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Forces of WARMACHINE: Legion of Everblight Command
First printing: November 2016. Printed in China.
Hardcover: 978-1-943693-47-4 Softcover: 978-1-943693-46-7
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CONTENTS Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Legion of Everblight . . . . . . . . . 6 Theme Forces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Warlocks of the Legion of Everblight. . . 22 Warlock Model Entries Absylonia, Terror of Everblight. . . . . . . . . . Absylonia, Daughter of Everblight. . . . . . . . Bethayne, Voice of Everblight & Belphagor . . . . Fyanna, Torment of Everblight. . . . . . . . . . Kallus, Wrath of Everblight . . . . . . . . . . . Kallus, Devastation of Everblight. . . . . . . . . Kryssa, Conviction of Everblight . . . . . . . . . Lylyth, Herald of Everblight. . . . . . . . . . . Lylyth, Shadow of Everblight. . . . . . . . . . . Lylyth, Reckoning of Everblight. . . . . . . . . . Rhyas, Sigil of Everblight. . . . . . . . . . . . . Saeryn, Omen of Everblight. . . . . . . . . . . Saeryn & Rhyas, Talons of Everblight. . . . . . . Thagrosh, Prophet of Everblight . . . . . . . . . Thagrosh, the Messiah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vayl, Disciple of Everblight. . . . . . . . . . . . Vayl, Consul of Everblight . . . . . . . . . . . .
26 28 30 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 56 58 60 62
Warbeasts of the Legion of Everblight . . 64 Warbeast Model Entries Afflictor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angelius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blight Wasps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carnivean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harrier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Naga Nightlurker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nephilim Bloodseer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nephilim Bolt Thrower. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nephilim Protector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nephilim Soldier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Neraph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Raek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ravagore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scythean. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seraph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shredder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Teraph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Azrael. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86
Proteus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Typhon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zuriel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Archangel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blightbringer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
88 90 92 94 96
Warriors of the Legion of Everblight. . . 98 Unit & Solo Model Entries Blighted Ogrun Warmongers. . . . . . . . . . Blighted Ogrun Warspears. . . . . . . . . . . Warspear Chieftain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blighted Nyss Archers . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blighted Nyss Archer Officer & Ammo Porter. . Blighted Nyss Hex Hunters. . . . . . . . . . . Bayal, Hound of Everblight. . . . . . . . . . . Blighted Nyss Legionnaires. . . . . . . . . . . Captain Farilor & Standard. . . . . . . . . . . Blighted Nyss Raptors. . . . . . . . . . . . . Blighted Nyss Scather Crew. . . . . . . . . . . Blighted Nyss Swordsmen. . . . . . . . . . . . Blighted Nyss Swordsman Abbot & Champion. . Grotesque Banshees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grotesque Raiders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hellmouth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spawning Vessel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Strider Blightblades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Strider Scouts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Strider Scout Officer & Musician. . . . . . . . Blackfrost Shard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beast Mistress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blighted Nyss Shepherd . . . . . . . . . . . . Blighted Nyss Sorceress & Hellion. . . . . . . . Blighted Nyss Warlord. . . . . . . . . . . . . The Forsaken. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grotesque Assassin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Incubus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spell Martyr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Strider Deathstalker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Succubus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warmonger War Chief. . . . . . . . . . . . . Fyanna the Lash. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anyssa Ryvaal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Throne of Everblight. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
100 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 120 121 122 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 134 135 136 138 140
Model Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Painting Your Army. . . . . . . . . . . 155 Templates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 3
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FOREWORD The Legion of Everblight has become the ultimate weapon of the dragon Everblight in his war against his father, Lord Toruk, and his fellow progeny. Centuries ago Everblight’s physical body was destroyed, but his indestructible heartstone, or athanc, survived. After luring the ogrun Thagrosh to free him from an icy tomb, Everblight turned his attention to the corruption and domination of the Nyss, the winter elves inhabiting the northern lands of Immoren. Skilled bladesmen, deadly hunters, and potent sorcerers, the Nyss represented the ideal soldiers for the dragon. Everblight also seized control of powerful mountain-dwelling ogrun, bringing their brawn and ferocity to his cause. Alongside these corrupted foot soldiers stand an ever-growing assortment of twisted dragonspawn, each birthed from the nightmarish imagination of Everblight and given form through the blighted blood of his chosen warlocks. From powerful carniveans and lithe winged angelii to feline raeks and small yet voracious shredders, the warbeasts of the Legion exist solely to sow terror and bring death to Everblight’s enemies. Supplementing these powerful warbeasts are a number of other dragon-spawned terrors such as the massive Throne of Everblight and the subterranean hellmouth. To help him lead his legion, Everblight has implanted shards of his own athanc within his chosen warlocks, granting them each a portion of his own immeasurable power. While the athanc shards unite Everblight’s warlocks, the change his blight produces in their bodies is unique to each individual. Whether it be the draconic majesty of Thagrosh, the Messiah,
the arcane might of Vayl, Consul of Everblight, or the deadly martial prowess of Rhyas, Sigil of Everblight, the dragon’s power and glory radiates from his warlocks. Within its pages, Forces of HORDES: Legion of Everblight Command gives you an extensive look at the background of the Legion of Everblight and access to all of its blighted warlocks and draconic warbeasts, as well as a range of units, solos, and battle engines to support them. In addition, this volume introduces two new warlocks—Fyanna, Torment of Everblight and Kallus, Devastation of Everblight—and a new character warjack, the winged terror Azrael. Along with a wealth of information about specific models that can form the heart of any Legion army, this book also includes the first new theme forces for the Legion of Everblight. The Children of the Dragon theme force brings together the entire might of Everblight’s dragonspawn, while Oracles of Annihilation musters the awe-inspiring sorcery of the blighted Nyss, and the Ravens of War force assembles the swiftest warriors of Everblight’s host—the striders, raptors, and grotesques. United through the influence of blight and tied to a singular will, the warlocks, warriors, and warbeasts of the Legion of Everblight bring the tremendous power of their draconic master to bear upon any who dare stand against them. Together they will consume all in their path and bring Everblight’s glory to the farthest reaches of Immoren and beyond.
5
THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT THE BODY OF THE DRAGON
The armies that fight in the name of Everblight are a terrifying force without precedent on the face of Caen. The dragon’s warriors have been blessed with his perfecting blight and are accompanied by blood-spawned creations conceived in his alien and nightmarish mind. Everblight’s legion serves him with a devotion any god would envy, seeking only to live and die in his name. Like all dragons, Everblight is the progeny of Toruk, the Dragonfather, created from a shard of Toruk’s heartstone, the crystal athanc that is the essence of all dragons. Toruk’s other offspring have used their blighted essence to create mindless slaves or have enthralled weak-minded mortals to heed their bidding, exploiting their simple beliefs. Only Everblight has perfected his application of blight into both a science and an expression of art. With it he can enhance, corrupt, and reshape other beings in his own image. Unlike the other dragons, Everblight no longer has a physical form. When freed of his icy prison, he chose not to regrow his draconic body and instead decided to exist purely as an athanc and work through worthy vassals, each invested with fragments of his essence. It is through these servants that his voice is heard, and through them he commands his legion. Despite his discarnate form, in only a handful of years Everblight has raised an army to challenge the empire of walking death his progenitor built over millennia. Everblight’s forces have been consciously and deliberately honed, each blighted creation an instrument of his will.
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The dragon and his army measure victory only by the advancement of one cause: to survive and become more powerful through the destruction of his siblings and the consumption of their heartstones. With each athanc Everblight claims, his unearthly power grows, and once he is strong enough even Toruk will fall to him and be consumed. Since being freed, Everblight has initiated a plan that has unfolded at a desperate and preternatural pace. Though the dragon has capitalized on his bodiless existence, this state has left his legion vulnerable. Without the terrifying form of a dragon to support them, his forces must rely on speed and numbers to survive until his greater ambitions can be achieved. To compensate, his plans proceed quickly, requiring actions that would be considered bold and rash by the standards of the other dragons.
The Transfiguration of Everblight
The dragon Everblight is the unquestioned master of his legion, whose members view him as a god. He speaks directly to his chosen generals through their athanc shards and guides the legion toward his goals. Those who have received the gifts of his draconic blight are unwavering in their loyalty. Stripped of the weakness of choice or fear, the blighted children of the disembodied dragon commit themselves to him with a devotion that is unbreakable and permanent. The path leading Everblight to his present form stretches across millennia, all spent accumulating lore and mastering his deeper power.
RAPTORS
NYSS ARCHERS
DEATHSTALKERS
Annyssa Ryvaal, Talon of Everblight
OGRUN WAR CHIEFS STRIDERS WARSPEARS & WARMONGERS
FYANNA
BETHAYNE
TORMENT OF EVERBLIGHT
LYLYTH
VOICE OF EVERBLIGHT
RECKONING OF EVERBLIGHT
TYPHON
KALLUS
THAGROSH
DEVASTATION OF EVERBLIGHT
THE MESSIAH
KRYSSA
CONVICTION OF EVERBLIGHT
LEGIONNAIRES
Farilor, Bladeguard of the Prophet
VAYL
NYSS SWORDSMEN
CONSUL OF EVERBLIGHT
ABSYLONIA TERROR OF EVERBLIGHT
SAERYN TALON OF EVERBLIGHT
RHYAS TALON OF EVERBLIGHT
SORCERERS
SHEPHERDS
HEX HUNTERS Bayal, Hound of Everblight
SPAWNING VESSEL FABRICATION BLIGHT EXPERIMENTATION
CHOSEN OF EVERBLIGHT (Warlocks)
NYSS SHARDS
Priors
OGRUN TRIBES
Mixed Nyss warriors
War Chiefs
HUNTING PACKS
ARCANE SUPPORT
Mixed warriors
Shepherds, spawning vessels, etc.
Deacons
Sorcerers
OGRUN WAR GROUPS
Deacons
HUNTING PARTY
Vassals
Cohesive groups of archers, swordsmen, etc.
BLIGHTED ARSENAL Spell martyrs, the forsaken, incubi, etc.
GROTESQUES
Assassins
OGRUN WARBANDS
Vassals
Shadow of Morrdh Long ago, when he still walked the face of Caen clad in scaled flesh, Everblight dwelled beneath the dread kingdom of Morrdh. Rather than facing the wrathful Toruk—who sought to devour and reclaim the athancs of his disobedient progeny—or joining his siblings in alliance against the Dragonfather, Everblight chose to bide his time in secret. He bound many of Morrdh’s people to his will and unleashed the first of his dragonspawn, using them to fulfill bargains he made with the tyrants of the Black Kingdom. This era was a fertile period of experimentation and the genesis of the first generation of Everblight’s spawn, all born from his blood but each shaped for a specific purpose. The wars of Morrdh proved an exceptional testing ground to evaluate his creations, and any that displeased him were destroyed. In time, Everblight created a host of spawn wholly unlike those misshapen creatures begotten by the other dragons. Despite the clear supremacy of his methods, Everblight remained unsatisfied. Although his spawn were deadly, there were limits to the number he could create; further, they required proximity to their creator to carry out any but the simplest commands. The dragon realized this mindlessness was the price for absolute loyalty, but he desired minions of greater self-will and autonomy.
Exploitation of Ios Before Everblight could move to the next stage of his experiments, Toruk discovered his hiding place and descended upon him. Wounded by the claws of his creator, Everblight escaped by cunningly leading Toruk to the hiding place of one of his siblings, but he realized he had to proceed carefully or risk being discovered anew; the presence of the dragonspawn that were his glory also signaled his proximity. After centuries spent hiding below a lake and recovering from his wounds, Everblight crawled through tunnels taking him to the Skybridge Mountains near Ios and from there watched the slow decline of its people. In the Iosans Everblight saw great opportunity. Severed from their gods, they were consumed by a spiritual void he knew he could fill with his undying blight. After witnessing the psychic cataclysm known as the Rivening shatter the minds of their priests, Everblight took advantage of the chaos to burrow into forgotten tunnels deep beneath the city of Issyrah. Everblight used his formidable powers to send a subtle summons into the nearest Iosan cities, beckoning to those bereft of hope and yearning for a spiritual connection. Some few Iosans felt compelled to make pilgrimages to Ayisla’s cursed fane and found Everblight waiting for them. With these unwitting subjects, the dragon began a process of slow experimentation, corrupting and shaping their bodies and minds. For centuries Everblight chose individuals from among the Iosan people for his deliberate study. He gained near-total
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THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
mastery over their flesh and made great advances in applying his blight to transform elves into both tools and weapons.
Imprisonment & Reawakening Before he could fully capitalize on plans centuries in the making, the Iosans became aware of the threat in their midst and moved against him. Roused to terrible anger, Everblight unleashed his full strength on Issyrah and reduced the city to ruins. In his rage he misjudged the power of his adversaries, however, and he was eventually overwhelmed. His flesh was destroyed, his athanc torn loose and sealed away to be imprisoned in a remote mountain. This defeat, prompted in part by giving in to his internal rage rather than following his reason, forever changed how Everblight viewed the limits of his power and the necessity of finding others to fight in his stead. For years during this imprisonment, Everblight knew only rage and despair. Slowly he grew aware of the proximity of the Nyss, distant cousins of the Iosans, who made their homes not far from his prison. Occupied with hunting and survival amid the harsh, frozen mountains and offering worship to their god of winter, Nyssor, these rustic people lived simpler lives than the Iosans. Their bodies and souls were similar to those he had studied for so long, and he saw a chance to salvage his plans. When the weak-minded ogrun Thagrosh came within range of his silent whispers, Everblight compelled the ogrun to retrieve his imprisoned athanc and plunge it into his own chest. With Everblight’s voice in his mind and guiding his steps, the ogrun hatched a plan that would result in the subjugation of the Nyss. The first step was to recover the weapon Rapture, created in the days of Morrdh and possessed of the ability to cleave athancs. By this tool Everblight planned to divide his essence among his chosen generals, each of whom would be joined to his own mind. So armed, even as Thagrosh prepared to descend on the Nyss of the Shard Spires, the sorceress Vayl Hallyr came to him, having perceived his future through visions. She offered herself freely to the dragon and promised to facilitate the enslavement of her own people. Using Rapture to divide Everblight’s athanc for the first time, Thagrosh elevated Vayl to her new blighted form. As the dragon spread his blight among the Nyss, their society was torn apart. Vayl Hallyr directed Thagrosh in disassembling their defenses, and she personally introduced blighted blood into their water supply and wells, spreading it among her people. The Nyss shards fell one by one to Everblight’s corruption. At Vayl’s direction Everblight turned the strongest against those the sorceress knew to be too troublesome to be worth conversion. The survivors, including most of the priests of the Fane of Nyssor, fled to the south. Within weeks the dragon possessed a new legion.
He gifted athanc shards to several of the most fearsome of the Nyss hunters and defenders, and they joined him as had Vayl and Thagrosh.
his forces with an eye toward mobility and adaptability, allowing them to move quickly and exploit any opportunity to become stronger.
Soon thereafter, the Legion gathered ancillary forces from regions neighboring the Shard Spires. Through his connection to Thagrosh, Everblight gained an appreciation for the power and fortitude of ogrun, and his army quickly descended upon the outlying mountain villages of this people. Ogrun do not react predictably to the blight, but these warriors added much-needed brawn to the swift and subtle Nyss forces.
Everblight’s plans accelerated when the location of a weakened dragon named Pyromalfic was revealed to him by the eldritch Goreshade. Calculating that the potential gains far outweighed the risks, Everblight committed his armies to an all-out assault on Pyromalfic’s lair at the Castle of the Keys in the Bloodstone Marches. This advance required the Legion to cross hundreds of miles through hostile territories. The haste with which they moved drew unwelcome attention, particularly from the Circle Orboros.
A True Victory Almost immediately after the blight spread through the Nyss, Everblight’s armies began to fight against the other inhabitants of the northern regions, utilizing the flesh of the slain to produce fresh dragonspawn in vessels forged by blighted Nyss sorcerers. They remained on the move, preferring mobility over permanent settlements. These conflicts honed the Legion for Everblight’s true imperative: the inevitable conflicts with other dragons. Everblight built
The Legion ultimately defeated Pyromalfic and claimed his athanc, which Thagrosh consumed even before the dragon’s forces left the site of the battle. Great power flowed through Everblight, tremendously amplifying his personal energy and strengthening the potency of all his warlocks. His victory did not go unnoticed. Following the destruction of Pyromalfic, Everblight felt a summons through his own athanc: the dragons of the alliance were gathering. Everblight
THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
9
had revealed himself to be a new threat that jeopardized the balance of power among their kind. Before they could move against him, he scattered his forces across western Immoren. Although the Legion was strongest when gathered in force, at such times it was also at its most vulnerable. Everblight could be exterminated only if all of his warlocks fell and their athanc shards were claimed by other dragons. Otherwise, though some may fall their loss would only diminish Everblight, not result in his destruction.
The Great Hunt Being both immortal and craven despite their great power, dragons tend to proceed with great caution, and the alliance of dragons was slow to act against the Legion. Left to bide his time, Everblight hastened to ready his forces and restore their strength. A new target had revealed itself—one even more promising and laden with power than Pyromalfic’s essence. This prize was the disembodied and imprisoned athanc of a dragon greater than most. Discovered by Cryxians who intended to haul it back to their islands, this athanc belonged to one of Toruk’s most powerful progeny, Nidoboros. It had been hidden away for ages and forgotten, but once Everblight discovered it, he immediately put his legion in motion. He knew that seizing this prize and adding its power to his own would put him beyond the reach of his rivals.
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THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
Having discovered the Legion’s true purpose and already concerned by Everblight’s growing power, the druids of the Circle Orboros set themselves against his designs. The two forces repeatedly clashed in a chase for the athanc that cut through the heart of the Iron Kingdoms. The Circle sacrificed the lives of countless minions to hinder the Legion’s advance, but their efforts ultimately failed. As Everblight’s warlocks closed in on the athanc, a pact between a renegade leader of the Circle Orboros and the dragon alliance resulted in their enemies learning the location of each piece of Everblight’s divided athanc. Led by Blighterghast, the members of the dragon alliance descended upon Everblight’s warlocks, beginning the Great Hunt. Everblight’s servants were forced to flee from the coordinated might of the dragon alliance, going to extreme lengths to evade capture or death. In all of Everblight’s long existence, he had never come so close to complete destruction as he did during the period of the Great Hunt. Much of the blighted army he had amassed was destroyed, and several warlocks were devoured. It is likely Everblight would have been destroyed as well had not one of the dragons—Charsaug—gone against the wishes of Blighterghast, diverted from his hunt to seize the disembodied athanc from the mortals in possession of it. Charsaug’s action coincided with the arrival of Toruk the
Dragonfather, who sought to take advantage of the dragon alliance’s distraction to gain victory over them at last. The alliance between the dragons held throughout the ensuing battle, but their resolve was shaken when Blighterghast nearly succumbed to the wounds Toruk inflicted. In the end, ignoring Everblight’s wishes, Saeryn and Rhyas chose to surrender Nidoboros’ athanc to the grievously injured Blighterghast so that the dragon could rejoin the battle against Toruk. Empowered by the athanc of Nidoboros, Blighterghast drove Toruk from the mainland, thereby ending the Great Hunt.
BLIGHT & THE NYSS Beyond those refugees who successfully fled the north, the majority of the surviving Nyss have been affected by the dragon’s blight. Though their god, Nyssor, was among them at the time of Everblight’s appearance, he was too deep in slumber to stop the dragon’s influence. A minority were unchanged and fled, now representing the only unblighted Nyss in western Immoren. Everblight’s greatest achievement is also his most insidious: every Nyss afflicted by his blight becomes instinctually loyal to the dragon. Though not slavishly bound to his will, the blighted Nyss are predisposed to basking in his glory. This loyalty cannot be broken, for it is woven into the very being of each affected Nyss; to unravel it would be to unravel that individual’s mind and body. The Nyss also manifest the effects of the blight in a variety of ways—physically, mentally, and socially. In almost all instances they have become more prone to cruelty, their ethics and morality eroded by their devotion to Everblight. The dragon has carefully manipulated the qualities he finds most useful in his vassals. Those affected by his blight have become more draconic in their forms and more instinctive and animalistic in their thinking. Patches of scales erupt across flesh distorted by boney ridges and protrusions, giving each blighted creature an unquestionably reptilian cast. Others developed in ways just as startling, transforming into the perfect blighted weapons their master required. More disturbingly, Everblight’s influence has wrought a change in the reproductive cycle of the Nyss. Their birthrates have increased markedly, as has their rate of maturation. Everblight clearly intends for his legion to be able to rapidly replenish its losses.
Hierarchy of the Legion All power within the Legion flows from Everblight. The army’s purpose is to pursue the dragon’s agendas and protect him from obliteration by the other dragons. Those who have received the gift of his draconic blight are unwavering in their loyalty, particularly the rare few who bear a sliver of his immortal essence in the form of the athanc. These vassals commit themselves to him with a devotion that is resolute and unshakable.
Everblight would sacrifice any of his blighted servants to protect himself or to achieve his goals if need be. That said, his warlocks each bear a portion of his irreplaceable essence and so their loss would diminish him; he risks them only strategically and with the expectation of their survival. Only Everblight’s own imminent destruction would warrant the loss of one of his warlocks. Everblight’s decision to remain formless and execute his plans through hosts was not born solely out of fear of Toruk and the other dragons, although he was keenly aware of the dangers he would face if he regained his draconic body too soon. There are other benefits of this arrangement. First and foremost, the division of his essence has exponentially increased the number of dragonspawn Everblight can create and control. Additionally, each piece of the athanc can instantly communicate with the others regardless of distance, giving Everblight’s leaders a tremendous advantage over their enemies. Each of his blessed servants can instantly be made aware of his will, and the dragon can assume complete control of his warlocks when necessary. Warlocks wield ultimate authority over all who are loyal to Everblight. Yet within their number there is a loose but important hierarchy, as each warlock shares a portion of the responsibilities of leading Everblight’s forces.
Thagrosh, Prophet & Messiah As the mortal safeguarding the largest portion of Everblight’s being, Thagrosh, the Messiah is at the pinnacle of the Legion hierarchy. Once a lowly ogrun slave, Thagrosh Hellborne escaped the cruelty of his Khadoran masters to flee into the frozen mountains in the north of Khador. When Thagrosh freed the dragon’s athanc, he cut open his own chest and plunged the athanc deep into his heart. At that moment he ceased to be merely an ogrun. The metamorphosis Thagrosh underwent upon receiving Everblight’s athanc transformed him into the living avatar of the dragon. Thagrosh is the physical embodiment of Everblight’s will and the closest thing the dragon possesses to a physical form. He is a vessel through which Everblight can interact with his legion. Through Thagrosh and the blade Rapture, the dragon divided his athanc to initiate all of his other warlocks. It is also through Thagrosh that Everblight most frequently acts, vicariously savoring the thrill of slaughter by inhabiting his mind during battle. Thagrosh no longer resembles what he once was, his body transformed by prolonged intimate contact with concentrated blight. Over time his countenance has become draconic, and his mind and will have been subsumed by the glory that is Everblight. Thagrosh’s intelligence has also increased by orders of magnitude. He has shared in the memories of an immortal being that has dwelled for thousands of years on Caen. All the languages ever spoken by mortals in western
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Immoren are known to him, and he can instantly apprehend anything Everblight recalls. While access to Everblight’s mind is shared by the other warlocks to various degrees, only Absylonia claims to possess a comparably seamless union with the dragon. Thagrosh is the unquestioned leader of the Legion of Everblight. For blighted subordinates there is no meaningful distinction between the dragon and his Messiah. His warlocks know Thagrosh and Everblight to be two beings instead of one, yet they too obey Thagrosh. They can discern when it is the ogrun speaking and when it is the dragon, but both are to be obeyed without question. Only Vayl and Saeryn argue with Thagrosh, and only when Everblight indulges them. Everblight seems to value the spark of free will and intelligence within each warlock and rarely seizes control directly, though when swift action is required all debate ends. Some tasks and goals set before the Legion originate from Thagrosh instead of Everblight, though only with the dragon’s tacit approval. The creation of Kallus, for example, was the ogrun’s idea, though Everblight facilitated the process by drawing on his vast knowledge of his own athanc and his blighted power. Thagrosh has helped choose every warlock to receive parts of Everblight’s athanc. The ogrun is willing to delegate, since he is often preoccupied with his communion with the dragon and its thoughts; in many cases it falls to Vayl Hallyr to oversee the details of Everblight’s plans.
Blighted Nyss Warlocks Beneath the dragon and his avatar Thagrosh in the hierarchy of the Legion are the warlocks in Everblight’s service. All except Kallus are female Nyss who were judged worthy of the ultimate gift of a splinter of Everblight’s athanc. Each of these warlocks distinguished herself in a different way, impressing Thagrosh and the dragon enough to be chosen to fill a niche in the Legion’s leadership. Chief among them is Vayl, the Consul of Everblight, who turned against her people to join her strength to Everblight’s. For her actions she has been rewarded with a position at the dragon’s right hand, second only to Thagrosh in esteem and power. She has shown an aptitude for organization and leadership, ensuring subordinate warlocks and the Legion’s far-flung forces are accounted for and doing the dragon’s bidding. Vayl also directly oversees the Legion’s sorcerers, tasking them with vital mystical projects. Vayl and Thagrosh have apportioned responsibilities to the other warlocks, though few of these roles are entirely fixed. No warlock has exclusive dominion over any aspect of the Legion, and each warlock can draw from the ranks of its varied warriors. Absylonia is the most prodigious creator
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THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
of dragonspawn and is relied upon to help accelerate the recovery of the Legion’s warbeasts after major conflicts. She is also the warlock most strongly associated with the grotesques, which often join her in battle. Lylyth leads the Legion’s scouts and archers and is called upon when reconnaissance is required. Rhyas was once responsible for the Legion’s swordsmen and legionnaires, though of late this task has largely fallen to Kryssa, a warlock who emerged from the aftermath of the Great Hunt. Each of Everblight’s chosen generals can command a whole host of dragonspawn, manipulating the warbeasts as instruments of their will just as Everblight himself once did. This ability significantly amplifies the killing force of the Legion’s armies, and their ability to share the sensory input of their beasts grants them considerable awareness on the battlefield. Everblight’s chosen instruments were selected for their supreme competence and skill, and each was given dominion over that aspect of Everblight’s legion. Though he is able to peer through their eyes at any time, Everblight grants them autonomy, interfering only when necessary. After the Great Hunt, the twins Rhyas and Saeryn had an unexpected and traumatic falling out with Everblight. Recognizing that the only way to preserve her master from Toruk and the other dragons was to deny him the one thing he most desired—the athanc of Nidoboros—Saeryn defied Everblight. This required her to invoke her unique ability to divide both her mind and her sister’s from the dragon, preventing Everblight from controlling them. Saeryn and Rhyas still serve the Legion in their own way but travel apart from the rest. It is unknown whether this breach will eventually be reconciled. Very few blighted Nyss accompany them, though the pair are supported by their own dragonspawn. Only time will tell if Everblight and the twins will reconcile.
Kallus Kallus is a purely fabricated being sculpted and fully formed from a modified athanc shard, an intelligence created rather than born. The creation of Kallus was an experiment conducted by both Thagrosh and Everblight, the results of which they are still evaluating. As yet, Everblight has not repeated this experiment, though there is no question Kallus is a formidable battlefield leader. Kallus occupies an unusual place in the warlock hierarchy, enjoying the special favor of Thagrosh. He was recently sent to a far-off region called Alchiere to create a new spawning holdfast. Some of the other warlocks resent Kallus’ existence, considering him an outsider. Vayl in particular is suspicious that he will try to usurp her authority, seeing himself as Thagrosh’s chosen heir.
HEARING THE DRAGON'S VOICE Those individuals graced with a shard from Everblight’s athanc can hear his instructions with total clarity. The dragon’s voice comes unbidden and wordless to each warlock with a resonance that touches the very fiber of the soul. His warlocks instantly understand any truth he reveals to them, seeing the memories he shares as their own. Through this connection Everblight can grant his warlocks access to his vast knowledge and experience, including mastery of myriad languages, such as the secret tongue of the dragons, Tkra. Everblight can see through every warlock’s eyes and can speak directly to them either individually or collectively. At times the dragon is silent or otherwise preoccupied, forcing them to rely on their own counsel. Everblight may speak to them unbidden at any time, but his attention must be solicited, and any warlock who interrupts the master while he is silent risks provoking his wrath.
The Blighted Nyss Of all Everblight’s servants, the Nyss are the most numerous as well as the most malleable. When Everblight first escaped his long imprisonment, it was to the Nyss that he turned his attention, applying his skill at transforming creatures with blight that he had learned over centuries of experimentation on their Iosan cousins. Though Everblight favors this race above all others, he has found only a few exceptional Nyss to be worthy of hosting a fragment of his athanc. Having cast off the yoke of servitude to their frozen god, the Nyss came to accept their destiny at the vanguard of the dragon’s army. The primary architect of the corruption of the Nyss was the ice witch Vayl, first of the Dragon’s willing disciples. Although many ancient traditions of the Nyss were abandoned in the wake of the dragon’s blighted blessings, some remained intact and were adapted into the Legion. Most Nyss continued to identify strongly with the tribes into which they were born as well as their extended hunting
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groups, or shards. Vayl set these cultural ties to a new purpose by establishing the shards as the basic divisions of the Legion, each made up of fifty to eighty warriors. Each shard is led by a prior, a captain of the Legion who formally carries the title of aransor, a term once used only by elders of the Fane of Nyssor. Deacons in charge of large hunting packs within the shards serve as the priors’ chosen lieutenants, while ruthless sergeants called vassals supervise smaller hunting groups. Above all others and speaking with the authority of the dragon are the warlocks. They command the dragon’s unnatural armies, drawing their forces from the ranks as required. Blighted Nyss sorcerers aid and advise the warlocks and stand just below them in authority. Sorcery has always been a part of Nyss life, but the dragon’s touch has transformed and, in some cases, augmented powers once linked to the Fane of Nyssor. In addition to being able to invoke traditional Nyss magic of wind and cold, many Legion sorcerers can control
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THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
the blighted energy that infuses them. These sorcerers retain mastery of the written Aeric language, which is vital to the fabrication of mystically empowered weapons and tools. They are generally more intelligent and possess greater initiative than most of the dragon’s warriors. Even before they became blighted, the Nyss had developed abilities that would serve them well in facing the challenges Everblight’s legion would encounter. They were a hardy, nomadic people, seasoned hunters and killers accustomed to moving rapidly across vast distances with great selfsufficiency and discipline. They endured a constant fight for survival against the elements, the beasts of the wild, and incautious trespassers into their lands. Everblight discovered the Nyss perfectly suited his needs during these crucial early days of his protean army. His soldiers lived off the land, foraging and seizing all they required. They were constantly on the move, halting their progress only to generate new spawn to replace those lost
AERIC RUNES Before the coming of Everblight, only priests and sorcerers were literate in Aeric, the language of the Nyss. This language shares origins with Shyr, the language of Ios, but over centuries the Aeric runes developed into a distinct alphabet. With most of the Nyss population being illiterate, the written form of the language became increasingly venerated. These writings were inextricably linked to the Fane of Nyssor and the lore of the God of Winter. When the Legion expunged all worship of Nyssor and the priests of the god fled, the blighted sorcerers seized control over the written language. By their efforts the Legion’s Nyss still view the written sigils with reverence but now associate them with the worship of Everblight and the ritualized control of the dragon’s blight. In an effort to expand the Legion’s arsenal, Nyss sorcerers have fused the lore of Aeric runes with both draconic occult secrets passed to them by Everblight’s chosen warlocks and their own power over the blight. Everblight and his warlocks see tremendous potential for future discoveries by tapping into the power of these runes. They continue to encourage the sorcerers to conduct research into further adaptations of the Nyss’ sacred language into an even more complex and useful arcane tool.
in battle. Surprise and mobility proved to be Everblight’s greatest weapons. Most traditional Nyss shards were composed of hunters and warriors who battled threats in the harsh environment of the Shard Spires and provided sustenance for their people. Over generations their skills in tracking and combat were honed through clashes with the trollkin kriels and tribes of ogrun. Everblight did not overlook these skills upon taking control of the Nyss shards, and the Nyss swordsmen and archers now make up the core of Everblight’s legion. The blighted Nyss quickly moved outside their original territory. Initially, they fell upon remote human and trollkin villages, where fresh meat and blood were plentiful, and those sites eventually became the staging grounds where hundreds of warbeasts would be birthed.
Legion Fighting Forces
The fighting forces of Everblight’s armies are unique in that each element of the Legion is truly decentralized. The link shared by the warlocks through Everblight’s athanc allows each fraction of the army to act with near-perfect coordination and synchronization. This advantage has allowed elements of the Legion to operate independently across Immoren without the communication delays that nearly all other armies endure, giving them unparalleled tactical flexibility and enabling them to outmaneuver forces many times their size.
Legion forces are made up of dragonspawn and individuals either shaped through blighted energies to serve a specific role or bestowed with gifts that enhance their own natural martial prowess. In creating his army, Everblight subjugated both the Nyss and many tribes of northern ogrun; the marriage of Nyss martial excellence with the brutish strength of the ogrun grants his armies the tactical flexibility needed to engage a wide variety of foes. The adaptive nature of the Legion has made it a dangerous and unpredictable threat. The makeup of a Legion strike force varies widely depending upon where it operates, its goals, and the disposition of the warlock leading its forces. Everblight does not trouble himself with the petty management of his armies, leaving such concerns to Vayl Hallyr and other warlocks. The dragon watches unfolding conflicts and lends support when it is needed, either by direct intercession or by diverting other assets.
Nyss Shards Nyss shards make up the bulk of the Legion of Everblight’s fighting forces. Each shard can vary greatly in size and composition and is made up of numerous hunting packs. A shard may also include smaller hunting groups composed of cohesive fighting elements.
Swordsmen When Everblight began spreading his influence among the Nyss, the swordsmen were some of the first to turn to his service. Long renowned for their skill at arms, Nyss swordsmen discovered that the blight enhanced their talents, and the emptiness that came with the dragon’s touch mirrored the meditative discipline required to truly master the blade. Even before the coming of the dragon, these swordsmen had a singular bond with their weapons, treating them with almost religious reverence. A Nyss swordsman would sooner die than let his claymore fall into enemy hands and will go to great lengths to recover the weapons of fallen comrades.
Archers Armed with finely crafted bows hewn from wood, bones, and horn gathered from the Shard Spires, the archers of the Nyss are expert marksmen who developed their skills hunting to provide food for their kin. Traditionally, their keen eyes and deadly aim were also called upon in times of war. Since the coming of dragon, they have turned their skills against a new kind of prey and rain their arrows down upon the enemies of Everblight.
Raptors Raptors are a martial tradition as old as the Nyss shards themselves. Riding into battle atop a hardy breed of northern ungulates known as ulks, these warriors traditionally spent their time hunting as well as raiding their neighbors, including northern Khadoran tribes and isolated Rhulic clans. Under
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Everblight, raptors serve as the elite cavalry of the Legion, and only those blighted Nyss who have mastered both the claymore and longbow can hope to count themselves among their number. Though there are many veteran raptors who lead these hunting groups, the foremost is Annyssa Ryvaal, who most frequently serves the warlock Lylyth.
Legionnaires The blighted legionnaires were once part of small group of highly disciplined Nyss warriors known as the ryssovass. This order of warriors was responsible for guarding the mountain passes leading in and out of Nyss territory. Armed with great swords and heavy armor forged from plates of steel, each member underwent rigorous training, dedicating their lives to their uniquely defensive fighting style. The ryssovass fought as one, their teachings training each warrior to act as an extension of the next. Their numbers have expanded greatly since the dragon’s blighted blessing fell upon them, and they now serve as the personal guard of Thagrosh the Prophet rather than the defenders of their homeland. Captain Farilor serves as their leader, a famed warrior who ensures their unwavering discipline.
Arcane Support Sorcerers have great prominence in Everblight’s legion. As the dragon has assumed the role once held by Nyssor, so the sorcerers have replaced priests as mystical leaders. Since the coming of Everblight, the blighted Nyss have manifested arcane abilities in growing numbers, with the dragon’s energies unlocking arcane potential in those who would not otherwise have manifested it. Even as it reshapes their bodies and minds, the blight has augmented the magic of the Nyss. Sorcerers are an invaluable resource on the battlefield. They work alongside warlocks and priors to provide organization and communication among the rank-and-file of the Legion and to act as versatile shock troops capable of striking the enemy with gusts of freezing wind or blighted magic. They have a loose hierarchy based on seniority and power, with the senior-most looking ultimately to Vayl Hallyr for direction. Subordinate leaders have arisen among certain groups, such as Sevryn of the Blackfrost Shard and Bayal, the first among the hex hunters.
Blighted Ogrun Once Everblight had bound the majority of the Nyss shards to his will, he turned his attention to the other races of the north, and the scattered ogrun tribes soon fell under his influence. As Vayl Hallyr had betrayed the Nyss to the dragon, so too did Thagrosh give up the ogrun of Khador’s northern mountains, and they fell beneath the power of Everblight.
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THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
The blighted gifts of the dragon have transformed the ogrun, already known for their size and strength, into creatures of almost unparalleled destructive potential. The dragon’s touch has also warped the honorable outlook of these onceproud creatures, instilling them with a drive to spread the shadow of Everblight across all of Immoren. Though their minds have been radically altered by the blight, the desire to serve a great leader, or korune, remains within in the blooddimmed thoughts of the blighted ogrun. The dragon has become the ultimate korune, a god of limitless ferocity. While the blight has reshaped and augmented their bodies, it has also broken down the psyches of the ogrun, giving them an unquenchable bloodlust that only the most sturdyminded among their number can keep in check, and then only for so long. Even to the blighted Nyss of the Legion, blighted ogrun often appear to be abominations—reeking of slaughter, unmindful of their carnage, and willing to slay friend or foe alike in their compulsion to sow death. A few ogrun have overcome the blight-engendered madness and retain some semblance of control; however, the call to slaughter overcomes all eventually. Leadership among the blighted ogrun is rooted in their feudal traditions. Individual ogrun serve those stronger than themselves. Those ogrun strong enough to rise to positions of authority become war chiefs. War chiefs have nearly absolute authority over their sizable tribes but are united in their reverence of Thagrosh and consider themselves sworn to him. Though Thagrosh rarely delivers orders to them directly, all retain a fierce loyalty to him and, by extension, to the other warlocks of Everblight, whom they see as his immediate vassals.
Striders The touch of Everblight did not affect all Nyss equally, and to some among their number the blight brought extraordinary gifts. Those who came to be known as striders were originally scouts and rangers who patrolled the fringes of Nyss society. Already the most proficient trackers and hunters among a race known for its skill in the wilderness, the blight reshaped them into superlative predators. The bones in their legs stretched and changed, reverting to a more animalistic form. Their feet became talons, gripping the earth as they ran. The transformative power of dragon blight has made striders distinct from other Nyss. The touch of Everblight has also stripped most striders of any sorcerous potential. In spite of this, they are fleet hunters who move with the swiftness of birds of prey even across the most treacherous terrain. Their speed and grace make them a force to be reckoned with, and the blight has dulled their emotions, sharpening in them only a lust for slaughter in the name of the dragon. Cruel creatures, striders enjoy the hunt as much
as the kill and have been known to toy with their prey for long stretches before finally granting the mercy of death. Each feather worn by a strider represents a kill, and the number of kills denotes respect and also place in their loose hierarchy. The most prodigious killers are the most revered and become known as deathstalkers.
Grotesques These hybrid creatures grow to battle-ready maturity in months rather than years, though their undeveloped minds comprehend only the necessities of fighting and survival. Grotesques are so far removed from the Nyss from which they were created that they now constitute a new species, able to reproduce on their own and existing separately from their parent race.
their victims en masse. While such creatures could never rise to the leadership echelons of the Legion, Everblight knew they would serve as useful fodder in his wars, where their abbreviated life spans would not be a liability.
Abominations Although grotesques and striders are a common sight among the Legion, they are not the only creations born from Nyss twisted beyond recognition by Everblight’s need to experiment and push past the limitations of the natural world. From warriors infected with parasites that generate monstrous incubi to spell martyrs that detonate in a blaze of ashen fire to the forsaken who more closely resemble dragonspawn than Nyss, Everblight displays fiendish imagination in his efforts to create a more perfect army.
These winged horrors congregate in flocks, ready to answer Everblight’s call at a moment’s notice and descend upon
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LEGION THEME FORCE
CHILDREN OF THE DRAGON
Reshaped by the dragon’s power, the blighted Nyss serve as formidable fighters within Everblight’s legion. Utterly devoted to the dragon, whole shards sometimes join battle together to enact their master’s will. Such highly skilled and self-sufficient forces strike fast and hard with a combination of blade, claw, and bow. Supported by agile dragonspawn and powerful nephilim, these Nyss shards can strike anywhere the dragon directs them, moving unnoticed through enemy territory to secure objectives while outmaneuvering larger armies.
ARMY COMPOSITION An army made using this theme force can include only the following Legion models: • Legion warlocks
• Incubus solos
• Lesser warbeasts
• Spell Martyr solos
• Non-character Nephilim warbeasts
• Succubus solos
• Blighted Nyss models/units
SPECIAL RULES • For every full 25 points of warbeasts in this army, you can add one command attachment or small-based solo to the army free of cost. • Nephilim warbeasts in this army gain Unyielding. (While engaging an enemy model, a model with Unyielding gains +2 ARM.) • You gain +1 to your starting roll for the game.
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LEGION THEME FORCE
ORACLES OF ANNIHILATION
There is great power buried alongside the relics of the past, and the arcanists who serve the dragon are wellversed in the history of the ancient world, receiving necessary knowledge directly from Everblight himself. These arcanists scour the ruins of lost civilizations, seeking to recover useful artifacts from their sacred places to aid Everblight’s cause. When met with resistance, they combine fighting skill and specialized arcane knowledge to best their opponents, and the flesh and blood of fallen foes are quickly harvested and brought to the spawning vessels, there to lend further strength to Everblight’s legion.
ARMY COMPOSITION An army made using this theme force can include only the following Legion models: • Legion warlocks
• Beast Mistress solos
• Non-character warbeasts
• Blighted Nyss Shepherd solos
• Models/units with Magic Ability
• Spell Martyr solos
• Spawning Vessel units
SPECIAL RULES • For every full 25 points of warbeasts in this army, you can add one command attachment or solo to the army free of cost. • At the beginning of each of your Control Phases, choose one non-warlock unit to gain Apparition that turn. (During your Control Phase, place models with Apparition anywhere completely within 2˝ of their current locations. Only models in formation can be placed.) • Friendly models/units can begin the game affected by the upkeep spells of warlocks in this army. These spells and their targets must be declared before either player deploys their models. Warlocks in this army do not have to pay focus to upkeep their spells during your first turn of the game.
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LEGION THEME FORCE
RAVENS OF WAR
When speed is of the essence and the servants of the dragon must strike with stealth, they rely upon the Ravens of War. A force of swift-moving striders and grotesques, these inhuman warriors can traverse any obstacle to deliver sudden death no matter where the enemy may hide. Able to respond quickly to unexpected dangers or to pursue a fleeing enemy, these highly mobile forces can be relied upon to move with such speed that the battle is decided before their prey realizes they are under attack.
ARMY COMPOSITION An army made using this theme force can include only the following Legion models: • Legion warlocks
• Raptor models/units
• Non-character warbeasts with Flight
• Blighted Nyss Sorceress & Hellion solos
• Non-character light warbeasts
• Forsaken solos
• Grotesque models/units
• Spell Martyr solos
• Strider models/units
SPECIAL RULES • For every full 20 points of units in this army, you can add one command attachment or smallbased solo to the army free of cost. Free models/units do not count toward the total point value of units in the army when calculating this bonus. • Enemy warrior models, warjacks, and warbeasts lose Advance Deployment
.
• One Grotesque Raider unit in this army gains Ambush. (You can choose not to deploy a unit with Ambush at the start of the game. If it is not deployed normally, you can put it into play at the end of any of your Control Phases after your first turn. When you do, choose any table edge except the back of your opponent’s deployment zone. Place the unit with Ambush completely within 3˝ of the chosen table edge.)
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WARLOCKS
OF THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
The warlocks who serve Everblight are specifically chosen instruments for the dragon’s blighted power. Drawn primarily from Nyss demonstrating exemplary talent and fighting prowess, these warlocks bear Everblight’s draconic essence within their flesh and serve as the dragon’s generals, commanding the armed host of the Legion. While they are implements of the dragon’s will and power, their very existence also protects him from his many enemies. To eliminate Everblight would require every last warlock to be hunted down and each of their athanc shards to be consumed by a dragon. To ensure such a day never comes, Everblight has scattered his warlocks across multiple mobile encampments. They gather infrequently, and only when the potential gains outweigh the risk. Even if a warlock dies in some other fashion, the nearly indestructible athanc shard can be recovered—and as long as a single shard remains, the dragon will endure. Although these warlocks are spread across western Immoren, Everblight himself links them together in a way that other armies can only dream of. The dragon and his warlocks can share thoughts, memories, and experiences across the network forged from slivers of his athanc no matter how widely separated they are; distance means nothing to them. This connection has had the added benefit of allowing Everblight to broaden his mind and his perspective beyond what even his other immortal siblings can manage. Everywhere Everblight’s warlocks travel, he can see through their eyes and extend his will through them.
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Athanc Shards
Within the heart of each Legion warlock resides a fragment of Everblight’s athanc, the crystalline essence of the dragon. Dragon athancs are among the most indestructible substances on Caen; they can be harmed or changed only in extreme circumstances, such as being consumed by another dragon. Toruk spawned the first dragons by dividing his own athanc into myriad large pieces. The Dragonfather hoped these creatures would obey him, but instead they rebelled. Everblight has succeeded where Toruk failed—he created powerful and fanatically loyal minions through the division of his athanc without spawning lesser dragons in the process. When an individual is chosen to become a warlock, Thagrosh uses the blade Rapture to cut a piece from the largest and most complete piece of Everblight’s athanc, which he bears within his breast. When the new fragment is inserted into the heart of the chosen warlock, she is transformed into a font of draconic power. In addition to the deep connection between the warlocks and their master, these shards link the warlocks to the myriad dragonspawn created from their blood. Any diminishment of Everblight’s original athanc resulting from the creation of his initial warlocks was more than countered by the defeat of Pyromalfic, when Thagrosh swallowed that dragon’s athanc and joined it to Everblight’s. Because of this merging, Thagrosh retains the largest athanc shard, which facilitated the creation of additional warlocks
to bolster the Legion in the years that followed. The added power Everblight gained from Pyromalfic was eventually shared with all fragments of his athanc, not just Thagrosh. As Everblight’s strength grows, so does that of his warlocks. Although Everblight’s warlocks are great leaders and warriors with ambitions and motivations of their own, the dragon’s voice is always with them, and in times of need they act as living manifestations of his will. The unique link between the warlocks and the dragon allows the Legion to act in perfect and instantaneous coordination, exploiting a unity its enemies cannot hope to replicate. As these warlocks were chosen for their own individual instincts and cunning, Everblight generally leaves them free to act on their own judgment, giving only broad orders. But when required, the dragon can seize control of a warlock directly, in a manner not dissimilar to how a warlock controls warbeasts. Only Saeryn, and by extension her twin Rhyas, have any capability to resist Everblight’s control. Most warlocks revel in communion with their master, glad to have the dragon’s presence focused upon them. Additionally, the dragon’s athanc provides Legion warlocks with a number of subtle advantages. Everblight’s constant presence in their minds grants them access to his immense
knowledge—a trove of memories and experiences spanning millennia, beyond the ken of any mortal. By implanting pieces of his athanc within his chosen, Everblight can access their varied experiences as if they were his own memories. Through him, other warlocks gain filtered access to the information as they need it, enabling them to learn from circumstances far outside their own limited perspectives: they may recollect details about enemies they have not faced themselves, or easily traverse hostile landscapes they have never seen with their own eyes. Exploiting the advantages of this deep communion and their seamless coordination of scattered Legion assets, Everblight’s warlocks can fight on equal or better terms against more numerous enemy forces. Athanc shards provide warlocks with a nearly limitless source of blighted radiance. The energy suffusing their tissues enables Everblight’s warlocks to cling to life despite extremes in temperature and deprivations such as extended periods without food or water or conditions that would otherwise lead to asphyxiation. While these warlocks do feel pain and generally try to avoid it, those who bear an athanc shard can endure agonies that would be the death of any without the dragon’s gift.
WARLOCKS OF THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
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KALLUS, THE WRATH & DEVASTATION OF EVERBLIGHT While the majority of Everblight’s warlocks were drawn from female Nyss, Kallus represents an unusual and extraordinary deviation. Created in 608 AR as a deliberate experiment in the fabrication of an entirely artificial entity, Kallus is a new type of warlock for Everblight. His existence was the result of mystically imprinting an athanc shard’s intrinsic structure with a new intelligence, drawn in part from the mind of Thagrosh. Just as a dragon athanc will seek to reform the body of a dragon around it, Kallus’ athanc shard is capable of recreating his corporeal body. This makes Kallus as unkillable as the dragons—should his body be destroyed, the athanc can remake him, a process expedited by transforming a sufficient quantity of living or freshly slain flesh. Even when disembodied, Kallus can sense others around him and can impose his mind on the weak-willed, forcing them to sacrifice themselves to him so he can reshape them into his own form. The advantages Kallus possesses are tremendous, but Everblight has thus far refrained from repeating the process. Though Kallus' intelligence belies his short existence— drawing heavily on the mind of Everblight—he lacks the years of experience and honed instincts of an adult Nyss. It may also be that Everblight’s own mind was diminished by surrendering an athanc shard to give Kallus what passes for free will.
On at least one occasion, Everblight has channeled a surge of powerful blighted energy through the fallen form of one of his chosen generals to prevent her death, regenerating her tissues with supernatural alacrity, though this effort was heavily taxing on both the dragon and the warlock. Such measures cannot necessarily be relied upon as a failsafe, but they do represent the tremendous resilience possessed by those blessed with an athanc shard. Combined with the ability to divert incoming wounds to dragonspawn, warlocks are able to endure even extreme injury without being slain. No mortal creature can contain even a fraction of the dragon’s terrible power without undergoing physiological changes, and all Legion warlocks exhibit draconic attributes such as horns, protruding spikes, or wings. The degree to which these physical qualities manifest depends on a combination of factors, including the warlock’s natural resistance to blighted energy and the size of the athanc fragment she bears. Despite these variances, the changes wrought by Everblight’s power are not random mutations but part of an ongoing evolutionary sequence intended to perfect each warlock according to her nature as well as her place as a leader within the Legion. The longer a warlock bears an athanc shard, the more severe the transformation as her physical form draws closer to the dragon’s ideal.
Blighted Magic
In addition to granting other abilities, the transformation bestowed by the athanc shard allows each warlock to manifest and shape the blight pouring through her into powerful arcane energy. Though a number of warlocks had some degree of sorcerous ability before Everblight chose them, possessing an athanc allows even those who could not previously manipulate magic to do so. Thagrosh, the first of Everblight’s avatars, is a living demonstration that the power of the athanc can grant arcane capability even to a species ordinarily lacking any native capacity to control such forces. Those who have the gift prior to receiving their athanc have their power and skill magnified, taking advantage of Everblight’s occult lore and adding new spells to their arsenal made possible by blighted energies. The magic employed by the Legion of Everblight is an evolving discipline rooted in Nyss traditions combined with techniques originating from Everblight himself. Many Nyss were versed in elemental sorcery, especially powers related to cold and ice, drawing on their deep connection to their native habitat and their relationship with the elven God of Winter. Though those mystical and religious trappings have been abandoned, the Legion still benefits from spells that harness cold. Enemies are frozen in place or pierced by spears of ice, while the advance of the Legion is veiled amid gusts of swirling snow.
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WARLOCKS OF THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
Magic drawn from the blight is varied and in some cases is an outward manifestation of the strong personality and will of each warlock, but there are some shared effects. Unblighted flesh has a strong aversion to blight, and powerful blight tends to sicken and weaken other creatures, making for potent spells of affliction. Blight is also a transformative energy that links all creatures serving the dragon. It is easy for Everblight’s warlocks to augment and empower dragonspawn, hastening or strengthening their attacks or manifesting even more extraordinary beneficial mutations in form. Some warlocks can similarly enhance the capabilities of the Legion’s soldiers, their magic connecting to the blight in the warriors’ flesh to bolster their killing prowess or to shield them from harm. And though the Nyss are naturally attuned to spells of ice and snow, dragons are creatures of flame and ash. A number of Legion warlocks use their blighted power to create intense conflagrations, summoning dragon fire to annihilate their foes.
Warlocks & Dragonspawn
While his disembodied state has its advantages, without a physical form Everblight lacks the draconic blood required to directly generate dragonspawn. Fortunately, his mastery over his blighted essence has enabled him to bestow the secret of beast creation upon his warlocks. The connection between his athanc shard and the warlocks’ circulatory system imbues them with the ability to generate Everblight’s blood within their own veins, where it mingles with their lesser essence. With adequate time to prepare and a sufficient quantity of draconic blood, any of Everblight’s spawn can be created through his warlocks. When a dragonspawn is created, a warlock spills a measure of her own blood and uses her will to impose the specific shape it will take, drawn from Everblight’s arsenal of previously engineered forms. This is quite unlike the more random miscreation found in the spawn of other dragons. Creating the largest spawn in this way is an exhausting undertaking that leaves a warlock temporarily vulnerable. For this reason, it is attempted in the field only under the direst circumstances. Freshly spawned beasts are also anemic and require flesh to feast upon before they are ready to fight. Whenever possible, warlocks create dragonspawn well in advance of an attack to ensure that they and their spawn enter battle at full strength.
WARLOCKS OF THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
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ABSYLONIA, TERROR OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS WARLOCK
The gift of a fragment of Everblight’s athanc generally weaves subtle changes into the bodies and souls of the Nyss, whose essence the dragon has studied exhaustively. Absylonia’s blighted transformation continues to reshape her flesh, however, and there is no sign she will ever settle into a stable form. A unique embodiment of Everblight, she is a creature who can adapt her flesh and bones to suit her needs. Her mind and body bear little resemblance to what she was. The blood flowing through her veins surges in sympathetic harmony with the spawn she crafts for battle. Most would call Absylonia a horror, but among the Legion she represents singular draconic perfection.
FURY: 6 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 7 4 15 15 8
ABSYLONIA 1
BLIGHT CLAW RNG POW P+S 0.5 6 13 DAMAGE:16 WB +31
FA C
BASE:SMALL
ABSYLONIA 1 ELITE CADRE [FORSAKEN] – Friendly Forsaken models
gain Ashen Veil. RESOURCEFUL – This model can upkeep spells on
models in its battlegroup without spending fury. SPONTANEOUS MUTATION – This model can spend fury
points at any time during its activation to gain one of the following special rules for each fury point spent. Each special rule lasts for one round. • ASHEN VEIL – This model has concealment. Living enemy models without Immunity: Fire suffer –2 to attack rolls while within 2˝ of this model. • WARP STRENGTH – This model gains +2 STR. • WINGS – This model gains +1 SPD and Flight .
BLIGHT CLAW DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL GRIEVOUS WOUNDS – A model hit by this weapon loses
Tough and cannot have damage removed from it for one round.
FEAT: PANACEA The imperishable flesh of a dragon is able to mend with an alacrity that mocks the weakness of lesser creatures. By sending forth an invigorating feast of blighted power, Absylonia erases her own injuries and devours the wounds of the dragonspawn near her. Each arises in perfect wholeness, eager to fight on. Remove all damage from models in Absylonia’s battlegroup that are currently in her control range.
SPELLS AGGRAVATOR
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 3 SELF CTRL – UP NO
While in the spellcaster’s control range, friendly Faction warbeasts gain Hyper-Aggressive. (When a model with Hyper-Aggressive suffers damage from an enemy attack at any time except while it is advancing, after the attack is resolved it can immediately make a full advance directly toward the attacking model.) BLIGHT BURST
3 10 4 13 RND YES
The AOE remains in play for one round. While in the AOE, enemy non-warcaster models cannot spend focus points, be used to channel spells, or be forced. FORCED EVOLUTION
2
6
–
–
UP
NO
Target friendly living Faction warbeast gains +2 STR and DEF. WILD AGGRESSION
3
6
–
–
UP
NO
Target friendly living warbeast in the spellcaster’s battlegroup can run, charge, or make slam or trample power attacks without being forced and gains boosted melee attack rolls.
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For most of Everblight’s chosen, the real change happens deep within. They must open their minds to control blighted energies and assume a leadership role in the Legion while offering absolute obedience to the dragon. Each must adapt to the watchful presence and guiding voice of Everblight. Absylonia’s twisted form might have resulted from her body’s involuntary resistance to this change. She has little memory of those early days except as a haze of pain and confusion, and she remembers even less of her former life as a Nyss. This virtually blank slate pleases Everblight, who finds her consciousness easy to inhabit and influence, with none of the confusion of residual memories. In many ways Everblight treats Absylonia with particular patience, as if she were a favored child. He spends considerable time retraining her animalistic instincts and preparing her for the work ahead. Within days of her transformation, Absylonia proved to be entirely devoted to the dragon and responsive to his will. Though lacking both memories of her former existence and, initially, the language of her former people, she demonstrated an inhuman cunning backed by the powers imbued in her during her transformation. She possesses intuitive control over the spawn around her, and those generated from her blood grow with surprising alacrity—a gift transcending the other warlocks’ to rival those of Thagrosh himself. She can restore her own body or even the most mutilated spawn to wholeness with a single outpouring of blighted power. When Everblight took the bulk of his army to confront Pyromalfic at the Castle of the Keys, he chose to leave Absylonia behind, thus safeguarding some portion of his essence from the battle with the ailing dragon. As the rest of the Legion moved south for this violent confrontation, Absylonia continued to create fresh spawn in their absence. She brought these reserves to rejoin the Legion at Everblight’s call, enabling him to replace nearly half the spawn lost in Pyromalfic’s destruction. Absylonia is more abomination than Nyss. She glides swiftly across the battlefield on sleek, fresh-grown membranes that extend from between her fingers and arms. Her appendages can lengthen in moments, the bones thickening and stretching with a sickening sound. Chitinous barbs and spikes extrude through her flesh and shift unpredictably in battle, leaving gruesome wounds where she strikes. Her mutable form and the resilience of her spawn terrify all who oppose her.
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ABSYLONIA, DAUGHTER OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS WARLOCK FURY: 6 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 8 7 6 15 16 8
ABSYLONIA 2
CLAW RNG POW P+S 0.5 6 14
STINGER RNG POW P+S 1 4 12 DAMAGE:18 WB +28
FA C
BASE:MEDIUM
ABSYLONIA 2 FLIGHT ALPHA HUNTER – Warbeasts in this model’s battlegroup
beginning their activations in its control range can run, charge, or make power attacks without being forced. When this model destroys one or more enemy models during its activation, warbeasts in its battlegroup beginning their activations in its control range gain +2 SPD and MAT for one turn. REPOSITION [5˝] – At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 5˝, then its activation ends.
CLAW DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
STINGER DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL ENERGY SIPHON – When this attack hits an enemy
model with 1 or more focus or fury points on it, that model loses 1 focus or fury point and this model gains 1 fury point.
FEAT: METAMORPHOSE Showing his favor, Everblight’s blighted power flows freely through Absylonia and responds to her call. When she unleashes a massive pulse of draconic energy, her beasts are transformed. Their bodies seethe and change to emulate their master—limbs lengthen, muscles thicken, and wings sprout from their backs. They launch themselves high into the air before falling on their foes with a dragon’s fury. Models in Absylonia’s battlegroup currently in her control range gain +2 STR and Flight and their melee weapons become RNG 2. Metamorphose lasts for one round.
SPELLS BRACER
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6 –
2
6
–
13
RND YES
Models hit by Hex Bolt cannot make special actions, special attacks, or power attacks for one round. PSYCHO SURGERY
2 SELF CTRL – – NO
Each model in the spellcaster’s battlegroup currently in its control range can immediately remove d3 + 1 damage points. This spell can be cast only once per activation. RETURN FIRE
1
6
–
–
RND NO
When target friendly Faction model is targeted by an enemy ranged attack, after the attack is resolved the affected model can make one basic melee or ranged attack, then Return Fire expires. Return Fire lasts for one round.
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During a clash with Lich Lord Venethrax in 608 AR, Absylonia entered battle expecting to die for the glory of Everblight. Instead, she was gifted with an outpouring of blighted energies beyond any the dragon had ever unleashed on his chosen generals. True wings burst fully formed from her back, and massive horns curved from her brow. The endless shifting and changing of her body subsided, and she settled into a constant, cohesive form. This metamorphosis brought agony but also the knowledge that she had been blessed. She had become as perfect an embodiment of the dragon’s essence as a flawed mortal could hope to be. Absylonia has wholeheartedly embraced her new anatomy, gladly surrendering any lingering ties to her former life. Hers is a deadly elegance, a savage grace bestowed directly upon her by Everblight. She acts in accordance with his will and desires nothing more than to serve as his vessel on the battlefields of Caen. While other warlocks sometimes struggle with the dragon’s gifts, Absylonia sees in these boons a transcendence, a clear pathway to unity with his draconic perfection. In her new form she flies over the battlefield, conveying her killing rage to the spawn that follow her. Absylonia’s blood has always been attuned to blighted energies, and the spawn of that blood now gain the same mutability she once possessed. There are few sights more terrifying to her foes than Absylonia’s ravening tide of protean beasts approaching, each mutating with the power of the blight and ready to strike with breathtaking speed and deadly ferocity. A great deal has transpired since Absylonia’s transformation, including the recent scramble for survival called the Great Hunt, when multiple dragons came for Everblight’s warlocks. With the losses the Legion endured during this time, Absylonia’s role within it has become more important than ever. Everblight relies upon her to employ her tremendously generative blood to create much-needed spawn, which take to the battlefields with fresh enthusiasm, empowered by her dark gifts.
– UP NO
Target warbeast in the spellcaster’s battlegroup gains +2 ARM. The affected model and any friendly models B2B with it cannot become knocked down, cannot be pushed, and cannot be moved by a slam. HEX BOLT
Absylonia has been no stranger to transformation. With her body in constant flux, she has been as mutable as required by the will of Everblight. The first day the athanc shard sent blighted power rippling through her body, Absylonia surrendered her prior self and was reborn for the dragon. Her role in his armies has demanded a different kind of service from her than from other warlocks, one that drew on her generative power to amass swarming throngs of dragonspawn to bolster the Legion. But now she has entered a new phase, taking to the sky to fight alongside the winged spawn she birthed as the daughter of the dragon.
TACTICAL TIPS Bracer – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
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BETHAYNE, VOICE OF EVERBLIGHT & BELPHAGOR LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS WARLOCK & LEGION LIGHT WARBEAST FURY: 7 BETHAYNE 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 5 6 4 16 13 9
BLIGHTED TALON RNG POW P+S 0.5 5 10 DAMAGE:14 WB +20
FA C
BASE:SMALL
BETHAYNE 1 FLESH MELD – Bethayne can use Flesh Meld at any time during her activation while B2B with a Belphagor model in her battlegroup. Remove Bethayne from the table. Upkeep spells she cast do not immediately expire, and warbeasts in her battlegroup do not go wild. Any effects on Bethayne when she melds are applied to Belphagor. Remove the fury points currently on Belphagor. If there are any fury points on Bethayne when she melds, place them on Belphagor. Belphagor cannot activate later in a turn in which it becomes flesh melded. While melded, Belphagor becomes a warlock warrior model, loses Soulless , takes control of Bethayne’s battlegroup, and can upkeep spells cast by Bethayne. While melded, Belphagor’s base CMD becomes 9 and its base FURY becomes 7. While melded, Belphagor can cast Bethayne’s spells and use her feat. While melded, Belphagor is not considered to be a warbeast and loses its animus. While melded,
Belphagor can make slam and throw power attacks without being forced. While melded, Belphagor suffers damage like a warbeast but does not suffer the effects of crippled aspects. Effects modifying the amount of damage to or the manner in which damage is applied to a warbeast still apply to Belphagor, even while it is melded. If Belphagor is destroyed or removed from play while melded, Bethayne is destroyed. Bethayne can separate from Belphagor during your Maintenance Phase. When she returns to play, place her B2B with Belphagor. Bethayne returns to play with the same amount of damage she had when she left the table. After Bethayne returns to play, she can upkeep spells cast by Belphagor when they were melded.
BLIGHTED TALON CONTINUOUS EFFECT: CORROSION DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
FEAT: SYMBIOSIS Bethayne channels the will of Everblight to seize complete control over the forces that follow her into battle, letting blighted soldier and beast fight together in perfect unison and harmony. While in Bethayne’s control range, friendly Faction warrior models gain Flank [friendly Faction warbeast]. Symbiosis lasts for one round. (When a model with Flank [friendly Faction warbeast] makes a melee attack against an enemy model in the melee range of a friendly Faction warbeast model, the model with Flank gains +2 to attack rolls and gains an additional die on damage rolls.)
The Nyss were once devoted to Nyssor, the god of winter, but the blight ended that worship for the ones who joined Everblight’s legion. Those of Nyssor’s clergy who survived the first days of Thagrosh’s arrival fled, bearing with them their frozen god. The resulting spiritual void among the blighted Nyss was filled by the words of Bethayne, who taught them devotion to a draconic god whose tangible blight had blessed them with transformation. In battle she fulfills her role by fusing with her dragonspawn Belphagor to become a perfect killing force without sacrificing her own intelligence and arcane skill. This fusion symbolizes the irreversible bond between the blighted Nyss and Everblight. Before receiving a fragment of Everblight’s athanc, Bethayne was a priestess of Nyssor, having joined the clergy at a very young age. She demonstrated an unusual sensitivity to spiritual doctrine as well as a keen artistic talent that manifested through her carvings in wood and bone. Her versatile and enthusiastic mind allowed her to excel as she matured, easily mastering the disciplines required of a priestess and showing a particular knack for oration. From childhood she had possessed the gift of persuasion and could stir listeners’ emotions with her words. Upon reaching adulthood, Bethayne was honored to dwell at the central Fane of Nyssor, where the god’s frozen form was protected. Bethayne might have lived out her life in service to her god had it not been for Vayl Hallyr. In the guise of a devout sorceress, this blasphemer against Nyssor arranged to meet with the young priestess away from fane grounds. Vayl
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SPELLS BLOOD THORN
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
–
UP
NO
Target friendly Faction model’s/unit’s ranged and melee weapons gain Continuous Effect: Corrosion . CLOAK OF ASH
2
6
–
–
UP
NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Ashen Veil. Models are not affected while out of formation. (A model with Ashen Veil has concealment. Living enemy models without Immunity: Fire suffer –2 to attack rolls while within 2˝ of a model with Ashen Veil.) DISINTEGRATION 3
10
–
13 RND YES
The model hit suffers –2 ARM for one round. A model boxed by Disintegration is removed from play. INVOCATION OF BLOOD
2
SELF
–
–
–
NO
If Bethayne is flesh melded with Belphagor when this spell is cast, Belphagor gains +2 SPD, STR, DEF, and ARM for one round. Otherwise, Bethayne immediately makes a full advance toward Belphagor. Invocation of Blood can be cast only once per activation. VENOM
2
SP 8
–
10
–
YES
Venom causes corrosion damage . Models hit suffer the Corrosion continuous effect .
quickly earned Bethayne’s confidence as they conversed at length on a dizzying array of topics, from the fundamental nature of magic to the obscure origins of Nyss traditions. Bethayne had never felt her mind engaged so deeply, and her friendship with the older woman grew. When Vayl professed growing doubts about her faith and the stewardship of Nyssor, she was in fact planting subversive seeds in the priestess that would grow in time. Bethayne did not see Vayl again until three years later, in the midst of the cataclysmic coming of Thagrosh to the Nyss. As fire and destruction consumed the villages and Nyssor was carried south to safety, Bethayne stood among those left to defend the fane grounds. She was prepared to give her life in defense of her people and her faith but was shocked into numbness to see her friend amid the despoilers. Vayl spoke of the draconic god who made his followers strong in his own image—one not impotent like the ailing god of winter. As proof she indicated the destruction around them; no miracles had saved the Nyss. Vayl offered Bethayne a place among the inheritors of their people’s legacy, serving as a leader of the dragon’s emerging army. Blight emanated from Vayl, and Bethayne felt the allure of that power and the awakening of her doubts. Pressing back
TACTICAL TIPS Disintegration – Because the boxed model is removed from play before being destroyed, it does not generate a soul or corpse token. Flesh Meld – Belphagor can transfer damage while Bethayne is melded with it.
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BELPHAGOR 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 9 6 4 11 18 5
ACIDIC BREATH RNG ROF AOE POW SP 6 1 — 10
CLAW RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 12 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
SP
6
IR
5 FURY: 3 FA C
THRESHOLD: 9
BASE:MEDIUM
BELPHAGOR 1 EYELESS SIGHT IMMUNITY: CORROSION IMMUNITY: FIRE SOULLESS BOND [BETHAYNE, VOICE OF EVERBLIGHT] – This model begins the game bonded to Bethayne, Voice of Everblight. This model is not considered to be bonded while under your opponent’s control. While this model is in Bethayne’s control range, she can channel spells through it. COMPANION [BETHAYNE, VOICE OF EVERBLIGHT] – This model is included in any army that includes Bethayne, Voice of Everblight. If Bethayne is destroyed or removed from play, remove this model from play. This model is part of Bethayne’s battlegroup.
ACIDIC BREATH CONTINUOUS EFFECT: CORROSION DAMAGE TYPE: CORROSION
CLAW CRITICAL CORROSION OPEN FIST
ANIMUS DESPOILER
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2 SELF 5
– RND NO
Center a 5˝ AOE cloud effect on the spellcaster. The AOE remains centered on the spellcaster for one round. If the spellcaster is destroyed or removed from play, remove the AOE from play. Enemy models entering or ending their activations in the AOE suffer 1 damage point.
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against these temptations was Bethayne’s need to remain true to her oaths, and her mind splintered. She raised her blade, hoping to find release from self-loathing in death. Vayl instantly froze her in place, wielding the icy power of winter that should have shielded a priestess of Nyssor rather than entrapping her. Bethayne’s mind railed at her helplessness until Thagrosh arrived to offer her respite from her inner demons—Vayl had petitioned that Bethayne be initiated as a warlock, praising her untapped potential. The ice shattered and Thagrosh asked her to choose: forsake her vows or die. Part of Bethayne’s mind and soul welcomed the thought of death, but in a moment of uncertainty she accepted Everblight as her master. When she received her athanc shard, all doubts vanished. Her previous calling seemed empty compared to the glorious unity to which her mind was joined. What she could not know was this bliss only concealed a deeper emptiness left by the shattering of her faith. Everblight’s essence flowed into the bottomless void in her soul. Even the dragon’s mind could not fill the space; something had changed inside her during her time of indecision. In the days ahead, Bethayne demonstrated her zeal as she followed Vayl in converting or killing the last of the resisting Nyss. Bethayne was instrumental in convincing several Nyss shards to give up their arms. Bethayne willingly led the dragon’s hosts, each battle an opportunity to demonstrate her gifts, each death inflicted by her powerful blighted magic a paean to the god she had embraced. Yet the portion of her mind that had been shattered before her acceptance of Everblight yearned for creative expression to shape lesser materials into something sublime. In response, she began to experiment with Everblight’s spawn. In a moment of perfect adulation, she was able to sculpt a new creature, one that embodied her love and fear of Everblight and also gave expression to the missing piece of her soul—Belphagor. This creature, unique to her, was a masterpiece of flesh and bone. Bethayne is a confident, audacious priestess and general with a razor-sharp intellect and the words to reach the hearts and minds of those around her. Once set upon a course, she has no patience for indecision or doubt. When she merges with Belphagor, primal instincts call to her and she can lose herself in the exultation of slaughter. Because the beast was born from her own essence, Bethayne can spawn it anew when it is destroyed. With it her flesh is made whole, and she experiences true communion with her god.
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FYANNA, TORMENT OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION STRIDER WARLOCK
Fyanna, Torment of Everblight, is one of the Legion’s fiercest forward commanders. Leading small strike forces of blighted Nyss deep into enemy territory, Fyanna launches preliminary assaults on key targets to make way for more substantial Legion forces. Before receiving her athanc and becoming a warlock of Everblight, Fyanna had already earned a deadly reputation. As a blighted Nyss, she mastered her strider form and used her talents as both tracker and killer to hunt the remnants of the unblighted Nyss. Now she uses those skills against any who would stand against Everblight’s legion.
FURY: 6 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 7 7 3 15 15 9
FYANNA 2
BARBED LASH RNG POW P+S 2 5 12 DAMAGE:16 WB +28
FA C
BASE:SMALL
FYANNA 2 PATHFINDER DODGE – This model can advance up to 2˝ immediately
after an enemy attack that missed it is resolved unless it was missed while advancing. It cannot be targeted by free strikes during this movement. FIELD MARSHAL [OVERTAKE] – Warbeasts in this model’s battlegroup gain Overtake. OVERTAKE – When this model destroys one or more enemy models with a basic melee attack during its Combat Action, after the attack is resolved it can immediately advance up to 1˝.
BARBED LASH CHAIN WEAPON DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL CHAIN STRIKE – This weapon becomes RNG 4 during this model’s activation. CRITICAL SMITE – On a critical hit, the model hit can be slammed d6˝ directly away from this model. If the model hit has a larger base than the attacking model, it is moved only half the distance rolled. The POW of collateral damage is equal to the STR of this model.
FEAT: UNSTOPPABLE TIDE By infusing blighted energy into the bodies of those around her, Fyanna lends her preternatural reflexes to her allies, allowing them to anticipate enemy movement and react with speed and agility bordering on precognition. Once within the enemy’s defenses, Fyanna and her followers deliver the killing blow. While in Fyanna’s control range, friendly Faction models gain +3 DEF and Dodge. Unstoppable Tide lasts for one round.
SPELLS ADMONITION
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6 –
– UP NO
When an enemy model advances and ends its movement within 6˝ of target model in the spellcaster’s battlegroup, the affected model can immediately advance up to 3˝, then Admonition expires. The affected model cannot be targeted by free strikes during this movement. FURY
2
6 –
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains +3 to melee damage rolls but suffers –1 DEF. GALLOWS
3 10 – 13 – YES
When an enemy model is hit by this attack, it can be pushed d6˝ directly toward Gallows’ point of origin. IRON FLESH
2
6
–
–
UP
NO
Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit gains +2 ARM and does not suffer blast damage. Models are not affected while out of formation.
34
Since the rise of Everblight became known to the agents of the Circle Orboros, they have been determined to destroy the dragon once and for all. They nearly succeeded when one of their number conspired with the other dragons to descend upon Everblight’s warlocks during what is now referred to as the Great Hunt. These efforts forced the athanc-blessed leaders of the Legion to scatter in a desperate attempt to evade the claws and talons of Everblight’s siblings. Though most of Everblight’s generals survived, the Hunt was a perilous time and in its aftermath they knew they must seek out new strongholds where they could recuperate from their losses. While escaping through the Skybridge Mountains of Rhul alongside Thagrosh and Vayl, Fyanna ranged ahead to search for a missing group of striders responsible for scouting a Wolf Sworn village in the mountains. Following the scouts’ trail, she did not find them, but instead discovered an unexpected army of the Circle Orboros led by blackclad overseers who had mustered in the village and were preparing to ambush and annihilate the Legion column advancing toward them. Discovered by Circle sentries, Fyanna was surrounded and had to fight her way clear. Although badly wounded, she succeeded in evading her pursuers, struggling to return to the Legion forces marching through the pass. Fyanna arrived exhausted; before she could relate what she had seen, she collapsed from blood loss. Impressed by her resolve and dedication, Thagrosh gave her the ultimate gift of Everblight, bestowing upon her a shard of the dragon’s athanc just before death claimed her. Thus revived, Fyanna told him of the enemy’s presence and position. Drawing on the new powers of her transformed state, Fyanna led the forces sent back to exterminate the Circle ambush, reaping a horrible vengeance on those who had nearly been her undoing. Fyanna now serves a role within the Legion’s forward fighting forces and conducts preemptive strikes against enemy holdings. Though she prefers forthright tactics to stealth, she is nonetheless a formidable assassin and has developed a talent for eliminating skilled opponents in close combat. She has directed much of her recent efforts against the Circle Orboros in retaliation for the losses inflicted upon Everblight, but stands ready to fight any foes of the dragon. Though she once felt like an outcast within the Legion, the athanc has connected her to the inner circle, erasing all doubt and the need for isolation.
TACTICAL TIPS Gallows – This means the model is moved before it suffers damage.
35
KALLUS, WRATH OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION WARLOCK
Every Legion warlock is a miracle of blighted transformation, but none have been so deliberately crafted as Kallus, Wrath of Everblight. All the dragon’s previous warlocks were born of imperfect, natural chaos, their bodies still bearing inconvenient vestiges from the original progenitors. Not so Kallus. His every bone and muscle was shaped by Everblight’s will, his mind structured to fulfill the dragon’s need for an imperishable and irrepressibly bold general. At Kallus’ command, the dragon’s fury within all his blighted followers ignites into an unyielding flame.
FURY: 6 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 7 4 14 16 8
KALLUS 1
HELLBRAND RNG POW P+S 2 7 14 DAMAGE:18 WB +30
FA C
BASE:SMALL
KALLUS 1 SOULLESS HYPER-REGENERATION – Remove d3 damage points
from this model at the start of each of its activations. UNCONQUERABLE – While in this model’s command
range, friendly Faction warrior models gain Unyielding. UNYIELDING – While engaging an enemy model, this model gains +2 ARM.
HELLBRAND DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL FLAME BURST – When this model boxes an enemy
model with this weapon, enemy models within 1˝ of the boxed model suffer the Fire continuous effect .
FEAT: HOST OF ANGELS Kallus was crafted to be the perfect weapon of Everblight’s ferocious will, able to tap directly into the blighted energies of his athanc. In a wave of horrific exultation, Kallus sends forth a revelation of blight to awaken the seed of Everblight within each soldier of his army. As they perish, their flesh transforms to fight on and reap greater slaughter. When a friendly living non-Incubus warrior Faction model in Kallus’ control range is disabled by an enemy attack, you can replace it with an Incubus model. The replaced model is removed from play. While in Kallus’ control range, friendly soulless warrior models gain +3 DEF. Host of Angels lasts for one round.
SPELLS DARK GUIDANCE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 4 SELF CTRL – TURN NO
While in the spellcaster’s control range, friendly Faction models gain an additional die on their melee attack rolls this turn. ERUPTION
3
8
3
14 RND YES
Models hit suffer a POW 14 fire damage roll . This spell’s AOE is a cloud effect and hazard that remains in play for one round. Models entering or ending their activations in the AOE suffer an unboostable POW 14 fire damage roll . FLASHING BLADE
1
SELF
–
–
–
NO
The spellcaster immediately makes one basic attack with one of its melee weapons against each enemy model in its LOS that is in the weapon’s melee range. These attacks are simultaneous. IGNITE
2
6 –
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains +2 to melee attack damage rolls. Affected models gain Critical Fire on their melee attacks.
36
Kallus is perhaps the creation in which Thagrosh takes the most pride, for through him Everblight achieved something never before accomplished. His genesis was Thagrosh’s idea, the execution of which required testing all Everblight had learned of flesh and form as well as his mastery of his own athanc. The shard chosen for this warlock was subtly altered, imprinted with a pattern based on a version of Thagrosh the dragon had honed to emphasize strengths and erase unwanted elements. The modified shard was placed on the body of a captive, who howled as his flesh flowed and melted, his bones shifting and realigning to reveal a new creature not Nyss, ogrun, human, or any simple creature of nature, a blank slate informed by the vast repository of lore contained within Everblight but lacking residual memories that might distract him from his service. This was Kallus. Most significantly, Kallus’ mind can be preserved so long as the athanc endures, giving the warlock something like the immortality of the dragons. He can hurl himself into battle fearless of his own destruction, taking whatever risks are necessary to obliterate his enemies. To this warrior, death is but a temporary state, an inconvenience to be borne only until a new victim can be subjugated and transfigured. Kallus is proof Everblight can create an evolving mind embedded in an athanc still connected to his own essence. Kallus’ personality remains in flux as he takes in the world and learns his place among his peers. The Nyss warlocks are all mysteries to him, with their individual motivations outside of the dragon’s wishes. His own mind is filled with the imperatives of both Thagrosh and Everblight, and he learns with a preternatural quickness. Kallus has begun to suspect that his creation represents the destiny of the Legion, that he is specially empowered to lead Everblight’s army for the glory of conquest. Thagrosh may be the Messiah, but Kallus is the inevitable heir to the blighted throne.
TACTICAL TIPS Host of Angels – You do not pay army points for these Incubi. Ignite – When this spell is cast on cavalry models, it affects mount attacks.
37
KALLUS, DEVASTATION OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION WARLOCK
Initially conceived of by Thagrosh, Kallus was to be one of Everblight’s finest creations. Unlike the dragon’s other warlocks who had been shaped from existing and thus imperfect creatures, Kallus was crafted to Everblight’s and Thagrosh’s exacting specifications. The pattern for Kallus’ mind and body were indelibly imprinted upon the shard, ensuring he could be restored perfectly intact no matter what destruction he endured. Kallus’ athanc shard allowed the warlock to absorb the flesh of others to regrow his body, much as a dragon can remake its physical form. This gift of regeneration granted Kallus a sense of immortality beyond Everblight’s other generals.
FURY: 6 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 8 7 4 13 18 8
KALLUS 2
HELLBRAND RNG POW P+S 2 7 15
MOUNT RNG POW 0.5 14 DAMAGE:20 WB +28
FA C
BASE:LARGE
KALLUS 2 CAVALRY PATHFINDER SOULLESS FIELD MARSHAL [HAND OF THE DRAGON] – The melee weapons of warbeasts in this model’s battlegroup gain Continuous Effect: Fire . HYPER-REGENERATION – Remove d3 damage points from this model at the start of each of its activations. REPOSITION [3˝] – At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 3˝, then its activation ends.
HELLBRAND DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL FLAME BURST – When this model boxes an enemy
model with this weapon, enemy models within 1˝ of the boxed model suffer the Fire continuous effect .
MOUNT CRITICAL KNOCKDOWN – On a critical hit, the model hit
becomes knocked down.
FEAT: DRAGON BREATH Kallus unleashes the blighted flames of his creator to turn enemies to ashes and drive his servants onward for the glory of the dragon. Enemy models currently in Kallus’ control range suffering the Fire continuous effect immediately suffer an unboostable POW 12 fire damage roll . While in Kallus’ control range, friendly Faction models can charge or power attack slam an enemy model suffering the Fire continuous effect without being forced and gain +3˝ of movement when charging or slam power attacking an enemy model suffering the Fire continuous effect . Dragon Breath lasts for one turn.
SPELLS BATTLE LUST
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 3
6
–
–
TURN NO
Target friendly Faction warrior model/unit gains an additional die on melee damage rolls. Battle Lust lasts for one turn. BLAZING PATH
2 SELF CTRL – UP NO
While in the spellcaster’s control range, friendly Faction models gain Immunity: Fire . An enemy model that ends its activation within 2˝ of a friendly Faction model in the spellcaster’s control range suffers the Fire continuous effect . BRAND OF FIRE
3
10
–
14
–
YES
Brand of Fire causes fire damage . On a hit, the target model and the d3 nearest enemy models within 5˝ of it suffer the Fire continuous effect . OVERRUN
2
6
–
– TURN NO
When target model in the spellcaster’s battlegroup destroys one or more enemy models with an attack, immediately after the attack is resolved one model in the spellcaster’s battlegroup that is in its control range can make a full advance, then Overrun expires. A model can advance only once per turn as a result of Overrun. Overrun lasts for one turn.
38
Despite this advantage, in 609 AR Kallus endured the one thing that could truly destroy him: being consumed by a dragon. What should have ended him instead evolved him into something stronger. This change transpired at the height of the Great Hunt, when the Circle Orboros and the dragon alliance hunted down Everblight’s brood. During a clash with the dragon Umbargoven, Kallus’ dragonspawn were slain, his soldiers were turned to ash, and Kallus himself was swallowed whole. Inside Umbargoven, flame and blight scoured his body and burned away flesh and armor, yet Kallus endured. His unique nature allowed him to fight against absorption, drawing upon the dragon’s own flesh and remaking it into his own, sustaining himself amid a terrifying battle of wills and artificial biology. Screaming cries no one could hear, he experienced the agonizing transformation of his own form continually breaking apart and reforming. No other entity on Caen, either living or dead, could have survived this ordeal. As Umbargoven’s will and blight pressed inexorably upon Kallus’ crystalline essence, the perfect form Everblight imprinted on it changed. The very pattern of his being shifted and adapted, and Everblight’s will joined Kallus’ in finding a new equilibrium that could withstand the foreign blight that opposed him. Kallus needed to integrate the dragon flesh around him into his own body, and so his form became itself more draconic; his body elongated and talons erupted from what remained of his hands, new limbs emerging from where there had been none. This metamorphosis reached its height as Umbargoven clashed with Toruk the Dragonfather alongside the rest of the dragon alliance. It is likely that in the fullness of time Umbargoven would have absorbed the athanc, overcoming Kallus’ regeneration and the improvised form inspired by Everblight. The dreadful wounds inflicted by Toruk gave Kallus an unexpected chance at escape. He focused his strength and clawed blindly, tearing through flesh, bone, and finally scales until he broke free and emerged, reborn from Umbargoven in his new form. The wounded dragon fled the battlefield to return to its distant lair, while Kallus endured. He now revels in his more draconic state and continues to lead soldiers of Everblight’s legion. Impressed by Kallus’ ability to persist, Everblight has granted the warlock the honor of spreading the dragon’s influence to remote areas, ensuring the survival of their efforts. Kallus has led a sizable force of spawn and legionnaires to the subcontinent of Alchiere to establish a new stronghold. His recent efforts have been concentrated in the northern reaches of the Wall of Anguish, a mountain range bordering Alchiere’s eastern coast. Here, he has been hard at work constructing a new holding for the Legion, creating spawn to consolidate their position. His favor with both Thagrosh and the dragon has drawn the ire of other warlocks, who wonder if he is being positioned for greater leadership.
39
KRYSSA, CONVICTION OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS WARLOCK
Prior to the fall of the Nyss homelands, Kryssa served among the ryssovass, the elite class of armored warriors tasked with defending the narrow mountain passes leading into the Shard Spires. She was born to the Gwylan shard of the Aeryn tribe, long associated with membership among the ranks of the ryssovass, and had trained in the art of heavily armored combat with the hope of following in the footsteps of her ancestors. Her discipline and devotion were unrivaled among her peers, and those same qualities have served her well under the dragon’s rule.
FURY: 6 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 7 7 4 14 16 9
KRYSSA 1
SPEAR RNG POW P+S 2 6 13 DAMAGE:17 WB +31
FA C
BASE:SMALL
KRYSSA 1 SET DEFENSE – A model in this model’s front arc suffers –2 on charge, slam power attack, and impact attack rolls against this model.
SPEAR DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL CRITICAL SUSTAINED ATTACK – On a critical hit during
this model’s Combat Action, attacks made with this weapon against the model critically hit by this weapon automatically hit that activation. If this model attacks another model with this weapon this activation, attacks against the last model critically hit with this weapon no longer automatically hit.
FEAT: RAGE OF THE DRAGON Kryssa was forged by the ryssovass into a disciplined warrior who can remain focused in even the most frantic melee. Yet within her dwells a piece of the dragon—she can summon Everblight’s rage as an outpouring of blighted energy to set the weapons of her allies ablaze and lending the dragon’s fury to their strikes. While in Kryssa’s control range, friendly Faction models gain +3 STR and their melee weapons gain the Fire continuous effect . Rage of the Dragon lasts for one turn.
SPELLS CLOAK OF ASH
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
–
UP
NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Ashen Veil. Models are not affected by Cloak of Ash while out of formation. (A model with Ashen Veil has concealment. Living enemy models without Immunity: Fire suffer –2 to attack rolls while within 2˝ of a model with Ashen Veil.) HOWLING FLAMES
3
SP 10
–
12
–
YES
Howling Flames causes fire damage . Models hit by this attack suffer the Fire continuous effect . QUICKNESS
* SELF –
– – NO
2
–
The spellcaster can spend up to 3 fury points to advance up to 2˝ immediately for each fury point spent. Quickness can be cast only once per activation. TACTICAL SUPREMACY
6
–
UP
NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Reposition [3˝]. (At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model with Reposition [3˝] can advance up to 3˝, then its activation ends.)
In the final days of the northern tribes, the ice witch Vayl sought to bring the Nyss under Everblight’s control by first subverting the ryssovass, turning their martial skill and unshakable loyalty against those they had sworn to protect. Kryssa and those she served alongside were among the first to fall prey to Vayl’s influence, as they were stationed in a remote mountain pass in the Shard Spires. The dragon’s blight came to Kryssa not as a shroud of deception veiling her conscious mind but as an awakening; it was as though she were seeing the world for the first time. All the principles she had held—even her devotion to Nyssor, the god of winter—felt suddenly and irrefutably false. At the same moment she knew her true purpose in life was to serve the will of Everblight. Kryssa led the blighted ryssovass against those who refused to submit to the dragon, and in the end only those who fled the mountains with their frozen god survived. Kryssa exhibited the same unwavering devotion to Everblight as a blighted legionnaire serving as a personal guard to Thagrosh the Prophet as she had as a ryssovass. Long marches punctuated by one bloody clash after another in Everblight’s name brought a feeling of intense pride, and soon she discarded any lingering thoughts of the life she had left behind. She would serve the dragon in this capacity for years to come, content to be part of the vicious and ever-changing whole that was the Legion. It was not until Kryssa found herself in the service of Talys, one of the dragon’s warlocks, that her contribution to Everblight’s cause changed drastically. Talys had been a talented sorceress under the tutelage of Vayl and had just recently been elevated by receiving a shard of Everblight’s athanc. Whatever potential the ice witch had seen in her was never fulfilled. She was slain by the dragon Scaefang while passing through the wilds of Rhul during what would come to be known as the Great Hunt, the time when all of Everblight’s kin organized against him. Feeling a powerful impulse to prevent its consumption, Kryssa hastened to Talys’ charred remains and recovered her athanc shard even as Scaefang was turning back to claim his prize. Kryssa thrust the shard into her own heart and rushed away, evading the dragon, all the while thinking only of preserving Everblight’s inextinguishable essence. Guided by the dragon’s will she made it safely back to his Legion. Believing herself unworthy of bearing a part of Everblight’s core essence, Kryssa expected to be ordered to surrender the shard—and she was ready to do so, even though it would have meant her death. The order never came, and she found herself granted an honor she had never even hoped to achieve. In just a couple of short years Kryssa has already made great strides toward proving her worthiness, carrying herself with determination and the drive to see Everblight’s will done.
TACTICAL TIP Tactical Supremacy – If a model is part of a unit, its activation does not end until all models in its unit have completed their activations.
40
41
LYLYTH, HERALD OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS WARLOCK
The Voassyr tribe always boasted aggressive and far-ranging hunters, and each of its shards took part in long sojourns defending the Nyss from intruders. Lylyth was born to a stern and uncompromising father who instilled in her the cold discipline of blade and bow. A noted champion of a leading shard, he had high expectations for his daughter. She honed her abilities night and day, sometimes foregoing sleep while on the hunt as she learned the subtlest arts of tracking and stalking prey.
FURY: 5 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 4 5 7 16 14 8
LYLYTH 1
HELLSINGER RNG ROF AOE POW 12 2 — 12
BOW BLADE RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 7
Things changed dramatically for Lylyth’s shard after the killing of a local human trapper provoked a mountain township to violence. A mob of the Khadoran woodsmen ambushed a pair of Voassyr hunters and hacked their bodies into unrecognizable gore. One of the victims was Lylyth’s father.
DAMAGE:15 WB +30
FA C
BASE:SMALL
LYLYTH 1 EYELESS SIGHT PATHFINDER PROWL – While this model has concealment, it gains Stealth .
HELLSINGER DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL ATTACK TYPE – Each time this weapon is used to make
an attack, choose one of the following special rules: • BLOOD LURE – Warbeasts in this model’s battlegroup can charge enemy models hit by this weapon this turn without being forced. • INFLICT PAIN – When it hits a warbeast with this weapon, this model can place 1 fury point on or remove 1 fury point from the warbeast. • WITCH MARK – If this attack hits an enemy model during this model’s activation, until the end of that activation this model can target and automatically hit that enemy model with spells, ignoring RNG and LOS.
FEAT: FIELD OF SLAUGHTER The dragon’s blight has bestowed upon Lylyth an almost omniscient awareness of battle’s chaos—she controls her minions as extensions of her will to finish off her enemies. When she evokes this gift of Everblight, her skill imbues all who serve her, providing unerring accuracy and transforming each attack into a killing strike. While in Lylyth’s control range, friendly Faction models roll an additional die on attack rolls this turn.
SPELLS ERUPTION OF SPINES
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 3
10
–
10
–
YES
If target model is hit, the d3 nearest models within 5˝ of it suffer a POW 10 damage roll. These additional damage rolls are not considered to have been caused by an attack. Eruption of Spines damage rolls are simultaneous. PARASITE
3
8
–
– UP YES
Target model/unit suffers –3 ARM and the spellcaster gains +1 ARM. PURSUIT
2
8
–
– UP YES
If target enemy model/unit advances during its activation, one model in the spellcaster’s battlegroup that is in its control range can immediately make a full advance.
42
It was Lylyth who discovered the carnage, and something snapped in her mind. She stalked the woodsmen over the course of a week of bloodletting and then set her sights on the entire township, killing anyone who ventured from their home. Lylyth returned to her shard to speak passionately about her father and arouse in her people a similar desire for vengeance. Calling on old, unwritten codes, the shard declared a blood hunt and vowed to march across the northern territory slaying any humans they encountered. Though they did not interfere, the rest of the tribe distanced themselves from Lylyth’s shard and offered no support or succor as the clan recklessly attacked village after isolated village in the cold and wild north. Thagrosh, Prophet of Everblight, encountered Lylyth shortly after his own transformation. He watched her shard pit itself against a large band of savage humans called the Vindol, slaughtering each other down to the last. Lylyth was mortally wounded and losing consciousness when Thagrosh stepped forward and offered to save her life and give her power beyond any she could imagine. Weakened and bereft of reason, she agreed. Thagrosh lifted her above the snow and thrust a shard of Everblight’s athanc into her breast. The transformation was excruciating, yet the unbearable pain gave way to acceptance. Her blackened heart pumped powerful blight through her veins and sent tainted power into every tissue and bone. Clutching her hands to her eyes, she realized she did not need them to see. The blighted radiance seeping from the athanc shard shone from her skin, no flesh a barrier to its dark energies. Lylyth now masks her eyes to avoid the mundane light of the world; seeing the world through living eyes feels imperfect, an aberration. She has since learned what it means to be the Herald of Everblight, the stalking death of the blighted Legion. Lylyth moves as the forward talon of the dragon and strikes deep into enemy territory. Wherever she strides, the arrow-ridden bodies of her enemies fall, and the blight walks in her footsteps.
TACTICAL TIPS Pursuit – Remember, if an affected model made a full advance, ran, or charged during its activation, a model in this model’s battlegroup gets to make a full advance.
43
LYLYTH, SHADOW OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS WARLOCK FURY: 5 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 4 5 8 16 14 8
LYLYTH 2
WHISPER RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 12
BOW BLADE RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 7 DAMAGE:15 WB +28
FA C
BASE:SMALL
LYLYTH 2 EYELESS SIGHT PATHFINDER STEALTH RANGE AMPLIFIER – When this model casts a spell and is the point of origin for the spell, the spell gains +5 RNG. SWIFT HUNTER – When this model destroys one or more enemy models with a basic ranged attack, immediately after the attack is resolved it can advance up to 2˝.
WHISPER DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL RELOAD [1] – This model can spend up to 1 fury point
to make one additional ranged attack with this weapon during its Combat Action. SNAP FIRE – When this model destroys one or more enemy models with a ranged attack with this weapon during its Combat Action, immediately after that attack is resolved this model can make one basic ranged attack with this weapon. Attacks gained from Snap Fire cannot generate additional attacks from Snap Fire.
FEAT: DECIMATION Lylyth can invoke Everblight’s blessing to convey her own perfect awareness of the battlefield to her followers. Fired from countless bows, arrows rise to eclipse the sun before falling in a piercing rain to leave nothing but the sounds of the dead and dying. While in Lylyth’s control range, friendly Faction models gain Gunfighter and can make one additional ranged attack during their activations. Decimation lasts for one turn.
SPELLS MIRAGE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6 –
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Apparition. (During your Control Phase, place models with Apparition anywhere completely within 2˝ of their current locations.) PIN CUSHION
2
10
–
–
UP YES
Friendly Faction models gain an additional die on ranged attack and ranged damage rolls against target model/unit. Discard the lowest die in each roll. SOOTHING SONG
1 SELF CTRL – – NO
Remove up to 1 fury point from each friendly living Faction warbeast currently in the spellcaster’s control range. Soothing Song can be cast only once per activation.
Lylyth has been born anew in the dragon’s radiance. She is the Shadow of Everblight, and where his Legion marches she moves like death itself. While Thagrosh rebuilds his shattered army, Lylyth and her minions fall upon the enemies of the dragon, their arrows obliterating entire towns and villages. Her memories are drenched in blood, but each murder eases the ghosts of her past. The Castle of the Keys held a harrowing trial for the young warlock. Sent there alone to gather confirmation of the dragon Pyromalfic’s presence, Lylyth drew the attention of his guardians and suffered grave injuries before she could escape. With her death seemingly certain, Everblight dispatched the twins Saeryn and Rhyas to recover his athanc shard from her body. Grief overwhelmed Lylyth, and she pried out the athanc herself in an attempt to escape the pain. In an unexpected flood of clarity she saw her recent life through a more mortal perspective and found herself consumed with horror and shame at what she had done to her people. When Saeryn and Rhyas arrived, she had bled out nearly to the last, in the grip of old memories. She offered the athanc to them, but they instead returned her to the Legion and restored the athanc to her chest. Her reunion with her dragon master, intensified by the later destruction of Pyromalfic, served as a dark rebirth that renewed her resolve. Though Lylyth has tried to put this experience aside, it left its mark. With the dragon’s mind tightly bound to her own once more, she has mostly managed to forget the faces of kinsmen she killed and the guilt that haunted her during her forced isolation, but her awareness of her insignificance lingers. She hurls herself tirelessly into battle after battle to prove her worth to Everblight. Deep within, she has realized she is important to the dragon merely as a receptacle for one shard of his athanc and he is quite willing to discard her useless flesh. Only so long as she proves peerless in the art of delivering death will there be a place for her. Since Pyromalfic’s destruction, Lylyth’s senses and reflexes have sharpened beyond human reckoning. Her arrows fall like black rain and strike with superhuman accuracy. At times her lethal intuitions are infectious, extending to those who follow her lead. Her amplified ability to perceive the world around her comes at a cost. Lylyth now finds it difficult to endure crowded places and shuns the presence of even her own kind. She prefers to keep on the move, avoiding all but the smallest Legion camps except when duty requires her presence. Her kinship is reserved only for the striders and archers—the hunters of Everblight’s army. Lylyth’s hatred of humanity in particular has only grown. Lylyth leads her followers in a relentless war against the enemies of Everblight. That she has done so without requests for support or supplies impresses even the dragon. She carefully selects targets large enough to demoralize the enemy yet small enough to fell quickly beneath the arrows of her hand-selected force. Her striders perform meticulous reconnaissance before she gives the command to attack, and she coordinates her underlings with an attention to detail enhanced by draconic awareness.
TACTICAL TIPS Mirage – Remember, troopers must be placed in formation. Range Amplifier – Channeled spells do not benefit from Range Amplifier.
44
45
LYLYTH, RECKONING OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS BATTLE ENGINE WARLOCK FURY: 5 LYLYTH 3 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 9 8 6 8 15 16 8
WHISPER RNG ROF AOE POW 12 3 — 12
—
MOUNT RNG POW 0.5 12
—
DAMAGE:18 WB +29
FA C
BASE:HUGE
LYLYTH 3 CAVALRY EYELESS SIGHT PATHFINDER DUAL ATTACK – This model can make melee and ranged
attacks in the same activation. When this model makes its initial melee attacks or a power attack, it can also make its initial ranged attacks. This model can make ranged attacks even while in melee. REPAIRABLE – This model can be targeted with Repair special actions as if it were a construct model. REPOSITION [5˝] – At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 5˝, then its activation ends.
THRESHING BLADES – This model gains +4 to its
trample power attack damage rolls. TRAMPLE POWER ATTACK – This model can make trample power attacks.
WHISPER DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL BLOOD BOON – Once per activation, immediately
after resolving an attack in which it destroyed an enemy model with this weapon, this model can cast a spell with COST 3 or less without spending fury. REAR ATTACK – When declaring attacks with this weapon, this model can target models in its back arc.
MOUNT TRAMPLING HOOVES – This model can make
charge attacks with this weapon in addition to making impact attacks.
FEAT: THE REAPING
BATTLE HOST
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
SELF CTRL
–
UP NO
Warbeasts in the spellcaster’s battlegroup beginning their activations in its control range gain +2˝ movement when advancing as part of their Normal Movement. The spellcaster gains +2 ARM while one or more warbeasts in its battlegroup are within 3˝ of it. FROST HAMMER
2
SP 8
–
12
* YES
Frost Hammer causes cold damage . On a critical hit, the model hit becomes stationary for one round unless it has Immunity: Cold . WIND WALL
3
SELF
–
–
RND NO
The spellcaster cannot make ranged attacks after casting this spell, and non-magical ranged attacks targeting it automatically miss. While completely within 3˝ of the spellcaster, models cannot make ranged attacks and non-magical ranged attacks targeting them automatically miss. Wind Wall lasts for one round.
Lylyth can harness the blighted energies of Everblight to leech the warmth from her enemies and replace it with the cold touch of imminent death. Guided by the attacks of her allies, this power renders her enemies helpless before the Legion’s slaughterous advance. When an enemy model is directly hit by a ranged attack made by a friendly Faction model while the friendly Faction model is in Lylyth’s control range, the enemy model becomes stationary for one round. The Reaping lasts for one turn.
Those who would oppose the will of Everblight must stand ready to pay a heavy cost, and it is Lylyth, the dragon’s Reckoning, who will exact that price. Those few who have survived Lylyth’s raids speak of the susurration of runners on frozen ground and an ominous keening noise in the air. As the first arrows strike, that sound is revealed to be wind whistling along the cruelly barbed blades and across the overlapping metal scales protecting the carriage of her war sleigh as it is swiftly pulled across the snow by powerful ulks, their horns lowered to smash through anything in their path. Since her second rebirth in the dragon’s service, Lylyth has lived without the slightest fear of death. She ranges far from the main bases established by the Legion, preferring to command the fastest hunters and dragonspawn so she can exploit the speed of her war sleigh. Traditional to Nyss hunters, such sleighs were once used to terrorize the mountain villages of the northern Khadorans. Lylyth has adopted its use within the Legion to represent her place as the preeminent tracker and killer among a people famed for such skills. Its steel runners have been inscribed with runes and bolstered by sorcery to allow swift passage even across environments normally ill-suited for such a conveyance— these blades glide as easily over grass or sand as over snow and ice.
46
SPELLS
With the Legion scattered across western Immoren and beyond to avoid destruction in its weakened state after the events of the Great Hunt, Lylyth’s ability to range far afield and stay alert to the movements of the dragon’s enemies have become more important than ever. As Everblight’s premier scout, she has both steered his forces clear of potential threats and secured resources vital to the survival of the Legion. The most significant of these finds came in the form of the fallen body of Charsaug. Though the dragon’s athanc had been devoured by another, Lylyth’s quick discovery of the corpse allowed for the Legion to collect bone and sinew and put these valuable resources to use in the crafting of new, more formidable spawn with which to wage Everblight’s wars. Lylyth’s intense dedication to Everblight lets her put aside all thoughts of the future beyond the immediate task at hand, and in this blank space she has found an unwavering strength. This calm focus has allowed her to hone her skills to a razor’s sharpness. Even as the Reckoning brings death with each arrow launched from her bow, she is herself a weapon wielded by Everblight against his enemies.
47
RHYAS, SIGIL OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS WARLOCK FURY: 5 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 6 8 6 16 14 8
RHYAS 1
ANTIPHON RNG POW P+S 2 7 13 DAMAGE:16 WB +30
FA C
BASE:SMALL
RHYAS 1 PARRY PATHFINDER ACROBATICS – This model can advance through other models if it has enough movement to move completely past their bases. This model ignores intervening models when declaring its charge target. CHANNELER [SAERYN] – While this model is in Saeryn’s control range, Saeryn can channel spells through it. RIPOSTE – When it is missed by an enemy melee attack, immediately after the attack is resolved this model can make one basic melee attack against the attacking model. SPRINT – At the end of an activation in which it destroyed or removed from play one or more enemy models with melee attacks, this model can immediately make a full advance, then its activation ends.
ANTIPHON DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL WEAPON MASTER CRITICAL DECAPITATION – On a critical hit, double the damage exceeding the ARM of the model hit. A model disabled by this attack cannot make a Tough roll. SPIRIT EATER – This model can reave fury points from enemy warbeasts destroyed by this weapon. Other models cannot reave fury points from enemy warbeasts destroyed by this weapon.
FEAT: TIDE OF BLOOD In the heat of battle Rhyas can unleash a wave of infectious frenzy that inspires her followers to new violence. Riding a tide of blood, the Legion sweeps across the battlefield pressing from every direction at once. Rhyas and friendly Faction models activating in her control range gain one additional melee attack during their Combat Actions. The first time a friendly Faction model damages an enemy model with a basic melee attack during its Combat Action while in Rhyas’ control range, immediately place the attacking model anywhere B2B with the damaged model. Tide of Blood lasts for one turn.
SPELLS DASH
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2 SELF CTRL – TURN NO
The spellcaster and friendly Faction warrior models activating in its control range gain +1 SPD. While in the spellcaster’s control range, friendly Faction warrior models gain Parry . Dash lasts for one turn. OCCULTATION
2
6 –
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Stealth . Models are not affected while out of formation. RAPPORT
2
6 –
– UP NO
Target warbeast in the spellcaster’s battlegroup can use the spellcaster’s current MAT and RAT in place of its own. When checking to see if the affected warbeast is in its controller’s control range, double the range.
48
In the dark hours of the subjugation of the Shard Spires, Thagrosh chose lieutenants from among the conquered Nyss. Through Vayl, the Disciple of Everblight, Thagrosh learned of a pair of deadly twins in the remote Shyvess shard who possessed extraordinary powers and sensitivity to sorcery. Rhyas was the more bold and brutal, as lethal with a blade as her sister was with her mind. Thagrosh went alone to observe these twins with his own eyes. In the lands of the Shyvess he found only death. Every man, woman, and child in the entire shard had been slaughtered; fresh blood dripped within every wooden hall. The killing had clearly just occurred, yet its purpose baffled him. At that moment the twins sprang from the shadows to attack. Rhyas and her sister had determined their people were better off dead than enslaved and corrupted as the other Nyss were. With the cold dispatch of an executioner, Rhyas had nimbly evaded arrows and deflected blades as she cut down the very people who had raised her. She deliberately froze her heart against their pleas, assured by the mental bond she shared with her sister that this killing was necessary. The twins finished their grim business and then settled down to lie in wait for the ogrun abomination Saeryn had foreseen. Rhyas’ speed and skill took Thagrosh entirely by surprise, as did the fluid manner in which the twins wordlessly coordinated their movements. Just as Rhyas was about to decapitate him with her blade, an unexpected impulse stayed her hand. After letting Thagrosh know how close he had come to death, Saeryn offered up both herself and Rhyas to the Prophet. She said she had foreseen the coming of Everblight and knew her own crucial role in the events to come. Despite the ease with which they shared one another’s thoughts, Rhyas did not perceive her sister’s plans. Her absolute trust and faith in Saeryn led her to accept Everblight’s athanc fragment alongside her sister—an event that shattered and reformed her world. She harbors no doubt or guilt over what she has done, though she does sometimes wonder at the fact that her sister was able to withhold some small part of her mind. Rhyas does not dwell upon this fact, but now she knows Saeryn can keep secrets from her. The glory of battle helps her forget this troubling detail; indeed, Rhyas delights in the simplicity of bloodshed and the pure art of slaughter. Rhyas and her sister stand among the upper tier of Everblight’s chosen, and they have sworn to obey the dictates of his Prophet. It was Rhyas who dealt the killing blow to the dragon Pyromalfic so that his athanc might be added to her master’s glory. As the Sigil, Rhyas is Everblight’s deadly will given form. She sees the massacre of her own shard as a necessary baptism toward this greater purpose. Rhyas’ blade has become the brush by which the dragon writes bloody runes upon the flesh of his enemies.
49
SAERYN, OMEN OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS WARLOCK
Saeryn is the more detached and introspective of the two otherwise identical twins serving Everblight. Though both possessed sorcerous power from birth, Rhyas sought only to master certain martial tricks and sleights while pursuing her love of the blade. Saeryn plunged into the heart of her power, exploring its every potential. Her cerebral approach prompted her to examine the indivisible link she shares with her sister, and she now knows the two possess a single, inseparably bonded soul. Though all twins boast a certain affinity, Saeryn and Rhyas’ connection surpasses even that. Their bond amplifies their power and sharpens their shared awareness—and ultimately drew the attention of Everblight and the Prophet.
FURY: 7 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 5 6 7 16 14 8
SAERYN 1
THROWN DEATHSPUR RNG ROF AOE POW 7 3 — 8
DEATHSPUR RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 8 DAMAGE:16 WB +28
FA C
BASE:SMALL
SAERYN 1 CHANNELER [RHYAS] – While this model is in Rhyas’s control range, Rhyas can channel spells through it. FORCE BARRIER – This model gains +2 DEF against ranged attack rolls and does not suffer blast damage.
THROWN DEATHSPUR DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL GRIEVOUS WOUNDS – A model hit by this weapon loses
Tough and cannot have damage removed from it for one round. THROWN – Apply any modifiers to this model’s STR to the POW of this weapon.
DEATHSPUR DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL GRIEVOUS WOUNDS – See above.
FEAT: FOREBODING By her sorcerous skill, Saeryn can reach out to fill her army with blighted power, an ominous shroud that protects their flesh and steels their minds, allowing them to endure what would be killing blows before retaliating in kind. While in Saeryn’s control range, friendly Faction models gain +3 ARM and models in her battlegroup gain Retaliatory Strike. Foreboding lasts for one round. (If a model with Retaliatory Strike is hit by a melee attack made by an enemy model during your opponent’s turn, after that attack is resolved it can immediately make one basic melee attack against the attacking model. A model with Retaliatory Strike can make only one Retaliatory Strike per turn.)
SPELLS BANISHING WARD
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
–
UP
NO
Enemy upkeep spells and animi on target friendly model/unit expire. Affected models cannot be targeted by enemy spells or animi. BLIGHT BRINGER
4 10 5 12 RND YES
The AOE remains in play for one round. While in the AOE, enemy non-warcaster models cannot spend focus points, cannot be used to channel spells, and cannot be forced. BREATH STEALER
2
10
–
–
RND YES
Target model/unit suffers –2 SPD and DEF for one round. Breath Stealer can be cast only once per activation. HELLFIRE
3 10 – 14 – YES
Models disabled by Hellfire cannot make a Tough roll. Models boxed by Hellfire are removed from play. RESPAWN
3
6 –
– UP NO
When target large-based or smaller warbeast in the spellcaster’s battlegroup is disabled by an enemy attack at any time except while it is advancing, place it anywhere completely within 3˝ of its current location. Remove 1 damage point from each aspect, then Respawn expires.
50
Raised among the Shyvess shard away from other Nyss, Saeryn had little formal guidance. A local Fane of Nyssor priest taught her Aeric runes but nothing more. The Shyvess followed their own customs and kept to themselves so strictly that other Nyss perceived them as insular. For this reason, the twins shied away from Vayl Hallyr when she attempted to recruit them as pupils. They sensed something behind the sorceress’ overtures even before she earned her title as the Betrayer. Unlike Vayl, Saeryn had never possessed the gift of prophecy or divination. She cannot explain the vision that gripped her one year after meeting Vayl, but she connects this revelation to her brief contact with the ice witch. She foresaw the coming of Thagrosh and the imminent blighting of her shard. The vision gave Saeryn complete and utter clarity; in a moment of total freedom from her sister, she saw her destiny laid out before her. She knew then what she must do: lead the unknowing Rhyas, whose mind was not yet hardened against such severe necessities, down a dark path that would ultimately bring about their greatest glory. First came the destruction of the Shyvess—not out of mercy, as Rhyas believed, but to shape her into an unbridled weapon. Saeryn directed the killings with cold resolve. She kept her sister safe but left to Rhyas the majority of the carnage. When Thagrosh arrived, the two defeated the Prophet. Saeryn fought not to kill him, however, but only to test his limits and learn from the battle all the sisters must know of their future master. Saeryn stayed Rhyas’ hand with a thought and made Thagrosh aware of his mortality before submitting to the athanc. That they willingly accepted the shard greatly impressed Everblight. Thus Saeryn awakened as the Omen. Saeryn has since heralded the dawn of a new age. She knows she and her sister will stand at the vanguard of a new order and achieve stature beyond the dreams of other Nyss. She resents that both the dragon and Thagrosh hold Vayl in particularly high esteem for orchestrating the swift subjugation of the Nyss. From the very start, there has been a mutual wariness between Saeryn and Vayl, a complex relationship where a polite veneer masks underlying tension. There is no question Rhyas and Saeryn are more powerful together than apart, and Saeryn is convinced they have only begun to test their limits. The blighted transformation is a seed that has not yet fully germinated, and she eagerly does whatever is required to quicken the full awakening. Her mind is a labyrinth of depths hidden even from her draconic master. The Omen believes absolutely in the twins’ invincibility, and no enemy has yet proved her wrong.
51
SAERYN & RHYAS, TALONS OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS WARLOCK UNIT
The brutal and efficient natures of Saeryn and Rhyas mirrored that of the dragon even before they accepted the gift of his blight. Since their youth the twins have demonstrated a deadly resolve, a willingness to push beyond any limitations. They went so far as to consecrate their union with the dragon through the murder of their entire shard. They are Everblight’s talons, extensions of one another as much as they are of the dragon himself.
FURY: 7 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 5 6 7 16 14 8
SAERYN 2
STAFF OF THE SHYVESS RNG POW P+S 2 5 10 DAMAGE:8 WB +24
FA C
As the cold, calculating, and pitiless leader of the pair, Saeryn values her autonomy and has gone to great lengths to ensure her mind remains inviolate. Her powerful sorcery has served her well. She has risen to rival Vayl Hallyr among the mystics of the Legion of Everblight, and she is as well versed in her blighted powers as any who serve the dragon.
BASE:SMALL
SAERYN 2 OFFICER CHANNELER [RHYAS] – While this model is in Rhyas’s
control range, Rhyas can channel spells through it. TWIN SISTER – Saeryn and Rhyas are both warlock models, but only Saeryn has the Officer advantage. Saeryn and Rhyas share a single battlegroup and count as one warlock for the purposes of army construction. Saeryn and Rhyas cannot have an Attached model. Your warlock is destroyed only if both Saeryn and Rhyas are destroyed or removed from play. WARLOCK UNIT – This unit is made up of Saeryn and Rhyas.
STAFF OF THE SHYVESS DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL DISPEL – When this weapon hits a model/unit, upkeep
spells and animi on that model/unit immediately expire.
FEAT: CONJOINED SPIRITS Saeryn and Rhyas are inseparable, each the shadow of the other. In the heat of battle, the twins call upon the dragon blood coursing through their veins to bend reality, returning from the brink of death or trading places in a shimmer of blighted energy. Conjoined Spirits can be used once per game by either Saeryn or Rhyas. When it is used, you can either have Saeryn and Rhyas immediately trade places or you can return one of them to play. If you choose to return Saeryn or Rhyas to play, place the returned model completely within 3˝ of the model that used Conjoined Spirits. The returned model comes into play with a number of fury points equal to its FURY. After Conjoined Spirits is used, Saeryn and Rhyas cannot advance for the rest of the turn. If either Saeryn or Rhyas is damaged by an attack made by the other, they both lose Conjoined Spirits for the rest of the game.
SPELLS BANISHING WARD
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
–
UP
NO
Enemy upkeep spells and animi on target friendly model/unit expire. Affected models cannot be targeted by enemy spells or animi. BLOOD RAIN
3
8
3
12
–
YES
Blood Rain causes corrosion damage . Models hit suffer the Corrosion continuous effect . MARKED FOR DEATH
2
8
–
–
UP YES
Target model/unit suffers –2 DEF, loses Incorporeal and Stealth , and cannot gain Incorporeal or Stealth while affected by Marked for Death. PSYCHIC VAMPIRE
2 SELF CTRL – UP NO
When an enemy model declares it is casting a spell while in this model’s control range, the enemy spellcaster immediately suffers 1 damage point and this model can remove 1 damage point. If the enemy spellcaster is destroyed as a result of this damage, the spell does not take effect. RAZOR WIND
2
10
–
12
–
A blade of wind slices through the target model.
YES
Whereas Saeryn is a being of schemes and subterfuge, Rhyas takes a more direct approach. A highly capable tactician and strategist, Rhyas is no less intelligent than her sister, but she prefers to tackle problems head-on, finding solutions at the edge of her sword. Rhyas also carries most of the emotional weight of the bond between the twins, though by any outside assessment she appears as callous as her sister. She feels whole only while at Saeryn’s side, and nothing matters to her more than this profound connection with her sister. The mystical link between the twins has always been strong, but in the past Saeryn longed for an identity apart from her sister, whom she treated with condescension. Saeryn considers herself the superior intellect and has sometimes regarded her sister as a mere extension of herself. But her actions prove that Rhyas is the one person in the world Saeryn truly values—as much as she can care about anyone. After their victory over Pyromalfic at the Castle of the Keys, the twins were ordered to take different routes on the journey north through Ios and Rhul. This period of separation marked the longest time Saeryn and Rhyas had been apart. Although it took its toll on both of them, their bond was cemented in the aftermath: each was reminded of the strength she gained from proximity to the other. Saeryn no longer seeks isolation, and the sisters’ combined strength far eclipses the powers either wields alone. Saeryn has adopted a new fighting style and now carries a spear, the haft of which was made from a powerful staff recovered from the Shyvess shard. Saeryn’s connection to Rhyas guides her strikes. Their spells and steel work in tandem as they overwhelm their foes with a flurry of magical and physical attacks. The consumption of Pyromalfic’s athanc significantly increased Everblight’s power, and the twins felt this influx of strength. Surges of blighted energy coursed through their bodies from their athanc shards, shaping them anew. Their physical changes are outward manifestations of a deeper transmutation that bestowed new and powerful abilities. The very essence of the twins and their athanc shards are now entwined; destroying one is impossible without eliminating the other. In the same manner that Saeryn concealed portions of her own mind from both her sister and Everblight, she can screen off Rhyas’ mind as well—an ability Rhyas knew nothing about until Saeryn put it to use in the final hours of the Great Hunt. Placed in a position that required her to defy Everblight to cooperate with the dragon Blighterghast in order to save her master, Saeryn sealed off her mind as well as her sister’s. While their subsequent actions preserved the Legion and ended the Great Hunt, Everblight regards the twins’ deeds as a betrayal. In time he may come to accept the necessity of their decision, but for now Saeryn and Rhyas exist at the fringes of the Legion, serving the dragon’s cause at a distance.
TACTICAL TIPS
52
Dispel – Because they expire immediately, upkeep spells or animi that had an effect when the model was hit or damaged will have no effect.
53
FURY: 5 RHYAS 2 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 6 8 6 16 14 8
ANTIPHON RNG POW P+S 2 7 13 DAMAGE:8 BASE:SMALL
RHYAS 2 PARRY ACROBATICS – This model can advance through other
models if it has enough movement to move completely past their bases. This model ignores intervening models when declaring its charge target. CHANNELER [SAERYN] – While this model is in Saeryn’s control range, Saeryn can channel spells through it. GRANTED: RIPOSTE – While this model is in formation, models in its unit that are in formation gain Riposte. (When a model with Riposte is missed by an enemy melee attack, immediately after the attack is resolved it can make one basic melee attack against the attacking model.) TWIN SISTER – Saeryn and Rhyas are both warlock models, but only Saeryn has the Officer advantage. Saeryn and Rhyas share a single battlegroup and count as one warlock for the purposes of army construction. Saeryn and Rhyas cannot have an Attached model. Your warlock is destroyed only if both Saeryn and Rhyas are destroyed or removed from play.
ANTIPHON DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL WEAPON MASTER CRITICAL DECAPITATION – On a critical hit, double the damage exceeding the ARM of the model hit. A model disabled by this attack cannot make a Tough roll.
54
FEAT: CONJOINED SPIRITS Saeryn and Rhyas are inseparable, each the shadow of the other. In the heat of battle, the twins call upon the dragon blood coursing through their veins to bend reality, returning from the brink of death or trading places in a shimmer of blighted energy. Conjoined Spirits can be used once per game by either Saeryn or Rhyas. When it is used, you can either have Saeryn and Rhyas immediately trade places or you can return one of them to play. If you choose to return Saeryn or Rhyas to play, place the returned model completely within 3˝ of the model that used Conjoined Spirits. The returned model comes into play with a number of fury points equal to its FURY. After Conjoined Spirits is used, Saeryn and Rhyas cannot advance for the rest of the turn. If either Saeryn or Rhyas is damaged by an attack made by the other, they both lose Conjoined Spirits for the rest of the game.
SPELLS
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF
FLASHING BLADE
1
SELF
–
–
–
NO
The spellcaster immediately makes one basic attack with one of its melee weapons against each enemy model in its LOS that is in the weapon’s melee range. These attacks are simultaneous. OCCULTATION
2
6
–
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Stealth . Models are not affected while out of formation. ONSLAUGHT
2 SELF CTRL –
UP NO
The spellcaster and friendly Faction models beginning their activations in its control range gain Relentless Charge for one turn. (While advancing as part of a charge, a model with Relentless Charge gains Pathfinder .)
55
THAGROSH, PROPHET OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BLIGHTED OGRUN WARLOCK FURY: 7 THAGROSH 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 9 7 5 14 16 10
BLIGHTED BREATH RNG ROF AOE POW SP 8 1 — 12
RAPTURE RNG POW P+S 2 7 16
CLAW RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 12 DAMAGE:18 WB +28
FA C
BASE:MEDIUM
THAGROSH 1 TOUGH ATHANC – Immediately after leeching, this model gains
up to its FURY in fury points. It cannot exceed its FURY in fury points as a result of Athanc. ATTUNED SPIRIT [LEGION] – Once per activation, this model can cast the animus of a Legion warbeast in its battlegroup without spending fury. DEATH SHROUD – While within this model’s command range, enemy models suffer –2 STR.
BLIGHTED BREATH DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE
RAPTURE DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL ERUPTION OF ASH – If a model is boxed by an attack
made with this weapon, center a 3˝ AOE cloud effect on the boxed model and then remove that model from play. The AOE is a hazard that remains in play for one round. Enemy models in the AOE when it was put in play are hit and suffer a POW 12 fire damage roll . Enemy models entering or ending their activations in the AOE suffer a POW 12 fire damage roll . Eruption of Ash damage rolls cannot be boosted.
TACTICAL TIPS FEAT: DARK REVIVAL The Prophet of Everblight safeguards the largest portion of his master’s athanc, and from its dark energies potent malignancy pumps through his veins—true draconic blood. As the singular blight of this blood, Thagrosh can pour new life into the spawn that have fallen in battle, letting them taste the dragon’s blessing to cheat death. Revitalized, they rejoin the fight as if freshly born. It is a sight that can make even the bravest enemy weep with despair.
Mutagenesis – Because the boxed model is removed from play before being destroyed, it does not generate a soul or corpse token. Although replacing the boxed model is optional, removing it from play is not. If this spell was channeled, this model cannot replace the boxed model.
Return one destroyed large-based or smaller warbeast that was part of Thagrosh’s battlegroup to play. Place it anywhere completely within 3˝ of him. The warbeast forfeits its Combat Action this turn.
SPELLS DRACONIC BLESSING
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains +2 STR and Immunity: Fire . Models are not affected while out of formation. FOG OF WAR
3
SELF CTRL
–
UP
NO
Models gain concealment while in the spellcaster’s control range. MUTAGENESIS
3
8
– 12 – YES
Target model boxed by Mutagenesis is removed from play. When Mutagenesis boxes an enemy model and the spellcaster was the spell’s point of origin, the spellcaster can replace the boxed model when it is removed from play. The spellcaster cannot advance this activation after replacing another model as a result of Mutagenesis. Mutagenesis can be cast only once per activation. OBLITERATION 4 10 5 15 – YES
The force of this attack blasts apart the earth itself. TWISTED FORM
2
8
–
–
RND YES
Target warbeast suffers –2 FURY, cannot have damage removed from it, and cannot have damage transferred to it. Twisted Form lasts for one round. Twisted Form can be cast only once per activation.
History will remember Thagrosh Hellborne as the abomination who unleashed the Legion of Everblight onto the world. This blight nearly annihilated the Nyss and spread down from the icy north into the heart of the lands of man. Thagrosh strides at its vanguard like death made flesh. Even before his transformation, Thagrosh endured a harder life than most ogrun. Khadoran brigands ransacked the village where he was born and enslaved its population. He spent his formative years under the lash, toiling at backbreaking labor. His burning rage eventually compelled him to choke a careless keeper with his chains, and he escaped to flee into the northern wilderness. Fevered whispers and nightmarish visions led him to the tallest mountain in the north. Exhausted and barely conscious of what he was doing, Thagrosh climbed that imposing peak, pulling himself up the ice face with bleeding fingers and shattered nails. There he discovered the sealed repository of the athanc of Everblight.
56
Eruption of Ash – Because the boxed model is removed from play before being destroyed, it does not generate a soul or corpse token.
In an unimaginable test of resolve, Thagrosh mutilated himself to accept the dragon’s blessing. He cut open his chest with a skinning knife and tore apart his own ribcage in order to drive the athanc into his heart. Its dark power sustained his life and transformed his body into a blighted vessel for an immortal presence. His mind expanded far beyond his old reckoning, it has become difficult for Thagrosh to divorce his perspective from that of his dragon-god. The athanc has awakened in him a powerful sorcery born of Everblight—his patron, his advisor, and the object of his ultimate worship. Thagrosh the Prophet speaks with the dragon’s voice and embodies his will. The Prophet’s first actions were to descend upon the Nyss to shatter their old life and awaken their destiny as Everblight’s chosen. Guided by Everblight’s will, Thagrosh has transformed the Nyss into a blighted army ready to die for the dragon’s purposes. From his draconic blood he has birthed new dragonspawn in a variety of horrible forms that please his master. Thagrosh is a terror unequaled on Caen who leaves behind only the choking ash of corruption.
57
THAGROSH, THE MESSIAH LEGION BLIGHTED OGRUN WARLOCK FURY: 7 THAGROSH 2 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 11 7 5 13 17 10
BLIGHT FIRE RNG ROF AOE POW SP 10 1 — 12
RAPTURE RNG POW P+S 2 7 18
CLAW RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 14 DAMAGE:20 WB +25
FA C
BASE:LARGE
THAGROSH 2 FLIGHT TOUGH ATHANC – Immediately after leeching, this model gains up to its FURY in fury points. It cannot exceed its FURY in fury points as a result of Athanc. BLOOD SPAWN – Once per game, when this model suffers damage from an enemy attack and the damage is not transferred, after the attack is resolved you can place a non-character Faction lesser warbeast in play anywhere completely within 3˝ of this model. The warbeast is part of this model’s battlegroup. The warbeast cannot activate this turn.
BLIGHT FIRE CRITICAL FREEZE – On a critical hit, the model hit becomes stationary for one round unless it has Immunity: Cold .
RAPTURE DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL ERUPTION OF ASH – If a model is boxed by an
attack made with this weapon, center a 3˝ AOE cloud effect on the boxed model and then remove that model from play. The AOE is a hazard that remains in play for one round. Enemy models in the AOE when it was put in play are hit and suffer a POW 12 fire damage roll . Enemy models entering or ending their activations in the AOE suffer a POW 12 fire damage roll . Eruption of Ash damage rolls cannot be boosted.
After all friendly models have completed their activations this turn, each warbeast in Thagrosh’s battlegroup that is in his control range can make a full advance followed by one basic melee attack. Completely resolve each warbeast’s movement and attack before moving on to the next.
Thagrosh’s metamorphosis came when he had just begun to separate his identity from Everblight’s. The ogrun had reached an unspoken accord with his master and started to put forth
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
–
UP NO
Target friendly non-warlock Faction model/ unit gains +2 ARM. When an affected model is disabled by a melee attack, the attacker suffers the Corrosion continuous effect . Models are not affected while out of formation. FLESH EATER
3
10
–
13
–
YES
When a living enemy model is damaged by Flesh Eater, the spellcaster or a living warbeast in its battlegroup in its control range can remove d3 damage points. MANIFEST DESTINY 3
SELF CTRL – TURN NO
While in the spellcaster’s control range, models in its battlegroup gain an additional die on melee attack and melee damage rolls. Discard the lowest die of each roll. Manifest Destiny lasts for one turn. 4 8 3 13 – YES
Models hit by this attack become knocked down.
Mortal flesh should not bear the weight of a hidden god. With an ear-rending howl Thagrosh expels a fraction of that power to ignite the blood of all draconic horrors blessed of Everblight. Boiling over with fury and strength, they surge forward to annihilate anything in their paths.
Thagrosh has never been comfortable in his new flesh. His skin, bones, and sinew continue to shift as if struggling to contain the wild power within him. This discomfort vanishes in battle, however, where he revels in his new strength and his nearly effortless evocation of blighted power. Some part of him understands his mortal flesh will ultimately fail to contain the might of dragons, but when combat is upon him he relishes the godlike sensations. Doubts about his future creep into the corners of his mind only in those rare, still moments when he stands vigil over his protean army, thoughtfully watching it gather its strength for the next engagement.
DRAGON’S BLOOD
SCOURGE
FEAT: DRAGON STORM
Everblight did not warn Thagrosh of the painful transmutation that would follow his consumption of Pyromalfic’s athanc. From the first moments after the triumph at the Castle of the Keys, Thagrosh experienced a blend of agony and ecstasy as blighted energies suffused his being. The process of sublimating Pyromalfic’s essence into Everblight’s consciousness brought a host of confusing memories, sensations, and physiological changes. Now, no longer ogrun, Thagrosh has become something the world has never seen, his form closer to and yet distinct from the dragons themselves. He has become Everblight’s true avatar.
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SPELLS
CONTINUOUS EFFECT: FIRE DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE
UNNATURAL AGGRESSION
2
6
–
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model gains HyperAggressive. (When a model with Hyper-Aggressive suffers damage from an enemy attack anytime at any time except while it is advancing, after the attack is resolved it can immediately make a full advance directly toward the attacking model.)
a distinct voice as leader of the Legion. Since he consumed Pyromalfic’s athanc, however, Everblight’s presence is stronger than ever, a raging tornado of intelligence and hubris. It is as though Everblight is stirring just below surface of Thagrosh’s thoughts, a vast alien presence impatiently looking through his eyes and sometimes speaking with his tongue. Thagrosh loses himself for long hours, subsumed by the mind of the dragon. Every time he rises from its depths, he feels its gravitational pull more strongly. Draconic temper increasingly dominates Thagrosh’s mood. As the dragon spreads his mind and grows in power, Thagrosh finds it increasingly difficult to restrain the impulse to let loose his full strength. He feels this fury like the touch of searing iron igniting the pure dragon blood pumping through his veins. The urge to enter battle at the slightest provocation can at times become overwhelming, and indulging in these slaughters serves to quiet his thoughts only for a time. It is not enough to simply be victorious—he must annihilate each foe utterly.
TACTICAL TIPS Eruption of Ash – Because the boxed model is removed from play before being destroyed, it does not generate a soul or corpse token. Scourge – This means every model in the AOE is knocked down, friendly and enemy alike.
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VAYL, DISCIPLE OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS WARLOCK
Nyss refugees will forever condemn the perfidious Vayl Hallyr as the agent who paved the way for Thagrosh’s blighted dominion. This sorceress provided the Prophet with the start of his army by corrupting thousands of her people into the Legion’s terrible fold. Unlike most, her body has changed little in the shadow of Everblight—some would say because she was a monster long before receiving a shard of the dragon’s athanc.
FURY: 8 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 5 3 6 15 14 9
VAYL 1
ORACULUS RNG ROF AOE POW 8 1 — 8 DAMAGE:14 WB +27
FA C
BASE:SMALL
VAYL 1 IMMUNITY: COLD DARK SENTINEL – Once per turn, when an enemy
model advances and ends its Normal Movement within 5˝ of this model, a friendly Faction warbeast within 5˝ of this model can immediately make a full advance followed by a basic melee or ranged attack targeting the enemy model. The warbeast gains boosted attack and damage rolls against the enemy model. SNOW-WREATHED – This model has concealment. TALION – Once per turn when this model suffers damage from an enemy attack, it can spend 1 fury point to transfer up to 5 points of that damage to an enemy warbeast in its control range but must suffer the rest of the damage itself.
ORACULUS DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL GUIDED – Attacks made with this weapon automatically
hit. SPELLBOUND – This model can channel spells through a
model hit by an attack made with this weapon this turn.
FEAT: CAT & MOUSE Through the Oraculus, Vayl gains a unique perspective on the future flow of battle. She can then channel the dragon’s predatory instincts to move her minions like pieces on a board, letting them react to her enemy’s every movement as part of her unfolding strategy. At the end of this turn after all friendly models have ended their activations, each other friendly Faction model in Vayl’s control range can make a full advance. During this movement, the affected model cannot be targeted by free strikes.
SPELLS FROST FIELD
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
–
UP
NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Chiller. Models are not affected while out of formation. (While within 2˝ of a model with Chiller, enemy models suffer –2 DEF unless they have Immunity: Cold .) HOARFROST
3 8 3 14 * YES
Hoarfrost causes cold damage . On a critical hit, models in the AOE become stationary for one round unless they have Immunity: Cold . INCITE
4 SELF –
– TURN NO
Friendly Faction models gain +2 to attack and damage rolls against enemy models while the enemy models are in the spellcaster’s command range. Incite lasts for one turn. LEASH
2
6 –
– UP NO
Immediately after the spellcaster ends its Normal Movement, target warbeast in its battlegroup can advance up to 3˝ directly toward it. MALICE
2 10 – 10 – YES
Add +1 to the damage roll for each fury point on the target model.
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Vayl first demonstrated her lack of conscience by coldly manipulating the Fane of Nyssor. Only Nyss priests and sorcerers are literate in the sacred language of Aeric, but Vayl feigned piety to gain access to every scroll and tome she could find until she exhausted their library. Her mentors believed her religious zeal so completely they offered her membership in the clergy, but Vayl laughed at them and spoke blasphemies in front of them. She was banned from ever again stepping foot on holy ground. Later Vayl organized the Hallyr tribe into an army to carve out territory for herself. Any who spoke against her vanished without a trace. Her attacks on nearby shards and Nyss shrines prompted the Fane to declare her tribe outlaw, though any attempts to unseat her met with fatal failure. Even her followers began to think she had breached all sane bounds, but the few who whispered too loudly were cruelly punished for their foolish resistance. Vayl enhanced her already potent gift of divination by crafting an arcane sphere of milky crystal spiked with razor-sharp blades and able to leech heat from the air. Peering into the crystal, she foresaw the rise of Everblight. She could have warned her people, but her hunger for power drove her to join him instead. Thus, Vayl became the first Nyss to embrace the transformation with full, willful awareness. Her betrayal allowed Thagrosh to assimilate the Nyss with exquisite speed and precision after she helped taint the Nyss water supply. By the time Thagrosh arrived, Vayl had prepared patterns of blighted energies keyed to react to the Prophet’s words. When the Nyss defenders finally realized the threat, Vayl turned her sorcery against her former kin and the clergy of Nyssor. Despite her efforts, the greatest priests and the god Nyssor escaped her treachery. Vayl continues to be secretly haunted by this failure, as Nyssor himself sometimes appears in her dreams to condemn her. She has increasingly become obsessed with destroying the god, hoping to escape the last glimmer of guilt that lurks in some forgotten part of her frozen heart.
TACTICAL TIPS Cat & Mouse – Vayl is not affected by Cat & Mouse.
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VAYL, CONSUL OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS WARLOCK FURY: 8 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 5 3 7 15 14 9
VAYL 2
ORACULI RNG ROF AOE POW 10 1 — 8 DAMAGE:14 WB +28
FA C
BASE:SMALL
VAYL 2 GUNFIGHTER IMMUNITY: COLD QUICK DRAW – Once per round during your opponent’s
turn, when an enemy model within 10˝ of this model that is in its LOS targets this model with a ranged attack, this model can make a ranged attack against the enemy model before it makes its attack roll. If this model’s ranged attack hits, the enemy model suffers no damage but its attack automatically misses. SERENITY – At the beginning of your Control Phase, before leeching, you can remove 1 fury point from a friendly Faction warbeast within 1˝ of this model.
ORACULI DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL RELOAD [2] – This model can spend fury points to make
up to two additional ranged attacks with this weapon during its Combat Action. It can make one additional attack for each fury point spent. SPELLBOUND – This model can channel spells through a model hit by an attack made with this weapon this turn.
FEAT: DARK MIRACLES As the supreme sorceress of the Legion of Everblight, Vayl has plumbed the depths of blighted power with a sophisticated touch none can rival. She contemptuously tears asunder the feeble magic of her enemies while unleashing her own in a devastating eruption of sorcerous might. This activation, Vayl can cast each of her spells once without spending fury.
SPELLS ADMONITION
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6 –
– UP NO
When an enemy model advances and ends its movement within 6˝ of target model in the spellcaster’s battlegroup, the affected model can immediately advance up to 3˝, then Admonition expires. The affected model cannot be targeted by free strikes during this movement. BOUNDLESS CHARGE
2
6
–
–
TURN NO
During its activation, target friendly Faction model can charge without spending focus or being forced and gains +2˝ movement and Pathfinder when it charges. Boundless Charge lasts for one turn. CHASTEN
2 8 – 12 – YES
Enemy upkeep spells and animi on target model/unit damaged by this attack expire. DEADLY STORM
3 10 3 13 RND YES
Deadly Storm causes cold damage . The AOE is a cloud effect that remains in play for one round. ICY GRIP
2
8
–
–
UP YES
Target warrior model/unit without Immunity: Cold suffers –2 DEF and cannot run or make power attacks or special attacks. OCCULTATION
2
6 –
– UP NO
Target friendly Faction model/unit gains Stealth . Models are not affected while out of formation.
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While Thagrosh stands as Everblight’s Messiah, the might of the Legion has grown in accordance with the plans and tireless efforts of the Legion’s dark queen, Vayl Hallyr. Her master’s servants are hers to command, and she does so with the same flawless skill with which she wields her blighted sorcery. Vayl strides regally among the elite of her armies, picking and choosing which conflicts require her personal intervention by peering into the mists of the future with her divinatory powers. She appears to take singular satisfaction in the successes of the dragon, for only by advancing her master’s power can she ensure her own star ascends. The trust placed in Vayl by Everblight is well deserved; no other among the dragon’s generals has been so instrumental in forging the once-broken people of the Nyss into the adaptable army he requires. There are those who might believe Vayl incapable of true loyalty, given she sacrificed her people to the dragon of her own free will, but such people do not understand her. The goals of Everblight and Vayl harmonize perfectly, for she has given herself over wholly to the dragon’s purposes, and in doing so she has received everything required to realize her own dreams of power and domination. As consul, Vayl has achieved a position of regal authority. Answering only to Thagrosh and to Everblight himself, she has become empowered to explore her mystical arts. In exchange for the freedom she has been given, Vayl has turned all her considerable intelligence and cunning toward achieving the dragon’s longterm plans. She has seized the opportunity to become the ultimate mistress of her own fate, all the while acting as the perfect administrator for Everblight’s now far-flung Legion. Vayl’s mastery of the new society of the Legion came in equal measure through her political acumen and her thorough understanding and insight into the nature of the blight. Her ability to adapt Nyss sorcery to utilize the dragon’s power has served as the template for all the blighted sorceresses who have followed. Each of these new disciples looks to Vayl for direction, and her development of this arcane branch has led to the Legion’s unprecedented advances in arcane weaponry. Drawing on this lore, Vayl has begun to unravel the mysteries of the athanc, following Everblight’s lead. It was through this study that she modified her oraculus to resemble that paragon of crystalline perfection—and then split it in three. She strives to make similar use of the physical remains of fallen dragons to craft tools by which the Legion can locate and confront Everblight’s draconic siblings. Given her prodigious skill, she may succeed in accomplishing in a few years tasks that have eluded the lich lords of Cryx for centuries.
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WARBEASTS OF THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT The warbeasts of the Legion of Everblight take many shapes. Armed with teeth and talons, they are creations seemingly born from nightmares. Like the ancient dragons their forms emulate, they cut down foes with swift strikes of their claws or assail them with exhalations of scorching flame, leaving behind nothing more than ashes. They are predators pure in form, refined beyond what is found in nature—products of the dark and calculating mind of Everblight.
The Nature of the Beast
Unlike the warbeasts used by many of the primal cultures of western Immoren, the living weapons of the Legion of Everblight are spawned for the express purpose of war and slaughter. These creatures inherently share a link with the dragon’s warlocks and do not require training. Instead, they come into existence prepared to receive the bond of a warlock, already possessing whichever unnatural gifts Everblight deemed suitable when first dreaming up their forms in his labyrinthine mind. Each warbeast is designed for a specific purpose, its form perfectly suited to that task. Physically powerful and heavily armored warbeasts like the carnivean tear through enemy ranks, while stalking horrors like the raek prowl unseen by the enemy before striking from concealment. The teraph is a patient guardian, able to burrow into the earth and remain there with minimal expenditure of energy almost indefinitely until it springs forth to attack. Other warbeasts, like the
64
angelius and seraph, attack from the skies or provide aerial reconnaissance. Each is a product of Everblight’s biological engineering, an unnatural weapon of war. Many of these dragonspawn designs are ancient, conceived by the dragon to guard his lair under Morrdh or to serve as weapons of terror against that kingdom’s enemies. Others are more recently derived. Although they are alive in the most basic sense of the word, Everblight’s dragonspawn are not natural animals but rather organic constructs, crafted as deliberately as the wolds fashioned by the blackclads. They are essentially biological machines, lacking the drives, emotions, and mental complexity of ordinary beasts. They have familiar bodily structures such as muscles, skin, blood, internal organs, and bones, and they need food to grow to full mass and to fight at peak effectiveness, but hunger is one of their few internal drives. They do not require sleep, and even when deprived of sustenance a dragonspawn can endure far longer than ordinary creatures, atrophying and shrinking over an extended period without perishing. When given ample nourishment, they can be restored to full vitality and size with alarming speed. Similarly, they are able to reach full potency very quickly after being first spawned, requiring none of the slow and laborious growth and development of natural living creatures. Dragonspawn are born with enhanced senses to aid them in the pursuit of prey. They can identify the scent of an individual from over a mile away and can hear even the slightest sounds. Lacking eyes, the spawn experience the
world through special organs that give vivid feedback through the blighted energies they continually radiate. This unique perception allows them to view their surroundings unhindered by battlefield smoke or the cover of nightfall, giving them a distinct advantage in conditions of low visibility. These blighted senses were designed to help the dragonspawn with tasks such as guarding their masters and hunting. The focus of these senses is intentionally narrowed so the spawn can carry out these roles with minimal distraction. Dragonspawn also have limited reactions to impulses like pain or extremes in temperature. If their tasks require it, these spawn can ignore even the most drastic damage to their bodies without flinching. Self-preservation is an instinct as unknown to them as fear. Spawn of other dragons are prone to wandering off to slay indiscriminately and thereby draw unwanted attention, but Everblight has learned well the benefits of remaining unnoticed. He builds his servants to wait inert but aware, conserving energy until they are needed for a specific task or prompted into action by the appearance of enemies. The creatures are not truly mindless—they possess ingrained behavior patterns that help them excel at the tasks for which they are designed— but they rarely initiate activity other than hunting when first spawned. All actions a dragonspawn performs are rooted in
instructions either built into the creature or given by one of Everblight’s warlocks. Each spawn’s true potential is reached only when directly controlled.
Birthed from Blood
Dragons draw upon the blighted power in their blood to produce dragonspawn, and Everblight is no exception. The primary difference, aside from Everblight’s control over the form his spawn take, is that he is capable of producing much greater volumes of them through his warlock proxies. The athanc shard transforms the blood in his hosts to draconic blood filled with the generative power of his blight. This transformative property grants Everblight the power to produce dragonspawn by proxy, something never before seen with other dragons, and it frees the Legion to create spawn in seemingly unlimited numbers. To create dragonspawn, Everblight’s warlocks must spill their own blood, choosing at that time the form of the beast they require to be spawned. That blood reacts to the will of both the warlock and Everblight and assumes the form desired, usually chosen from well-known templates developed over Everblight’s long centuries of experimentation. Warlocks must offer varying amounts of blood depending on the size
WARBEASTS OF THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
65
and complexity of the beast being created, ranging from a trickle for a smaller spawn such as a shredder to severe exsanguination for the creation of large spawn such as a ravagore or an angelius. Whether due to the particular potency of their blood or to an innate ability of the blighted form bestowed by Everblight, warlocks such as Thagrosh and Absylonia can spawn hardier beasts that mature faster than those of the dragon’s other vassals. Creating warbeasts is a taxing process that sometimes requires removing valuable warlocks from the field until they recover from blood loss. It is for this reason that spawning vessels were created and have been steadily improved to lessen the burden on the warlocks. An innovation initially pioneered by the sorceress Vayl Hallyr, spawning vessels allow for the creation of warbeasts with a fraction of the normal resources and do not require a warlock’s involvement beyond an initial contribution of blood to prime the process. Massive cauldrons made specifically for this purpose, spawning vessels transmute volumes of lesser flesh and blood into fully formed spawn. Common spawning vessels can produce only the least of Everblight’s spawn in this manner. A limited number of larger and more powerful vessels exist, and it is a priority for the Legion’s sorcerers to create more. As the blighted Legion ranges farther across western Immoren, Everblight has come to rely increasingly on these vessels to bolster his forces and to replace dragonspawn killed in battle.
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WARBEASTS OF THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
The fabrication of spawning vessels is a difficult and timeconsuming process requiring arcane rituals conducted by Nyss sorcerers in conjunction with a warlock of Everblight. The vessels are inscribed with Aeric runes to channel the powerful blighted energies they draw upon to complete the transformation of bodies placed within. A warlock contributes a small quantity of draconic blood both to empower these runes and to serve as a transformative base coating the bottom of the vessel. From that point on, vessel attendants called acolyths can reactivate the patterned energies to transform ordinary blood and flesh into dragonspawn without additional athanc-empowered blood. Although still only half-formed, a newborn dragonspawn already displays the formidable natural weaponry, near-insatiable hunger, and honed instinct to kill that is characteristic of all dragonspawn. Freshly spawned beasts are immediately taken on hunts to slake their appetite and add the mass necessary to reach full size. If given access to an adequate supply of flesh and blood to consume, even the largest warbeasts can attain full size within hours of creation. This unnaturally rapid maturation makes it possible for Legion elements that include a spawning vessel to greatly augment an existing fighting force or to swiftly replace destroyed dragonspawn in the field without returning to an encampment.
Nephilim
Unlike other dragonspawn, nephilim require special intermediaries to bring to term and birth a spawn from a pregnant Nyss who has been exposed to the blood of a warlock. Everblight and his generals handpick pregnant blighted Nyss to undergo this process. The chosen subject receives a special infusion of warlock blood, which transforms the fetus into a creature blending attributes of both Nyss and dragonspawn. These are the nephilim, dragonspawn boasting unparalleled cunning, free will, and the ability to employ complex tactics and organized behavior. They can be trained to wear armor and fight effectively with weapons, and it is possible to further refine their breeding to give each nephilim a specialized role on the battlefield. The nephilim occupy a special place in the emerging society of the Legion. Belying their monstrous forms, each nephilim has a sentient soul inherited from its Nyss parentage—unique among Everblight’s spawn. It is their soul that affords them free will and a degree of independent intelligence lacking in other spawn. The nephilim are a wholly new species utterly unlike the race from which they were derived. Isolated from the clannish Nyss society, the creatures naturally gravitate toward warlocks, whom they revere as direct conduits to the dragon who is their god and father. In years to come they may develop the rudiments of their own culture, but for now they have been willing to devote their lives to loyal service.
of the corpse of another dragon, such as its bones. For this reason, Everblight not only seeks to absorb the athancs of his siblings to enhance his strength but also to secure their corpses as well. From the bones of Pyromalfic and Charsaug, Everblight’s warlocks have given rise to earth-shaking spawn of immense size. The first of these creations, the archangels, can instill fear even in other dragons. Their form closely resembles their creator, and their size and power far exceed that of any spawn created by another dragon. The more monstrous blightbringers do not possess the same grace of form but serve as versatile weapons, each an epicenter of blight that can augment a warlock’s entire army while similarly weakening the foe. These massive beasts now play a critical role in Everblight’s continued survival as open conflict with Toruk’s other progeny grows increasingly likely. The promise of future clashes between dragons guarantees these first gargantuans will not be the last.
Nephilim are not born into the world bonded to a master like Everblight’s other spawn. A warlock who wishes to command a nephilim must establish that bond, which requires physical contact between the warlock and nephilim. Once this bond is established, the nephilim can be trained to fulfill specific battlefield roles, often determined by its specific anatomy. Nephilim have been rigorously trained to be perfect soldiers, artillerists, protectors of warlocks, and even bloodseers gifted with the ability to weave spells. The nephilim are one of Everblight’s greatest achievements in the refinement of his blight, combining the intelligence and versatility of the Nyss with the tenacity and ferocity of his spawn. As his experiments continue to turn the nephilim into new and more specialized creatures, it is only a matter of time before the blighted Nyss begin to question whether they have any place at all in the future of the dragon’s armies.
Gargantuans
Creating the most powerful of Everblight’s spawn requires more than just a few drops of a warlock’s blood in a spawning vessel brimming with gore. For gargantuan dragonspawn, the potency of the flesh and bone used in the spawning ritual are of the utmost importance. Creating a gargantuan requires a substantial quantity of fresh flesh, the blood of multiple warlocks working in unison, and some portion
WARBEASTS OF THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
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AFFLICTOR
LEGION LIGHT WARBEAST AFFLICTOR SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 6 4 12 15 4
OVIPOSITOR RNG POW P+S 1 5 11 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
6
SP
IR
5 FURY: 3 PC 6
THRESHOLD: 9 FA U
BASE:MEDIUM
EYELESS SIGHT FLIGHT SOULLESS INSCRUTABLE – Opponents cannot take control of this
model.
OVIPOSITOR INFECTION – Once per activation, when this model
boxes a living enemy warrior model with an attack with this weapon, you can remove the boxed model from play and replace it with an Incubus model.
ATTRACTOR
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1 SELF –
– – NO
Enemy models currently within 2˝ of the spellcaster are immediately pushed 2˝ directly toward it in the order you choose.
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Afflictors rise from the Legion’s ranks like nightmarish wasps sent out across the battlefield to hunt. Each unfortunate target impaled upon an afflictor’s barbed tail undergoes a rapid and horrifying transformation of the flesh. Tendons and bones snap and reform, muscles spasm and stretch beyond their limits, teeth and claws tear through skin, and the unwilling host experiences a few moments of indescribable agony and fear as a ravening incubus erupts from his ruined body. The last image the victim sees is that of his killer taking wing with a piercing shriek, already in pursuit of its next potential quarry.
TACTICAL TIPS Infection – Because the boxed model is removed from play before being destroyed, it does not generate a soul or corpse token.
AFFLICTOR
ANIMUS
Among the myriad powers at Everblight’s disposal, the most terrifying is the dragon’s capacity to infect his enemies in body and mind. The blight furnishes not only a means to create his servants and spawn but also a weapon to be wielded against lesser creatures. The afflictor was birthed to fulfill this very purpose: born in blight to spread the blight. Its body delivers the pernicious seed of allconsuming, destructive life. The moment a victim is struck by the beast’s wicked tail, that miserable individual is pumped full of seething, caustic corruption, his flesh reduced to a mere vessel for a new child of the dragon.
ANGELIUS
LEGION HEAVY WARBEAST The great six-winged angelius is a beast created to stand above the ranks of the seraphim and lead the flying hosts of Everblight to victory. Its razor-barbed tail strikes with blinding speed, impaling its victims with a ferocity belying its serpentine grace. The angelius remains in constant motion, soaring over the battlefield and killing with impunity while evading enemies unworthy of its attention.
ANGELIUS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 9 6 5 14 17 4
FLAME JET RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 12
More than two thousand years have passed since Everblight first unleashed his favored creation, near the end of the dragon’s alliance with the kingdom of Morrdh. Grown powerful, confident, and too comfortable in his influence over the lords of that dark kingdom, Everblight created the angelius to both placate the loyal and terrify the more recalcitrant lords. In this Everblight made a grave mistake, for agents of the Dragonfather spotted the serpentine spawn. Lord Toruk immediately recognized the mark of its creator and deduced the progeny responsible, eventually unearthing Everblight’s hiding place and nearly exterminating him.
The time for secrecy ended, Thagrosh and the other warlocks have given life to many more of these flying terrors since. Under the shadow of their wings, the world will come to know its new master.
RNG POW P+S 2 5 14
BITE RNG POW P+S 1 3 12 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
Everblight would not spawn the angelius again until the benefits outweighed the risk of drawing attention. That time came as he prepared to battle the dragon Pyromalfic at the Castle of the Keys. He knew he would need the might of the angelii to strike down that rival. After weeks of preparation, Thagrosh summoned a seraph and spilled its willing blood before he cut his own veins and mingled the seraph’s essence with the purer heart-blood of the dragon. Thus the first angelius of the new age tore into the sky with a rending cry, and with its aid Pyromalfic was defeated.
TAIL STRIKE
SP
6
IR
5 FURY: 4 PC 17
THRESHOLD: 9 FA U
BASE:LARGE
ANGELIUS
TACTICAL TIPS Serpentine – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
EYELESS SIGHT FLIGHT SOULLESS OVERTAKE – When this model destroys one or more
enemy models with a basic melee attack during its Combat Action, after the attack is resolved it can immediately advance up to 1˝. SERPENTINE – This model cannot make slam or trample power attacks and cannot become knocked down.
FLAME JET CRITICAL FIRE DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE
TAIL STRIKE ARMOR-PIERCING (HATTACK) – When calculating damage from this weapon, halve the base ARM stats of models hit.
ANIMUS REPULSION
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2 SELF –
– – NO
Enemy models currently within 2˝ of the spellcaster are immediately pushed 3˝ directly away from it in the order you choose.
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BLIGHT WASPS LEGION WARBEAST PACK LEADER & WASPS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 4 5 1 13 11 6
STINGER RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 8 DAMAGE: FURY: *
5 EACH THRESHOLD: 8
PC Pack Leader & 3 Wasps
FA U
8
BASE:SMALL
LEADER & WASPS EYELESS SIGHT FLIGHT SOULLESS HUNTING PACK – This model gains a +1 cumulative bonus to melee attack and damage rolls for each other model in this unit in the melee range of the model it is attacking.
STINGER CRITICAL POISON – On a critical hit, gain an additional die on this weapon’s damage rolls against living models.
ANIMUS HORNET’S NEST
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
–
TURN NO
When a model in target friendly Faction warbeast pack destroys an enemy model with a basic melee attack during its Combat Action, after the attack is resolved it can advance up to 1˝ and make an additional melee attack. Hornet’s Nest lasts for one turn.
70
Moving as a single mass of beating wings, scything claws, and pulsing stingers, swarms of blight wasps sow panic and death across the battlefield as they inject enemies with the poison of dragon blight itself. The victims they sting suffer excruciating spasms as their bodies erupt with spurs of bone. While a single dose of blight wasp toxin is enough to kill a human, the creatures mindlessly sting over and over again as their hapless targets writhe in agony, until they finally, mercifully, succumb to death. The Legion can create multitudes of these horrors with alarming ease, and the wasps grow to full size within hours. So great are their numbers that the incessant buzzing of a large swarm more than suffices to throw enemy soldiers into a panic, the sound acting as a terrifying precursor to the swarms themselves. In battle a blight wasp swarm moves unpredictably to harry and eliminate enemy warriors and warbeasts. These swarms frequently fan out in front of approaching Legion forces, sowing death and misery in preparation for more advanced blighted abominations. The swarm proves most formidable against ranks of enemy soldiers, whom they attack as a vicious, stinging cloud. Against larger prey, they converge and attack from multiple angles until they have utterly destroyed their quarry.
CARNIVEAN LEGION HEAVY WARBEAST
Carniveans are monstrosities designed to destroy and slaughter. Conceived of by Everblight long ago, carniveans were still exceedingly rare before the creation of the Legion. Even at the height of his meddling in the affairs of mortals when he laired beneath the black kingdom of Morrdh, Everblight rarely granted them command of these terrifying beasts, knowing their use could easily expose him to the eyes of Toruk’s agents. On the few occasions they were unleashed, the terror they inspired was far more powerful a weapon than any dark sorcery the Lords of Morrdh had at their disposal.
CARNIVEAN SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 12 6 4 11 18 3
DRAGON BREATH RNG ROF AOE POW SP 10 1 — 14
BITE RNG POW P+S 1 6 18
The rearmost four limbs of the carnivean allow for a steady stance and a rapid gait; the huge creature is able to move quickly across even the most daunting obstacles. The two considerably longer and more powerfully muscled upper limbs end in massive claws and are ridged with numerous flesh-tearing spines. Bony protrusions cover every inch of a carnivean, and its thick scales provide more protection than any natural hide. If urged by its master’s athanc, a carnivean can undergo a terrible mutagenesis that causes tremendous spines to erupt from its body to deflect attacks and impale foes at close range. A carnivean can also vomit a scorching but quickly consumed naphtha that melts flesh and ignites nerves with blighted agony.
TALON RNG POW P+S 1 4 16 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
Though Everblight has continually experimented with new and greater spawn in recent years, the carnivean remains one of his most frightful and efficient weapons. As his Legion marches across Immoren, these spawn have once again become the genesis of nightmares for any unfortunate enough to face them.
SP
6
IR
5 FURY: 4 PC 19
THRESHOLD: 9 FA U
BASE:LARGE
CARNIVEAN ASSAULT EYELESS SIGHT PATHFINDER SOULLESS
DRAGON BREATH DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE
TALON OPEN FIST
ANIMUS SPINY GROWTH
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
SELF
–
–
RND NO
The spellcaster gains +2 ARM. If a non-warrior model hits the spellcaster with a melee attack, the attacking model suffers d3 damage points immediately after the attack is resolved unless the spellcaster was destroyed or removed from play by the attack. Spiny Growth lasts for one round.
71
HARRIER
LEGION LESSER WARBEAST HARRIER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 5 5 3 13 13 2
TALONS RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 9 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
6
SP
IR
5 FURY: 2 PC 3
THRESHOLD: 7 FA U
BASE:SMALL
HARRIER EYELESS SIGHT FLIGHT SOULLESS ANNOYANCE – Living enemy models within 1˝ of this model suffer –1 to attack rolls.
ANIMUS ELUSIVE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1 SELF –
– RND NO
The spellcaster gains Dodge. Elusive lasts for one round. (A model with Dodge can advance up to 2˝ immediately after an enemy attack that missed it is resolved unless it was missed while advancing. It cannot be targeted by free strikes during this movement.)
72
A horror from earlier eras, the harrier has been called from the depths of the dragon’s blood to serve the Legion of Everblight. Though they bear a passing resemblance to the endlessly ravenous shredders, harriers are not afflicted with overpowering hunger after they grow to full size. Ranging far ahead of the dragongod’s blighted army as emissaries of terror, they fall upon their victims with swift and deadly violence. Their speed and maneuverability are prized attributes, giving the harriers the ability to probe enemy defenses before tearing through their flanks. Like all dragonspawn, harriers have no true soul despite their bestial intelligence. These unnatural creatures only mimic life and lack their own internal motivation; their sole purpose is to serve at the whim of Everblight’s warlocks. They are endlessly patient and dedicated, more than any natural living thing, and are able to sustain themselves for protracted periods in the air without fatigue if need be. Harriers are incredibly deft despite their lack of sight. Their senses are keener than even those of the shredders; they can detect incoming threats from great distances. In ancient times Everblight used harriers to scout remote positions and to find sites suitable for his lairs; now they are simply another potent weapon in the Legion’s arsenal. The sight of their sickly, wet flesh gleaming in the waning moonlight is often a harbinger of death for any who behold them.
NAGA NIGHTLURKER LEGION LIGHT WARBEAST
As winged spawn soar overhead, the hosts of Everblight’s legion are preceded on the ground by the fearsome nagas. These vicious minions slither through the shadows toward their prey, serpent-like, their countless small claws allowing them to clamber swiftly over any obstacle. Nagas use their fanged maws to tear apart the enemies of their master after spewing their caustic venom from a distance. The sight of comrades’ melting flesh is often enough to send unaffected foes fleeing in horror before the nagas can arrive to claim their feast, unnatural darkness dripping from their jaws.
NAGA SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 5 6 13 15 4
NIGHT’S VENOM RNG ROF AOE POW 10 1 — 12
BITE RNG POW P+S 1 4 10
Nagas were among the first forms Everblight crafted in the time of Morrdh. Ancient texts from that period refer to the “worms of the earth” that devoured the enemies of Morrdh and likened them to “crawling shadows.” Some of these terrifying creatures came to be known as “nightlurkers” in the language of Morrdh, and legends suggested they feasted on dreams and spread nightmares by their mere proximity. Though seemingly simple in form, nagas are in truth complex spawn representing Everblight’s genius in the manipulation of blighted flesh. Possessed of keen senses, natural armor, and an extreme viciousness crafted with deliberation by their creator, nagas are more formidable pound for pound than any creature produced by nature.
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
6
SP
IR
5 FURY: 3 PC 8
TACTICAL TIPS Serpentine – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
2
1
THRESHOLD: 8 FA U
BASE:MEDIUM
NAGA EYELESS SIGHT PATHFINDER SOULLESS PROWL – While this model has concealment, it gains Stealth . SERPENTINE – This model cannot make slam or trample power attacks and cannot become knocked down.
NIGHT’S VENOM DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL CRITICAL SHADOW BIND – On a critical hit, the model
hit suffers Shadow Bind for one round. (A model suffering Shadow Bind suffers –3 DEF, and for one round when it advances it cannot move except to change facing. Shadow Bind can be shaken.)
BITE CRITICAL SHADOW BIND – See above.
ANIMUS WRAITHBANE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
6
–
– TURN NO
Target friendly Faction model’s weapons gain Blessed and Damage Type: Magical . Wraithbane lasts for one turn.
73
NEPHILIM BLOODSEER LEGION LIGHT WARBEAST BLOODSEER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 8 5 3 12 18 6
GAFF RNG POW P+S 2 4 12 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
SP
6
IR
5 FURY: 3 PC 8
THRESHOLD: 10 FA U
BASE:MEDIUM
BLOODSEER EYELESS SIGHT FLIGHT PRIMAL MAGIC – This model can be forced to cast the
animus of any friendly Faction non-character warbeast in its command range as if the animus were its own. TELEMETRY – Other friendly Faction models gain +2 to magic attack rolls against enemy models in this model’s command range.
GAFF CRITICAL KNOCKDOWN – On a critical hit, the model hit
becomes knocked down.
ANIMUS ARCANE SUPPRESSION
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
SELF
–
–
RND NO
While within 10˝ of the spellcaster, when an enemy model casts a spell, increase the COST of the spell by 1. Additionally, while within 10˝ of the spellcaster, enemy models must pay double to upkeep spells. Arcane Suppression lasts for one round.
74
The nephilim number among the dragon’s favored children, in no small part due to the speed with which they have diverged into useful strains. The nephilim bloodseers in particular present a potent breed perfectly attuned to the dragon’s blight. The power of the dragon emanates from and surrounds these creatures, who wield it with frightening ease. They glide among the Legion’s armies, calling forth the blighted favors of the dragon’s will from their fellow spawn, striking down their enemies, and bolstering their brethren as necessary. As ravenous and bloodthirsty as any of their ilk, the bloodseers moreover feast upon the raw flesh of their enemies after laying them low with their profane gifts. The birth of the first bloodseers ushered in a new age in the evolution of Everblight’s spawn. Other nephilim have been observed to act as the bloodseers’ subordinates in what appears to be the rudiments of a culture developing among these hybrid species. Previously, only Everblight’s warlocks and the sorceresses of the blighted Nyss could effectively and consciously wield the latent mystical potential within the spawn. Those Nyss who witness bloodseers casting their spells often tremble, wondering how much longer their own species will remain necessary to the dragon’s plans.
NEPHILIM BOLT THROWER
LEGION LIGHT WARBEAST
Among the most horrific of Everblight’s creations, the nephilim combine the strength and bloodlust of dragonspawn with the instincts of a hunter and the cunning intellect of the Nyss. Nowhere is this union better represented than in the bolt throwers—nephilim with the capacity to wield powerful ballistae. The fusion of Nyss and draconic speed and agility make bolt throwers ideal mobile siege engines. Armed with their ballistae, they stalk the battlefield guided by their unnatural senses to unleash lethal barrages of crushing projectiles. A nephilim’s warlock can manipulate its draconic essence to enhance its marksmanship even further, allowing it to strike accurately from incredible distances.
BOLT THROWER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 8 6 5 13 16 5
BALLISTA RNG ROF AOE POW 10 1 — 14
BOW BLADE RNG POW P+S 1 3 11
A creature hit by a bolt thrower’s oversized missile is hurled backward with tremendous force. Those who take the full brunt of the weapon’s impact are knocked to the ground, easy prey for the nephilim to kill and feast upon. A bolt thrower can also fight at close range with the wicked blade mounted at the fore of its bow, savagely hacking apart anything not immediately felled by its ballista.
2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
While bolt throwers are dangerous enough on their own, they become truly lethal within hunting packs of Nyss and spawn. Working in concert, a team led by a bolt thrower can maximize the power and efficiency of its ballista. Once the bolt thrower knocks the chosen prey to the ground, the others can capitalize on the victim’s exposed state to attack with arrow, blade, and claw.
TACTICAL TIPS Quick Work – This model cannot make the additional attack if it is still in melee.
6
SP
IR
5 FURY: 3 PC 11
THRESHOLD: 10 FA U
BASE:MEDIUM
BOLT THROWER EYELESS SIGHT QUICK WORK – When this model destroys one or more
enemy models with a melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after that attack is resolved this model can make one basic ranged attack.
BALLISTA THUNDERBOLT – Enemy models hit are pushed d3˝
directly away from the attacking model. On a critical hit, the enemy model becomes knocked down after being pushed.
ANIMUS FAR STRIKE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1
SELF
–
–
TURN NO
The spellcaster’s ranged weapons gain Snipe. Far Strike lasts for one turn. (An attack with a weapon with Snipe gains +4 RNG.)
75
NEPHILIM PROTECTOR LEGION LIGHT WARBEAST PROTECTOR SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 8 6 3 12 18 5
HALBERD RNG POW P+S 2 4 12 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
6
SP
IR
5 FURY: 3 PC 10
THRESHOLD: 10 FA U
BASE:MEDIUM
PROTECTOR EYELESS SIGHT GUARD DOG – While this model is within 3˝ of its
warlock and is not knocked down or stationary, its warlock gains Parry and +2 DEF against melee attack rolls, and models attacking the warlock do not gain back strike bonuses. SHIELD GUARD – Once per round, when a friendly model is directly hit by a non-spray ranged attack during your opponent’s turn while within 3˝ of this model, you can choose to have this model directly hit instead. This model is automatically hit and suffers all damage and effects. This model cannot use Shield Guard while it is incorporeal, knocked down, or stationary.
ANIMUS ORNERY
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1 SELF –
– RND NO
The spellcaster gains Retaliatory Strike. Ornery lasts for one round and expires after the spellcaster makes a Retaliatory Strike attack. (If a model with Retaliatory Strike is hit by a melee attack made by an enemy model during your opponent’s turn, after that attack is resolved the model with Retaliatory Strike can immediately make one basic melee attack against that model.)
76
Nephilim continue to evolve under Everblight’s watchful eye, proving themselves an efficient breed. Their ability to wield arms while retaining the assets of draconic blood makes them ideal soldiers. Everblight has refined the process of their creation and is now able to sustain Nyss incubators through several births. While the dragon’s forces developed spawning vats to gestate nephilim in even greater numbers, the dragon continued to expand the creatures’ function and exploit their adaptability. Enter the nephilim protectors, shaped from birth to guard Everblight’s warlocks from harm. Since the battle at the Castle of the Keys, the importance of spawning this expression of nephilim has only increased. Though the gains the dragon made in this struggle were clearly worth the risk, exposing so many of his warlocks to potential destruction came to greatly trouble Everblight. After all, dividing his athanc among multiple generals enhances his own chances of survival only so long as those hosts endure. Thus, the dragon developed the nephilim protectors to help ensure the warlocks’ safety. Protectors unerringly follow an instinctive imperative to guard Everblight’s generals and will dive into harm’s way without hesitation or concern for their individual lives. Requiring no rest and never experiencing mental fatigue, protectors stay constantly alert for danger, ever wary of their surroundings in the interest of their charges.
NEPHILIM SOLDIER
LEGION LIGHT WARBEAST
TWO-HANDED SWORD RNG POW P+S 2 5 13 2
1
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
Everblight sees the nephilim soldiers as a marvelous improvement over the fragile elven form. These nephilim wield weapons and armor yet boast the powers, fearless tenacity, and inexhaustible stamina of dragonspawn. They display greater independence than the more bestial spawn, however, as well as a distinct glimmer of self-will—possibly due to their unforeseen development of souls, inherited from the Nyss. This greater self-determination sets them apart from their more tractable brethren and gives them unique advantages, such as the ability to interpret their master’s orders, act with some measure of forethought, and adapt to evolving situations. Though outsiders see the nephilim as warped horrors, the Legion views them as perfectly sublime creatures and a testament to the power of the dragon’s generative blight.
SOLDIER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 8 7 3 13 16 5
MIND
Everblight’s long study of the elves has borne horrific fruit in the nephilim. The dragon’s fascination with living organisms informs the creation of his dragonspawn and allows for great improvement upon nature’s crude vagaries. The process of life goes on among the blighted Nyss, who continue to bear young. Indeed, since the dragon tampered with their essences, Nyss mothers bring their offspring to term with shocking speed. What once occurred over months now takes only weeks. Everblight selects certain pregnant Nyss to receive a special draught of his warlocks’ blood. This blighted essence courses through their bodies, transforming the life growing within them into spawn. All Nyss born with the taint of Everblight’s gifts mature rapidly, but these near-perfect soldiers grow to maturity in just a few days.
6
SP
IR
5 FURY: 3 PC 9
THRESHOLD: 10 FA U
BASE:MEDIUM
SOLDIER EYELESS SIGHT FLIGHT PRECISION STRIKE – When this model damages a warjack or warbeast with a melee attack, choose which column or branch suffers the damage.
ANIMUS MASSACRE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1 SELF –
– TURN NO
The spellcaster gains Overtake. Massacre lasts for one turn. (When a model with Overtake destroys one or more enemy models with a basic melee attack during its Combat Action, after the attack is resolved it can immediately advance up to 1˝.)
77
NERAPH
LEGION HEAVY WARBEAST NERAPH SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 9 7 3 14 16 4
GRASPING TAIL RNG POW P+S 1 4 13
HAMMERHEAD RNG POW P+S 1 6 15 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
6
SP
IR
5 FURY: 3 PC 12
THRESHOLD: 9 FA U
BASE:LARGE
SERPENTINE – This model cannot make slam or trample power attacks and cannot become knocked down. SPRINT – At the end of an activation in which it destroyed or removed from play one or more enemy models with melee attacks, this model can immediately make a full advance, then its activation ends.
GRASPING TAIL OPEN FIST COIL – When this model directly hits a model with this
weapon, this model’s melee attacks against that model automatically hit for one turn.
HAMMERHEAD BEAT BACK – Immediately after a basic attack with
this weapon is resolved during this model’s Combat Action, the enemy model hit can be pushed 1˝ directly away from the attacking model. After the enemy model is pushed, the attacking model can advance up to 1˝ directly toward it.
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1 SELF –
– – NO
Enemy models currently within 2˝ of the spellcaster are immediately pushed 2˝ directly toward it in the order you choose.
78
Trapped in the heavy coils of the tail, the neraph’s victim is incapable of evading the crushing blows that follow. The dragonspawn hoists a target aloft and contorts its powerful body to hammer the life out of it with the hardened chitin of its eyeless skull. Each strike carries all the force of the creature’s blighted strength, snapping bones like twigs and bursting skulls like rotten fruit. Once its quarry is felled the neraph takes to the hunt once more, wheeling over the battlefield in search of fresh prey.
TACTICAL TIPS Serpentine – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
EYELESS SIGHT FLIGHT SOULLESS
ATTRACTOR
Four leathery wings hold aloft the neraph’s sinuous body, producing swirling eddies of blighted energy as it darts through the sky. It can create a vortex of these blighted currents that warps the world around it, drawing nearby enemies into the reach of its long, grasping tail. A cruel constellation of sucking orifices on the neraph’s tail lock onto the skin of its prey, preventing escape as the beast binds its prize in a quick series of constricting loops.
Beat Back – You cannot move toward a model you destroyed.
NERAPH
ANIMUS
Winged hosts of Everblight’s dragonspawn darken the skies over battlefields, pitching downward to scatter the enemy and sow bloody chaos among them. Swooping over walled fortifications and the heads of rival forces, these flying spawn are able to strike at the heart of the enemy no matter how well defended he believes himself to be. The neraph is one such fearful creation, a sublime hunter that plunges from above to snatch prey with its tail and wrench it skyward.
RAEK
LEGION LIGHT WARBEAST Working from the scattered records of ancient folk tales, only the most penetrating and insightful scholars could glean any hint of the terrors Everblight unleashed while he laired beneath Morrdh. Among these thankfully forgotten beasts stalked a predator called the raek, an archaic monster that has again come to hunt mankind.
RAEK SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 8 6 3 15 14 4
BITE RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 11
The dark masters of Morrdh once dispatched these terrors when they deemed death too simple a fate for an enemy. Spawned by Everblight, raeks were living warnings that no betrayer of that accursed kingdom would find safety. Flight or evasion did nothing but delay the inevitable, for the raek would persevere undeterred across untold distances before closing for the kill. With a single great leap it would lock its fang-filled jaws onto its prey, holding fast while ripping its victim’s body apart with repeated strikes from its wickedly sharp tail.
TAIL STRIKE RNG POW P+S 1 4 12 2
1
MIND
The creation of the Legion has prompted Everblight to bring the raek back into the world and send it forth to hunt. No matter how fast its quarry, the raek moves faster. Sleek, powerful, and graceful, the raek hunts inexorably, never losing the trail and able to circumvent any barrier that might shelter its victim. This singleminded and patient killer ignores all outside distractions and possesses no instinct for self-preservation that might hinder a natural predator. It is a shining example of Everblight’s genius at improving upon nature.
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
6
SP
IR
5 FURY: 3 PC 8
THRESHOLD: 9 FA U
BASE:MEDIUM
RAEK EYELESS SIGHT PATHFINDER SOULLESS STEALTH BOUNDING LEAP – Once per activation, after making a full advance as its Normal Movement but before performing its Combat Action, this model can be forced to be placed completely within 5˝ of its current location. EXTENDED CONTROL RANGE – When checking to see if this model is in its controller’s control range, double the range.
ANIMUS STILL AS DEATH
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1
SELF
–
–
RND NO
The spellcaster gains Countercharge. Still as Death lasts for one round. (When an enemy model advances and ends its movement within 6˝ of a model with Countercharge and in its LOS, the model with Countercharge can immediately charge it. A model can use Countercharge only once per round and not while engaged.)
79
RAVAGORE
LEGION HEAVY WARBEAST RAVAGORE SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 12 5 5 11 18 3
BLIGHT BLAST RNG ROF AOE POW 14 1 4 15
TALON RNG POW P+S 1 4 16
BITE RNG POW P+S 1 3 15 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
SP
6
IR
5 FURY: 4 PC 19
THRESHOLD: 9 FA U
BASE:LARGE
RAVAGORE EYELESS SIGHT FLIGHT SOULLESS
BLIGHT BLAST DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE ARCING FIRE – When attacking with this weapon, this
model can ignore intervening models except those within 1˝ of the target. SCATHER – This attack’s AOE is a hazard that remains in play for one round. Models entering or ending their activations in the AOE suffer 1 point of corrosion damage .
TALON OPEN FIST
ANIMUS RECOIL
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1 SELF –
– TURN NO
The spellcaster gains Swift Hunter. Recoil lasts for one turn. (When a model with Swift Hunter destroys one or more enemy models with a basic ranged attack, immediately after the attack is resolved it can advance up to 2˝.)
80
As a living vehicle for the delivery of Everblight’s fiery breath, the ravagore is one of the dragon’s favored creations. Though the cost in blood runs high for the warlocks who must spawn the huge creatures, the price is well spent. A single ravagore can inflict terrible and widespread destruction. A cold, blue glow produced by the blight-fueled heat within the creatures’ bellies emanates from their maws. When a ravagore fills its lungs, a distinctive hiss warns any who can hear it to flee before it breathes out its terrible flame. The fires thus unleashed upon the Legion’s enemies are both awesome and horrific to behold, incinerating opponents in an instant and leaving nothing but ash on the wind. With each enemy slain, the ravagore pushes the attack, rushing up the field with long strides to let loose a fiery exhalation on the next target. The awe-inspiring sight of these massive beasts overtaking the field emboldens other Legion forces to follow close behind and fell targets of their own. Though most valued and feared for the devastating blighted fire it can launch across the battlefield, the ravagore is no less fearsome when a hasty enemy rushes to engage it. Possessed of thickened armored scales similar to the carnivean’s and capable of flesh-rending strikes by claw and fang, the ravagore proves just as pernicious up close as it does at a distance.
SCYTHEAN
LEGION HEAVY WARBEAST Everblight takes tremendous pride in his skill at crafting fiendish abominations that are more than a match for any creature born of nature. The scythean is the most brutal and simplistic of the dragon’s malefic beasts, long favored as Everblight’s guardians and executioners. Purely dedicated to destroying any enemies who dare oppose their master’s will, scytheans fall upon their prey with enough fury to tear apart even the most resilient foes in a savage orgy of bloodshed.
SCYTHEAN SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 12 6 4 11 18 5
SCYTHING CLAW RNG POW P+S 2 5 17
Before the present age, scytheans roamed the labyrinthine tunnels beneath the now-blasted Iosan city of Issyrah. When the Iosans finally became aware of the blighted danger lurking in their midst and marched to confront Everblight, it was the scytheans that first blocked their way. These supremely effective draconic monsters struck with deadly force in the dark, narrow tunnels leading to their master, as none of them required light to massacre their enemies. Moreover, the creatures seemed to take a vicious joy in slaughter, a quality that brought grim pleasure to the degenerate elves serving in the dragon’s host.
BITE RNG POW P+S 1 3 15 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
Now the scytheans can be observed fighting wherever the Legion has need of brute force to achieve an objective, acting as Everblight’s battering rams and ruthlessly cleaving the dragon’s foes in two with their massive forearms.
6
Thresher – These attacks are not optional.
IR
5 FURY: 4
TACTICAL TIPS
SP
PC 18
THRESHOLD: 9 FA U
BASE:LARGE
SCYTHEAN EYELESS SIGHT PATHFINDER SOULLESS MURDEROUS – This model gains an additional die on melee attack rolls against warrior models.
SCYTHING CLAW THRESHER (HATTACK) – This model makes one melee
attack with this weapon against each model in its LOS that is in this weapon’s melee range. Thresher attacks are simultaneous.
ANIMUS SLAUGHTERHOUSE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1 SELF –
– TURN NO
The spellcaster’s melee weapons gains Grievous Wounds. Slaughterhouse lasts for one turn. (A model hit by a weapon with Grievous Wounds loses Tough and cannot have damage removed from it for one round.)
81
SERAPH
LEGION HEAVY WARBEAST SERAPH SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 9 6 5 14 16 4
BLIGHT STRIKE RNG ROF AOE POW 10 d3 — 12
The seraph possesses a deceptively slender frame that slices through the air on powerful wings. Blighted energy streams from its wings and leaves a strange, distorted contrail in its wake. The seraph uses this energy to warp distances around itself and can manipulate the movement of allies caught in its slipstream. Its long tail ends in wickedly barbed blades capable of piercing plated steel and dripping with a poisonous ichor.
STINGER RNG POW P+S 1 4 13 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3
Seraphim sense the landscape with perfect clarity; even the slightest motion registers to their predatory acuity. They rarely engage in melee, preferring to annihilate adversaries from a distance using incinerating miasmas of blighted ash that quickly sears and melts flesh before disintegrating it into a filthy, sulfurous powder. On the battlefield this tactic makes seraphim supremely adept at harrying enemy formations. They use their draconic speed to outflank their foes before annihilating them with multiple gouts of caustic breath.
4 I
T
SP
6
IR
5 FURY: 3 PC 14
THRESHOLD: 9 FA U
BASE:LARGE
EYELESS SIGHT FLIGHT SOULLESS APPARITION – During your Control Phase, place this model anywhere completely within 2˝ of its current location. SERPENTINE – This model cannot make slam or trample power attacks and cannot become knocked down.
BLIGHT STRIKE DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE FLARE – Models hit by this attack lose Stealth
and
suffer –2 DEF for one turn.
STINGER CRITICAL POISON – On a critical hit, gain an additional die on this weapon’s damage rolls against living models.
SLIPSTREAM
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1 SELF –
– TURN NO
When the spellcaster ends its Normal Movement, choose one other non-huge-based friendly Faction model the spellcaster moved within 2˝ of. You can place the chosen model completely within 2˝ of its current location, then Slipstream expires. A model can be placed as a result of Slipstream only once per turn. Slipstream lasts for one turn.
82
TACTICAL TIPS Serpentine – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
SERAPH
ANIMUS
The seraphim are Everblight’s nimble messengers of death. Whereas spawn such as the carnivean represent the physical domination of the dragon, these agile flying killers embody the dragon’s own sublime elegance of movement. Though the seraph was one of Everblight’s first expressions of his blighted nature, it has been only recently that he could create them with abandon.
SHREDDER
LEGION LESSER WARBEAST The creatures now called shredders were known as the akriel by Everblight in ancient times. They are the simplest of the spawn that arise from the blood of those chosen to bear the dragon’s divided athanc. Compelled by ravenous hunger and murderous instinct, shredders are fearsomely effective at latching onto and devouring any foe unfortunate enough to confront them.
SHREDDER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 5 5 3 13 13 2
BITE RNG POW P+S 0.5 5 10
Shredders grow to full size with unnatural speed, and their escalating appetites drive them to add to their mass using whatever flesh they can consume. Their metabolism goes into frenzied overdrive upon maturity: the more they eat, the more frenetic they become, and still their appetite pushes them to gorge. Shredders are naturally prone to cannibalism and in moments of frenzy might attempt to consume others of their ilk. This impulse can usually be controlled with some success, however, and shredders fight well in packs that swarm their hapless victims and tear them apart.
MIND
As with all dragonspawn, shredders are blind. Their heads consist mostly of toothy, unhinged maws capable of tearing large chunks of flesh from their enemies. Shredders make up for their lack of eyes with other hyperaware senses, including a preternaturally sensitive nose and skin that registers subtle changes in air pressure from sound and movement.
2
1
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
6
SP
IR
5 FURY: 2 PC 4
THRESHOLD: 7 FA U
BASE:SMALL
SHREDDER
TACTICAL TIPS Snacking – Because the boxed model is removed from play before being destroyed, it does not generate a soul or corpse token.
EYELESS SIGHT SOULLESS ADELPHOPHAGY – When this model frenzies, it immediately charges the nearest Shredder, friendly or enemy. If this model cannot charge the nearest Shredder, it frenzies normally. FLANK [FRIENDLY FACTION WARBEAST] – When this model makes a melee attack against an enemy model in the melee range of another friendly Faction warbeast model, this model gains +2 to attack rolls and gains an additional damage die. SNACKING – When this model boxes a living model with a melee attack, it can choose to remove the boxed model from play. When it does, this model can remove d3 damage points.
ANIMUS SCURRY
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1 SELF –
– TURN NO
The spellcaster gains Relentless Charge. Scurry lasts for one turn. (A model with Relentless Charge gains Pathfinder while advancing as part of a charge.)
83
STINGER
LEGION LESSER WARBEAST STINGER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 5 5 4 13 13 6
FLAME SPITTER RNG ROF AOE POW SP 6 1 — 10
BARBED STINGER RNG POW P+S 1 5 10 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
SP
6
IR
5 FURY: 2 PC 4
THRESHOLD: 7 FA U
BASE:SMALL
STINGER ASSAULT EYELESS SIGHT SOULLESS
FLAME SPITTER DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE
BARBED STINGER CRITICAL POISON – On a critical hit, gain an additional die on this weapon’s damage rolls against living models.
ANIMUS COUNTERBLAST
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2 SELF –
– RND NO
When an enemy model advances and ends its movement in the spellcaster’s command range, the spellcaster can make one basic melee or ranged attack targeting that model, then Counterblast expires. Counterblast lasts for one round.
84
Though the simplest and smallest dragonspawn may lack the brutal power of Everblight’s greater creations, they form an integral part of the dragon’s legion. Because smaller spawn are far less taxing on the warlocks who must create them than their larger brethren are, Everblight readily experiments with their forms. The stinger, once formally known as acrar, is an unnatural weapon bred to fight and die in the service of its draconic master. Though living, it seldom stirs unless called to action. Then the vicious spawn skitters forward to prepare for battle with its tail flicking, blighted venom churning within its gullet. Rather than charging into the fray, stingers often wait for their victims to come to them, spewing gouts of blue flame at any who approach. The spawn then fall back to strike again, should their prey somehow survive the first volley of blighted fire. In just a matter of seconds, a pack of stingers working in concert can reduce even a phalanx of armored warriors to a smoldering mound of ash. Each stinger also bears a massive barbed tail capable of injecting a victim with its poisonous blood. The venom burns through the veins of the victim like liquid fire, inflicting far more harm than the sharp barb itself.
TERAPH
LEGION LIGHT WARBEAST While Everblight laired below Morrdh, the teraphim—the most patient and silent of his creations—guarded his refuge. They burrowed into the earth, where they waited to attack any intruders who did not bear the blighted essence of their creator. The dragon used them in his ancient alliance with the men of Morrdh by sending them to slay those who had been marked for death.
TERAPH SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 8 5 5 13 16 7
BLIGHT BLAST RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 4 13
A teraph is a serpentine, six-limbed spawn boasting a poisonous barbed tail. While lurking in the ground, the creature accumulates a churning mass of sulfurous and acidic fluids in its gullet that erupts in a geyser of black fire and blighted ash upon exposure to air. Its incredibly keen sense of smell allows it to locate any living creature within a hundred yards. Even underground it can find enemies by following the vibrations of their footsteps—then explode from the earth with astonishing speed to ambush them. Everblight’s warlocks can channel this same blinding quickness to launch attacks at foes that draw too near.
TAIL STRIKE RNG POW P+S 2 4 12
BITE RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 11 2
1
MIND
Teraphim form an essential element of the Legion’s defensive formations. They are strategically placed like living mines along known troop routes, where they wait to sow terror and confusion with their earthen eruptions and terrible incendiary streams.
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
SP
6
IR
5 FURY: 3 PC 10
THRESHOLD: 9 FA U
BASE:MEDIUM
TERAPH ADVANCE DEPLOYMENT EYELESS SIGHT PATHFINDER SOULLESS DIG IN (HACTION) – This model gains cover, does not
suffer blast damage, and does not block LOS. The model remains dug in until it moves, is placed, or is engaged. It can begin the game dug in.
BLIGHT BLAST CRITICAL FIRE DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE
TAIL STRIKE CRITICAL POISON – On a critical hit, gain an additional die on this weapon’s damage rolls against living models.
ANIMUS COUNTERBLAST
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2 SELF –
– RND NO
When an enemy model advances and ends its movement in the spellcaster’s command range, the spellcaster can make one basic melee or ranged attack targeting that model, then Counterblast expires. Counterblast lasts for one round.
85
AZRAEL
LEGION NEPHILIM HEAVY WARBEAST AZRAEL 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 12 7 6 12 18 5
THROWN SPEAR RNG ROF AOE POW 10 1 — 17
SPEAR RNG POW P+S 2 5 17 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3
I
T
SP
IR
5 FURY: 4 PC 21
THRESHOLD: 9 FA C
BASE:LARGE
AZRAEL 1 EYELESS SIGHT FLIGHT IMMUNITY: FIRE BOND [KRYSSA] – If this model begins the game in Kryssa’s battlegroup, it is bonded to her. This model is not considered to be bonded while under your opponent’s control. While this model is bonded to Kryssa and in her control range, it gains Ashen Veil. (A model with Ashen Veil has concealment. Living enemy models without Immunity: Fire suffer –2 to attack rolls while within 2˝ of a model with Ashen Veil.) IT BURNS! – If this model is hit by a melee attack, immediately after the attack is resolved the attacking model suffers the Fire continuous effect unless this model was destroyed or removed from play by the attack. SERPENTINE – This model cannot make slam or trample power attacks and cannot become knocked down.
THROWN SPEAR CONTINUOUS EFFECT: FIRE CRITICAL SMITE – On a critical hit, the model hit can
be slammed d6˝ directly away from this model. If the model hit has a larger base than the attacking model, it is moved only half the distance rolled. The POW of collateral damage is equal to the STR of this model. RELOAD [1] – This model can be forced once during its activation to make one additional ranged attack with this weapon during its Combat Action. THROWN – Apply any modifiers to this model’s STR to the POW of this weapon.
SPEAR CONTINUOUS EFFECT: FIRE
ANIMUS VORTEX OF FIRE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1
SELF
–
–
RND NO
The spellcaster gains Immunity: Fire . Additionally, Fire continuous effects that affect enemy models in the spellcaster’s command range cannot expire. Vortex of Fire lasts for one round.
86
Although Everblight is always aware of his warlocks’ actions, he initially paid little heed to the efforts of Talys when she set about creating Azrael. The young warlock had a clear purpose in mind for her creation: she wanted to prove her own mastery over the shaping of dragonspawn by commanding a beast of destruction unlike any nephilim ever birthed. To that end she manipulated her own blighted blood with corrupted sorcerous rituals, distilling and refining this mixture before offering it to a specially selected candidate from her own shard. Often the Nyss mother of a nephilim can bear her blighted progeny in a matter of weeks, and the offspring will reach full maturity in mere days. Azrael’s Nyss mother carried him for months, nearly dying several times during the pregnancy but kept alive by Talys’ skill in the healing arts. Her craft was evident the moment Azrael burned his way free of his mother in a blaze of dragon fire. His anatomy was unlike that of other nephilim—a muscular serpentine body and full leathery wings capable of propelling his sinuous form through the sky for superior positioning on the battlefield.
4
6
A marriage of blighted blood and Nyss flesh, Azrael manifests the greatest qualities of the nephilim. He possesses a cunning intellect and wields more power than the majority of his kin. His presence is one of ash and flame that scours the battlefield of all who would oppose the dragon.
It was during the Great Hunt that Azrael, already renowned for his ferocity in battle, displayed his advanced intellect. During an attack by Scaefang on Talys’ forces the sorceress fell in battle, taking with her the secrets of how she formed her unique warbeast. Azrael fought nearby but was unable to arrive in time to defend his master. He could feel Talys’ death through the bond he shared with her and lost control, seeking to attack Scaefang with no regard for survival. It was then he felt the first touch of the mind of Kryssa, a legionnaire in the service of Talys who had claimed Talys’ athanc shard from the warlock’s charred remains and inserted it into her own heart to keep Scaefang from consuming it. Her tentative, uncontrolled link to Azrael was formed from this sacrificial gesture. Azrael recognized the need to protect the athanc shard and its new bearer, quickly moving to aid Kryssa as she retreated from the enemy dragon. Since then, Azrael has fought by Kryssa’s side, showing an unwavering loyalty to the Conviction of Everblight.
TACTICAL TIPS Serpentine – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown.
87
PROTEUS
LEGION HEAVY WARBEAST PROTEUS 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 12 7 4 11 18 4
TENTACLES RNG POW P+S 2 2 14
TALON RNG POW P+S 1 4 16 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
6
SP
IR
5 FURY: 4 PC 19
THRESHOLD: 9 FA C
BASE:LARGE
PROTEUS 1 EYELESS SIGHT PATHFINDER SOULLESS BOND [ABSYLONIA] – If this model begins the game in Absylonia’s battlegroup, it is bonded to her. This model is not considered to be bonded while under your opponent’s control. While this model is bonded to Absylonia and in her control range, its melee weapons gain Grievous Wounds. (A model hit by a weapon with Grievous Wounds loses Tough and cannot have damage removed from it for one round.) SNACKING – When this model boxes a living model with a melee attack, it can choose to remove the boxed model from play. When it does, this model can remove d3 damage points. UNYIELDING – While engaging an enemy model, this model gains +2 ARM.
TENTACLES
Of all the warlocks who serve Everblight, Absylonia is the most skilled and prodigious in the creation of dragonspawn—and the freakish horror called Proteus is her greatest accomplishment. Although Absylonia was the primary shaper of this creature, Everblight spoke to her through every step of the beast’s development, informing the application of her will. Proteus’ birth nearly took her life, as she was almost totally exsanguinated in the final creation process. It was only through a supreme effort of will that she was able to rise to her knees to watch as Proteus emerged from a pool where her own blood mingled with that of dozens of sacrificial victims. With its head thrown back in a silent shriek and its thrashing tentacles glistening with blood, Proteus is the dragon’s hunger given obscene form. Its naturally armored body ripples with thick muscles, taut with violence, and it fairly bristles with heavy spikes, needle-sharp spines, and lethal claws. The very sight of the enormous creature is as confusing as it is terrifying; below the sharp, bony crown atop its head, where one might expect to find jaws filled with rows of savage teeth, instead writhes a mass of whipping, razor-tipped tendrils. The beast wraps these powerful tentacles around a target to drag the victim inexorably into the grasp of its waiting claws even as it flays its quarry and strips meat from bone, filling the air with a bloody mist. Then the savage creature begins to feast, replenishing its own flesh as it devours that of its unfortunate prey. As indescribably horrific as Proteus’ form may be, its mind is even more unfathomable. As with all of Everblight’s spawn, its thoughts are those of an apex predator, but the hungers that drive other dragonspawn are as nothing against the voracious chasm within Proteus. The beast’s hunger is bottomless and indiscriminate, seemingly impossible to quell. So pronounced is its appetite that any warlock who commands it, even Absylonia herself, can become overwhelmed when their minds merge. No amount of flesh or blood can slake the spawn’s ravenous craving, and this hunger tints its every thought—all else is overshadowed by its need to feast on living meat. Absylonia is the warlock best equipped to deal with the distraction Proteus’ hunger can cause, but even she feels it like a hole sucking at the pit of her stomach. Other warlocks are uncomfortable in the beast’s presence, more than willing to leave Proteus to her command despite the power and ferocity it brings in battle.
CHAIN WEAPON CHAIN STRIKE – This weapon becomes RNG 4 during
this model’s activation. PULL – If this model hits an enemy model with an equal or smaller base with a basic attack with this weapon, immediately after the attack is resolved the hit model can be pushed directly toward this model until it contacts a model, an obstacle, or an obstruction.
TALON OPEN FIST
ANIMUS CRAWLING CHAOS
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 2
SELF
–
–
RND NO
While B2B with the spellcaster, enemy models suffer –2 DEF and cannot advance except to change facing. Crawling Chaos lasts for one round.
88
TACTICAL TIPS Snacking – Because the boxed model is removed from play before being destroyed, it does not generate a soul or corpse token.
89
TYPHON
LEGION HEAVY WARBEAST TYPHON 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 11 7 5 13 18 5
BLIGHT BREATH RNG ROF AOE POW SP 8 1 — 14
BITE RNG POW P+S 1 6 17
Unlike Everblight’s ancient spawn, Typhon represents a new triumph, created in the aftermath of the battle at the Castle of the Keys. Its origins go back considerably further, however, to the esoteric theories derived by the dragon during his disembodied exile. Everblight sees himself as a creator foremost, though many find his “art” incomprehensible. He takes pride in his investigations into form and function, his keen understanding of draconic physiology, and his deliberate application of blighted energies. Never satisfied, Everblight is driven to improve upon what has come before. Typhon is the culmination of centuries of careful planning and scheming—the first of a terrible new breed containing true draconic essence.
2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
SP
6
IR
5 FURY: 5 PC 24
THRESHOLD: 9 FA C
BASE:LARGE
TYPHON 1 EYELESS SIGHT GUNFIGHTER SOULLESS BOND [THAGROSH] – If this model begins the game in Thagrosh’s battlegroup, it is bonded to him. This model is not considered to be bonded while under your opponent’s control. When this model is forced to use Regeneration while bonded to Thagrosh and in his control range, instead of rolling to determine how many damage points this model removes, this model and Thagrosh can each remove up to 3 damage points. CIRCULAR VISION – Models never gain a back strike bonus against this model. MULTIPLE HEADS [3] – This model can make 3 initial attacks each Combat Action, using any combination of Blight Breath and Bite attacks. This model loses one initial attack for each of its aspects that are currently crippled. This model cannot be forced to make additional Blight Breath attacks. REGENERATION [D3] – This model can be forced to remove d3 damage points once per activation. This model cannot use Regeneration during an activation it runs.
BLIGHT BREATH DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE
BITE CRITICAL PITCH – On a critical hit against a model with
an equal or smaller base, the model hit can be thrown d6˝ directly away from this model. The model thrown does not deviate. The POW of collateral damage is equal to the STR of this model.
ANIMUS EXCESSIVE HEALING
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1
SELF
–
–
RND NO
When the spellcaster is damaged by an enemy attack, immediately after the attack is resolved the spellcaster can remove d3 damage points. Excessive Healing lasts for one round.
90
Even those accustomed to horrors and numb to violence find the sight of Typhon terrifying. This truly monstrous creature is the organic consequence of a malevolent intelligence bent on creating weapons spawned of its own blood, flesh, and bone. Its three heads shriek dissonant cries as they seek victims to rip apart with their powerful jaws or to douse with concentrated gouts of superheated ash hot enough to melt metal and flesh. Even more formidable is the creature’s resilience: Typhon’s wounds close as quickly as they appear.
Everblight had long sought to consume the athanc of another dragon, for when one dragon devours the heart of another, the two athancs fuse and the victor gains the vitality of the vanquished. All athancs feel the undeniable urge to reunite in wholeness, but a period of struggle and adjustment occurs before the complete synthesis of two athancs. It was in this vital time that Everblight saw a unique possibility to create something new. After Pyromalfic’s destruction, Everblight set this experiment into motion. He compelled Thagrosh to use Rapture to carve the smallest possible piece from his athanc shard even as it was fusing with Pyromalfic’s. Thagrosh dropped this shard into a sizable quantity of his own spilled blood. The timing was tricky: Everblight knew he risked weakening Thagrosh through exsanguination. But Thagrosh succeeded, and Typhon was born. Though the creature is connected to Everblight and feels compelled by harmonic pressure to obey the dragon, it does not actually form a part of Everblight’s divided consciousness as do the dragon’s warlocks. As a consequence of Typhon’s unusual birth, the athanc shard at the creature’s core is intimately bound to Thagrosh, but it can generate its own blighted blood and think and act with more independence than regular spawn. From this small shard, Typhon gained a sense of self, crude and bestial though its mind might be. It is in some respects a diminished, miniature dragon in its own right. Similarly, it is possessed of a dragon’s immortality—Typhon can regenerate its body entirely so long as its dissociated athanc fragment endures. In Typhon, Everblight has succeeded in creating a spawn that is nearly invulnerable; so long as it is not consumed by another dragon, it is ever capable of rising from its own ashes to become whole again.
91
ZURIEL
LEGION NEPHILIM HEAVY WARBEAST ZURIEL 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 10 8 5 13 17 6
DRAGON BREATH RNG ROF AOE POW SP 8 1 — 12
WAR BLADE RNG POW P+S 2 5 15 2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 4
I
T
6
SP
IR
5 FURY: 4 PC 18
THRESHOLD: 10 FA C
BASE:LARGE
ZURIEL 1 ASSAULT EYELESS SIGHT FLIGHT BOND [RHYAS OR SAERYN] – If this model begins the game in Rhyas’ or Saeryn’s battlegroup, it is bonded to that model. If it begins the game in a battlegroup shared by Rhyas and Saeryn it is considered to be bonded to both. This model is not considered to be bonded while under your opponent’s control. While this model is bonded to Rhyas and in her control range, it gains Stealth . While this model is bonded to Saeryn and in her control range, Saeryn can channel spells through it. PRECISION STRIKE – When this model damages a warjack or warbeast with a melee attack, choose which column or branch suffers the damage. QUICK WORK – When this model destroys one or more enemy models with a melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after that attack is resolved this model can make one basic ranged attack.
DRAGON BREATH CONTINUOUS EFFECT: FIRE DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE
WAR BLADE COMBO STRIKE (HATTACK) – Make a melee attack. Instead of making a normal damage roll, the POW of the damage roll is equal to this model’s STR plus twice the POW of this weapon.
ANIMUS ELUSIVE
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1 SELF –
– RND NO
The spellcaster gains Dodge. Elusive lasts for one round. (A model with Dodge can advance up to 2˝ immediately after an enemy attack that missed it is resolved unless it was missed while advancing. It cannot be targeted by free strikes during this movement.)
92
Saeryn produced Zuriel in an attempt to create a spawn embodying the essence of both herself and her twin sister, Rhyas. She combined the blighted blood of both sisters into a single draught, which she then gave to the Nyss host chosen to bear this nephilim, for Saeryn intended to create a powerful beast uniquely receptive to both the twins’ minds. That Saeryn was able to accomplish such a feat did not go unnoticed by Everblight. This was perhaps the clearest evidence the dragon had yet received that Saeryn surpassed his other warlocks in ambition and vision. Having been born from the combined blood of the warlocks, Zuriel shares a distinctive bond with the Nyss twins. Through this deep connection, the nephilim adapts his tactics to best suit whichever of the pair he is currently obeying, though the full effect of this relationship is most evident when Zuriel battles alongside both twins at once. Saeryn and Rhyas have fought together for the entirety of their lives, the actions of one in perfect harmony with those of the other. Zuriel embodies the connection shared between the twins; he is a bridge between the warlock sisters made flesh, a physical manifestation of the mental closeness they share. Zuriel demonstrates stealth and fighting prowess drawn from Rhyas together with a unique receptiveness to Saeryn’s magic. Perhaps as a consequence of this telepathic bond with two forceful minds, Zuriel demonstrates a strong personality. Larger and more physically imposing than most other nephilim, he also possesses a keen intelligence and a warrior’s pride. Zuriel is aggressive and eager to prove himself, often picking fights with other nephilim to establish dominance among their number. He constantly seeks to hone his skills, and when not slaying the foes of Everblight the beast can be found sparring with Rhyas, the two of them locked in heated displays of martial prowess. His steely determination and will to improve has set Zuriel apart from others of his kind. In battle, Zuriel soars through the sky on powerful wings as he searches out those marked for death by his mistresses. Once Zuriel has found his prey, the nephilim dives from the sky to join the fight, dodging incoming strikes as he speeds through the enemy ranks, cutting down one foe after another with precision strikes from his dual blades. Targets who attempt to escape his reach find themselves engulfed by dragon fire from his fanged maw.
TACTICAL TIPS Quick Work – This model cannot make the additional attack if it is still in melee.
93
ARCHANGEL
LEGION GARGANTUAN WARBEAST Everblight still dreams of the time when he took wing and spread death like a god; now his longing has been made manifest in the archangel. His most perfect spawn, the archangel courses through the sky and unleashes gouts of flame across the earth. It scorches the enemies of its master, coming to ground only to feast upon those who defy him. Where the archangel travels, so goes Everblight’s legion—and with it, the future Everblight envisions.
ARCHANGEL SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 14 6 6 11 18 4
DRAGON BREATH RNG ROF AOE POW 10 d3+1 3 14
—
In a few short years, Everblight has learned more about the crafting of flesh through blight than any dragon on Caen. With each new spawn wrought, he has refined both his vision for his blighted creations and his understanding of their unique physiology. Beasts like the angelius and seraph have informed his knowledge of flight and flame even as their sinuous bodies echo the glory he knew in his draconic form. His successes have only increased his desire to spawn more creations worthy of his great legacy.
BITE —
RNG POW P+S 2 5 19
L
RNG POW P+S 2 3 17
R
RNG POW P+S 2 3 17
CLAWS
CLAWS
The dragon first conceived of the archangel while working to consume the essence of Pyromalfic. Devouring his sibling’s athanc multiplied his strength as well as his mastery of blight. But even with the power of that athanc added to his own, Everblight lacked the essential matter necessary to realize his vision. It was not until his warlock Kallus procured Pyromalfic’s bones that Everblight saw the means to create his ultimate work.
2
1
MIND
BOD Y
3 IT
6 SP
IR
Though the bone pieces were few, each served as a powerful reagent in the bloody genesis Everblight intended. The dragon called his consul to him and had her prepare for the spawning. Vayl and her most skilled sorceresses modified her greatest spawning pool and set the wide, deep metal cauldron within a stone basin before the Legion’s temporary mountain stronghold. Vayl herself spent days filling each sigil set into its surface with a mixture containing her own blood, empowered from the athanc shard she bore.
4
5
FURY: 4 PC 37
THRESHOLD: 9 FA 2
BASE:HUGE
ARCHANGEL EYELESS SIGHT FLIGHT SOULLESS DECEPTIVELY MOBILE – At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 3˝, then its activation ends. This model can move outside its Normal Movement as a result of Deceptively Mobile.
DRAGON BREATH CRITICAL FIRE DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE
BITE CONSUME – If this attack hits a small-based non-
warcaster, non-warlock model, the model hit is removed from play.
CLAW OPEN FIST
ANIMUS DRACONIC AURA
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1
SELF
–
–
–
Enemy models currently within 2˝ of the spellcaster suffer the Fire continuous effect .
NO
Then the sorceresses placed three fragments of Pyromalfic’s skeleton in the center of the occult basin and filled it to the brim with the blood and carcasses of their victims. When all was ready, Everblight called his avatar and messiah, Thagrosh, to the pool along with Kallus and Absylonia to perform the ritual that would push them to new limits in the service of their master. The dragon spoke through Thagrosh in the language of Morrdh. As his intonation reached its climax, the three warlocks drew their own blood and added the concentrated essence of Everblight into the churning pit. A geyser of gore marked the birth of the first archangels. The air rippled with a black sheen, like the lights of the northern sky tainted with unwholesome energy. The beasts hurtled skyward, gouts of raw blight trailing behind them as a dark radiance. They shrieked in exultation—an echo of the savage joy Everblight felt as he watched them emerge. The archangels are not merely products of the dragon’s vanity. He knows others of Toruk’s progeny might again seek his destruction, fearful of his glory; the archangels are among the greatest of the weapons by which he might defeat them. The forms of these new creations possess speed, size, and unquestionable lethality. The appearance of the archangels marks a new zenith of Everblight’s rise—a reminder of the conflicts among the dragons which have threatened to reshape the face of Caen.
TACTICAL TIPS Deceptively Mobile – The model can make this advance despite being a gargantuan.
94
95
BLIGHTBRINGER LEGION GARGANTUAN WARBEAST BLIGHTBRINGER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 14 5 5 9 19 5
BLIGHT FIRE RNG ROF AOE POW 14 1 5 15
—
TAIL RNG POW P+S 2 4 18
—
The blightbringer’s massive limbs strike beast and machine with equal alacrity, and the spawn uses its tremendous weight to lend force to its impaling blows and to punch through even the toughest scale and armor. Those enemies who find themselves still suffocating on ashes after the blightbringer’s passing are quickly dispatched with a flick of its venom-coated barbed tail. Attempts by the opposition to halt the gargantuan beast’s advance are typically met with decided failure. Hails of enemy gunfire disappear in the billowing ash surrounding the creature, and its overwhelming emissions smother the talents of enemy spellcasters. The runes of their spells blaze briefly before fading, as if their power were siphoned away by the blight itself.
IMPALING SPIKE L
RNG POW P+S 2 3 17
R
RNG POW P+S 2 3 17
IMPALING SPIKE
2
1
MIND
So hot are the fires burning within the blightbringer’s frame that the very blood pumping through its veins remains at a perpetual boil. Those who fight their way through the smog swirling about the gargantuan to strike it are scalded by steaming ichor spraying in great gouts from the beast’s wounds.
BOD Y
3 IT
6 SP
IR
4
5
FURY: 5 PC 38
THRESHOLD: 7 FA 2
BASE:HUGE
BLIGHTBRINGER EYELESS SIGHT PATHFINDER SOULLESS BLIGHTED BREATH – At the beginning of this model’s activation, choose one of the following Blighted Breath effects. While in this model’s command range, models are affected by the chosen effect. Blighted Breath effects last for one round. If this model frenzies, it must choose Withering Ash at the start of its activation. • DRAGON’S BREATH – Affected friendly Faction warrior models gain +2 STR and ARM. • SPIRITUAL CORRUPTION – Affected enemy models cannot cast or channel spells. • WITHERING ASH – All affected models gain concealment. Affected enemy models suffer –2 DEF and lose Tough .
BLIGHT FIRE DAMAGE TYPE: FIRE BLIGHT ASH – The AOE remains in play for one round.
While in the AOE, models are affected by the chosen Blighted Breath effect.
TAIL CRITICAL POISON – On a critical hit, gain an additional die on this weapon’s damage rolls against living models.
ANIMUS BOILING BLOOD
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 1
SELF
–
–
RND NO
When the spellcaster suffers damage as a result of an enemy melee attack, after the attack is resolved the spellcaster can make a SP 8, POW 12 ranged attack that causes fire damage . Models hit suffer the Fire continuous effect . The spellcaster can make this attack even while in melee. After making this attack, Boiling Blood expires. Boiling Blood lasts for one round.
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Shrouded by a cloud of perpetual ash and blight, the blightbringer burns with an inner fire like that of the dragons themselves. Powerful warping energies rise from the dragonspawn’s gaping maw, bringing with them a stench beyond sulfur and decay. The servants of Everblight revel in these emissions, unaffected by the withering miasma that chokes all breath from the living. The creature’s deep bellow carries for miles like a great ancient horn sounding out the coming of doom. With oversized forelegs, it drags its huge form across the battlefield, leaving a winding gouge in the earth to mark its passing.
From a distance, ash expelled from the blightbringer’s body appears as a roiling wall of grey cloud sweeping across the landscape, veiling the shifting shadows of a thousand unknown nightmares within. Thus concealed from sight, the forces of Everblight’s legion sweep across western Immoren like a plague. Lush forests and golden fields are blanketed in charcoal-grey dust as once-beautiful vistas are left stifled and devitalized by the concentrated blight. Skies are blackened and streams are tainted, and for days after the blightbringer’s passage, animals not quick enough to have fled may be found changed in horrific ways, become malevolent and vicious. For creatures already blighted, this corrupt energy strengthens muscle and bolsters bone and scales to further perfect Everblight’s improvements over nature. Not since the birth of the archangel has Everblight created such a significant instrument of war. The blightbringer is the flame around which the Legion gathers, while the empires of men and dragons tremble at their approach.
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WARRIORS
OF THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT The ranks of Everblight’s legion are unlike any other fighting force in western Immoren. The dragon’s troops serve their master with a loyalty and singularity of purpose that other military commanders can only dream of, performing each given task with speed, proficiency, and utter devotion. Existing alongside this ruthless efficiency is a cold emptiness and a changed essence that goes beyond the physical manifestations of the dragon’s blight. To outsiders, the plight of Nyss soldiers seems worse than death—they gain augmented killing prowess in exchange for absolute, unflinching loyalty and a lifetime of thankless devotion. Although other creatures such as the blighted ogrun also serve Everblight, the ranks of blighted Nyss are his most numerous and important servants. They are present at all levels of the Legion’s hierarchy, from the warlocks who lead the dragon’s forces to the lowliest foot soldiers who carry out their orders. The dragon’s blight enhances their physical strength and agility but accentuates certain dark traits inherent in all transformed Nyss. Their magnified cruelty and rapacity have turned the Nyss into killers as stoically merciless and guiltless as any predatory beast. The Nyss have managed to retain much of their cultural identity even as other aspects of their once-proud society have been subsumed or reinterpreted for a life of constant conflict. Many Nyss warrior traditions have survived the race’s assimilation into the Legion; the Nyss observe some of them with far more rigorous attention than before the blight, as if they feel compelled to preserve specific elements
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of their former existence. Once peerless hunters of the frozen north, the Nyss now turn their fearsome capabilities against the enemies of Everblight, descending upon them with murderous fury. Whether Nyss or ogrun, all Legion troops share one commonality: they bear the dragon’s blight within their flesh. The manner in which the blight manifests, however, largely depends upon an individual’s natural predilections. The process enhances characteristics already present in the subject while also instilling qualities prized by Everblight. At the most basic level, the blight bestows greater physical prowess and an unshakable sense of loyalty to Everblight, as well as physical changes like small horns, scales, or body spikes. Character traits Everblight sees as detrimental or valueless in warriors—like compassion or fear—are stripped away in favor of heightened cruelty and instinctual cunning. The blight alters the bodies of other soldiers to better suit their roles and performance on the battlefield. Some of these transformations are decidedly animalistic, such as in the case of striders, who gain modified legs to increase their speed and agility in addition to a markedly enhanced predatory disposition. The changes wrought upon Nyss swordsmen are less evident but no less dramatic, as their minds are stripped of all thought except a singular devotion to their deadly craft. This change is useful to their function as skilled killers, but they are less able to make considered judgments and perform other tasks required of commanding officers.
Everblight’s power wreaks even more frightful and unpredictable changes upon blighted ogrun warmongers. Like most of the dragon’s Legion, they have become more savage and brutal than ever before. The blight has gone further in the ogrun, however, robbing them of sanity and bathing their minds in crazed hallucinations that drive them to a madness only battle and bloodshed can relieve. Everblight has less direct control over the changes affecting ogrun, though most of these qualities still serve his purposes, augmenting their ferocity as shock troops. In others, the blight takes a more drastic course, twisting and distorting their bodies beyond recognition. Degenerate and brutish yet possessing an undeniable blight-born cunning, the bestial grotesques scarcely resemble the Nyss stock from which they are spawned. A few, like the forsaken, are so infused with blighted energy they lose themselves entirely to the dragon’s warping influence. Unlike the perfecting blight that evolves the bodies of most of Everblight’s soldiers, within the forsaken the transformation is random and spontaneous, characterized by shocking aberration rather than natural augmentation. The blight can also amplify the sorcerous potential of those it affects, whether by magnifying their existing arcane gifts or by unlocking previously unrecognized arcane potential. Currently, arcane aptitude is on the rise among the blighted Nyss—one of the many gifts the dragon has bestowed upon his chosen people.
NYSS BLADES AND CLAYMORES The Nyss have long been renowned for their elegant and unusual curved blades, particularly the Nyss claymore—a graceful implement of death more than four feet long designed to deliver a devastating killing blow. Nyss blades are commonly adorned with Aeric runes and are never allowed to become dull or suffer the ravages of time. Before the coming of Everblight, Nyss bladesmiths learned their craft at a young age and honed it throughout their lives. Those who survived the blighting now reside within the Legion’s few near-permanent camps, where they labor alongside the acolyths who manufacture fresh horrors in the gory soup of spawning vessels. The blighted Nyss still treat their blades with a reverence that borders on religious devotion, going to great lengths to recover the weapons of those who fall on the battlefield. This veneration is a holdover from ancient warrior traditions and is one of the strongest vestiges of Nyss culture still found among the blighted.
WARRIORS OF THE LEGION OF EVERBLIGHT
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BLIGHTED OGRUN WARMONGERS LEGION UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 9 6 3 12 16 7
WAR CLEAVER RNG POW P+S 2 5 14 DAMAGE: PC
Leader & 2 Grunts Leader & 4 Grunts
5 EACH 9 15
FA 3
BASE:MEDIUM
LEADER & GRUNTS TOUGH BERSERK – When this model destroys one or more
models with a melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after the attack is resolved it must make one additional melee attack against another model in its melee range.
WAR CLEAVER POWERFUL CHARGE – This model gains +2 to charge
attack rolls with this weapon.
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The dragon’s blight has brutalized the ogrun, ravaging their bodies by deforming and augmenting them at the same time. Warmongers are blight-bred for slaughter. Their mad eyes constantly reflect the twisted hallucinations they endure night and day. Incapable of sleep, warmongers often chant to themselves in low tones and stare obsessively at visions unseen by others, their faces twisted with anger and seething menace. Only battle brings them true release. Divorced from any sense of self-preservation, they can withstand brutal punishment without feeling any pain. They constantly emit a putrid odor, as if the lingering stench of death has seeped into their being. After conquering the Nyss, Everblight turned his attention to enslaving and converting the outlying tribes of wild ogrun dwelling in the northern mountains. Having been born among them, Thagrosh knew the locations of their enclaves and the numbers of their race. The Prophet was so removed from his former nature that he felt neither mercy nor malice for those he once claimed as kin, and he willingly offered his knowledge to his dragon master. Despite Thagrosh’s cold treachery, the warmongers both fear and revere him; their leaders have gone so far as to name themselves his apostles. The Nyss are markedly cool toward the warmongers. They barely tolerate the brutes and keep themselves carefully segregated, for the ogrun have a nasty habit of murdering anything in their path, whether friend or foe. More than one Nyss has lingered too close to these horrible creatures in combat only to be brutally hacked to pieces by a berserking warmonger’s cleaver.
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BLIGHTED OGRUN WARSPEARS LEGION UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 9 6 5 12 16 7
THROWN SPEAR RNG ROF AOE POW 8 1 — 13
WAR SPEAR RNG POW P+S 2 4 13 DAMAGE: PC
Leader & 2 Grunts Leader & 4 Grunts
5 EACH 9 15
FA 3
BASE:MEDIUM
LEADER & GRUNTS ASSAULT TOUGH SET DEFENSE – A model in this model’s front arc suffers –2 on charge, slam power attack, and impact attack rolls against this model.
THROWN SPEAR THROWN – Apply any modifiers to this model’s STR to the POW of this weapon.
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Only in comparison to the deranged warmongers could the warspears be described as anything except violent savages. The blight has twisted their minds as well as their flesh, addicting them to the ecstasy of bloodlust. The force with which they hurl their massive spears is enough to pierce iron and impale a human at thirty paces. As did the Nyss, the ogrun of the north maintained many cultural traditions regarding hunting and combat long before Everblight set his sights on their kind. When the dragon sought to subjugate the ogrun and twist their forms with his blight, he preserved and enhanced those traditions most closely associated with war and bloodshed. In many ways, the ogrun were already the perfect warriors to complement the agile Nyss, and Everblight had only to remove their sensibilities in favor of a thirst for blood. Out of some twisted sense of sport, ogrun warspears relish the opportunity to test their might against more formidable adversaries. Though killing humans provides minor amusement, it is no challenge; they prefer to do battle with the likes of trolls, warpwolves, cyclopes, and warjacks. These brutal warriors preface frenzied rushes with the deadly arcs of their spears. Enemies not killed outright by this initial onslaught are typically stunned long enough for the blighted ogrun to close and finish the job.
WARSPEAR CHIEFTAIN
LEGION BLIGHTED OGRUN COMMAND ATTACHMENT Chieftains among the blighted ogrun display tremendous ferocity. Before the blight, these ogrun might have once stalked the great prey necessary to keep their people fed and supplied, but the dragon’s corruption has turned them from noble hunters to cold, ruthless warriors. Having honed their skills through countless conflicts, they are consummate killers that now exult in the slaughter they bring with the points of their massive spears. On the battlefield, the chieftains direct their forces against the most dangerous of their enemies. At the outset of each engagement, chieftains survey the field of battle for opponents worthy of their attention, for they earn greater glory for slaying a formidable foe. This practice harkens back to the days before the dragon came among the ogrun tribes, when their people roamed the frozen peaks combating fierce beasts or clashing with one another. With unbridled aggression the chieftains led their warspears against these chosen adversaries, offering every kill as a sacrament to higher powers such as Dhunia or the Devourer Wurm. Now these chieftains lay the slain at the feet of the warlocks who embody the dragon they serve. A chieftain incites his warspears to violence and then leads them into the fray. Even the most rugged terrain poses no obstacle to these frenzied warriors. Rising to the position of chieftain among the warspears requires an ogrun to prove he possesses strength and savagery remarkable even among a race of brutal warriors who prize viciousness in slaughter above all else.
TACTICAL TIPS Officer – Because this model is an Officer, when it is destroyed it does not replace a Grunt in its unit. Instead the Leader becomes the unit commander.
CHIEFTAIN SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 9 7 6 12 16 9
THROWN SPEAR RNG ROF AOE POW 8 1 — 13
WAR SPEAR RNG POW P+S 2 4 13 DAMAGE:8 PC 5
FA 3
BASE:MEDIUM
ATTACHMENT [BLIGHTED OGRUN WARSPEARS] – This
attachment can be added to a Blighted Ogrun Warspear unit.
CHIEFTAIN ASSAULT OFFICER TOUGH GRANTED: PREY – While this model is in formation, models in its unit gain Prey. (After deployment but before the first player’s turn, choose an enemy model/ unit to be this unit’s prey. A model with Prey gains +2 to attack and damage rolls against its prey. When the prey is destroyed or removed from play, choose another model/unit to be the prey.) SET DEFENSE – A model in this model’s front arc suffers –2 on charge, slam power attack, and impact attack rolls against this model. TACTICS: RELENTLESS CHARGE – Models in this unit gain Relentless Charge. (While advancing as part of a charge, a model with Relentless Charge gains Pathfinder .)
THROWN SPEAR THROWN – Apply any modifiers to this model’s STR to the POW of this weapon.
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BLIGHTED NYSS ARCHERS LEGION UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 4 5 5 13 11 8
NYSS LONGBOW RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 10
SWORD RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 7 PC
Leader & 5 Grunts Leader & 9 Grunts
8 13
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
LEADER & GRUNTS COMBINED RANGED ATTACK
NYSS LONGBOW ARCING FIRE – When attacking with this weapon, this
model can ignore intervening models except those within 1˝ of the target.
Everblight’s corruption has spread with little resistance among the Nyss, shaping and refining their anatomies to bring forth a twisted reflection of their inner darkness. With their purpose given over to the dragon’s will, they have become eager accomplices in Everblight’s murderous schemes. The most formidable of these, taken from the Voassyr and Raefyll hunting tribes, have been transformed into blighted archers. Blighted archers unleash a hail of deadly arrows to wither the enemy’s front ranks before other forces sweep through the demoralized foes. The sheer number of arrows they can release is beyond belief. Long a staple among the Nyss elves of the frozen north, archery was vital not only for use in warfare but also in the gathering of food; survival hinged on the constant efforts of these rugged hunters. Those who were once providers for their people are now relentless assassins able to murder with chilling precision. Most elements of their culture and psyche have been stripped away, leaving only the most brutal and merciless Nyss qualities. Delighting in slaughter, the archers enjoy nothing more than ending lives with deadly arrow fire. Though they are blighted shells of what they once were, the Nyss have retained pride in their archery and craftsmanship; each of their recurved composite bows is still customized exactly to the strength and height of the archer. They are made from carved bone or polished wood laminated over bone using animal-hide glues. The tendon bowstrings that complete the bow allow for a tremendously strong pull.
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BLIGHTED NYSS ARCHER OFFICER & AMMO PORTER
LEGION COMMAND ATTACHMENT
The Legion’s inexorable advance has relied heavily upon hundreds of blighted archers delivering death to the enemy from afar before the decisive clash of melee. The deacons commanding these insatiable killers once led entire shards. Now their archers aim for the most vulnerable targets and cripple or maim what they cannot slay outright. When brought to battle in large numbers, the archers stand in long lines, lean back, and pull their bowstrings taut in perfect unison. At the call of their deacon, the archers release their arrows with a distinct sound the Legion’s enemies have come to dread. Arrows soar unerringly through the air as a speeding cloud, find gaps in armor or thickened hide, and induce screams of pain and the choking gurgles of men drowning in their own blood. Young arrow porters race along the line burdened with as many quivers as they can carry and planting arrows before the archers are ready to reach for them. In perfect concert, the teams create such harmony of motion that an archer’s eyes never waver from his target as each arrow leaps effortlessly to his fingers. Deacons impress a severe discipline upon their archers, who can combine their fire to deadly effect and rarely leave a target standing when firing in unison with one another.
TACTICAL TIPS Officer – Because this model is an Officer, when it is destroyed it does not replace a Grunt in its unit. Instead the Leader becomes the unit commander.
OFFICER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 4 6 6 13 11 8
NYSS LONGBOW RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 10
SWORD RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 7
AMMO PORTER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 4 5 5 13 11 8 OFFICER’S DAMAGE: PC Officer & Ammo Porter
5 5
FA 2
BASE:SMALL ATTACHMENT [BLIGHTED NYSS ARCHERS] – This
attachment can be added to a Blighted Nyss Archer unit.
OFFICER COMBINED RANGED ATTACK OFFICER GRANTED: COMBINED ARMS – While this model is in formation, models in its unit gain Combined Arms. (When a model with Combined Arms misses an attack roll for a combined ranged attack, it can reroll that attack roll. Each attack roll can be rerolled only once as a result of Combined Arms). TACTICS: PRACTICED MANEUVERS – Models in this unit gain Practiced Maneuvers. (Each model in this unit can ignore other models in this unit when determining LOS and can advance through them if it has enough movement to move completely past them.)
AMMO PORTER READY AMMO – While this model is in formation, the ranged weapons of models in its unit that are within 2˝ of this model become ROF 2. TAKE UP – If this model is destroyed, you can choose a Grunt in this unit within 1˝ of it to be destroyed instead. Effects on this model expire, and it gains the effects on the chosen Grunt. Remove the Grunt from the table instead of this model. This model has the same number of unmarked damage boxes as the chosen Grunt.
NYSS LONGBOW ARCING FIRE – When attacking with this weapon, this
model can ignore intervening models except those within 1˝ of the target.
105
BLIGHTED NYSS HEX HUNTERS LEGION UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 7 4 14 12 8
HEX RAZOR RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 10 PC
Leader & 5 Grunts Leader & 9 Grunts
9 15
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
LEADER & GRUNTS PATHFINDER BATTLE WIZARD – Once per turn, when this model
destroys one or more enemy models with a melee attack during its activation, immediately after the attack is resolved it can make one Magic Ability special attack or special action. MAGIC ABILITY [6] • HEX BOLT (HATTACK) – Hex Bolt is a RNG 6,
POW 13 magic attack. Models hit cannot make special actions, special attacks, or power attacks for one round. PROWL – While this model has concealment, it gains Stealth .
HEX RAZOR DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
Long known for their proud tradition of sorcery, the Nyss have manifested the arcane spark in increasing numbers since the coming of the dragon and their baptism by his blight. The sorcerers of this accursed race once prided themselves on their knowledge of the Aeric script and reverent service to their frozen god, but they have now turned to the black secrets of ancient Morrdh, blending their most sacred traditions with blasphemous lore and the power of dragon blight. Instead of protecting and guiding their shards to safety, many among this new breed of Nyss sorcerers devote themselves to slaughter in the name of their master. From this terrifying blend of ancient lore and blighted radiance came the hex hunters, each a sadistic master of the art of death, whether by blade or fell magic. Hex hunters are nothing less than arcane assassins, living weapons who have forsaken the greater mysteries of the arcane to focus solely on destruction of the flesh. Armed with hex razors, weapons recovered from the dark and dangerous pits of the buried ruins of Morrdh, the hunters channel the deaths of their victims into potent occult energies. To be struck by such a blade is to feel one’s life unraveled by the blighted touch of death. Once unleashed upon the battlefield, hex hunters move with great alacrity, easily leaping across obstacles or difficult ground in their eagerness to kill in Everblight’s name, for he is their revered master. When they close with their victims, they lash out with their vicious razors and hex-borne blight magic, each death fueling a frenzy of murder.
TACTICAL TIPS Magic Ability – Performing a Magic Ability special action or special attack counts as casting a spell.
106
BAYAL, HOUND OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS HEX HUNTER COMMAND ATTACHMENT
Bayal, first among the hex hunters, was instrumental in shaping their shadowed sorceries. Before the arrival of Thagrosh, Bayal had already established himself as a ruthless and accomplished sorcerer, a scion of a line of Nyss renowned for their arcane talents. His gifts granted him command of the biting northern winds, which he used to great effect as a hunter and killer. Long an admirer of the ice witch Vayl, Bayal willingly followed her into the Legion, where he took command of the sorcerous martial order that would become the hex hunters. When the Legion hastened toward the Castle of the Keys to confront Pyromalfic, they descended into forgotten tunnels beneath the Thornwood to evade armies clashing there. Bayal and his followers remained behind to plunder unspoiled Morrdhic ruins while the rest of the Legion marched on. There they unearthed the secrets of crafting the barbarous hex razors, adding the dark lore of this ancient kingdom to Everblight’s arsenal. Bayal returned to the Legion with his face concealed behind a mask of ancient Morrdhic design. The hex hunters follow him with slavish devotion, and together they combine blighted loyalty with potent human lore that was once withheld from the dragon by the more recalcitrant Lords of Morrdh.
TACTICAL TIPS Magic Ability – Performing a Magic Ability special action or special attack counts as casting a spell. Officer – Because this model is an Officer, when it is destroyed it does not replace a Grunt in its unit. Instead the Leader becomes the unit commander.
BAYAL 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 8 4 14 12 9
HEX RAZOR RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 10 DAMAGE:5 PC 6
FA C
BASE:SMALL
ATTACHMENT [BLIGHTED NYSS HEX HUNTER] – This
attachment can be added to a Blighted Nyss Hex Hunter unit.
BAYAL 1 OFFICER PATHFINDER BATTLE WIZARD – Once per turn, when this model
destroys one or more enemy models with a melee attack during its activation, immediately after the attack is resolved it can make one Magic Ability special attack or special action. GRANTED: SHADOW BIND – While this model is in formation, the melee weapons of models in this unit gain Shadow Bind. MAGIC ABILITY [7] • FROSTBITE (HATTACK) – Frostbite is a RNG SP 8
magic attack. Models hit suffer a POW 12 cold damage roll . • HEX BOLT (HATTACK) – Hex Bolt is a RNG 6, POW 13 magic attack. Models hit cannot make special actions, special attacks, or power attacks for one round. PROWL – While this model has concealment, it gains Stealth . TACTICS: ADVANCE DEPLOYMENT – Models in this unit gain Advance Deployment .
HEX RAZOR DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL WEAPON MASTER SHADOW BIND – A model hit by this weapon suffers Shadow Bind for one round. (A model suffering Shadow Bind suffers –3 DEF, and for one round when it advances it cannot move except to change facing. Shadow Bind can be shaken.)
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BLIGHTED NYSS LEGIONNAIRES LEGION UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 6 6 4 12 15 8
GREAT SWORD RNG POW P+S 2 4 10 PC
Leader & 5 Grunts Leader & 9 Grunts
9 15
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
LEADER & GRUNTS COMBINED MELEE ATTACK VENGEANCE – During your Maintenance Phase, if one
or more models in this unit were damaged by enemy attacks during the last round, each model in the unit can advance 3˝ and make one basic melee attack. WALL OF STEEL – While this model is B2B with one or more models in its unit, it gains +2 ARM.
The legionnaires effortlessly cut through flesh and bone with perfectly executed strikes honed by countless hours of practice. These blighted warriors have corrupted an ancient tradition of elite Nyss warriors once called the ryssovass. This small group of highly disciplined soldiers defended the narrow, winding passes leading to the heart of Nyss territory, a guardianship that took them away from their homes, shards, and tribes. Clad in ornate armor of overlapping steel, these sentries stood against superior numbers and tirelessly carved through enemy forces funneled into the passes. It once took years to train a warrior in the complex ryssovass fighting style, which taught legionnaires to fight in perfect coordination with one another. The precious steel employed for their armor was in limited supply, drawn from metal ordinarily reserved for the forging of swords. Under the dragon’s corruption, however, it has proven much easier to expand the legionnaires’ numbers. Whereas at one time proud Nyss self-determination made it difficult for most to embrace the discipline required to master such tactics, training now comes effortlessly to them. Moreover, metal seized in raids and plunder has made it easier to outfit these blighted warriors and make them ready for battle. The legionnaires wield the great blades of the ryssovass and serve as Thagrosh’s personal guard. Standing side by side they strike with fluid grace, blades rising and falling to cut down any who would harm their brethren. As one of their number falls, another steps forward to avenge that slain comrade. A line of legionnaires carves through enemies like a living thresher, a wave of flashing blades that dismembers any defenders foolish enough to hold their ground.
TACTICAL TIPS Vengeance – Models move after continuous effects have been resolved during your Maintenance Phase. Remember, these models can use Combined Melee Attack only during their activations, not while resolving Vengeance.
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CAPTAIN FARILOR & STANDARD
LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS LEGIONNAIRE COMMAND ATTACHMENT
To encounter Farilor and his guard in battle is to come upon a wall of blades poised to cut down any foe, at any cost. So great is their devotion that they ignore the most grievous wounds and punishing blows, holding their line through sheer force of will beneath the standard of the Legion, for the glory of Thagrosh. Farilor was born into the Maelwyrr Aeryn shard, a tribe small in number but nevertheless famed for its guardianship of the Fane of Nyssor. Farilor always knew he would one day bear heavy responsibilities, and he worked diligently to prepare himself for the rituals and trials of initiation that would confer upon him the honor of devoting his life to Nyssor’s protection. All in Maelwyrr Aeryn were shocked, then, when he failed his testing and was denied by the priest caste. Leaving the shard in shame, young Farilor considered taking his own life. His driving need to serve his people was too strong for him to take such a final step, however, so instead he sought out the ryssovass order, hoping to find new purpose defending the high mountain passes. He served with grim devotion and absolute discipline, rising quickly through the ranks, and his new peers deemed him a warrior without equal. When Vayl betrayed the Nyss, the ryssovass were among the first to become blighted. Vayl knew the blight would transform their dedication and loyalty into single-minded devotion to Everblight’s prophet, eliminating an otherwise dangerous obstacle. They became the legionnaires, and none was more zealous than Farilor, who assumed the mantle of leadership as captain and was called thereafter Bladeguard of the Prophet. He sees Thagrosh as the savior of the Nyss and demands nothing less than perfection from the Messiah’s honor guard.
TACTICAL TIPS Iron Zeal – Remember, even if a thrown model cannot be knocked down, it must still forfeit its Normal Movement or Combat Action if it activates later in a turn it was thrown. Officer – Because this model is an Officer, when it is destroyed it does not replace a Grunt in its unit. Instead the Leader becomes the unit commander. Vengeance – Models move after continuous effects have been resolved during your Maintenance Phase.
FARILOR 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 6 7 4 12 15 8
GREAT SWORD RNG POW P+S 2 4 10
STANDARD BEARER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 6 6 4 12 15 8 DAMAGE:5 PC Farilor & Standard
5
FA C
BASE:SMALL ATTACHMENT [BLIGHTED NYSS LEGIONNAIRES] –
This attachment can be added to a Blighted Nyss Legionnaire unit.
FARILOR 1 COMBINED MELEE ATTACK OFFICER CLEAVE – When this model destroys one or more enemy models with a basic melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after the attack is resolved this model can make one additional melee attack. This model can gain only one additional attack from Cleave each activation. IRON ZEAL – This model can use Iron Zeal once per game at any time during its unit’s activation. Models in this unit gain +3 ARM and cannot become stationary or knocked down. Models are not affected while out of formation. Iron Zeal lasts for one round. VENGEANCE – During your Maintenance Phase, if one or more models in this unit were damaged by enemy attacks during the last round, each model in the unit can advance 3˝ and make one basic melee attack. WALL OF STEEL – While this model is B2B with one or more models in its unit, it gains +2 ARM.
STANDARD BEARER STANDARD BEARER – While this model is within 5˝ of its unit commander, the unit commander gains +2 CMD. TAKE UP – If this model is destroyed, you can choose a Grunt in this unit within 1˝ of it to be destroyed instead. Effects on this model expire, and it gains the effects on the chosen Grunt. Remove the Grunt from the table instead of this model. This model has the same number of unmarked damage boxes as the chosen Grunt. VENGEANCE – See above. WALL OF STEEL – See above.
GREAT SWORD WEAPON MASTER
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BLIGHTED NYSS RAPTORS LEGION UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 9 6 6 7 14 15 9
NYSS LONGBOW RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 10
NYSS CLAYMORE RNG POW P+S 1 4 10
Long before the rise of Everblight and the Legion, Nyss raptors descended upon the Khardic tribes of the frozen north. Mounted atop swift and sure-footed ulk, these outriders rode through winter storms to fall upon the villages of men in a tempest of death and ruin. Their victims fled in all directions in vain hopes of escaping the barrage of pounding hooves, deadly arrows, and merciless blades. Each raptor earned the right to join the brotherhood in a tradition as old as the Nyss themselves. Hopefuls would go naked into the frozen wilderness to find and tame an ulk stag as their mount. They either returned proudly astride their bonded beast or died alone in the snow.
MOUNT RNG POW 0.5 12 DAMAGE: PC
Leader & 2 Grunts Leader & 4 Grunts
5 EACH 11 18
FA 2
BASE:LARGE
LEADER & GRUNTS CAVALRY PATHFINDER REPOSITION [5˝] – At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 5˝, then its activation ends.
NYSS LONGBOW POISON – Gain an additional die on this weapon’s
damage rolls against living models.
NYSS CLAYMORE WEAPON MASTER
110
The raptor tradition has continued among the Nyss of the Legion. They ride ahead to harass enemy flanks and formations with their arrows before the bulk of Legion forces join the battle. Only skilled warriors who prove themselves masters of both blade and bow can join the ranks of these daunting riders. The raptors’ traditional ulk, a hardy breed of particularly large deer, instinctively shun the blighted Nyss, but striders tracked several herds to exhaustion and captured them. Subjected to the blight, the animals became as aggressive as the warriors they now carry and enthusiastically slash and impale with massive antlers once reserved for self-defense and displays of dominance.
TACTICAL TIPS Reposition – If a model is part of a unit, its activation does not end until all models in its unit have completed their activations.
BLIGHTED NYSS SCATHER CREW
LEGION WEAPON CREW UNIT
The scather is a light catapult designed to deliver a projectile of concentrated liquid blight poisonous to flesh. This substance can dissolve metal, putrefy wood, or crumble stone as easily as it disintegrates flesh or bone. Even a few drops of this mixture will inflict searing agony on a victim before granting the sweet release of death. The blighted liquid inside the scather’s ammunition spreads across a wide area, sizzling as it sends up a cloud of deadly vapor, which will disperse after a short while—but nothing will ever grow again on earth poisoned by such blight, and only dragonspawn can draw sustenance from the flesh of those killed by such vapors. The nomadic Nyss were once content to rely on the accuracy of their bows, particularly when wielding them from atop the backs of sure-footed ulks. In clashes with the regimented armies of its rivals, however, the Legion realized it required additional firepower. Everblight provided the insight to reconstruct machines originally devised by the warlords of ancient Morrdh, and Legion craftsmen immediately began producing these expedient and easily fabricated weapons. This lightweight but formidable catapult transports easily from one battlefield to another. Its elegant design relies on the strength of its hinged wooden arms drawn back by rope. The light and almost delicate projectile would puzzle any human siege engineers until they realized the perforated and spiked globe in fact contained a fragile bladder of blighted essence.
GUNNER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 2 4 5 5 13 11 5
SCATHER CATAPULT RNG ROF AOE POW 15 1 3 14
SWORD RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 7
GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 4 4 5 5 13 11 5
SWORD RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 7 PC Gunner & 2 Grunts BASE (GUNNER): BASE (GRUNT):
5
FA 2 LARGE SMALL
GUNNER OFFICER MAN-SIZED – This model is treated as a small-based
model and occupies the space from the bottom of its base to a height of 1.75˝. MOBILE ARTILLERY – When this model advances as part of its Normal Movement, it gains +1˝ movement for each Grunt in this unit within 2˝ of it at the start of its advance. TAKE UP – If this model is destroyed, you can choose a Grunt in this unit within 1˝ of it to be destroyed instead. Effects on this model expire, and it gains the effects on the chosen Grunt. Remove the Grunt from the table instead of this model. This model has the same number of unmarked damage boxes as the chosen Grunt.
SCATHER CATAPULT DAMAGE TYPE: CORROSION ARCING FIRE – When attacking with this weapon, this
model can ignore intervening models except those within 1˝ of the target. MINIMUM RANGE [6˝] – Attacks made with this weapon cannot target models within 6˝ of this model. SCATHER – This attack’s AOE is a hazard that remains in play for one round. Models entering or ending their activations in the AOE suffer 1 point of corrosion damage .
111
BLIGHTED NYSS SWORDSMEN LEGION UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 7 4 14 13 7
NYSS CLAYMORE RNG POW P+S 1 4 11 PC
Leader & 5 Grunts Leader & 9 Grunts
9 15
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
NYSS CLAYMORE WEAPON MASTER
For many unsuspecting Nyss, the first hint of approaching doom was a long line of their own people striding toward them with claymores unsheathed. As the swordsmen drew closer, the villagers’ sense of dread only increased, fed by a growing certainty that something terrible and inherently wrong approached. It was not the strangely lean forms of the advancing troops or the barbs poking from their flesh that was most disturbing but rather their dead eyes, terrible and empty. The warriors did not respond to queries or pleas, and village defenders realized their peril too late. The blighted swordsmen severed heads and sheared off limbs with emotionless precision. For them this act was not one of warfare or the slaughter of their own people—it was elegant and precisely executed butchery. The blighted Nyss swordsmen now turn their skill upon Everblight’s enemies, be those Khadorans, hardy trollkin, or survivors of their own Nyss bloodlines. Blighted swordsmen hold a close connection to their swords—the traditionally sacred weapons of the Nyss—and this could well be the only remnant of ordinary emotions they retain. In battle they achieve perfect union with their claymores and fight without fear of death. They even disdain armor, preferring to enter battle bare-chested. The swordsmen revere their blades more than any single life, fastidiously accounting for the weapons of their fallen compatriots after battle is done. They consider their treasured claymores the embodiment of their essence, refusing to abandon these keen reminders of their past. The only satisfaction they might derive from life, in fact, is knowing their swords will outlast them. Between battles, blighted swordsmen can often be found staring at their weapons as if recapturing a faint memory of their former lives.
112
BLIGHTED NYSS SWORDSMAN ABBOT & CHAMPION
LEGION COMMAND ATTACHMENT
Among the Nyss corrupted by the dragon’s blight, the swordsmen were the first to answer Everblight’s call. Many lost their sense of self, unable to comprehend what compelled them to hack apart their kin. Their hollowness aligned naturally with the meditative discipline of sword mastery, allowing them to evade the horror of their actions by concentrating solely on their skill. They turned emptiness itself into a form of spirituality, embracing an emotional void to achieve absolute perfection with the blade. Those who fully embraced this murderous meditation have since become the greatest blade masters of their race. These are the abbots, both feared and respected within the Legion for the absolute calm with which they execute a variety of atrocities. The abbots have achieved something akin to a state of enlightenment, gaining a recognized ability to fight with utter dispassion and grace. The monks of the blade have attracted devotees from among the most skilled and disciplined swordsmen. Abbots and their students venerate not a god but the pure abstraction of the blight and the refinement it brings to their flesh. The best students are called champions, some of whom have learned to immerse themselves so completely in their art that they can perform the astonishing task of fighting with two claymores in tandem.
TACTICAL TIPS Officer – Because this model is an Officer, when it is destroyed it does not replace a Grunt in its unit. Instead the Leader becomes the unit commander.
ABBOT SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 8 4 14 13 9
NYSS CLAYMORE RNG POW P+S 1 4 11
CHAMPION SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 8 4 14 13 7
NYSS CLAYMORE RNG POW P+S 1 4 11 OFFICER’S DAMAGE: CHAMPION’S DAMAGE: PC Officer & Champion
5 5 6
FA 2
BASE:SMALL ATTACHMENT [BLIGHTED NYSS SWORDSMEN] –
This attachment can be added to a Blighted Nyss Swordsman unit.
ABBOT OFFICER GRANTED: CLEAVE – While this model is in formation,
models in its unit gain Cleave. (When a model with Cleave destroys one or more enemy models with a basic melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after the attack is resolved the model can make one additional melee attack. A model can gain only one additional attack from Cleave per activation.) TACTICS: OVERTAKE – Models in this unit gain Overtake. (When a model with Overtake destroys one or more enemy models with a basic melee attack during its Combat Action, after the attack is resolved it can immediately advance up to 1˝.)
CHAMPION COUNTERCHARGE – When an enemy model advances and ends its movement within 6˝ of this model and in its LOS, this model can immediately charge it. This model can use Countercharge only once per round and not while engaged. DEFENSIVE STRIKE – Once per turn, when an enemy model advances into and ends its movement in this model’s melee range, this model can immediately make one basic melee attack against it.
NYSS CLAYMORE WEAPON MASTER
113
GROTESQUE BANSHEES LEGION UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 7 5 5 12 13 7
PIERCING SCREECH RNG ROF AOE POW SP 6 1 — 12 PC
Leader & 5 Grunts Leader & 9 Grunts
8 13
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
LEADER & GRUNTS FLIGHT GUNFIGHTER FORCE BARRIER – This model gains +2 DEF against ranged attack rolls and does not suffer blast damage.
PIERCING SCREECH BRAIN DAMAGE – A model damaged by an attack with this weapon cannot cast spells for one round.
Few sounds haunt the memories of soldiers like the cry of the grotesque banshee. On leathery wings these twisted forms plummet from the sky in great flocks to sweep over those embattled below and assail them with maddening screeches. Enemies clutch at their ears and beg for relief as their bones are rattled within their bodies. Banshees are another example of Everblight’s ability to adapt flesh to the task at hand. What traces of the Nyss remain in other grotesques have vanished completely in these creatures, which display a far more monstrous appearance. The last vestiges of hair have fallen away and their jaws gape, low and extended with rows of razor-sharp teeth. With their strengthened vocal cords, expanded chest cavities, and highly elastic lungs, grotesque banshees can emit high-frequency cries so intense that their sonic force can collapse the bones and rupture the organs of Everblight’s enemies. Foes caught in the blast of these deadly screams fall prone, rivulets of blood flowing from their ears, nose, and mouth, and the frequency of these piercing shrieks can shatter the concentration of any spellcaster. Their constant changes in direction and altitude make the grotesques difficult to track or lead even with highly accurate weapons. Such tactics are rendered further ineffective when the banshees emit sonic waves from their gaping mouths that alter the very trajectory of those arrows and bullets. The cry of this blighted creature is so effective a weapon that, while grappling with prey, the banshee will scream in the opponent’s face rather than resort to claws or fangs. Most foes subjected to this sonic assault die outright, while others undergo intense agony as their hearing is instantly destroyed. For most victims, the banshee’s shriek is the last sound they will ever hear.
114
GROTESQUE RAIDERS
LEGION UNIT
The blighted Nyss grotesques are winged horrors so twisted by Everblight’s power they hardly resemble the coldly beautiful race from which they are descended. Driven only by the basest instincts of hunger and a desire to spill blood for Everblight, these marauders strike swiftly from the sky, converging on their prey in a cloud of leathery wings and slashing talons. Not satisfied with the subtle manipulations he worked upon the flesh of the Nyss, Everblight set about generating even more drastic and terrible transformations. In the grotesques he created a new species utterly unlike the race from which they were drawn. Though initially born of blighted Nyss parents, the brutish grotesques now dwell apart from the Nyss and breed only among themselves, generating spawn that incubate and mature at a frightful pace. The grotesques live almost as flocks of nightmarish ravens. Numbering in the hundreds, these flocks loom amid the canopies of blight-infested forests or dwell upon the jagged peaks of mountains, awaiting their master’s summons with great anticipation. When called upon to carry out Everblight’s will they descend from the sky en masse, tearing their prey apart with the powerful claws that mark each one as more beast than Nyss.
LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 7 5 4 12 13 7
CLAWS RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 10 PC
Leader & 5 Grunts Leader & 9 Grunts
8 12
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
LEADER & GRUNTS FLIGHT GANG – When making a melee attack targeting an
enemy model in the melee range of another model in this unit, this model gains +2 to melee attack and melee damage rolls.
115
HELLMOUTH LEGION UNIT HELLMOUTH SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD — 10 6 — 10 18 8
MAW RNG POW P+S 2 5 15
TENTACLE SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 6 6 — 10 15 —
TENTACLE STRIKE RNG POW P+S 2 4 10 HELLMOUTH DAMAGE: PC Hellmouth & 3 Tentacles BASE (HELLMOUTH): BASE (TENTACLE):
8 6
FA 2
LARGE MEDIUM
HELLMOUTH OFFICER SOULLESS BURIED – This model has no Normal Movement, cannot become knocked down, and cannot be moved or placed. CIRCULAR VISION – Models never gain a back strike bonus against this model. DISTANT DEPLOYMENT – This model can be placed at the same time as your models with Advance Deployment , up to 12˝ beyond your deployment zone. IMPERVIOUS FLESH – When this model suffers a damage roll, roll one fewer die. INSCRUTABLE – Opponents cannot take control of this model. TENDRILS – If there are fewer than three Tentacles in this unit in play during your Maintenance Phase, you can put one Tentacle into play, in formation. If this model is destroyed or removed from play, the Tentacles in its unit are removed from play.
TENTACLE PATHFINDER SOULLESS DISTANT DEPLOYMENT – See above. IMPERVIOUS FLESH – See above. INSCRUTABLE – See above.
MAW CONSUME – If this attack hits a small-based non-
warcaster, non-warlock model, the model hit is removed from play. REAR ATTACK – When declaring attacks with this weapon, this model can target models in its back arc.
TENTACLE STRIKE GRIP – If this weapon hits a large-based or smaller enemy model, immediately after the attack is resolved this model can be removed from play. When it is, the model hit is pushed directly toward the Hellmouth until it contacts a model, an obstacle, or an obstruction. After the model is moved, the Hellmouth can immediately make one basic melee attack against it.
116
Everblight first conceived the idea of hellmouths while beneath the ancient kingdom of Morrdh. As part of his pact, the dragon agreed to provide aid to the dark rulers of Morrdh in their wars of conquest against neighboring city-states. Everblight knew that his father, Toruk, was still actively hunting down his rebellious offspring, however, and bent his cunning intellect to creating dragonspawn that could operate in relative secrecy and still strike terror into the hearts and minds of Morrdh’s enemies. The hellmouth was a product of this era—a living weapon that could unleash horrifying power upon Morrdh’s unsuspecting foes yet whose true nature remained concealed deep beneath the earth, safely hidden from the eyes of Toruk’s agents. Even today, hellmouths slumber beneath the ruins of Morrdh, waiting to unleash their terror upon those who disturb their rest. Few have seen the true size and shape of a hellmouth, because the creatures must be quickly buried after being spawned or they perish. Once underground, they rapidly gestate to maturity in a matter of days. The subterranean nature of hellmouths makes them ideally suited to serve as guardians of locations important to Everblight despite being immobile. When not called to battle, a hellmouth can enter a state of suspended animation to await its master’s call or the telltale signs of prey above. When awakened, it bursts from the ground in a spray of dirt and rock to seize its unfortunate victims in its tentacles and drag them screaming to a grisly death.
SPAWNING VESSEL
LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS UNIT
The cowled acolyths entrusted with spawning vessels prowl the battlefield behind the front ranks, snagging corpses with gaff hooks and flinging them into the waiting cauldron. Bodies splash into the brackish fluids, a gruesome charnel reduction that churns and simmers. Suddenly a birthing spawn stretches and snaps the membrane on the liquid’s surface as it leaps out onto the battlefield, eager to sate its ravenous hunger. Spawning vessels are wrought-iron cauldrons upon which blighted Nyss sorcerers have inscribed profane runes in the language of the dragons. These imbue the vessel with the essence of unchecked growth. This power is awakened by a baptism in draconic blood that allows the vessel to serve as a crucible for dragonspawn. Pure draconic essence mixes with the flesh and blood of the slaughtered to create an unnatural generative alchemy. The acolyths who administer the vessel are blighted female Nyss bound by oaths to perform the rituals required to ensure the rapid creation of spawn. Battlefields decimated by these Nyss are eerie places—steeped in blood and covered in the tracks of countless claws, yet plucked clean of corpses.
TACTICAL TIPS Recycle – Remember, if more than one model is eligible to collect a model’s corpse token, the closest eligible model collects it. If this model already has three corpse tokens, it is not eligible to collect another one. Spawn Horror – The warbeast can activate the turn it is put into play.
VESSEL SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD — 0 0 0 5 18 7
NYSS GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 5 4 13 11 7
GAFF RNG POW P+S 2 3 9 VESSEL’S DAMAGE: PC
Vessel & 4 Grunts Vessel & 6 Grunts
BASE (VESSEL): BASE (GRUNT):
10 5 7
FA 2
MEDIUM SMALL
VESSEL CONSTRUCT OFFICER CARRIED – This model is not a warrior model. It can advance only during its unit’s Normal Movement. When it advances, it can move up to 1˝ for each Grunt in this unit within 2˝ of it at the beginning of this unit’s activation. This model is automatically hit by melee attacks. It cannot become stationary or knocked down and never suffers Blind. FOCAL POINT – If this model is destroyed or removed from play, remove the remaining models in this unit from play. RECYCLE – When a living or undead model is destroyed within 4˝ of this model +1˝ for each Grunt in this unit that is in formation, this model gains the destroyed model’s corpse token. This model can have up to three corpse tokens at any time. SPAWN HORROR (HACTION) – Remove three corpse tokens from this model to place a non-character Faction lesser warbeast into play under your control. Place the warbeast completely within 3˝ of this model and choose a friendly Faction battlegroup commander. This warbeast becomes part of that battlegroup commander’s battlegroup.
117
STRIDER BLIGHTBLADES LEGION UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 6 6 3 15 11 7
BLADE RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 9 PC Leader & 5 Grunts
10
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
LEADER & GRUNTS ADVANCE DEPLOYMENT COMBINED MELEE ATTACK PATHFINDER STEALTH AMBUSH – You can choose not to deploy this unit at the start of the game. If it is not deployed normally, you can put it into play at the end of any of your Control Phases after your first turn. When you do, choose any table edge except the back of your opponent’s deployment zone. Place all models in this unit in formation completely within 3˝ of the chosen table edge.
BLADE CRITICAL GRIEVOUS WOUNDS – On a critical hit, a
model hit by this weapon loses Tough and cannot have damage removed from it for one round.
118
In reconnaissance and assassination, few can compare with the blighted Nyss striders. Their draconic master gifted them an incredible speed and elusiveness that cannot be readily duplicated through mere instruction and training. Striders slip unseen from one shadow to the next and can traverse formidable terrain easily, foiling many expert marksmen. Strider blightlbades eschew the traditional Nyss longbows in favor of a pair of wicked curved blades fabricated using blighted energies. The angry, blackened wounds these blades leave behind are only the beginning of a victim’s suffering; enemies who survive a blightblade’s cold touch might spend weeks wishing they had perished, and hardy warriors have been laid low by the slightest of flesh wounds. Battle surgeons and healers of all races familiar with these wounds favor amputation whenever possible to prevent the fatal blight from creeping inexorably into the veins of their patients. The blighted blades do not cause an infection in the traditional sense, rendering standard medical treatment and even alchemical restoratives ineffectual. Little can be done to relieve a victim’s excruciating pain besides entirely excising the blight. As stories of shadow warriors wielding dual blades of death spread among the armies of western Immoren, fear of the strider blightblades has grown. The Legion can rely on them not only for assassination but also to sow chaos and terror among the enemy.
119
STRIDER SCOUTS LEGION UNIT LEADER & GRUNTS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 6 5 6 15 11 7
NYSS LONGBOW RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 10
SWORD RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 9 PC Leader & 5 Grunts
9
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
LEADER & GRUNTS ADVANCE DEPLOYMENT PATHFINDER STEALTH
Striders are blighted Nyss scouts sent ahead of the Legion to spy on troop movements and to assassinate sentries and other targets of opportunity deep within hostile lands. Their transformation has reduced them to bitter vassals, enhanced their killer instinct, and honed their talent for slaughter. Striders sadistically and gladly kill the lowest animals or murder any unarmed innocent crossing their path. They savor the grim satisfaction gained from each death because it is one of the few emotions they are still able to feel. Striders have fallen upon defenseless villages in northern Khador in the dead of night, barging into houses to slay every last man, woman, and child they meet. The blight brought a special gift to these rangers who once patrolled the wilds. As it consumed them, their legs deformed and lengthened. Their bones stretched as if pulled on a torturer’s rack while their calves snapped in half to be reshaped into new leg joints. The bones of their feet fused and reformed, and their nails hardened into claws able to grip the earth. These alterations turned them into swift hunters able to run at full speed across solid ice, hurdle logs, weave through underbrush, and easily leap across small streams. Keeping to the shadows and trees, striders instinctively approach from downwind and strike from blind spots. Enemies fleeing the Legion are quickly overtaken by these fleet-footed assassins, who cruelly toy with their prey before granting the mercy of death. Despite being transformed into ruthless killing machines, striders still maintain one vestige of their former lives: after each slaughter they perform a ritual in which they dip a single raven’s feather in the blood of every kill. They wear ever-growing cloaks of these feathers to remind them of their role in the many deaths created by the Legion’s passing.
120
STRIDER SCOUT OFFICER & MUSICIAN
LEGION COMMAND ATTACHMENT
Striders are tremendously efficient hunters and killers. Their skill with the bow derives from a unique mix of inherent Nyss ability and their own bodies’ blightbased enhancement. Possessed of keen instincts and endless stamina, in motion they seem more similar to animals than to the race from which they originated. Strider leaders are trusted to operate autonomously, scouting each new region ahead of Everblight’s quickly moving legion. Their prominence among the newly established blighted Nyss society reflects their shrewd anticipation of the needs of this growing army. Experts in ambush, striders are always prepared to harass and bloody the enemy and allow their opponents no reprieve from their unerring assaults. Striders rely on the call of the horn to communicate across desolate landscapes. By this sound they are called to gather and are subsequently set loose upon the enemies of Everblight. The Nyss have used such horns since ancient times to convey information rapidly across great distances, particularly in times of strife. The sudden sounding of these horns followed by a hail of deadly arrows has long terrified the humans of northern mountain towns. Nyss musicians can convey a wealth of information in subtle shifts of tone and length of note. In battle they can also unleash a mournful wail that drowns out all other sound and sends an instinctive chill straight to the bones of their enemies.
TACTICAL TIPS Granted: Reposition [3˝] – If a model is part of a unit, its activation does not end until all models in its unit have completed their activations. Officer – Because this model is an Officer, when it is destroyed it does not replace a Grunt in its unit. Instead the Leader becomes the unit commander. Tactics: Hunter – Hunter does not ignore Stealth gained from Prowl.
OFFICER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 6 6 7 15 11 7
NYSS LONGBOW RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 10
SWORD RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 9
MUSICIAN SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 6 5 6 15 11 7
NYSS LONGBOW RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 10
SWORD RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 9 OFFICER’S DAMAGE: PC Officer & Musician
5 4
FA 2
BASE:SMALL ATTACHMENT [STRIDER SCOUTS] – This attachment can
be added to a Strider Scout unit.
OFFICER ADVANCE DEPLOYMENT OFFICER PATHFINDER STEALTH GRANTED: REPOSITION [3˝] – While this model is in formation, models in its unit gain Reposition [3˝]. (At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, a model with Reposition [3˝] can advance up to 3˝, then its activation ends.) TACTICS: HUNTER – Models in this unit gain Hunter. (A model with Hunter ignores concealment and cover when making ranged attacks.)
MUSICIAN ADVANCE DEPLOYMENT PATHFINDER STEALTH IN STEP – While this model is in formation, models in its unit that are in its command range are considered to be in formation. TAKE UP – If this model is destroyed, you can choose a Grunt in this unit within 1˝ of it to be destroyed instead. Effects on this model expire, and it gains the effects on the chosen Grunt. Remove the Grunt from the table instead of this model. This model has the same number of unmarked damage boxes as the chosen Grunt.
121
BLACKFROST SHARD LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS UNIT SEVRYN 1, RHYLYSS 1 & VYSARR 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 5 7 4 14 12 6
NYSS CLAYMORE RNG POW P+S 1 4 9 DAMAGE:
5 EACH
PC Sevryn, Rhylyss & Vysarr
9
FA C
BASE:SMALL
SEVRYN 1 IMMUNITY: COLD OFFICER PATHFINDER BATTLE WIZARD – Once per turn, when this model destroys one or more enemy models with a melee attack during its activation, immediately after the attack is resolved it can make one Magic Ability special attack or special action. MAGIC ABILITY [7] • DISBINDING (HACTION) – Enemy upkeep spells and
animi on this model and its unit immediately expire. • ICE BOLT (HATTACK) – Ice Bolt is a RNG 10 magic
attack. A model hit suffers a POW 12 cold damage roll . On a critical hit, the model hit becomes stationary for one round unless it has Immunity: Cold . • ICE CAGE (HATTACK) – Ice Cage is a RNG 10 magic attack. A model hit suffers a cumulative –2 DEF for one turn unless it has Immunity: Cold . When a model without Immunity: Cold is hit with three or more Ice Cage attacks the same turn, it becomes stationary for one round.
RHYLYSS 1 IMMUNITY: COLD PATHFINDER BATTLE WIZARD – See above. MAGIC ABILITY [7] • ICE BOLT (HATTACK) – See above. • ICE CAGE (HATTACK) – See above. • KISS OF LYLISS (HATTACK) – Kiss of Lyliss is a
RNG 10 magic attack. When a friendly Faction model makes a damage roll against a model/unit hit by Kiss of Lyliss, add +2 to the roll. Kiss of Lyliss lasts for one turn.
VYSARR 1 IMMUNITY: COLD PATHFINDER BATTLE WIZARD – See above. MAGIC ABILITY [7] • CLOAK OF MIST (HACTION) – Models in this unit
gain Stealth . Models are not affected while out of formation. Cloak of Mist lasts for one round. • ICE BOLT (HATTACK) – See above. • ICE CAGE (HATTACK) – See above.
NYSS CLAYMORE DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL WEAPON MASTER
122
When the blighted Nyss speak of “the Blackfrost Shard,” they refer to the three most ruthless scions of that tribe: the warrior-sorcerers Sevryn, Rhylyss, and Vysarr. Though the clan has long been known for its arcane potential, the shard has risen in prominence considerably since the arrival of the dragon. The three brothers who now lead its numbers have gained reputations for lethality and viciousness noteworthy even among the cruel blighted Nyss. The trio were once considered rebellious malcontents by their kinsmen, but they have since risen to lead those who scorned them. The sorcerer Sevryn heads this inner cabal. A severe and practical Nyss, Sevryn possesses extraordinary insight into the interactions of blight and sorcerous energies. He can unravel the enchantments of his enemies while summoning powerful evocations to strike them down with chilling ruthlessness. It is he who maintains order within the shard, enforcing discipline throughout its ranks. His younger brothers Rhylyss and Vysarr invariably accompany Sevryn in all actions. Potent sorcerers in their own right, they nevertheless follow their elder brother unquestioningly. Even before the blight touched them, the three shared an intuitive bond, each of them complementing the movements of the others as they fought with spell and blade. Rhylyss learned to work bloody curses upon their enemies, and Vysarr developed means of hiding them from detection. Working in conjunction, the three can ensnare even the most powerful prey in bonds of ice, leaving their victims’ fates to the whims of their blighted masters. With the dragon’s blighted touch deepening the darkest aspects of their personalities, Rhylyss’ predilection for cruelty finds an outlet in his every action, and Vysarr’s reclusive mind has made him as quietly focused as a hawk fixed upon its prey. Sevryn appears to have changed the least of the three, but what was once a brooding rebelliousness against the traditions of the Nyss has become something else. He is an ambitious and keenly intelligent leader, one who secretly hopes to cement a permanent leadership role in the evolving society of the blighted Nyss. He aspires someday to be granted one of Everblight’s athanc shards. He will do anything and sacrifice anyone—even his brothers—to see this ambition fulfilled. Since the events of the Great Hunt, the trio have traveled south to the Wall of Anguish, a coastal mountain range on the eastern edge of the Alchiere subcontinent. There they have offered their services to Kallus, Devastation of Everblight, in his creation of a new holding for the Legion, and they now focus their efforts on training those Nyss who have exhibited sorcerous potential.
TACTICAL TIPS Magic Ability – Performing a Magic Ability special action or special attack counts as casting a spell. Officer – Because Sevryn is an Officer, when he is destroyed he does not replace Rhylyss or Vysarr. Instead Rhylyss or Vysarr becomes the unit commander.
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BEAST MISTRESS LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS SOLO
As the blighted Nyss adapt to their new way of life, some among them have shown a special affinity for the dragon’s blight. These rare sorceresses, each blessed with a direct channel to the font of the dragon’s power, are able to commune with and command dragonspawn on a level almost on par with that of the dragon’s warlocks. Though the beast mistresses do not enjoy the privilege of hosting athanc shards within their bodies, they are still markedly lethal and potent wielders of the blight.
FURY: 4 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 5 5 4 14 13 7
BEAST MISTRESS
NYSS CLAYMORE RNG POW P+S 1 4 9 DAMAGE:5 PC 4
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
BEAST MISTRESS PATHFINDER DRACONIC CONSORT – This model is not a warlock but
has the following warlock special rules: Battlegroup Commander, Control Range, Forcing, Fury Manipulation, Healing, Spellcaster, and Transferring Damage. This model can have only non-character Faction lesser warbeasts in its battlegroup and must have at least one warbeast in its battlegroup at the start of the game. FIELD MARSHAL [AGGRESSIVE] – Warbeasts in this model’s battlegroup gain Aggressive. (A model with Aggressive can run or charge without being forced.) FLANK [FRIENDLY FACTION LESSER WARBEAST] –
When this model makes a melee attack against an enemy model in the melee range of a friendly Faction lesser warbeast, this model gains +2 to attack rolls and gains an additional damage die.
SPELLS BLOOD RAIN
COST RNG AOE POW DUR OFF 3
8
3
12
–
YES
Blood Rain causes corrosion damage . Models hit suffer the Corrosion continuous effect . ENERGIZER
2 SELF –
– – NO
Each model in the spellcaster’s battlegroup that is currently in its control range can immediately advance up to 2˝. Energizer can be cast only once per activation.
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Beast mistresses have been thoroughly inculcated in the radiance of the dragon’s glory. Their minds have been carefully attuned to the whispering, razor-sharp thoughts of the spawn, and through the spawn they sense the dragon’s own will. From the moment they first feel his presence within their awareness, they live only to bask in the presence of the dragon and his children. As the Legion’s armies grow, the beast mistresses are increasingly filling the role of commanders subordinate to Everblight’s warlocks but more than capable of leading dragonspawn far afield when directed. In battle they command the spawn with an innate understanding of each beast’s capabilities and methods of slaughter. They fight alongside the spawn with ease, their blighted bond to the creatures allowing them to anticipate their attacks and take best advantage of injured or distracted foes.
TACTICAL TIPS Draconic Consort – This model’s type is solo, not warlock.
BLIGHTED NYSS SHEPHERD
LEGION SOLO
The effect of the blight is not entirely predictable. It overcomes and disfigures some individuals, while it brings singular purity of mind and purpose to others. Among those graced with nearly perfect acceptance of their new state are the shepherds, who sense echoes of Everblight’s whispered thoughts in the behavior of the spawn around them. While most of the Legion respect and fear dragonspawn as symbolic extensions of Everblight, shepherds share a particular and close relationship with the creatures. They spend most of their time with the spawn entrusted to their care, even preferring to sleep among them, and can become short-tempered if forced to deal with their own kind beyond the briefest of exchanges. Other blighted Nyss look upon the connection between shepherd and spawn with awe and sometimes envy, as only the few warlocks gifted with shards of the dragon’s athanc share a closer connection to their draconic master. For Everblight’s warlocks, shepherds represent a powerful asset. Under the command of a shepherd, dragonspawn are driven to perform in ways typically only achieved under the direct control of a warlock. Though pushing them this way often results in eventual loss of control of the spawn, the bond between shepherd and spawn is so strong that the mere presence of its shepherd can bring a crazed beast back from the brink.
SHEPHERD SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 5 5 4 13 11 8
CROOKED STAFF RNG POW P+S 2 4 9 PC 1
FA 3
BASE:SMALL
SHEPHERD BEAST MASTER – This model can force friendly Faction warbeasts in its command range as if it were their battlegroup commander. CONDITION (HACTION) – RNG 3. Target friendly Faction warbeast. If the warbeast is in range, you can place 1 fury point on it or remove 1 fury point from it. MEDICATE [d3] (HACTION) – RNG B2B. Target friendly Faction living warbeast. If the warbeast is in range, remove d3 damage points from it.
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BLIGHTED NYSS SORCERESS & HELLION LEGION SOLO SORCERESS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 8 5 6 4 14 16 8
SPEAR RNG POW P+S 2 4 9
MOUNT RNG POW 0.5 10 DAMAGE:8 PC 6
FA 2
BASE:LARGE
SORCERESS CAVALRY FLIGHT AERIAL COORDINATION – Friendly Faction warbeasts with Flight beginning their activations in this model’s command range can charge without being forced. MAGIC ABILITY [7] • BLIGHT STORM (HACTION) – Place a 5˝ AOE
anywhere completely within this model’s command range. When an enemy model in the AOE is directly hit by an attack and the damage roll fails to exceed its ARM, that model suffers 1 damage point. Blight Storm lasts for one round. • FROSTBITE (HATTACK) – Frostbite is a RNG SP 8 magic attack. Models hit suffer a POW 12 cold damage roll . • WIND RAVAGER (HACTION) – While in this model’s command range, enemy models cannot make ranged attacks. Wind Ravager lasts for one round. REPOSITION [3˝] – At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 3˝, then its activation ends.
SPEAR DAMAGE TYPE: MAGICAL
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Traditionally Nyss sorcerers rode into battle on the backs of ulk alongside Nyss hunters. Always looking to improve upon nature’s offerings, Everblight has presented his sorceresses with hellions, fell creatures that once carried the warlords of Morrdh into battle. Sweeping out of frozen skies, hellions fall upon their earthbound enemies and deliver their mistresses into the heart of the fray. The half-mad sorceresses who ride them must be strong and agile enough to stand precariously atop their beasts without the benefit of saddles or harnesses. Hellions streak over the battlefield at dizzying speeds while their riders unleash powerful magic wherever the need is most pressing. With little more than a shouted word and a pointed finger, a sorceress can summon howling winds to rip a distant victim limb from limb. In the conquered Nyss, Everblight assimilated a rich magical tradition. Sorcery has a distinguished history among these people, initially connected to their religious practices. Certain bloodlines produced a great number of sorcerers, prompting Nyss priests to nurture and train them to unlock their full potential. Since joining the Legion, these bloodlines have risen to new prominence and Everblight’s energies have awakened such power even in those who had not previously manifested it. Blighted Nyss sorceresses have carved out a niche as vassals and messengers of Everblight’s generals. Though the dragon and his warlocks enjoy instantaneous communication across any distance, the rest of the Nyss must rely upon more mundane means to convey orders. Sorceresses play a key role, using their swift flying mounts to great advantage. They also lend their power and knowledge of blighted runecraft to the creation of spawning vessels, ensuring their master’s forces are well supplied with creatures of war.
TACTICAL TIPS Magic Ability – Performing a Magic Ability special action or special attack counts as casting a spell.
BLIGHTED NYSS WARLORD
LEGION SOLO
As the inheritors of a transformed tradition in Nyss swordsmanship, the warlords of Everblight’s Legion enter combat armed with the double-bladed claymore—a weapon requiring remarkable dexterity and coordination to wield. With it, a blighted Nyss warlord scythes through enemy ranks, severing heads and limbs alike with blinding strikes. Through years of practice, the warlords’ bodies become one with their blades in a fluid display that both captivates and decimates. The blade masters turn aside enemy strikes as quickly as they deliver their own, and in a blur of constant motion, they have even been known to deflect bullets and arrows intended to harm them. This unity between wielder and blade is the culmination of dedication not only to the art of combat but also to Everblight himself. Since the dragon first called upon the Nyss to do his bidding, many swordsmen have focused on the emptiness within themselves to achieve feats in battle they could never have achieved in their old lives. This meditative state shelters their minds from the consequences of deeds carried out by their hand and has created an entirely new martial discipline. The warlords have completely embraced this state, which allows them to move through combat with effortless precision and to forego conscious thought in order to surrender their will to the dragon. They view their bodies as extensions of their swords, their hearts as cold as the steel used to fashion their blades. Every action a warlord takes is fluid and devastating, delivered without conscience or hesitation. In this deadly dance, they let themselves be wielded by the dragon even as they wield their own twin blades.
WARLORD SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 8 4 14 13 9
DOUBLE CLAYMORE RNG POW P+S 1 4 11 DAMAGE:5 PC 5
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
WARLORD BLADE SHIELD – This model gains +2 DEF against
ranged attack rolls. CLEAVE – When this model destroys one or more
enemy models with a basic melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after the attack is resolved this model can make one additional melee attack. This model can gain only one additional attack from Cleave each activation. LEADERSHIP [BLIGHTED NYSS SWORDSMEN] – While in this model’s command range, friendly Blighted Nyss Swordsman models gain Precision Strike. OVERTAKE – When this model destroys one or more enemy models with a basic melee attack during its Combat Action, after the attack is resolved it can immediately advance up to 1˝. PRECISION STRIKE – When this model damages a warjack or warbeast with a melee attack, choose which column or branch suffers the damage.
DOUBLE CLAYMORE WEAPON MASTER DECAPITATION – Damage exceeding the ARM of the
model hit is doubled. A model disabled by this attack cannot make a Tough roll.
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THE FORSAKEN LEGION SOLO FORSAKEN SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 7 5 4 13 14 8
CLAW RNG POW P+S 0.5 5 12 DAMAGE:5 PC 4
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
FORSAKEN FEROCIOUS – During its activation, this model can spend fury points to make additional attacks or to boost attack or damage rolls. It can make one additional attack or boost one roll for each fury point spent. MAGIC ABILITY • BLIGHT SHROUD (HACTION) – Remove all fury
points from this model. Enemy models within 1˝ of this model for each fury point removed suffer a POW 8 magical damage roll . Add an additional die to the damage roll for each focus or fury point on the enemy model. This model must have at least 1 fury point to make a Blight Shroud special action. • CONSUME FURY (HACTION) – RNG CMD. Target friendly Faction warbeast. If the warbeast is in range, remove up to 5 fury points from it and place them on this model. This model can have up to 5 fury points at any time.
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Twisted beyond recognition, the forsaken are the malignant children of the dragon’s accursed touch. The presence of these abominations is anathema to life. They feed upon the misery of the battlefield and can mimic their master’s burning aura to generate a mantle of blighted essence that can strike down the living by mere proximity. These harrowing creatures are as sacred to the Legion as they are terrible, and they are indeed horrific despite their alien beauty and strange majesty. Capable of brief periods of lucidity, forsaken are nonetheless unquestionably insane. This madness might derive from an awareness of the conflict between what they are and what they once were, unprotected by the blind resolve brought to other Nyss by more subtle applications of the blight. In their more cogent moments the forsaken can remember the annihilation of their race and see in themselves the pure essence of the darkness responsible. No ordered method guides the genesis of forsaken, though they seem to be created with greater frequency within the strong aura of blight that immediately surrounds warlocks and their athancs. Each of the sinister creatures is an aberration spawned from the unique stresses of one overwhelming moment in battle, a fluke eruption of the blight that prompts an uncontrolled and unpredictable acceleration of the transmutative cycle. Even the most fanatical of Everblight’s vassals fears this fate. With bodies changed suddenly and irrevocably, forsaken often display draconic features, such as arms warped into vestigial wings, flesh covered in thick scales, serpentine tails, and spurred claws.
GROTESQUE ASSASSIN
LEGION SOLO
The grotesque assassin represents the leadership caste and the next step in evolution among the grotesques that serve in Everblight’s legion. Reshaped by blighted energy to surpass other grotesques, assassins possess considerable cunning and physical prowess, making them skilled and expedient hunters capable of leadership and advanced tactics. With their elongated bodies and refined wing structures, these engineered predators sweep over the battlefield in wide, elusive arcs, scanning the chaos below for opportunities to strike. Each diving approach remains silent until punctuated by the screams of the dying. In the early days of the grotesques, when the first of their number were wrung from the contorted forms of Nyss, Vayl selected the most intelligent among them to be subjected to focused blighted energy. Impressive tails and wings sprouted from the forms of the chosen, shaping their bodies to more closely resemble the form of their blood’s draconic origins and adding a greater degree of dexterity and grace. Grotesque assassins retain a mental capacity well beyond that of others of their kind. Assassins learn to execute evasive flight maneuvers and utilize terrain and weather to conceal their approach. These trained killers pass on these sly methods to members of their flocks, creating streamlined assault patterns often overlooked by enemy forces. Assassins guide other grotesques in for the kill, using their simple cousins to shield themselves while they gain a positional advantage. Once in the fray, the grotesque assassins employ weighted blades to hack through their targets while enemy forces try to contend with the confusion brought on by the surrounding cloud of wings and claws.
ASSASSIN SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 7 7 5 14 13 7
ASSASSIN’S BLADE RNG POW P+S 0.5 4 11 DAMAGE:5 PC 4
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
ASSASSIN FLIGHT STEALTH LEADERSHIP [GROTESQUES] – While in this model’s command range, friendly Grotesque models gain Stealth . SPRINT – At the end of an activation in which it destroyed or removed from play one or more enemy models with melee attacks, this model can immediately make a full advance, then its activation ends.
ASSASSIN’S BLADE COMBO STRIKE (HATTACK) – Make a melee attack. Instead of making a normal damage roll, the POW of the damage roll is equal to this model’s STR plus twice the POW of this weapon. GRIEVOUS WOUNDS – A model hit by this weapon loses Tough and cannot have damage removed from it for one round.
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INCUBUS LEGION SOLO INCUBUS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 8 6 3 13 15 1
CLAW RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 11 PC 5 Incubi
6
FA 3
BASE:SMALL
INCUBUS SOULLESS HOST – Incubus models do not begin the game in play.
When a friendly living non-Incubus, non-warlock, small-based Faction warrior model is destroyed by an enemy attack, collateral damage, or a continuous effect, you can replace it with an Incubus model that has not been put into play.
CLAW COMBO STRIKE (HATTACK) – Make a melee attack. Instead of making a normal damage roll, the POW of the damage roll is equal to this model’s STR plus twice the POW of this weapon.
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The sheer inhumanity of Everblight’s designs appears in the twisted manifestations of his will, and few of his creations are more insidious than the incubus. This blighted organism infects its host like a sentient disease, spreading through the flesh and awaiting the energies of death to unleash it. Those who have witnessed this defilement describe a slain Nyss suddenly transforming into a hideous draconic abomination that, tearing through the dead flesh, arises and rejoins combat. No one can detect which blighted Nyss hosts a lurking incubus, and thus it can prove perilous for combatants to turn their backs on a fallen Legion warrior. Incubi originated as a by-product of the research that gave birth to the nephilim. Chosen hosts welcome this infection, considering it an honor to bear any concentration of Everblight’s blood. They relish the grim satisfaction of knowing that, should they fall in battle, the incubus they carry will strike down their killer. The horrible monstrosities triggered by their death throes survive no more than an hour before they dissolve into a caustic mass of blighted tissue, yet in their short lives these creatures can amass a dreadful body count against the Legion’s enemies. In addition, they cause incalculable damage to the opposition’s morale: those who have witnessed the birth of an incubus will often hesitate to strike killing blows in later clashes, for fear of spawning a devouring nightmare.
SPELL MARTYR LEGION SOLO
Floating above the earth, spell martyrs offer visible reminders that every life in the Legion is bound to its draconic master. Each martyr, though scarcely alive, serves as a ready vessel for the tremendous arcane might of Everblight’s warlocks. They can increase their reach by channeling such energies through a martyr, though this act spontaneously consumes the martyr in a blaze of ashen fire. Though the Nyss are Everblight’s favored servants, they are relatively few in number; thus, each of them has value beyond estimation. Pragmatic in the extreme, the dragon sought ways to extend the usefulness of his most damaged followers so that they might continue to serve him even in the final moments of their lives. The martyrs, who offer their bodies up to Everblight’s warlocks to use as they see fit, are one product of his exploration in this area. The most permanent of the Legion’s camps include members of a cabal of sorcerers devoted to the furthering the Legion’s occult knowledge and responsible for designing many of the army’s deadliest weapons. When they turned their abilities to extending the lives of injured Nyss, they began to experiment with mingling Aeric runes and draconic secrets formerly known only to their master. Eventually they sought to use the Legion’s intimate knowledge of the dragon’s athanc to create a crude simulacrum—a crystalline talisman to bind dying Nyss to the will of their master and to briefly serve as a conduit for blighted energies. The simulacrum holds the mortally injured Nyss in perpetual stasis at the very threshold of death, hollow shells awaiting the touch of the dragon’s will. With a thought, Everblight’s warlocks project their power through the martyrs, releasing them from their torpor in the radiance of sacrifice for the dragon.
SPELL MARTYR SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 5 4 1 12 12 0
CLAWS RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 8 PC 1
FA 3
BASE:SMALL
SPELL MARTYR PATHFINDER SOULLESS SPIRITUAL CONFLAGRATION – While this model is not in melee and is in a friendly Faction warlock’s control range, the warlock can channel a spell through it. Remove this model from play after the spell is cast.
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STRIDER DEATHSTALKER LEGION SOLO DEATHSTALKER SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 6 7 8 15 11 9
NYSS LONGBOW RNG ROF AOE POW 12 1 — 10
SWORD RNG POW P+S 0.5 3 9 DAMAGE:5 PC 4
FA 2
BASE:SMALL
DEATHSTALKER ADVANCE DEPLOYMENT PATHFINDER STEALTH LEADERSHIP [STRIDERS] – While in this model’s
command range, friendly Strider models gain Swift Hunter. MARKSMAN – When damaging a warjack or warbeast with a ranged attack, choose which column or branch suffers damage. SNIPER – Instead of making a damage roll to resolve a ranged attack, this model can inflict 1 damage point. A model disabled by a ranged attack made by this model cannot make a Tough roll. SWIFT HUNTER – When this model destroys one or more enemy models with a basic ranged attack, immediately after the attack is resolved it can advance up to 2˝.
NYSS LONGBOW SNAP FIRE – When this model destroys one or more
enemy models with a ranged attack with this weapon during its Combat Action, immediately after that attack is resolved this model can make one basic ranged attack with this weapon. Attacks gained from Snap Fire cannot generate additional attacks from Snap Fire.
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Though all striders are precision instruments of death, a few rise above their peers. These creatures have mutated so far from their old species they are barely even recognizable as Nyss. From the way they tilt their heads at peculiar angles to the coldness of their unblinking countenances, the behavior of deathstalkers makes them resemble ravens or falcons rather than those who were once their kin. Deathstalkers find their reward in slaughter. They plan their attacks in meticulous detail and gather as much information as possible before they strike. An assault by a single deathstalker has been known to convince enemies that an entire force of bowmen is besieging them. Like predatory animals, these archers toy with their victims dispassionately, yet their games are far more intricate and deliberately cruel. After provoking the enemy to foolish action, they wait with arrows at the ready—as long as it takes for their quarry to make a mistake. Deathstalkers can blend into their surroundings and sit silently for hours to avoid giving away their positions; the depth of their patience unnerves even other striders. Deathstalkers enjoy a clear place of honor among the Legion, demanding obeisance from fellow Nyss by virtue of their piercing intelligence and Everblight’s obvious favor. Their skill and ruthlessness justifies their arrogance, however; Legion warlocks trust them to execute long and complex missions and afford them considerable leeway in commanding other striders. Coordinating their brethren with the barest glances and gestures, deathstalkers move effortlessly to entrap and execute their prey.
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SUCCUBUS LEGION SOLO SUCCUBUS SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 4 4 3 14 12 6 DAMAGE:5 PC 4
FA 1
BASE:SMALL
ATTACHED – Before the start of the game, attach this
model to a friendly Faction warlock for the rest of the game. Each Faction warlock can have only one model/ unit attached to it.
SUCCUBUS ARCANE ASSIST – If its warlock is in this model’s command range during your Control Phase, the warlock can upkeep one spell without spending fury. MAGIC ABILITY [7] • BLIZZARD (HACTION) – RNG 5. Target friendly
Faction model. If the model is in range, center a 3˝ AOE cloud effect on it. The AOE remains centered on the model for one round. If the target model is destroyed or removed from play, remove the AOE from play. • HEX BOLT (HATTACK) – Hex Bolt is a RNG 6, POW 13 magic attack. Models hit cannot make special actions, special attacks, or power attacks for one round. • INFLUENCE (HATTACK) – Influence is a RNG 10 magic attack. Take control of target enemy nonwarcaster, non-warlock warrior model hit. The model immediately makes one basic attack, then Influence expires. A model can be affected by Influence only once per turn.
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Everblight’s manipulations of Nyss physiology have had profound effects on this species. At first these changes manifested in spines and scales as the dragon’s blight altered those who succumbed, metamorphosing them into the weapons he needed. As new Nyss have been born into the Legion, the long-term effects of Everblight’s subtle alterations have become apparent. Each succubus is a product of far-reaching changes engraved into the very flesh of the Nyss. The blight gifts each rapidly maturing generation of female Nyss with greater sorcerous potential. Having isolated the strongest of these bloodlines, the Legion has fostered as many of these as possible to serve as fonts of blighted arcane power. While the majority will go on to further their master’s glory as sorceresses of the Nyss, a certain few are culled from the group for a wholly different purpose. These individuals are brought to the spawning pools and ritually bathed in the blood of a warlock. When they emerge from the agonizing transformative rite, they are no longer wholly Nyss. Each is attuned to the warlock whose blood actualized its second birth. These creatures are as loyal to their creators as any spawn would be. Their prolonged exposure to the protean blood of the dragon’s servants empowers them as amplifiers of their warlock’s own gifts. With their every thought and action they carry out the will of their masters and of the dragon himself.
TACTICAL TIPS Attached – This model cannot be reassigned if its warlock is destroyed or removed from play. Magic Ability – Performing a Magic Ability special action or special attack counts as casting a spell.
WARMONGER WAR CHIEF
LEGION BLIGHTED OGRUN SOLO
Though all warmongers are sadistic butchers, only a few have the will and intellect required to lead the degenerate tribes as war chiefs. War chiefs look to Thagrosh as the embodiment of the dragon that has enthralled their twisted minds. When Thagrosh stands before his ogrun, they become united in purpose and stronger than any other force in the Legion. Aware of their preeminence over their kind, war chiefs readily challenge any who question their dominance, and they derive as much pleasure from cutting down unruly subordinates as from dispatching an enemy. It is only this sense of bloodlust that keeps a war chief in control of a tribe for any length of time, as the tribe will not follow the rule of a leader perceived as weak. On the battlefield, war chiefs delight in lingering over their kills, devouring them in the heat of battle. The very scent of blood lends the war chief strength, and drinking it fresh restores his vitality. Even though the blight has transformed these warriors in mind as well as flesh, some essential part of their original psyche remains. Ogrun feel it is their purpose in life to follow a great leader, one worthy of being called korune. This instinct is so powerful it can partially override a warmonger’s berserker frenzy, inciting them to follow his bloody example in battle.
WAR CHIEF SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 9 8 3 12 17 9
WAR CLEAVER RNG POW P+S 2 5 14 DAMAGE:8 PC 6
FA 2
BASE:MEDIUM
WAR CHIEF TOUGH BERSERK – When this model destroys one or more
models with a melee attack during its Combat Action, immediately after the attack is resolved it must make one additional melee attack against another model in its melee range. BLOOD DRINKER – Immediately after this model resolves a melee attack in which it destroys one or more living models, it can end its activation and remove d3 damage points. LEADERSHIP [BLIGHTED OGRUN] – While in this model’s command range, friendly Blighted Ogrun models gain Blood Drinker. VETERAN LEADER [BLIGHTED OGRUN] – While in this model’s command range, other friendly Blighted Ogrun models gain +1 to attack rolls.
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FYANNA THE LASH LEGION STRIDER SOLO FYANNA 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 7 7 7 3 15 12 6
BARBED LASH RNG POW P+S 2 5 12 DAMAGE:5 PC 5
FA C
BASE:SMALL
FYANNA 1 PARRY PATHFINDER DODGE – This model can advance up to 2˝ immediately after an enemy attack that missed it is resolved unless it was missed while advancing. It cannot be targeted by free strikes during this movement. PROWL – While this model has concealment, it gains Stealth . RAPID STRIKE – This model can make one additional melee attack each Combat Action.
BARBED LASH CHAIN WEAPON ATTACK TYPE – Each time this weapon is used to make
an attack, choose one of the following special rules: • BEAT BACK – Immediately after a basic attack with this weapon is resolved during this model’s Combat Action, the enemy model hit can be pushed 1˝ directly away from the attacking model. After the enemy model is pushed, the attacking model can advance up to 1˝ directly toward it. • DISMEMBER – When this model hits a warbeast with a melee attack, roll an additional damage die. • PITCH – On a hit against a model with an equal or smaller base, the model hit can be thrown d6˝ directly away from this model. The model thrown does not deviate. The POW of collateral damage is equal to the STR of this model. CHAIN STRIKE – This weapon becomes RNG 4 during this model’s activation.
Before the arrival of the dragon Everblight and the assimilation of the Nyss into his blighted legion, Fyanna was a charismatic and renowned hunter. She would speak for her shard in trade negotiations with their neighbors, and she earned a reputation for her wit and perspicacity, securing the most favorable terms for their hides and carved bones shaped from fallen prey. It was widely assumed that upon the death of her shard’s leader, Fyanna would assume that responsibility. All that changed, however, following the cataclysm that shattered the Nyss and placed them in thrall to Everblight. Fyanna was transformed into a strider, with the blight amplifying both her predatory nature and a certain ruthless spirit developed over years of fighting for survival within the harsh wilds of the Shard Spires. While seeming to accept the blight as her fellow Nyss did, Fyanna struggled with both her remade form and the new society forged after Everblight’s blighting touch. She had once enjoyed her rising renown among the Nyss, but she now turned inward and avoided contact with others of her kind, growing increasingly feral. At last she was cast out of the tightly knit fellowship of striders entirely and labeled hyvyloash—outsider. Forced to live on the fringes of the corrupted Nyss society, Fyanna allowed her most basic instincts—now augmented by the blight—to overtake her. She became little more than a predator, hunting and killing whatever chanced to cross her path. For a long time she roamed far beyond the lands inhabited by the Legion. Yet, despite the increasing dominance of her savage side, Fyanna retained a tenuous connection to the dragon through the blight. One day in her wanderings, she stumbled upon her shard’s old settlement. There she found painful reminders of the proud hunter she had once been and came to recognize the pathetic creature she had allowed herself to become. Determined to reclaim her pride and prove her worth or die trying, Fyanna set out to hunt down and eliminate those few unblighted Nyss who resisted the Legion’s power. As she stalked her prey throughout the traditional Nyss hunting grounds and lands, Fyanna used her intimate knowledge of the wilderness to lure her quarry into traps where she could eliminate them face-to-face. As her collection of trophies from these encounters grew, word of her deeds spread, and the blighted Nyss wishing to follow her example began to seek her out. Having achieved acceptance among her fellow fighters together with a certain harmony with her new form, Fyanna the Lash earned her place as a hunting pack leader within Everblight’s legion.
TACTICAL TIPS Beat Back – You cannot move toward a model you destroyed.
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ANNYSSA RYVAAL LEGION BLIGHTED NYSS RAPTOR SOLO RYVAAL 1 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 9 6 6 7 15 15 9
NYSS LONGBOW RNG ROF AOE POW 12 2 — 10
MOUNT RNG POW 0.5 12 DAMAGE:8 PC 8
FA C
BASE:LARGE
RYVAAL 1 CAVALRY GUNFIGHTER PARRY PATHFINDER STEALTH PREY – After deployment but before the first player’s turn, choose an enemy model/unit to be this model/ unit’s prey. This model gains +2 to attack and damage rolls against its prey. When the prey is destroyed or removed from play, choose another model/unit to be the prey. REPOSITION [5˝] – At the end of an activation in which it did not run or fail a charge, this model can advance up to 5˝, then its activation ends. VETERAN LEADER [RAPTORS] – While in this model’s command range, other friendly Raptor models gain +1 to attack rolls.
NYSS LONGBOW POISON – Gain an additional die on this weapon’s
damage rolls against living models.
Those whom Annyssa Ryvaal marks for death rarely see their killer but instead fall to poisoned arrows that streak down from the night’s darkness. Ryvaal is first among the raptors of the blighted Nyss, a distinction that marks her as one of the finest trackers and hunters in all of western Immoren. Her superb weapon skills have made her second only to Lylyth among the ranks of Everblight’s scouts. By the time Everblight came to dominate the Nyss, Ryvaal was already an outcast on the fringes of Nyss society. Her marauding band accepted any Nyss willing to do whatever was required to survive. They took what they needed from any who crossed their path, stealing from their fellow Nyss and murdering any humans they encountered. When she heard of the Legion’s rise, Ryvaal turned on them with cunning and skill acquired from decades of life as an outlaw. She was no match for the Legion in direct confrontation, so for months she conducted a campaign of elimination and harassment at their remote encampments, hunting blighted Nyss whenever small bands separated from the main body and vanishing afterward. Her efforts did not escape notice, and it became increasingly difficult to evade her pursuers. Ryvaal sensed the approach of death and accepted its inevitability. If she was fated to perish, she would take as many of the foe with her as possible. Her tactics grew more reckless and her victories more pyrrhic. Eventually her deeds drew attention from a hunter whose skills matched her own: Lylyth, the Herald of Everblight. Lylyth’s forces chased the outlaw and her followers into a narrow defile. Finding herself cornered without hope of escape, Ryvaal turned her armored ulk and charged alongside her followers in a final act of defiance. Her mount leapt into the midst of the enclosing enemy archers, and she set upon them with a savage fury. She demonstrated peerless mastery of the raptor fighting arts, rapidly unleashing arrows and parrying enemy blades with her reinforced bow as her ulk impaled blighted Nyss with its horns. Shocked by Ryvaal’s frenzy, her pursuers began to fall back. She might have routed them entirely had Lylyth not been present, gauging her movements and preparing a blight-empowered arrow. The Herald ended Ryvaal’s defiance with a single perfect shot. As the dragon’s forces closed around her, Ryvaal lost consciousness, sure that her end was at hand. When she awoke to the agony of her wound and the alien sensation of the blight enveloping her, Ryvaal saw only Lylyth. The warlock had spared her, recognizing in her a determination and a ruthless spirit equal to her own. Accepting her fate, Ryvaal took Lylyth’s hand and never looked back. As Lylyth assumed control of the Legion’s scout forces, it was Ryvaal she looked to as her lieutenant. Under Ryvaal’s command, her raptors now range miles beyond the forces of the Legion, carrying out missions and making attacks against targets of opportunity. More than one Rhulic or Winter Guard patrol has met its end on a mountain pass beneath the poisoned arrows of Ryvaal’s hunters.
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THRONE OF EVERBLIGHT LEGION BATTLE ENGINE THRONE SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 5 11 7 1 10 20 10
TENTACLE RNG POW P+S 2 5 16
—
DAMAGE:24 PC 19
FA 2
BASE:HUGE
THRONE FLIGHT BONE PICKER – When this model destroys a living or
undead enemy model with a melee attack, this model gains the destroyed model’s corpse token and the destroyed model is removed from play. This model can have up to three corpse tokens at any time. CIRCULAR VISION – Models never gain a back strike bonus against this model. DEATH FEAST – During its activation, this model can spend corpse tokens to remove d3 damage points for each token spent. THE FEEDING – During its activation, this model can spend corpse tokens to boost one attack or damage roll for each token spent. MAGIC ABILITY [7] • FROSTBITE (HATTACK) – Frostbite is a RNG SP 8
magic attack. Models hit suffer a POW 12 cold damage roll . • SPINE BURST (HATTACK) – Spine Burst is a RNG 10, POW 10 magic attack. If target model is hit, the d3 nearest models within 5˝ of it suffer a POW 10 magical damage roll . These additional damage rolls are not considered to have been caused by an attack. Spine Burst damage rolls are simultaneous. NECROPHAGE – Once per turn at any time during its activation, this model can spend a corpse token to make one Magic Ability special attack.
TENTACLE CHAIN WEAPON CHAIN STRIKE – This weapon becomes RNG 4 during
this model’s activation.
Nothing marks the dragon’s growing dominion and rising power more than the appearance of the dreadful Thrones of Everblight. Towering above his legions, the Thrones are the pillars from atop which the will of the dragon is made manifest. The creatures lurch forward at the behest of sorceresses chosen by Vayl Hallyr to make Everblight’s glory known to all those who would oppose his desires. Harriers, seraphim, and angelii all flock to the Thrones, circling them as a host equally awe-inspiring and terrible to behold. The Thrones move effortlessly forward over the roughest ground and the most formidable earthwork defenses without pause. From their positions on platforms high upon the Thrones, sorceresses cast down blighted invocations upon those foolish enough to battle the dragon, freezing enemy flesh with frost and ripping apart their bodies with terrible spines. As the Thrones reach the lines of the unworthy, their great tentacles lash out and pull foes into their draconic maws to be utterly devoured. Everblight first dreamed of the Thrones millennia ago in the time of Morrdh as a testament to his glory, but in that age he never had the occasion to see them made flesh. It was not until he devoured the essence of Pyromalfic that the discarnate dragon gained sufficient power to unleash this malefic creation upon the world. The first Throne of Everblight was birthed in the deepest spawning pool at a tremendous cost in blood to Vayl, Saeryn, and Absylonia, who joined together to give form to the vision of the dragon. The terrible and mindless creature that erupted from the pool was not dragonspawn but something entirely unprecedented. It roared as it surged from the depths of its fetid womb, exulting in its birth and showering the gathered host in gore. Its primordial tendrils tore at the victims laid before it, stuffing them into its maw as a sacrificial first meal. This gluttonous horror was only the first of many that would be birthed. The monstrous creations responded only to the mental commands of those Nyss trained as sorceresses. Vayl chose her most promising lieutenants to receive the unique privilege of guiding the Thrones in battle. As each Throne emerged from its spawning pool, one of these chosen stepped forward, anointed and garbed for the task, to mount the ornate dais and from this lofty platform spread the glory of Everblight on the battlefield.
TACTICAL TIPS Bone Picker – Remember, if more than one model is eligible to collect a model’s corpse token, the closest eligible model collects the token. If this model already has three corpse tokens it is not eligible to collect another corpse token. Living Model – Remember, the Throne of Everblight is a living model. Magic Ability – Performing a Magic Ability special action or special attack counts as casting a spell.
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ABSYLONIA, DAUGHTER OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Nyss Warlock
ABSYLONIA, TERROR OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Nyss Warlock
BELPHAGOR Light Warbeast
BETHAYNE, VOICE OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Nyss Warlock
LYLYTH, HERALD OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Nyss Warlock
KALLUS, WRATH OF EVERBLIGHT Warlock
KRYSSA, CONVICTION OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Nyss Warlock
LYLYTH, SHADOW OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Nyss Warlock LYLYTH, RECKONING OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Nyss Battle Engine Warlock
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MODEL GALLERY
SAERYN & RHYAS, TALONS OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Nyss Warlock Unit
SAERYN, OMEN OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Nyss Warlock
RHYAS, SIGIL OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Nyss Warlock
THAGROSH, PROPHET OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Ogrun Warlock THAGROSH, THE MESSIAH Blighted Ogrun Warlock
AFFLICTOR Light Warbeast VAYL, DISCIPLE OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Nyss Warlock
VAYL, CONSUL OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Nyss Warlock
BLIGHT WASPS Warbeast Pack ANGELIUS Heavy Warbeast
MODEL GALLERY
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HARRIERS Lesser Warbeasts
NEPHILIM BLOODSEER Light Warbeast
NEPHILIM BOLT THROWER Light Warbeast
CARNIVEAN Heavy Warbeast NEPHILIM PROTECTOR Light Warbeast
NAGA NIGHTLURKER Light Warbeast
SHREDDER Lesser Warbeast
NEPHILIM SOLDIER Light Warbeast
RAEK Light Warbeast
SCYTHEAN Heavy Warbeast STINGERS Lesser Warbeasts
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MODEL GALLERY
SERAPH Heavy Warbeast
NERAPH Heavy Warbeast
RAVAGORE Heavy Warbeast
TERAPH Light Warbeast
TYPHON Heavy Warbeast
PROTEUS Heavy Warbeast
MODEL GALLERY
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ARCHANGEL Gargantuan Warbeast
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MODEL GALLERY
BLIGHTBRINGER Gargantuan Warbeast
ZURIEL Nephilim Heavy Warbeast
MODEL GALLERY
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BLIGHTED OGRUN WARMONGERS Unit
BLIGHTED OGRUN WARSPEARS Unit
WARSPEAR CHIEFTAIN Blighted Ogrun Command Attachment
BLIGHTED NYSS ARCHER OFFICER & AMMO PORTER Command Attachment
BLIGHTED NYSS HEX HUNTERS Unit
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MODEL GALLERY
BLIGHTED NYSS ARCHERS Unit
BAYAL, HOUND OF EVERBLIGHT Blighted Nyss Hex Hunter Command Attachment
BLIGHTED NYSS LEGIONNAIRES Unit
CAPTAIN FARILOR & STANDARD Blighted Nyss Legionnaire Command Attachment
BLIGHTED NYSS RAPTORS Unit
BLIGHTED NYSS SCATHER CREW Weapon Crew Unit
BLIGHTED NYSS SWORDSMAN ABBOT & CHAMPION Command Attachment
BLIGHTED NYSS SWORDSMEN Unit
MODEL GALLERY
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GROTESQUE BANSHEES Unit
GROTESQUE RAIDERS Unit
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MODEL GALLERY
HELLMOUTH Unit
SPAWNING VESSEL Blighted Nyss Unit
STRIDER BLIGHTBLADES Unit
STRIDER SCOUTS Unit
MODEL GALLERY
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STRIDER SCOUT OFFICER & MUSICIAN Command Attachment
BEAST MISTRESS Blighted Nyss Solo
BLIGHTED NYSS WARLORD Solo
INCUBI Solos
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MODEL GALLERY
BLACKFROST SHARD Blighted Nyss Unit
BLIGHTED NYSS SORCERESS & HELLION Solo BLIGHTED NYSS SHEPHERD Solo
THE FORSAKEN Solo GROTESQUE ASSASSIN Solo
SPELL MARTYRS Solos
STRIDER DEATHSTALKER Solo
WARMONGER WAR CHIEF Blighted Ogrun Solo
SUCCUBUS Solo ANNYSSA RYVAAL Blighted Nyss Raptor Solo
FYANNA THE LASH Strider Solo
THRONE OF EVERBLIGHT Battle Engine
MODEL GALLERY
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PAINTING YOUR ARMY As a hobby miniatures game deeply rooted in lore and character, HORDES offers hundreds of distinctive and highly detailed models designed for maximum modeling and painting enjoyment. Each model is a canvas on which to unleash your own creativity and imagination. You can choose to try your hand at the tried-and-true P3 Studio scheme, dive deeper into the Iron Kingdoms setting with an alternate paint scheme drawn from the lore and background of your Faction, or throw convention to the wind and create a completely original look for your models. Whatever your choice, few things are as rewarding as bringing your army to life with your brush and some paints. When painting an army, as in life, the fun truly lies in the journey more than in the destination. And like every journey, the road to a fully painted force begins with a crucial first step—in this case, deciding how you want your army to look! The following pages contain color guides and quick tips designed to provide inspiration for your Legion of Everblight painting adventure. We begin with a look at models painted in the traditional studio scheme for the Legion. This scheme is shown throughout the model gallery on pages 142–153. Whether or not you decide to emulate the studio scheme, it is a great foundation to draw from with its cold, pale whites, chitinous black-browns, and rich blue-blacks. Next we present some alternative approaches to painting your Legion models. The Legion of Everblight represents numerous hosts of the dragon scattered across Immoren.
While all serve the glory of the dragon, most of Everblight’s forces have their own individual look drawn from the environment in which they fight as well as from the legacy of their former tribal colors. Some of these include the nocturnal grey-black and midnight-blue of the Blackfrost Shard, the deep greens and bone-white of the Scales of Everblight, and the crimson and scorched-black of the Hellmist Shard. By combining ideas from the setting, the studio scheme, and the real world, you can easily create a unique look for your army that still feels right at home in the Iron Kingdoms. Finally, for those who really want to flex their creative muscles, we present a radically different paint scheme drawn straight from the imagination of the painter who created it, as well as some great examples of Legion of Everblight models painted by the WARMACHINE and HORDES community to inspire your own unique creations. Choosing a more original or whimsical approach can result in a truly eye-catching army, but such schemes rely on careful planning and a willingness to experiment with multiple combinations of colors until everything has been dialed in just right to create a balanced yet visually striking effect. When it comes to your army’s special look, inspiration can spring from anywhere. Regardless of which direction you decide to take in painting your own Legion force, we hope this guide provides you with the spark needed to set your imagination on fire as you sit down with brush in hand to create an army as individual as you!
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STUDIO PAINT SCHEME SCY THEAN
Chitin base: Gun Corps Brown shade: Brown Ink highlight: Hammerfall Khaki
Gums base: Frostbite shade: Murderous Magenta highlight: Morrow White
Flesh base: Blighted Flesh shade: Blight Shroud highlight: Frostbite
Teeth and Claws base: ’Jack Bone shade: Battlefield Brown highlight: Menoth White Base
Painter's Inspiration The Legion of Everblight is a horrific alien force, and the color scheme we use on the studio army emphasizes this fact. Details like blood spatter, white pupilless eyes, and the blue glow of blighted fire appear sparingly but have great impact. The Legion paint scheme relies on high value contrast rather than color contrast to achieve its look. Large sections of platinum and snowy white contrast with dark browns and blacks for a striking effect. To keep the palette from being overpowering, there is no color contrast on the models; instead, complementary colors of dark blue-green, magenta, and pale purples harmonize to produce a balanced look. For more examples of Legion of Everblight models with studio paint schemes, see the gallery on pages 142–153, or go to privateerpress.com.
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PAINTING YOUR ARMY
STUDIO PAINT SCHEME BLIGHTED NYSS SHEPHERD
Feathers base: Thamar Black shade: Coal Black highlight: Frostbite
Eyes base: Trollblood Highlight highlight: Morrow White
Steel base: Pig Iron shade: Coal Black highlight: Radiant Platinum
Flesh base: Blighted Flesh shade: Blight Shroud highlight: Frostbite
Cloth Wrap base: Bastion Grey shade: Trollblood Highlight highlight: Menoth White Highlight
Cape base: Beaten Purple shade: Coal Black highlight: Frostbite
Cloth base: Underbelly Blue shade: Coal Black highlight: Menoth White Highlight
Black base: Thamar Black highlight: Coal Black highlight: Frostbite
PAINTING TIPS When painting the wings of Legion of Everblight beasts, paint the skin as you wish, but instead of highlighting with Morrow White use Carnal Pink mixed with the base color. This technique adds contrast and makes the wings seem thin and flexible.
PAINTING YOUR ARMY
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SCALES OF EVERBLIGHT PAINT SCHEME SCY THEAN
Chitin base: Bastion Grey shade: Battlefield Brown highlight: Hammerfall Khaki
Sensory Node base: Midlund Flesh shade: Thornwood Green highlight: Ryn Flesh
Flesh base: Skorne Red shade: Exile Blue highlight: Khador Red Base
Teeth base: Bastion Grey shade: Ironhull Grey highlight: Trollblood Highlight
Painter's Inspiration As the primary vessel for the bulk of Everblight’s athanc, Thagrosh’s importance to the Legion of Everblight is beyond any of his fellow warlocks'. As befits his honored station among Everblight’s pantheon, Thagrosh often marches at the center of the dragon’s entire legion. Nevertheless, even while surrounded by the bulk of the Legion’s strength, Thagrosh is rarely seen without his personal honor guard known as the Scales of Everblight. Unlike the pale whites and brown-blacks characteristic of most of the Legion, the Scales of Everblight boast deep, rich crimsons and stark bone- or flint-colored chitin. The warriors of the Scales are so attached to the dragon that they have forsaken traditional steel weapons and instead fashion their blades from specially treated chitin taken from the bodies of Thagrosh’s greatest spawn.
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PAINTING YOUR ARMY
SCALES OF EVERBLIGHT PAINT SCHEME BLIGHTED NYSS SHEPHERD
Feathers base: Trollblood Highlight shade: Bastion Grey highlight: Menoth White Highlight
Eyes base: Thamar Black shade: Underbelly Blue highlight: Frostbite
Staff base: Bastion Grey shade: Battlefield Brown highlight: Hammerfall Khaki
Flesh base: Frostbite, Beaten Purple 1:1 shade: Coal Black highlight: Frostbite
Red
Leather base: Bootstrap Leather shade: Brown Ink highlight: Gun Corps Brown
Gold
base: Skorne Red shade: Exile Blue highlight: Khador Red Highlight
base: Brass Balls shade: Battlefield Brown highlight: Radiant Platinum
PAINTING TIPS Blood spatter is appropriate for many Legion models. Try a mix of 2:1 Brown Ink/Red Ink and blow a hard, short burst of air through the brush. Practice a few times on paper to get the feel of the technique.
PAINTING YOUR ARMY
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“BLACKFROST SPAWN” PAINT SCHEME SCY THEAN
Chitin base: Ironhull Grey shade: Coal Black, Mixing Medium 1:2 highlight: Coal Black, Frostbite 1:2
Sensory Node base: Khardic Flesh shade: Beaten Purple, Thamar Black, Mixing Medium 2:2:1 highlight: Midlund Flesh
Flesh Teeth and Claws
base: Ironhull Grey shade: Umbral Umber, Exile Blue, Mixing Medium 1:1:3 highlight: Ironhull Grey, Midlund Flesh 1:1
base: ’Jack Bone shade: Battlefield Brown, Gun Corps Brown 1:1 highlight: Menoth White Highlight
Painter's Inspiration By Tony Konichek I imagined my Legion of Everblight army to be a stealthy, ambushing force emerging from the shadows to deal out blighted death to their doomed victims. To make the army feel like it was lurking in a dim, twilight landscape, I wanted the beast flesh to be much darker than the bright white of the official studio paint scheme. For inspiration, I flipped through back issues of No Quarter and in issue #33 found the Blackfrost Spawn nephilim, “who work their murderous deeds in the dead of night.” Just what I was looking for! The charcoal-colored flesh was perfect for creatures seeking to remain unseen in the dark, and the cool blue of the natural armor evoked their frozen domain. Plus, the same colors used for the beast flesh would look fantastic for clothing and uniforms on the other units and models in the army. After painting a basecoat, I mixed a wash for the shadows and painted that over the top. Next, I added progressive highlights to each area with a lighter color. I wanted the
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PAINTING YOUR ARMY
“BLACKFROST SPAWN” PAINT SCHEME BLIGHTED NYSS SHEPHERD
Feathers base: Greatcoat Grey shade: Coal Black highlight: Frostbite
Eyes base: Thamar Black highlight: Frostbite
Staff Metal base: Cold Steel shade: Armor Wash, Bloodtracker Brown 1:1 highlight: Cold Steel, Quick Silver
Flesh base: Ryn Flesh shade: Midlund Flesh highlight: Midlund Flesh, Frostbite 1:1
Staff
Cape base: Ironhull Grey shade: Umbral Umber, Exile Blue, Mixing Medium 1:1:3 highlight: Ironhull Grey, Midlund Flesh 1:1
Cloth Wraps base: Hammerfall Khaki shade: Battlefield Brown highlight: Menoth White Highlight
base: Skorne Red
Armor base: Cold Steel shade: Coal Black, Armor Wash 1:1 highlight: Cold Steel, Quick Silver
natural armor to really stand out on the battlefield, so I used small, parallel brush strokes for the highlights that followed the natural flow of the armor plates and spikes, keeping the brightest strokes to one edge of the armor. For the metal weapons and armor, I followed the same process—basecoat, wash, and highlights.
PAINTING TIPS Add some small dots from the chitin shade color to the finished flesh areas around the chitin. Gently glaze the area with a lighter tone to blend in the elements.
PAINTING YOUR ARMY
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HELLMOUTH by Geordie Hicks
ARCHANGEL by Charles Foster III
ABSYLONIA, DAUGHTER OF EVERBLIGHT by Ainsley Yeager
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PAINTING YOUR ARMY
CAPTAIN FARILOR & STANDARD by Stuart Spengler
BLIGHTED NYSS SWORDSMAN ABBOT by Stuart Spengler
TYPHON by Aaron Kehler
BLIGHTED NYSS RAPTORS by Laine Garrett
NERAPH by Tony Konichek VAYL, CONSUL OF EVERBLIGHT by Laine Garrett
PROTEUS by Stephen Hall
THAGROSH, THE MESSIAH by Laine Garrett
PAINTING YOUR ARMY
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TEMPLATES
BLIGHT BRINGER (Saeryn, Omen of Everblight)
SCATHER (Ravagore [4"], Blighted Nyss Scather Crew [3"])
ERUPTION OF ASH (Thagrosh, Prophet of Everblight; Thagrosh, the Messiah)
You may photocopy these templates for your personal use.
