occasions. Fashioned, as are all banners from the Meadows of Heaven, from Lorenweave to allow it to be easily concealed if need-be, it's main face contains both Maxamaron's personal icon, the silhouette of one of the Twilight Parrots native to the Meadows of Heaven, as well as the royal emblem of the Meadows of Heaven themselves, the image of the ancient symbol used by the Elven colonists that first settled to the region. When Maxamaron's time reaches it's end and he is called to rest in the Forrest, it will be carried with him to his resting place in the Dead Gardens, as is the tradition of the Meadows of Heaven.

As for the Wishmaster himself, he thinks fondly of Moni'qeth, for she has stood by him through thick and thin, and in her he sees the memory of happier times long past. Indeed, it would seem that she is one of the individuals that has a stabilising effect upon him, acting to somewhat calm the inner turmoil caused by the Winterheart. She will also often act along with Mir'q'arielle to minimise any harm the Wishmaster does in his colder states, and consequently one of the two will always be near him.

Bearing aloft the Wishmaster's personal colours and backed by some of the most learned minds in all of the Meadows of Heaven, truly it can be said that where Moni'qeth walks, be it in counsel with other nobles or into battle at the head of an army, the glory and resplendence of golden ages past walk with her.
Last edited by Kakapo42 on 10 Jan 2014, 23:18, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Taringtoshnir »

That is wonderful free hand on the standard and a really cool back story/fluff
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Kakapo42 »

Merry Christmas Asrai!! Here is my Christmas gift to all of you on here, some background on everyone's favourite model/unit so far, the Glade Guard.
Glade Guard: Summer Lightning

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Like many of the other territories of Athel Loren, the Meadows of heaven has kinbands and regiments of Glade Guard as the cornerstone of it's armies, forming a core of well-trained, well-lead, well-motivated and extremely well-equipped archers. Unlike the troops of many of Athel Loren's other territories, the Glade Guard are fully trained and expected to be proficient in hand to hand combat with their finely crafter elven combat daggers, and indeed a surprise charge by a unit of Glade Guard against a target of opportunity has led to victory in a number of battles, though they are generally used to engage the enemy at range with their expertly crafted glade guard longbows, which are specially designed for extra power and to accommodate heavier than usual arrows to punch through armour and cause increased damage, though the added weight prohibits their use on lighter, more mobile units. By tradition, each Glade Guard soldier crafts their own longbow and arrows, so no two are completely alike, and each one is perfectly suited to it's user. Like most weapons from the Meadows of Heaven, these bows and their quivers are decorated with gold plating to display the glory, wealth and power of the Meadows of Heaven.

As well as superbly crafted weapons, the Glade Guard of the Meadows of Heaven are also supplied with high quality garments for comfort and protection, including sturdy leather boots and padding, as well as grassweave tunics and soft comfortable mossweave padding. Perhaps most remarkable, however, are the cloaks that each Glade Guard possesses, which are fashioned from lorenweave. A fabric produced almost exclusively by the Meadows of Heaven, lorenweave is a wondrous fabric, created to a secret design known to few outside the Meadows of Heaven, and can provide warmth in cold, waterproof protection in rain, protection and concealment, and it's properties are enhanced by subtle minute cantrips and enchantments (though not to anywhere near the same extent of a true magic item), further increasing it's warmth and durability while also drawing away heat in summer, and acting to divert the eye away from the material itself, allowing a warrior clad in lorenweave to blend into the forest regardless of their background and even in snow. The standards and banners of the Meadows of Heaven are often made of the same material so they can be easily repaired and concealed when waiting in ambush. In addition to their standard inventory, Glade Guard of the Meadows of Heaven will also usually carry a small cache of supplies, sometimes stored near their dagger, for use in emergencies and to supplement their ability and training to live off the land. In recent times with the Meadows of Heaven answering Ariel's call to arms to hunt down the vile Beasts of Chaos that increasingly roam the land, as well as those pre-emptive strikes authorised by the Wishmaster and the ever-desperate search for the elusive cure to his ailment, many Glade Guard have also taken to further adding to this cache with scavenged or looted coin and other more unusual items they have found on their travels abroad to better survive in strange lands.

Those in the Glade Guard kindred known as Summer Lightning, one of the four major Glade Guard kindreds in the Meadows of Heaven, hail from the lands in and around the Fey Glades and the Celestial Heath, the centre mystical and arcane lore in the Meadows of Heaven. As a result, they have extremely close ties with the mages and seers of the Meadows of Heaven. Because of this it will often be Glade Guard from Summer Lightning that make up the protective escort of Spellsingers and Spellweavers when they travel abroad as envoys of the Meadows of Heaven, and a Spellweaver or Spellsinger will often be attached to a unit of Summer Lightning Glade Guard to provide magical support to be battle. Very often such a mage will be possessed of a Resplendence of Luminescents to enchant the weaponry of his or her comrades, and the banners of Summer Lightning are adorned with symbols of magical significance, as well as the royal symbol of the Meadows of Heaven.

With such a potent combination of mystical power and superb equipment and training, Summer Lightning is one of the premier groups in the armies of the Meadows of Heaven, and has taken part in every major campaign and battle the territory has been involved in.
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In other news, I have also started a new hobby blog, which can be found here. It's still in it's infancy, but be sure to check it often for updates.

Merry Christmas everyone!!
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Kakapo42 »

So I'm back from a two-week stint house-sitting in an apartment with no wifi, and while there I was able to finish my Spellweaver, Aneaeth Ollissin (her first name is pronounced 'Anne-ee-ahth' in case you were wondering). Background ahoy!
Aneaeth Ollissin, Spellweaver of the Meadows of Heaven


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Of the four mages that govern the Fey Glades and the Celestial Heath, and indeed of all the mages in the Meadows of Heaven, Aneaeth Ollissin is considered the most learned and wise. Though all the four governing mages of the Fey Glades and the Celestial Heath hold equal sway in council, Aneaeth is considered to be the most senior in rank and is the ultimate representative of the Fey Glades to the royal court of the Meadows of Heaven. This position, combined with her status as an Asrai mage, also makes her one of the Wishmaster's top advisors, especially in the field of the arcane. As with other high-ranking Spellweavers, Aneaeth is also often called on to fulfil the role of ambassador to both the greater consciousness of Athel Loren itself and foreign realms when the need arises, and has spent much time travelling abroad. Many times on such journeys have seen Aneaeth stranded or separated from her retinue by outrageous fortune, leaving her to fend for herself for long amounts of time, and these experiences, combined with her accumulated wisdom over the decades, has led her to eschew many of the more elaborate items and practices common to other magic practitioner in favour of an inventory of simpler, but more rugged and practical tools and equipment. Indeed, many of her fatigues are identical to those worn by the Glade Guard of the Meadows of Heaven, as are the paired combat daggers she carries, with the only things setting her apart from those escorting her often being the wand of Wych Elm that she carries and the large emeralds and silver vines decorating her cloak, emeralds and silver being considered by the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven to be the most magical of gems and metals respectively.

Such choices in belongings are highly advantageous. The combat daggers are well-proven and reliable designs, are able to be easily repaired by any craftsman throughout the Meadows of Heaven and by many for some distance beyond, and are equally ideal for both combat and ritual when needbe. In addition, the simpler garb worn by Aneaeth often allows her to pass for a harmless traveller, thus evading danger without need for bloodshed, and in battle allow her to easily blend in with a regiment of Glade Guard if necessary, while such is her skill in the use of magic that she is at no disadvantage when casting spells and counter-spells, easily the match for more extravagantly equipped wizards.

As well as being the senior mage and leader of the Fey Glades and the Celestial Heath, Aneaeth is, like much of the current royal court of the Meadows of Heaven, a close friend of the Wishmaster, and has so far served with him for the entirety of his reign. Indeed, many of the various measures that have staved off the worst effects of the Winterheart have been of Aneaeth's devising, and she is, along with Mir'q'arielle, among the most staunch believers in a cure for the Winterheart. To this extent, Aneaeth works ever more tirelessly to find some final solution to the ailment, and journeys out of the Meadows of Heaven in increasing frequency, even occasionally leading expeditions on her own in a desperate search to save the Wishmaster before it is too late.
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Also, I'd like to hear your opinions on something. You see, soon I will be starting on my second Glade Guard regiment, and back when I first conceived this Wood Elf army I had this crazy idea to base each of the four main Glade Guard regiments in it in a different season. The colour scheme would be the same, only the bases would be different. In theory this means that each Glade Guard unit is distinct, while keeping a uniform look to the overall army, but I worry the end result might go horribly wrong. What do you think?
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by hutobega »

Can't wait to get home and see all these pics. Work computer blocks pictures ugh. But anywho I love when older posts get bumped!
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

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So while I'm still puzzling over whether to base my next Glade Guard regiment in snow or not (I'm leaning towards 'yes' at the moment), I finished the movement tray for my Glade Riders, The Zephyr through the Leaves.
The Zephyr through the Leaves


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Glade Riders are a rare thing in the Meadows of Heaven. Contrary to what it's name might suggests, the territory in fact contains very few meadow areas and even fewer stable glades, and the armies of the Meadows of Heaven have historically placed little need on cavalry, instead preferring larger numbers of infantry to better move through Woodland unrestricted, an outlook that has lasted to the present day. What roles fast-moving cavalry normally fulfil are mostly performed by Warhawk Riders instead in the Meadows of Heaven. Nonetheless, there exist a few small Kinbands within the Meadows of Heaven, and they are equipped as well as any Glade Guard unit, though their equipment is generally focused more around speed. Their Lorenweave cloacks, for example, have slightly smaller and lighter cuts, and they wield lighter scout longbows rather than the heavier glade guard longbows.

The combat daggers are of the same design as those used by the Glade Guard however, and the Glade Rider kinbands also share the tradition of giving the unit champion, a Horesmaster in this case, two such combat daggers. Like their Trusted Bowman compatriots, Horsemasters ride to battle with their cloaks adorned with golden vines symbolic of the wealth and power of the Meadows of Heaven, and a trio of rubies of command, a sign of military rank, with rubies being considered to be the most warlike of gems by the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven. Each Glade Rider is also armed with a long elegant spear, used in both battle and hunting, and it is this rather than the longbow that is hand-crafted by each Glade Rider.

Due to the predisposition towards infantry in the Meadows of Heaven, Glade Riders are often used for defence rather than attack, patrolling the pathways of the Meadows of Heaven using their great speed to swiftly cover large swathes of ground, as well as being sent after fleeing enemies to ride them down, so that they might never again threaten the Meadows of Heaven.

EDIT: Well I tried everything, but the site is refusing to let me put up the group shot I took of the entire army so far. You'll have to go to my hobby blog here.
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Kakapo42 »

So I finished both the nobles I got for Christmas. Time for a double background bonanza!
Mir'q'arielle the traveller


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Like the current Wishmaster, Mir'q'arielle hails from Imaginaerum, the provincial capital of the Meadows of Heaven. Of all the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven, Mir'q'arielle is by far the most well-travelled, having visited over the course of her life nearly every part of Athel Loren inhabited by the elves, and many many locations beyond the forest's boarders as well. Indeed, Mir'qarielle rarely spends much time at all within her homeland, instead spending her time roaming the forest and wandering between different areas. Strangely however, considering this wonderlust, she has never taken up the path of the Waywatcher. It is likely that this is due to differing focuses in travelling, for where most Waywatchers are content to simply roam the pathways of Athel Loren, Mir'q'arielle also has a rare taste for discovering new lands outside the woodland dominion of the Asrai. Indeed, it is said by many that Mir'q'arielle embodies the spirit and joy of exploration that the first Elven colonists to settle outside of Ulthuan, long before the discovery of Athel Loren and the formation of the Wood Elves.

As a result of her constant travelling, Mir'q'arielle eschews much of the more traditional wear of the Meadows of Heaven, and instead wears garb and ornaments picked up from other parts of Athel Loren. Her frequent journeys also give Mir'q'arielle a number of important tasks, especially diplomatic roles. It is often Mir'q'arielle that is sent to entreat with other Asrai kindreds and factions, the good reputation built up in previous adventures serving her well. Even when not representing the Meadows of Heaven, she will often accompany delegations from the territory as a guide, ensuring the group reaches it's destination with speed and safety.

The other important role Mir'q'arielle often fulfils is that of inquisitor or investigator. Her many travels have left her with a number of sources of information, and she is frequently occupied with hunting down potential cures for the Winterheart. Any word of such a treatment, or something that could lead to one, is swiftly pursued, for amongst the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven Mir'q'arielle is second to none and equal only to Aneaeth Ollissin in her drive to see the end of the Winterheart's malign influence over the Wishmaster. Her connections with the rest of Athel Loren work both ways however, and as much as she debates in the name of the Meadows of Heaven, she is also influenced by the rest of the forest, and so represents the interests of greater Athel Loren within the royal court of the Meadows of Heaven, as well as acting as a watchful eye for the King and Queen in the wood to ensure that the Wishmaster and the irregularities brought on by his condition do not spread to the rest of the Asrai, and that he and the Meadows of Heaven conform to the rest of the forest where possible.

Regardless of the reason or purpose behind her travels, Mir'q'arielle's journeys frequently take her into danger, and so she has become a competent fighter and expert shot with her longbow, in fact believed to be one of the legendary Hunter's Talons originally crafted for the master Waywatchers in ages past. Not only that, but Mir'q'arielle has also come to form close ties with a Murder of Spites, who now travel within her cloak and protect her from harm by both keeping lookout for danger and striking directly at assailants. Mir'q'arielle is also a close friend of the Eagles in and around the Meadows of Heaven, and has a number of gifts from the noble birds as a result of this friendship, including the great helm of raptors, a cloak of Eagle down, the dense feather coatings of which provide as much protection as an equivalent piece of metal armour while being considerably lighter warmer and more comfortable, and her faithful avian companion, Kaereon, whose vicious beak and talons prove just as effective in combat as any hand weapon.
Gaerielle, the twilight storm


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Gaerielle is the current leader of the Twilight Glade, one of the smallest and most mysterious of the areas in the Meadows of Heaven. Isolationist even by the standards of the Asrai, the elves that live in the Twilight Glade rarely interact with even their kin in the rest of the Meadows of Heaven, and devote much of their lives to 'mastering the darkness', spending much time perfecting the arts of divination (such that it is said they rival the seers of the Celestial Heath in their ability to navigate the paths of fate), and prowess in combat, and consequently the Twilight Glade produces some of the most incredibly skilled, fearless, merciless and terrifyingly lethal fighters in all the Meadows of Heaven, and for many leagues beyond. Indeed, the warriors of the Twilight Glade are famous for having never surrendered or fled in battle in the entire history of the Meadows of Heaven, and such was the reputation they gained during Cyanathair's first assault on Athel Loren that many Beastmen would panic and run if they believed elves from the Twilight Glade stood against them.

Because of this, elves from the Twilight Glade have often acted as bodyguards for Wishmasters, and Gaerielle continues this tradition as well as representing both her home and the armies of the Meadows of Heaven in the royal court. Adorned with Amethysts, considered by the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven to be the gemstone of death, and a Helm of the Hunt formed from the antlers of a mighty Great Stag fallen in battle, and wielding a Spear of Twilight, Gaerielle acts as the Wishmaster's protector and King's Executioner. Almost unique amongst the peoples and civilisations of the world, those who dwell in the Meadows of Heaven hold no dishonour in a leader refusing a challenge, for should a particularly skilled ruler fall in such a test of strength their leadership would be lost forever. Instead, the Wishmaster of the Meadows of Heaven appoints a King's Executioner, a noble invested with the authority to represent their lord in personal combat, as well as to execute those the Wishmaster deems particularly worthy of their wrath. It is considered an honour to be appointed as a King's Executioner, for it is a task that requires exceptional honour, valour, conduct and battle prowess.

Of the Asrai of the Twilight Glade, Gaerielle easily has the most contact with the world beyond her home, and is one of the most social of the elves of the Twilight Glade, something made necessary due to her role in the politics of the Meadows of Heaven. Even so, she is still sombre, brooding and of few words (a common trait in the Twilight Glade, for it's inhabitants strongly believe that actions speak far louder than words), and often stays to her own company. This is not necessarily a disadvantage, for her cold silent brooding temperament is often enough do discourage any who would intend harm upon the Wishmaster, and is often enough to restore order to a heated debate. Where Gaerielle truly excels, however, is not in court discussions but at the general's table and on the field of battle. Like all nobles from the Twilight Glade, she is an extremely proficient warrior and peerless tactician, and has led armies from the Meadows of Heaven to victory on many occasions, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. However, she is considerably less capable as a strategist, and while she can exquisitely orchestrate battles, she often struggles to master the greater scheme of conflicts, though this is something she would dearly like to rectify.

There is also one final side to Gaerielle, one that is seen by almost none. For beneath her icy exterior there resides a kind, gentle and poetic soul. While her upbringing has left this aspect of her highly suppressed, she nonetheless is often silently upset when those around her stereotype her as only a cold battle-hungry killer, though she would never let such feelings surface in public. Indeed, it could be that one of the reasons she is so utterly loyal to the current Wishmaster is that he is one of the few who know about this and give her someone to confide in..
Last edited by Kakapo42 on 03 Feb 2015, 03:08, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Kakapo42 »

It took much longer than I anticipated but at last my second unit of Glade Guard is finished, this one with the Banner of Eternal Flame. In the end I decided to go ahead with my crazy scheme to base each Glade Guard unit in a different season, and so this one has frosty toppings, though the colour scheme is the same.

Glade Guard: The Warmth of Winter


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Fire is a common danger to any forest, and yet also often tragically inevitable. The great and wondrous forest of Athel Loren is no exception, and over it's long history the forest has suffered many fires, either through unrelenting act of nature or barbaric destruction by the torches of an invader. When such forest fires break out in Athel Loren, Fire Spites are often produced, usually from the transformation of a number of the Spites living in the afflicted area. Born from the burning death of the woodland around them and the destruction of their homes, Fire Spites are consumed by pain and murderous rage at the destruction of the forest, and filled with hatred for those who would instigate it. They are vicious even by the standards of the nature spirits that dwell in Athel Loren, though unlike other Spites they are often brooding and sombre. Fire Spites will often avoid Elves and even other forest spirits, either staying with their own kind or living in isolation. They are driven with an insatiable thirst for revenge upon those who would burn the forest, and the power of fire flows through them. A Fire Spite can unleash blasts of flame, or burn and scorch with a touch, and they vindictively suck all warmth out of the air around them. Should any number of Fire Spites become affiliated with a group of Elven warriors, they will assist them in battle, providing warmth and illumination, as well as magically setting their weapons ablaze to ensure the enemy is burnt just as their woodland home once was.

The Elves of the Meadows of Heaven make frequent use of Fire Spites, primarily for defensive purposes in siege warfare, where packs of them contained in special mystically-protected baskets fulfil a similar role to the cauldrons of boiling oil employed by other races. Of all the various kinbands in the Meadows of Heaven however, the one with the closest affinity with Fire Spites is the Glade Guard kinband known as The Warmth of Winter. Unlike other Glade Guard kinbands, those in The Warmth of Winter no longer have a hall in which to call home. Instead, it is a nomadic group formed of Asrai who have had their homes destroyed, most often in warfare. While they may visit other halls within the Meadows of Heaven, those of The Warmth of Winter will most often be found roaming the forest, frequently making use of the large number of secret camps scattered throughout the Meadows of Heaven as part of the Invisible Fortress. Their experiences have made them hardened and merciless fighters, who will slay any enemies they come across with neither relent nor remorse unless explicitly instructed to do otherwise by an Elf of higher authority. Their shared painful backgrounds inevitably means that those of The Warmth of Winter become extremely tight-knit, and are very protective of one another and mistrustful of outsiders, even other Asrai. Once their trust has been earned however, they will be staunchly loyal to the end. The Warmth of Winter's close affinity with Fire Spites stems from the nature of the origin of it's members, which invariably causes both the kinband and the Fire Spites that accompany it to find mutual sympathy and kindred spirits within each other.

For much of the history of The Meadows of Heaven, The Warmth of Winter has been an extremely small kinband, though their connection with Fire Spites and the potent flaming attacks resulting from it made them much sought-after in times of war. The destruction wrought on The Meadows of Heaven during Cyanathair's first assault on Athel Loren at the onset of the Secret War however resulted in large numbers of Asrai loosing their homes, friends and loved ones and consequently The Warmth of Winter grew in size until by the time of Cyanathair's defeat at the Battle of Anguish, it had become one of the largest Glade Guard kinbands in The Meadows of Heaven, and ever since then armies from there will almost always include at least one unit of Glade Guard from The Warmth of Winter.

EDIT: And this time I've managed to get all the pictures I took on the same post! Success!
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Kakapo42 »

A piercing cold wind gusted through the trees, bringing amber and crimson leaves dancing across the icy clear sky, a vast open canvas upon which was now painted the comely pinks and oranges of a serenely stunning and wholesome sunset, contrasted by the darkened shapes of the trees below. A few clouds the colour of caramel dozed across the firmament above. Though the scene was fair in fullest, to the grouped figures in the royal conclave glade the blood and flame coloured foliage that surrounded them also had a much more ominous, almost funereal tone to it. After all, it was a clear sign to all that Autumn was here, and that Winter was fast approaching, when trees and forest spirits lay dormant, and flowers and plants died. Even worse, Winter was the nadir of the great forest's power, and a long period of constant danger when it was at it's most vulnerable. The matters they were discussing only served to compound this feeling.

At the head of the circle, or at least the point of it closest to the grand Royal Hall, was Maxamaron, Wishmaster of the Meadows of Heaven, resplendent in his golden armour and the rich deep green of his Lorenweave Royal cloak. His Bow of Loren and it's accompanying quiver of Arcane Bodkins was slung across his back, for it was common practice for all Asrai to keep their bows close to them, lest danger come unexpectedly. Around the Wishmaster's head was the small and delicately slender crown of the Meadows of Heaven, and at his side was the magnificent King's Longsword, carried by every Wishmaster in the long history of the Meadows of Heaven. To the Wishmaster's left was the imposing form of his protector Gaerielle, her Spear of Twilight close at hand and her eyes constantly probing for hidden threats. To the Wishmaster's right was his royal standard bearer Moni'qeth, the current royal battle standard of the Meadows of Heaven firmly planted in the ground just behind her.

Opposite of them were the four governing mages of the Fey Glades and the Celestial Heath, representing the combined wisdom and power of the magic wielders in the Meadows of Heaven. Two of them, Aneaeth Ollissin, their leader, and Tirj'aelle Taerynen of the Winter Storm, both had flowing hair of a deep earthy brown, while the other two of their company, Char'loth Wyssyls of the April Rain and Ailyn, their newest member, had tresses of richest red. Ailyn was furthest away from the other three, close to the enormous verdant form of Avyrrnhan, one of the greatest Tree Lords that remained in the Meadows of Heaven. Though he still did his best to stand fully upright, the fatigue that the coming Winter brought with it was taking it's toll on the ancient treeman, and so occasionally he was forced to rest upon his massive forearms for a time. The Cluster of Radiants that dwelt upon him now circled his head like a wondrous glowing halo.

To either side of these two parties were other great lords and important figures in the Meadows of Heaven, Mir'q'arielle the Traveller, huddled within her cloak of Eagle down, Kaeron perched upon her shoulder, and a representative of the Great Eagles of the Meadows of Heaven perched majestically in the trees above. Opposite them was the lone and shadowed form of Saiyereth, the master of the Waywatchers in the Meadows of Heaven. A few spites played and danced about the assembly, but most of the forest spirits there huddled close to their hosts or companions, for there seemed to be little to be joyful about. All those taking part in the meeting or paying attention to it had sombre, haunted expressions to them.

"I did not fathom such a thing possible, but it seems even worse than we feared, if what the birds tell us and what our sentinels are witnessing is indeed true." Said Saiyereth.

"And yet all throughout Athel Loren they are celebrating," added Mir'q'arielle, "All across the forest Asrai and spirit alike are joined in great festivals. They welcome these new turns and twists with open arms, and laud them as miraculous. Ambitious plans of battle and warfare are being drawn up, and vast new armies raised. They act almost with the joy of two deep lovers reunited after much time apart. They are eager for these new fortunes."

"Yet while they do the Meadows of Heaven look upon these new changes with terror and despair," the Wishmaster said, "We see only damnation where they see salvation, however much we may gain from the coming developments."

"The spirits here are most disturbed by the new elder ones awaking," began Avyrrnhan, "They have been completely changed and twisted, and I no longer recognise them as kindred. There is something.... uncanny..... about them. Something dangerous. Something frightening. It feels like something is missing from them, some spark or seed. The other spirits of the Forrest and their companions may praise them, but not I. Not we."

"I concur," replied the Wishmaster, "They are indeed unnerving, and do not feel as though they belong here. But many of the Forrest Spirits avoid this place where they can, so I do not feel as troubled by them."

A flurry of spites rushed towards Ailyn and settled close around the spellsinger, nestling amongst the Pageant of Shrikes on her. "There is more cause for concern than just that my lord," she said, "There's also the Spites. Hundreds upon hundreds of them are fleeing into our realm, driven here by fear greater than that they have of you. It's these changes, they terrify them. They fear they will be swept up by them and fade into nothingness or uselessness. Mischievous they may be, they love nothing more than to help the forest and it's denizens in the end. They do not wish to go away. They are frightened."

"They need not worry Ailyn," said the Wishmaster, "They will always find refuge and sanctuary here. Even if the other elves forget their importance, we will forever value their power."

"Very good." Said Avyrrnhan, "It is... good to see that even with the rot at your core you still hold respect for the children of the Forrest."

"The most dire news of all," Aneaeth said, "Is that of the changing magical landscape. It would seem that other Asrai are eschewing the traditional channels of magical power, and turning to the outsider lores of magic. I'm not sure which frightens me more, that they dabble in the shadow and death magic of the Beastmen vermin, or that they experiment with the unholy power of the dark magic practised by the Druchii. Either would certainly spell doom for the Forrest, and these new magic practices threaten to wreak havoc upon it's balance. Already we can feel the shudders of pain they are starting to bring to it."

"I find it odd," Char'loth added, "That the other Asrai sing praise of new freedom, while their rejection of the old ways may actually mean less of it with the loss of the lore of Athel Loren that it brings with it. I believe that the preservation of the knowledge of the Lore of Athel Loren be given high priority."

"Agreed." replied the Wishmaster.

"And yet," said Tirj'aelle, "We may gain something from this. Without the restrictions, we could harness more of the natural power in the greater world." Of the four mages, Tirj'aelle was always the one with the closest affinity to the firmament, stargazing and scrying. She was excited about the thought of studying the lore of the Heavens and unlocking it's power.

"No." responded Aneaeth, "Such a prospect is too dangerous, and the loss of the magic of Athel Loren and Treesinging is far too steep a cost for it."

"What is our course of action then?" asked Saiyereth.

"They have shown they will not listen to us," said Gaerielle, "We should respond with force, and retaliate against those who would seek to pervert our ways. Our forces are capable enough."

"No," responded the Wishmaster, "Even if we could win a war against all the rest of Athel Loren, they are not our enemies. We must keep our focus on the true adversaries, those outside who seek to despoil the forest."

"I would not rule out diplomacy just yet Wishmaster," said Mir'q'arielle, "I could journey to the Oak of Ages and parley with Ariel. With her connection to the forest, it's sorrow at the touch of these insidious new magics must surely be being felt by her. It may still be possible to convince her to our plight."

"I doubt that she will be swayed, but it is certainly worth a try," said the Wishmaster, "Make it so. Venture to the Oak of Ages, Mir'q'arielle, and investigate just what is happening to the forest. Take any who wish to join you back to the Meadows of Heaven."

"It shall be done Wishmaster."

"in the meantime, our concerns must as ever be for the people of this territory."

"The people are frightened Wishmaster," Saiyereth said, "They fear we may have to give up our ways of life. They fear they may be in danger."

"They will be safe," replied the Wishmaster, "We will see to their safety, though it may mean that we must sever some of our ties with the rest of Athel Loren. We shall of course continue to hunt those who would seek to harm the forest, but it may have to be in even more secret then it is now. It seems our deeds may never be recorded in the Hall of Honours."

"Unsung heroes." said Gaerielle.

"Even so our actions may yet be remembered," Moni'qeth said, "The Glade of Poppies keeps a well preserved and recoded archive, and the Wardancers of this territory are ever ready to tell our tales. They will certainly be glad to tell our stories to the rest of the forest."

"Indeed," said the Wishmaster, "If indeed there remains a forest to tell them to."

The Wishmaster looked up and contemplated the Eventide. "It feels as though this world is dying," he said, "And as though we are powerless to stop it. With these new changes, it seems more than ever that we may be trapped between worlds."

"Despair not," Moni'qeth said, "We will fight to preserve what we treasure, even if it is never witnessed."

A flight of ebony ravens cried as they flew across the glade. Their harsh calls sent a shiver down the assembly, and their hearts skipped a beat. All those who dwelt in Athel Loren knew of the blood-eyed shrikes that were one of the forms taken by the Lamentation of Despairs. If they were reaper spirits however, none of the party fell, so for whom they called for it could not be told.

"Now then," said the Wishmaster, "let us see about containing the threat of this new magic.."


Well then. Aside from all that I managed to finish off my first troupe of Wardancers, The Dark Passion Play.
Wardancer Troupe: The Dark passion Play


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"Valour child, never loose your heart. Embrace your inner spark, your truest passions, that what makes you different, and never let others extinguish it."

Those who call themselves the Dark Passion Play are one of the two most prominent Wardancer troupes that hail from the Meadows of Heaven. Like all their kind, they are considered wild and eccentric by other elves, however in the Meadows of Heaven Wardancers, or at least the Wardancers that come from there, are heavily romanticised, and the wild, daring and exotic Wardancer is a common character in the storytelling of the Meadows of Heaven, either as the focus of exciting adventures or as a love interest who tempts the hero or heroine into their troupe (whether or not they are successful, and whether this is shown to be a good thing or not, varies greatly from tale to tale). Many of the Wardancers that originate from the Meadows of Heaven find this highly amusing, and it is not uncommon for them to act out such roles for auciences.

All elves in the Meadows of Heaven cherish uniqueness and individual identity, especially in recent times, however none express this value more than those in the Dark Passion Play. All it's members try to foster originality wherever they can, and will not hesitate to stand against those who prey on difference. Belittling another for their individuality is a very fast way to earn their wrath, and their anger is a fearsome thing indeed.

Many of those in the Dark Passion Play originate from within or around the Glade of Poppies, or otherwise have close ties with those who do, and so as well as being extremely well educated and knowledgeable even by the standards of elves, they also have a deep connection with the province. As such, when it was decimated during Cyanathair's first assault on Athel Loren, the troupe was left just as devastated as those who resided within the province. The Dark Passion Play was one of the units that led the counter-attack against the Beastmen horde that had ravaged the Glade of Poppies, and their fury and the acts of violence they unleashed on the invaders was terrifying to behold, with none surviving their vicious attacks. Afterwards they worked tirelessly with the survivors to rebuild the shattered province, and even now they are even more utterly without mercy than other Wood Elves in slaying the children of Chaos. Indeed, many of the weapons they wield are the same ones that were used by the great heroes of the Glade of Poppies that fell in it's defence, and the two Mayspears they carry with them are made from the shattered wood of the fallen banners of that battle, so that they might always remember the sacrifices and deeds of that day, so that it might never be repeated, and so that the fallen heroes of it may yet be avenged.

Like the other Wardancer troupes that come from the Meadows of Heaven, the Dark Passion play has a very decentralised leadership structure. While it does possess a Bladesinger who nominally provides leadership and guidance for the troupe, in practice most decisions are made collectively as an ensemble, which ensures both that all are in agreement on them, and that the troupe can still act effectively if tragedy befalls it's Bladesinger. Indeed, the troupe's musician has equal authority and status within the troupe, allowing it to split into two parties if need-be and remain fully capable. Both figures each carry a weapon known as a Mayspear, a long spear decorated with precious gemstones and adorned with long flowing colourful streamers used in battle, dance and the worship of Loec, to denote their position in the troupe, and whoever carries a Mayspear carries leadership and responsibility for the troupe with them.

With their skill, daring and flair, the Dark Passion Play is ever at the forefront of the Meadows of Heaven.
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Kakapo42
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Kakapo42 »

So I had to cut my original post in half since the system has gone back to refusing to let me post up my images, even though they're the exact same size as the last batch it let me put up.

Because of the day today I'm also throwing in an extra bit of background that seems sort of fitting with what day it is over here.
Eternal Guard: The Defenders of the Glade of Poppies

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Of all the provinces of the Meadows of Heaven, few have a history more tragic than that of the Glade of Poppies.

Once the Glade of Poppies was the crown jewel of the Meadows of Heaven, second only to the capital of Imaginaerum in wonder and magnificence. It was a centre of learning, knowledge and academia, and was filled with some of the wisest minds in the Meadows of Heaven, and indeed in all of Athel Loren, and countless scholars and wise souls could be found within it, passing their knowledge on and studying the world around them ever more. It's name came from the great blood red poppies that grew in the grass of it's clearings and meadows, which were left to grow free, and grew to be extremely tall, some even getting to be taller than the elf children that played around them. Some of the greatest and fairest Wishmasters of the Meadows of Heaven came from there, and all studied in the Glade of Poppies at one point or another, while the advancements and knowledge of those who dwelt there was put to good use in bettering the lives of all who resided in the Meadows of Heaven.

It was the first attack Cyanathair made against Athel Loren, at the very start of the Secret War, that saw the Glade of Poppies left in ruins, as the glade became the site of one of the fiercest and bloodiest battles of all those fought in the Meadows of Heaven. Upon hearing word of the Glade of Poppies and it's splendour, The Corruptor became filled with rage and hatred, and it sent a titanic horde of Beastmen and terrible monstrosities to raze and despoil the province. The Glade of Poppies was by no means defenceless however, and massed rank upon rank of Eternal Guard stood against the onslaught, supported by hundreds of elven archers. Initially the battle went well for the Wood Elves, and thousands of Beastmen and their vile allies were slain, struck down by arrows or cut down in a maelstrom of blades. Warhawk Riders harried at their flanks, while Waywatchers silently infiltrated into the heart of the enemy before felling the leaders of the force, plunging whole regiments of beasts into brutal chaos as they fought to determine a new leader, neutralising giant swathes of the enemy army with just a few well placed shots. But still the horde pressed on, seemingly without number. The decisive turning point of the battle came when the strange shamans that accompanied the horde managed to work a great and horrific spell. With tremendous power fuelled by the carnage and bloodshed unfolding around them, they managed to temporarily tear a hole between worlds, and from it poured a host of creatures born from nightmares and forged in total Chaos, new re-enforcements that appeared directly behind the elven lines. Caught between the two forces, the Wood Elves were trapped and the battle was lost. Still, the elves fought on with the courage of true heroes, and slew scores of Beastmen and Daemons alike, but the combined forces arrayed against them were too large to fully overcome, and eventually only twenty Eternal Guard warriors remained, the tattered remnants from different regiments banded together for a final stand, and they fought back to back against the overwhelming tide until all became blood and darkness.

When they awoke the next morning, they were in the centre of the Glade of Poppies, surrounded by blood, bodies, ash and destruction. The horde that had assailed the place was gone, but the Glade of Poppies was devastated. Countless trees had been cut down, burnt, or torn apart. Spites lay pinned up with nails and spikes of hell-forged black iron, their forms broken and mutilated. Sacred stones lay toppled and desecrated. The air was thick with choking cinders..... and every single one of the great poppies from which the province gained it's name had been cut down, stamped on, or razed.

As they saw the desolation, their hearts were filled with despair and grief, for their homes and their world had been torn from them and shattered. And so it was that they vowed that never again while they still drew breath would the poppies be allowed to be cut down again.

Since those dark times the Glade of Poppies has been healed, and blood red poppies once again grow free within it, though none have yet reached the height they once were. Even so, the damage wrought in that fateful battle has left lasting scars amongst the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven, and it is likely that they will never forgive themselves or the minions of Chaos for it. The Battle of the Glade of Poppies is one of the most common stories told by the Wardancer troupes that come from the Meadows of Heaven, and through them and the storytelling nature of the Asrai that live within that territory knowledge of that great combat has spread to other parts of Athel Loren.

The Defenders of the Glade of Poppies is the regiment formed from the original twenty survivors of the battle of the Glade of Poppies, now formally organised as a single fighting unit. Having fought together side by side for many, many years, they have grown to become a fearsome fighting unit, with each member having full knowledge of the capabilities, strengths and idiosyncrasies of their comrades, allowing them to work together seamlessly to form something far greater than the sum of it's parts. The banner they carry into battle, the Banner of Poppies, is the only banner that did not fall in the battle of the Glade of Poppies, and was waved defiantly at the heart of the defence until the bitter end. It holds considerable magical properties, and is believed to be a legendary Razor Standard, as it hones the blades near it to supernatural sharpness, allowing them to shear through armour and thick hide alike with contemptuous ease. The Forrest has not forgotten the promise that they made so many years ago, and seems to have bestowed upon them some form of mystical fortitude, for they have been seen to survive grievous wounds that would have surly killed another elf. In addition, wherever they step foot blood red poppies, of the same variety that grow in the Glade of Poppies, have been known to spring up and grow, seemingly in reminder of their pledge and duty.

As well as their normal duties as a unit of Eternal Guard, the Defenders of the Glade of Poppies also act, in times of peace, as the main police force within the Meadows of Heaven, patrolling the territory and inspecting elven halls to ensure no Asrai causes strife and that the tennants of the Wishmaster are met. Their heritage and upbringing in the Glade of Poppies puts them in good stead for this role, as it gives them an extensive knowledge of the laws and traditions of the Meadows of Heaven.


****


And in other news, with my Wood Elf army now large enough to fight in games of Warhammer (well, large enough to fight in games with the amount of points I inevitably end up pouring into the Lords section), it had it's first outing at the local GW store yesterday. I never got a game in with anyone (the in-store points cap of 1000 did not help), but I was able to splay it all out over a spare table to show off. Not that I think anyone noticed mind you. Here it is in all it's glory.

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EDIT: Gah, and now it's let me post those last two pictures even though they're the same size as the ones it forced me to shrink! Lunacy!!
Last edited by Kakapo42 on 28 Jan 2015, 06:11, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Malkrit »

That's a very nice army you've got there! I'm loving the color scheme!
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by robtion »

Great looking army and a fun read. I particularly like the Winterheart idea and the owl on Maxamaron :thumbsup:
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Kakapo42 »

By order of the Wishmaster


It is hereby decreed that henceforth the practice of any form of magic other than that of the Lores of Life, Beasts, and Athel Loren, shall be explicitly and strictly forbidden within the territory and dominion of the Meadows of Heaven.

This law is to be enforced under pain of exile if Asrai, banishment if Forrest Spirit, or death if outsider.

Furthermore, the worldroots that link to the Meadows of Heaven are hereby commanded to be sealed, and the entryways to the Dreaming Wood cordoned off with mystical wards. The only points of entry to the Meadows of Heaven shall continue to be the mystical pathways of old, and the Elvenpath.

Take heart Asrai, for while the rest of Athel Loren may have lost it's way, we still carry the true ways dear.


My apologies that this post took so long coming. I had intended to update this thread sooner, around the release of the new book, but was delayed considerably by a combination of the annual mid-year university assignment dump taking longer than anticipated to plough through, and the fact that painting scenery is really long hard work.

So it was not until just a couple of days ago that I finally finished my first ever wood, and first ever finished scenery piece, ever. As much a milestone as any unit.
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I wasn't actually intending to go that heavy on the static grass, but alas I don't have the best control with static grass application. I don't think it's quite that bad though myself.

And with this milestone, and the fact that it's a wood, I figured it would be time for some background over the area that my Wood Elves live in, the Meadows of Heaven. My apologies for any errors regarding the background in the new book, specifically the names of the Seasons and the Eternal Realms. I'm currently unable to access my copy of the new book, so I'm drawing entirely on my (very shoddy) memory, for details from it. Rest assured I will be correcting any errors as soon as I can.
The Meadows of Heaven


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Deep within the forest of Athel Loren lies the shifting realm of the Meadows of Heaven, a secret place known to few outside the Asrai. Though it is a prosperous and stable realm, it's leaders hold little sway over the rest of The Forrest, for the realm has in recent years declared itself independent of all of the 12 eternal realms of the wood.

Geography

The location of places within Athel Loren hold little meaning, for the glades and pathways within the great forest frequently shift and move. This is especially prominent with the Meadows of Heaven, for the entire territory regularly changes it's position within Athel Loren, appearing near the Pine Glades one week, and being near the edge of the Wild Heath the next, and it is as much for this reason as the territory's recent political estrangement that the Meadows of Heaven is not marked on most maps of Athel Loren. As a general rule of thumb however, the Meadows of Heaven tends to follow a rough orbit of the Oak of Ages, and never enters the region of the Wildwood.

As well as this constant shifting within Athel Loren, the various provinces within the Meadows of Heaven often shift and move as well. However, they never stray particularly far from the 'centre' of the territory, at the heart of which lies an artefact whose origins and purpose are a mystery even to this day. The object itself is a massive sphere partially surrounded by a crescent like border, not unlike the blade of a large pendulum, and is covered by intricate designs. It is known to hold vast magical power, and it's discovery marked the founding of the Meadows of Heaven, and so its silhouette forms the royal insignia of the Meadows of Heaven to this day.

If one were to look upon a map of Athel Loren with the Meadows of Heaven marked upon it, they would notice that the territory itself is tiny, barely a fraction of the size of even the smaller Eternal Realms. Despite this, the various areas of the territory hold a diverse array of specialisations and capacities, almost creating a miniature form of Athel Loren, and so the Meadows of Heaven are largely self-sufficient, which has proven fortunate in recent times. Some of the more notable provinces within the Meadows of Heaven include:

Imaginaerum
The Capital of the Meadows of Heaven, Imaginaerum is the only province within the territory that never changes location, as it is centred around the great object at the heart of the area, which itself dominates the front of the royal hall of the Meadows of Heaven, the seat of government for the Meadows of Heaven and a grand place that also holds the great emblems of each of the noble households that a Wishmaster may be from, as wells as countless treasures. Other features of interest within Imaginaerum include the royal treasury of the Meadows of Heaven, the largest concentration of the territory's wealth (though in truth much of the territory's wealth is highly decentralised and just as much of it is dispersed amongst numerous secret caches to prevent theft), and the royal armoury of the Meadows of Heaven, a vast stockpile of arms and armour, including a magnificent collection of magical items, some common throughout the world, and some which are barely heard of outside it's confines.

The Glade of Poppies
The Glade of Poppies is the largest centre of learning and knowledge within the Meadows of Heaven. It was devastated during Cyanathair's first assault on Athel Loren, but has since largely recovered, though the prized poppies that give the area it's name have yet to reach their original height. This area is also the primary site of manufacture for much of the weapons and armour and the magical items used by the Meadows of Heaven. Of interesting note is that many of these magical items still use older designs no longer in use by much of the rest of Athel Loren, and so many of them are subtly different. A Bow of Loren made within the Meadows of Heaven, for example, will not deliver as many shots as one made from elsewhere in Athel Loren, but instead will be more accurate, and can be used in combination with enchanted arrows. The enchanted arrows themselves use designs less well-suited for large-scale production, and so are limited in use only to individuals of significant status, but include varieties not used by other territories of Athel Loren.

The Celestial Heath and the Fey Glades
The Fey Glades are the centre of magical knowledge and lore within the Meadows of Heaven, and are strange and wondrous places filled with fantastical occurrences and creatures of magic, and it is said that at night the glades glow with faerie light. This area is centred around the Celestial Heath, a grassy hill upon which grows a single tree, the Celestial Tree, from which the twisting skeins of fate can be seen amongst the stars and the passage of the moons with uncanny clarity, and so the Celestial Heath is the primary place of scrying and fortune-reading amongst the Meadows of Heaven, and home to it's greatest seers and prophetesses. Magic study and lore within the Meadows of Heaven is tightly controlled, with many lores of magic being illegal within the territory, and so study around these outlawed lores mainly centres around ways to dispell them. The Meadows of Heaven never took part in the study of Dark Magic that many of the other realms of Athel Loren conducted during the Season of Lunacy, and while this shielded the territory from the Dark Magic's corrupting effects, it also means that to this day mages from the Meadows of Heaven are unable to make use of Dark Magic. At the same time, the lore of High Magic has almost completely been forgotten amongst the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven, but the territory is also one of the last remaining places that retains knowledge of the fabled Lore of Athel Loren, a strange fey strain of magic said to come from the very power of the forest itself.

The Dead Gardens
The Dead Gardens are the main burial ground in the Meadows of Heaven, and are the final resting place for many of it's greatest heroes, as well as every Wishmaster that has ruled over the territory. At the heart of this area is a large artefact much like the one within Imaginaerum, but partially shattered and half-buried in the ground. Unlike the rest of Athel Loren, the spirits of fallen Asrai in the Meadows of Heaven never form into Tree-kin, and indeed rarely linger within the world at all, with those few who do remaining largely confined to the Meadows of Heaven. Though this makes the area a darkened and haunted place, even more so than the rest of Athel Loren, it also means that Asrai who journey there can sometimes communicate with these spirits of the dead, though this is not a common occurrence. The area is thought to hold powerful magic, and has in recent times become a target of a number of corrupt individuals.

The three rivers
There are three rivers that run through the Meadows of heaven. It is believed that they run mostly underground from the mountains near the forest, for while they sometimes appear in other parts of Athel Loren, they are only consistently found within the Meadows of Heaven. One of them, the River of Riches, is filled with an abundance of metals, gold and precious stones that line its bed, and is the primary source of mineral wealth within the Meadows of Heaven. Another, the Ghost River, is a stream of immensely potent magical energy that flows all around the world, and is a dangerous and terrible force. A contingent of Waywatchers from the Meadows of Heaven has taken up guarding this river as their mission and duty. The final river, the Iskalia or the Singing Maiden, is largely an ordinary river and provides the Meadows of Heaven with a source of fresh water as well as the occasional fish.

The Glade of Twilight
A small and secretive glade within the Meadows of Heaven, those who reside here are extremely isolationist, even by the standards of the Meadows of Heaven (which is itself one of the more isolationist-leaning parts of Athel Loren). The Asrai who dwell within the Glade of Twilight are predominantly a Warrior Kindred, and hone their skills in combat to an incredible degree, and also practice limited amounts of divination and scrying, though not to the same extent as those of the Celestial Heath. Exactly why the Asrai of this area are so secretive, and what they mean by 'mastering the darkness', remains a mystery even to the rest of the Meadows of Heaven...

The Invisible Fortress
The Invisible Fortress surrounds the boarder of the Meadows of Heaven, and is the territory's primary line of defence against attack from enemies. It is a dense network and gauntlet of sentry posts, war-camps, strongpoints, bastions and walls formed from intertwining trees, deepwood alters that drive nearby trees into a killing frenzy, traps and other such defences that extends for some length into the Meadows of Heaven itself, and is notorious for its strength against even the fiercest assaults. Indeed, in the entire history of the Wood Elves, the Invisible Fortress has only been breached once, during Cyanathair's first onslaught at the start of the Secret War.

The Elvenpath
The Elvenpath is a long and winding trail through Athel Loren and forms the main point of passage into the Meadows of Heaven, and indeed with the Invisible Fortress in place its only point of entry without magical assistance. Though it's exact locations change, it stretches throughout all of Athel Loren, and always ends at the Meadows of Heaven, regardless of the territory's current position. Because of this the Elvenpath forms the main link between the Meadows of Heaven and the rest of the forest, though in times of war it's entry point to the Meadows of Heaven will often be blocked with tree-sung woods.

As well as these there are numerous small halls, shrines, streams, springs, glades and other such places scattered throughout the Meadows of Heaven. Despite its name, the territory is largely dense woodland, with only a few small meadows being present, most of which are used as stable glades.

The same mystical force that binds the various parts of the Meadows of Heaven together also acts as an equalising force in regards to the magic that permeates the rest of Athel Loren, such that the Meadows of Heaven will always follow the time of day and seasonal passage of the outside world, regardless of where in Athel Loren the territory currently presides. It will remain daylight in the Meadows of Heaven for the entirety of the day in the rest of the world (or rather the entirety of the day percieved through Athel Loren) even if the territory is currently within the bounds of Modryn. Likewise, if the world is in the clutches of Summer and the Wild Hunt rides across the lands surrounding Athel Loren, the Meadows of Heaven will also be in Summer even when in Atylwyth. This effect also extends to the area immediately surrounding the Meadows of Heaven, and so Asrai from other realms in Athel Loren can sometimes experience this difference themselves, to varying opinions and reactions.

Society

The Meadows of Heaven was originally founded by a large portion of social misfits and independent-minded souls, and so Asrai from the territory have a tradition and reputation of being both very individualistic and extremely stubborn. They are also occasionally known to be highly emotional, leading to them becoming extremely passionate about subjects dear to them as well as quick to anger or offend. The Meadows of Heaven is one of the few territories of Athel Loren that still retains the older system of kindreds, and examples of every kindred from the past of Athel Loren can be found within it's dominion.

The ruler of the Meadows of Heaven is known as the Wishmaster, a regional title, and this individual will carry both the royal crown of the Meadows of Heaven and the King's Longsword. Unlike many other places in the world, the royal crown of the Meadows of Heaven, a slender thing made from silver and bronze, holds little value, and the primary symbol of office is the King's Longsword, a large two-handed sword forged by Daith himself on commission many seasons before the Meadows of Heaven politically distanced themselves from the other Eternal Realms. Though there is usually only a single Wishmaster, their partner, if there is indeed one, is known to be able to command great sway with them, and the couple of Moenaeron and Lyraelle famously shared the title of Wishmaster throughout their reign.

The Wishmaster will also appoint a royal court, which will include a number of mages from the Fey Glades and the Celestial Heath (Aneaeth Ollissin has traditionally been one of these, though there are instances of her not being part of the royal court), a royal standard bearer to carry the Wishmaster's personal standard, a number of other nobles, and a King's Executioner. The King's Executioner is a title unique to the Meadows of Heaven, and acts as the Wishmaster's avatar in personal combat should the Wishmaster decide not to partake in a challenge, as well as dispatching enemies the Wishmaster harbours particular wrath towards. Because of this the King's Executioner will always fill in the role as champion of the Meadows of Heaven during disputes between realms, instead of the Eternal Guard usually appointed this task. While such an unorthodox action is not universally accepted by the other realms of Athel Loren, they are often forced to resign to it, as the response is usually a second challenge to address the matter, of which the King's Executioner is again appointed as representative and whom often proves the victor in both matches.

Strangely, despite their famously independent mindset, the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven still use the older leadership titles of Noble and Highborn rather than the names of Glade Lord and Glade Captain used by the rest of Athel Loren. Magic practitioners are however still known as Spellsingers and Spellweavers.

Asrai from the Meadows of Heaven use a slightly different dialect than those from the rest of Athel Loren. While it is largely the same as the more common form of Asrai language, and similar enough that Elves from the Meadows of Heaven and the rest of Athel Loren can usually understand each other, a number of words have slightly different meanings in the Meadows of Heaven, and the Asrai from the territory have a number of unique quirks, colloquialisms and idioms in their speech.

There is also a strong tradition of storytelling in the Meadows of Heaven, and nearly everyone who dwells there will have a favourite tale to tell or hear. Because of this the Meadows of Heaven are one of the few places besides Argwylon to retain written histories and records, though in this instance these tend to focus mainly on the Meadows of Heaven rather than the greater part of Athel Loren. Likewise, skalds from the Meadows of Heaven also tend to be very accurate when retelling histories of the Wood Elves, though there are still a fair number who will twist the truth to their own ends and so the ceremonial dances of Loec are still the only way to guarantee an accurate historical retelling.

The Meadows of Heaven have traditionally been isolationist even by the standards of the Asrai, almost never interfering in the affairs of other lands unless it was of paramount importance to Athel Loren's safety, though it's armies have frequently mounted sorties into foreign lands to conduct various secret missions. The territory also nonetheless holds strong ties with a large number of the Great Eagles that ally themselves with the Elves, as well as many of the forest's other creatures, though the number of forest spirits within the Meadows of Heaven has historically been much lower than the rest of Athel Loren. It is also then strange to note that the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven will on occasion accept individuals from other areas into their domain and treat them with genuine hospitality, though they are rarely allowed to return. Perhaps most notable of these individuals are the Bretonnian Damsel Sharon D'adele and the human girl Alicia Liddenell. Needless to say, this is always treated with a large amount of suspicion by the rest of the Asrai in Athel Loren.

Unlike the rest of Athel Loren, the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven do not worship the entire Elven pantheon, having long ago concluded that most of the Elven gods had abandoned them. Only Isha and Kurnous are still worshipped, and even then the exact practices are often different from the rest of Athel Loren. For example, the tradition of the Talon of Kurnous is not practised by the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven, who instead prefer to honour the great hunter by unleashing a first strike of a hundredscore arrows, considering the enemy army itself to be prey more than any individual in it. Many of the Asrai in the rest of Athel Loren consider this to be heresy, but many others grudgingly condone it, provided that such teachings do not leave the bounds of the Meadows of Heaven.

History

The Meadows of Heaven gains it's name from two factors. The relatively constant distance between it's various areas allowed early Elven colonists to gain a point of reference when first navigating Athel Loren, and the historically low numbers of forest spirits in the territory made it something of a sanctuary for Elven colonists menaced by Dryads in the early days of settlement, making it something of a heaven for those early settlers.

While largely following the same conventions of time keeping and historical reference as the rest of Athel Loren, the Meadows of Heaven does hold different names for four great seasons. The Season of Withering is known in the Meadows of Heaven as the Season of Fire, the Season of Retribution and the Season of Redemption are collectively known as the Season of Lunacy, and the Season of Doom is known as the Season of Tears.

The Season of Fire

"HELL TO THE HEAVENS!!"
-warcry of the Beastmen assailing the Meadows of Heaven during Cyanathair's first attack (translated from Dark Tongue)

Though Cyanathair's first assault on Athel Loren, at the very start of the Secret War, affected all of Athel Loren, it remains particularly strong in the Meadows of Heaven, for it is the one time the territory has truly felt threatened. Initially it was thought that the Invisible Fortress, first created during the Winter of Woe some time earlier, would be sufficient to hold back any incursions on the Meadows of Heaven, as the Invisible Fortress was at the time believed to be invincible. Nonetheless the Meadows of Heaven sent several armies to aid in the greater defence of Athel Loren, where they fought with distinction.

This security was brought crashing down when The Corrupter turned it's baleful gaze upon the Meadows of Heaven however. The creature sent titanic hordes to bring the territory to it's knees, and while they were at first deterred by the Invisible Fortress, Cyanathair's innate madness and chaotic nature spoke to the trees and spirits of the Invisible Fortress, as it did to many other parts of Athel Loren, and caused large sections of the defence line to rebel against the Elves, allowing the Beastmen to circumvent the Invisible Fortress and gain direct access to the Meadows of Heaven. Those detachments fighting in other parts of Athel Loren were forced to be recalled, and for the rest of that terrible conflict the entirety of the Meadows of Heaven was consumed by total war. Glade Guard and Eternal Guard cut down thousands of Gors and Ungors in brutal ambushes and raids, Scouts fought running skirmishes with Ungor Raiders, Waywatchers fought a lethal shadow war hunting down Beasts of important status and the terrible monsters unleashed on the Meadows of Heaven while Warhawk Riders and Eagles fought a deadly battle for aerial superiority with flocks of Harpies and winged monstrosities. The Elves of the Glade of Twilight slaughtered through entire warherds unsupported, Spites assailed the enemy with every trick and power they had, the Oaken Legion smashed it's way through rank after rank of vile creature, and the few Treemen of the Meadows of Heaven fought an unyielding defence of the most sacred glades and trees in the Meadows of Heaven, while the mages of the Fey Glades and the Celestial Heath unleashed the cataclysmic power of The Silent Force, one of the great and terrible spells known only within the Meadows of Heaven, the use of which is forbidden save for the direst emergencies. The Glade of Poppies was left devastated in some of the bloodiest fighting of the entire conflict, and such was the ferocity of the warfare that many of the Glade Guard kindreds in the Meadows of Heaven were wiped out, such as The Light of Dawn and Spellbound Night. To this day their halls remain empty, left preserved as a memorial to their sacrifice. Countless heroes of the Meadows of Heaven were forged in this conflict, and hundreds of tales abound recounting their deeds. In the end the Beastmen horde was broken in an enormous battle that left the Wishmaster of those days slain along with his Eagle companion and mount, and the leader of the Beastmen dead at his blade. Two individuals of note that fought in this battle included a lesser Beastmen Chieftain named Belphegor, who would go on to escape the war, and a young Elf noble by the name of Maxamaron.

The Season of Lunacy

Unlike the rest of Athel Loren, the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven consider the Season of Retribution and the Season of Redemption to be a single season, which they call the Season of Lunacy, as it is at this time that they consider the rest of the forest to have gone mad. For much of this period and those before it since the aftermath of the Season of Fire, the Meadows of Heaven were largely quiet, focusing mainly on rebuilding their territory. As a result they did not take part in the campaign in Naggaroth, nor did they share in the knowledge of Dark Magic that came back from it, which the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven would later go on to claim was a wise decision indeed. Because of this the territory was unaffected by the chaos that the rest of Athel Loren was thrown into during this time, and largely looked upon it from without with a mixture of sorrow, confusion and bemusement. It was also during this time that Maxamaron rose to become Wishmaster, and was afflicted by the Winterheart.

During this time the Bretonnian Damsel Sharon D'adele made her journey into Athel Loren, and was rescued by Elves from the Meadows of Heaven and brought there, where she was kept for some time out of fear she may be killed in the madness overtaking the rest of Athel Loren. During her time there she was tutored by the Spellsingers and Spellweavers of the Fey Glades and the Celestial Heath, and came to be on good terms with Tir'j'aelle Taerynen, the Winter Storm. A second 'visitor' into the Meadows of Heaven during this time was a young dark-haired girl named Alicia Liddenell, believed to originally be from somewhere within the human Empire, who twice fell through the Worldroots and landed in Athel Loren close to the Meadows of heaven, where she was brought to and kept. On her second stay she was allowed to settle there permanently, and was awarded a small knife of magical metal after becoming welcomed by the Spites of the Meadows of Heaven. To this day her blue and white dress has become well known in the Meadows of Heaven, and within the territory she is considered something of a mascot or pet.

It was in this time that the great exodus of the Spites began. The overt use of Dark Magic within the bounds of Athel Loren came to terrify many of the Spites that had long since resided within the forest, and many of them fled to what refuge they could find. One such place was the Meadows of Heaven, as the non-use of Dark Magic there had made the territory something of a sanctuary for the nature spirits. And so it was that hundreds of Spites migrated into the Meadows of Heaven, their fear of the growing use of Dark Magic greater than their unease around the Wishmaster. Even now the Meadows of Heaven remains even more infested with Spites than other areas of Athel Loren, and the Spites have formed close ties with the territory, such that Asrai heroes may still make use of them even when many other Elves in Athel Loren cannot.

Throughout this long season the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven began to grow disillusioned with greater Wood Elf society. Seeing the havoc wrought by the introduction of Dark Magic, and how the other Elves acted with it, as well as Ariel's absence afterwards, began to make the Elves in the Meadows of Heaven think their kin had lost their way. Evidence found in this time that the other Asrai of Athel Loren had allowed Beastmen to lurk the forest, and the untimely demise of Adanhu and Gruarth only brought further disdain, and so it was decided that the Meadows of Heaven would separate from the Eternal Realms of Athel Loren. As the season came to a close, the leaders of the Meadows of Heaven left their places in the councils of Athel Loren, renounced the leadership of Ariel and Orion, and declared themselves independent of the 12 Realms of Athel Loren.

The Season of Tears

The present times have been a mixed blessing for the Meadows of Heaven. The territory is now the most prosperous it has been since the start of the Secret War, but it must now contend with enemies from within as well as from without.

The other Asrai of Athel Loren have a wide range of opinions regarding the Meadows of Heaven and their split. Some consider them dangerous renegades or treacherous deviants, and would love nothing more than to invade the territory and bring it to heel. Others do not necessarily agree with their ways or methods, but do not have any ill intent towards them so long as they continue to aid the forest. Others still share their sentiments and provide them with aid or even flock to their banners. The Eternal Realms are likewise divided in thought. Talsyn is the most unaccepting of the Meadows of Heaven and its independence, with Araloth being the most prominent voice of those who consider those in the Meadows of Heaven to be traitors. Arranoc is likewise staunchly opposed to the Meadows of Heaven, as they both divert guests away from their fate as sacrifices and bring winter into the otherwise never-ending summer. Both these sentiments are mutual, with the Meadows of Heaven considering Talsyn to be something of a centre for the corruption they perceive in Athel Loren (and the Wishmaster considering Araloth to be unfit to lead), and Arranoc to be duplicitous and dishonourable to outsiders. On the other hand, Modryn and Anmyr are both largely supportive of the Meadows of Heaven, for bringing a rare glimpse of daylight and great amounts of aid in trying to heal the land respectively, and the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven feel quite close to those of Anmyr, with both groups feeling a common bond in their suffering at the hands of Cyanathair. Torgovann and Argwylon both largely consider the Meadows of Heaven to be backwards and rustic fools, while those in the Meadows of Heaven consider both realms to be playing with fire, meddling with dangerous forces best left undisturbed. These sentiments are not universal however, and Asrai of every opinion regarding the Meadows of Heaven can be found in any of the Eternal Realms, albeit in varying amounts. Even the forest spirits are divided, with some considering the Meadows of Heaven to be an aberration, while others believe it to be a seed of renewal and the salvation of the forest. Orion himself would be happy to make war upon the territory, as he and the current Wishmaster have never been in agreement on most things, however Ariel is, for now at least, content to allow the Meadows of Heaven to continue on their way, understanding that those who dwell there still serve the forest in their own way.

Tensions remain high, but for now an uneasy peace remains between the Meadows of Heaven and the other realms of Athel Loren, and so the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven have turned their attentions outward. While no longer officially following the mandates of the King and Queen in the wood, the leaders of the Meadows of Heaven agree with the need for greater action against Chaos in the wider world, and so armies from the Meadows of Heaven frequently travel abroad to hunt down the children of Chaos, though their deeds generally go unrecognised and unrecorded by others, even more so than other Wood Elves. Belphegor, survivor of the Beastmen assault on the Meadows of Heaven during the Season of Fire, has risen to become a powerful warlord, and is currently amassing forces for another attack on the Meadows of Heaven in the name of the Master of Skulls. Another evil now covets the territory however, in the form of the countess Justine Favole, who has tasted the power that resides in the Dead Gardens and craves to command its entirety, and so her followers and minions now assail the Meadows of Heaven in ever-increasing numbers and ferocity. The Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven have also come into conflict with the servants of the accursed Chaos God Slaanesh, though their intentions still remain a mystery.

The Glory of Days Long Past

The methods of battle and war used by the Meadows of Heaven are best described as old but effective. Their armies are frequently well-trained and equipped, though the equipment itself is often different to that now used by the rest of Athel Loren. Glade Guard, for example, continue to use the Glade Guard Longbow, which has been largely phased out of the rest of Athel Loren in favour of the Asrai Longbow. The older Glade Guard Longbow has less power at longer ranges than it's newer cousin, but much greater power at short ranges, and Glade Guard from the Meadows of Heaven train heavily in Asrai Archery techniques to effortlessly fire on the move, allowing them to quickly get into shorter ranges to make full use of this power. Other units tend to use the lighter Scout Bow, a design almost exclusive to the Meadows of Heaven that is less powerful than either the Asrai Longbow or the Glade Guard Longbow, but is considerably lighter than either and thus better suited for easily and quietly moving through dense woodland, or as a sidearm for high ranking nobles. It is also cheap and easy to produce, allowing any Elf from the Meadows of Heaven to own one. Eternal Guard, likewise, still practice extensively in Eternal Guard Fighting Styles, allowing them to rain down much more blows than their compatriots in the other realms of Athel Loren, while the Wardancer Weapons used by the Wardancers of the Meadows of Heaven hit much harder than those used by other Wardancers. Warhawks from the Meadows of Heaven tend to have less brute strength than those from other areas, but are much more nimble, allowing them and their riders to conduct quick hit-and-run attacks to disrupt enemy forces. The few forest spirits greater than Spites that reside in the Meadows of Heaven are far more brutal than in other parts of Athel Loren, with Dryads from the territory eschewing close-packed formations in favour of viscous attacks in combat, while the Tree-kin of the Oaken Legion are known to strike with far more force than Tree-kin formed from the departed spirits of fallen Elves. All Elves from the Meadows of Heaven still train extensively in firing while moving, though this comes at the expense of developing the lightening-quick reaction speeds other Elves are known for. While the magical support of the Meadows of Heaven is more limited in it's application, the territory boasts a far greater array of magical items than the other realms of Athel Loren, which when combined with the affinity Spites have for Elves in the territory, ensures that leaders of the Meadows of Heaven can be equipped to deal with an extremely wide array of threats.

Where the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven go, the glory of days long past travels with them.
robtion wrote:Great looking army and a fun read. I particularly like the Winterheart idea and the owl on Maxamaron :thumbsup:


Why thank you. The owl is a reference to the owl that features on the cover artwork (such as these two) of some albums and singles released by Nightwish, a symphonic metal band from Finland. They're my favourite band, and so there are a number of references to them liberally sprinkled across the army and it's background (such as the title its leader has, the name of the place its from, and one of the icons on the BSB, which is another reference to album cover art). There are a bunch of references to other symphonic metal bands as well.
Last edited by Kakapo42 on 03 Feb 2015, 02:02, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by robtion »

That is a lot of detail and background and a really interesting read. I really like how you have tailored it to remain consistent with the old book, and contrasted that against the differences in the new book. I also prefer the old book to the new one.

On the topic of owls did you ever see the movie LABYRINTH? May be before your time but I loved it as a kid. It had a cool white owl in it anyway that was fairly iconic.
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Kakapo42 »

An owl hooted off in the gloomy distance as Mir'q'arielle steadily made her way along the winding forest path. At least she thought it was an owl as she trod on through the shadows, it occurred to her that it could just as easily be some form of spite or other fey spirit, or even other Asrai communicating with each other in secret. Either way the Wood Elf thought it best to keep moving. Though still daylight in the outside world (by her reckoning at least), the canopy of this part of Athel Loren was dense enough to block out almost any sunshine, casting an ominous and eerie darkened shade over the wood. Anywhere beyond a few dozen or so paces was completely obscured by darkness, and as was common in Athel Loren small beady eyes occasionally glinted out of crevices and hiding places, and every so often something would skitter or scamper across the path just out of sight. Nonetheless, the dusty, twisting, leaf-strewn path was at least somewhat illuminated, and had yet to turn in upon itself or vanish off at a dead end. It seemed that The Forrest was at least allowing Mir'q'arielle to continue on her quest, for now at least.

And it was fortunate indeed that Mir'q'arielle continued to be uninterrupted in her journey, for it was of utmost importance - she was to travel to the Oak of Ages itself, and appear before Ariel, the Queen in the Wood herself, and make one final attempt to reason with her and the rest of the Asrai. One last attempt to peacefully reconcile the Meadows of Heaven with the rest of Athel Loren, through diplomacy and negotiation. One last attempt to talk sense into the rest of the Elves, to try and get them to see and realise the danger and madness that was sweeping through the once great forest, and to convince them to take action against it alongside the Meadows of Heaven.

The Asrai noble plucked a string of the Rhymer's Harp she had brought with her from the royal armoury of the Meadows of Heaven, and instantly its magic propelled her through another sizeable part of the forest path in the span of a few short moments. Normally Mir'q'arielle did not travel with one, but this was an important task and so she had been provided with one and a small satchel bag to carry it in. The musical note's effect wore off and she returned to her normal speed, passing through another stretch of the lonely forest path.

At once, Mir'q'arielle's cloak took on a life of its own, trembling and shifting as the Murder of Spites that called its folds and feathers home suddenly rushed out to confront an unseen danger, Kaereon taking flight in the same direction. In a blur of movement Mir'q'arielle spun around to face the danger, only to face nothing but more shadows. A movement caught on the edge of her vision sent her turning to the other side, but the obscured shape twirled away behind her. She heard footfalls just behind her before the mysterious assailant leapt over her head and somersaulted to her front in a whirl of colour and streamers, before settling into the shape of a tall athletic female elf with deep rich electric red hair, a long spear in one hand and an elegant sword in the other.

"What such dull wits you've been left with Traveller," the Elf said with a chuckle, "Your companions spotted me quick enough, but even then its a wonder you've gotten on this far through the woods. All that time spent picking foes off with that old longbow of yours must have left you flat-footed."

Mir'q'arielle could not believe her eyes. "Aemiria!" She exclaimed, "By Isha! We thought you were dead! The horde-"

The Deathdancer laughed, and jumped and shifted as she spoke. "It takes more than a few hundred servants of Chaos to slay the Queen of Muses. By Loec's good graces, and the steel of his blades, I managed to survive the battle, but was separated and some distance from the Asrai lines. After much wandering, battling darkness at every turn, I managed to find my way back to Athel Loren."

"Why did you not return to the Meadows of Heaven?" Mir'q'arielle asked.

"I intended to, but the Elvenpath was secreted from me. It seems that The Forrest wished a new and different adventure for me, for instead I ended up journeying deep into the wood. At long last I arrived in the heart of Athel Loren, in the area they now call Fyr Darric, where I visited the great stronghold of my kind, the Feast Halls of the Wardance. It has become a dark and twisted place, filled with sadism and wanton cruelty and malice. They consider it now a game to have blood contests with captives, only to execute them as slowly and painfully as possible. Such an appalling practice I would expect from the corrupt and bitter Druchi, but not from noble Asrai, I would like to think we're better than that. And that is but one of their many degenerate sports. Alas, they are also extremely vigilant. I was kept in the region for many many seasons, unable to leave."

"How awful. It must have been painful for you to see the great bastion of your people fallen so."

"My people are the Elves of the Meadows of Heaven Mir'q'arielle, never forget that. But it did fill my heart with sorrow to see my Wardancer kin so depraved. Fortunately a few weeks ago, at least that's what it feels like, I was able to escape my retainers and slip out of the territory along with my Blades of Loec, which I was sure to steal away with me from where they were being kept after their confiscation. I've been wandering the forest ever since."

Mir'q'arielle stood, taking in everything she was being told as the Spites returned to her cloak. "It is good that we ran into each other then."

"Always good to have a travelling companion, but we must make haste. My escape cannot have gone unnoticed. Fyr Darric's hounds must surely be hunting for me even now. We must return to the Meadows of Heaven. I have seen much of what Athel Loren has become, and much of the darkness creeping through it. I must speak with the Wishmaster at once."

"We know as well Aemiria. I had set out to seek audience with Ariel to rouse the Asrai to action."

"Ariel has grown as decadent and corrupt as any of them. She has grown intoxicated with the accursed Dark Magic that they even now practice with wanton abandon. I'm afraid she would not listen. I'm not sure any of them would. The Wishmaster must be informed of the full extent of the danger."

"Then we could send word with an Eagle. I have good ties with-"

"No, some of the Eagles have ties with Argwylon, a place of magic academia in the north, they could easily report us to them. As noble as they may be, the Eagles cannot be trusted with this. We must travel back and deliver the news ourselves."

Mir'q'arielle looked down. She had a long history with the Great Eagles, to think they could not be depended on was difficult to bear. "I see," she said. "Let us be off then."

"Excellent," Aemiria replied, "Lead on friend. Along the way I will recount to you all of my thrilling escapades and adventures I have had along the way."

"Only if you retell them again when we get there," Mir'q'arielle said, "I am sure the Wishmaster will want to hear all of your tale as well."


So the other day I finally finished something that's been sitting on my hobby space ever since I got the characters for my Wood Elf army - my Spellsinger on a Unicorn. It was long, and it was hard, and working with greenstuff is now one of the top contenders for 'most horrific excruciating torture I have ever endured in this hobby', but I finally did it. And now here she is, my Spellsinger, Ailyn!

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When I first conceived the idea of my Wood Elf army I had four very clear ideas about the characters I wanted in it. Two of those became Maxamaron and Moni'qeth, my general and standard bearer. The other two were the wizards I wanted in my army. I knew right from the get-go I wanted two wizards, one with the Lore of Athel Loren, and the other with another Lore, which I decided would be life (this was the days before the new Wood Elf book, so I couldn't choose just anything, but Life fits in with my idea of Wood Elf wizards acting as medics or healers in the Wood Elf army, and I also wanted to make sure I could keep my warriors in top health. I care about them like that).

I also had a clear vision of exactly what I wanted them both to be like. The typical Warhammer wizard is often somewhat flamboyant and extravagant, and so I wanted one of my wizards to break away and be different from this archetype by being quite humble and simple in their attire and the items they used, an older wiser magic user that knew that adding gems to something doesn't make it magical, it just makes it expensive - this would become Aneaeth Ollissin, my Spellweaver. The second wizard, on the other hand, I wanted to be much more extravagant, to contrast. At the same time, I knew as soon as I saw it as an option that I wanted one of the wizards to be riding a Unicorn. I love classic fantasy tropes and conventions, and it doesn't get much more classic than a beautiful Elven maiden riding a Unicorn and wielding magic. Finally, I knew I wanted one of the wizards to have red hair. I put these trains of thought together to create a quintissential vision of a classical attractive young Elf mage atop a Unicorn with flowing red hair, and this fitted perfectly with my want for an extravegant wizard. It also lead to the nucleus of the character backstory, she would be a young inexperienced, but gifted Spellsinger, in contrast with the aforementioned wiser, older one. This younger Spellsinger I decided to name Ailyn.

After scouring GW's model range for suitable female heads for converting these two magic practitioners (I never liked the puffed out 'super saiyan' style hair of the official female Wood Elf wizards), it quickly became obvious what model would be used as the basis for the younger spellsinger - The Fey Enchantress from the Bretonnian range. Its a model I deeply love (much like the rest of the Bretonnian model range), and even knowing that it was a sacrifice for the greater good it was heard to cut her to bits, but in the end I managed it by promising myself that one day I would put together and paint up the Fey Enchantress in all her Bretonnian glory. Anyway, the first thing I did was remove the Unicorn, replacing it with the unmounted one (re)released for Storm of Magic, ever so subtly converted. My original plan was to then cut away the Enchantress's torso and replace it with one from a Spellweaver model, but that eventually proved far too impractical to do (getting her off her Unicorn ended up being hard enough as it was!), so in the end I resorted to my contingency plan of simply switching her goblet arm with the staff arm from the aforementioned spellweaver model. I feel that most wizards should have a staff, and even if they don't, I planned on giving this one Calaingor's Stave anyway, so it'd be nice and WYSIWYG that way, as well as helping to differentiate her from the normal Fey Enchantress model. The other part of said contingency plan was the addition of vines along her dress to make it look more Wood Elfish, which I think I did quite well on, even if one of them broke off as I was undercoating her (which is why there's one leaf just above her knee awkwardly floating there. Oh well, I don't think it looks that bad). The next step was to fill out the top of the model's head. The Fey Enchantress has a crown topped with a big fleur-de-lis, which I removed along with all the other fleur-de-lisses on the model, but this ended up leaving a big space of flat resin on the top of her head, so I had to sculpt something to cover it up. I was going to go with leaves, but hair proved to be easier to do. After that I added a daisy-chain around her head, its an element right back from my original vision of the character, and I feel the idea of a lovely young Spellsinger with flowers in her hair is very Wood-Elfish. I'd originally planned to have the Unicorn be completely unadorned, a wild free creature with nothing on it except the Spellsinger that was riding it. However, Spellsingers come with a longbow as standard issue, just like any other Asrai character, and there wasn't anywhere on the Spellsinger herself to put one, so I stuck it and a quiver of arrows for it on the Unicorn, slung on with a leather loop greenstuffed around the Unicorn's body.

The base is another holdover from my original vision (to which the final model is actually extremely close to). In the background Ailyn is so full of the power of the forest that life springs up and blooms wherever she walks (or wherever her Unicorn walks when she's riding it), and so her base is covered in flowers, both small ones made from grated up sponge (using the very fine tutorial on this very forum) and larger ones crudely formed out of wire and greenstuff, along with a single large bumblebee, again crudely formed from greenstuff. Yes, I am fully aware that a bee that size would in fact be the size of a large kitten, I do not care - it is clearly a magical giant bee. I imagine a magical forest like Athel Loren needs plenty of magical pollenators, and Spites only do so much. Besides, there are giant hawks and giant eagles, why can't there be giant bees as well?

All in all I'm actually quite content with how Ailyn turned out. I think I might have liked more flowers on the base, but I think it worked out ok in the end. Anyway, background time.
Ailyn, Glamourweave Spellsinger of the Meadows of Heaven

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In these darkened days, Ailyn is of an increasingly fewer kind. The newest and youngest of the four mages that govern the Fey Glades and the Celestial Heath, Ailyn is one of the last remaining members of the Kindreds of Yenayla - the Glamourweave Kindred. A smaller Kindred within the Spellsinger and Spellweaver Kindreds, the Glamourweave Kindred is known by many names; Shaper, Tree-Singer, Skein-Weaver, Shadow-Walker, Changeling, Wood-seer, Grove-kin and Wood-shaper are just a few well known titles they are known to go by. Glamourweaves are extremely closely linked to Athel Loren, and are as much Forrest Spirit as they are Elf, in a similar manner to the Wild Riders of Kurnous. They are dedicated to maintaining the correct balance in Athel Loren, and in times past they would often act as envoys to the older spirits of The Forrest. Alas, as the Asrai turned away from the older traditions of Athel Loren, the Glamourweaves, much like many of the other more specialised Kindreds, largely died out, and in the present time in most of Athel Loren they are all but extinct. The Meadows of Heaven, however, never abandoned the older ways, and so the territory remains a haven for all Kindreds, the Glamourweave included, and so a number of Glamourweaves continue to keep their Kindred and its teachings alive, though as they were never a large Kindred to start with they are few in number.

As well as this, Ailyn is also one of the last few who practice the fabled Lore of Athel Loren. A strange and subtle lore, the Lore of Athel Loren is a form of spellcraft that comes from magic flowing trough Athel Loren's web of consciousness. This fey form of magic can be used to create powerful glamours and illusions, or to heal even the most grievous of wounds with a touch. An Elf using the Lore of Athel Loren can weave spells of confusion and trickery to hide important areas, objects, or even entire armies, and can cast dangerous blasts that can strip a target of its memories and wits. This lore can even be used to access the secret and hidden pathways in the world, even those inaccessible by Moonstone, allowing allies to move quickly unimpeded by even the most daunting of terrain, or to disappear completely and reappear somewhere else entirely. Most impressive of all of the powers available through the Lore of Athel Loren however, is the ability to influence and alter the growth of trees and foliage, whether it be to incite a tree to grow into a beautiful structure or monument, or to cause entire groves to uproot and shift to create new glades or pathways or seal off existing ones. Many Asrai in the rest of Athel Loren no longer have a strong enough connection to the raw mystical power of Athel Loren, with their connection having over the seasons been corrupted by the use of Dark Magic, and so most territories in Athel Loren no longer practice its use - even Argwylon, for all its vaunted knowledge, retains little education or expertise regarding it. The Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven, however, never took to practising the more unwholesome forms of magic. Such forms of magic are illegal in the Meadows of Heaven, in the eyes of the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven, magic forms such as the Dark Magic, the Lore of Death or even the Lore of Shadow are the magics used by the hated Druchi and Beastmen, and consequently they consider the use of such lores to be stooping to the level of those tainted beings, and thus abhorrent. As a result, the connection between the Spellsingers and Spellweavers of the Meadows of Heaven and the consciousness of Athel Loren is pure enough to still be able to make use of the Lore of Athel Loren, and so its practice remains common within the territory.

As a result of this, the mystical power of Athel Loren flows through Ailyn's veins as much as Elven blood does, and she feels much of what The Forrest feels. In recent times this has been the cause of great pain, as she feels madness and corruption twisting through Athel Loren's glades and trees. Her Glamourweave nature also gives Ailyn a close affinity to Forrest Spirits, especially Spites, and together with the ancient Treeman Avyrrnhan she represents the interests of the Forrest Spirits in the Meadows of Heaven, speaking for their needs before the Wishmaster. This deep connection with Athel Loren alone makes Ailyn a valuable member of the royal court of the Meadows of Heaven, but it is not for this reason that she rose to her current position. Instead, Aneaeth Ollissin chose her to become the fourth member of the ruling council of the Fey Glades and the Celestial Heath, representative of Spring, because of the immense magical capacity Ailyn possesses. Though still quite young by Elf standards, Ailyn holds unprecedented amounts of magical ability, perhaps rivalling that of even Ariel herself. She is however, still young and extremely inexperienced, and currently lacks the skill and knowledge to use her abilities to their fullest extent, and so the vast majority of this incredible power remains latent and untapped. Nonetheless, she has already demonstrated this exceptional talent - one of the first actions she ever did as a Spellsinger was to inadvertently awaken the slumbering Avyrnhan completely effortlessly, and it was this action that brought her to the attention of Aneaeth, who since then has made it her task to take the young Spellsinger under her wing as an apprentice, teaching her the ways and knowledge of magical practice.

She also gave Ailyn the staff she now wields, one of Calaingor's Staves. The Calaingor's Staves of the Meadows of Heaven, however, are very different to the ones now used in other parts of Athel Loren. Where the latter purify and strengthen a Spellsinger or Spellweaver's connection with Athel Loren enough to make use of basic spells from the Lore of Athel Loren, a Calaingor's Stave of the Meadows of Heaven enhances a Spellsinger or Spellweaver's command over the Lore of Athel Loren, allowing them to Tree-Sing repeatedly, commanding entire swathes of Forrest at once. The immense raw magical ability of Ailyn has also brought a Unicorn into her service, the magical creature being utterly seduced by the power within her. In addition, such is the extent that the Spites of the Meadows of Heaven adore her that she is escorted at all times by a Pagent of Shrikes.

In the days following the estrangement of the Meadows of Heaven from the rest of Athel Loren, Ailyn has been increasingly pained and saddened by the plight of the forest, and so she has taken it upon herself to restore The Forrest to its true glory. In recent times she has come to spend more and more time roaming the forest of Athel Loren, healing the damage done to it and restoring harmony to it. She brings Daylight to Modryn, and seasons to Arranoc, Atylwyth and Tirsyth, and does what she can to equalise the other areas of Athel Loren. However, she is but one individual, and cannot be everywhere at once, and such is the extent of the changes wrought upon Athel Loren that the Forrest invariably returns to its disharmonious state when she leaves. Even so, Ailyn continues her long quest, determined to do as much as she can to restore the proper balance to Athel Loren, no matter how long it takes.

Somewhat bizarrely however, Ailyn may not be alone in her quest. In recent days rumours and talk have begun to spread about a startling phenomena. Spites have reportedly been seen or glimpsed in vast numbers, entire armies of them pouring through the Forrest. According to tales, this 'Spite Crusade' works ceaselessly and relentlessly to undo the changes in Athel Loren, healing corruption and mercilessly battling intruders, and even occasionally striking out at Elves practising certain forms of magic. Most who claim to have seen this also say that these Spite armies head in directions that have an uncanny tendency to coincide with the direction Ailyn travels in, and all apparently can be traced back to the Meadows of Heaven. The exact nature or purpose behind this supposed 'Spite Crusade' remains a mystery. Some suggest that they might be a secret weapon unleashed by the Meadows of Heaven to dominate the rest of Athel Loren covertly. Others think that Ailyn's quest to heal Athel Loren has created an example that the Spites aspire to emulate. Others still claim that it is the work of Drycha, or that it is the first stage in a rebellion against the Elf presence in Athel Loren. Some instead argue the simple explanation that it is a natural reaction to some of the worst excesses of the Season of Retribution (or the Season of Lunacy as it is known in the Meadows of Heaven). Whatever the truth may be, the so called 'Spite Crusade' remains largely unproven, the stuff of fancy tales told in Halls by travellers. Still, talk and sightings of the phenomenon grow more and more numerous each season. While the Spites may have good intentions at heart, if the 'Spite Crusade' is indeed true it could have dangerous consequences for Athel Loren, as its invasive activities, especially the reported attacks on Elves, could give Araloth and the other Asrai opposed to the Meadows of Heaven and its ways the pretext they need to make war upon the Meadows of Heaven....

robtion wrote:That is a lot of detail and background and a really interesting read. I really like how you have tailored it to remain consistent with the old book, and contrasted that against the differences in the new book. I also prefer the old book to the new one.

On the topic of owls did you ever see the movie LABYRINTH? May be before your time but I loved it as a kid. It had a cool white owl in it anyway that was fairly iconic.
Looks like there's some allies in the Brine Woods then hahah. Funny you mention Labyrinth and its iconic snowy owl, as I have indeed seen it. Funnily enough someone else mentioned in a Warseer thread about people's Warhammer generals that his impression of mine was similar to Jarreth, David Bowie's character in it.

Finally, I'll end with a shot of the road still to tread. Its going to be a busy rest of the year (and perhaps even then some)..
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by robtion »

Ailyn looks really nice but very hard to make out details as the PIC is quite small and pixelated when I zoom in. Any chance of a bigger/closer PIC? I really like your army, very thematic :thumbsup:
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Kakapo42 »

robtion wrote:Ailyn looks really nice but very hard to make out details as the PIC is quite small and pixelated when I zoom in. Any chance of a bigger/closer PIC? I really like your army, very thematic :thumbsup:
As much as I'd like to post up an enlarged image, the system on here tends to forbid me from posting pictures if they get too big (even ones the size of the ones in my last post it sometimes won't let), and the camera I use refuses to focus on close-in objects regardless of if I have the macro on or not. I experimented with trying to post attachments, which seems to be the most common form of posting images on here, but I couldn't work out how to get them onto the post once I had uploaded them.

In the mean-time I can provide a link to the post in my hobby blog, here, which has zoomable images in it. That should get a better view of some of the details, though even then I'm a terrible photographer so not all of them showed up (her flowing red hair, for example, looks much less flat in actuality than it does in the photos).

Hooray for making a thematic army (the best sort IMO)!
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's tale of 1 and a half gam

Post by Kakapo42 »

Hey guys (and girls),

So as you will probably know by now, GW has the End Times series in full swing for Warhammer Fantasy. Unfortunately, this has had (as you may have seen from my ranting on here) disastrous consequences for my hobby. You see, I'm something of a storyteller at heart - stories are extremely important to me, and my mind is largely dominated by an enormous highly-active imagination that acts as something of a living 'story factory'. As a result a large part of my enjoyment of this hobby comes from the background side of it, but comes not just from passively consuming background, but actively engaging with it - creating and writing up my own additions to what background material is already there. Between first starting up Warhammer Fantasy and the start of the End Times releases, this had been exactly what I did - I created a large, rich extensive background work, with it's own cast of characters and interweaving storylines, my own personal piece of the Warhammer World. However, this background also had it's own 'future' and 'end-game state' which, unfortunately, is fundamentally incompatible with the End Times background (in addition to being built on a few background interpretations that the End Times series assumes otherwise on). I generally prefer to work within the constraints of official core background (IE the main rulebook and army books), but there is no way of reconciling my own background with the ET background (especially since later ET releases). Altering my own background, which is largely complete in my head and requires only writing down (the parts posted on here are but the tip of the iceberg), is less than an option for me - I vastly prefer my own background to the End Times series, if for no other reason than because it's my own; I made it, and poured more than a little of myself into it (as well as a large number of symphonic metal references). This of course wouldn't be a problem, except that I am gravely worried about how the wider Warhammer community might react to my non-ET compliant background - I don't want to be bombarded by an unrelenting torrent of comments saying things like "But that's not what really happened, in the End Times it happened like this!" or "Nice fanfic*, but you know it happened differently in canon right?", and I'm not entirely sure how many people would read it to begin with.

This means that all my Warhammer fantasy background writing is, sadly, suspended until further notice. If I think there's enough demand for it, then I'd be happy to continue writing it up, but until I can fully ascertain that then this thread will be without background material for a while.

But it's not all bad news. Because I just finished my unit of Tree Kin.

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That's actually why I waited so long to post this up, instead of way back when Nagash was first released - I wanted to have some pictures of finished models to post up as well so that I could include something positive.

Anyway, if you read this (or better yet, actually frequent or follow this thread) then please please please do let me know if you'd like to see more of my background regardless of it's conflict with the End Times series, as what level of demand I perceive for it will probably be the deciding factor in whether or not I keep writing it on the internet.

*Seriously, please don't call my background that. Calling someone's tabletop wargame and RPG background fan-fiction is an extremely big pet-peeve of mine, since I consider the two to be closely related, but ultimately separate things.
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's hobby corner

Post by Kakapo42 »

Right then, last night I just finished my first ever Warhammer monster - a 6th edition style Treeman (who will be my army's Treeman Ancient).

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It proved to be considerably more miscast than what was apparent on my first inspection, but unfortunately by the time I found out the model had been discontinued and so it was too late to trade it in for a replacement, so I was forced to work with what I had. I think I did a fairly good job of salvaging it, mostly through some clever basing tricks. Like the Tree Kin it was a blast to paint (and much more painless to undercoat than the Tree Kin too!), and I'm quite content with how he turned out - I think it's one of my more successful attempts at reverse-engineering the studio paint scheme from the model pictures. I also think I'm getting better at mixing colours, most of the colours used for the leaves and Spites were mixed and I quite like how they turned out.
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's hobby corner

Post by Baardah »

Very Nice Paint Job. I really like that version of the treeman
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Drstrangelove wrote:Imagine a magic item. For 20 points you get +4M, Vanguard, extra +1 to your armour save, unlimited free reforms, and an extra S3 attack at I4.
That item would be in every list.

That item is a horse...
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's hobby corner

Post by Kakapo42 »

Baardah wrote:Very Nice Paint Job. I really like that version of the treeman
Thank you very much, not just for the compliment on the paint job, but also for taking the time to comment. I usually try hard not to mind about a lack of replies on my threads, both here and on other forums, but I must admit I was starting to get a bit demoralised from not getting any feedback (especially after I genuinely asked for opinions on something). It doesn't help that I've always been taught to avoid double-posting, and consequently don't like the sight of multiple consecutive posts by me.
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's hobby corner

Post by Git »

Kakapo42 wrote:I usually try hard not to mind about a lack of replies on my threads, both here and on other forums, but I must admit I was starting to get a bit demoralised from not getting any feedback (especially after I genuinely asked for opinions on something). It doesn't help that I've always been taught to avoid double-posting, and consequently don't like the sight of multiple consecutive posts by me.
I've thought a bit about that too (and I don't comment much myself either). I think the answer is that most readers are much like myself. We read, often to pass time, and is a passive observer. I don't like to write comments on mobile devices, and often don't reply when I've read a post on such a device. Then I forget to reply later on my computer.
Other times I just don't know what to say ("great job" gets old quickly). I'd push a "like" button, but that function would make it even easier to not participate actively in the forum community, and we do need all the interaction we can get. I am guilty of not interacting enough, but I'll keep in mind that others also just wants to see comments as much as I do. :)
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's hobby corner

Post by Hyarion »

What is the light green you used on your BSB? It came out looking really good.
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Re: The Last of The Wilds- Kakapo's hobby corner

Post by Baardah »

As I'm not exactly a huge fan of how things have turned in the end times, I would love to read your alternative background Kakapo
My summer night wood elves
Drstrangelove wrote:Imagine a magic item. For 20 points you get +4M, Vanguard, extra +1 to your armour save, unlimited free reforms, and an extra S3 attack at I4.
That item would be in every list.

That item is a horse...
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