May 3, 2017 | Author: Anonymous V8tvH1FuGd | Category: N/A
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Heroes Will Rise… Or Darkness Will Fall. Evil lurks beneath the city of Corvis, famed city of the Iron Kingdoms. Descend into the treacherous Undercity, a decaying labyrinth of tunnels and caverns that is home to all manner of vice and villainy. Work as a team and utilize your hero’s unique strengths to battle the Undercity’s deadly denizens and expose the dark conspiracy festering in the city’s underbelly. If you’re tough and smart, you’ll gain valuable experience and equipment you need to destroy the evil threatening Corvis. Fail, and death will be the least of your concerns.
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Adventure through the infamous underground labyrinths of the Iron Kingdoms!
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Credits President: Sherry Yeary Chief Creative Officer: Matthew D. Wilson Creative Director: Ed Bourelle Director of Business Development: Will Shick Director of Operations: Jason Martin Project Director: Bryan Cutler Publications Manager: Aeryn Rudel Art Director: Mike Vaillancourt Lead Developer: Jason Soles Graphic Design Director: Josh Manderville Marketing Manager: Lyle Lowery RPG Producer: Matt Goetz Editorial Manager: Darla Kennerud Studio Director: Ron Kruzie Hobby Manager: Stuart Spengler Playtest Coordination: Jack Coleman
••• Editor-in-Chief: Michael G. Ryan Editing: Michael G. Ryan, Michael J. Sanbeg Proofreading: Matt Goetz, Aeryn Rudel Continuity Editors: Matt Goetz, Douglas Seacat, Jason Soles
On the Cover
Graphic Design: Richard Anderson, Matt Ferbrache, Laine Garrett, Josh Manderville
Perfect Ten by Matthew D. Wilson
Juggernaut’s Journey: The Eiffel tower—paris, France
It’s with much enthusiasm that our Juggernaut makes the journey through the Chunnel to explore Paris, La Ville-Lumière. While here, a quick visit and prompt ejection from the Moulin Rouge is in order. C’es la guerre. —Photo by Guillaume Leguyader
Photography: Ryan Cooper, George DeStefano, Matt DiPietro, Matt Ferbrache, Laine Garrett, Guillaume Leguyader, Allie Rose-Marie Leost, Marisha Ray Studio Miniatures Painting: Matt DiPietro, Geordie Hicks, Ron Kruzie
••• Contributors Ed Bourelle, David “DC” Carl, Josh Colon, Matt DiPietro, Andy Gill, Matt Goetz, Orrin Grey, Miles Holmes, William Hungerford, Allie Rose-Marie Leost, William Overstreet, Michael Plummer, Marisha Ray, Aeryn Rudel, Michael G. Ryan, Michael Sanbeg, Douglas Seacat, William Shick, Tim Simpson
••• Illustrations Mike Capprotti, Chippy, Alberto Dal Lago, Ivan Dixon, Luis Gama, Mariusz Gandzel, Laine Garrett, Mark Gibbons, Marcel Mercado, Néstor Ossandón, Karl Richardson, Brian Snoddy, Hugo Solis, Andrea Uderzo, Chris Walton, Matthew D. Wilson, Kieran Yanner
Become a fan of No Quarter on Facebook! All content copyright 2001–2015 Privateer Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privateer Press®, Iron Kingdoms®, The Witchfire Trilogy, Monsternomicon, Five Fingers: Port of Deceit, Full Metal Fantasy, Immoren, Unleashed, WARMACHINE®, Forces of WARMACHINE, WARMACHINE High Command, Steam-Powered Miniatures Combat, WARMACHINE: Tactics, Convergence of Cyriss®, Convergence, Cryx, Cygnar, Khador, Protectorate of Menoth, Protectorate, Retribution of Scyrah, Retribution, warcaster®, warjack®, HORDES®, Forces of HORDES, HORDES High Command, Monstrous Miniatures Combat, Circle Orboros, Circle, Legion of Everblight, Legion, Skorne, Trollbloods, Trollblood, warbeast, Orgoth, cephalyx, War Room, Lock & Load, Steamroller, Hardcore, Iron Gauntlet, No Quarter, Formula P3, Formula P3 Hobby Series, Bodgers, Heap, Infernal Contraption, Infernal Contraption 2: Sabotage!, Scrappers, Zombies Keep Out, Grind, Skull Island eXpeditions, SIX, Dogs of War, Exiles in Arms, Called to Battle, The Warlock Sagas, The Warcaster Chronicles, Privateer Pins, and all associated logos and slogans are trademark property of Privateer Press, Inc. All other trademarks appearing are property of their respective owners. First printing Vol. 10, Issue 60: May 2015. Printed in the USA. This magazine contains works of fiction, any resemblance to actual people, organizations, places, or events in those works of fiction are purely coincidental. Duplicating any portion of the materials herein unless specifically addressed within the work or by written permission from Privateer Press is strictly prohibited. In the event that permissions are granted such duplications shall be intended solely for personal, noncommercial use and must maintain all copyrights, trademarks, or other notices contained therein or preserve all marks associated thereof. LEVEL 7 is a registered trademark of Matthew D. Wilson, Individual. Used with permission.
Table of contents New Releases
4
Nerves of Steel: An Interview with Miles Holmes
10
The Art of Cosplay: Allie Rose-Marie Leost
14
Battle Report: Sister Act 3
24
Modeling & Painting: Major Prime Victoria Haley
40
The Art of Cosplay: Marisha Ray
50
The Gavyn Kyle Files: Vinter Raelthorne IV
56
Scenario: Assault on Blackrock Island
67
Devastation Fiction Extra Ill Omens
74
Unleashed: Chasing the Dragon Legion of Everblight Warlocks
2
Table Of Contents
102
The Gavyn Kyle Files Vinter Raelthorne IV
The Art of Cosplay Marisha Ray
56
50
Forces of Distinction XIX
71
Devastation Fiction Extra: Ill Omens
74
Scoundrels & Sell-Swords: Witchfire Rogues Gallery
80
Quick Shot Scenario: 1 AR
88
Unleashed: Chasing the Dragon, Part One
102
Around the World
118
The First Anniversary of Privateer Pins
119
Drawn and Quartered/WARMACHINE Challenge
The Art of Cosplay Allie Rose-Marie Leost
Scoundrels & Sell-Swords Witchfire Rogues Gallery
14
80
120
88
Quick Shot Scenario: 1 AR
Modeling & Painting Major Prime Victoria Haley
40
Table Of Contents
3
New releases WARMACHINE: Reckoning The rising threat of the Cryxian armies has become too great. Death permeates the war-torn region, and Empress Ayn and King Leto themselves chance incredible danger to meet and coordinate their stand. The Protectorate’s Northern Crusade joins Khador and Cygnar in a final alliance of men against the unending armies of the Dragonfather. As these armies combine to expel the deathless forces of Cryx from the mainland, in tunnels below the battleground a lone Khadoran soldier fights to save one of the Motherland’s greatest legends. release: june
PIP 1060 • $31.99 (softcover) PIP 1061 • $41.99 (softcover)
Extreme Titan Gladiator (metal/resin) game: hordes/skorne sculptors: jason hendricks and sean bullough painter: matt dipietro release: june PIP 74093 • $69.99
4
NEW RELEASES
WARMACHINE: All-in-One Army Box—Cryx release: may PIP 34126 • $129.99
HORDES: All-in-One Army Box—Circle Orboros release: may PIP 72092 • $129.99
NEW RELEASES
5
New releases No Quarter Presents: Forces of Distinction Ripped from the pages of No Quarter—and presented for the first time in a single volume—come over thirty theme forces for WARMACHINE and HORDES to add thematic depth and all-new strategies and tactics to your game. In addition to rules for fielding famous forces straight from the battlefields of Immoren, each theme force also includes fiction written by Privateer Press’ top authors, providing an intimate view of the origins and actions that have made these units famous. Whether you want to unleash the feared “Claws of the Dragon,” an elite regiment composed of the best that Khador’s Iron Fang Pikemen have to offer under the leadership of the terrifying Butcher of Khardov…take a trip with the greatest heroes of the Northern Kriels, bound by blood to Dhunia’s favorite son Borka Kegslayer in “Family Reunion”…or run Cygnar’s journeyman through the gauntlet under the nononsense eye of Major Markus “Siege” Brisbane in “Trial by Fire.” Forces of Distinction has theme forces for every faction to challenge your opponents and inspire your hobby. release: june
PIP 1064 • $19.99
Brennos the Elderhorn (metal/resin) game: hordes/circle orboros sculptor: brian dugas painter: geordie hicks release: may PIP 72079 • $54.99 6
NEW RELEASES
Ruin (metal/resin) game: warmachine/khador sculptors: ben misenar and dave kidd painter: geordie hicks release: may PIP 33108 • $64.99
Wolves of Orboros (plastic resculpt) game: hordes/circle orboros sculptor: todd harris • painter: matt dipietro release: may • PIP 72082 • $54.99
Reeves of Orboros (plastic resculpt) game: hordes/circle orboros sculptor: todd harris • painter: geordie hicks release: may • PIP 72082 • $54.99
NEW RELEASES
7
New releases
Iron Fang Pikemen (plastic resculpt) game: warmachine/khador sculptors: todd harris and nate scott • painter: geordie hicks release: june • PIP 33104 • $59.99
Black Dragon Iron Fang Pikemen (plastic resculpt) game: warmachine/khador sculptors: todd harris and nate scott • painter: matt dipietro release: june • PIP 33104 • $59.99
8
NEW RELEASES
Into the Storm: the malcontents, book 1 trade paperback by larry correia
The year is 606 AR, and Cygnar is sorely pressed by its enemies both at home and abroad. The Cygnaran military is desperate for soldiers with the skill, strength, and bravery to take up the devastating galvanic weaponry of the new Storm Division. Every soldier is valuable, even those fallen from the honor expected of a Storm Knight. A group of such men—thieves, drunkards, and worse—comprise the Sixth Platoon. All they need is someone to lead them. Lieutenant Hugh Madigan, a peerless warrior knighted during the reign of the deposed king, has spent years in obscurity, punished for his loyalty to the former monarch. Now he has been ordered back to the front and given command of the Sixth, his task to turn a platoon of miscreants into elite soldiers fit to be called Storm Knights. Time is short, and war is coming. One way or another, Lieutenant Madigan must lead his men into the storm. release: june
PIP 601 • $14.99
WARMACHINE: All-in-One Army Box Retribution of Scyrah release: june PIP 35074 • $129.99 Classic WARMACHINE and HORDES Models Now Available in Full-Size Units Revenant Crew of the Atramentous game: warmachine/cryx release: may • PIP 34119 • $64.99
Tharn Wolf Riders game: hordes/circle orboros release: june • PIP 72086 • $84.99
NEW RELEASES
9
Behind the Scenes of Cold Steel
with Miles Holmes By Michael G. Ryan
10
nerves of Steel
Mercenary Nicolas Verendrye began his career as a refugee from Llael following the devastating attack by Khador against his homeland in 605 AR. Four years later, he had become a leader in the Steelheads after battling his way across much of western Immoren in search of revenge—and his true self. And as Nicolas considers a young recruit eager to embrace his own opportunity to seek revenge against Khador, the mercenary finds himself reliving how he got to where he is and why it might not have been the right path for him—or the young recruit—after all. In No Quarter #58, Author Miles Holmes (The Way of Caine) introduced the first part of his serialized novella, Cold Steel, tracing Nicolas—a former doctor—from the devastation in Laedry to his imprisonment aboard a slave ship to his ultimate enrollment in a chapter of the Steelheads mercenaries. In No Quarter #59, he gets his first taste of battle—in the service of the Protectorate of Menoth. “The people you want to kill?” Holmes says of Nicolas’ goals. “As a mercenary, you might end up working for them one day.”
Leaving Holmes By the time Nicolas Verendrye settles into his role as a mercenary, he will have come a long way from where he began, and many of his worldviews are likely to have changed. “He starts with a middle class upbringing, and he’s in the middle of a slow moral slide,” Holmes says. “As the Steelheads becomes his home, his moral compass shifts. The way mercenaries are treated by their employers, the way they’re viewed by their enemies, the politics of that way of life, these are the things I wanted to have an effect him and change him gradually.” It’s a hard row to hoe for Verendrye; his expectations of immediate, albeit undefined, revenge against Khador are thwarted almost immediately, and the men who becomes his brothers-in-arms each have their own reasons for doing what they do. Some are in it with similar intentions; others, for the money. And still others for the lifestyle that a hired soldier can only experience if his sword and gun are up for sale. So, while the Khadorans are his immediate nemeses in the tale, Nicolas finds himself dealing with dangers far closer to home. “It’s a man-against-self kind of story—there’s no individual he can go after. He joined the mercenaries because he knows he can fight against Khador. But as the story advances, the antagonists sort of emerge from the chapter of Steelheads that he’s joined. He’s going to have these polarizing moral elements represented by his fellow mercenaries, and he’s going to be pulled in different directions. He’s going to have to make decisions about what kind of man he is, who among his brothers-in-arms will have the stronger influence.”
To offset Nicolas from the other mercenaries and their disparate personalities, Holmes deliberately chose a less than martial beginning for him. He wanted his hero to begin as an everyman, the doctor, someone the reader might identify with. “You associate someone in the healing arts as having compassion,” he says. “He begins essentially harmless. By the time we get to the end, though, history is not at all harmless.” “ Nicolas Verendrye thus needed influences; Holmes ominously cites the television series Breaking Bad and its main character, cancer-victim-turned-drug-dealer Walter White, as one of his inspirations for the good doctor. “White is an average everyday man who becomes a badass—and the moral shift that goes with that,” he says. Yet the story of Cold Steel goes well beyond the rise and/or fall of Nicolas—in fact, it serves as much as an introduction to the Iron Kingdoms for readers who might not yet know the lay of the land. “We wanted it to be a tour of the IK and the factions in it so new players and readers could get a sense of what this world is like, and align themselves, if they are so inclined, to want to find out more about a faction or a place or a time,” Holmes explains. The format of publishing a new part across multiple issues of No Quarter, he says, helped immensely with that construct. “With every chapter, he works for a new client; he finds himself in a new battle zone. This way, you’d get that sweeping tour. And each time, these battles grow Nicolas’ character as well, taking him from a wandering refugee victim to where he ends up—and each of those chapters is integral to making that happen.” Is it safe to assume that the first-person narrative indicates Nicolas will survive until the end? Holmes neither confirms nor denies, instead focusing on how Nicolas develops. “While he’s quite content where he ends up,” he explains, “Nicolas entered the mercenaries under false pretenses. He justified to himself why he was joining, never considering that the mercenary path might not take him where he wanted to go. So, what he sees in the new recruit at the beginning of the story is a mirror image of himself. And hindsight gives him the benefit of doubting the wisdom in the decisions he’s made.”
Raising Caine That journey from victim to mercenary leader is a new approach for Holmes’ writing in the Iron Kingdoms. His past venture, the novella The Way of Caine (skullislandx. com/warmachine/the-warcaster-chronicles/the-wayof-caine), was a much more rough-and-tumble approach. “Caine’s story is one of rising up to fight his way to his destiny,” Holmes notes. “He already had talent—his time on the street made him a fighter.”
nerves of steel
11
Holmes says he approached Caine very carefully during the writing of the warcaster’s story. “One of the things that makes the Iron Kingdoms so attractive is the depth of interaction between characters; the depth of the world and the events that unfold in it mean you can’t come in freewheeling and do whatever you want. You have to be very respectful of that character’s history and where he’s going. “A lot of the books had hinted at Caine’s past, so we saw that as an opportunity to build backstory, to begin there. We had talked about his future as well, and we had to sort out how to balance my thoughts with the future that’s already been developed for him. “
Author Authority A tabletop player since 1995, Miles Holmes first discovered WARMACHINE in 2004— the way it introduced the focus system was particularly appealing to him. “I didn’t need so many models to play, and so I got into it pretty quickly. You get in for the miniatures; then you get inspired by the setting, and the more depth you find there, the more you want to play.” From the beginning Cygnar was his faction of choice, and Allister Caine was his early favorite—“sort of a mix of two of my favorite rogue characters, Han Solo and Wolverine.” His days of gaming go back even further, all the way back to Car Wars. Over the years, he has worked on a high-profile Sonic the Hedgehog game and Mass Effect for BioWare, as well as creative work for the Full Auto franchise. And in his spare time, he writes books for his personal website (infinitygate.com) and develops his own games—including a recent game, Road/Kill. “Infinitygate.com is where everything I’m doing creatively ends up going,” he explains.” You can download Road/Kill there; all my sci-fi theme stories are there as well.” Currently, Holmes is ambitiously developing his own coherent universe of stories. “It’s epic. I wrote a few cornerstones that range from 70,000 BC to 4,000 AD, and I’ve written stories in between as important beats.” His first book in this venture, Tales of the Invisible Hand, is a prehistoric adventure. “I started with the genetic bottleneck. Sometime around 70,000 BCD, it’s thought a super-volcano trigged an early Ice Age, bringing us to the brink of extinction. In fact, our population was reduced to only a few thousand people worldwide! My story injects a science-fantasy context into that event, complete with lost civilizations, vintage aviation, and forgotten technology. It’s been an absolute labor of love to create.”
12
nerves of Steel
Part of Caine’s future includes crossing paths with the Steelheads, Nicolas Verendrye among them. The encounter between Cygnar’s most unpredictable warcaster and the main character in Cold Steel provided Holmes with his favorite scene in the entire novella. “My reward was a cameo for Caine. Caine’s one of my favorite characters, and he seemed like an ironic person for Nicolas to befriend in any capacity, given Caine’s direct involvement in the fall of Llael.”
Miles to Go Whether Nicolas lives or dies by the end of Cold Steel, Holmes still sees great possibilities in the story he’s in the midst of telling (the remaining parts of primarily finished—some revisions are still being ironed out—and will appear in No Quarter issues #61, 62, and 63). “I have considerable notes from the early discussions about the rogues’ gallery of Nicolas’ brothers-in-arms. I have supporting characters who bring skills and personalities to the mix, and I’ve plotted these people out.” That includes the as-yet unnamed young recruit Nicolas is narrating his history to. “That character, the young recruit, is kind of a blank—he starts off as sort of the new player coming to the game or the world, and Nicolas is making a case for why he wants to be a part of this. ‘I’ve told you everything, now what do you want to do? Do you want to play?’ That sort of thing. But the young recruit is more than just a conduit—once this story is done, that character has a future.” And just what sort of future might Holmes be considering? “The dark side always interests me,” he says. “I’ve put some time into Cryx via the WARMACHINE: Tactics PC game—I did some writing for the extended campaigns. So, I’d love to spend a little more time with the darker forces of western Immoren. I would love to get my head into different perspectives, especially the skorne way of thinking. With characters like Nicolas Verendrye and the new recruit, it’s always fun to create their history in the Iron Kingdoms because you know you’re leaving a small mark in a big world.”
Model Mercenary Sergeant Nicolas Verendrye is coming to a tabletop near you. The Mercenary Steelhead character solo model is scheduled for its official release in early 2016, but attendees of Lock & Load GameFest 2015 will get a special advance shot at adding Nicolas to their armies—and the mercenary will work with a host of different factions. “It’s a chance to get him into play while waiting to see how his story unfolds,” Miles Holmes says. “Personally, I’d add him to my Cygnar army and go after Khador. But that’s just me.”
model will work for Cryx, Cygnar, Khador, and
SERGEANT NICOLAS VERENDRYE
the Protectorate.
MERCENARY – This
NICOLAS
HALBERD
FIELD MEDIC – While within 3˝ of this model, other friendly living non-warcaster, non-warlock Faction warrior models gain Tough . FLANK [STEELHEAD] – When this model makes a melee attack against an enemy model within the melee range of a friendly model of the type indicated, this model gains +2 to attack rolls and gains an additional damage die. HOLD THE LINE [STEELHEAD] – While B2B with one or more Steelhead models, this model gains +2 ARM. LEADERSHIP [STEELHEAD] – While in this model’s command range, friendly Steelhead models gain Defensive Line. (While a model with Defensive Line is B2B with one or more models in its unit, it gains +2 ARM.)
6
5
POW
HALBERD
8
1
FA C DAMAGE
11
P+S
— 10
13 14
9
RNG ROF AOE POW
5
PISTOL
5
SERGEANT NICOLAS VERENDRYE
MERCENARY STEELHEAD CHARACTER SOLO
NICOLAS
SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD
6
A mercenary’s path is neither black nor white; he must find his truth in the grey spaces between. —Sergeant nicolaS Verendrye
PC 2
POWERFUL CHARGE – This model gains +2 to charge attack rolls with this weapon. SET DEFENSE – A model in this model’s front arc suffers –2 on charge, slam power attack, and impact attack rolls against this model.
Illus. by Johan Grenier © Privateer Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All faction names, logos, warjack, warcaster & warbeast are TM of Privateer Press, Inc.
13
nerves of steel
BY ALLIE ROSE-MARIE LEOST
Allie Rose-Marie Leost Allie Rose-Marie Leost–better known as AllieCat Cosplay (or that Lylyth cosplayer) is a twenty-two-year-old Canadian who works in Vancouver, BC, as a CG animator for television and film. In her spare time, she draws, games, animates…and builds cosplay outfits. Her boyfriend Brad, who she met while attending animation school in 2011, introduced her to WARMACHINE, HORDES, and the Iron Kingdoms. As Brad showed me his tabletop armies and explained his painting techniques the backstories of particular characters, he handed her a model of Lylyth, Shadow of Everblight. “I knew from that moment I had to do more than just play these characters; I had to be them,” Allie says. When she graduated from animation school began her first job in the animation industry, she became great friends with a coworker, Sam, who had been making her own amazing costumes for years. Inspired by Sam, Allie built her first simple cosplay and won her first competition all in August 2013. But only two weeks later, Brad suffered a near-fatal brain hemorrhage, and cosplay pursuits had to go on the back burner while she supporting Brad through long months of recovery. Once he was back on his feet, she was ready to start
14
the art of cosplay
again, this time with her first armored cosplay: inevitably, Lylyth, Shadow of Everblight. “Lylyth was my first time using the material Worbla,” Allie says, “and I constantly learned new things along the way. But after five months of burning my hands and the midnight oil, Lylyth was finally complete—and it won me first place in Lock & Load GameFest 2014’s Costume Contest.” In the fifteen months since returning to cosplay, Allie has made five builds, the most recent being the one she’ll display at this year’s Lock & Load: Lieutenant Journeyman Allison Jakes. “Allison’s build to date has already required over 400 hours of hard work,” she explains, “but the important thing to keep in mind while considering my process is that there are 101 ways to make almost anything, so these are just the methods and materials that worked best for me.”
In the Beginning... Eyes on the Prize
An Artist Is Only as Good as Her Tools
The first step to making any cosplay is reference, reference, reference, and even more reference; I cannot stress anymore how important reference is to your build. Making a game plan and breaking down how to build each piece and figuring out what materials work best is also critical. Do your homework before jumping in headfirst and realizing there were faster, cheaper, easier ways to make your piece.
One of the nice things about cosplay expenses is that you’ll hopefully only have to pay for your tools once. Depending what you chose to use when deciding on materials, you’ll also need the appropriate tools to work with them to their fullest potentials.
For this build, I chose to use Worbla, Transparent Worbla, EVA foam, and craft foam. For reference , I based Allison on a mix of concept art, miniature, and in-game visuals. Always feel free to mix and match the parts you like the most and truly make it yours.
During my Allison build, I used a heat gun, a Dremel, hot knife, glue gun, sharp scissors, X-ACTO knives, a rivet hammer, a hole puncher, many types of paint brushes, and, the best tools of all, my own two hands. Make sure you wear safety goggles, dust masks, and proper gloves when sanding, airbrushing, or working with chemicals.
Forms, Forms Everywhere!
Your Body is a Temple, Not an Amusement Park
Once I started using Worbla, I realized how many objects would make fantastic base forms. I have never been more excited to enter the fake floral section in my life to collect all the wondrous Styrofoam forms. Not only that but vases, toys, sculptures, sports balls, horns, bottles, skulls, baskets, almost anything. So, in this build I used a cashew bottle, shampoo bottle, Styrofoam egg, Styrofoam head, Styrofoam cone, baseball helmet, and multiple sizes of Styrofoam balls.
Finally, it’s easy to get caught up in the mayhem of time constants that come with cosplay design, especially if you want it done by a certain date or for a specific convention. Make sure you always take time to take care of yourself, too. Go for walks. Drink water like it’s your job Try to eat veggies as often as you can to keep energy levels high and yourself focused. And get plenty of sleep—you’ll be far productive if you have the clear head that comes from getting enough rest!
the art of cosplay
15
Arcane Turbines I used a big plastic cylinder and covered it in Worbla, then closed it off and used a big round ball to form the raised ends. I repeated the process to make two smaller inner circles for detail and used decoration nails for the bolts. I measured out strips of Worbla and laid them over top the tank to add more depth/ detail. I then opened the back of the tank and measured roughly where the pipes would go in. For the exhaust pipes, I used PVC pipe and cut them down to a 40-degree angle for easier insertion into the tank. I then measured out roughly the size of the vents I wanted and using 1/4˝ (6 mm) craft foam and a circle pattern to cut out two rectangles four inches longer than the PVC pipe, and after I was all done cutting out the shapes from craft foam, I covered it in Worbla. I needed enough space for the LEDs that would sit inside to be easily accessible if I needed to change their batteries or put in new lights, so I made the bottom out of the same 1/4˝ (6 mm) craft foam and traced out a circle for the vent and the pipe. I cut two small slits and put the power switch through it so I didn’t have to open and close them to turn on the lights. I then closed off the top with Worbla I shaped along a foam cone and made the PVC pipe appear to get smaller at the top. I then cut out 12 squares and glued two apiece together to make the coils for around the base of the pipes and after covering them in Worbla I used my Dremel to smooth the edges. I then made another simple box base around the entire tank, careful to follow the reference, and opened up the back to ready it to hold the electronics for the smoke machine. Next, I moved to the bottom of the tank where another small furnace sits and, using the same egg foam shape as the breastplate (see below), made the furnace. I drew out the rough shapes of the vents and used my hot knife to cut them out. Then to get the right sizing for the trim, I used Scotch tape to cover the areas of furnace I wanted the design/trim and drew the rough trim on top. I then cut out all the shapes from the tape and transferred them to Worbla and cut it all out again. I then heated them to the edges of the furnace. I then added one more strip of Worbla for decoration and to secure the pipes to the furnace then twice around the edges of the base tank for a firm hold. Once the trim was done, I used the same tube from the breastplate piping, I heated globes of Worbla to each end and attached them to the bottom of the furnace. I then cut out two U shapes and used them to cover the Worbla globes and furnace to make it appear as if it’s running into it. I moved on to adding the final gauges, piping, and screws. I bought two simple gauges, one big and one small, and covered them both in Worbla before attaching them to the tank. I then heated together my Worbla scraps and rolled them into tubes and attached them to the tank as piping. I added some extra Worbla strips as details and then bought some large screws from my local hardware store and screwed them on either side of the smaller gauge on top.
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the art of cosplay
Breastplate I bought a Styrofoam ball from my local craft store that was a good-looking breast size. I covered it in cling wrap and used my heat gun to heat both sides of the Worbla until it was malleable. I then carefully stretched it across the Styrofoam ball, rotating it slightly as I went to help with tearing instead of stretching it directly from the top down. After a bit of wiggling it popped out, and all I still needed to do was trim the excess Worbla, repeat, and tahdah! Allison boobs. I used tape and cling wrap to make a dress form of myself, covering my torso first with the cling wrap and then with the tape. After I was completely covered with tape, I drew the shape I needed the plate to be, then taking the cup from earlier, I traced around the bottoms of where I wanted my breasts to sit. After I was done drawing the patterns, I cut it out and transferred it to craft foam. I covered it in Worbla, tucked the edges, and after carefully reheating it all, I formed it to the shape of my body. I then popped the cups in from the back. I covered the base plate in tape in order to create trim from Worbla. I did it slightly different for the trim around the breasts—instead of transferring it directly to Worbla, I instead transferred it to craft foam first so it would have more of a raised edge. I moved onto the center furnace and, using an egg shape, I made a Worbla form of it. I cut it in half and slightly overlapped it for a raised edge, then I traced out where I wanted my vents to go and cut them out. I covered the edges in tape and drew out the trim, transferred the pattern to Worbla, and heated it all together. For the bolts, I traced out the same circle pattern as the vents and cut it in half, covered them in Worbla, trimmed and tucked the edges, and then heated them onto the baseplate. I used a tube meant for cable organizing as the piping and heated globes of Worbla to each end before attaching them to the center of the furnace. I then cut out two U shapes and used them to cover the Worbla globe and furnace. I added one more strip of Worbla for decoration and to help secure the pipes against the breastplate and again in the back.
LEDs I purchased coin battery LED strands and used them to save time on wiring them myself. I covered the areas I wanted my LEDs to shine with Transparent Worbla and heated it against the Worbla. I then covered the inside with transparent colored vinyl and lined it with tissue paper to help diffuse the light. Next, I lined the inside where my LEDs would go with tinfoil and closed it all off leaving a hidden craft foam ports to easily access the LED strands to change batteries or replace lights.
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Allison Jakes Painting Tutorial MATERIALS USED Airbrush Iwata Studio Series Smart Jet Air Compressor Iwata Eclipse Gun Hot Knife Drybrushes Rust-Oleum Black Primer Spray Paint Createx Airbrush Paints* P3 Paints* FolkArt Acrylic Paints LePage Wood Glue Scotch Tape Paper *I mixed Createx and P3 together for the perfect shades of Cygnar Blue/ Yellows
One note: Paint all your armor first to make sure it’s all matching before putting on the final finishes. 1. Before painting your armor piece, be sure to clean the surface of any remaining residues. For the damage or scratches, use a hot knife to cut into the Worbla and be careful not to cut too deep. PSA: If you’re not sure if the hot knife is on, DO NOT TOUCH IT. A good way to test it is to flick a bit of water on it to see if it sizzles. 2. To begin priming your piece smooth, use four layers of wood glue. The advantage to wood gluing is that the drying time is much faster (though you can’t sand it) while Gesso takes longer to dry and requires more coats (but can be sanded). 3. After the wood glue has dried, smooth out any lumpy surfaces by wetting your fingers and buffing it out or sand it smooth if you used Gesso. 4. Prime the whole piece black with the Rust-Oleum spray paint as a basecoat. 5. Switch to the airbrush to create the darker blue basecoat and be careful to not go too far to the edges to create the black-blue gradient. 6. Next, airbrush on a lighter shade of blue as the middle highlight. 7. Then airbrush the white highlights. 8. Mask off the inner areas you want to keep blue with the Scotch tape and paper , and then airbrush the inside edges white. 9. Airbrush black in the corners and create a white-black gradient on both edges.
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the art of cosplay
10. Remove the tape and make sure everything looks nice. Don’t worry too much if some paint seeped through because you can take care of it in the drybrushing stages. 11. All the airbrushing is complete now, so you can switch over to your Acrylic paints and drybrushes. Paint all the detailing bolts and trim silver. 12. Use black drybrush along all the edges and create a drop shadow around each bolt and all of the trim, cleaning up any white around the edges. 13. Paint the Cygnar crest black and added all the drop shadows around it. Then paint in the damage/scratches with more black and subtle white/light blue highlights along the edges of the scratches to make them pop. 14. Paint the crest in with yellow; it takes about eight coats to make it really pop. 15. After the crest is done, outline it again with black to make the edges crisp and drybrush in some brown for low lights. 16. To finish it off, drybrush on a few white highlights to the crest and voila! Painting complete! Now the only thing you have to decide is if you want a gloss, semigloss, or matte finish to your armor. I personally use semi-gloss, but it depends on what kind of sheen you want on the armor or prop you’re painting.
Pauldrons I made templates from a baseball helmet and measured out where to sit my crest. I then covered the whole thing in plastic wrap and tape before drawing out my template. I cut out the tape template and used it to measure out two sides of Worbla and a piece of craft foam. I sandwiched the two pieces for both sides, leaving the center out. Next, I heated and formed both pieces around a baseball helmet and pieced it together like magic. I finished it off with a strip of Worbla smoothed down to a nice finish. The second pauldron was much easier because it was all one piece. I covered the entire helmet with Worbla, trimmed the excess, and tucked the edges. The hole in the first pauldron was meant to proudly house my Cygnar crest, which I cut out from craft foam and then glued to another piece of craft foam as a base. I sandwiched this between two pieces of heated Worbla and then shaped out the crest. Next, I formed it to the top of the baseball helmet to make it fit nicely into my shoulder. To make the under-detail vents, I measured out how big to make it based on the bottom measurements from my pauldrons, cut out the shape from 1/4˝ (6 mm) craft foam, and then measured out where to put all my holes. I traced all the holes from a simple circle pattern and used an X-ACTO knife to cleanly cut them out. I sandwiched it between two pieces of Worbla, poking holes with a pin to let all the air out while shaping them in. After I was done, I trimmed the excess Worbla off the edges, tucked the edges in, and loosely rounded them to fit nicely under my pauldron. I then roughly traced the edges around the pauldron and got the right sizing for the raised trim. I cut it all out of craft foam, sandwiched them in Worbla, trimmed the excess, tucked the edges, and attached them around the edges. For the rank, I measured out the size proportionate to the pauldron and cut it out from 1/4˝ (6 mm) craft foam, sandwiched it with Worbla, trimmed the excess, tucked the edges and attached it to the pauldron. To get the right sizing for the inner trim I used Scotch tape to cover the area of the pauldron where I wanted the design/trim and drew the rough trim on top. I then cut out all the shapes from the tape, transferred them to Worbla, and cut them all out again. I attached them to the pauldron and then used upholstery decorative nails for the bolts, attaching Allison’s rank to her second pauldron. And in the end, I used my hot knife to create random scratches and damage all along the armor.
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Sewing I took all my measurements to insure a perfect fit and gave everything a little extra just in case things don’t work out right— it’s easier to make things smaller than it is to make them bigger. I bought and altered patterns, but sewing is not my strong point, so I had to get help. My good friend and fellow cosplayer Andrea from Forever Dreaming cosplay helped me by hand drafting the pattern for Allison’s jacket; she taught me how to sew everything After the patterns were figured out, I had to find all the right fabric and notions. Normally you’d make a test pattern out of scrap fabric before starting your actual piece but with time constraints, we had to make do with one pass. I used vinyl for the jacket, belts, and pants, and cotton for the skirts, centerpiece, and pants.
Skirts First I measured how long I wanted the skirts to be out of the cotton fabric, then I measured out the widths of the top and bottom, the bottom being wider than the tops. After I was done cutting out the patterns, I measured out a border for the skirts, making them 2 inches along the sides and 4 inches at the bottom After the edges were all sewn together, I sewed it to the backside of a belt to hold it around my waist.
Torso Piece To sew together the centerpiece, I did the same steps as the skirt with the same fabric and measured how long I wanted it to be. I then measured out the widths of the top bottom and center, the bottom and top being wider than the center. After cutting out the patterns, I measured out a border for the torso piece, making them 1 inch along the sides and leaving the bottom open for the Worbla detail. I measured the bottom for the right shape and cut out a triangular piece of craft foam for the bottom, covered it in Worbla, tucked the edges, and used decorative nails for the bolts. I used nails and super glue to hold it to the bottom of the fabric. I then attached D-rings to the back of the torso piece and attached the belts to the D-rings using rivets. After that, I added Velcro to the back to secure them around me snuggly.
Pants I took all the measurements for my legs, cut out pre-quilted cotton fabric and vinyl from a modified pants template, and sewed them together. To add the belts, I measured where I wanted them to go and sewed the premade belt ends into my seams. To finish it, I added an elastic band around the inside of the waist belt and sewed it shut. I then added a few rivets on the belts at their connecting points.
Jacket Using the patterns Forever Dreaming Cosplay drafted for me, I cut the patterns out of vinyl and sewed them together. I then topstitched and closed all the edges. Next, I added loops around the bottom of the jacket and the top of the collar for my belts. I cut out a simple sleeve pattern from the same pre-quilted material I used for the pants, and I sewed them together. I then added rivets for detail and stitched the sleeves into the armholes of the jacket, leaving the top open for the pauldrons’ strapping.
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the art of cosplay
Smoke Machine A lot of planning went into my smoke machine. After the first failed attempt with a children’s toy, I had to look into small components to make a custom smoke machine. Once e-cigarettes were determined to be a small, cheap, and viable method, I just needed to figure out a way to pump air threw them. With some help from a friend, I found aquarium tank pumps that make bubbles, and as luck would have, they used the same voltage as the e-cigs. I then had some help figuring out how to wire the proper power circuit and battery source before added my wireless trigger. Everything was wired into a fitting case, and tubes connected the e-cigs into my PVC pipes. When making the turbines, I had left enough space for the case and the battery to sit snuggly. So, with the custom smoke machine finished and mounted, all that was left to do was test them out, and ta-dah! Smoking turbines!
Swords To begin the swords, I took a large piece of paper, folded it in half lengthwise down the center, and then used references to freehand draw a template proportionate to my body along the folded line of paper. I cut it out so it was equal on both sides. I then traced the paper onto EVA foam and used a hot knife to cut out two base shapes for each sword. I then cut out a 1/4˝ (6 mm) craft foam as my centerpiece guideline and hot glued it to one of the pieces. I then measured how far to insert the doweling to double as support and a hilt. I marked where it would sit. I then smoothed out the marked lines careful to not press through to the other side on both pieces, and I inserted the rod. I then hot glued the whole thing together and marked out where to sand down. I then carved out the base shape with my Dremel. After it was even on both sides, I covered the whole thing in Worbla, being careful to overlap the edges just enough, and then smoothed down all the edges to a nice even blade’s edge. Next, I got to work on the sword’s furnace. This is another fine example of forms being everywhere—I actually used the form from my body soap bottle to get the perfect shape for the sword’s vents. I then used tape to cover the area of the vent where I wanted the design/trim and drew the rough trim on top. I then cut out all the shapes, transferred them to Worbla, cut it all out again, and heated them to the furnace. When the furnace was complete, I measured where the vents would go and, using a hot knife, cut out all the shapes where I had marked. Then I heated the top of the furnace to the bottom of my guard piece and attached both top sides of the sword’s blade.
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Using Worbla, I filled in all the gaps with strips and was careful to leave half of the top open to easily access the on switch for the LEDs and then smoothed down all the Worbla edges to a nice clean finish. I then made the outer guard pieces following the reference with 1/4˝ (6 mm) craft foam. Once they were covered in Worbla, I added the detail strip and used decorative nails to finish it off. I then measured where they would sit and traced out guard piece to cut openings into either side of the main guard and pop them in. After the guard was complete I move onto the pummel and, using the same form as I did for my exhaust pipes, I heated a piece of Worbla and wrapped it around. To get the raised top, I used the same egg shape as the bracers and used the top part of the egg. After trimming and carefully heating the two pieces together I roughly traced vents on the pummel and using my hot knife cut them all out. I then used scrap Worbla pieces as a backing to create insets all around the pummel. Using 1/4˝ (6 mm) craft foam, I made rings to go around the pummel using the doweling, and I traced the ends and made rings to snuggly fit around it. I covered the ring in Worbla and, using my hot knife, cut out the centers and heated the edges as best I could to the inside to hide the seams. I then attached one to the top of the guard and, using the same vinyl fabric I used for the belts/jacket/pants, I wrapped a scrap strip all the way around it until I got to the top, then I used the ring I had made for the pummel to hold it all together. Once the vinyl was set the way I wanted it to be, I fixed the pummel ring in place and trimmed off any excess vinyl before heating the pummel to the ring to close it all off. For the bottom detail beneath the vent, I used the same method I did to make the bullets and used the small foam ball I found, cut in half. I then covered them in Worbla, trimmed and tucked the edges then cut out rectangles of Worbla and attached it along the bottom of the rim on the ball. After the Worbla process was done, I used my hot knife to create random scratches and damage all along the armor.
In the End… To follow the rest of Allison’s progress and see more final images, check out my progress page, AllieCat Art & Cosplay, on Facebook. I’ll be regularly posting my WIP as I finish the last few pieces leading up to Lock & Load, and once Allison’s complete, I’ll be gearing up to build Allison’s counterpart, Commander Dalin Sturgis, for Brad to wear. It’ll be his first time cosplaying and my first time building a male armor set, so I’m really excited to get started! Feel free to message me on my page or email me at alliecatcos@ gmail.com for any questions you might have or if you have any cosplays you’d like to share with me. I’d love to hear from you! Thank you so much to all my family (especially you Oka-San and Grandma-Grandma!) and to all my friends and to everyone in the Privateer Press community. Thank you for all your kind words and support along the way of my cosplay journey. A special thank you to Andrea at Forever Dreaming Cosplay for all the life-saving sewing advice, and more special thank yous to my photographers—Ryan Cooper at Vancouver Cosplay for all the stunning photos of Allison and Kevin Free at Kevin Free Photography for the gorgeous photos of Lylyth. Thank you also to all my fellow cosplayers who keep me inspired and forever challenging myself. Thank you Scarlette Cosplay, DV8 Props, Kamui Cosplay, Pipa Wolf Cosplay, NefeniCosplay, Armed & Dangerous, Lightning Cosplay, Tara-Rex Cosplay, Kayla Rose Cosplay, Enayla Cosplay, Rawarhii Cosplay, Ibelinn Cosplay, Murmeltierchen Cosplay, Shokei Cosplay, Cyehra Cosplay, and many, many more for all the wonderful tips and motivation during Allison’s progress.
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the art of cosplay
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By Ed Bourelle and Michael Plummer • Art by néstor ossandón and Andrea Uderzo Scenario by william hungerford • Chronicled by Michael Sanbeg
F
or this very special No Quarter tenth anniversary Battle Report, we were determined to pull out all the stops and give you, our faithful reader, a fight to truly remember. Thankfully, the timing could not have been better. With WARMACHINE: Reckoning about to hit the shelves of game stores across the world, this is our last chance to reveal an advanced look at a pair of that tome’s amazing new warcasters. We could not have hoped for a better pair of models to present than the third incarnation of two of the Iron Kingdom’s most iconic characters: Deneghra and Haley.
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Battle Report
When it came time to select a player to take the reins of Deneghra, the Soul Weaver and her Cryxian forces, an occasion this big called for none other than Creative Director Ed Bourelle. On the other side of the table, Major Prime Victoria Haley and her Cygnaran army would be commanded by Convention Coordinator Michael Plummer—allowing us to call on the power of the longstanding blood-feud between these two combatants, which readers may recall from the “Hell & Dawn” Battle Report in No Quarter #52.
Scenario: Wasteland The rivalry between the twin warcasters Haley and Deneghra has become legend in the Iron Kingdoms. Rumors coming from Ternon Crag place the location of their last battle along the western border of the Bloodstone Desert, and they say it was a bloody one. Only time will tell if these tales are true—but they sure do make for a good story. This scenario is intended to be played between a Cygnar army led by any version of Haley and a Cryx army led by any version of Deneghra. The Cryx player is the first player and has a deployment zone of 7˝ and an advance deployment of 13˝ . The Cygnar player is the second player and has a deployment zone of 10˝ and an advance deployment of 16˝ . When placing terrain, players cannot use shallow water or forest terrain features. No terrain feature can be placed within 3˝ of another terrain feature or within any player’s deployment zone.
Special Rules Players can use two new terrain features during this scenario: Cactus Patches and Water Towers.
6˝
A Water Tower is an obstruction. When a model begins its activation within 4˝ of a Water Tower, it can run or charge without being forced or spending focus.
Victory Conditions The Cygnar player is attempting to cross the desert to deliver vital intelligence Haley has acquired. Time is of the essence, and Haley must hurry before Cryxian reinforcements can arrive! The Cygnar player wins the game if Haley ends her activation completely within her opponent’s deployment zone. The Cryx player is trying to stop Haley at all costs to protect the secrets stolen from the Nightmare Empire. Reinforcements are already on the way to overwhelm Haley and her escort, so she must be stalled until they arrive. The Cryx player wins the game at the end of the Cygnar player’s 6th turn. Additionally, a player wins if he has the only warcaster(s) or warlock(s) remaining in play.
Obstruction
Obstruction
Player 1 AD Line
Obstruction
Cactus Patch
Obstruction
Player 2 Deployment
Water Tower
Player 2 AD Line
Player 1 Deployment
7˝
A Catcus Patch is rough terrain that provides concealment to a model with any part of its base inside the Cactus Patch’s perimeter. Models that are knocked down while in a Cactus Patch suffer d3 damage points.
Cactus Patch
6˝
10˝
Battle Report
25
Cryx Army Construction—Ed
D
eneghra, the Soul Weaver is great at supporting her army, and her forces can play a pivotal role in fueling her to frightening levels. When it came time to put together an army list, first and foremost I knew I would want models with the ability to harvest souls to allow Deneghra to take full advantage of her extremely potent Soul Weaver ability. For my battlegroup, I started with a Harrower. This is an excellent all-purpose helljack anyway, and it has the added benefit of the Soul Taker ability. Cryx loves its bonejacks with arc nodes, and this game would prove no
exception—a Deathripper and a Defiler were the order of the day. I rounded out my battlegroup with a pair of Stalkers to provide an excellent flanking threat to divide Michael’s army before it could get too close. I added a full unit of Mechanithralls with a full complement of Brute Thralls—naturally using the upcoming Lock & Load exclusive Femme Fatale variant—as the only unit in my army. For solos, I snapped up two Pistol Wraiths primarily for the benefits of Body Count. I also added a pair of Necrotechs to keep the Harrower in good shape and a single Warwitch Siren because, well, she’s just a handy bag of tricks to have on hand. Finally, I added a Wraith Engine. The huge base on this guy would block charges against Deneghra until she’s ready to come out and play, it has excellent threat potential against a Cygnaran gun line, and its Soul Collector ability has the potential to provide rocket fuel for Deneghra.
S S N N
WE
Dr
WS
Df
ST
ST
M
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Battle Report
Model/Unit
D
Deneghra, The Soul Weaver
Points +4 warjack pts
Dr
Deathripper
4
Df
Defiler
5
H Harrower
10
S
Stalker x2
8 (4 each)
M
Mechanithralls (10)
BT
N
Brute Thrall x3
ST
5 3 (1 each)
Necrotech and Scrap Thrall x2 2 (1 each)
PW
Pistol Wraith x2
6 (3 each)
WS
Warwitch Siren
2
WE Wraith Engine
Be sure to pick up your own Brute Thrall—Femme Fatale variant, available at Lock & Load GameFest and in our online store, June 5–7!
9
Total
50
H BT
PW
M
PW
D
Battle Report
27
Cygnar Army Construction—Michael
W
hen I found out I would get to play Major Prime Victoria Haley for this Battle Report, I practically jumped for joy. This version of Haley is an amazing toolbox warcaster with answers to a lot of situations. Because of this versatility, there’s a lot of room for personal preference when constructing a list, which allows for significant leeway to play models that mesh well with your own particular play style. I knew I would want a lot of infantry for significant board presence, so when I started thinking about warjacks, I decided to save points and not to take a
colossal. I immediately added Thorn to my battlegroup. Haley Past packs a lot of punch, and the extra range Thorn’s arc node can give me will be infinitely useful in securing victory over Ed’s Cryxian horrors. I wanted at least one heavy-hitting warjack, too, so I picked up Ol’ Rowdy for its high power and focus efficiency. To stretch my focus even further, I gave Haley a Squire. I definitely wanted to take advantage of Cygnar’s ranged superiority over Cryx. A full unit of Tempest Blazers can take out a lot of infantry in a turn or put some hurt on lowARM warjacks in a pinch, and they’re also an excellent target for Revive. I wanted to add even more ranged output without spending too many points, and the Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team fit the bill perfectly. They would give me even more magic gunshots to deal with Incorporeal models along with a nice suite of special abilities.
OR S
RC
TB
13
FG
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Battle Report
With my ranged firepower taken care of, I turned my attention to melee troops to round out my forces. I’m expecting hard targets on the other side of the table, so I decided to take a full unit of Horgenhold Forge Guard as my main melee threat. With Captain Jonas Murdoch added as a unit attachment, I would be able to bring them back with Revive as Ed picks them off. Rhulic troops are not the fastest, so Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord was an obvious choice to get them through rough terrain in a hurry. With all these bodies on the table, I reached for Alexia Ciannor & the Risen. Arcane Disjunction is a real issue for Cryx, and she can put out major damage when she wants to. Dominate Undead might also come into play against the Nightmare Empire.
H
HP HF
T
Model/Unit
Points
Major Prime Victoria Haley +3 warjack pts Thorn
8
OR Ol’ Rowdy
Squire
2
Alexia Ciannor & the Risen (10)
5
13
Black 13th Gun Mage Strike Team
4
FG
Horgenhold Forge Guard (10)
8
JM
Captain Jonas Murdoch
2
S A R
With 3 points left, I was looking for a general support piece. A Journeyman Warcaster rounds out my force quite nicely, providing a little more ranged “oomph” when I need it along with an Arcane Shield to bolster my defenses. This is a very well-rounded army, and I think it can counter almost anything Ed wants to throw at me. I know it’s going to be a bloody slog against one of my favorite WARMACHINE opponents, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
9
TB Tempest Blazers (5) J RC
10
Journeyman Warcaster
3
Rhupert Carvolo, Piper of Ord
2
Total
HP
H
50 Points
HF
T
J
JM
R
A
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Deployment
Advanced Deployment
Cryx – Ed
Cryx – Ed
My deployment would have to be based solely on the terrain, since I was going first. For pre-deployment, I put Deneghra just right of center where she could move toward the Cactus Patches. I didn’t want the buildings on the left limiting where her base would fit if I could avoid it. I then pre-deployed the Wraith Engine left of center, leaving enough space for a large base between it and Deneghra.
Michael had a pretty even spread of forces, so I placed my Stalkers as far forward as I could get them on either side.
With no pre-deployment from Michael, I began placing the majority of my force. The Mechanithralls went to the left of the Wraith Engine where they could surge ahead and jam up the buildings on that flank and possibly find cover. I placed the Harrower with a Necrotech behind it between the two huge bases. The Defiler took up position left of the huge-base formation, and on the right side I dropped the Deathripper. I added one Pistol Wraith to each flank and finished things off with my second Necrotech, the Warwitch Siren, and both Scrap Thralls in the open space to the right of Deneghra.
Cygnar – Michael Ed has his forces spread pretty evenly throughout his deployment zone, so I knew I would need to build a wide frontage to take him on. His Mechanithralls were on my right, so I deployed my Tempest Blazers and the Black 13th in a good position to take them on. All his heavy armor was on my left flank, so I responded with my Forge Guard and Alexia & the Risen across from those threats. Haley took her place in the center of my force with Thorn, Ol’ Rowdy, and the Squire. This should offer me tactical flexibility to deal with whatever threats I need to counter. I put Rhupert in place to buff my Forge Guard and the Journeyman Warcaster at the center of the table to support Haley.
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Battle Report
Round 1
Cryx – Ed I allocated 1 focus to each of Deneghra’s five warjacks, leaving 2 on her. I then used the Wraith Engine’s Apparition ability to place it 2˝ forward. Time for the turn-one-run! On the flanks, both Pistol Wraiths ran forward, one into the Cactus Patch on the right and the other behind the forward-most building on the left. In the center, the Harrower ran to within 4˝ of the Water Tower. On the right flank, thanks to Pathfinder, the Stalker ran straight through the Cactus Patch as far as it could go. Also on the right, the Pistol Wraith and Warwitch Siren ran into the Cactus Patch, the Necrotech ran just ahead of the rock obstruction, the Deathripper ran behind the Cactus Patch, and the Scrap Thralls ran forward. Over on the left, the Stalker ran up and around the corner of the closest building toward the far flank. The Defiler ran next to the Water Tower followed by the Mechanithralls that filled the passage between the Water Tower and the left-most building. I was careful to leave enough space for the Defiler to move forward, should I choose to activate it before moving the thralls. In the center, the Wraith Engine advanced straight up the middle toward the Water Tower, followed by
the last Necrotech running up behind the Harrower. Lastly, Deneghra cast Grave Wind on herself for +2 DEF and Poltergeist. She then advanced as far forward as she could get behind the Wraith Engine and Necrotech.
Battle Report
31
Round 1 Cygnar – Michael Ed took a pretty standard first turn, and I wasn’t really surprised about where he was going with anything in his army. I decided not to allocate any focus to my battlegroup this turn, so I wouldn’t be tempted to over-extend too early. The Tempest Blazers activated and advanced to put themselves in a strong shooting position next turn, hopefully without taking a charge before then. The Black 13th followed suit, getting themselves a bit forward and into cover to avoid coming under fire from the Pistol Wraith on my right flank. On the other side of the battlefield, Rhupert Carvolo used his March ability on the Horgenhold Forge Guard before advancing. The Forge Guard ran to put themselves as far forward as they were able, through the Cactus Patch thanks to Pathfinder from Rhupert. Center-stage, Thorn advanced forward but not too far forward. I kept him at the center of the table so I could divert him to whichever side of the field would most need his support next turn. Next, Haley Prime advanced and spent 4 of her 8 focus to utilize her Time Walker ability twice, adding both Haley Past and Haley Future to her unit. These models can’t activate on the turn they come into play, but I needed them to set up for Round 2. Haley Prime then cast Tactical Supremacy on the Forge Guard to get a little more distance out of them and Temporal Flux to give a defensive boost to any models close by. Alexia & the Risen ran in behind the Forge Guard, ready to pick up any corpses Ed might create and to act as a second wave in case he wipes out my dwarves. The Squire advanced behind Haley to allow her to benefit from its various abilities. Ol’ Rowdy ran up behind the Tempest Blazers without spending focus, thanks to Aggressive. To finish things off, the Journeyman Warcaster advanced. Looking at how this is all playing out, I realized Haley wasn’t going to be sitting on very much focus this game, so I cast Arcane Shield on her unit. After all of my activations had completed, the Horgenhold Forge Guard made their Tactical Supremacy move, and I sat back to see what Ed had in store for me.
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Battle Report
Round 2 Cryx – Ed Deneghra upkept Grave Wind and allocated 1 focus to each Stalker. I then used Apparition to place the Wraith Engine 2˝ forward, after which it became Incorporeal thanks to its Wraith Walker ability. Now it was time to put the Wraith Engine at the center of the battle. It ran forward, cutting through the Water Tower, thanks to Incorporeal. This would make it a big but tough-to-crack target and put it in prime position for Soul Collector. To take advantage of that right away, I advanced the Warwitch Siren to the center and cast Venom at a pair of Forge Guard. Hitting their low DEF was no problem, and thanks to a couple of high damage rolls, both died to the corrosive spray. The Wraith Engine gained their souls, but over on Michael’s side, Alexia picked up two corpse tokens. We literally split the spoils between us. When it comes to WARMACHINE, I do not like to share. I was going to have to get Alexia’s attention in the backfield. To that end, I ran the Stalker on the right flank a full 14˝ to pose a threat from behind in the hopes that Michael would decide to deal with it sooner rather than later. Also on the right, the Pistol Wraith advanced through the Cactus Patch and shot down another Forge Guard. Soul to the Pistol Wraith, Corpse to Alexia. Grrr… The Pistol Wraith’s second shot hit another Forge Guard but failed to kill him. Maybe that’s a good thing—I had enough souls for the turn. The Scrap Thralls ran around each side of the Cactus Patch and forward of the Pistol Wraith to create targets for the Forge Guard and hopefully to take attention away from the Pistol Wraith. Wrapping up activations on the right flank, the Deathripper advanced along the outside of the Cactus Patch. Thanks to its proximity to the Water Tower, the Defiler was able to run to the front of the obstruction without spending focus. Deneghra then used her Soul Weaver ability to remove two souls from the Wraith Engine and place them on herself. This is where Deneghra becomes deadly efficient. Using her Soul Mastery ability, I removed one soul token from her to trigger Arcane Spirits, which allows her to cast a spell with COST 3 or less without spending focus. Mortality is my spell of choice in this case, which I cast through the Defiler’s arc node, targeting Thorn. Using a focus point to boost, I hit the high DEF warjack and caused it to suffer -2 DEF and ARM. Again using Soul Mastery, I removed a soul from her. This time I triggered her Vengeful Spirits ability, which allocates up to 3 focus to a warjack in her battlegroup within her
CMD range. I chose the Harrower and filled it with focus. Deneghra then advanced up behind the Wraith Engine. Between Grave Wind and the 3 focus on her, she was sitting at a respectable DEF 17 and ARM 19. Next up was the Harrower, which advanced before boosting a Mortifier shot at Thorn. The shot connected, and thanks to Mortality, the boosted damage roll inflicted 8 damage despite mediocre dice results. On the left flank, the Mechanithralls ran forward to the midline of the battlefield, engaging one Tempest Blazer in the process. The remaining Stalker then ran around the far building, keeping close to its edge to gain as much distance around it as possible. The Pistol Wraith followed up, taking shelter from all the magelock pistols behind the same building. Lastly, the Necrotechs advanced toward the Harrower so they would be able to move into base contact for repairs next turn. Overall, this felt like a pretty good turn. There was a lot pressure on Michael’s army, and it was coming from a lot of different directions.
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Round 2 Cygnar – Michael That could have gone a lot worse! Thorn took a pretty solid hit, but I only lost three Forge Guard to Ed’s onslaught. My Tempest Blazers were a little gummed up, but I was pretty sure I could get them free. To start things off, Haley Prime spent 4 focus to upkeep Haley Past and Haley Future. Haley Future had some work to do this turn, but with some quick math I realized she would be the one to handle my focus allocation as well. She allocated 2 focus to Thorn. The Journeyman Warcaster upkept Arcane Shield on Haley. Alexia discarded three corpse tokens and added three Risen to her unit. That Stalker on my left was getting too close for comfort, and she would soon need those Risen to buy extra attacks and boosts. I really needed to think about how I was going to get Haley across the board. It was starting to look like my ticket would be to blow a hole in Ed’s flank. To get things started, Thorn charged the Defiler and boosted to hit with its Disruption Spear. The attack struck true, and it dealt 14 damage to the bonejack. Not enough to take out its arc node, but this was a good start, and it was disrupted. Thorn then used its Shock Shield to dispatch the nearest Mechanithrall. Alexia & the Risen activated next. I really wanted to use Dominate Undead on the Wraith Engine to force it out of its Incorporeal state, but the threat of the Stalker on my flank was too great to ignore. The unit charged into the Stalker, and two of the Risen attacked and missed. Alexia then made her charge attack, removing a Risen from play to boost the attack roll thanks to Death Magic. The attack hit and dealt 11 damage to the Stalker. She removed another two Risen from play for a second boosted attack, which missed. I really wanted this Stalker out of my hair, so I removed two more Risen for another boosted attack, which hit. One more Risen bought me a boosted damage roll—enough to destroy the bonejack.
With everything converging on my forces so quickly, I decided it was time for Haley Prime to use her Arcane Singularity feat. This immediately gave each of my Haleys +2 FOCUS and 2 focus points. Because of Thorn’s affinity with Haley, Haley Past was able to channel a Force Hammer through the engaged arc node targeting the untouched Brute Thrall. I spent a focus to boost, just to make sure it would hit. It did, and it slammed the Brute Thrall 3˝ over two Mechanithralls to destroy both with collateral damage. Haley Past’s Raw Talent ability meant I would roll an additional die on her damage rolls, which I expected to be more than enough to take out the Brute Thrall. I had just watched my dice fail me twice with the Black 13th, though, and I had nothing to do with her last focus point, so I boosted the damage roll to crush the Brute with impunity.
Along my right flank, I activated the Black 13th. Ryan advanced to deal with a few Mechanithralls while Lynch and Watts stared down the Stalker on my right flank. Ryan used a Mage Storm attack targeting a Mechanithrall right in the middle of its group. The massive 4˝ AOE destroyed three Mechanithralls. My dice absolutely exploded on damage rolls against the Brute Thralls, killing one outright and leaving another with only 2 damage boxes remaining. I love the Black 13th; they do great work every time I play them. Moving on to Watts and Lynch, both fired Brutal Damage shots at the Stalker. . . and brutally missed. This wasn’t going to be pretty…
Ed took out a few of my models last turn, and I wasn’t too happy about that. Haley Future did her bit to fix that problem, casting Revive to return one of my Forge Guard to the fight. With her 1 remaining focus, she boosted a Phase Bolt against the Warwitch Siren. A few good dice rolls later and the warwitch was undone. Haley Prime’s Reiteration ability allowed her to cast Revive as well, bringing another Forge Guard back to the unit. She used her last 3 focus to cast Domination against the Harrower to turn it around and swing at Deneghra. The Harrower missed, and Deneghra chose not to push it back with Poltergeist. I was pretty satisfied with Haley’s activation, and I felt set up for success.
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Battle Report
The Tempest Blazers activated next, advancing or aiming as needed. My first aimed shot was a Brutal Damage shot targeting the last remaining Brute Thrall. It inflicted 0 damage. That was okay, though. These things happen. My second Tempest Blazer fired an Electro Leap shot targeting a Mechanithrall . . . and missed. This was not okay. This does not happen. The third fired an Electro Leap shot at another Mechanithrall—and missed. I was starting to feel a little ill at this point. My last two Tempest Blazers fired Electro Leap shots into Mechanithralls, wiping out three of them and finishing off the Defiler. I immediately started to feel a little better about my life choices.
I only had a few activations left, and I started with Rhupert using Heroic Call to assure the Forge Guard wouldn’t fail any command checks and to give them Tough. The Forge Guard charged several targets, resulting in two demolished Scrap Thralls, 6 damage for the Harrower, one dead Forge Guard, a soul for the Wraith Engine, and hopefully some tough choices for Ed on his next turn. Rowdy advanced toward the Stalker to threaten a counter charge, while the Squire and Journeyman advanced to hopefully block line of sight to Haley Prime.
Round 3 Cryx – Ed I had expected to take some losses, but 15 models? Damn. There was now a big hole in my left flank that Michael could potentially take advantage of to move Haley into my deployment zone for a scenario victory. I hoped I could count on my speed to cut her off, if it came to that. I started things off by upkeeping Grave Wind on Deneghra and allocating 2 focus to the remaining Stalker. The now-corporeal Wraith Engine used Apparition to start the turn 2˝ to its right and no longer engaged by any Forge Guard. The Pistol Wraith by the Cactus Patch aimed a shot at Jonas Murdoch. He was just barely within range, and I spent the Wraith’s soul token to boost the damage, but Murdoch managed a Tough roll and survived. With the second shot, however, he wasn’t so lucky. Thanks to his proximity, the Wraith Engine sucked up Murdoch’s soul while his corpse stayed right where it was, far from Alexia’s reach. No sharing. On the right flank, the Deathripper advanced and attacked the nearest Forge Guard in hopes of adding yet another soul to the Wraith Engine. But dice happen, and the attack missed. The left Necrotech advanced to the Harrower and performed a Repair special action, which also failed. I was starting to feel a touch of desperation creep in. I took a breath and walked around to Michael’s side of the table to activate my Stalker. Using its SPD 7, I was able to take the long route around the back of The Black 13th’s Watts and Lynch to stay out of Counter Charge range of Ol’ Rowdy. Two boosted Eviscerator attacks later, and Watts and Lynch were lunch.
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Round 3 Cryx – Ed I spent a few minutes thinking about what to do with Deneghra and almost decided to charge up the center. In the end, I opted to play a bit more conservatively. I pulled both souls off of the Wraith Engine using Soul Weaver. I spent the first to cast Mortality on the Forge Guard, softening them up before charging forward and right, over the Wraith Engine, at one of them. The hit landed, netting Deneghra another soul and sending another corpse to Alexia. I cast Mortality a second time using a soul, this time hitting Thorn. I boosted my third casting of it, spending my final soul instead of focus to strike the nearest Tempest Blazer.
The Pistol Wraith on the left flank advanced through the front corner of the building and eliminated two Tempest Blazers to end its activation with one soul. To follow that up, the remaining Mechanithrall and Brute Thrall charged the Tempest Blazers and eliminated two more of them. Next up, the Wraith Engine advanced to engage the three Forge Guard it had Apparitioned away from during the Control Phase. The first one it killed passed his soul to the Harrower, which was closer, while the second netted the Wraith Engine a soul it then spent to kill a third dwarf and gain yet another soul token. No corpses for Alexia—the sacrificial Stalker had paid off.
Did I say I spent my final soul token?
The second Necrotech advanced and successfully repaired 3 damage points to the Harrower. The Helljack then advanced into melee with Thorn, destroying it with two hits and boosted damage from its Perisher and suffering 1 point of Cortex damage from Thorn’s Shock Shield.
At this point, Deneghra used her feat, Hell Gate, to immediately gain 7 soul tokens. I then spent one of the soul tokens to allocate 3 focus to the Harrower and ended her activation with 6 souls and 3 focus sitting on her. I love her so much.
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Battle Report
It felt like a good response to the devastation Michael had unleashed on me the previous turn, but I wasn’t confident it would be enough.
Cygnar – Michael Well, things were starting to look a little grim. I had been hoping to hold out for an assassination attempt on Deneghra, but that was looking less and less possible every turn. If I was to have any hope of winning this game, I was going to have to get Haley across the board. After replenishing my focus, I used the Squire’s Reserve Accumulator to give Haley Prime an additional focus point. I spent 2 focus to upkeep Haley Future, but I let Haley Past phase out. Haley Present also allocated a single focus to Ol’ Rowdy. Alexia gained another Risen for her unit. First off, my Journeyman Warcaster advanced and fired a boosted Hand Cannon shot at a Mechanithrall, dispatching it quickly. Ryan, the last surviving member of the Black 13th, took aim and fired a Mage Storm shot at the last Brute Thrall. My dice cooperated this time, killing both the Brute Thrall and the Pistol Wraith. Haley activated next, Prime advancing and Future aiming. Haley Future cast Revive to bring back a Tempest Blazer, then fired a Phase Bolt shot at the Harrower, boosting the damage roll for 8 points of damage. Haley Present cast Temporal Flux and took a potshot at the Harrower with her Hand Cannon. She hit and boosted the damage, doing another 3 points to the helljack. Rhupert advanced and used Dirge of Mists on Haley, increasing her DEF to a whopping 19! I was feeling pretty safe sitting on DEF 19/ARM 20, and I expected to be able to clear some serious board space next turn. The Forge Guard activated next and charged. The first attacked the Deathripper and scored a Critical Smite, slamming the
Bonejack 2˝ and dealing 9 points of damage to take out its Cortex, Arc Node, and Movement. The three remaining Forge Guard all missed their attacks against Deneghra, and one was pushed back with Poltergeist. My Tempest Blazers then advanced and fired Brutal Damage shots at the Harrower. The first dealt 5 damage and the second did another 6, but the Helljack was still standing! They used their cavalry movement to engage enemy models and hopefully block some enemy movement. Alexia & the Risen activated last and ran toward the center of the board, hoping to fill space Deneghra would need to land, or at least to make her spells cost more focus thanks to Arcane Disjunction. I was left with nothing to do but hope Haley’s impressive defensive stats would keep her alive long enough to start hoofing it into Ed’s deployment zone.
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Round 3 Cryx – Ed While my casualties were only moderate, I found myself starting this turn with only seven models on the table. One of those models, however, was Deneghra, and after converting her soul tokens she was sitting on a hefty 13 focus. Due to Alexia’s Arcane Disjunction, I had to pay 2 of those focus to upkeep Grave Wind. I allocated no focus, as Deneghra was going to need everything she could get. The Wraith Engine became Incorporeal but did not use its Apparition ability. The Pistol Wraith aimed and fired, killing the two Forge Guard on the far right and picking up two soul tokens. The Wraith Engine took a free strike from a Tempest Blazer despite being Incorporeal, thanks to the cavalry model’s Gunfighter ability and blessed Magelock. But the attack only inflicted 3 damage, and following its movement the Wraith Engine, still in Reach range, killed the Tempest Blazer with a Scything Blade attack. Due to proximity, the soul token went to Deneghra. With its second attack, the battle engine killed the Tempest Blazer engaging the Harrower and Deneghra picked up the soul once again. The Deathripper sacrificed its action to stand and advanced into melee with one of the nearby Forge Guard. With the Wraith Engine blocking the Necrotechs from repairing the Harrower, everything rested on Deneghra to pull off an assassination against her twin sister. She used Soul Weaver to pull two souls off of the
Pistol Wraith behind her for a total of three, then spent one to circumvent Alexia’s Arcane Disjunction and cast Ghost Walk on herself. Free strikes were a small risk, given all her focus, but I didn’t want to take any chances. She then charged Haley, using her full 12˝ of movement to get as close as possible. Before making the charge attack, she spent 8 (yes, EIGHT!) focus to cast Scourge on Haley. She did not boost the attack, and though it did not hit directly, the deviation was so minimal it didn’t matter. Haley and the Squire were both knocked down by the spell, and although Deneghra was also in the 4˝ AOE, she could not be knocked down because she’s a battle engine. The blast did not damage any of the three models within it, but Haley was on her ass. She spent one more soul to get around Arcane Disjunction and hit Haley with Mortality to drop her ARM and DEF by 2. Finally, Deneghra made her charge attack, which hit the knocked-down Haley automatically and delivered 9 points of damage. With only 3 of her original 13 focus left, she bought another melee attack, which hit automatically, and boosted for 5 more damage. This left Haley at 1 damage box remaining. Using her final focus, Deneghra was able to hit and break Haley’s armor without boosting to end the game. I would like to imagine that Deneghra cut Haley in half. What comes around goes around, and all that. Deneghra will be sure to save Haley’s soul for something special.
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Battle Report
Conclusion Cygnar – Michael ARRRRRGH! The agony of defeat, once again! In all seriousness, Ed Bourelle is one of my all-time favorite WARMACHINE opponents. I know whenever I sit down to a game with him, I’ll have to think a lot, talk a lot of smack I probably can’t back up, and laugh more than I later think was appropriate. Major Prime Victoria Haley is incredibly versatile and fun to play! She took practice to master, but once you have a few games under your belt, her bevy of tactical options really opens a lot of doors in any given game. I’m really looking forward to getting some more games in with this deadly trio—and hopefully taking my revenge against Ed’s Deneghra!
Cryx – Ed I love playing WARMACHINE with Michael Plummer. We always have a good time and a great game, and there’s always plenty of smack-talk and squirming as we go back and forth bashing one another to pieces. Deneghra, the Soul Weaver is an amazing warcaster, elevated by her army as much as her army is elevated by her. The ability to dish out Mortality all over the place for just one soul token easily makes up for it not being an upkeep spell and allows even MAT 5 Mechanithralls to hit reliably (at least, the ones left after getting the crap shot out of them). Having access to multiple soul-gathering options really props up Deneghra with her Soul Weaver ability, allowing her to pull them off one model each turn, but even against a soulless army her feat would still let her capitalize on one big turn. For me, the Wraith Engine was the MVP in this game, and I think players will be gunning hard for it whenever one takes the field with Deneghra, the Soul Weaver.
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Major Prime Victoria Haley
By Matt DiPietro For this special ten-year anniversary issue of No Quarter, we’re going to take you inside the P3 Studio for an in-depth look at the process and techniques used to paint the official studio version of one of the incredible new warcaster models featured in the upcoming WARMACHINE: Reckoning. We could think of no better subject than the latest incarnation of one of the Iron Kingdom’s most iconic and beloved warcasters, Victoria Haley. Painted by none other than Matt DiPietro himself, we’re proud to present Cygnar’s own Major Prime Victoria Haley.
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Modeling & Painting
Haley Past Skin
paintS Used
1) Basecoat the skin with Midlund Flesh.
Battledress Green
2) Mix Midlund Flesh with small amounts of Battledress Green and Skorne Red, then shade the flesh.
Midlund Flesh Ryn Flesh
3) Apply highlights of Ryn Flesh.
Skorne Red
4) Mix Midlund Flesh with Skorne Red and pick out the details.
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Fabric 5) Basecoat the trousers with Bootstrap Leather.
paintS Used
6) Shade the trousers with Battlefield Brown.
Bastion Grey
7) Mix Exile Blue with Umbral Umber and shade the clothing.
Battlefield Brown
8) Apply highlights to the trousers using a mixture of Bootstrap Leather and Khardic Flesh. 9) Continue highlighting the clothing areas with a mix of Bootstrap Leather and Rucksack Tan. 10) Basecoat the hood and bodice with Trollblood Highlight. 11) Shade the cloth with Bastion Grey. 12) Use a 2:1 mixture of Menoth White Highlight and Trollblood Highlight to highlight the cloth areas.
Beast Hide Bootstrap Leather Exile Blue Hammerfall Khaki Ironhull Grey ’Jack Bone Khardic Flesh Menoth White Base Morrow White Rucksack Tan Trollblood Highlight Umbral Umber
Modeling & Painting
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Fabric Continued 13) Add Morrow White to a small amount of the mixture from the previous step, then highlight the cloth. 14) Basecoat the cloth wrappings on Haley’s arms with Hammerfall Khaki. 15) Shade the wrappings with a mixture of Beast Hide and Ironhull Grey. 16) Highlight the wrappings with a mixture of ’Jack Bone and Menoth White Highlight.
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Details 17) Basecoat the belts and satchels with a mixture of Gun Corps Brown and Traitor Green.
paintS Used Beast Hide
18) Shade these portions of the model with a mixture of Cryx Bane Base and Umbral Umber.
Blue Ink
19) For further shading, pick out the edges and lines of the belts and pouches with a mixture of Brown Ink and Exile Blue.
Cryx Bane Base
20) Highlight the satchels and belts with Gun Corps Brown. 21) Basecoat the scarves with a mix of Greatcoat Grey, Trollblood Base, and a small amount of Cygnar Blue Base. 22) Add Exile Blue to the previous mixture and shade the scarves. 23) Apply dark lines and final shading to the scarves with Exile Blue mixed with a small amount of Thamar Black. 24) Highlight the scarves with a mixture of Greatcoat Grey and Trollblood Base.
Brown Ink Cygnar Blue Base Exile Blue Greatcoat Grey Gun Corps Brown ’Jack Bone Thamar Black Traitor Green Trollblood Base Umbral Umber Underbelly Blue
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Modeling & Painting
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25) Add Underbelly Blue to the previous mixture and apply line highlights to the scarves. Glaze thinned Blue Ink on the scarf around Haley’s neck to increase the saturation and draw attention to her face. 26) Pick out the remaining details with Beast Hide. 27) Apply ’Jack Bone highlights to the details and ropes.
Haley Prime 1
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paintS Used Battledress Green Midlund Flesh Ryn Flesh
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Skorne Red Thamar Black Traitor Green
Skin 1) Basecoat her skin with Midlund Flesh. 2) Shade her face and skin with a mixture of Midlund Flesh, Skorne Red, and Traitor Green. 3) Line her face with a mixture of Battledress Green and Skorne Red to define her expression. Black out her eyes with Thamar Black. 4) Highlight the face with multiple glazes of Ryn Flesh.
Fabric 5) Basecoat the cloak with Trollblood Highlight. Apply multiple coats to achieve a solid color base.
7) Use Ironhull Grey to apply final shading to the overhanging areas of the cloak.
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Bastion Grey Beast Hide
6) Shade the cloak with Bastion Grey.
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Bootstrap Leather Brown Ink Cygnar Blue Base Exile Blue Frostbite Greatcoat Grey Ironhull Grey Menoth White Highlight Trollblood Base Trollblood Highlight Umbral Umber Underbelly Blue
Modeling & Painting
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Fabric Continued 8) Highlight the cloak with a mix of Frostbite, Menoth White Highlight, and Trollblood Highlight. 9) Mix a small amount of the previous mixture into a larger quantity of Menoth White Highlight, then apply final highlights to the cloak. 10) Basecoat the trousers with Beast Hide. 11) Basecoat the remaining leather areas with Bootstrap Leather. 12) Shade the trousers and leather with a mixture of Brown Ink and Umbral Umber. 13) Basecoat the remainder of the clothing with a mixture of Greatcoat Grey, Trollblood Base, and a small amount of Cygnar Blue Base. 14) Add Cygnar Blue Base and Exile Blue to the previous mixture and use this to shade the clothes. 15) Highlight the clothing with a mixture of Greatcoat Grey, Trollblood Base, and Underbelly Blue. Apply glazes of Cygnar Blue Base to heighten the saturation.
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Armor 16) Basecoat the armor with Cygnar Blue Base. 17) Shade with a mixture of Exile Blue and Umbral Umber. 18) Apply lines and dark shading to the armor with a mix of Brown Ink, Exile Blue, and a small amount of Thamar Black.
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Modeling & Painting
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19) Apply highlights of Cygnar Blue Highlight. 20) Use a mixture of Cygnar Blue Highlight and Frostbite to increase the highlighting. 21) Apply Frostbite in small lines and points to imply glinting highlights on the metal. 22) Basecoat the glowing areas with Arcane Blue. 23) Use a mixture of Arcane Blue and Menoth White Highlight to add points of light in the glowing vents. 24) Add lines of Meredius Blue to the edges to make the vents and the textures of the glowing areas more distinct. Define areas of the most intense glow with dots of Menoth White Highlight.
paintS Used Arcane Blue Brown Ink Cold Steel Cygnar Blue Base Cygnar Blue Highlight Exile Blue Frostbite Menoth White Highlight Meredius Blue Thamar Black Umbral Umber
Modeling & Painting
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Haley future Skin
paintS Used
1) Basecoat the face with Midlund Flesh.
Battledress Green
2) Shade the skin with a mixture of Gun Corps Brown and Midlund Flesh.
Gun Corps Brown
3) Use a mixture of Battledress Green and Skorne Red to line and define the facial expression.
Midlund Flesh
’Jack Bone Ryn Flesh
4) Highlight with a mix of ’Jack Bone, Midlund Flesh, and Ryn Flesh.
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Skorne Red
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Arming Doublet 5) Basecoat the quilted armor with Bootstrap Leather. Sketch the lighting highlights onto the underside of the cloak with Arcane Blue.
paintS Used Arcane Blue Beast Hide
6) Shade the quilted armor with a wash of Umbral Umber.
Bootstrap Leather
7) Highlight with Beast Hide.
Brown Ink
Fabric
Umbral Umber
8) Basecoat the cloak with Cygnar Blue Base. Use thin layers of paint to let the sketch of the lighting pattern show through. 9) Define the lines and overhanging areas of the cloak with a final shading of Exile Blue and Umbral Umber. 10) Begin highlighting with Cygnar Blue Highlight. Use a mixture of Arcane Blue and Cygnar Blue Highlight to blend the lighting sketch into the blue of the cloak.
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paintS Used Arcane Blue Bastion Grey Cygnar Blue Base Cygnar Blue Highlight Exile Blue Frostbite Greatcoat Grey Ironhull Grey Menoth White Highlight Trollblood Base Trollblood Highlight Umbral Umber Underbelly Blue
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Modeling & Painting
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11) Continue highlighting with a mixture of Cygnar Blue Highlight and Frostbite. Give the glow effect a highlight of Arcane Blue. 12) Add Frostbite to the previous mixture and apply edge highlights to the cloak. Mix Arcane Blue and Menoth White Highlight and highlight the glowing areas. 13) Basecoat the bodysuit with a mix of Cygnar Blue Base, Greatcoat Grey, and Trollblood Base. 14) Add Exile Blue and Umbral Umber to the previous mixture and shade the bodysuit. Add Underbelly Blue to the previous mixture and highlight the bodysuit. 15) Basecoat the remaining portions of the cloak with Trollblood Highlight. 16) Shade the cloak details with Bastion Grey. Shade some of the overhanging areas with Ironhull Grey. 17) Highlight the cloak details with equal parts Frostbite, Menoth White Highlight, and Trollblood Highlight. 18) Mix Menoth White Highlight into the previous mixture and apply the final highlights.
Armor 19) Basecoat the armor with Underbelly Blue. 20) Shade with a wash of Greatcoat Grey and Underbelly Blue.
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paintS Used Frostbite Greatcoat Grey Ironhull Grey Morrow White Underbelly Blue
Modeling & Painting
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Armor 21) Apply Ironhull Grey line shading. 22) Blend highlights of Frostbite to the armor. 23) Apply final highlights with highly thinned Morrow White.
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Metals 1) The metal on all three models is painted using the same techniques. Start by basecoating the steel with Cold Steel.
Battledress Green Brown Ink
2) Shade the metals with Greatcoat Grey.
Cold Steel
3) Shade further with a mixture of Exile Blue and Umbral Umber.
Exile Blue
4) Add a small amount of Thamar Black to the previous mix and use it to apply extreme shading to the steel. Use this mixture to define the lines of the sculpture. 5) Basecoat the burnished brass areas with multiple layers of Rhulic Gold. 6) Shade the Rhulic Gold with a mixture of Battledress Green and Brown Ink.
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paintS Used
Frostbite Greatcoat Grey Quick Silver Rhulic Gold
7) Highlight the brass areas with Solid Gold.
Solid Gold
8) Apply a matte sealant to flatten the metallic sheen and protect the models. Once this is dry, highlight the steel areas with Quick Silver. Use a mixture of Solid Gold and Quick Silver to highlight the gold areas.
Thamar Black Umbral Umber
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Modeling & Painting
hair 1) Basecoat the hair of both Haley Past and Haley Prime with Rucksack Tan.
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2) Shade the hair with Gun Corps Brown to define volume. 3) Use a mixture of Battledress Green and Brown Ink to define individual strands of hair. 4) Apply highlights to the hair using a mixture of Menoth White Base, Moldy Ochre, and Rucksack Tan. 5) Apply glinting highlights to the hair with a mixture of Menoth White Highlight and Moldy Ochre.
Haley Future’s Hair Haley Future is painted with grey hair. Use Bastion Grey, Ironhull Grey, and Trollblood Highlight to achieve this hair color.
paintS Used Battledress Green Brown Ink
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Menoth White Highlight
Gun Corps Brown
Moldy Ochre
Menoth White Base
Rucksack Tan
Conclusion To wrap up the models, finish off their remaining details such as goggles and eyes. These are quick steps that require minimal effort. And with these steps complete, your Haley models are ready to hit the field of battle against any of Cygnar’s numerous foes at any time—in the past, in the now, or in the future. Major victories await you!
Modeling & Painting
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BY MARISHA RAY
marisha ray Marisha Ray brings a unique quality to her cosplay: she’s an actor with an IMDB pedigree the Privateer Press community is sure to find impressive, with a professional team supporting her. She discovered WARMACHINE through a friend’s Khador army. This soon evolved into her fielding her own army: Cryx. “It wasn’t really a hard decision for me,” she explains. “You’re saying I can play as an undead, uber-metal, soul-sucking, dragon-slave army? I’m there faster than the average person can say, ‘Marisha, you lost me ten minutes ago.’ Over time, more and more of our friends started picking up the habit. Next thing I know, I look around and my apartment looks like it’s one shout-caster shy of becoming a national tournament.” Soon, her apartment became the focus of gatherings that turned each WARMACHINE night into “an epic miniature adventure.”
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“The whole room would participate in this shared pseudo-reality of competitive storytelling, balanced by the tandem weight of strategy,and sheer dumb luck. A critical fail would produce a cacophonous wave of battle cries; while those incredible high-risk maneuvers that realistically shouldn’t have worked would be immediately reenacted in my kitchen like an elementary school production of Les Miserables. Hell, I’m pretty sure half of my Bane Thralls were named ‘Steve’ at this point, because... I mean, let’s face it; Steve is a pretty funny name when describing how your Bane was so needlessly trampled.”
You’d never know that under that epic paint job, I used Hello Kitty stickers to make the rivets. Yup, armor building is quite deceiving! We used craft foam that I mounted onto an old bra and rubber tubing for the trim. From there, we coated the whole thing in a two-part resin to give it a hard but still flexible surface.
This steady influx of entertaining WARMACHINE gaming inevitably led Marisha to consider combining her enjoyment of the game with her skills as an actor.
The backpack was foam fabricated by Kai and then airbrushed with P3 Paints for extra authenticity! Kai also crafted the sword, the blade being made from PVC board sandwiched together and then carved, PVC piping for the handle. The hilt was sculpted from clay, molded and then cast with lightweight fiberglass, and all of the pieces were designed to slot together perfectly.
“One fateful evening, while we were enjoying our postWARMACHINE afterglow,” she says, “I mentioned to sculptor Kai Norman how incredible it would be if we could pull off a Skarre costume. After a moment of staring at the Skarre art, or Skarte, as I like to call it, he confidently stated, ‘Someday, I’m going to make you that sword.’ Two years later, and here it is in my living room.” Her enthusiasm for cosplay has grown ever since that first step, and it has been underscored by her even deeper enthusiasm for gaming itself. “I’m one of those people who believes that games and gamers can save the world; maybe it’s because, in more ways than one, they have already saved mine. This project was about bringing a new reality to an incredibly crafted world that, for the most part, lives on the table and in our imaginations. It’s hard not to have that urge to share a fandom you love so much to those who might otherwise miss it if not presented in their chosen brand of nerdom. Personally, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this passion project builds into something even more...epic.”
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The horns were made to be lightweight, constructed with a thin resin skin and then backfilled with pourable foam.
The pauldrons were created much the same way, sculpted, molded in silicone, and then cast from resin and reinforced with fiberglass, before finally being lined with felt to prevent wear on the leather coat. “Marisha and I started with various photo references of the character. From there, I draped the basic coat pattern on Marisha to ensure the custom fit to the actress/model. The coat was then cut and sewn from deer leather.” —Nick Bauman
Real evil is in the eyes…
We actually celebrated our St. Patty’s Day by doing one of my final fittings, which is why I am so fashionably holding that glass of Irish whiskey. Turns out alcohol and pirate coats go quite well together!
“Everything got a healthy wash of various colors to add realism; really a lot of techniques you learn painting minis can be applied to larger objects as well. Little details count for a lot though, and I added small areas of patina, rust and salt damage to the parts we worked on. Skarre is a pirate, after all, and that profession is not kind on ones belongings.” —Kai Norman
The weapon of a pirate queen comes together.
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From top left to bottom right: Original image shot in studio on a gray background to be cut out, test composite for basic framing and concept, building the composite with reposed arm and leg, final color graded and integrated composite. “From the outset, I knew this would be an amazing but complicated shoot. Kai, Nick, Chrissy, and Marisha did an amazing job bringing Skarre to life in our world, and it became my task to bring Skarre to life in the game world. I chose to shoot Marisha in-studio but lit her to match the background plates of a volcanic crater I would be compositing her onto. I also utilized several types of rocks to better emulate the ground of the volcanic image as well. In Photoshop, I composited Marisha into the volcanic world and added the green “poison gas cloud” utilizing many layers of smoke and gas images. Because I lit her to match the background from the onset, compositing was fairly easy. The hard part was giving it the painterly feel to make her image feel like it was the game brought to life.” —Greg De Stefano
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Marisha Ray
Greg De Stefano
Kai Norman
Nick Baumann
I could not have done this without the help of my amazing boyfriend, Matthew Mercer. He built the dagger, the armored necklace, and helped me tag-team the breast plate. I can only assume he gets his infinite wisdom straight from Menoth himself. You can hear his prolific voice acting in WARMACHINE: Tactics (Asphyxious, Stryker, Kreoss) and can follow his antics @matthewmercer. And a huge shout out to my team! If it weren’t for their collaborative creativity, this never would have happened! As for myself, I was responsible for altering the boots, building the leg armor which is crafted out of leather, the chainmail garters, crafting the skirt, altering gloves and the wig, and last but not least, organizing this beast! Follow me for all of my voice acting, and hosting work, and hear me as the voice of Haley and Deneghra (as well as various others) in WARMACHINE: Tactics.
I am a geeky fashion photographer and I have been a miniatures wargamer since I was fourteen. I am actually sort of new to WARMACHINE; I have been recently brought into the fold by my parents. Both my father (who plays Tactics) and my mother (who paints the miniatures) gave me my current starter armies. My main role in this project was photographing and retouching Marisha to bring her into the world of WARMACHINE. Also in collaboration with WhiteMoon Dreams, we will be rendering and compositing a Cryx Deathjack into an image with Marisha leading her army into battle!
I’m the armor and weapons guy on this project. I got to build parts like the sword, backpack, horns, and the pauldrons. I also rigged things to be comfortable and wearable for Marisha while also being in charge of painting and detailing.
I am a specialty costume fabricator with over fourteen years of professional experience in the entertainment industry and have worked with such companies as Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, Stan Winston Studios, and Walt Disney Imagineering. Specializing in Foam Fabrication and Custom Leather goods, I contributed to this costume build by creating the leather coat.
Actor; Project leader
@Marisha_Ray www.marisharay.com
Photographer; Digital Photographer
@gregdestefano IG; @gdestefano TW; Greg De Stefano Photography on FB www.GregDeStefano.com
[email protected]
Sculptor; Prop Fabricator
I’ve been working in the SFX and entertainment industry in Los Angeles for about three years now, with costume design for several years before that. (Some of my work can be found in VGHS or Fallout Nuka-break.) I’ve been playing WARMACHINE for a couple of years. I’m an exclusive Khador player, converting almost every mini I own, adding battle damage and variant weapons—and I’m still not done painting them all! I grew up in a geek household, so wargaming and RPGs have always been a hobby of mine, especially since I cut my teeth on painting with miniatures before escalated to full-sized props and costumes. Kai aka Kommissar or @KommissarProps— online most places, like Facebook and Instagram
Costume Designer; Prop Fabricator
I’m also an Iron Kingdoms player, making one more fan for the team! You can see more of Nick’s work online at www.facebook.com/salacioushydes Salacious Hydes is Nick’s company that creates custom leather products and accessories; his work can be seen at various fairs and festivals around Southern California.
Chrissy Lynn Makeup Artist
Chrissy Lynn is a professional makeup artist in the film industry. She is blessed with the opportunity to bring many fictional characters to life for many cosplayers in the community through wig/hair styling and SFX make-up. www.facebook.com/MissChrissyLynn @catwomancosplay
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dossiers give a s’ premier spy. Gathered at great expense and risk, these Take a look inside the files of Gavyn Kyle, the Iron Kingdom WARMACHINE and HORDES. in ers charact nt importa of ions motivat and s behind-the-scenes look at the historie
d. wilson las seacat k and dougalton, and matthew ic sh m a li By wil chris w ea Uderzo, r d n A i, t t o cappr Art by mike
Vinter Raelthorne IV I can think of no one whose actions have had a greater impact on the modern landscape than Vinter Raelthorne IV, a man whose influence has been felt across the entire continent. Many might claim to know the story of this most infamous of personalities given the sheer number of official (and unofficial) accounts of Vinter’s rise and fall, but I know you wanted something that went further than these surface insights. I have endeavored to assemble documents that shed special light on this singular figure and his ongoing legacy. — GK To understand Vinter Raelthorne IV, it is crucial to understand the household he was raised in. His father, Vinter III, is well known as the Stoneheart for his cold and uncompromising domestic policies. While such cool detachment might serve a king who seeks to strengthen his country at the expense of his people’s comfort, it is another matter entirely to raise a child under the same calculating and cold doctrine. Despite Cygnar’s liberal view on the rites of royal succession as established under King Woldred, the common conceit is that the monarchy is best kept within a sufficiently esteemed bloodline. Vinter III had been handed the crown by his own father Vinter II, after all, and it is clear that at least early along it had been his intention to continue the succession with his firstborn son Vinter IV. Given the stern letter Vinter III sent to Archduke Gibbon Laddermore, the man royal historians consider the king’s closest friend, it is clear Vinter III’s pragmatism allowed for no sentiment or compromise even when it came to his own flesh and blood. Whatever his faults, Vinter III was an uncompromising ruler who took his responsibilities very seriously indeed.
Archduke Gibbon Laddermore, First and foremost, I offer my sincerest thanks for your kind letter and gifts in recognition of the birth of my newborn son. While I realize the customs of our country dictate you should visit the royal court and pay respect to my first born, I urge you, as I have your peers, to refrain from taking time away from the governance of your lands to do so. That the child was born is no cause for pomp and circumstance nor is it sufficient reason to divert attention away from the important tasks at hand. Indeed, I find the sentimentality attached to this event by our capable leaders most perplexing. The simple act of being born is not one of personal strength or accomplishment. Thousands of children are born each year, brought kicking and screaming into this world through no effort or action of their own. I have had many ask about the pride I feel for my new son, and I have sternly reprimanded each for such preposterous statements. Pride must be
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Vinter Raelthorne IV Timeline
554 AR: Vinter IV is born to King Vinter Raelth orne III and Queen Elspeth. 559 AR: Two years earlier than is custom ary, Vinter begins training as a royal page. He receives intensive sword training with a variety of palace tutors enlisted for his education. 560 AR: Vinter’s brother Leto is born.
Though his fate is unknown, he is initially presumed to have perished somewhere in the harsh Bloodstone Marches or Deser t.
594 AR: Vinter survives a crossing from wester n to easter n Immoren, passing over the deadly Stormlands and the Abyss before crashing on the other side. Emerg ing from the desert, he encounters the outskirts of skorne civili zation. Realizing he must have an army to reclaim 566-572 AR: Vinter is squired to one of his father his throne, ’s lord Vinter begins to systematically conquer outlyi generals, though his training is left to others ng skorne . Vinter’s villages, gathering an army, and then engag regimen includes weapo ns instruction and es the more exposure to powerful skorne houses, beginning with what moder n military tactics. This eventually includ the skorne es officer refer to as the First Unification War. training at the Caspian Strategic Academy. Leto follows a similar course, starting as a royal page in 567 595 AR: Vinter’s forces secure the skorne AR. city of Halaak and subdue it over the following year. 572 AR: After being knighted and formal The most ly entering difficult battle is won against Makeda of House military service as a junior officer, Vinter sees Balaash, his first who subsequently becomes one of Vinter’s most military action. Over the next three years, Vinter effective serves and powerful suppor ters. tours with each of Cygnar’s armies. 597 AR: In the last major battle of the unific 574 AR: Vinter’s mother Elspeth dies. ation of the Skorne Empire, Vinter defeats Archdominar Narku 575 AR: While statio ned with the First uru of Army, Kademe. Subsequently, the remaining skorne houses pledge Vinter is involved in border skirmishes agains t Khador’s their fealty and ackno wledge Vinter as the Conqueror. infamous 5th Border Legion. During one of the more volatile 598 AR: Vinter takes the title Supreme Archd clashes, Vinter strikes down a junior Khadoran ominar and warcaster, creates the Skorne Empire. He is also referr Tarnik Volstadt, in single combat. ed to as the Reborn by many skorne, a title derived from the 576 AR: Vinter IV is recalled to Caspia. King religious Vinter III concept that Vinter ’s spiritual essence is actually a dies a short time later under mysterious circum stances. great skorne ancest or. This facilitates widespread skorne His death is eventually deemed of natural causes , but his acceptance of a human leader and gives rise to a sect terms of succession cannot be found. As heir apparent, devoted to his worsh ip. Vinter IV is crowned. 598-602 AR: Vinter creates a national 579 AR: Vinter assumes direct control over system of his father’s governance and adapts traditional skorne house armies to network of spies and informants and broade ns their create a unified army of conquest. purview. This organization is initially a shado wy order 603 AR: While still building the infrastructu with no official authority, but this is considered re required the start for a larger army to invade the west, Vinter travel of the Inquisition. s with a smaller vanguard to attack and seize the city 582 AR: Vinter passes Edicts of Unlawful of Corvis. Sorcery and He intends to use Corvis as a mustering point for a Witchcraft, which formalizes the Inquisition as a branch of subsequent attack on Caspia. The skorne are driven out of the Cygnaran government under Head Inquisitor Dexer Sirac. the city under myster ious circumstances, which includes 584 AR: Escalating attacks and raids on Cygna the fulfillment of an obscure Morrowan prophe r prompt cy, by which Vinter to muster both the Cygnaran Army and the Legion of Lost Souls marches against the skorne Navy to under retaliate. This begins a four-year series of the command of the necromancer Alexia Cianno conflicts r, wielder later called the Scharde Invasions. of the Witchfire. 587 AR: Vinter personally leads a massiv During Vinter’s absence, many major skorne house e military s rebel expedition to invade Blackrock Island and destro against his government. A few houses, most y Cryxian importantly industrial industry there. Despite heavy casua House Balaash under Archdomina Makeda, lties, the resist the missio n is a success and is considered a turnin rebellion, providing Vinter time to return and g point in rally the the war. Before this expedition, Warmaster loyalist houses against the usurpers. The Second General and War of Archduke Carsto n Laddermore expresses doubts Unification begins. about upcoming military plans and is imprisoned for sedition. 604 AR: Vinter defeats the usurpers and has the ranking 588 AR: Shortly after the end of the war, Vinter members of the rebellion slowly tortured to death promotes by the his brother Leto to warmaster general. Leto had paingiver Master Tormentor Morghoul in a length previously y public served as a lord general during the Scharde Invasi display. This brings the Second War of Unification ons. to a close. 587-593 AR: Vinter expands the manda 605 AR: Vinter and the skorne begin a new, larger te of the invasion Inquisition, and his fear of conspiracies result of wester n Immoren. Viktor Pendrake is captur s in a dark ed by the and brutal reign of terror against the people skorne and made a “guest” of Vinter Raelthorne of Cygnar. so he may Rather than preventing rebellion, his excess act as a chronicler for the deposed king. ive actions create widespread dissatisfaction with his reign, including, 607 AR: After a tour of the skorne dominion and outlying most critically, among many ranking military officers led regions, Victor Pendr ake escapes and returns to report his by his brother Prince Leto. findings to Cygnar. 594 AR: The Lion’s Coup occurs. Leto utilizes his position 608 AR: Cygnaran intelligence reports suggest Vinter no as warmaster general to organize a palace coup, and Vinter longer leads the Skorne Empire. As to the exiled king’s is overthrown. Though imprisoned, several agents of the current whereabouts, little is known. Rumors place him Inquisition secure Vinter’s release by kidnap ping Leto’s within the border s of the Protectorate, though such claims wife Danae Cresswell and holding her hostag e. Vinter is are unsubstanti ated. last seen fleeing east in an experimental balloo n craft.
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earned not simply granted out of hand. What is there to be proud of? Vinter is barely a week into this world, his only accomplishment surviving birth without killing his mother. When I look at him, I only think of the immense trials he must overcome to be a worthy heir to my family’s legacy. Though he seems strong for a babe, I worry he may lack the monumental resolve required of him. It falls to me to instill in him such strength. This is a task in which I am willing to invest a great deal. I will tolerate no laziness, cowardice, or stupidity in my future heir. Though much has been written about Vinter III, few have truly delved into the personality and life of his wife, Queen Elspeth, a member of the Davinsfeld family. Most historians simply view her as a nonplayer in the rule of Vinter III, as she maintained a low public profile throughout her husband’s reign. The truth is that Queen Elspeth is the only person Vinter III trusted and confided in. He is known to have said of the woman, “She is of my same mind.” This statement sheds new light on his standard rebuke of those who sought to influence him on matters of policy: “The only council I will keep is of my own mind.” This is important to understand, as it was clear from the outset Vinter IV could hope for no tenderness from his father. Unfortunately for Vinter IV, his mother was just as stern, if not more so, when it came to the uncompromising expectations for the future heir. Queen Elspeth wrote the following letter to Roger Colburn, an acclaimed scholar and mentor whose services were in great demand among the royal courts during the late 500s. Given his esteemed reputation, he was hired by the royal family to oversee Vinter IV’s education from the time he could walk. I was able to discover a veritable treasure trove of insight on Vinter’s formative years through diaries Colburn kept until his death. I have included these for your perusal separately from this dossier. From the documents I uncovered, it is clear Colburn served as a warmer and more approachable father figure to the young prince. When Vinter IV was eight, Queen Elspeth dismissed Colburn from the royal court following an “incident” at a state dinner. Vinter had turned his attention from the royal guests to play with his favorite dog who had snuck into the reception room. The queen was furious at the breach of etiquette and ordered Vinter to put the animal down. Colburn objected and received his dismissal in the following letter. — GK It should come as no surprise to you that I am deeply upset by last night’s events. While you may argue this behavior is to be expected of an eightyear-old boy, I find such excuses weak and in poor
taste when in defense of a one who is to someday rule this nation. This is not an ordinary child, and he must prove worthy of his great lineage. His father and I have placed a great deal of trust in you to help shape our son into the man he must become. I believed you shared a similar vision and the uncompromising will to see this done. I thought you understood sentimentality had no place in the rearing of a future king. Clearly, I was wrong. Given your objection to my orders last night, I am formally removing you from your royal appointment as Vinter’s chief tutor. I am sure there are many others among the aristocracy more willing to indulge your approach. The crown, however, is done with you. With the removal of Colburn, Vinter lost the only source of compassion in his world. The next several years saw his parents bring in a string of tutors and instructors who were, by all accounts, strictly professional in their dealings with the young prince. And it would seem they were quick to report to Vinter’s parents any failing, regardless how minor. I have no doubt this atmosphere of constant surveillance during these formative years had an impact on the king Vinter would become, a man who saw enemies and conspiracies against him everywhere. It was only within his younger brother Leto that Vinter would find some manner of traditional familial connection. The six-year age difference and their very different temperaments may have limited the scope of their relationship, but there is every sign these brothers shared a true fraternal bond. Several documents suggest Vinter IV felt an attachment to his younger brother and that this affection was returned. There are numerous accounts of Leto standing up to his father in defense of his brother. It is likely this sentimentality was part of what distanced Vinter III’s from his younger son, as he viewed him a lost cause, too soft for the throne. Though he still demanded much from the young Leto, the boy was given considerably more latitude than his brother. His brother’s loyalty was not lost on Vinter. The following account was difficult to find, even by the standards of Cygnaran bureaucracy. It was only through considerable digging I was able to uncover this official report, which may have been intentionally hidden. —GK As ordered, I am submitting my official report concerning the skirmish that occurred on the royal training grounds on 6 Cinten, 570 AR. Instructor Marten and I were overseeing dueling practice between the young Raelthornes and Yancy, the eldest son of Duke Farnsworth, and his personal instructor Ethan Greymoore. While
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I may be officially reprimanded, I want to make it clear that I view both young Farnsworth and Greymoore as little better than bullies. As you know, sir, Marten and I have been working diligently with young Leto on his swordsmanship and the lad has shown great progress. To the matter at hand; while we were engaging in the prince’s daily training regime, young Farnsworth and Greymoore interrupted our session. Being three years Leto’s senior, Yancy pressured the young prince for a sparring match. Marten and I tried to dissuade the young Farnsworth, having heard tales of the boy’s cruelty. Leto, as polite and generous as ever, accepted the challenge. It was clear the boy was expecting an honorable match. What he received was quite the opposite. I’ve no doubt you’ve seen the results of what Yancy and his instructor named “friendly sparring.” Marten and I ended the match as quickly as proper etiquette would permit, but it was still long enough for Yancy to bloody and bruise Leto. Unfortunately for Yancy, sixteen-year-old Vinter was quick to capitalize on the boy’s swelled arrogance after defeating an opponent half his size and skill and challenged him to a duel. Perhaps I should have spoken up at that moment, sir, but Morrow help me, I couldn’t help but smile as the Duke’s son nearly fell over himself accepting Vinter’s challenge. To be fair, I knew Vinter would trounce Yancy, but I never expected the lesson to be as severe as it was. The pair had barely squared off before Vinter was on Yancy, faster than the eye could track. In seconds, Vinter had broken the boy’s wrist, cracked three ribs, and smashed Yancy’s nose into mush in just as many hits. As the Farnsworth boy lay mewling on the dirt, Vinter bent over him and whispered something in his ear. I couldn’t hear what, but I could see terror in the boy’s eyes as Vinter spoke to him. Whatever pain the beating caused, it was nothing compared to the threat the prince delivered. It took Marten and I a few more seconds to regain our wits and call for the surgeon. Thankfully, Sister Calea was able to knit Yancy’s injuries by prayer and application of clean cloth and pressure. If I may be frank, sir, anyone who steps into the practice circle understands the risks. We’re not giving them pillows, after all. Injuries happen. They are part of the learning experience. Given the vast improvement in Yancy’s manners since the incident and the fact he suffered no lasting injury, you’ll excuse me if I count the incident as another successful day in the practice circle.
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Upon his eighteenth birthday, Vinter was formally knighted, given an officer’s commission, and deemed ready to put his training to the test alongside the Cygnaran Army. The king was keen to see him gain practice commanding men and to spend time with the various armed forces of the realm. Prior to this, a portion of Vinter’s training had been to attend lectures and drills at the Caspian Strategic Academy, though his course in this regard was an abbreviated if intense variant of the standard officer training. Being dispatched for actual military duty seems to have been something of a test of the prince’s mettle, one that would determine whether he would be worthy of the crown. Evidence of this can be seen in the fact that, though knighted, Vinter was frequently assigned to serve alongside regular enlisted infantry rather than accompany his aristocratic peers. By all accounts, Vinter IV acquitted himself well during his time in the army, though his time with the Second Army was relatively uneventful. While Vinter did see some action with the Third Army against Cryxian raiders, his shining moment was with the First Army. Though officially at peace with each other, this period marked a long string of violent and intense border skirmishes between Cygnar, Llael, and Khador. It was during one such clash—by all accounts a full scale battle given the size of the forces involved—that Vinter demonstrated his legendary resolve and prowess in combat, even against seemingly insurmountable odds. —GK To: Commander Gerard Thamesworth From: Captain Bethany Rawls Commander, Enclosed you will find my official report concerning the events of 18 Casteus, 575 AR when my company engaged a force from Khador’s 5th Border Legion approximately twenty-six miles east of Northguard while on a routine patrol. As you are well aware, sir, my company had the distinct privilege of being assigned Lieutenant Vinter Raelthorne IV. Per instructions, he was afforded no special treatment and given standard duties for a junior officer. I’m not one to beat around the bush, sir, so when they assigned the prince to my company, I voiced some concerns. This assignment wasn’t going to be like his previous tours. The Khadorans have been testing our defenses for months now. While the brass may be taking all possible measures to hide the extent of the conflicts up here from the common man, as far as I’m concerned, we are as close to war as we can be without calling it such. The last thing I needed was to babysit the royal heir.
I’d heard the rumors about our new prince and his skill with the blade. Fifteen years with the army has taught me to take mess hall chatter with a big grain of salt, so I expected the prince would know enough not to stab himself and maybe how to stick the pointy end in his opponent. You’ll likely want to keep this letter for posterity, sir, because I am officially declaring I could not have been more wrong in my beliefs. I knew it the second I met the prince before we set out from Northguard. He wasn’t what I expected from an heir to the throne of Cygnar in the slightest. Just the look in his eyes told me this was a man of grit. He had steel in his spine, no question. You know as well as I do how hellish the border is during this time of year. Cold, rainy, and muck up to your eyes. Lieutenant Raelthorne didn’t say a word about it. In fact, it seemed like the shite didn’t touch him at all. Like he just willed it away, and it damn well listened rather than risk inciting his displeasure. It was a week into our patrol when we saw signs of warjacks in the distance. You can always tell a Khadoran ’jack from the plume of its stacks, thick and foul, just like the personalities of our northern neighbors. I won’t lie and tell you I didn’t consider just avoiding them given who was with us. But I wasn’t about to let those bloody northerners have a pass just because I had royalty with me. Besides, the king had put him with us for exactly this reason.
The Khadoran fired a pistol straight into his face, dropping the prince with a single shot. A great shout of dismay went up from our line, even as the warcaster turned to direct his machines. Not a second later, our shout became a roar as the young lieutenant stood, blood dripping down his face, and resumed his attack. His charge rallied my men, and we rushed forward, taking advantage of the havoc the prince was causing to close the gap with the reds. I caught sight of the prince and the enemy warcaster crossing blades. To his credit, the Khadoran lasted the longest of any of his men against Prince Vinter. The warcaster scored the prince’s breastplate deeply with his blade and made two more deflected strikes before the prince took off the man’s head, cutting straight through the Khadoran’s power field. After his victory, when the lieutenant came to report to me, I saw the prince’s left eye was filled with blood. He was unfazed, but I knew the warcaster’s bullet had lodged in his eye, destroying it, yet miraculously leaving him alive. He never complained and began wearing a patch from that day forward. Whatever the results of this report, were he any regular soldier, I would endorse the prince’s actions as deserving of the Royal Order of the Cygnus. With a company of men like him, I could drive the reds all the way back to their sad excuse for a capital.
By the time we came upon the Khadorans, it was clear they were expecting us. While our scouts had estimated the Khadoran force was of similar size to ours, they had missed the fact the company was led by a warcaster. I’ll leave the particulars of the engagement for the after-action report, but suffice to say, we took a serious pounding in the opening minutes of the battle. Not willing to throw my company away on a lost fight, I was about to call a general retreat when I saw Lieutenant Raelthorne discharge his pistol at the enemy and then charge the Khadoran lines. Just like the muck, it was as if the ordinance and bullets of the Khadorans dared not touch his royal person. He cut straight through their lines like a lightning bolt, leaving a trail of corpses in his wake. He pushed right through to the warcaster, and for a moment it seemed his death wish was answered.
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It is possible Vinter might have carved quite a name for himself during his time with the First Army if not for the fact that the majority of these engagements were quickly swept under the rug. Neither Cygnar nor Khador was willing to risk open warfare with the other despite the reality of the situation along their border. Underreporting or intentionally misattributing these engagements was common on both sides. Vinter’s father recalled him to Caspia in 576 AR. This was the first correspondence, official or otherwise, that Vinter III had sent his son since the prince departed for his military tours four years earlier. Even the news that his mother had passed in 574 AR had been delivered by his brother Leto. I see myself as a man of facts more than conjecture, but as you specifically requested my expert opinion on the matter of the death of Vinter III, I will relate what I have deduced. Just be aware there is no conclusive evidence. All I have is a few intriguing but circumstantial suggestions and hints. There has always been suspicion that his passing was not by natural causes, which was the official decree. It was held on good authority that Vinter III had drafted terms of succession several months before his death, but they were never found. Given how fastidious he was in managing his royal responsibilities, the vanishing of this document is troubling. But it is also worth noting that much of the suspicion directed at Vinter IV over the death of his father came much later, after he became a widely despised king. While most of these rumors are based on little more than the common man’s love of conspiracy, I believe there is a plausible case to be made. For one, there are suggestions in several pieces of correspondence that Vinter III was not pleased with his son’s progress as a potential heir. He thought his eldest had become an effective officer and soldier, but praise of his military accomplishments included criticisms of his judgment and temperament. The incident where Vinter IV lost his eye, while lauded by many, resulted in a sharp rebuke from the king. If we postulate that Vinter III intended to choose a different heir than his son, as allowed by Woldred’s Accord-by-Hand Covenant, the question becomes: who might the Stoneheart consider a suitable replacement? Given the evidence, the only man of prominence in Vinter III’s eyes was Archduke Gibbon Laddermore, one of his closest allies and friends. Laddermore was married to Vinter III’s sister, and the king’s correspondence with the archduke increased dramatically following the death of Elspeth. Vinter III had also increasingly begun to rely on and utilize the network of informants and spies originally established by his father, and which would later become the Inquisition under his son, for nearly all matters of state. If the terms of succession were written, it would logically follow they may
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have been safeguarded by someone within that same spy network. Following this line of thought further, the man who would become Vinter IV’s grand inquisitor, Dexer Sirac, was stationed within the palace in a position with close proximity to the king as an adjunct to a higher-ranking member of the organization at the time. Thanks to my prodigious network, I was able to uncover that the man who would one day become the most powerful and feared man in all of Cygnar was considered at best a capable minion within the growing intelligence organization but certainly not a person marked out for inheriting its leadership. This correspondence is admittedly from early in the man’s career, but I find its assessment interesting nonetheless. —GK S.F.A. Ulbright, Normally you would find attached my official appraisal of Initiate Dexer Sirac. However, I feel that such an extensive report is unwarranted; instead, I will convey my overall assessment here in respect for both your time and my own. In short, while he has the gift, Sirac is an arcanist of mediocre skill at best. While he seems willing to dedicate himself to diligent research and study, he shows no significant aptitude or talent for the arcane arts. I expect little of him beyond his current position. To his credit, he does seem possessed of a strong drive to increase his personal station and has shown a level of determination and adroit thinking in his few assignments that compensates for his lack of innate talents. While unlikely to see significant advancement in our organization, his personality and cunning can certainly make him a useful tool for his superiors to utilize. I recommend he be assigned a post that makes use of his clerical or analytical capacities, such as helping to compile and organize records and reports. He is quite skilled at decrypting and encoding ciphers, a very useful talent. Making use of this skill would be a better use of our time than trying to nurture his limited arcane talents. Regards, A.R.A.A. Patten Fuller It seems at least possible that Vinter III named Archduke Laddermore his successor, and this fact was then discovered by Dexer Sirac, who was languishing within the organization. Sirac may have come across the document as part of his responsibilities over the organization’s vital document archive. Sirac, seeing an opportunity, could then have allied himself with Prince Vinter in a conspiracy to take the throne. The final piece
of the puzzle would be the untimely death of Archduke Gibbon Laddermore, which occurred just weeks after the death of Vinter III. This death was deemed accidental, as the archduke fell down a steep staircase attached to the battlements of Castle Raelthorne. The more momentous passing of the king overshadowed this incident. In such a scenario, one can only imagine Vinter IV’s fury at discovering, after all he had been through, a lifetime of training, that he was to be denied the throne, deemed unworthy yet again in the eyes of his stern father. If this were the case, the act of patricide and regicide carried out by Vinter would have been less a calculated move to claim the throne and more an act of long-repressed rage over failing to impress the man who should have loved him most. The truth or falseness of this conjecture is at this point impossible to determine. But this chain of events seems more likely than other conspiracies I have examined. The elevation of Dexer Sirac to grand inquisitor has never been adequately explained, and I could find no concrete mention of former favors or contact between him and the king. —GK I have prided myself and built my formidable reputation by not wasting my client’s money on frivolous intelligence. Vinter’s time on the throne is well documented and has been highly scrutinized since the Lion’s Coup by just about every scholar to wear the mantle of historian. However, I was intrigued by Vinter’s role in the Scharde Invasions. For such a martial paragon, Vinter’s reign was marked with only one major military campaign. This is in spite of the fact that Vinter was certainly aware of the Protectorate’s illegal armament and growing war industry. As well, Cygnar was facing increasing hostile acts by Khador along the northern border. Had Vinter acted as one would have assumed a man born to the sword should have, it’s very likely Cygnar could have intervened to bring the Protectorate to heel before it had accumulated its full military arsenal. By the same token, one has to wonder why he did not take a more openly aggressive stance to Khador’s encroachment into the Thornwood. Historians have given many reasons why Vinter chose to retaliate against Cryx rather than these other adversaries. Documents suggest Vinter may have intended to eventually confront the Protectorate, but that he did not believe the need was urgent. The Cryxian incursions were nearly impossible for the Cygnaran government to cover up, unlike the secret border wars occurring in the north. Public opinion demanded a response to the Nightmare Empire’s escalating coastal raids. Secondly, Vinter likely knew an invasion on Cryx, while not without considerable risks, presented a campaign against a universally despised foe and one where he expected to control the scope of the conflict.
It is worth remembering that at this time there was no intelligence suggesting Cryx possessed a cohesive army, and many of the outer Scharde Islands seemed vulnerable. His generals were confident they could significantly impair Cryx’s ability to launch coastal raids without landing on the main island. This war would only last for as long as Vinter wished to pursue it. Later in the war, Cygnar’s intelligence erroneously concluded that the most vital war industry on Cryx was focused on Blackrock Island, which gave Vinter a potentially attainable goal. Through my network of contacts, I was able to track down one of the few surviving veterans of the Scharde Invasions who served with the Third Army’s 98th Infantry Battalion, subsequently referred to as “Vinter’s Bastards.” They were personally assigned to Vinter and fought at his side in one of the most climactic engagements of the war: the Battle of Devil’s Gorge during the Assault on Blackrock. I was in a trencher company attached to the 98th Battalion during the Scharde Invasions. We had the notorious distinction of being assigned to King Vinter Raelthorne IV. Though Vinter was seemingly everywhere during that hellish campaign, during the Battle of Devil’s Gorge, my company found itself right at the tip of the spear, directly alongside our king and commander. You aren’t the first to ask me about my recollections from that day. I’ve spoken to a few other so-called historians as well, all of them wanting to glean some insight from my rare experience for their own gain. Of course, just like you, they don’t really give a damn about my experience, about the blood and guts my comrades and I spilled all over those cursed isles. They don’t want to hear about the stories of men and women struggling in the muck, just desperately fighting to survive one more hour. So I’ve told them each to bugger off. The last thing I want to do is remember. I like sleeping through the night. Unlike you, though, they never dropped a king’s ransom in my lap. If you ever take a look at the casualty rate for that engagement, you’ll be scratching your head. The numbers don’t add up. You’d get wounded and the surgeons would just patch you up and send you back to the front. Turn ’em and burn ’em, that was the medic motto at the time. Knew a guy who said he should have died five times on Blackrock. Claimed by the end, he wished he’d died in the beach landing. By comparison, do you know the final total of warjacks lost during the campaign. Twenty bloody percent. Lives were cheap. Warjacks weren’t. The brass under Vinter didn’t tell the people back home what was going on. Might have made them think about the real cost of the war.
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But I can tell that isn’t the information you are interested in. For all his questionable traits, Vinter wasn’t a soft man or a coward. The whole engagement he was at the forefront, cutting down scores of Cryxians and daring more to come on. Now I was just as happy as any when his brother ousted him from the throne, but the fact of the matter is that we won that battle because of him. He carried the army. You may be aware that Lich Lord Terminus himself was there at the battle. Well his personal presence should give you all the information you need to know about how serious Cryx was about ending our little excursion. They threw everything they had at us, but in the end we stood victorious with Vinter at our head. It was Terminus who ran away. After the battle, there was plenty of chatter about how Vinter had crossed blades with Terminus himself at some point or another during the engagement. Personally, I never saw such a thing, and I was as close to our former king as any man could have been, but I didn’t see everything the king did that day. I was too busy trying to stay alive. Whether the story did or didn’t happen doesn’t really matter. The fact is that after fighting side by side with Vinter, I’d never bet money against him, whether he was fighting a lich lord or Toruk himself.
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The “success” of the war and the stories of Vinter’s part in them earned him much public good will, a currency he quickly began spending upon his return from the front. In the years following the Scharde Invasions, Vinter’s paranoia grew, likely in part thanks to the counsel of his Grand Inquisitor Dexer Sirac, who used Vinter’s paranoia to increase the mandate of the Inquisition, and by extension, his own personal power. What follows is a letter to one of Prince Leto’s closest friends in the war’s aftermath, noteworthy for representing the prince’s viewpoint before he lost faith in his brother. —GK My Dear Runewood, First, thank you for the kind words concerning my promotion to Warmaster General. I realize many may view this as nepotism, given the relationship I have by blood and bond to my brother, the king. Such beliefs are like a cancer that eats away the body’s strength. While I have accepted my new station with a resolve and belief that I can use its power and influence for the good of the nation, the circumstances surrounding my promotion cause me considerable distress. Despite the failings that caused my brother to strip Carston Laddermore of his rank and imprison him on grounds of treason, I cannot help but see all the good that man has done in
service to the kingdom. He helped reshape and reform the army in countless ways. It is thanks to his foresight that we rely on the Militant Order of the Arcane Tempest, which he brought formally into the military, protecting them from the Inquisition. This decision has already proven its value in our recent struggles, but more than this, it would have been wrong to hunt such upstanding soldiers for nothing more than being born with an arcane gift. While I will always count you as my closest friend and confidant, I must rebuke your statements from your last correspondence. While I will admit I too have wondered about the effort my brother has invested in rooting out unlawful sorcery and sinister agents within our kingdom, I stand by the fact that my brother earnestly believes he is protecting Cygnar. I realize it is difficult to see beyond my brother’s stony exterior. Indeed, our father and mother fashioned him at every step to be as cold and calculating a king as ever there has been, having little use for warmth or softness. I was fortunate enough to be born second, and therefore allowed to find such traits within the hallowed walls of the Sancteum. For my brother, understand he has no knowledge of those qualities and seeks to fulfill his duty in the only manner for which he was trained. While they win him no friends and much criticism, these are the traits that make him a strong king. Trust me when I say that I believe my brother has the best interests of the kingdom at heart within every difficult decision he makes. Sincerely, Leto Vinter’s upbringing had clearly established in his mind the notion that everyone was an enemy. His parents had used everyone in his life as an informant upon his actions, and only his younger brother Leto had proven to be immune to their machinations. The extent of Vinter’s paranoia went far beyond what can be explained from his upbringing, eventually reaching a scope where he saw all of Cygnar as conspiring against him. It is ironic that every step Vinter took to cut off the heads of imagined conspiracies only served to feed and grow the one that would see him overthrown. Through it all, his brother remained his most steadfast ally. It was only near the end that Leto could find no way to apologize for the king’s cruel excesses. —GK The Lion’s Coup is another matter that has been well documented, and, I believe, it is beyond the scope of this contract.
Following his imprisonment and subsequent escape, Vinter was believed lost to the dangerous Stormlands. His ultimate fate would remain unknown until his sudden and shocking emergence at the head of a skorne army that captured the city of Corvis in 603 AR. Though he was eventually driven out, the momentous events of that year marked a turning point in the geopolitical landscape, not just for Cygnar, but for all of western Immoren. Given their geographical isolation and extremely hostile nature, little information was available about the skorne or Vinter’s relationship with them, even for a man of my singular talents. Serendipitously, Professor Viktor Pendrake of Corvis University was captured while trying to learn more about this mysterious eastern empire. Instead of being killed or enslaved, Pendrake was brought before Vinter by the exiled criminal Saxon Orrik. Pendrake was told he would apply his scholarly acumen to chronicle Vinter’s greatest achievement—the subjugation of the skorne people and subsequent founding of the Skorne Empire. The Cygnaran Reconnaissance Service has jealously guarded Pendrake’s full report on his time in eastern Immoren, but I was able to acquire a copy. I have attached the full report for your review, knowing you would be more than willing to cover the increased fee. The following is the cover letter Pendrake included with the full report. As you are well aware, I have spent the better part of the previous year as an esteemed “guest” among the skorne and their new Supreme Archdominar, Cygnar’s former king Vinter Raelthorne IV. Vinter’s connection with the skorne was originally documented following their sudden emergence in 603 AR, when he led a force alongside former Grand Inquisitor Dexer Sirac, then calling himself Vahn Oberen. The deposed king captured the city of Corvis, which was to become a staging area for his eventual campaign to seize the capital. For reasons I am sure relate to some lasting torment planned for me by my former mentor and nemesis, Saxon Orrik, following my capture, Vinter decided I was to become his chronicler. I was dragged before him at the Abyssal Fortress in the Stormlands and given this charge. He hoped I would serve as a vessel through which his greatness could be conveyed to his former people, so they might better understand his strength and, dare I say, the necessity of his rule. During my time with him, one fact remained undeniably clear—Vinter will not rest until he has reclaimed the throne.
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I soon learned that following his escape by hotair balloon from Castle Raelthorne in 594 AR, Vinter found himself adrift above the Stormlands with no control over his vessel. He apparently crashed on the eastern side of the Abyss, somehow surviving the fall. When Vinter first stumbled across the skorne, a minor house by the name of Kardesh on the western fringe of the established empire, I doubt he envisioned himself as a future emperor. As he was likely met with immediate violence, he responded in kind. The skorne had not counted on our former king’s prodigious martial prowess. The skorne have a singular weakness in their dubious political system—a man who bests a house’s leader in combat may seize the warriors and assets of that house. Even being ignorant of their language, Vinter found himself as House Kardesh’s new dominar, their ruler. Soon enough, Vinter learned enough of the skorne tongue to comprehend their devotion to a warrior philosophy called hoksune, as well as their practice of ancestor worship. Seeing a culture for which his own talents made him especially well suited, he believed this race would make the perfect weapon to retake what had been stolen from him. Vinter set out upon what the skorne now call the First War of Unification, whereby he conquered one skorne house after another, accumulating an ever-increasing army, until he united them all as a single kingdom. This was an exhaustive and lengthy process, as I have detailed in the attached report, but that is the bones of it. His rulership proved to be not fixed in stone, however. Skorne society thrives on strife, and so when he marched on Corvis in 603 AR, the greatest houses in the capital rebelled during his absence. Thus the Second War of Unification was fought and eventually won by Vinter, thanks in no small part to the efforts of House Balaash, led by their Archdomina Makeda, who remained loyal to Vinter during his absence. It was after this second war that I was brought before Vinter. In the intervening period he had created a tenable supply chain to allow subsequent skorne armies to more easily cross to western Immoren. This was done in preparation for his new and vastly ambitious invasion. Though I found the idea of stoking our former king’s ego quite distasteful, I will admit access to the fascinating culture of the Skorne was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Given that your concern is first and foremost that of military intelligence, I have refrained from pontificating on matters of skorne myth and legend or deconstructions of their sociocultural establishments. Such items, while absolutely fascinating, I have saved for a longer, unabridged work I have just begun.
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Beyond the knowledge I was able to gain of the skorne however, I feel it also important to note that it is clear Vinter has retained several agents from before the Lion’s Coup, specifically, the noted outlaw Saxon Orrik. He has taken charge of ensuring safe passage for skorne forces across the dangerous Stormlands and Bloodstone Desert. I believe the wanted criminal Asheth Magnus is also actively working to further Vinter’s goal of retaking the throne. Though I never saw the warcaster personally, his name was mentioned in several hushed conversations during my imprisonment. I have read the most recent CRS reports concerning the mysterious absence of Vinter from among the skorne. What became of Vinter and his pre-eminent position among them, however, I cannot say, as my escape occurred before whatever internal strife brought about his downfall. That a human could rise to such heights within their society was astounding enough; I am not surprised his tenure as emperor was short-lived. Wherever he is now, I have no doubt Vinter continues to pursue his obsession of reclaiming the crown and punishing those who brought about his downfall. Since leaving the skorne, Vinter has almost vanished. There have been few reliable reports of him I can find. One rumor I cannot entirely discount is that Vinter may have met with Feora, Priestess of the Flame, somewhere on the outskirts of the Protectorate of Menoth. What this meeting might have established or pertained to is a mystery to me. Vinter’s background suggests a strong antipathy toward religion, so it is hard to imagine common ground with the Priestess of the Flame. Another, more plausible possibility is that Vinter is in hiding with one or more notable Cygnaran noble families who remain sympathizers and loyalists. While Vinter loyalists were scarce in the days after the Lion’s Coup, the recent years of warfare and strife under King Leto have seen a reemergence of this faction. There is a strong undercurrent of unrest within Cygnar, especially in the north among those nobles whose lands were until recently occupied by several displaced trollkin kriels and which have been most affected by the ongoing war. Asheth Magnus has been seen in the now-isolated city of Fellig, but there have been no indications that Vinter is in this vicinity. Regardless of where the former king of Cygnar is, there can be little doubt of the danger he poses. It seems unlikely Cygnar could long survive any extended internal conflict without being devoured by its hungry enemies. However, unless King Leto mobilizes an Inquisition of his own to root out and eliminate internal threats, such a conflict may be inevitable.
assault on
Blackrock islanD Scenario 1: Landfall King Vinter’s hawk-like eyes scanned the gathering of Cygnaran officers before him aboard the HMS Vengeance. The massive shipof-the-line’s cannons boomed as it, along with its sister ships, engaged smaller Cryxian vessels as the Cygnaran fleet made its way toward the coast of Blackrock. Vinter motioned to the map laid out before the assembly. “We have solid intelligence of numerous sizable factory complexes within the interior of Blackrock Island. We will make our landing, advance inland, and annihilate these facilities with overwhelming force.” Vinter’s powerful voice cut easily through the sound of battle around him. “Make no mistake: we are about to invade the most heavily fortified and significant Cryxian holding outside Scharde itself. The fight will be fierce and casualties will be high.” His eyes bored into the men around the table and his voice took on a dangerous tone. “But we will succeed, whatever the cost.”
Special Rules Army Composition: The attacker’s army consists of the following: King Vinter Raelthorne; 10-man unit of Sword Knights with a Sword Knight Officer & Standard and a marshaled Ironclad; 10-man unit of Trencher Infantry with 3 Trencher Infantry Rifle Grenadiers, a Trencher Infantry Officer & Sniper, and a marshaled Defender The defender’s army consists of the following: Iron Lich Vitiosus (represented by Iron Lich Asphyxious’ model and stat cards) with a Defiler, a Harrower, and a Reaper; 10-man unit of Bloodgorgers; 5-man unit of Black Ogrun Boarding Party
All models lose Advance Deployment. Before deployment, players should take turns placing obstruction, rubble (rough terrain), and shallow water terrain features until each player has placed 3 terrain features. Terrain features cannot be placed within 10˝ of either player’s table edge or within 5˝ of another terrain feature. The attacker’s deployment zone is comprised of two areas that each measure 4˝ x 10˝ and are 12˝ from the left and right table edges. All other parts of the board within 10˝ of the attacker’s table edge are shallow water. The attacker deploys first and takes the first turn. The defender has a 10˝ deployment zone.
10˝
Defender Table Edge
Victory Conditions
Defender Deployment Zone
The attacker wins if Iron Lich Vitiosus is destroyed or removed from play or if King Vinter Raelthorne is completely within the defender’s deployment zone at the end of the fourth round of the game. The defender wins if King Vinter Raelthorne is destroyed or removed from play or if King Vinter Raelthorne is not completely within the defender’s deployment zone at the end of the fourth round of the game.
Spoils of War
4˝
16˝
10˝
Attacker Deployment Zone ATTACKER Table Edge
4˝
12˝
If the Trencher Infantry Officer model is in the defender’s deployment zone at the end of the game, the attacker gains a 6-man unit of Trencher Infantry in the Perilous Ascent scenario. For each wreck marker on the table at the end of the game, the defender gains d6 Scrap Thralls in the Perilous Ascent scenario. If the attacker wins, the attacker gains +6˝ to his deployment zone in the Perilous Ascent scenario. If the defender wins, King Vinter Raelthorne begins the Perilous Ascent scenario with five damage boxes already marked and loses the Ancient Mail ability until the end of the game.
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Scenario 2: Perilous Ascent King Vinter scanned the steep rise ahead of his army, his fierce eyes narrowing as his raptor gaze fell upon the distinct distended shapes of bloat thralls atop the rise. Behind them he could see the thick, noxious plumes of oily smoke from the necrofactoriums farther within the interior of Blackrock. It was a visible marker of where his ultimate objective lay. Raising Kingslayer to point at the rise, Vinter called for the charge. His cry was met by the distinct sounds of the bloat thralls’ corrosive cannons firing into the onrushing Cygnaran lines. He knew his forces had already sustained significant casualties in the push toward the interior, but such sacrifice was as necessary as it was unavoidable. The steel resolve required to see through such a course of action was the foundation of a true monarch—one who was willing to do what must be done to assure victory.
Special Rules Army Composition: The attacker’s army consists of the following: King Vinter Raelthorne; 10-man unit of Sword Knights with a Sword Knight Officer & Standard and a marshaled Defender; 10man unit of Trencher Commandos with 3 Trencher Commando Scattergunners; Crew Chief Rogers (represented by Captain Arlan Strangewayes’ model and stat cards) with a marshaled Sentinel; 6-man unit of Trencher Infantry, if earned in Landfall The defender’s army consists of the following: Lord Exhumator Scaverous with a Corruptor, a Leviathan, and a Nightwretch; 2x 10-man units of Mechanithralls; 2 Bloat Thralls; 2 Warwitch Sirens; d6 Scrap Thralls for each warjack destroyed in Landfall All models lose Advance Deployment. Before deployment, players should take turns placing obstruction and rubble (rough terrain) terrain features until each player has placed 3 terrain features. Terrain features cannot be placed within 10˝ of either player’s table edge or within 5˝ of another terrain feature.
If one or more Trencher Commando Scattergunners are within 12˝ of the defender’s table edge at the end of the game, the attacker gains a Trencher Survivor (represented by Captain Maxwell Finn’s model and stat cards) in the Showdown scenario. If seven or more of the Trencher Commando models are destroyed or removed from play, the defender gains a Pistol Wraith in the Showdown scenario. If the attacker wins, King Vinter Raelthorne gains 1 additional power token during the attacker’s Control Phase each round in the Showdown scenario (for a total of 6 power tokens). If the defender wins, Lich Lord Terminus gains 1 soul token at the start of his activation each round in the Showdown scenario.
Highest Elevation
Elevation
24˝
Spoils of War Deployment
12˝
The area of the table extending out 24˝ from the defender’s table edge has a higher elevation than the attacker’s side of the table. The area of the table extending out 12˝ from the defender’s table edge has an even higher elevation than anywhere else on the table.
Defender Deployment Zone
12˝
The defender has a 10˝ deployment zone.
Spoils of War
Defender Table Edge
10˝
The attacker has a 6˝ deployment zone (or a 12˝ deployment zone if the attacker won the Landfall scenario). The attacker deploys first and takes the first turn.
The defender wins if King Vinter Raelthorne is destroyed or removed from play or if King Vinter Raelthorne is not completely within the area of the highest elevation at the end of the fourth round of the game.
When a model makes a ranged attack against a model on lower elevation, the attack gains Snipe (an attack with Snipe gains +4 RNG).
Victory Conditions The attacker wins if Lord Exhumator Scaverous is destroyed or if King Vinter Raelthorne is completely within the area of the highest elevation at the end of the fourth round of the game.
6˝
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scenario
Attacker Deployment Zone
ATTACKER Table Edge
Scenario 3: Showdown Arcane fire streaked through the sky as the roar of chain guns and cannons beat out a steady rhythm of destruction, and the screams of the dead and dying mingled to form a macabre chorus to the cacophonous symphony of death. The battle before the necrofactoriums had become a maelstrom as living and undead clashed in bitter combat. And at the center of it all stood Vinter Raelthorne IV, Kingslayer flashing like a thing possessed in his hands as it cut down any opponent within reach. Suddenly, the sounds of battle were silenced by an ancient and terrible sound, a howl that seemed to resonate with the souls of a thousand damned. Looking toward its source, Vinter saw the massive shadow of Lich Lord Terminus rise into the sky, borne aloft on a set of tattered, leathery wings. The lich lord paused for a moment, searching for its prey, and Vinter felt the heat of the balefire that filled its empty eye sockets fall upon him. He met the creature’s gaze unflinching and banged a mailed fist against the ancient plate upon his chest in clear challenge to Terminus. As the lord of undead swooped toward him from the heavens, Vinter’s hands tightened about the grip of Kingslayer, but even before this ancient terror, he felt no fear or apprehension—only a desire to meet his foe and leave its broken body vanquished at his feet as he ground the Cryxians beneath his indomitable heel.
Special Rules Army Composition: The attacker’s army consists of the following: King Vinter Raelthorne; 10-man unit of Trencher Infantry with 3 Trencher Infantry Rifle Grenadiers, a Trencher Infantry Officer & Sniper, and a marshaled Ironclad; Trencher Cannon Crew; Trencher Chain Gun Crew; Trencher Master Gunner; Trencher Survivor (represented by Captain Maxwell Finn’s model and stat card), if earned in Perilous Ascent The defender’s army consists of the following: Lich Lord Terminus with a Slayer and a Seether; 10-man unit of Bile Thralls; 10-man unit of Mechanithralls; Skarlock Thrall; Pistol Wraith, if earned in Perilous Ascent Mark a 10˝-wide area in the center of the table extending from the attacker’s table edge to the defender’s table edge. This area is the Path to Glory. King Vinter Raelthorne and Lich Lord Terminus must be deployed within the Path to Glory. Additionally, both models must remain completely within the Path to Glory at all Defender Table Edge
8˝
Defender Deployment Zone
times. If a model would move beyond the area (from a slam, for example), it stops at the edge instead, remaining completely within the Path to Glory. Before deployment, players should take turns placing forest, hill, and shallow water terrain features until each player has placed 3 terrain features. Terrain features cannot be placed on the Path to Glory, within 8˝ of either player’s table edge or within 5˝ of another terrain feature. The attacker has an 8˝ deployment zone. The attacker deploys first and takes the first turn. (Yes, models can finally use Advance Deployment.) The defender has an 8˝ deployment zone.
Victory Conditions The defender wins if King Vinter Raelthorne is destroyed or removed from play. The attacker wins if Lich Lord Terminus is destroyed or removed from play.
Spoils of War The winner of Showdown wins the campaign.
Path to Glory 19˝
6˝
Advance Deployment
8˝
Attacker Deployment Zone
10˝
ATTACKER Table Edge
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VINTER
model cannot be used outside of specified
KING VINTER RAELTHORNE CAMPAIGN MODEL – This
scenarios.
KINGSLAYER
ANCIENT MAIL – This model automatically heals d3+3 damage points at the start of each of its activations. ARCANE ASSASSIN – When making attacks, ignore focus points overboosting the target’s Power Field and spell effects adding to its ARM or DEF. INSPIRATION [CYGNAR] – Friendly Cygnar models/units in this model’s command range never flee and immediately rally. MARTIAL PRODIGY – At the start of each of your Control Phases, this model gains any number of power tokens until it has five. During its activation, this model can spend power tokens to gain additional attacks. MASTER SWORDSMAN – When this model makes a normal melee attack during its activation, it makes one melee attack against each model in its LOS and melee range. If there are no enemy models in this model’s melee range after resolving a normal melee attack in which it destroyed one or more, it can spend a power token to advance up to 2˝. PARRY – This model cannot be targeted by free strikes. SACRIFICIAL PAWN [CYGNAR] – When this model is directly hit by an enemy ranged attack, you can choose to have one friendly, nonincorporeal Cygnar model within 3˝ of this model directly hit instead. That model is automatically hit and suffers all damage and effects.
7
5
8
POW
FA C DAMAGE
15
P+S
15 18 10
KINGSLAYER 9
KING VINTER RAELTHORNE
CYGNAR CHARACTER SOLO
VINTER
SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD
6
PC –
a critical hit, the model hit by this weapon loses Tough, cannot heal or be healed, and cannot transfer damage for one round.
WARMACHINE
CHALLENGE OF THE
CRITICAL GRIEVOUS WOUNDS – On
scenario
70
Illus. by Mike Capprotti © Privateer Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All faction names, logos, warjack, warcaster & warbeast are TM of Privateer Press, Inc.
THE RETURN
BEFORE YOU READ THIS, CHECK OUT THE WARMACHINE CHALLLENGE ON PAGE 120
Our Solution
Activate Shae first and cast Coup de Main followed by his feat, Godspeed. During the feat movement you need to first move the Press Gangers forward and into a better position to charge at least two of the Winter Guard Infantry closest to the Sea Dog Crew unit leader, then use the feat movement to put the Commodore Cannon & Crew into a better position to shoot the Behemoth, and finally move Lord Rockbottom into a better position to use his Coins on all three friendly units. Rockbottom activates next and uses Money Shot on the Commodore Cannon & Crew and uses Payday on both the Sea Dog and Press Ganger units. Then the Commodore Cannon activates and shoots the Behemoth with its Cannonball shot, which slams the warjack over Sorscha and deals a significant amount of damage. Next, the Press Gangers charge the unit of Winter Guard, making sure to get at least two Press Gangers in melee range of the Winter Guard model engaging the Sea Dog unit leader and the winter guard model directly between the Galleon and Sorscha. When the Press Gangers Shanghai these two Winter Guard the Sea Dog models they create should be placed to have a charge lane to Sorscha. First Mate Hawk now actives and runs into a position to provide Object of Desire to those Sea Dogs. Finally, the Sea Dog unit activates and the two newly created Sea Dogs easily kill Sorscha with their charge attacks.
FORCESOFDISTINCTION
Forces of Distinction XiX By Orrin Grey • Art by Chippy and Mark Gibbons
In his thirty-plus years, Pytor had heard many things compared to bears: men, warjacks, even the engine of a train. He had done it himself, whenever he wanted to convey that something or someone was particularly big and strong and vicious, though he had only ever actually seen a bear once in his life, when he was a boy and a traveling menagerie had passed through his hometown. The creature that huddled in the cage had seemed ragged and worn down, not at all the roaring predator the comparison was meant to call to mind. Now, as the monster bore down on his squad, a living wall of blighted flesh, his first thought was that he would need to think of something much bigger and more ferocious to compare it to than a bear if he hoped to describe it.
It was not the first dragonspawn he had seen. A few of the smaller ones even lay in the bloody snow behind him, carved apart by his annihilator blade or those of his brothers-in-arms. This, however, was the largest animal, natural or otherwise, he had ever encountered. It crashed upon the Man-O-War shocktroopers like a wave of claws and teeth, and they set their armored feet in the snow, locking their shields together to stand against it, but Pytor felt in his heart it was like trying to stand against the ocean. His impression of the beast was jumbled. The blighted, ice-colored skin; its eyeless face filled with jagged teeth; arms like tree trunks, ending in blunt but brutal claws. He felt the impact of its body against his shield, a glancing blow that still caused the metal of his heavy armor to groan and squeal. Through the thin visor of his helmet he could see nothing but the writhing wall of flesh, massive and yet so much quicker than any Khadoran warjack. To his left came a cry, and the shield next to him unlocked
Theme forces offer players the opportunity to play thematic armies that spotlight particular aspects of a warcaster or warlock’s character or history. From time to time, Privateer Press will introduce new theme forces in the pages of No Quarter. These theme forces are “fair game” upon publication and usable in our organized play events.
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Above the roaring of the creature, Pytor could hear the shouts of Grigory, his kovnik, and with a sound like a massive drum, Grigory’s ’jack-marshaled Kodiak crashed into the blighted monster. The Kodiak was perhaps the most apt thing Pytor had ever known to be named for a bear, and though it had already lost one of its arms earlier in the battle, it drove its remaining armored fist into the creature’s flank hard enough to draw black blood. The sight of the Kodiak filled Pytor and the other shocktroopers by his side with renewed hope. At Grigory’s shouted orders, he and the others raised their annihilator blades and let them fall in unison, stepping forward in a coordinated march of iron and steam that was strong enough to push the monster back a step. The creature let loose a shriek that pierced Pytor’s helmet, a noise like how a hunting bird must sound to a field mouse, and sheared the Kodiak’s remaining arm from its metal body with one sweep of its huge claws. Grigory was standing alongside the ’jack, roaring like a wounded bear himself, and his axe chopped viciously into the flank of the monster, blighted blood spattering the gold and red of his armor. The Kodiak staggered and then tumbled to the snow like a fallen tree, a crash sending earth and white powder into the air, and Pytor felt the hope that had bloomed within him withering. Other men might have fled at that moment, but Pytor was a true son of the Motherland, and though he now believed the battle to be hopeless, he would fight it until his last breath. He stepped forward in unison with the men beside him and raised his weapon once again.
The quiet that followed the beast’s death was eerie after the cacophony of the battle. The snow fell silently around them, flakes gathering in Grigory’s broad black beard as he held his helmet in his hands and looked down at the mangled remains of the Kodiak; it had been entrusted to him by Kommander Harkevich. Next to it lay the twitching mass of what had once been the enormous dragonspawn, hacked to pieces by their annihilator blades, though at great cost. What had once been three squads was now reduced to one, further diminishing Grigory’s already decimated command. Now the men who stood shoulder to shoulder with Pytor were men he had seen before, fought beside, but not the men whose shields had locked with his on so many other occasions. Those men, the ones who had served beside him in countless bloody campaigns, now
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from his own as its wielder was carried into the air on one of those claws. Pytor saw Kiryl’s armor fall to the ground in two parts, blood and gore painting the snow.
lay dead behind him, their bodies being slowly covered by the snow.
None of them needed scouts to tell them the battle was over or perhaps had left them behind. They could hear nothing save the familiar hiss as snowflakes melted against the heated boilers of their armored suits; they could see nothing but bodies and the drifting curtain of snow. Behind them stood a river of blood and a valley of corpses, both human and blighted, along the trail they had carved through the enemy army. Pytor felt a swelling of pride in his chest, the same pride he felt when he heard the familiar refrains of “The March of Mikhail Vanar,” a song that stirred the hearts of all patriotic soldiers. Even if they perished out here in the cold, they had struck a mighty blow for the Motherland before they would go.
“Come,” Grigory said, fastening his helmet back on after only a moment’s silent contemplation. “We have a long way to march.” Pytor knew what their orders were, should they become separated from the rest of the army, and knew them as well as his kovnik did. In fact, every soldier in the battalion knew them, such that if any of them should fall, those who remained could finish their mission. They had agreed on a rendezvous point before the battle had been joined, though as they marched through the freezing air, Pytor looked across the field of corpses and wondered if there would be anybody but the six of them left alive to reach it.
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vladimir tzepesci, the dark champion STEAM AND STEEL
by Orrin Grey
Warjacks Khador non-character warjacks, Drago Tier 1
Benefit: Reduce the point cost of Man-O-War Kovniks and Man-O-War units by 1.
Tier 2 includes
Solos Man-O-War solos Tier 3
Requirements: The army can include only the models listed above.
Requirements: The army Man-O-War Kovniks.
Units Battle Mechaniks, Man-O-War units
Requirements: The army includes two or more units. Benefit: One Man-O-War Kovnik and one unit gains Advance Deployment .
Tier 4 Requirements: The army includes two or more warjacks.
one
or
more
Benefit: Warjacks gain +2 SPD during your first turn of the game.
Benefit: For each Man-O-War Kovnik in the army, you can redeploy one model/unit after both players have deployed but before the first player’s first turn. The redeployed models must be placed on the table in a location they could have been deployed initially.
The snow rendered their march strangely timeless, turning the now-quiet battlefield into a scene out of a dream or a nightmare. Ruined warjacks loomed out of the snow like ships in a fog. For periods of time it was possible to forget the battle entirely, and around them they could see only a world turned to shades of white and grey. Then a bloom of red would appear to cover the ground before them, and their boots would sink down into pools of frozen blood. Normally, the heat from the boilers turned their armor into furnaces, kept them sweating even in the worst Khadoran winters, but now as they marched rather than fought, the cold outside began to seep in. Frost formed on their visors and in their beards. Pytor felt the tips of his fingers and toes growing numb. He thought of men he’d known who had lost their extremities to frostbite, a fate those in ManO-War armor rarely had to fear. Still, he marched onward.
They heard the sounds of battle before they reached the rendezvous, and without having to even exchange glances, all of them picked up their pace. The heavy Man-O-War suit suddenly felt lighter on Pytor’s shoulders; the annihilator blade and shield seemed almost weightless in his hands. Even if he were to march over the ridge and into the mouth of death, it was better to die in battle than to perish from exposure.
What he saw when he crested the rise kindled a fire in Pytor’s breast that he hadn’t felt since before the battle with the dragonspawn, possibly since the day he was selected to become a Man-O-War. It was not the ragged remnants of their army in a suicide battle against the blighted hordes, as he had expected; instead, he saw a veritable sea of other Man-O-War soldiers, dozens upon dozens of red-armored shapes moving in a concerted wedge of steam and steel that plowed their enemies under. Armored fists swung ice mauls, and in the distance was the stutter of bombardiers firing grenade cannons mounted atop their chain blades. At the head of the army, at the very point of the spear being driven into the flank of the blighted forces, stood Great Prince Vladimir Tzepesci. Though the last thing Pytor had heard, Tzepesci had been killed in battle—yet there he stood, larger than life, his blade cutting down the enemy like a scythe through wheat. Pytor found he wasn’t surprised to see the warcaster alive. Like the Motherland, the Great Prince seemed eternal. For a moment they all stood atop the ridge in silence, the six of them who were left, who had lived this long. Then Grigory said, “Will you let them take all the glory?” And Pytor smiled as they charged down the slope to join their brothers and sisters in battle.
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By Aeryn Rudel Art by Mariusz Gandzel Northeastern Ios, early 609 AR The night wind howls. It whispers your destiny. It whispers vengeance, by the wind’s edge. The words hung in Supreme Aptimus Zaal’s thoughts, lingering like an unwanted memory. His mind was unsettled, and he felt something immense looming in the ether, like a spiritual echo he could neither locate nor define. This premonition was sparked by the utterance of a long-dead skorne ancestor. The ancient exalted warrior was Xycus, and his essence was housed in a the sacral stone of an ancestral guardian Zaal had brought from the east. As the supreme aptimus, Zaal often communicated with skorne whose spiritual essence inhabited and animated the powerful forms of immortals and ancestral guardians. The words and guidance of these ancestors was considered invaluable to the war in the west, but often, especially with the oldest of the preserved, their words were riddles whose meaning was open to many interpretations. Making sense of the statements of the exalted dead was part of his role as leader of the extoller caste, but he had never been given a message of such a personal nature. The night wind howls. It whispers your destiny. It whispers vengeance, by the wind’s edge. He had spent many cold hours in meditation upon these words, forgoing sleep and sustenance to learn their meaning. They hung over him like a miasma and sapped his strength and will. Xycus had given no answers to his questions; in fact, the exalted within the ancestral guardian had been altogether silent since uttering the cryptic words. Zaal had questioned the four other ancestral guardians with him, but they, too, were silent. The ancestors could not always be forced to speak. The supreme aptimus pushed these troubling thoughts away and focused on the task before him. He would soon meet up with Tyrant Xerxis to bolster the war leader’s dwindling forces. The tyrant had been sent by Supreme Archdomina Makeda on what might appear to be a death march. They were in a strange, cold
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land—an enemy’s land—yet his own forces had encountered little resistance; Xerxis’ passage and subsequent raids had left the Iosan border forces ragged. While the tyrant drew the defenders’ attention to himself in the north, Makeda had struck from the south, breaching the “impenetrable” mountain fortress to invade Ios’ interior and advance toward the heart of the nation.
“There is a force of toksaa moving swiftly toward Xerxis. They will reach us soon.”
Zaal had thought he would find Xerxis besieging the fortress of the Dawnguard and occupying the warriors there. The tyrant had clearly adapted his plans. His small force of soldiers had endured an exhausting march around the Iosan border. They had fought in this cold climate without the support of supply lines and against a numerically and technologically superior foe. Known for his clever tactics, Xerxis had somehow endured, though Zaal’s scouts reported his forces had suffered heavy casualties. Before the ancestors went silent, Zaal had confirmed through them that additional Iosan forces were marching even now to finish this threat to their northern border. Xerxis was in a very vulnerable position.
Zaal felt the looming shadow that had followed him for weeks suddenly intensify, as if whatever it heralded—a dire event or the appearance of a tremendous enemy—had drawn closer. But within this shadow, there was a hint of light, a subtle glow that promised a path, however narrow and fleeting, through the adversity to come.
Zaal had brought few living warriors with him; his force was composed almost entirely of the silent forms of immortals. They marched in perfect unison around him, immune to the chill, tireless, and deadly, each obsidian body housing the essence of a formidable skorne warrior who had proven himself worthy on the field of battle. Zaal could hear these spirits in his mind, a dull susurrus of indistinct voices forging an eager chorus. Ancestral guardians moved among the immortals, their bodies festooned with sacral stones to catch the fleeing spiritual essence of worthy mortal skorne. Their voices were clearer when they wished to speak, but the exalted that animated each guardian were enigmatic and aloof, and many had spent centuries, or even millennia, enshrined in stone. He was not surrounded entirely by the dead. Zaal could feel his warbeasts at the edge of his consciousness. He had with him a pair of titan gladiators, and a single aradus sentinel. The titans were a familiar presence, and their simmering rage could be unleashed to devastating effect on his enemies. The aradus was a different matter—its mind was more primitive and alien, and Zaal had little experience with the insectile creatures. Still, he had seen the aradus in battle, and its effectiveness could not be denied. In addition to his beasts and immortals, Zaal commanded a small coterie of extollers, a unit of paingiver beast handlers, and two squads of paingiver bloodrunners, who acted as forward scouts for his somewhat slow-moving force. They were currently traveling through a heavily wooded area, and the titans were having trouble navigating through the tightly packed trees. It was slow going, and Zaal had sent his swift bloodrunners ahead to scout the way and locate Xerxis if they could. One, the most senior among them, was moving through the trees toward Zaal now. “Supreme Aptimus,” the bloodrunner said as he reached Zaal and bowed low. “We have found Lord Tyrant Xerxis.” “How far?” Zaal asked. “A few miles,” the bloodrunner answered. “He has found defensible ground.” “Enemies?” The bloodrunner nodded. “I sent two scouts to the south days ago. One has returned.” Zaal could see the paingiver’s essence through his oculus, and it darkened with fear and doubt.
“Return and tell Xerxis I will join him before day’s end,” Zaal said. The bloodrunner bowed again, then turned and sprinted away, disappearing in the thick gloom beneath the trees.
He drew in a deep breath and took another step into uncertainty.
Kaelyssa looked down on the corpse and frowned. “Were there others, Commander?” Eyvash swallowed and looked away. “One more, ” he said. The mage hunter commander kicked the rapidly cooling body at his feet. “I’ve never seen skorne like this—very quiet and fast. Still, we should have gotten the other one as well.” “He will have reported back to his superior. This Xerxis,” Kaelyssa said, the name alien on her tongue. She shook her head. “I don’t need to tell you what that means.” “No, Kaelyssa,” Eyvash said. “You do not.” “Did you learn anything else?” Eyvash nodded. “Yes. We followed the second scout, and he returned to another force of skorne.” “A second force?” Kaelyssa said. “Who led them?” “We saw what appeared to be one of their spiritual leaders: old, hunched, and carrying an elaborate staff,” Eyvash said. “His right eye had been removed and replaced with some sort of device.” Kaelyssa drew in a deep breath. “We have scant intelligence on that one. He is called Zaal, and he is reported to lead an army of stone warriors that house the souls of the dead.” “They say skorne magic does not threaten Scyrah in the same way as human magic, but do we know this for certain? It feels . . . foul,” Eyvash said. “Even if their magic does not directly harm Scyrah, they certainly threaten Ios. Our methods to eliminate human arcanists should still suffice for them,” Kaelyssa said. “Take your mage hunters and scout ahead. I must speak with Ravyn.” Her fellow warcaster was an accomplished leader and a mighty warrior, and although their roles within the Retribution were quite different, Kaelyssa had much respect for her. “It shall be done,” Eyvash said before hurrying off. Kaelyssa turned and surveyed the force accompanying them. She wondered if it was enough—not that they had more to spare. Those with Kaelyssa had pushed themselves hard over the last several weeks, hastening to return to Ios from Khador after word of the god Nyssor’s successful recovery. On reaching the Gate of Mists they had discovered their nation had been invaded by skorne in their absence. Retribution leaders had agreed to lend their might to the nation’s defense where
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possible. Most of Ios’ strength was concentrated near Shyrr, the capital. It had been Ravyn’s decision to lead a small force together with Kaelyssa to head off those skorne pillaging the north, where the remaining garrisoned Dawnguard had failed to stop them. Kaelyssa had already harbored doubts about the many unknowns of their mission when they had expected to confront only one skorne leader. Now they faced two, plus reinforcements. The Iosan force included five myrmidons, multiple teams of mage hunters, and a sizable number of houseguard warriors led by Fane Knight Skeryth Issyen, whose presence would bolster their morale and fighting spirit. Still, she felt unprepared. She set out toward the center of the Retribution force, where a command tent had been erected. When she stepped inside, she found Ravyn bent over a table strewn with maps, her ebon hair pushed behind her ears. “Ravyn,” Kaelyssa said. “I have news.” Ravyn looked up from her maps and grimaced. “I can tell by your tone you do not have good news.” Kaelyssa shook her head. “My mage hunters caught and killed a scout. Then followed another, who returned to a second contingent of skorne, likely dispatched to reinforce Xerxis. This second force is led by one known as Supreme Aptimus Zaal. “Analysis?” Ravyn asked. “The skorne are likely aware we are coming,” Kaelyssa said. “I fear the presence of another of their leaders may shift the balance. This may change our mission parameters.” “My mission is to eradicate the skorne from this region,” Ravyn said. “Are you telling me that is no longer possible?” “With respect, I do not believe our force is sufficient to crush the skorne entirely.” Kaelyssa said. Ravyn was in command of this mission, but Kaelyssa knew she could be candid with her. “I assume you have a recommendation for me and are not simply here as a bearer of bad tidings,” Ravyn said with a sour smile. “I do,” Kaelyssa said. “I think our goal now is to remove the skorne leaders. Cut the head from the serpent.” “I do not doubt your abilities, Kaelyssa,” Ravyn said, “but these are not human mages. Their magic is different, its practitioners less vulnerable to our tactics. Can you and your mage hunters kill both the tyrant and the supreme aptimus without engaging their respective forces?” Kaelyssa might have bridled had another leader been so blunt about possible deficiencies among the men and women she led, but Ravyn was not seeking to humble her. “Yes,” Kaelyssa answered. “I think we can, though it will likely require us to divide our forces, leaving some vulnerable.” Ravyn stared at Kaelyssa, the war leader’s eyes flat, cold, and appraising. “I believe you,” she said after a long pause. “And I think I can get you close to them. I do not think the skorne leaders will expect immediate assassination. There are reports indicating Xerxis may be wounded, and Zaal is not of their warrior caste. If the bulk of our forces engage theirs in a direct assault, both skorne leaders may be behind their lines.”
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“And less protected than they would otherwise be,” Kaelyssa said. “Yes,” Ravyn said. “Their forces are slow; ours are not. We could engage them, give you the time and opportunity you need for the assassinations, then withdraw once you are successful, before we suffer heavy casualties. If you believe you can remove two of their most powerful leaders in a single stroke, it is a chance we must take.” “I appreciate your faith in my team,” Kaelyssa said, and she meant it. “We will delay our attack until twilight,” Ravyn said. “Let them fight in the dark and in unfamiliar terrain.”
The sun was setting in the west and the chill air becoming even colder when Zaal reached Xerxis’ forces. The tyrant had made his camp beneath a cliff face, with his back to the sheer rock wall. It was a sound defensive position that kept him from being flanked and forced his enemies into the spears of his Cataphract cetrati. Zaal could not fault Xerxis for his choice— the tyrant was wounded, short of men, and could not outrun the Iosans—but the supreme aptimus could not help but see he was adding his forces to what might be a last stand. Zaal followed a young Cataphract named Loraak to Xerxis’ tent, where he found the tyrant seated on a short stool stripped to the waist, a chirurgeon applying salves and bandages to a wound on the big skorne warrior’s chest. At the back of the tent stood an extoller, Aptimus Sarangerel, who bowed low as the supreme aptimus entered the tent. “Supreme Aptimus,” Xerxis said. He inclined his head a fraction, a gesture of respect that was not lost on Zaal. As a tyrant of the warrior caste, he was not obliged to do even this for Zaal, but the standing of supreme aptimus held weight among those who properly revered the extollers and the exalted. “What news do you have of our enemy?” Xerxis waved away the chirurgeon, who withdrew. Zaal found another stool and sat. “A sizable force moves in this direction,” he said. “My scouts reported they had many war constructs with them, which likely means they are led by one or more of the Iosan warcasters.” Xerxis nodded, then stood. A grimace flickered over the tyrant’s face. For him to show any sign of pain meant he was wounded more gravely than Zaal had anticipated. “Nephew,” Xerxis said to the Cataphract who had led Zaal through the camp, “assist me with my armor.” Loraak moved to a nearby armor stand and began to remove the heavy plates of Xerxis’ armor from it. Xerxis turned to Zaal. “Our position is strong,” he said. “Your beasts and immortals make us stronger. We will turn them aside.” Zaal shook his head. The night wind howls. “The ancestors have spoken to me, and I am troubled,” he said. “A darkness hangs over us, and we must be prepared for more than a clash of arms.” Loraak settled Xerxis’ breastplate over his uncle’s wide shoulders and began to buckle the armor into place. “What darkness?” Xerxis said. “We do not have time for riddles, Supreme Aptimus.”
“Yet riddles are all I have to offer,” Zaal said. “Until the exalted speak again, we must be wary.” “I understand. But you tell me the enemy will soon be upon us. We must focus our strength there.” Zaal could not argue with the tyrant’s straightforward logic. He knew it was not a matter of Xerxis believing him—the tyrant was no stranger to the ways of the exalted, and the ancestors were sacred to him, even if they did not speak to him directly. It was simply a warrior’s pragmatism: fight the enemy standing before you. Zaal said nothing for a moment and watched Loraak fit the rest of Xerxis’ armor into place. When the tyrant was fully armored, he went to a rack that held his heavy flail and long spear. “Perhaps you are right,” Zaal said as Xerxis hefted his flail, “but I counsel you to let your primus command in this coming battle. Stay behind your Cataphracts, and let them shield you.” Xerxis turned toward Zaal, his black eyes hard and angry. “I am Xerxis of House Kophar!” he said. “I lead from the front.” “You are wounded, and we face an enemy of unknown strength,” Zaal said. “The archdomina would not thank you for throwing your life away needlessly. You may yet die in this land, but let that death have greater purpose.” “Your wounds have grown worse, my lord,” Aptimus Sarangerel said from the back of the tent. “You are strong, but you must allow yourself time to heal.” Through his oculus Zaal saw Xerxis’ anger and frustration bloom in the air as a haze of scarlet energy, a restrained spillover of his mortitheurgical power, invisible to most eyes. He wondered if Sarangerel would have dared speak without Zaal in the tent. Xerxis anger quickly faded. The tyrant was no fool, nor was he reckless; Zaal guessed his fury had as much to do with the truth in Sarangerel’s words as with the thought of leading from the rear rankling his warrior’s pride. He had been dispatched on this mission before he could heal and disliked the idea of being weakened. The tyrant stared down at the heavy flail in his hands, seeming to draw strength from it. Without looking away from the weapon, he said, “Loraak, tell Primus Vulto to assemble the dakars and then bring them and himself to my tent.” Zaal felt no relief at Xerxis’ decision to heed his advice. Nothing had changed. It whispers vengeance, by the wind’s edge.
Eyvash appeared out of the forest gloom like a white specter. Kaelyssa had not seen the senior mage hunter approach. “You are a shadow’s whisper, Eyvash,” she said with real admiration. “My apologies if I startled you,” Eyvash said, smiling slightly. “Report.”
The mage hunter wasted no time. “The skorne have taken a position beneath a cliff face four miles from here. It is a very defensible location made stronger by the presence of their heavy infantry. They are arranged in concentric half-circles around the inner camp, with heavy infantry in the front and ranged troops behind. I also saw many of the stone warriors we were told to expect.” “What of their beasts?” Kaelyssa asked. She had heard many tales of the monsters skorne sorcerers commanded in battle— towering armored horrors able to tear apart a heavy myrmidon or slaughter dozens of enemy troops. “I counted three of the big ones called titans,” Eyvash said, “and a strange giant insect-like creature.” “Did you see the tyrant or the supreme aptimus?” Eyvash nodded. “I saw Xerxis in the main camp, behind the troops and beasts. He was hard to miss astride that creature of his. I did not see Zaal, though I did see more of the stone warriors he is said to command.” “Good,” Kaelyssa said. “Xerxis’ position seems to confirm he is wounded. From what I have heard of this warrior, there is little else that would keep him from leading from the front.” “Agreed,” Eyvash said. “It is time to strike.” “Send a runner to Ravyn,” Kaelyssa said. “Tell her to begin her attack.”
The titans became aware of the enemies first. The titan gladiators picked up the strange smell of their machines moments before the attack. Zaal felt the anxiety of both beasts grow from a mild presence in the back of his mind to a searing peal of alarm. He was standing in Xerxis’ tent, the looming shape of the ancestral guardian Xycus visible through the flap. He took a single step toward the entrance, intending to warn Xerxis, when the night erupted into chaos. Two thunderous explosions shook the ground, followed by screams and the shouts of skorne warriors. Zaal strengthened his mental link to the largest of his gladiators and tightened down on its rage as he looked through the creature’s eyes. It towered above a line of Cataphracts, their long spears pointed toward the forest. White shapes moved through the trees, enormous things alive with light and power. Blasts of energy arced from the enemy machines, striking the ranks of skorne warriors and detonating in brilliant flashes of radiance. Zaal pulled his consciousness back from the titans’ and moved outside, briefly touching the mind of Xycus and requesting that the ancestral guardian follow him. The silent obsidian warrior did as bid. The roar of battle intensified, and he heard the sound of Iosan ranged weapons as well as the buzzing hiss of Venator reivers returning fire. The camp was dimly lit by guttering torches sunk into the ground around the orderly rows of tents. The cliff face soared above it all, and the entire camp was swallowed by its shadow, making the twilight gloom thicker. Zaal spotted Xerxis astride his cerops, shouting orders down to a Cataphract Dakar, who then ran toward the front lines just a few hundred yards away. The tyrant’s mount pawed the ground and leaned
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toward the battle as well, but Xerxis held it in check as he began shouting orders to the small contingent of bloodrunners and Cataphracts that had remained back from the main force should the skorne lines be breached. Zaal hurried to the tyrant, gathering four immortals he had held back as a personal guard as he went. “The lines are holding,” Xerxis said when he approached, “but their machines are taking a toll.” The tyrant’s eyes became glassy, and he stared off into the distance. “Tiberion destroyed one.” “My gladiators have felled another,” Zaal said, relaying the information he’d received through his link to his beasts. He had sent the aradus sentinel to their right flank, and it was firing globs of acid at the incoming enemy troops. “They outnumber us, and they can shoot us from the cover of the trees at greater range than we can return fire,” Xerxis said. “It will take time, but they’ll wear us down.” Zaal opened his mouth to respond but caught movement from the corner of his eye. He turned and saw a figure move from the shadows near the cliff face, tall and lithe. He heard a loud snap and something flashed past his head. A crossbow bolt struck one of the immortals behind him and bounced away. Assassins! The thought flashed through Zaal’s mind as more shapes moved from the long shadow of the cliff: Iosans clad in light armor and armed with long blades and crossbows. The air buzzed with more bolts. Some found their marks, dropping a Cataphract and a bloodrunner nearby. Xerxis took charge immediately. “To me!” he shouted, wheeling his cerops toward the threat. Cataphracts in the area moved to form a defensive line in front of him. Bolts hit skorne shields but were unable to penetrate. Zaal reached out to his beasts and instantly knew the titans were too far away to aid him; only the aradus was close enough. He summoned it to him. The slow-moving insectile creature would take time to reach him, but he would soon have need of its rage. Then another presence entered his mind—an ancient, almost alien mind that drowned out all other thoughts. The night wind approaches. Set free the Fury of Halaak. It was Xycus. The ancestral guardian had moved closer to him, a presence simultaneously reassuring and imposing. Zaal felt clarity in the words, felt their former mystery unravel. “Xerxis!” Zaal called out. “You must withdraw!” The Cataphracts had engaged the Iosan troops, pushing them back with spears. The toksaa seemed willing to give ground; Zaal suspected they were meant to draw away the warriors around him and Xerxis.
The tyrant looked up at something over Zaal’s shoulder. Even before he turned, he knew. A tall female toksaa moved between the tents with inexorable grace and the swiftness of the wind, her armor the dull white of old bones. She was the one foretold. More assassins followed her. “Go!” Zaal shouted over his shoulder. He heard Xerxis curse in disgust, but the tyrant wheeled his cerops around and urged it into a charge, bellowing a war cry that was echoed by the remaining Cataphracts. If he did not fully withdraw, at least he might escape this noose and reposition. Zaal had done what he could. He would hold the night wind at bay. The four immortals and Xycus moved ahead of Zaal, creating a wall of stony bodies in front of the supreme aptimus. The Iosan warcaster had drawn her weapons, a long curved sword and a short-barreled firearm. She aimed and fired her gun as she ran. It unleashed a sizzling line of blue-white light, and the head of the immortal directly in front of Zaal exploded, pelting the supreme aptimus with shrapnel. The immortal toppled. Zaal summoned his will, focused it, and unleashed his magic at the charging enemies. The hex blast detonated in their midst. The night wind and three of her assassins leapt clear, but two of the attacking Iosans were flung backward, their bodies limp and charred. The spell had blunted the Iosan charge, and they now approached more cautiously, spreading out to avoid being caught by another spell. Zaal took the slight reprieve to bolster the strength of his immortals with protective magic, hardening their already formidable stone bodies. He also reached out to the aradus sentinel moving toward him as he’d commanded it, stoking its rage and then siphoning that energy away to replenish his mystical reservoir. The night wind and her three assassins had engaged the immortals and Xycus. Zaal backed away, hoping the aradus would arrive soon enough to join the battle. In his mind, he felt one of his titans die beneath a hail of rifle fire. The other was sorely wounded, and through its eyes he could see the skorne line buckling.
“Then I will die,” Xerxis said, his face suggesting no alarm.
The clash of steel on stone pulled Zaal back to the battle at hand. The immortals were laying about with their obsidian blades, which the Iosans nimbly avoided as they struck the exalted warriors with their own curved swords, to little effect. Xycus fared better, drawing on centuries of battlefield experience. With a speed and precision that belied his ponderous body, the massive ancestral guardian thrust his glaive forward to skewer an Iosan and then pitched the mortally wounded foe away with a deft flick of the glaive.
“No!” Zaal replied, knowing Xerxis gave the only answer the hoksune code allowed. “You must retreat to the south. Gather what troops you can and smash through the Iosan line. This war has need of you. The supreme archdomina has need of you.”
The night wind showed her own skill, dodging a heavy blow from an immortal, then removing its head with a backhanded slash of her blade. There were only two immortals left, and one of the Iosan assassins dodged around them and charged
Xerxis turned toward him, his face a mask of anger of and confusion. “I will not—” “The ancestors have spoken,” Zaal said. “You will die if you stay here.”
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Xerxis glared at him with the fury of a superior, but Zaal met his eyes and said, “I swear this upon the ancestors we both revere: today I will die, but you must live. Go from here and spend your death where it will buy the most glory for the Skorne Empire.” Zaal could feel the battle behind him growing in intensity, and he could see more of the assassins emerging from the shadows. They had climbed down the cliff face in the darkness, using the noise and distraction of the battle to cover their infiltration.
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straight at Zaal. The supreme aptimus focused his oculus on the onrushing enemy, seeing the Iosan’s spirit, ephemeral but vigorous, shifting within the fleshy confines of his body. Zaal lashed out with a mortitheurgical pulse channeled through the oculus, shredding the assassin’s spiritual essence to drop him lifelessly to the ground. The supreme aptimus nodded in satisfaction. Perhaps Xycus was wrong. Perhaps I will— The thought was annihilated by a cold sliver of agony in his back. He looked down to see the point of an Iosan sword protruding from his chest. As the sword was withdrawn, Zaal transferred the wound to the approaching aradus and felt its anguish as the mortal injury extinguished most of its life force. It would be of no use to him now. Zaal whirled on the assassin, swinging his staff in a wide arc and drawing on his mortitheurgy to lend strength to the blow. The staff cracked the Iosan warrior’s skull like a rotten egg. His attacker fell, but three more were moving from the shadows toward him. He was alone, trapped between two groups of enemies. He needed to give Xerxis as much time as he could, and he channeled another spell, one of his most potent. He cast it upon Xycus, momentarily strengthening the ancestral guardian’s martial prowess tremendously. . . at the cost of its bodily destruction. He flung another hex blast at the new group of assassins, killing one and pushing the rest back. He turned and saw Xycus had killed two Iosans in a blur of black stone and had pinned the night wind down with the aid of the two remaining immortals. Hope awakened within Zaal, but the ancestor’s prophecy would not be denied. The night wind ducked a strike from an immortal, rolled forward away from Xycus, and sprang to her feet. The guardian might have cut her down then, but the spell that had made it so formidable ended and devoured the exalted warrior’s animating energy. Xycus’ body shattered and fell to the ground in multiple chunks. Zaal feel to his knees, the enemy sword still lodged in his body, the night wind’s hands still gripping the hilt. He looked up into her face, alien and graceful, and saw a warrior’s stolid calm. No anger, no hatred, no joy at her victory. This one would likely find some truth in the hoksune. He opened his mouth and blood cascaded down his chin. “Your name?” he said in Iosan, his voice a liquid croak. The night wind’s expression changed for a moment, and Zaal saw surprise register on her face. She put her foot on his chest and yanked her sword free, but he managed to stay upright. “Your . . . name?” he said again, feeling the life force draining from his body along with a river of blood. The Iosan said, “I am Kaelyssa, Night’s Whisper.” Zaal uttered a short, gurgling chuckle. “Of course,” he said in skorne. Behind the Iosan warcaster he saw more assassins moving to join their leader. He could hear the sounds of battle continuing in the distance, and he wondered if Xerxis endured. He still had one more way to help the tyrant. Zaal could feel the essence of Xycus, hale and whole in his sacral stone despite the destruction of his obsidian body. With the last of his strength, Zaal reached out
with his mind toward the stone, focusing his will on the vibrant spark of the skorne soul within it. Then he sent an immense pulse of malignant energy into the stone, shattering it. One final and powerful intentional desecration. Xycus’ spirit became a white-hot mote of rage and fear in Zaal’s mind, and behind him he heard a long, tortured shriek. Xycus was ancient and powerful, his crystalline stone a reservoir for vast accumulated mystical energies. Driven mad by the shattering of his sacral stone, he would seek to deliver only vengeance and death. Kaelyssa jerked her gaze away from Zaal, and her face went white. She backpedaled, shouting at her underlings in Iosan. Where Xycus had been, a huge nebulous form arose amid a cloud of stone and dust, a whirling tornado of baleful green energy. Kaelyssa leapt away from it, but two of her assassins were not as quick. The kovaas lashed out at them, raking talons forming from its spectral mass. They screamed, and their flesh blackened and withered. The corpses that struck the ground were twisted, shrunken things that barely resembled the living creatures they had been. The energy of the kovaas pulsed red and it began to increase in size and ferocity, swirling faster. Zaal felt bitter pride as he watched it rise; such a baneful spirit had not been seen since Lord Tyrant Norvaak’s curse released three great kovaas to destroy half of Halaak. Xycus moved swiftly toward the front lines where the battle was still raging, hungry for more victims. Zaal reached out to the kovaas’ mind, braving the furious storm of hatred to deliver a final message. Kill them all.
He was not yet dead, but death was very near. His mortitheurgical skill had kept his heart beating and his lungs full of air despite his terrible wound, but soon even that would not be enough. The camp was empty of everything but corpses. Zaal crawled among them, pulling his body over the dead, leaving a trail of crimson. He found Sarangerel’s corpse just outside the tent that had belonged to Xerxis. The aptimus’ head was missing and no fewer than eight crossbow bolts jutted from his corpse. Zaal had to be quick. He ran his hands over the body, searching, hoping. He found what he was looking for in an inner pocket. The empty sacral stone was a perfect egg of grey crystal, dull and lifeless. Zaal rolled onto his back, holding the sacral stone to his chest. His mouth was full of blood and his thoughts were ebbing away in a swirl of pain. His vision was dimming. Death would claim him soon—but not the Void. His last coherent thought was part of Xycus’ prophecy. It whispers your destiny.
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T
he Iron Kingdoms abound with people both good and evil, but many others live, survive, and even thrive in the grey shadows between heroics and villainy. Social misfits but not always social outcasts, they make their way through the world any way they can—even if it results in hardship for others. In the end, even scoundrels and sell-swords feel justified in doing what they must to stay alive. These kinds of characters make excellent NPCs—whether as antagonists or allies—for your Iron Kingdoms RPG campaign. ® This time, you'll be reintroduced to a trio of characters you may remember from The Witchfire Trilogy.
Witchfire Rogues Gallery By Josh Colon, Andy Gill, and Tim Simpson • ART by ivan dixon
Draegyn, the Black Bastard The Black Bastard—a nickname Draegyn wears with a certain pride— is a perfect representative of the undesirable elements in Corvis. He is a businessman, manipulative and savvy; he is a politician, balancing disparate parties in Corvis’ hierarchy to ensure everyone’s needs are met—even when they are at cross-purposes; and he is a criminal, willing to double-cross or kill those who threaten to his position and power. In the end, Draegyn’s greatest concern is himself, and he has spent years cultivating the reputation that earned him his nickname.
DRAEGYN: A BRIEF HISTORY Draegyn first arrived in Corvis as a young boy with nothing to rely on but his own wits. He survived as a petty thief, taking what he needed through his skill as a pickpocket and, eventually, as a second-story man. After years of simply scraping by, Draegyn picked the pocket
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of the man who would change his life forever: former mercenary Hamil Bodak, today an influential arms dealer in Corvis. Bodak caught the boy, but instead of killing him decided to train Draegyn as an agent in his illicit dealings within the City of Ghosts. Draegyn came to serve as Bodak’s representative, becoming increasingly esteemed among the city’s criminal element. He also found work as a hired gun with various criminal organizations in Corvis—a sideline Bodak encouraged. The more Draegyn worked among the other gangs of the Undercity, the more detailed information he could provide to his primary employer, Hamil Bodak. Over time Draegyn found his own station enhanced, earning him an even greater role in Bodak’s operations. His skill as a pistoleer and his willingness to kill any who crossed him earned him the moniker “the Black Bastard.” Even hardened thugs knew to proceed cautiously in Draegyn’s presence.
Draegyn didn’t start actively pursuing his own ambitions until the events of the Longest Night of 603 AR, in which Alexia Ciannor attacked Corvis with a horde of undead. Draegyn was in the process of obtaining information from a competitor of Bodak’s when both were attacked by thralls, which Draegyn dispatched with considerable effort. In gratitude, Bodak’s competitor not only gave Draegyn the information he needed but also said he owed Draegyn a favor. It would be only the first of many such favors Draegyn would accumulate. Corvis was later overrun by an invading army of skorne, led by none other than Vinter Raelthorne IV, the dethroned king of Cygnar. With their alien presence in Corvis, most of the populace’s efforts centered on how to avoid attention or get out of the city alive. During the invasion, Vinter’s agents—the inquisitors—combed the city in search of any potential threats to Vinter’s conquest. After Alexia Ciannor’s second undead army, the Legion of Lost Souls, defeated the skorne and forced Vinter to flee the city, Draegyn’s business gradually returned to normal. He soon crossed paths with Lorimer Kex, a disgraced member of Corvis’ Fraternal Order of Wizardry and a collaborator of the Inquisition, now seeking the Black Bastard’s help in escaping the city. It was an easy choice to refuse the renegade arcanist, as the Fraternal Order of Wizardry and the city watch were both hunting Kex. Draegyn and Bodak made no attempts to help Kex, leaving him to his own devices. Draegyn continued working for Bodak while using his connections to set up his own business within the Undercity, and Bodak supported Draegyn’s ambitions as long as they didn’t interfere with his own dealings. Meanwhile, Bodak’s operations grew quickly, requiring his presence away from Corvis for extended periods of time, and the one person he could trust to oversee his ongoing work was the Black Bastard. As the premier information broker in Corvis, Draegyn has expanded his power and organization tremendously in the past few years. While a major player in his own right, he still works as Bodak’s right-hand man. He has consolidated his own power and position and is considered by many to be Bodak’s peer rather than his subordinate. Still, Draegyn remembers well the gutters Hamil Bodak pulled him up from, and he treats the man with a deep and unwavering respect. Draegyn’s penchant for discovering and exploiting a person’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities has even reached into the Corvis legislature and the city watch. Several important families are now in Draegyn’s employ, allowing him influence over much of the city‘s infrastructure. The Khadoran occupation of Llael has only increased opportunities for the Black Bastard, both among Llaelese refugees and the Cygnaran military. As there is now a major garrison stationed at Corvis, putting strain on local supplies, Draegyn has set himself up to provide beleaguered refugees and city officials much-needed resources. Most have no idea what Draegyn’s assistance will truly cost them—or how long it will take to repay it. With his leverage in Corvis larger than ever, the Black Bastard will exploit this however he sees fit.
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draegyn
OUT IN THE WORLD
Skills: Name Stat Rank Stat + Rank Bribery SOC 2 Command SOC 2 Deception SOC 2 Detection PER 3 Gambling PER 2 Pistol POI 2 Sneak AGL 2 Streetwise PER 3 PHYSIQUE
PHY 6
SPEED
SPD 7
STRENGTH
STR 5
AGILITY
AGL 5
PROWESS
PRW 4
POISE
POI 5
INTELLECT
INT 5
ARCANE
ARC —
PERCEPTION
PER 4
repeating pistol
rat Rng AOE POW 7 10 — 10 Abilities: Replacing this weapon’s ammo wheel requires a quick action.
holdout pistol
rat Rng AOE POW 8 4 — 8 Wrist-Spring Holster: The character can draw this weapon without spending a quick action.
INITIATIVE
INIT 15
DEFENSE DEF 15 (Armored Great Coat -1) ARMOR ARM 11 (Armored Great Coat +5) WILLPOWER
1
2
WILL 11
AGILITY
PHYS
3 ECT
IQ
TE
5
I
N
6
4
LL
U
E
Command Range: 7 Base Size: small Encounter Points: 20 Equipment: Ammo bandolier, armored great coat, holdout pistol, repeating pistol, wristspring holster
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* * * 7 6 7 6 7
Abilities: Conniver – The character is wellskilled in the arts of deception. The character can reroll failed Bribery and Deception-based social skill rolls. Each roll can be rerolled only once as a result of Conniver. Dodger – When this character is missed by an enemy attack, he can immediately advance up to 2˝ after the attack is resolved unless he was missed while advancing. He cannot be targeted by free strikes during this movement. Fast Draw – A character with this skill gains +2 on initiative rolls. He also gains an additional quick action during his first turn of combat each encounter that can be used only to draw a weapon. Feat Points – This character starts each encounter with 3 feat points. He is allocated 1 feat point at the start of each of his turns. He can only have up to 3 feat points at a time. Feat: Flawless Timing – The character can spend 1 feat point to use this benefit during his turn. When he uses Flawless Timing, the character names an enemy. The next time that enemy directly hits him with an attack that encounter, the attack is instead considered to be a miss. Feat: Quick Thinking – Once per round, the character can spend 1 feat point to make one attack or quick action at the start of another character’s turn. Gunfighter – The character does not suffer a –4 penalty on ranged attack rolls with pistols or carbines while engaged. Intellectual – This character and allies in this character’s command range gain +1 to attack and damage rolls. Street Shadow – This character gains an additional die on Sneak rolls while in populated urban environments.
PCs working in or around Corvis could have dealings with Draegyn, the Black Bastard, either as paid informants or unwitting pawns in one of his schemes. Draegyn is always on the lookout for talented individuals he can hire or coerce into doing his dirty work. Once Draegyn has his hooks in someone, he rarely lets them go without a fight, and the Black Bastard is not known for fighting fair. Draegyn may be a bastard, but he does operate with a code. If PCs are working for him and don’t betray him, he treats them well and rewards them for their hard work and loyalty. Business is not personal, but betrayals of what little trust he extends can classify a person as an enemy of his widespread criminal network. Draegyn prefers to work through intermediaries and proxies whenever possible—much as he once worked as Bodak’s proxy—but those who remain in his employ are sure to eventually meet the Black Bastard face to face. If PCs cross him, Draegyn prefers to let a thug or hired cutthroat do his dirty work for him, but he will address the problem firsthand if he must. PCs will rarely, if ever, see Draegyn outside of Corvis. He is well protected within the city, and all his needs are met there. Even if the skorne were to return or another nation were to invade the city, he would almost certainly remain. That brand of chaos would simply create new opportunities for him to exploit. Should Draegyn have critical information or resources the PCs need, obtaining it won’t be as simple as paying a sack of coin. Characters might actually find it easier to work through Hamil Bodak’s organization to reach Draegyn than to approach him directly. Through his spies and guttersnipes, Draegyn has eyes everywhere. Once he knows the PCs are talented and possess abilities he can use, he will go to great lengths to keep them in his sphere of influence, taking over contracts they have established with other groups in the city, putting pressure on them through corrupt watchmen or smaller gangs over which he holds sway, or possibly even outright threatening them into working for him. The PCs should be careful when dealing with Draegyn’s part of the underworld. While he can provide them with opportunities as an employer, he also makes a powerful enemy. The wrong side of the Black Bastard is a place few survive for long.
THE WITCHFIRE OTHERS While Draegyn has a history with Lorimer Kex, he has classified it as a minor incident—but one he hasn’t forgotten. He is always aware of business relationships that were fraught with tension, and he would not be caught off guard if the arcanist came looking for payback over Draegyn’s unwillingness to help him escape the city. Seth Alkot, on the other hand, is someone Draegyn has found to be a reliable resource, and he finds the monster hunter to be useful in a handful of different roles—guide, hunter, and assassin. On the other hand, he knows Alkot has some shortcomings. Draegyn is aware that Alkot once hunted Kex, and his failure to bring down the arcanist is what ultimately convinced Draegyn to elevate his opinion of Kex and view Alkot’s skills in a slightly diminished light. (Tim Simpson)
Seth Alkot, Monster Hunter Grim Shadow, Hoof-Breaker, and Tusk-Taker—just a few of the names the farrow tribes of northeastern Cygnar have for the man who has hunted down many of their most vicious warriors and bloodthirsty chieftains. For Seth Alkot, this isn’t a mission of cold vengeance or mindless rage but one of bringing justice to a cruel world. Most believe the aged monster hunter has chosen a life of reckless danger in the face of terrible odds, but Seth Alkot has managed to survive alone in the wilds for over two decades despite unforgiving conditions and countless predators. Seth Alkot has given up all hope of a normal life, vowing to spend whatever time he may have left on Caen to honor the loved ones he lost by ensuring no other innocents fall prey to a particular strain of violence and greed: that of farrow brigands and marauders.
SETH ALKOT: A BRIEF HISTORY In his youth, Seth Alkot was a scout in the Cygnaran Reconnaissance Service assigned to the 17th Blue Specters, a team of rangers patrolling the wilds of Cygnar. He spent time on extended missions that saw him distinguished on many occasions but also kept him away from his beloved wife Ilya for months at a time. This changed in 580 AR, when Ilya gave birth to Seth’s daughter Liara, prompting him to retire from military service. Soon after, Seth found work with a fledgling caravan guild traveling between Fort Falk and Corvis. During one of these trips in 583 AR, the caravan was attacked by farrow raiders of the Korhoof tribe. Alkot had brought his wife and daughter along to attend a festival in Corvis, and he fought desperately against the savage attackers with his entire family at stake. By the battle’s end, the farrow had slaughtered everyone except Seth, whom they left for dead. His immeasurable grief fueling his will, the former ranger dragged himself back to civilization as a changed man. Alkot was able to keep the demons at bay only by hunting the farrow who destroyed his world. After several weeks of relentless tracking, Alkot ambushed the Korhoof warband, though several the tribe’s foremost warriors managed to escape his carefully planned slaughter. Alkot vowed to remain in the wild until the Korhoof tribe and all other bloodthirsty farrow in the region were destroyed. This obsession led him into countless battles in the Northern Midlunds over the next two decades, combatting not only farrow tribes but also powerful beasts and even other intelligent races such as bogrin. Over time, Seth Alkot’s one-man war against the farrow became infamous among the savage peoples of the wilds. The Korhoof tribe had spent years conquering weaker farrow tribes in an attempt to gain dominance in the region, and Alkot’s persistent attacks undermined their successes. Finally, as the Korhoof’s influence began to falter, their chieftain initiated a final bid for glory. Gathering his surviving allies, the chieftain prepared to march on Corvis through the surrounding swamps and into the Undercity, where scavenged barrels of blasting powder would blow a hole to the surface for an attack on the city itself. Alkot learned of this plan through one of his gobber contacts, and though he knew the farrow could never take the city, he vowed they wouldn’t do to any other family what they had done to his.
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seth alkot PHYSIQUE
PHY 7
Skills:
SPEED
SPD 6
Name Stat Rank Stat + Rank
STRENGTH
STR 5
AGILITY
AGL 4
PROWESS
PRW 5
Climbing AGL 2 Craft (skinner) INT 2 Craft (leatherworking) INT 2 Detection PER 2 Hand Weapon PRW 3 Lore (Ex. Zoology) INT 3 Rifle POI 3 Sneak AGL 2 Survival PER 3 Tracking PER 3
POISE
POI 5
INTELLECT
INT 4
ARCANE
ARC —
PERCEPTION
PER 5
scattergun
rat Rng AOE POW 8 10 — 12 Scope: +3 RNG on turns this character forfeits movement to aim. Frangible Rounds: While loaded with frangible rounds, this weapon gains Critical Brutal Damage. (On a critical hit, gain an additional die on this weapon’s damage roll against the target directly hit).
MAT POW P+S 8 3 8 Abilities: Gain +1 on Craft (skinner) skill rolls
INIT 16
DEFENSE DEF 14 (Armor Great Coat -1) ARMOR ARM 12 (Armor Great Coat +5) WILLPOWER
1
2
WILL 11
AGILITY
PHYS
3 ECT
IQ
TE
5
I
N
6
4
LL
U
E
Command Range: 4 Base Size: small Encounter Points: 23 Equipment: Armored great coat, Boar Hunter (repeating heavy carbine), 30 cased light rounds, 10 cased light frangible rounds, 2d6+10 gc
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Abilities: Animosity (Farrow) – The character gains +2 on damage rolls against characters of the listed type. The character rolls 1 fewer die on non-Intimidation social skill rolls made against characters of the listed type. Camouflage – The character gains an additional +2 DEF when benefitting from concealment or cover. Fast Reload – The character gains one extra quick action each turn that can be used only to reload a ranged weapon. Feat Points – This character starts each encounter with 3 feat points. He is allocated 1 feat point at the start of each of his turns. He can only have up to 3 feat points at a time. Hunting Ground (Mountain) – This character gains +2 to Sneak and Tracking skill rolls while in the listed environment. Pathfinder – The character can move over rough terrain without penalty. Skilled – This character gains an additional attack during his activation phase if he chooses to attack that turn.
gutting knife
INITIATIVE
6 6 6 7 8 7 8 6 8 8
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Survivalist – This character can reroll failed Survival rolls. Each failed roll can be rerolled only once as a result of Survivalist. Targeteer – When the character hits with a ranged attack, he chooses the branch of the target’s life spiral or the column of the target’s damage grid that is hit, if applicable. Traceless Path – Though he can move at only half his usual rate of speed while using this ability, either on foot or horseback, anyone attempting to follow his trail has +3 added to his skill roll target number. Tough – When this character is disabled, roll a d6. On a 5 or 6, the character heals 1 vitality point, is no longer disabled, and is knocked down.
Alkot gathered a small but powerful fighting force comprised primarily of swamp gobbers, to whom he promised all scavenged farrow weapons. As the farrow marched through the swamps, they found themselves set upon by Alkot and his allies. The farrow fell in swaths long before reaching the city. Once again several members of the Korhoof tribe were able to escape, this time fleeing south to the mountains. Though wounded, Alkot left his gobber allies behind to follow them into the Dragonspine Peaks where, at long last, Alkot destroyed the final remnants of the tribe. In the aftermath of this battle, Alkot sought shelter in a cave to recover from his wounds, where he came upon a discarded journal, one he eventually gave to a group of mercenaries. This would prove invaluable in finding the Tomb of Lost Souls and saving Corvis from Vinter Raelthorne’s skorne invasion of 603 AR. His family avenged, Seth decided to return to Corvis. Tales of his exploits had spread, and after his reintroduction to civilization, his skills as a guide and monster hunter were in high demand. Eventually, his reputation began to attract all manner of powerful and at times unseemly clients within the city. One of these was the notorious pistoleer Draegyn, the Black Bastard. Over the years, Draegyn has used Seth Alkot’s skills in a variety of ways, employing him to lead smugglers in and out of the city through the surrounding swamplands or to provide information about local wilderness tribes. Alkot is known to sell his services to the other side of the law just as frequently, however, such as when he helped the Fraternal Order of Wizardry track the arcanist and Vinter loyalist Lorimer Kex through the Corvis Undercity—one of the few times the tracker failed to catch his prey. While serving as a monster hunter and guide for an expedition out of Corvis University in 606 AR, Alkot encountered a farrow warbeast unlike any he had seen previously—one with mechanikal limbs and other enhancements. He soon learned these warbeasts were employed by a growing army of
farrow known as the Thornfall Alliance. With renewed purpose, Alkot began selling his services as a mercenary to any military organization looking to battle this new threat. He vowed to assassinate the Thornfall leaders, hoping to destroy their power structure and force the allied tribes to return to their primal, disorganized ways. Ultimately, he knows he is unlikely to ever achieve this goal—but Seth Alkot will continue to put bullets in farrow skulls until he is reunited with his wife and daughter in Urcaen.
OUT IN THE WORLD Seth Alkot is an experienced monster hunter who has dedicated himself to eradicating any and all violent and aggressive farrow. Any PCs who ally with farrow, especially members of the Thornfall Alliance, may find themselves on the wrong end of his carbine, Boar Hunter. Over the years, Alkot has learned a great deal about the many cultures of the wilds, and he often works alongside members of various wild races to achieve his goals. Given his background, Seth will treat any PCs with connections to the Cygnaran military amicably. He will not personally work with farrow party members, whom he treats with either quiet disdain or outright hostility, but neither will he attack them outright. Any farrow Alkot interacts with is regarded as a disposable resource to be observed closely. At any sign of such a character threatening innocents, Alkot will shoot that character down without hesitation.
THE WITCHFIRE OTHERS Seth Alkot considers himself a loner—his relationship with Draegyn is one of mutual benefit, not one of friendship or even shared goals. Alkot has, in fact, rejected certain jobs Draegyn offered him in the past because Draegyn wanted some of his own people involved in the job. Alkot does not feel beholden to the Black Bastard, despite Draegyn’s powerful position in the underworld of Corvis. Lorimer Kex, however, has earned a grudging respect from the monster hunter for successfully evading capture. Once the hunt for Kex was called off, Alkot remained attentive to any rumors he heard about the mad arcanist. While he is no longer interested in capturing or killing Kex, he would certainly like to understand more about the rare target who evaded him.
LORIMER KEX: A BRIEF HISTORY Once a member of the Fraternal Order of Wizardry, Lorimer Kex's notoriety rose when he served as a collaborator with Vinter Raelthorne’s second Inquisition during the early days of 603 AR. In the weeks leading up to the skorne attack on Corvis, Kex handed over many rival arcanists to Vinter’s agents in the city, falsely accusing them of acts of rebellion. Once these arcanists were locked away, he sought them out solely to taunt them, outlining his grand plan to leverage his loyalty and the elimination of powerful dissenters into a position of authority when Vinter reclaimed the throne. His rivals were tortured and many were brutally killed by Vinter’s inquisitors and the skorne paingivers, much to Kex’s satisfaction. In the aftermath of the Battle of Corvis, the inquisitors and paingivers were forced to abandon their strongholds within the city, leaving their prisoners behind. Among the survivors were several Kex had betrayed, and because of his megalomaniacal boasting, these newly released arcanists identified him as their accuser. He soon found himself wanted for treason, hunted not only by the city watch but by a special task force recruited by the Fraternal Order of Wizardry. After laying low in the Undercity for several days, Kex sought out the notorious gangster Draegyn for help. Draegyn was well aware of Kex’s situation, as one of his own informants was a part of the force the Fraternal Order had formed to capture the arcanist. Draegyn understood aiding Lorimer would attract too much of the wrong kind of attention, and he refused the fugitive. Kex had little choice but to make a desperate run for the city gates. In the dead of night, he crept out of his hiding place in the Undercity. Though the watch identified him as he attempted to flee Corvis, he used his magic to defeat several guards and escape without pursuit. He then made his way to Ternon Crag, where the Vinter loyalist Asheth Magnus was said to reside.
(Josh Colon)
When at last Kex met Magnus, the outlaw warcaster refused to help the arcanist directly. Magnus did, however, profess to know the location of a skorne outpost in the Bloodstone Marches where he suggested Kex might find sanctuary among the remnants of Vinter’s forces—and, if he played his cards right, where he might even gain an audience with Vinter Raelthorne himself.
Lorimer Kex, The Mad Arcanist
Kex made his way into the hostile desert, following the retreating skorne force. After weeks in the harsh wastes, he was taken in by a skorne patrol—though as a prisoner, not an ally. He pleaded with his captors to speak of him to the man they knew as the Conqueror, a man he thought would spare him, but his protests were ignored. Instead, the skorne treated him as a font of information they could exploit as they devised a new plan of attack.
At one time, Lorimer Kex was part of a proud order of arcanists, driven by a desire to rise above them all. Yet his betrayal of that order, combined with his arrogant assumption that his loyalty to a fallen king would pave his way to power, led him to become who he is now: a madman plagued by a single-minded vision of vengeance at any cost. Kex’s time among the skorne and his fortuitous escape from them has brought him full circle, back the western Immoren, and stripped him of his loyalty to Vinter Raelthorne. His only loyalty now is to himself.
Kex found himself subjected to the paingivers’ arts as they tortured him for information regarding Corvis. Through a combination of chemical concoctions and paingiver’s barbs, they nullified his magical ability and eventually broke his mind. He became an empty shell, telling his captors anything and everything he thought they might want to know. The process took years—every bit of information was squeezed from him until the paingivers at last decided he had provided all he knew and forced Kex into slavery.
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While enslaved, Kex’s fantasies of revenge bloomed. He imagined caving in the skulls of the task masters, slaughtering all who stood in his way as he returned to Corvis to reap his terrible vengeance against the arcanists of the Order. Kex’s fantasies soon became plans, and as his plans became more intricately detailed and insanely precise, Kex was at last able to find a secret means of overcoming the magic-nullifying concoctions forced upon him by the skorne. He then killed his skorne master with a blast of his newly returned magic and fled into the Bloodstone Marches. Now covered in scars, partially lamed, and nigh unrecognizable, Lorimer Kex has returned to Corvis for revenge against all who have wronged him.
OUT IN THE WORLD Kex might contact the PCs to enlist their aid if he becomes aware of their capabilities. He relates a false version of his flight from Corvis and years of torture and slavery, blaming his downfall on false accusations made against him by jealous arcanists of the Order. If the PCs believe his story, he requests their help in his plans of revenge. Eventually the PCs should discover the truth of what happened between Kex and the Order, at which point the arcanist will turn on them. Similarly, if Kex ever feels the PCs might betray him or are in some way endangering his plans, he won’t hesitate to betray them. Kex may begin his interaction with the PCs as a villain. Draegyn might ask the players to eliminate Kex before the mad arcanist decides to take vengeance against him. Similarly, Commander Helstrom or agents of the Order might ask the PCs to investigate a series of murders in which arcanists were the victims. Investigation into the victims will reveal all were survivors of the Inquisition. If the Game Master is looking for a more personal connection to the PCs, an NPC they had previously met might make an excellent victim of Kex’s vengeance. Ultimately, Lorimer Kex is interested in one thing only: revenge. He has a long list of people he wants to kill, but his biggest targets— those he feels are the cause of his years of torture and slavery—are the survivors of the Inquisition. He will view the PCs as allies in gaining his vengeance or as enemies who need to be destroyed before they jeopardize his schemes.
THE WITCHFIRE OTHERS Kex’s relationships with Draegyn and Seth Alkot are at best indifferent. Kex hasn’t forgotten Draegyn’s refusal to help him in Kex’s hour of need, but he has also learned to pick his battles—he would rather have Draegyn as an ally than an enemy, giving him a resource in the shadows of Corvis. But if he senses Draegyn feels threatened by him, he’ll use that to his advantage, his mind again turning to revenge. As for Seth Alkot, Kex is aware of his existence and his skills, but he has no knowledge that Alkot was previously employed by the Fraternal Order of Wizardry to hunt for Kex himself. So, should Alkot express any openness to hunting arcanists, skorne, or fallen kings, Kex would be interested in working with him, unaware that their paths nearly crossed before under less pleasant circumstances. (Andy Gill)
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lorimer kex PHYSIQUE
PHY 6
Skills:
SPEED
SPD 6
Name Stat Rank Stat + Rank
STRENGTH
STR 5
Cryptography INT 2 Deception SOC 2 Disguise INT 1 Lore (history) INT 2 Research INT 2 Sneak AGL 2 Streetwise PER 1 Survival PER 1
AGILITY
AGL 4
PROWESS
PRW 4
POISE
POI 4
INTELLECT
INT 4
ARCANE
ARC 5
PERCEPTION
PER 4
dagger
MAT POW P+S 5 1 6 INITIATIVE
INIT 14
DEFENSE DEF 12 (Custom Armor -2) ARMOR ARM 12 (Custom Armor +6) WILLPOWER
WILL 10
Spells: SPELL NAME COST RNG AOE POW UP OFF Arcane Bolt
2
PHYS
3 ECT
IQ
4
I
N
5
TE
LL
U
6
12
—
11 No Yes
Aura of Protection
2 SELF CTRL — Yes No
While in the spellcaster’s control area, friendly characters gain +2 ARM. Death Field
4 SELF
*
— No No
The spellcaster gains Dark Shroud. While within eighteen feet (3˝) of the spellcaster, friendly characters also gain Dark Shroud. (While in the melee range of a character with Dark Shroud, enemy characters suffer –2 ARM). Death Field lasts for one turn. 2
6 — — yes No
This character gains stealth and +3 on his Sneak rolls.
AGILITY
E
2
Magical bolts of energy streak toward the target.
occultation
1
6 * 5 6 6 6 5 5
Zephyr
3
6 — — No No
Target character can immediately advance up to 5˝. A character can be affected by Zephyr only once per round.
Abilities: Excruciator – The character does not suffer the effects of crippled aspects. Feat Points – This character starts each encounter with 1 feat point. He is allocated 1 feat point at the start of each of his turns. He can only have up to 1 feat point at a time. Great Power – This character can upkeep one spell each turn without spending a focus point or gaining a fatigue point.
Command Range: 4
Iron Will – The character can reroll failed Willpower rolls. Each roll can be rerolled only once as a result of Iron Will.
Base Size: small Encounter Points: 14
Shadow Play – This character can spend a feat point to use Shadow Play for one round. While using Shadow Play, this character’s spells produce no spell runes.
Equipment:
Will Weaver – This character is a will weaver.
Somnolence elixer (5), traveling clothes
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QUICK SHOT SCENARIO ®
1 AR
The Synthesis of Rebellion By michael g. ryan and michael sanbeg Art by chippy, alberto dal lago, luis gama, marcel mercado, and brian snoddy • Map by hugo solis The following Quick Shot Scenario takes place in the year that will eventually be known as 1 AR, at the height of Orgoth power in western Immoren—and when the roots of rebellion were beginning to grow. Due to the differences between the modern world represented in Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy and Iron Kingdoms Unleashed and that of these events now six centuries past, players should not use their existing characters. This scenario takes place before the advent of firearms, warcasters, mechanika, and other staples of the modern age. Each player is encouraged to use one of the pregenerated characters designed for this scenario or to discuss with the Game Master which careers are appropriate for the game. These pregenerated characters, the adventure’s villains, encounter maps, and a scale map of the Orgoth fortress are available for download at privateerpress.com/no-quarter/web-extras/no-quarter-60. Though the true Rebellion has yet to begin, the inhabitants of western Immoren have long resisted their brutal Orgoth overlords. But now the Orgoth suspect a true uprising is coming, and they mean to stop it with brutal efficiency by creating unead creatures called dread out of certain locals and using those dread as terrifying enforcers, thus sparing Orgoth soldiers for battle instead of crowd control. Each PC has already been captured for acts of rebellion and awaits torture and certain death—or worse.
Players, Beware!
The Orgoth were notoriously cruel, but they reserved their most severe punishments for players who read ahead in a scenario their Game Master planned to run. Unless you’re interested in meeting an excruciator head-on, don’t spoil the surprise for yourself.
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The Orgoth Fortress The fortress contains a torture facility for an Orgoth excruciator, some of whose victims are converted to dread to serve under the command of an Orgoth captain, Ryark VI, in quelling a potential uprising among the nearby populace. The walls of most chambers and passageways are roughly carved from the cavern’s stone. Their walls are not entirely flat but run relatively even and straight. Many others are more natural, with ceilings anywhere from 7 to 10 feet above the ground. The walls of all the various chambers and tunnels are perpetually damp and streaked with mineral deposits. With a few exceptions, noted in the individual area descriptions, the floors of both the carved and natural areas have been paved with wide, flat stones. The fortress’ halls are lit with torches racked on the walls at irregular intervals. Areas within 18 feet (3˝) of a torch or fire are bright light, and there are patches of dim light between most of the torches. PCs gain +2 to their Sneak rolls against most characters while within dimly lit areas, but note that warwitches can see perfectly in even complete darkness. A torch can be pulled from the wall sconces to serve as a source of light. A carried torch produces bright light up to 18 feet (3˝) and dim light up to 36 feet (6˝). A torch can be used as an improvised hand weapon with POW 1 and a –2 attack modifier. On a critical hit, the target suffers the Fire continuous effect. Most of the various doors stand open, with the exception of those leading to the Armory (Area 5) and Captain Ryark’s Quarters (Area 6).
Wandering Patrols Fortunately for the PCs, most of the Orgoth stationed within the fort are occupied fighting off an Immorese attack throughout this adventure. There is always the chance that PCs might encounter someone passing through the halls, however. Such patrols are not intended as random battles but as potential threats to avoid. The Game Master should employ these encounters to encourage PCs to use stealth—they’re best used when the PCs have a place to hide. If the PCs make too much noise during their escape, such as trying to chop down a locked door, fight a guard, or shatter a series of wooden chests, roll a d6 immediately and assume the Orgoth indicated overheard the disturbance and set out in search of its source. Any Orgoth arrive one game round after the disturbance. Roll
1–2 3–4 5 6+
Encounter
Scene 1 The adventure begins with the characters imprisoned in the Jail of the Orgoth fortress. They have been beaten unconscious, stripped of their weapons and equipment (with the possible exception of hidden thieves’ tools), and brought through the wilderness beyond the city of Corvis. Left to the care of an Orgoth torturer, all seems lost—until a sudden attack as rebels fall upon the fortress en masse, trying to liberate key members of their rebellion also within the fortress. Note that while the following scenes contain specific rooms in the fortress, the players may choose to investigate them in no particular order. Still, the conditions within the fort evolve over the course of the adventure. After every three to four new rooms the PCs explore, see what new conditions apply to the following scene. Each PC regains consciousness at roughly the same time, though characters can awaken one by one based on PHY stats, with the highest PHY characters rousing first.
Area 1: The Jail The Jail is a 20 x 30 foot rectangular room carved into the stone. Small alcoves line the perimeter of this room, barely tall enough for a man of average height to stand, and a pair of manacles hangs from the upper rear wall of each alcove. Each of the PCs is locked in one alcove, and NPC prisoners currently occupy two others. Read or paraphrase aloud the following: You slowly regain consciousness, aware that you no longer in your home or in your own village, uncertain if you’re even in your own world anymore. Your hands are manacled to the back wall in a black stone alcove like a vertical casket. Moans around you suggest you’re not the only one to awaken in a chamber that stinks of spoiled blood—a place that may be the last room you’ll ever see. The door to the chamber opens, and two men stand the torchlight beyond— one wears the long grey robe and distinctive metal mask, twisted into a scream, of an excruciator. The other wears armor that marks him as a captain in the Orgoth army. Broad-shouldered and a head taller than most men, the captain wears no helm and carries no shield. He’s armed with a long dagger on his belt and a massive sword across his back. A thin scar runs along the left side of his face, narrowly missing his eye. He speaks to the excruciator in a tongue the Orgoth reserve to intimidate those whose fates are in the hands of the conquerors. It mixes the native Orgoth language with key words you can understand. “Dismember.” “Flay.” “Dread.”
No Encounter
“All,” the excruciator responds so you will understand him.
1 Orgoth Soldier
The captain nods curtly at the excruciator, gives you one last hateful glare, then leaves the chamber.
2 Orgoth Soldiers Orgoth Lieutenant and 1 Orgoth Soldier
The excruciator scans the walls, clearly meeting not just your stare but those of the other prisoners as well. “You look like other people who died
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in these rooms,” he says. He begins to remove a pair of curved metal shears from his belt. They are bloodstained. “Your parents, some of them. Your children, the others. Their souls’ hearts are now in our keeping. They screamed, your families, they begged. They did not know about Iron Fellowship. But you do. I know you do. And you do not need your hands and arms to tell me. So. First your amputation, then my questions. Then, the next amputation. Just to be sure you tell the truth.” Excruciator Aexon, an Orgoth torturer charged with extracting information from captives, is cruel and merciless. He reveals his name if asked and speaks calmly with the PCs. Everything he says is designed to weaken their resolve and remind them of the hopelessness of their situation and of the agonies awaiting them. He uses terms that describe pain, horror, and physical violence. As the excruciator moves across the chamber toward the PCs, a tremendous alchemical explosion from just outside causes the entire cavern to tremble. Bits of stone crumble from the walls and ceiling, raining down on the excruciator. The fortress is under attack by rebels seeking to free the PCs’ fellow captives, though even the prisoners in question are not aware of that fact. Read or paraphrase aloud the following: “Your rebels. The Iron Fellowship,” the excruciator says, cocking his head as if to listen; the twisted face of his mask continues to stare at you despite the gesture. “They come to save you? Well, if that is so, then you must see them. And you will. I promise. But they will dread seeing you.” The excruciator turns his attention to one of the room’s two previous prisoners, who attempts to struggle free as the excruciator unlocks him. The torturer easily overpowers the man, weakened from neglect and confinement, and drags him toward the chamber door. As they move, the prisoner reaches for the excruciator’s mask, but there’s a snicking sound— and the prisoner’s forearm suddenly lies on the floor in an expanding trail of blood. As the now-screaming prisoner is dragged away by his torturer, his dismembered limb twitches, the fingers tightening then loosening, and you can see something metallic gripped in the dismembered hand. The door to the next chamber slams shut and the lock’s tumblers fall. Excruciator Aexon remains in the Interrogation Room (Area 2) for about an hour, during which time the PCs can question the remaining prisoner, a man named Renwald Corley, and attempt to break free while listening to the screams of the torturer’s current victim. Renwald reluctantly admits membership to a rebellious group known as the Iron Fellowship, which the PCs have heard of, and confesses involvement in last year’s pivotal uprising in Fharin. He was brought to Ryark, the captain who just left the PCs in the excruciator’s hands. Renwald shares important information if the PCs deal with him respectfully: he has heard of a secret escape route somewhere at the far end of the cavern. He does not know what area it is in. If asked where he acquired this knowledge, the prisoner nods toward the interrogation room. “That dead one,” he says.
He then says something to the PCs that he refuses to explain: “Kerwin’s Oath and Golden Order?” Regardless of what the PCs say in response to this, he stops talking, only claiming that to say more is certain death for everyone.
Getting Free There are several methods to escape the manacles, one of which depends on the party’s composition: • If Ghort is with the group, the Orgoth failed to notice thief’s tools concealed up his sleeve. He is able to draw them out one-handed by making a POI roll against a target of 10. If the roll succeeds, he can attempt to pick the manacle locks with a Lock Picking roll against a target of 14. If either roll fails, he drops the picks at his feet. If Ghort is not in the group, Scarlata Drastini has thief’s tools instead. • Any character can make an Escape Artist roll against a target of 19 to free himself from one manacle per successful roll. The Orgoth manacles are barbed along the outer edges to dissuade such escape attempts. For each failed roll an attempting character suffers d3+1 damage points. • The explosion that rocked the fortress loosened the stone around a single manacle chain trapping one character— the Game Master should choose which PC’s manacles are weakened. This character can pull the chain loose from the wall by making a STR roll against a target of 15. If the roll succeeds, the character pulls the stone free from the wall, though it is still attached to that character’s manacle. When the excruciator returns to the jail, not having expected any of the PCs to freed themselves, he does not notice such a change if the PCs take any reasonable measure to hide it. A PC armed with the loose chain can wield it as a POW 1 Hand Weapon with a –1 Attack Modifier. If the excruciator is attacked on his return, even if the attack misses, he is surprised and stumbles into range of a one or two other PCs, who can then attempt to disable him. Though their arms are shackled, the PCs may kick at the excruciator or attempt to grapple him. A character grappling the excruciator can also attempt a chokehold against him by making a successful Unarmed melee attack followed by contested STR rolls each round. If a PC can maintain the hold for 3 rounds, the excruciator is knocked out. The excruciator has keys on his belt that can be retrieved with a successful AGL roll against a target of 12.
A character who frees himself from the manacles enough to move around the room can investigate the severed limb. The hand clutches a key made of black stone of Orgoth manufacture, carved with a wailing face. This key opens any lock it is pressed to, though it emits a short, terrifying scream each time. If the PCs do not escape their manacles before the excruciator returns for one of them, he picks up the key himself and snaps it in half. If a PC uses it, the key screams and alerts the excruciator to the escape attempt. One round after he is alerted, the excruciator calls out, summoning 2 Orgoth soldiers to deal with the PCs as he escapes the Interrogation Room. If he does so, he runs to the Corpse Pit (Area 4) to join his apprentice.
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Area 2: The Interrogation Room Two things happen in this room beyond the simple torture of prisoners. First, blood is collected that is used to quench fellblades in the Smithy (Area 14). Second, victims are prepared for conversion to dread—undead soldiers Captain Ryark plans to wield against the increasingly rebellious slave population. This involves flaying flesh (performed in this location) and severing arms at the elbow; from here, victims are taken to the Chamber of Awakening to have their living heart encased in boiling metal, their flesh studded with armored plates, and their forearms replaced with weapons.
If the excruciator successfully transfers a PC from the jail, he shackles the PC to the wall and begins to torture that character by cutting away strips of the character’s flesh. Initially, the excruciator does not ask any questions. He divides his attention between the NPC captive and the PC in the room, torturing each character for one half-hour at a time. When the questions begin, they focus on the roots of the uprising in Fharin, a rebellion the Orgoth believe is growing, which the PCs likely know nothing about. After each hour with any one character, the victim loses 1 PHY. If a subject is reduced to 0 PHY, he dies. Lost PHY returns over time, but not during the course of this adventure. At the Game Master’s discretion, a character tortured in this way automatically receives Battle Scars.
Manacles hang from the upper walls around the perimeter of this room, each above a shallow indentation carved in the floor, red-stained and scattered with scraps of cleanly stripped flesh in twisted shreds. Blood channels lead from each of these areas
If all of the PCs are locked up in the Interrogation Room, the Game Master should provide a circumstance similar to those presented in Scene 2 to allow them to free themselves. Otherwise, the adventure ends here.
Area 3: Main Barracks Overcoming the Excruciator
If the PCs miss their opportunity to strangle Excruciator Aexon in the jail and instead engage him in melee in the Interrogation Room, he uses his torture instruments to defend himself. Aexon is a formidable combatant and does not hesitate to battle a single PC. If he is forced to face multiple opponents, however, he attempts to escape and summon help from any soldiers he can find outside the main doors or within the Entry Hall. Of interest should a PC search him, either here or in the Corpse Pit, Aexon carries a tattered list of names, most of which are scratched off. Only one name remains: Grenaldt.
This large, natural cavern serves as the fortress’ primary barracks. A small chest stands at the foot of each bed. If PCs search these chests (they will first need to be unlocked, broken open, or
Orgoth Chests
The main barracks is only the first location wherein PCs may search the personal belongings of the Orgoth soldiers. Most of such chests contain only mundane items such as clothing, coins, cups, utensils, small knives, and various personal mementoes. Here are a few specific items the Game Master can allow the PCs to discover as desired: A small clay pot containing human teeth and bone fragments. They appear to be a soldier’s trophy collection.
to a central channel carved into the floor, which empties into a semicircular pool. Empty earthen jars lie on the floor near this. A rack alongside the door contains various torture implements, some of which are unclear in their precise purpose. Under the rack are several severed forearms, many of which stink with rot. A small table is loaded with used, bloody tools, most of which are equivalent to a dagger. A PC trained in the Medicine skill recognizes that some of the tools are medical in nature—to surgically flay skin, saw through bones, pull apart ribs or ligaments, or encircle organs in adjustable bowls rimmed with razors that can remove them intact. If the PCs fail to escape the jail, Aexon brings them one by one into this room. Upon entering the room, a PC can attempt to take the excruciator by surprise and seize one of the torture implements from the rack or the small table, overpower him, or otherwise prevent him from performing his work.
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A black iron medallion depicting a vaguely human face, its mouth stretched wide to consume a field of stars. An Orgoth knife functionally equivalent to a modern trench knife. A small packet containing a single dose of healing ointment. This foul-smelling substance temporarily turns flesh a pale, deathly pallor where applied, and anyone who uses it heals 1 point to each aspect of his life spiral but also suffers – 1 to Sneak rolls for 2d6 rounds. A glass jar containing d3 doses of burn cream. This cream produces a stinging sensation when applied, which then intensifies for a short time. A character who applies this cream suffers distracting pain for d6 rounds after the first round, resulting in a –1 to PER checks and making it impossible to upkeep spells. It also immediately heals 2d3 points of vitality, provided the damage was inflicted by either fire or corrosion and occurred within the last 5 rounds.
opened using the screaming black stone key found in the Jail), they can discover 1 assassin’s blade and any number of minor valuables, as detailed in the Orgoth Chests callout, according to the Game Master’s discretion.
Scene 2 After escaping from interrogation, the PCs are free to move into the main fortress, though the Game Master should ensure they feel hunted, discouraging them from roaming about aimlessly. A battle between Orgoth and Immorese rebels rages on outside, but there are still a few Orgoth soldiers within the fort the PCs must avoid as they attempt to find a way to freedom. Whenever the PCs move into a new room make a roll for a wandering patrol, not just when the PCs make noise or draw attention to their location. The members of that patrol, if any, are in the current room. These Orgoth are likely not aware of the PCs’ presence. Unless the PCs do something to draw their attention, treat the Orgoth as “distracted” for the purpose of determining the results of the PCs’ Sneak rolls.
Area 4: The Corpse Pit Four human Immorese slaves occupy this cavern, guarded by a single Orgoth soldier and Excruiciator Aexon’s apprentice, Galiz. Galiz wears a half-mask that covers him from the middle of his forehead to just above his upper lip, yet the mask’s face is complete, giving the impression that the apprentice has two mouths. If Aexon fled to this area after escaping the PCs earlier, the soldier is on the alert, which prevents the PCs from gaining a surprise round. If Aexon did not make it here, the soldier is bored and only vaguely interested in the work of the slaves. A deep sinkhole fills most of the chamber, and there is a pile of corpses just left of the entrance. On the opposite side of the corpse pile, the slaves work removing valuables from the bodies and piling them against the east wall before casting the corpses into the pit. At the opposite end of the room from the entrance, eight captives have been impaled on long iron spikes etched with arcane Orgoth runes. A PC can make a Medicine roll against a target of 10 upon seeing the prisoners. If the roll succeeds, the PC realizes these men have been impaled through the heart and should be dead, but they writhe in agony still. If he was not alerted to the escaping PCs, the apprentice excruciator stands nearby, holding a massive soul cage in one hand and a blade in the other. He carves into the impaled bodies, eliciting tormented moans from them. Death provides no comfort to these impaled men from the torturer’s blades. Galiz is torturing these captives in
order to strip their souls of sanity before capturing them in the soul cage for transfer to the Smithy, where they will be used to fashion new fellblades.
The Call to Rebellion The apprentice interrogated these prisoners before their impalement, as reflected in a small notebook he has scribbled questions and answers in. His notes are in a jumbled mix of the Orgoth tongue and stolen words and phrases from the local language, Thurian. A PC who reads these notes can make a Cryptography roll against a target of 14 to parse out the gist of the interrogation, which has been heavily focused on a phrase the excruciator learned from a prisoner—a spy—who died during torture. Now the apprentice has been attempting to find out what it means and to whom. “Kerwin’s Oath and Golden Order. . . ” By interrogating prisoners “destined for the sword,” the apprentice has learned this expression was to be conveyed from the dead spy to someone he was to meet in the forest beyond this Orgoth fortress, a member of a rebellious group called the Order of the Golden Crucible, who was working alongside the Iron Fellowship. Patrols have been stepped up. But the apprentice has learned there is to be a counter-phrase from the one to be met to ensure the right connection has been made: “. . . give us light against the conquerors’ darkness.” He then goes on to detail the tortures many have died from without being able to explain the significance of the phrase and counter-phrase…until the one he just killed. The unfinished notation suggests the apprentice was writing it when either the PCs or the excruciator entered the room. “They confess this is their call for rebellion. Words from those who seek to overthrow us and believe they have the means to stop us. Ryark keeps the spy’s book in his quarters, and with it we will crush this new Order as we did the last.”
Fighting the Orgoth Soldier and the Excruciator Apprentice The Orgoth soldier attacks the PCs on sight, targeting whoever appears most formidable, then attacks the surviving prisoner Renwald Corley, if he joined the group. Renwald Corley is sufficiently weak that he dies immediately after being attacked. The Orgoth soldier fights to the death, and once he’s reduced to half his Vitality, he commands the slaves to take arms against the PCs. The slaves require one round to arm themselves from the pile of weapons. If the PCs attack the slaves or make an Intimidation roll against a target of 13, they withdraw from the weapon pile. Unarmed slaves fight only if confronted directly and unable to retreat.
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If Excruciator Aexon is present, he fights as well, with no intentions of retreating a second time now that he is not so heavily outnumbered.
Terrain Corpse Pile: The pile of bodies is 5 feet tall and can be climbed with a Climbing roll against a target of 15. Any time a character on top of the pile moves, even if only to change facing, he must make an AGL roll against a target of 13. If this roll fails, the pile shifts and collapses, leaving the PC knocked down on the nearest spot on the cavern floor. The Sinkhole: The top of the corpse pile in the sinkhole is currently 4 feet below floor level and does not sink appreciably during the course of this encounter. PCs can enter the pit and move across the corpses, treating this as rough terrain. Each time a PC moves within the pit, he must make an AGL roll against a target of 13; if the roll fails the character partially sinks and must use a quick action to extricate himself from the bodies. The Soul Cage: Galiz carries a soul cage during this encounter and gains 1 soul token for any living character that dies within twelve feet (2˝) of him. Galiz begins the encounter with 2 soul tokens. The soul cage can carry up to 5 soul tokens at a time. An Orgoth character wielding the soul cage in one hand gains +1 ARM for each soul token it contains and can spend soul tokens to boost attack or damage rolls at one soul token per boost.
PCs in their escape attempt. It is critical for the PCs to stress that the outside attack has created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to escape the fortress. If the slaves are left behind, one among them has second thoughts about letting the PCs go and seeks out an Orgoth soldier to report them. A wandering patrol immediately hunts the PCs to kill or recapture them and attacks at an inopportune moment of the Game Master’s choosing. The PCs can find several suits of tattered leather armor among the pile of stolen valuables, including those sized for a trollkin and a gobber, along with a rapier, a bow and quiver, 27 arrows, and a few common hand weapons like axes, daggers, and swords. A PC examining the corpses within the pit can make a Detection roll against a target of 15 to discover an assassin’s blade strapped to the ankle of one of the bodies.
Area 5: The Armory A stout, metal-bound wooden door seals off this room, though a narrow iron-barred window allows the PCs to look inside. Within, they can see a sizable collection of Orgoth arms and armor, most of it identical to that used by the fortress’ soldiers.
Aftermath A PC who searches the Orgoth soldier’s body discovers a hammered black iron key on his belt. This unlocks the Armory (Area 5). The PCs can remove the masks from either excruciator, revealing the faces of the men beneath. Both have colorless skin deformed by the restrictive iron masks. A character wearing one of the excruciator’s masks and clothing gains an additional die on Disguise rolls, but suffers –1 Willpower for every five minutes spent wearing the mask as he begins to experience auditory and visual hallucinations of torture and dismemberment. If the character’s Willpower is reduced to 0, the character treats all other characters as if they had Terror [Willpower +8]. Though the slaves are desperate to escape the fortress, they are far too frightened of the remaining Orgoth to aid the PCs. Their own work is a daily reminder of what happens to those who defy the Orgoth. The slaves are terrified of later being suspected of collusion with the PCs, even if only by inaction, and they take any means short of armed conflict against them to flee the room and report the PCs to the first soldier they see. The slaves feign cooperation to avoid conflict, but if they are forced to fight they seize weapons from the pile of captured goods beyond the corpse pile. The slaves use Simple NPC stats (Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Core Rules, p. 330). PCs can attempt Intimidation, Negotiation, or Oratory rolls against a target of 12 to convince the slaves to overlook their presence or against a target of 14 to convince the slaves to join the
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The door can be opened with a Lock Picking roll against a target of 20 or with the screaming black stone key from Area 1. Using the black key on the door or any attempt to break it down draws the attention of soldiers passing through the Entry Hall long before the PCs can escape into the room to hide. (Use the “Wandering Patrol” chart, p. 89.) The Orgoth soldier at the Corpse Pit (Area 4) has a key that allows the PCs to unlock the door silently. If the PCs gain access to this room, they can procure enough Orgoth infantry armor or warwitch leather armor to outfit the human members of the party—though none of the armor here fits a character without human proportions. Characters who don Orgoth armor gain a +2 bonus to any Disguise attempts to pass as an Orgoth, though they are not fooled by a male in warwitch leathers or a female in Orgoth infantry armor. The Armory also contains 6 combat shields, 12 spears, 8 halberds, 32 Orgoth blades (equivalent to the Caspian battleblade), and 1 assassin’s blade. Also stored in the room are 2 fellblades and 1 warwitch sword. Fellblades are described on p. 184 of Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy: Kings, Nations, and Gods as well in No Quarter #46. Warwitch swords function as described in the Warwitch entry, but like the fellblade they carry negative effects to any non-Orgoth who wields
them. Each warwitch sword is imbued with the following curse: Slave Collar A character wielding this item must make a Willpower roll against a target of 18 once per hour or feel an overwhelming compulsion to surrender to any Orgoth individual, regardless of that Orgoth’s station or position of power. A character already affected and preparing to surrender may spend 1 feat point to regain control of himself. A character may also spend 1 feat point to resist this urge for d3 +1 hours. At the end of that time, a character may make another Willpower roll to resist the effect of the sword.
Note that while the PCs are familiar with the existence of fellblades, they do know them by that name. A PC can make a Lore (Orgoth) roll against a target of 12. If the roll succeeds, he is aware of the negative side effects of handling magical Orgoth weaponry, though given the circumstances, the risks of wielding such weapons may be justified. The room also contains savage metallic prosethic forearms. These range from curved blades and scissor-like constructs to claws and hooks. Old blood and rotted flesh on the bolts and clamps meant to attach these to a body suggest they have seen usage before. The PCs can also wield these weapons, using the same rules as a cutlass. If the PCs stay in this room for more than a few minutes, another alchemical explosion from outside causes the cavern to tremble again, jarring the armory door off its hinges. It can still be opened silently to avoid detection, but just a few minutes later (at the Game Master’s discretion), a second explosion wedges stones and debris into the doorframe, making it impossible to open without a great deal of noise and drawing guards (see “Wandering Patrols,” p. 89).
Area 6: Captain Ryark’s Quarters The door to this room is locked, but it can be opened with a Lock Picking roll against a target of 17 or by using the screaming black stone key from Area 1. It is a well-appointed chamber befitting the man who dwells in it, containing a black stone altar, weapon rack, chest, and a bed.
Altar On the wall beside the door is a black stone altar carved with leering faces over a field of stars. Anyone passing within a few feet of the altar feels an unnatural chill. If a PC touches the shrine he immediately loses 1 PHY, which returns after d3 consecutive rounds without coming into contact with the altar. Atop the altar is a book of Immorese origin. A PC who picks up the book suffers the effect of touching the altar. The book is Sebastian Kerwin’s Synthesis. The PCs are likely to know of Sebastian Kerwin, founder of the Circle of the Oath, a pioneer in Immorese understanding of the arcane world. Though Kerwin’s
order was destroyed and the man himself vanished, his legacy lives on. Looking through the book reveals the expanded hypotheses Kerwin developed regarding the development of mechanika. It is clear that this book has been analyzed and annotated by Captain Ryark. A scrap marks his place in the book, on which the following is written in Orgoth: If the slaves can develop this, then surely we can discover a means to combat it. I must bring my findings to the prelate. If left unchecked, these weapons may empower the chattel against us. Following the note, several pages have been ripped cleanly from the binding. A character can make an INT roll against a target of 14 to recognize that those pages must contain critical summaries and conclusions to hypothesis posited in the preceding pages.
Chest The chest is unlocked and contains 4 doses of healing ointment and an Orgoth dagger. This dagger is a POW 4 magical Hand Weapon with an attack modifier of +1 and is engraved as follows: For my son, Ryark. May your blade always strike true. —Gen. Orvos XIII. The blade is a family heirloom passed down from the former governor of the region who reigned nearly 100 years ago.
Armor and Weapon Stand The armor stand is empty, but the weapon rack contains a maul and a halberd.
Area 7: Commons This is a common area used by the soldiers. Large stone tables with wooden benches run the length of the chamber, and there is a fireplace in the north end of the room with cabinets on either side of it. A metal cauldron hangs simmering above the flames. There are d3 large knives on the tables that can be used as throwing knives, and the iron fire poker is equivalent to a banded club. At one end of the room is a large circular stone carved with a ring of leering faces on its outer perimeter. Characters in the room can hear soft whispering emanating from the stone, distorted and unintelligible. If a non-Orgoth character touches the stone, it begins to wail in multiple voices, shrieking and bringing a patrol of Orgoth guards (see “Wandering Patrols,” p. XXX). While in this room, non-Orgoth characters suffer –4 Willpower.
Scene 3 As the PCs leave the Commons and continue further down the hall, they come to an intersection leading in two directions: south to the main entrance door and west, into a separate part of the fortress. The southern route straight ahead is better lit by torches, suggesting a higher traffic area, and from the west echo the sounds of helpless screams and periodic clangs of metal on metal. The battle outside continues, but even without seeing the fight, the PCs can hear things are not going well for the Immorese rebels.
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The sound of alchemical explosives going off is frequent during this stage of the battle, and can cover the noise of the PCs’ actions. A PC can choose to make an INT roll against a target of 10 and spend a quick action during his turn to wait for the sound of an explosion before acting. If he does, do not roll for a wandering patrol for that PCs action.
Area 8: Entry Hall This area begins where the rough, natural cavern passage gives way to a 10-foot-wide carved stone hallway. A heavy iron portcullis blocks the way, though this can be opened using a winch set into the wall alongside it. As the PCs approach the intersection of halls leading to the Barracks (Area 9), the front door to the complex swings open to admit a pair of Orgoth soldiers. When the doors open, read or paraphrase the following: The front doors swing wide to let in a pair of armored Orgoth. During the short time the door stands open, you see more than a dozen soldiers
accompanied by a warwitch locked in heated battle with a ragtag force of armed Immorese just outside the fortress. The forest floor beyond is slick with blood, and the air is thick with the smoke of alchemical explosives. Walking out through the unguarded front door brings the PCs into the heart of a losing battle. If the PCs venture this way, they cannot avoid being engaged. The soldiers who just entered the fortress rush deeper inside, toward the PCs, though if the PCs are wearing Orgoth armor, the soldiers do not immediately notice anything amiss. This subterfuge does not last if the soldier passes the PCs and interacts with them. If the PCs quickly enter either Guard Room (Area 9) they avoid confrontation with the soldiers, who do not follow. If the soldiers do discover the PCs, they attack immediately without seeking reinforcements among the Orgoth fighting out front, believing themselves more than a match for a small band of escaped prisoners. If the PCs join the battle, they quickly find themselves facing off against the Orgoth alone, as the Immorese rebels die just a few minutes after the PCs arrive. In those few minutes, if a PC speaks the first part of the passphrase Galiz recorded, one of the Immorese combatants responds with the counter-phrase, “Give us light against the conquerors’ darkness,” and then immediately asks, “Did you recover the secrets of synthesis?” As the PCs respond to this, one way or another, a trio of Orgoth soldiers interrupts the exchange to attack the rebels. If the PCs immediately retreat back into the fort, the soldiers focus on the rebels instead of pursuing the PCs. If the PCs stand their ground, the soldiers attack them, effectively ending the exchange either way. The Immorese combatants die beneath Orgoth blades within moments, and the soldiers deal with the PCs immediately after.
Area 9: Barracks Each of these rough-carved chambers has a large fire pit in the center, surrounded by soldiers’ cots, and there is a torch sconce in each corner of the room. As in the Main Barracks, each cot is accompanied by a chest. PCs who take the time to search these chests can find any number of small items, as detailed in the Main Barracks. Additionally, one of the chests in the Barracks to the west contains a heavy golden chain, its links designed to look like human arms grasping and clawing at one another. A character wearing the chain gains +2 to WIL rolls and may reroll failed rolls to resist Fear.
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Area 10: Lieutenant’s Quarters Directly across from the entryway to this room stands a black stone slab carved with a leering Orgoth face over a field of stars. The chamber also contains a bed, a locked chest, a small table, and an empty weapons stand and armor rack. The chest can be opened with a Lock Picking roll against a target of 15 or with the screaming black stone key from area 1. If that key is used, its scream then triggers a scream from the leering Orgoth face across from the entryway, which serves as a sentry. After two rounds the scream from the face destroys the black stone key, shattering it like glass. The scream from the face also brings a random patrol (see “Wandering Patrol,” p. 89). If a PC uses the whistle (see below) to stop the face before it screams or during the first round, the patrol doesn’t respond to the sound. Within the chest, PCs find a small shaft of bone carved into a whistle. Flesh yet remains clinging to the holes, flapping like grotesque tongues if a PC blows into it. A character can spend a quick action to play the whistle. Rather than emit any sound it produces a sphere of complete silence for 18 feet (3˝) in all directions, which quiets the Orgoth face before a patrol can hear the scream, and this also protects the black stone key from destruction. Characters within this radius of silence gain and additional die to Sneak rolls, have their command range reduced to 0, cannot hear, and automatically fail all Detection rolls based on sound.
Area 11: Kitchen A huge fireplace fills the width of an alcove on the east end of the rear wall. Across from the alcove and alongside the door is a well. Large wooden tables occupy much of the center of the room, while rows of shelves filled with cooking pots and other kitchen implements take up the entirety of the western wall. As the PCs leave this room, the first two characters to enter the hallway should immediately make Detection rolls against a target of 12. Those who succeed hear footsteps coming from down the darkened west corridor. This marks the approach of a single warwitch accompanied by a pair of Orgoth soldiers. If no PC succeeds on the Detection roll, the Orgoth gain a surprise round. If the PCs immediately retreat back into the kitchen, stand clear of the open doorway, and do not make noise, the Orgoth proceed past them and turn to exit the fortress and join the battle out front. If the PCs are observed retreating to the kitchen, however, the Orgoth enter to investigate. The warwitch automatically succeeds on rolls to see through a PC’s disguise. She and her companions attack immediately.
Terrain Fireplace: A large fire has been built up, and anyone forced into the fireplace immediately suffers 1 point of fire damage and the Fire continuous effect.
Tables: These large, solid wooden tables provide cover. Well: The top of the well is 3 feet above the floor and 7 feet above the surface of the water below. Anyone falling or climbing into the well can climb out with a Climbing roll against a target of 17. A character in the well must make a successful Swimming roll against a target of 8 at the beginning of each turn or suffer d3 damage points.
Aftermath Once the Orgoth are defeated, if the PCs do not conceal the bodies a patrol of d3 Orgoth soldiers soon discovers their dead comrades and begins to search for the killers. These soldiers begin searching Areas 12–15 in numerical order and respond quickly to any clues as to the PCs’ location—such as the sound of combat. If alerted to the PCs’ presence, the patrolling guards arrive 1 round after any such disturbance occurs.
Scene 4 The battle beyond the entry hall rages on, but unless the PCs have been careful to cover their tracks up to this point the Orgoth within the fortress may be suspicious (or even alerted) to their presence. During this scene the PCs can hear patrols moving more quickly and searching more thoroughly. From this point forward, add +1 to all d6 rolls made to determine the composition of a Wandering Patrol.
Area 12: Warwitch Lair A narrow tunnel runs southwest for nearly 60 feet through total darkness before widening into this large cavern. The flagstone flooring runs up to a large pool of water taking up most of the cavern. Though there are no interior walls within this cavern, the floored section is clearly divided into two distinct living spaces. Nearest to the entry, five beds are arranged in a semicircle around the northwest corner. Each is accompanied by an empty armor stand and by a locked chest that can be opened with a Lock Picking roll against a target of 15. These chests contain minor valuables similar to those found elsewhere in the fort. Deeper into the room at the southeast end is a living area similar to the first, though with only a single bed. Separating these two sections is a common area furnished with a fire pit and a large table. If the PCs do not make any loud noises as they advance down the tunnel into this cavern, as they enter the cavern Kalisti and a pair of subordinate warwitches are standing at the water’s edge, with their backs to the entrance, pouring blood from a bronze bowl into the water as part of a dark rite of divination. When the blood strikes the water the room begins to glow. Faces rise from the water, screaming and hissing secrets to the coven. If all characters who enter the room succeed in a Sneak roll against a target of 13, the warwitches do not notice their arrival and continue their work. Utterly focused on their magic, a light
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source such as a torch being brought into the room is not be as immediately evident to the warwitches as it would be to most others. PCs in the room can make an INT roll against a target of 12 to identify key words whispered by the faces in the water. Spies Grenaldt Synthesis Genocide
Warwitches’ Tactics If the warwitches are attacked or if they discover the PCs, they break off from the ritual to fight. The warwitches focus their attacks on whoever appears most formidable, paying particular attention to Gifted characters. One witch casts Star-Crossed each round; provided she has no fatigue remaining from the previous round, she then casts Influence against targets of opportunity. The remaining warwitches cast Venom, boosting attack rolls against targets with high DEF. Any time Kalisti is wounded, she attacks with Bleed until she’s regained all her vitality. The warwitches engage the PCs in melee, hoping to trigger Blood Boon, if they can do so without endangering themselves too greatly.
Terrain Darkness: Unless the PCs bring their own light source into the cavern, the area is pitch black when they enter. Fireplace: The central fireplace is burned down to coals that provide almost no light. A character entering or ending an activation in the fireplace suffers 1 point of fire damage. Furniture: Beds provide cover. PCs can flip either table onto its side as a quick action, after which it also provides cover. The bookcase can be pulled down with a quick action and overturned with a second quick action to solid cover. The Pool: This 15-foot-deep, roughly 30 x 30 foot pool is deep water. Once the witches begin their ritual, a character entering or ending his turn in the pool suffers the Corrosion continuous effect. There is a narrow passage beneath the water at the southwest edge of the pool. The underwater passage becomes too narrow for a PC to travel through after 24 feet, but there is a body lodged in the silt 12 feet beyond the opening. Sent to recover the rebel spy, he drowned attempting to enter the fort through the underwater passage. A satchel on his belt contains two explosive grenades.
Area 13: Chamber of Awakening A row of tables lines the center of this oblong cavern, three of which have mutilated bodies held fast with savage-looking spikes driven through the joints in its ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, and elbows. These bodies have armored plates affixed to them, and their hands have been replaced by large blades of
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various types. These are slaves converted to dread, a fate the PCs were destined to share before escaping Aexon. On a table at the far end of the room, a human captive struggles weakly against his bonds, begging a nearby warwitch to release him. Much of his skin has been flayed off of him, his forearms have been removed, and his chest has been cracked open to expose his still-beating heart. A warwitch stands nearby, studying the wounded man with detached calm. A vessel of molten iron stands next to the bed, ready to be poured over the captive man’s beating heart. If the PCs enter the room, the three dread on the tables turn their heads toward them and begin to struggle against their own bonds. If the PCs made any attempt at stealth as they entered the room, the warwitch has not noticed them up until now; however, she looks up from the captive immediately as the dread react to their presence. If the PCs are not in her line of sight, she begins to actively search the room for them.
Warwitch and Dread Tactics Once the warwitch spots the PCs, she immediately moves to the nearest dread, pulling a lever beneath the table that yanks all the spikes completely through the table, freeing the dread with a quick action, after which the dread takes 1 round to climb off its table to attack the PCs. While the PCs defend themselves from the dread, the warwitch attempts to move down the line and free the remaining dread in a similar manner, casting Influence to force PCs away from her or, if necessary, Wings of Air to escape them. Once all the dread are free, she contributes to the fight directly through a combination of spellcasting and melee attacks. The dread attack the PCs relentlessly, engaging whoever is closest at hand unless directed to do otherwise by the warwitch. These creatures target anyone attacking the warwitch and defend her without consideration of their own survival. If possible, they attempt to force the PCs further into the room to prevent their escape and to facilitate the warwitch’s retreat if the battle should turn against them.
Terrain Cabinet: The cabinet cannot be pulled down. Any character pushed or slammed into the open cabinet takes d3 damage points from the exposed blades within it. Dim Light: Unless the PCs provide a light source, the entire area is in dim light. Tables: PCs can flip any table onto its side as a quick action, after which it will also provide cover. The retracted spikes in the tables pose a risk, however, to anyone hiding behind them.
Aftermath Though the dread fight the PCs to the death, the warwitch withdraws from combat if the battle appears to be turning against her. If she does manage to escape, she moves down the main
corridor to the Warwitch Lair (Area 12) to recruit the rest of her coven. If the PCs have already killed the remaining warwitches, she leaves that chamber and heads outside through the main door at the far end of the Entry Hall. Once outside, she spends 2 rounds gathering reinforcements. If the PCs allowed the warwitch in the Kitchen (Area 11) to escape, these reinforcements consist of that warwitch and 2 Orgoth soldiers. Otherwise it will be an Orgoth lieutenant and 2 soldiers. The warwitch from this area accompanies any reinforcements, leading them first to the Cavern Shrine (Area 15), then back through Areas 14–12 in descending order in her search for the PCs, spending 2 rounds at a location before moving to the next. If the PCs set the human captive free, he collapses as far away from any fighting as possible. The injuries inflicted on him are so severe that he is beyond medical aid; only the dark arts of the Orgoth are keeping him alive now.
The captive—Arno Medalier—imparts one important piece of information before he dies: the location of the secret tunnel in the Cavern Shrine (Area 15). A few days ago he had been brought to the altar in that room, where some of his blood was drained for a rite conducted by the warwitches. While he was there, he observed several soldiers enter the cavern through a secret door, which the Orgoth didn’t bother to hide from him, as they’d not expected him to survive long. Arno thanks the PCs by telling them that Alest Grenaldt waits in the forest, ready to escort any who escape bearing the book the Orgoth stole to safety. If pressed on this matter, Medalier responds that Captain Ryark believes he can comprehend the secrets in Kerwin’s book and use them to destroy the uprising, and then closes his eyes and dies.
Area 14: The Smithy Crude stone tables line the perimeter of this room. In the center of the room is a large stone fire pit built with a blacksmith’s bellows alongside a pool carved into the floor. A huge anvil and a rack of smith’s tools stands between the fire pit and the quenching pool, and a large soul cage, glowing with sickly green light, hangs above the anvil. The pool is filled with a mixture of water, blood, and oil. Lying near the anvil is an Orgoth fellblade, though it lacks the characteristic faces that normally line the surface of such a weapon, not yet fully imbued by its Orgoth makers. This weapon uses great sword rules.
Scene 5 In this scene the PCs finally find their route of escape but must first confront the powerful Captain Ryark and his cohort of elite warriors, who intend to stop the PCs from reaching salvation in the forest beyond the fort. The Orgoth fighting outside have routed the main body of Immorese rebels and have begun returning to the fortress. Twenty-two Orgoth soldiers and two Orgoth lieutenants enter the halls of the fort and are on alert once they discover any sign of the PCs’ passage; if the PCs attempt to go back the way they came, they face an insurmountable fight. If they live, so does the rebellion.
Area 15: The Dark Shrine This large, natural cavern has a lower ceiling than most of the fortress—in most areas, this cavern’s ceiling is only about 7 feet above ground level. Two large rock formations reach up from the uneven, earthen floor. A row of torches stretches out to the right, continuing around the southern end of the room and back to the far side directly across from the entryway. The northern end of the room, to the PCs left, is shrouded in complete darkness. There is nothing of interest in the dark side of the cavern, but the PCs find a stone shrine and sacrificial altar upon a circle of
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stone flooring against the south wall. The altar is carved with leering faces similar to those found in the Lieutenant’s Quarters (Area 10) flanking an assortment of soul cages. The altar in front of the shrine is carved with similar details, and features deep groves that channel blood into stylized drains set into the floor.
your kind with your own secret ‘synthesis’? No. You have found your way to me.” He gestures to the soul cages mounted atop the shrine. “And I will gorge myself on your souls.”
The shrine has papers scattered across it that, upon closer examination, have obviously been torn from a battered copy of Sebastian Kerwin’s Synthesis. If the PCs are still unclear as to its significance at this point in the adventure, a character who glances through the pages will readily realize the gist of the text is to outline how magic can be focused via arcane lore to create engineered power—the foundation for mechanika, which Kerwin describes as “a likely turning point in our subjugation by the Orgoth.” These pages are key elements of Kerwin’s dissertation on creating mechanika; without these specific pages, Kerwin’s theories are almost impossible to apply.
Orgoth Tactics
The PCs are forced to guess the location in order to search for the secret door Medalier (Area 13) told them about before he died. A PC needs to make a successful Detection roll against a target of 15 to find the door (on the flat span of wall between the last two torches), and each PC can search a 12 foot (2˝) span of wall with a single roll. After 4 rounds of searching, or when the PCs discover the door, Captain Ryark and his soldiers reveal themselves. Read or paraphrase aloud the following: As you search the chamber where escape is supposed to be, torches suddenly flare to life on the opposite side of the cavern. Five warriors stand within the entryway, seeming to strain on the end of invisible chains with their bloodlust to murder you. The man at the front of the Orgoth ranks appears to be holding them back. He is armed in one hand with an evil Orgoth blade engraved with tortured, ghostly faces and with a large spiked shield strapped to his other arm. He wears the horned helm of an officer, and though it conceals the top of his face you nonetheless recognize him as Captain Ryark, the man who left you to the excruciator Aexon. He speaks clearly now, in contrast to the indecipherable words he chose to speak when you first awoke. “Escaping Aexon means nothing,” he hisses. “Defeating my warwitches means nothing. And stealing back your plans means nothing. You think you have found your way to our plans to destroy every last one of
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With that, the Orgoth rush forward to attack.
Captain Ryark and his men rush to engage the PCs. Each believes he is capable of besting any PC and selects his own individual target. The Orgoth do not attack any of the PCs’ noncombatant allies, if any accompany them, preferring to recapture those slaves for later use. At the beginning of each of his turns, Captain Ryark uses his Fearsome Howl ability to gain Terror [17]. Until he is struck down as a living Orgoth, Ryark fights with complete abandon. Whenever anyone dies in this cavern (the Orgoth soldiers, a fellow PC, or Ryark), PCs can observe that individual’s soul as it is pulled from his or her body and dragged into one of the soul cages on the shrine. Any cage containing a soul begins to emanate a pale glow. Each Orgoth soldier and Captain Ryark fight to the death, but 1 round after the last of the soldiers have been killed, all the souls in the soul cages flow into Captain Ryark’s body. The cages cease to glow, and Ryark rises up as Undead Captain Ryark; if he is not yet dead at this point in the battle, the transfer of souls seems to kill him, dropping him in his tracks for only 1 round before he rises. In addition to his own soul, he will possess up to 4 souls of any characters who died in the room during the first stage of combat, which he can spend to boost attack and damage rolls.
Terrain Darkness: Areas more than 3˝ (18 feet) from any torch are in dim light, while those more than 6˝ (36 feet) from any torch are shrouded in complete darkness. Rock Formations: These rocks are not tall enough to block LOS for human-sized characters; however, anyone firing a projectile weapon over them does so at a -2 penalty. Spellcasters can cast spells past them normally. Shrine: Any non-Orgoth character within 12 feet (2˝) of the shrine suffers –1 DEF. If that character touches the shrine, he immediately loses 1 PHY, which returns after d3 consecutive rounds without coming into contact with the shrine or altar.
Aftermath If the PCs defeat Ryark a second time, he speaks as he dies permanently. Read or paraphrase aloud the following: Ryark dies. Yet even as he falls to you, he seems to see something you cannot. “I see souls surrendering,” he whispers, clearly wanting you to understand. “I cross the black waters where those souls float. I am come home.” Once Ryark has been defeated a second time, the PCs should have sufficient opportunity to discover the secret exit before any more soldiers enter the cavern. This door opens to a rough, narrow passage that runs approximately 150 feet to a second door that opens from a rock outcropping into a dense patch of forest. From the other side, this door is similar to the first and would likewise require a Detection roll to discover.
Conclusion: The Forest Having at last escaped their captors, the PCs need only make their way out of the forest while avoiding any Orgoth patrols. As they begin their trek toward freedom, they find themselves trailed by an unknown individual, one who doesn’t attempt to evade them if they move to confront him. If they try to escape him, he chases them down and hails them. Read or paraphrase aloud the following: You discover the man is not an Orgoth soldier but an Immorese man dressed in thick leather armor, armed with a long-shafted woodsman’s axe. He raises his hands.
of the recently formed Order of the Golden Crucible and the prisoner the PCs met in the Jail—whom he knew had been carrying a copy of Kerwin’s seminal book to Alest and his rebels. As long as Alest Grenaldt and the PCs remain on amiable terms during their meeting, he will tend to any injuries while escorting them to safety, but he often inquires about what they discovered in the fortress during their escape, asking if they encountered anything that seemed unusual for the Orgoth to possess. He is trying to coax the PCs into speaking about Kerwin’s book. If they offer it to Alest, he then invites them to join his growing revolutionary army. Read or paraphrase aloud the following if the PCs failed to recover Synthesis or do not give it to Alest Grenaldt: “You’re lucky to have survived as long as you did. We’ll get you home— wherever home may be—and if you’re even more lucky, you’ll hear about us again. The revolution has begun. You’ll live to see its outcome, I hope, and your kin will tell the story of your escape from certain death for decades to come. Well done.” Read or paraphrase aloud the following if the PCs offer him the book: “Our resistance has been growing since Fharin. Everyone in Orgoth shackles is watching us, and they’re starting to realize the Orgoth can be killed. The Iron Fellowship could use people like you, and I’m sure you know you’ll be more effective against the killers of our kin with an army beside you. What do you say—have you developed a thirst for Orgoth blood? There will never be enough to quench your need…but we can damned well try.”
“Easy. We’re on the same side, I think.” He pauses before he says pointedly, “Kerwin’s Oath and Golden Order…” And then waits expectantly. If the PCs can answer with the counter-response (“…give us light against the conqueror’s darkness”) or something comparable, the man relaxes and continues. If the PCs cannot or will not answer, he shakes his head sharply, which attracts eight other rebels hidden among the trees. Their intent is to take the PCs prisoner, albeit without killing them, and set them free after questioning them. The specifics of such an encounter are left to the Game Master to decide. If the PCs answer with the counter-response, he visibly relaxes and welcomes them, calling his comrades out of the trees. This is Alest Grenaldt, a member of the Iron Fellowship and an influential figure among Immorese rebels in the region. Alest initiated the attack on the Orgoth fortress with the intent of fighting his way inside and freeing Renwald Corley—a member
Quick shot scenario
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CHASING THE DRAGON PART ONE
Legion of Everblight Warlocks and Warbeasts By Matt Goetz • Art by karl richardson, andrea uderzo, and kieran yanner
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Though the body of the dragon Everblight was destroyed after he attacked the Iosan city of Issyrah, his malice lives on. After luring the ogrun Thagrosh Hellborne to free his athanc from its icy entombment, Everblight set in motion plans to create an army. He quickly corrupted the nearby Nyss of the Shard Spires, confident these elves would be as responsive to his blight as the Iosans he had once experimented upon had been. Having now destroyed and absorbed the Nyss culture, his blighted legion sweeps across western Immoren, growing in strength and numbers with each victory. Commanded by powerful warlocks who bear a shard of his athanc within their hearts, Everblight’s evergrowing arsenal of blighted warriors and unique warbeasts are a deadly threat to all who face them. The following pages contain the first installment of a multipart series that adds the blighted legions of the dragon Everblight to your games of Iron Kingdoms Unleashed. These individuals and creatures make for perfect antagonists, particularly for adventuring companies that include non-blighted Nyss refugees. Note that as the first installment in a series, this article contains certain references to material that will be available in upcoming issues of No Quarter.
Blighted Characters Even before Everblight was freed from his imprisonment, the dragon had decided against re-forming his body, which would leave him weak and vulnerable to his draconic brethren. Instead, he had arrived at an unconventional and unprecedented plan to divide his essence and act through pawns who would lead an army devoted to his preservation. Ordinarily, dividing an athanc would spawn other dragons, but Everblight devised a means to avoid this. Thus, the pieces of his divided athanc were inserted into mortals who, with draconic blood flowing through their veins, were empowered to act in his stead. This coterie of warlocks enabled Everblight to circumvent the limitations of his physical form, including allowing him to proliferate dragonspawn in far greater number. Furthermore, while individual warlocks were not invulnerable, the loss of any one would not eliminate Everblight himself, who could persist so long as even one warlock survived. Nonetheless, not wishing to diminish his power by even the least degree, Everblight’s chosen warlocks raised an army of blighted warriors for their protection and to allow the dragon to wage war against his numerous enemies.
Even before becoming one of these warlocks, the sorceress Vayl Hallyr betrayed her race and aided in the corruption of other Nyss, afflicting many with the dragon’s transformative blight. By corrupting the drinking water of the major shards, Everblight amassed a sizable force. The dragon’s blight bound the Nyss to his will, giving him the tools he needs to achieve his goals and altering the Nyss both mentally and physically. In time his control extended to other races as well, like the isolated ogrun tribes of the northern mountains, who were in turn marked by the dragon’s blight.
Effects of Everblight’s Dragon Blight All characters created as part of the Legion of Everblight are blighted characters. Blighted characters roll one fewer die on non-Intimidation social skill rolls made against non-blighted characters. Blighted characters affiliated with Everblight automatically fail non-Intimidation social skill rolls made against characters affiliated with any other dragon. Blighted characters are viewed as monsters by nearly all other inhabitants of western Immoren and are likely to be attacked on sight. Blighted characters of the Legion of Everblight gain the Blight Gifts racial trait in addition to any other racial traits they possess.
Gifts of the Dragon Of all the dragons, Everblight has the most refined control of his blight’s effect. Over the centuries, he has learned to wield his blight like a sculptor wields a chisel, carefully reshaping creatures into forms he finds pleasing and useful. The Nyss proved to be especially well suited to Everblight’s work. Centuries spent studying and manipulating kidnapped elves from Ios provided Everblight with a basis of understanding upon which he was able to sculpt the Nyss, the Iosan’s close cousins, to his desires. The dragon can affect the Nyss with great precision. Of all the races, the Nyss have the greatest diversity of Everblight’s gifts, from the subtle manipulation of rank-and-file warriors to the profound changes worked upon the succubi. Since losing his body, Everblight has not yet had the opportunity to bring blighted Iosans into the ranks of his legion, but they would be affected similarly to the Nyss. Other races also receive the gifts of the dragon’s blight, but the manipulations he performs on them are cruder and less predictable. Blighted ogrun, for instance, are on the edge of insanity, given to bouts of unquenchable bloodlust. Though other races can still benefit from Everblight’s gifts, they are more subject to the random vagaries inherent in the blight. Nyss see themselves as especially favored by the dragon because of this.
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Blight Gifts Blight Gifts is a racial trait unique to blighted characters affiliated with the dragon Everblight. Blight Gifts manifest as special abilities bestowed upon characters in service to Everblight. For every 25 experience points a character earns, he rolls once on the following table to determine which gifts, if any, the dragon bestows. These changes are permanent. To determine which gift a character receives, roll 3d6 and consult the table below. Blight Gifts other than “No Effect” are not cumulative. If a duplicate result is rolled, reroll to determine which blight gift a character receives. Due to the Nyss’ compatibility with Everblight’s manipulations, a Blighted Nyss or Strider character can choose to add or subtract 1 from rolls to determine which Blight Gift the character receives. 3D6
3 4
No Effect – The character does not receive a Blight Gift at this time.
5
Blight Senses – The character’s senses become unnaturally acute, making him a flawless hunter and tracker. The character gains an additional die on Detection and Tracking skill rolls. Discard the low die of each roll.
6
Regeneration – The character regains d3 vitality points per hour in addition to any normal healing.
7
Blight Reflexes – The character’s reactions are hyper-attuned, letting him leap into combat with blinding speed. The character gains a +1 racial bonus to Initiative.
8
Horns – Tough, black horns sprout from the character’s head. In addition to his normal attacks, once per round the character can make one unarmed melee attack with his horns. This attack uses the Unarmed Combat skill and is POW 3. On a critical hit, the target is knocked down. If the character uses his horns to make a knockout strike that damages his target, add +2 to the target number to avoid the knockout.
9-11
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blight gifts
Blessed Host – The character becomes the host for an incubus that emerges if he dies.
Talons – The character’s nails grow into long talons capable of rending flesh. The character gains +2 to punch and kick unarmed melee attack damage rolls.
12
Ripping Jaws – The character’s teeth and jaws become ideal for rending flesh. The character gains +2 to bite unarmed melee attack damage rolls. On a critical hit against a living character, this character immediately regains d3 vitality points.
13
Bone Spurs – The character’s skin sprouts dense growths of hardened bone. The character gains a +1 racial bonus to ARM.
14
Voice of the Dragon – The character’s voice takes on an unnatural resonance that evokes Everblight himself. The character gains +2 to command range and +2 on social skill rolls made against characters affiliated with the Legion of Everblight.
15
Dragon’s Grace – The character is instilled with an unnatural, sinewy grace that allows him to deftly avoid attacks. The character gains a +1 racial bonus to DEF.
16
Eyes of the Dragon – The character no longer requires the use of eyes to see. The character gains the Eyeless Sight ability.
17
Wings of the Dragon – The character gains Flight. A character with Flight can advance through terrain and obstacles without penalty and can advance through obstructions and other characters if that character has enough movement to move completely past them. The character ignores intervening characters when declaring its charge target.
18
Sorcerous Blessing – If the character is a Gifted character, the character gains +1 ARC and +1 to racial maximum ARC at each level. A non-Gifted character gains ARC 2 and two COST 1 spells from the Blighted Sorcerer spell list. A non-Gifted character casts spells as a will weaver.
Warlock: Legion
Prerequisites: Nyss, Chosen by Everblight
Starting Abilities, connections, skills, and spells
Abilities: Athanc Shard (p. 106), Resonance: Everblight Warbeast, and Warlock Bond Military Skills: Archery 1, Great Weapon 1, or Hand Weapon 1 Occupational Skills: Command 1, Detection 1, Lore (dragons) 1 Spells: Draconic Blessing and Razor Wind Special: Change the character’s arcane tradition to harnesser if she has another arcane career. A warlock can only boost with magical weapons.
Starting Assets
25 gc and a medium-based Everblight warbeast or two lesser warbeasts that begin the game bonded to the warlock
Legion Warlock Abilities
Athanc Shard, Empower Weapon, Field Marshal: Sprint (p. 106), Resonance: Everblight Warbeast, Riposte (p. 106), Spawning Savant (p. 106), Swift Hunter, Warlock Bond
Legion Warlock Connections
Connections (Blighted Nyss shard), Connections (Legion of Everblight)
Legion Warlock Military Skills
Archery 4, Great Weapon 4, Hand Weapon 4
Legion Warlock Occupational Skills Legion Warlock Spells
Animal Handling 2, Command 4, General Skills 4 Spells from the Legion Warlock spell list
The warlocks of the Legion of Everblight are bestowed with a small shard of the dragon’s athanc, which binds them to the dragon, bestows blighted arcane power, and gives them the ability to control his dragonspawn. Each is a chosen general in Everblight’s growing legion, obeyed by the strike forces under their command as an embodiment of the dragon’s will. Dragon blood comingles with Nyss blood, empowering the warlock to spawn any of the dragon’s carefully engineered spawn. The shard also gives each warlock an unbreakable connection to Everblight’s mind, a vast and alien intellect with thousands of years of experience and memories. This connection also extends to Everblight’s other warlocks, allowing these generals to communicate at a distance and coordinate their actions.
uniquely able to give birth to warbeasts from their spilled blood. This process is far faster than that of other types of warlocks who can create warbeasts, and a fallen beast can be replaced with relative ease. As the Legion Warlock gains experience, she can pick up the Field Marshal: Sprint ability that makes her warbeasts far more maneuverable on the battlefield, as well as a number of potent spells that tap into the essence of the dragon’s blight. A Veteran-level Legion Warlock should pick up the Spawning Savant ability, which allows her to create dragonspawn more easily, giving her access to greater and deadlier warbeasts.
Each warlock of the Legion of Everblight is responsible for the command of a force of warriors, but they also have individual responsibilities. These Nyss are selected for their individual talents and may be called upon to perform specific tasks, such as the elimination of a particular threat or the acquisition of objects of great power. When a warlock receives such a mission, it is not a request; these commands are imperatives, spoken directly into their minds by the disembodied dragon, who can watch and gauge their progress to evaluate their success or failure. Playing a Legion Warlock: If the idea of playing a character empowered by a fragment of an ancient and horrible dragon, capable of spawning monsters from your own spilled blood and wielding them against the kingdoms of men and tribes of the wilderness alike appeals to you, choose the Legion of Everblight Warlock career. Unlike the other Warlock careers in Iron Kingdoms Unleashed, the Legion Warlock is made, not born. Legion Warlocks are
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New Abilities Athanc Shard Prerequisite: Nyss, Chosen by Everblight This character is endowed with an athanc shard. For more information, see p. 108.
Field Marshal: Sprint Prerequisite: ARC 5 The warlock can spend a fury point during her turn to use this ability. Characters in the warlock’s battlegroup currently in her control area gain Sprint for one round. (At the end of its activation, if a character with Sprint destroyed one or more enemies with melee attacks this activation, that character can make a full advance.)
Riposte Prerequisite: None Once per round when this character is missed by an enemy’s melee attack, immediately after the attack is resolved she can make one normal attack against the attacking enemy. To make a ranged attack, the character’s ranged weapon must be loaded.
Spawning Savant Prerequisite: Athanc Shard, ARC 6 Reduce damage the character suffers by half due to creating dragonspawn. Dragonspawn created by the character do not begin with the Runt template.
Warlock: Legion of Everblight Spells Legion of Everblight Warlocks can learn spells from the following list. A Priest of Nyssor character who becomes a Legion Warlock loses her previous spells and cannot learn new Priest of Nyssor spells.
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Cost 1
Dragonsight, Protection from Cold, Protection from Fire
Cost 2
Ashen Cloud, Bad Blood, Blight Field, Carnivore, Draconic Blessing, Dragon’s Blood, Forced Evolution, Leash, Occultation, Playing God, Unnatural Aggression
Cost 3
Awareness, Blood Rain, Entropic Force, Eruption of Spines, Flesh Eater, Mystic Wards, Rampager, Respawn, Wind Wall
Cost 4
Blight Bringer, Hunter’s Mark, Obliteration
New Spells Name Cost RNG AOE POW UP OFF Blight Bringer
4 10 5 12 No No
Blight Field
2 CTRL 4 — No No
Blood Rain
3 8 3 12 No Yes
Center a 5˝ AOE on target friendly warbeast. Enemies in the AOE when it is put in play are hit and suffer a POW 12 corrosion damage roll. An enemy character or friendly non-blighted character entering or ending its activation in the AOE suffers d3 points of corrosion damage. Blight Bringer lasts for one round.
Place a 4˝ AOE anywhere completely in the spellcaster’s control area. While in the AOE, enemies cannot be used to channel spells, be forced, or be allocated focus. The AOE remains in play for one round. Blight Field can be cast once per round.
Blood Rain causes corrosion damage. Characters hit suffer the Corrosion continuous effect.
Draconic Blessing
2
6
—
—
Yes No
Target friendly blighted character or dragonspawn gains +2 STR and Terror [Willpower + 4].
Dragon’s Blood
2
6
—
—
Yes No
Target friendly character gains +2 ARM. When an affected character is disabled by a melee attack, roll a d6. On a roll of 5 or 6, the attacker suffers d3 damage points and the Corrosion continuous effect.
Dragonsight
1
6
—
— No No
Target friendly character gains Eyeless Sight. A character with Eyeless Sight ignores cloud effects and forests when determining LOS. A character with Eyeless Sight ignores concealment and stealth when making attacks. Dragonsight lasts for one round.
Eruption of Spines
3
Mystic Wards
3
10
—
10 No Yes
If target character is hit, d6 nearest characters within thirty feet (5˝) of it suffer a POW 10 damage roll.
Self Ctrl
— No No
Enemy animi and enemy upkeep spells on models in the spellcaster’s battlegroup in its control range immediately expire. While within 5˝ of a model in the spellcaster’s battlegroup in its control range, enemy models cannot cast, channel, or upkeep spells. Mystic Wards lasts for one round.
Playing God
2
6
—
—
Yes No
Target warbeast in this character’s battlegroup can make power attacks without being forced and gains Terror [Willpower + 4]. Its melee weapons gain Open Fist and become reach weapons.
Respawn
3
6
—
— Yes No
When target warbeast in this character’s battlegroup is disabled by an enemy attack any time except while it is advancing, place the warbeast anywhere within 18 feet (3˝) of its current location. It heals 1 damage point in each aspect, then Respawn expires.
Wind Wall
3
Self
—
— No No
This character cannot make ranged attacks, and non-magical ranged attacks targeting it automatically miss. While completely within 18 feet (3˝) of the spellcaster, characters cannot make ranged attacks and non-magical ranged attacks targeting them automatically miss. Wind Wall lasts for one round.
Athanc Shards In the heart of each of Everblight’s warlocks lies a shard of the dragon’s athanc, the crystalline essence of Everblight himself. The fragment is the source of the warlock’s power over the dragonspawn, transforming the bearer into a living vessel of the dragon’s will. Unlike other dragons, Everblight knows how to keep his splintered athanc from forming into new dragons, and he retains control over their power even when they are divided. The largest and central shard is kept by the blighted ogrun, Thagrosh the Messiah, the leader of the Legion of Everblight. Through these shards, Everblight can communicate instantaneously with the generals of his Legion, and can even experience the world through their senses or take control over their actions. With the speed of thought he can issue orders and alter battle plans to respond to changing circumstances. The many warlocks under his command are appendages of a great, decentralized body, able to feel one another’s presences despite physical barriers or distance. Through this connection, his warlocks are also capable of sending their thoughts to one another, mediated by Everblight himself. Most of the time this connection does not rob the dragon’s chosen of autonomy, however. Everblight’s chosen instruments are valued for their minds as much as their abilities. He selects each to fill a unique role in acknowledgment of the individual’s competence. Everblight rarely interferes in their actions directly. He shapes each warlock in a different direction, though all must sometimes overcome setbacks or failures in order to become greater than the mortal flesh into which they were born. Warlocks can feel the intensity of Everblight’s regard when he is with them or his remote distance when he is not. Possession of an athanc shard bestows its owner with many benefits. Those chosen to bear a piece of the dragon are invested with great arcane power. Their flesh transforms as Everblight gifts his warlocks with greater physical prowess, speed, and cunning, sculpted to bear the marks of his gifts. Scales, horns, and talons are common gifts bestowed on warlocks, though he works invisible changes on them as well. The blood pumping through the warlock’s veins transforms, becoming intermingled with superior draconic blood. With this blood, his warlocks can create dragonspawn as needed, spilling it to give birth to one of the dragon’s crafted spawn. Everblight can also deign to give his warlocks insight earned over millennia of existence, such as bestowing instant understanding of a previously unknown language.
Athanc Shard Rules To become a Legion of Everblight Warlock, Everblight’s athanc must be inserted into a heart. Everblight is jealously protective of his does not allow it to be split carelessly. Only selected by Everblight through Thagrosh the
a shard of character’s athanc and a character Messiah is
Being Chosen by Everblight
After Thagrosh, the majority of those chosen by Everblight to become his warlocks have been female Nyss. Nyss are preferred due to compatibility with the dragon’s blighted energies. Being female is not a requirement. Unless otherwise specified, Legion Warlocks are presumed to be female Nyss.
worthy of bearing a piece of his essence, represented by characters who are either created as Legion Warlocks or who select the Legion of Everblight Warlock career through character advancement. A character with the Athanc Shard ability has the following rules: Blighted Character: If the character was not already a blighted character, that character becomes one and gains the Blight Gifts racial trait. The character does not gain a blight gift until reaching the next increment of 25 XP but takes on the distinctive pallor of a creature blighted by Everblight and exhibits minor physical blight immediately, such as patches of black scales, elongated nails, and fully black eyes. Communication: The character can silently communicate with any other character who possesses the Athanc Shard ability or with Everblight himself. This communication is not limited by distance and occurs instantaneously. The Game Master determines how—and if—a non-player character responds to communication. Everblight can ignore a warlock’s requests or prevent communication between warlocks if he wishes. Since all such communication passes through Everblight, warlocks do not utilize this ability for idle conversation lest they risk enraging their master. Legion of Everblight Warlock: The character gains the Legion of Everblight Warlock career. If the character is not a starting character, the character treats the warlock career as if the character had gained the career through experience. If the character was Gifted, that character retains any previous ARC score and her arcane tradition is changed to harnesser. If the character was not Gifted, that character becomes a Gifted character with an ARC score of 2. Change the character’s archetype to Gifted. The character retains any archetype abilities she had prior to gaining the Athanc Shard but can no longer gain abilities from her previous archetype and can gain abilities only from the Gifted archetype. Spawn Creation: The character can create dragonspawn as detailed on p. 109.
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Instant Career: Just Add Athanc
The Game Master should be cautious about letting established characters receive a shard of Everblight’s athanc, as it effectively transforms that character into a Legion Warlock, which can unbalance a game. Game Masters are encouraged to reserve the gift of an athanc shard to character creation or when a character would normally gain a new career through advancement. Everblight selects those who will receive a portion of his essence carefully and chooses only individuals who have proven themselves worthy of becoming vessels of his great power.
Athanc Shard Removal Removing an athanc shard requires a character to have access to the warlock’s heart. This removal is a violent and potentially deadly process. To do so without killing the warlock requires a character with the proper tools to spend one hour working. At the end of this time, the character makes an INT + Medicine skill roll against a target of 18. If the roll succeeds, the athanc shard is removed. The character is immediately reduced to 1 vitality point and suffers slow recovery. If the roll fails, the character is grievously injured and dies if she is not stabilized within a number of rounds equal to her PHY. If the character ever loses her athanc shard for any reason, she cannot benefit from any of the abilities or spells provided by her Warlock career and cannot control warbeasts. She also loses the Communication and Spawn Creation abilities. She cannot gain any new Blight Gifts but remains a blighted character and retains any Blight Gifts she had previously received. If she gained the Gifted archetype from receiving an athanc shard, she immediately reverts to her previous archetype and loses any ARC stat she possesses. If a character’s shard is returned to her, she regains all lost capabilities. The rejuvenating effect of the athanc shard prevents her from suffering injury from the operation if the shard is properly inserted into her heart.
The Knowledge of the Dragon Everblight has learned many things over his long existence, and his link to his warlocks allows him to share that knowledge. At the Game Master’s discretion, a character with an athanc shard can understand any language the character is exposed to, including ancient and dead languages. This requires specific
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attention by the dragon, and so translation could be delayed if a Game Master prefers to temporarily withhold information. Additionally, Everblight can bestow the character with information related to a specific task or subject. When the Game Master determines it is appropriate, the character can gain an additional die on a skill roll or even automatically succeed on the roll, thanks to Everblight’s assistance. The dragon’s attention can be drawn away from a character for any number of reasons, so the Game Master has final say on when such benefits are bestowed. Furthermore, Everblight is far from omniscient and has had a narrow perspective for the majority of his existence, paying little attention to mortal activities. His areas of particular knowledge include the ancient kingdom of Morrdh and the nation of Ios.
Athanc Shard Abilities Warlocks who gain Everblight’s favor find themselves bestowed with even greater gifts than other blighted characters. These favored generals of Everblight manifest potent abilities. When a Legion Warlock would gain a Blight Gift, her player can choose to select a unique athanc shard ability instead. The character must meet all prerequisites of the ability. An athanc shard ability can be taken only once.
Draconic Eminence Prerequisite: Athanc Shard, ARC 6 This character can upkeep spells on members of the character’s battlegroup without spending fury points.
Energy Siphon Prerequisite: Athanc Shard, ARC 5 When this character hits an enemy character with 1 or more focus or fury points on it with a melee attack, that character loses 1 focus or fury and this character gains 1 fury point.
Mend Flesh Prerequisite: Athanc Shard When this character spends fury to heal damage, this character regains d3 vitality points per fury point spent.
Range Amplifier Prerequisite: Athanc Shard, ARC 5 When this character casts a spell and is the point of origin for the spell, the spell gains +5 RNG.
Serenity Prerequisite: Athanc Shard, ARC 4 At the beginning of the character’s Control Phase, before leaching, remove 1 fury point from a friendly warbeast within six feet (1˝) of this character.
Spiritual Harmony Prerequisite: Athanc Shard Once per activation, reduce the cost to cast the animus of a Legion warbeast in this character’s battlegroup as a spell by 1.
Tap Fury Prerequisite: Athanc Shard, ARC 4 After leaching, this character gains 1 fury point if the character has fewer fury points than her ARC stat.
Blighted Warbeasts 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. Behaviorally, they have more in common with the wolds fashioned by the blackclads than they do with creatures born to a natural environment. Each is engineered for a unique purpose by the genius of the formless dragon. These creatures inherently share a link with the dragon’s warlocks and do not require any time or effort to train. Instead, they come into existence ready to receive the bond of a warlock, already possessing whichever arcane gift Everblight deems as an inborn animus. Though they are alive in the most basic sense of the word, Everblight’s warbeasts are not natural animals but rather organic constructs, biological machines created to serve their masters. They have familiar bodily structures such as muscles, skin, blood, internal organs, and bones. They need food to fuel their powerful bodies, but they do not require sleep or other aspects of normal animal activity cycles. Even deprived of sustenance, a dragonspawn can endure far longer than ordinary creatures, atrophying and diminishing in size yet not expiring. When given ample food, they can be restored to full vitality and size with alarming alacrity. Spawn of other dragons slay indiscriminately and can draw unwanted attention, but Everblight knows the power of remaining unnoticed. He builds his spawn 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 far from mindless—they possess sophisticated instincts that help them excel at the tasks for which they are designed—but their true potential is reached only when directly controlled by a warlock’s will. They have no true will or drive of their own and similarly do not react to pain like natural creatures, ignoring even drastic damage to their bodies without flinching and possessing no sense of self-preservation.
The Power of Their Source: The Crystal
Warlocks granted larger fragments of Everblight’s athanc possess equivalent amounts of power. They are not necessarily subject to the limitations of those who bear only a small piece, and they can manifest greater abilities, some of them unique. Thagrosh Hellborne, who bears the largest piece of Everblight in his heart, is so empowered by the dragon that the wounds he suffers in battle immediately create dragonspawn, an ability unique to the Messiah of the Legion of Everblight. Another warlock, Absylonia, can create seemingly limitless dragonspawn.
Spawning Dragonspawn are birthed from the blood of Everblight’s warlocks, who spill it for this purpose and choose the form of the beast at the time of its creation. The athanc shard within the warlock possesses transformative properties, causing the blood in the warlock’s veins to become the blood of the dragon. Although still only half-formed, a newborn dragonspawn already possesses the formidable natural weaponry, nearinsatiable hunger, and honed instinct to kill and feed that is characteristic of all dragonspawn. Freshly spawned beasts are taken on immediate hunts to slake their appetite and add the mass necessary to reach full size. If given access to an adequate supply of ready flesh and blood to consume (generally from victims of recent battle), even the largest warbeasts can attain full size within hours. This unnatural maturation makes it possible for a lone warlock with a spawning vessel to greatly augment her fighting force and replace destroyed dragonspawn by creating warbeasts in the field.
Spawning Rules To create a dragonspawn, a blighted warlock must sacrifice blood and select which dragonspawn she is creating. Sacrificing blood causes damage dictated by the size of the spawn being created. The warlock suffers damage equal to the selected dragonspawn’s PHY stat. Roll to determine which branch of the life spiral suffers damage as normal. Roll a separate location each time damage is suffered due to spawning. Spilled blood forms into a dragonspawn in one round.
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Unlike other warbeasts, a dragonspawn does not require conditioning. Dragonspawn created by a blighted warlock or spawning vessel begin the game with their animus, full FURY, and Threshold. If the warlock has an available Warlock Bond slot, a newly formed dragonspawn is automatically bonded to her, though it can be transferred to a new warlock as per the normal bonding rules. If the warlock does not have an available bond slot, dragonspawn she creates are uncontrolled warbeasts.
Spawning Limitations Dragons draw upon the power of their blood to produce dragonspawn, and Everblight is no exception. The primary difference, aside from Everblight’s control over the form of his spawn, is that he is capable of producing much greater volumes of them via his warlock proxies. The athanc shard causes his draconic blood to intermingle with the mortal blood of the Nyss. This grants Everblight the power to produce hosts of his spawn far beyond what he would normally be capable of.
New dragonspawn are weaker and smaller than normal and must feed to reach their full potential. Each dragonspawn has a Feeding cost. Larger and more powerful spawn have higher Feeding costs. A newly made spawn must consume its Feeding cost’s worth of vitality points before it grows to full size. Fresh meat provides a dragonspawn with the eaten creature’s full vitality score toward the dragonspawn’s Feeding cost, while meat from the undead or otherwise spoiled source provides half the spoiled creature’s total vitality score. Until a dragonspawn consumes meat equal to its Feeding cost, it has the Runt and Starving creature templates (see Iron Kingdoms Unleash Core Rules, p. XXX). Once a dragonspawn has consumed its Feeding cost, it grows to full size and capability and loses those templates.
Unnatural Beasts
Remember that dragonspawn are not considered beasts native to the wilds of Immoren. Abilities that reference such beasts do not affect any dragonspawn, regardless of its progenitor.
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Creating dragonspawn taxes a warlock, and without the aid of a spawning vessel the process is subject to certain limits. A warlock must fully recover damage suffered after creating a dragonspawn before it can create another. If a warlock suffers sufficient damage from spawning to disable her, she is automatically incapacitated and suffers the Spitting Blood Injury Table result.
Spawning Vessels Creating warbeasts from the blood and will of Legion warlocks is a taxing process that removes them from the field for a time. Spawning vessels allow for creation of warbeasts with a fraction of the normal resources. As the blighted Legion ranges ever farther across western Immoren, Everblight has come to rely increasingly on these vessels.
Spawning Vessel Cost: These items are never available for sale Description: Spawning vessels transmute lesser flesh into fully formed spawn. Common spawning vessels produce only the least of Everblight’s spawn in this manner, but larger, more powerful vessels exist. These are reserved for the greatest of the dragon’s warlocks and exist in limited number. The fabrication of spawning vessels is a difficult and timeconsuming process requiring arcane rituals by Nyss sorcerers in conjunction with a warlock of Everblight. The vessels are inscribed with Aeric runes to channel the powerful blighted energies they will draw upon to complete the transformation of bodies placed within. The warlock contributes a small quantity of draconic blood both to empower these runes and to serve as a transformative base lining the bottom of the vessel. Vessel attendants can reactivate the patterned energies to transform ordinary blood and flesh into dragonspawn without additional athanc-empowered blood.
Special Rules: A spawning vessel requires a blighted warlock to sacrifice 1 damage point worth of blood to empower. A spawning vessel remains empowered for two weeks before a blighted warlock needs to sacrifice additional blood. Once empowered, a spawning vessel can create small- or medium-based dragonspawn. To create a dragonspawn, the vessel must be filled with the creature’s Feeding cost worth of blood and meat. Spawn created in this manner do not need to consume their Feeding cost to reach full size; they begin the game fully formed. Creating a creature consumes its Feeding cost worth of raw material from the vessel. A standard-sized spawning vessel can contain 12 vitality points worth of material at a time.
Fabrication: Fabrication of a spawning vessel requires access to metalworking tools and an ample supply of metal and arcane minerals and can be performed only by a blighted Gifted character. Once the character has the raw materials, she must spend five weeks shaping and engraving the vessel. At the end of this time, she makes an ARC + Craft (metalworking) skill roll against a target of 16. If the roll succeeds, the vessel has been successfully manufactured and is ready to be empowered. If the roll fails, the character can spend an additional week adjusting her work and roll again.
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SHREDDER Anatomically bizarre, these small dragonspawn are little better than fanged mouths propelled by clawed limbs. If you encounter these dragonspawn you know to turn and run, for while they are dangerous themselves, they are precursors to nightmare creatures far worse. —Viktor Pendrake, Monsternomicon
Physique
PHY 6
Speed SPD 6 Strength STR 6 Agility
AGL 4
Prowess
PRW 3
Poise
POI 1
Intellect INT 1 Arcane aRC — Perception
Bite
MAT 5
H
PER 3 POW 4
P+S 10
Initiative
Init 12
Defense
DEF 13
Armor ARM 12 (Natural Armor +6) Willpower
1
A
2
GI
LI
Will 7 TY
Description These creatures are the smallest and simplest spawn to arise from the blood of Everblight. In the ancient days of the kingdom of Morrdh, they were known as akriel. Spawned with an unnatural and unquenchable hunger, these beasts are compelled to latch onto any living flesh they can fit between their serrated jaws and gorge on it, prompting them to very swiftly reach their full stature. The simplicity of the shredder’s design perfectly echoes its straightforward purpose: shredders exist to feed on the armies of Everblight’s enemies and nothing more. Only a warlock’s direct command can compel them to ignore their hunger. They have been employed as much for the terror they inspire when let loose on unsuspecting civilians as for their effectiveness as weapons of war.
3
Fully grown, a shredder is several feet long from nose to tail, with most 4 of its mass taken up by its head and jaws. The mouth is a shredder’s most prominent feature, taking up the PH YSIQUE majority of its face. Its jaws produce a powerful bite force for a creature of its 6 5 size, and its widely spaced teeth have an inward curve and sharp cutting FURY: 2 edge that allow it to pull hunks of Threshold: 7 flesh away with each bite. Shredders Command Range: 1 latch onto prey with these jaws and Base Size: small pull away using their muscular legs, Encounter Points: 5 digging into flesh with hooked talons Feeding Cost: 6 at the end of their appendages to get purchase. Along its spine, a row of horns protect the shredder from retaliation as it feeds. In combat, a shredder prefers to rely on its oversized maw while its many bony protrusions and thick scales afford it a degree of protection. INTELL
EC
T
Like all dragonspawn, a shredder is eyeless, relying on other senses to detect its prey. All dragonspawn emit weak waves of blight into their surroundings that allows them to extend their awareness. Additionally, a shredder’s sense of smell is preternaturally acute, and its skin is sensitive to minor variations in air pressure. Anything moving in a shredder’s vicinity draws its predatory attention. Natural camouflage provides no protection, and even supernatural obfuscation has limited effectiveness against a shredder on the hunt.
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Shredders are prevalent among Everblight’s forces. Their insatiable hunger and rapid metabolism mean they are almost always in a feeding frenzy, constantly hunting for meals, a trait that allows them to be released to sow terror with little guidance. Dozens of shredders might be loosed into the wilderness as a preliminary attack wave. Of all the dragonspawn, they are viewed as the most disposable, an easily replaced commodity.
Combat Driven by ravenous hunger, shredders leap into combat without hesitation against any creature they detect. Shredders do not possess a sense of self-preservation and do little to avoid harm, instead snapping with their jaws at anything close enough to attack. When shredders bring down prey, they fall upon the carcass and consume as much flesh as possible. Another creature stirring nearby distracts shredders, giving them another meal to fall upon. Immature 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, however, particularly once they reach full size. Shredders fight well in packs that swarm their hapless victims and tear them apart.
Lore A character can make an INT + Lore (extraordinary zoology or dragon) skill roll to determine what he knows about this creature. He learns all the information up to the result of the roll. The higher the roll, the more he learns. 13: Shredders are small, vicious dragonspawn known for their unquenchable appetite for flesh. Lacking eyes, shredders are able to detect their prey through other, ill-understood means. 15: Shredders often indicate a larger force of blighted creatures is nearby. These small creatures are capable of incredible bursts of speed and savage biting attacks. 17: Warlocks among the blighted Nyss are able to produce shredders quickly, creating the small dragonspawn from their own spilled blood.
Abilities: Blighted – This creature is a blighted creature.
Those who Ignore History. . .
Blood Creation – This creature never attacks friendly Legion warlocks and cannot choose them as its frenzy target. Eyeless Sight – This creature ignores cloud effects and forests when determining LOS. This creature ignores concealment and stealth when making attacks.
A character can also make an INT + Lore (ancient history or Morrdhic) skill roll against a target of 14 to learn the following:
Fearless – This creature never suffers the effects of fear.
Shredders match descriptions of a creature found in legends of the Black Kingdom of Morrdh. These small but deadly creatures once presaged attacks by Morrdhic warriors.
Rabid – This creature can be forced during its activation to gain +2 SPD, Pathfinder, and boosted attack and damage rolls for one turn.
Lesser Warbeast – This creature cannot make power attacks. A warlock can bond with two lesser warbeasts for each available bond slot.
Resonance: Everblight– This creature can be bonded only by a warlock with Resonance: Everblight Warbeast. Soulless – This creature does not generate a soul token when it is destroyed.
Creature Templates: None.
Animus: spell name Cost RNG AOE POW UP OFF Tenacity
1 6 – – No No
Target friendly character gains +1 DEF and ARM. Tenacity lasts for one round.
Skills: Name Stat + Rank Total Detection PER 2 5 Tracking PER 2 5
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raek My proficiency is foremost the natural world, though I regard history as an equally important study. The only thing more disturbing than confronting these beasts in the modern world is discovering, through research of history, that they have been hunting us from the shadows for centuries. —Viktor Pendrake, Monsternomicon
Physique
description
PHY 8
Speed SPD 7 Strength STR 8 Agility
AGL 5
Prowess
PRW 4
Poise
POI 1
Intellect INT 1 Arcane aRC — Perception
Bite
MAT 6
H
PER 3 POW 3
P+S 11
tail strike
MAT 6
H
POW 4
P+S 12
This weapon has reach. This creature gains +2 on attack rolls against characters it first hits with a Bite attack.
Initiative
Init 14
Defense
DEF 15
Armor ARM 14 (Natural Armor +6) Willpower
A
2 1
GI
LI
Will 9 TY
3 INTELL
EC
T
PH
YSIQUE
6
5
FURY: 3 Threshold: 9 Command Range: 1 Base Size: medium Encounter Points: 9 Feeding Cost: 12
4
A sleek and agile predator able to outpace and bring down the swiftest prey, the raek is a terrifying form of dragonspawn. First conceived by Everblight when he hid away beneath Morrdh, raeks are swift and stealthy dragonspawn ideal for surgical strikes against the dragon’s foes. While Everblight’s athanc lay dormant in the Shard Spires, memory of the raek faded from the world, the creature gradually taking on a mythical status in the minds of men. After taking control of the blighted Nyss, Everblight has resurrected these ancient horrors to once again stalk the wilds. Wherever the Legion of Everblight travels, raeks have risen to hunt the enemies of the dragon. The anatomy of a raek is superficially similar to that of a large predatory cat. Quadrupedal and lithe, a raek’s body is powerfully muscled, particularly its chest and limbs. Its primary weapons are long incisiform teeth and a spearshaped chitinous blade at the tip of its long tail. The tail tapers sharply to the tip and is moderately prehensile, making it a swift weapon that can strike from unpredictable angles of attack. A raek’s back and head are sheathed in plates of protective armor, swept back to deflect incoming blows. The dragonspawn’s underbelly, limbs, and tail are similarly protected by smaller overlapping scales. Shorter, sharper scales shaped like teeth protrude from the creature’s skin along the ridge of its back plates and at its shoulders.
A raek’s scales articulate with its body, fluidly shifting as it moves. Its four legs end in broad talons that afford it purchase on the most treacherous terrain, and combined with the raek’s natural agility the dragonspawn can negotiate nearly all surfaces. A running raek can scale the slick stone sides of a fortress wall or bound across deep drifts of snow with equal speed.
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Raeks alternate between complete stillness and bursts of blinding speed. They are patient and stealthy hunters, using their agility to negotiate dense underbrush or shadowy defiles to close on prey. When a raek closes to short distance, it moves explosively forward, sprinting toward its target. A raek closes the last distance to its prey by leaping an incredible distance. This jump has sufficient height to bring it over a wall or clear a towering dire troll. It can even pluck a flying creature out of the air at the apex of such a leap, snatching the unfortunate beast in its jaws and wrenching it back to earth.
Combat Raeks use their stealth and mobility to outflank prey. Thanks to the raek’s agility and climbing ability, it can scamper unnoticed over physical defenses to tear apart its chosen prey or to disable a creature and carry it off to consume at a safe location. A raek will stalk from a distance and stay hidden, waiting for an opportune moment to leap from hiding and pounce upon an unsuspecting creature. Raeks seem to enjoy leaping down on prey from an elevated position or lurking below to snag flying beasts that pass overhead. A raek bites down with its jaws, holding prey in place to skewer it with the sharpened tip of its long and powerful tail.
Lore A character can make an INT + Lore (extraordinary zoology or dragon) skill roll to determine what he knows about this creature. He learns all the information up to the result of the roll. The higher the roll, the more he learns. 13: Raeks are lithe and agile four-legged dragonspawn. Raeks hunt in the shadows, stalking their prey before they strike. 15: Raeks can climb exceedingly well, even up slick or sheer surfaces. A raek is also capable of leaping an incredible distance. 17: The raek is a single-minded and patient killer, one that ignores all outside distractions and knows none of the concerns for self-preservation that might hinder a natural predator. It will relentlessly pursue prey for many miles without tiring.
Abilities: Blighted – This creature is a blighted creature.
Those who Ignore History. . .
A character can also make an INT + Lore (ancient history or Morrdhic) skill roll against a target of 16 to learn the following: Beasts like raeks were found among the horrors of the Black Kingdom of Morrdh. The dark masters of Morrdh used the creatures as grisly tools of assassination, sending them against rivals and enemies when a straightforward death was deemed too gentle a fate.
Blood Creation – This creature never attacks friendly Legion warlocks and cannot choose them as its frenzy target. Deft – This creature gains boosted AGL rolls. Eyeless Sight – This creature ignores cloud effects and forests when determining LOS. This creature ignores concealment and stealth when making attacks. Fearless – This creature never suffers the effects of fear. Pathfinder – This creature can move over rough terrain without penalty. Pounce – Once per activation, after making a full advance but before performing an action, this creature can be forced to be placed completely within 5˝ of its current location. Any effects that prevent charging also prevent this creature from using Pounce. Resonance: Everblight– This creature can be bonded only by a warlock with Resonance: Everblight Warbeast. Soulless – This creature does not generate a soul token when it is destroyed. Stealth – This creature has stealth.
Creature Templates: None.
Animus: spell name Cost RNG AOE POW UP OFF Shadow Shift
2 SELF – – No No
This character gains Parry. Shadow shift lasts for one turn. (A character with Parry cannot be targeted by free strikes.)
Skills: Name Stat + Rank Total Climbing AGL 3 8 Detection PER 2 5 Sneak AGL 2 7 Tracking PER 2 5
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carnivean Physique
We had broken away from the enormous dragonspawn and taken cover in a natural ice fissure, pressed three men deep as it swiped at us with its broad, clawed limb. A moment later a spray of draconic fire burned Parker up like a candle in a kiln.
PHY 11
Speed SPD 6 Strength STR 12 Agility
AGL 3
Prowess
PRW 4
Poise
—Viktor Pendrake, Monsternomicon
description
POI 2
Intellect INT 1 Arcane aRC — Perception
PER 2
dragon breath
RAT RNG AOE POW 4 SP 10 — 14 Abilities: This weapon causes fire damage. This creature must build up its reserves between attacks using this weapon, therefore this weapon can be fired only once per turn.
Bite
H
MAT 6
claw
MAT 6
L
POW 6
P+S 18
POW 4
P+S 16
POW 4
P+S 16
These great horrors are possessed of a lean and muscular lower torso, with four clawed legs allowing swift movement across even the roughest terrain, and with the strength to leap over or barrel through lesser obstacles. The bulkier upper body is massively muscled and has oversized forelimbs primarily used as weapons and to grapple with larger prey. Like all of Everblight’s spawn, the carnivean possesses powerful jaws with teeth designed for ripping and tearing.
Abilities: Open Fist
claw
MAT 6
R
Abilities: Open Fist
Initiative
Init 12
Defense
DEF 11
Armor ARM 18 (Natural Armor +7)
GI
LI
Will 12
TY
3
PH
INTELLEC
T
1
2
A
Willpower
YSIQUE
6
5
FURY: 4 Threshold: 9 Command Range: 1 Base Size: large Encounter Points: 19 Feeding Cost: 16
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The carnivean is a massive and horrifying creature, one of the most powerful beasts in the blighted Legion’s living arsenal. Standing a dozen feet tall, these enormous dragonspawn were once rare gifts bestowed on the warlords of Morrdh. Now they stride alongside the blighted Nyss as beasts of pure destruction. Consumed by a desire to fight and slaughter, carniveans are among the deadliest of Everblight’s spawn.
4
The carnivean’s most devastating weapon is its ability to disgorge a scorching but rapidly consumed naphtha from its mouth, a fiery acidic mixture that quickly melts flesh. While this is nowhere near as powerful as the dragonfire a dragon can produce, it serves well to annihilate lesser creatures the carnivean is sent to destroy, and this is particularly disruptive to the morale of those who witness the gruesome deaths of their allies. A carnivean’s body is covered with dense scales and thick armored plating that is far stronger than natural equivalents. The plates are overlapping and articulated to allow a carnivean to move with a sinuous grace uncharacteristic of such a large creature. Long, serrated
spines growing from these plates serve as a defensive weapon, and a warlock can impel the beast to undergo a rapid transformation that causes countless others to erupt from its flesh. Anything that attacks the dragonspawn when it possesses these spines is sure to suffer trauma from the tangle of thorny blades growing from every inch of its body.
Combat When a carnivean detects prey or is commanded to attack, it charges forward, spraying gouts of draconic flame. Creatures that survive this fiery attack are pummeled with talons and ripped at by the carnivean’s oversized jaws. The carnivean’s many legs allow it to move over broken ground without slowing down, which lets it slam its great mass into lesser beasts and drive them to the ground. Fearless and durable, carniveans are not concerned by incoming strikes. They only wish to destroy and devour all the flesh they can.
Lore A character can make an INT + Lore (extraordinary zoology or dragon) skill roll to determine what he knows about this creature. He learns all the information up to the result of the roll. The higher the roll, the more he learns. 13: Among the largest and most formidable of dragonspawn are the carniveans. Able to kill at a distance with burning breath and even more formidable in melee, this spawn is best avoided. Carniveans possess no particular weaknesses, having a toughened scaly hide that is difficult to penetrate. 15: Carniveans are quite stable, thanks to the four limbs used for ambulation, and also demonstrate great balance and ability to cross difficult terrain, including ice and snow. 17: Warlocks among the blighted Nyss cannot quickly or easily create these hulking spawn, as they require a great investment. This not only explains their rarity, it means their loss is a serious blow to those who employ them.
Abilities:
Those who Ignore History. . .
Assault – As part of a charge, after moving but before making its charge attack, this creature can make one ranged attack targeting the character charged unless they were in melee with each other at the start of this creature’s activation. When resolving an Assault ranged attack, the attacker does not suffer the target in melee penalty. If the target is not in melee range after moving, this creature can make the Assault ranged attack before its activation ends.
A character can also make an INT + Lore (ancient history or Morrdhic) skill roll against a target of 18 to learn the following:
Blighted – This creature is a blighted creature.
In a handful of legends that survive from the time of the Morrdhic kingdom are descriptions of great monstrosities that match the carnivean. These beasts arose to destroy countless enemy warriors only in times of the greatest peril to the Black Kingdom’s masters.
Eyeless Sight – This creature ignores cloud effects and forests when determining LOS. This creature ignores concealment and stealth when making attacks.
Blood Creation – This creature never attacks friendly Legion warlocks and cannot choose them as its frenzy target.
Pathfinder – This creature can move over rough terrain without penalty. Resonance: Everblight– This creature can be bonded only by a warlock with Resonance: Everblight Warbeast. Soulless – This creature does not generate a soul token when it is destroyed.
Animus Cost RNG AOE POW UP OFF Spiny Growth
2 6 – – No No
Target friendly character gains +2 ARM. If a warjack or warbeast hits the affected character with a melee attack, the attacker suffers d3 damage points immediately after the attack has been resolved unless the affected character was destroyed or removed from play by the attack. Spiny Growth lasts for one round.
Creature Templates: None.
Skills: Name Stat + Rank Total Detection PER 2 4 Tracking PER 2 4
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Around The World The battlefields of WARMACHINE and HORDES are everywhere—in homes, in conventions halls, in game stores. They’re in your hometown; they’re on the other side of your country; they’re on a completely different continent. Because it’s not just a community—it’s the world.
Hobby Shop Arrows has served as a miniatures game specialty store at Tokyo Akihabara since 2014. While the Japanese hobby scene is quite small compared to many other countries, Hobby Shop Arrows hosts a wide variety of players—from beginners to veterans—in their gaming spaces with events and tournaments every weekend. In the last year, WARMACHINE and HORDES have acquired a strong following in Tokyo, and owner Ryota Tsuchiya is eager to meet and greet players from all over the world who would like to participate in his store’s activities. Check out their website: http://arrows-llc.com (Japanese only)
Last December, the official Spanish Masters event took place at the Goblin Trader store in Madrid. The event was run by Spanish distributor Lost Masquerade and had almost 40 players from various European countries compete. Jakub Irzyk from Poland with his Legion of Everblight army was the ultimate victor. The Spanish WARMACHINE community is growing rapidly as more and more retailers stock the games. In 2015, Spain will host an Iron Gauntlet Qualifier in Barcelona in October, and Spain will also be represented at the WTC. For Lost Masquerade, the Masters was the culmination of a great deal of work, with support from the Spanish community, the PGs, and retailers. This year, the event will again be in Madrid (December 4–6) in the new Goblin Trader superstore in central Madrid. Details about the event can be found on the Lost Masquerade website www.lostmasquerade.com
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Around the World
This June marks one full year of Privateer Pins, and to commemorate the occasion, a whole host of new pins will make their first appearance during Lock & Load GameFest 2015, June 5–7. “Chibi Harbinger, Chibi Makeda, and Chibi Totem Hunter are bound to be popular,” says Will Shick, Director of Business Development, “and we know Khador players will be pleased to see the Old Witch finally make it onto a pin. But this year, we’re also launching IK cereal pins and our new map pin series, which breaks western Immoren into pins that fit together to recreate the lands of the Iron Kingdoms.” Alongside the first of the cereal pins, which will be available at the convention and on the Privateer Press Online Store the same weekend—attendees of Lock & Load will have access to new, limitededition pins available only at conventions Privateer Press attends. “We have a unique pin for the Standard Bearer ability icon,” Shick says, “and we have a special Privateer Pins one-year anniversary pin available only as a gift-with-purchase in the Lock & Load store and other cons later in the year. Plus, we have a dated Lock & Load pin for every attendee, something unique to commemorate the experience.” Additionally, a special product focused on the Cygnaran warcaster Victoria Haley will contain two limited-edition pins unavailable anywhere else—the Major military rank and the Prime arcane rank. With an edition run of only 500 each, these pins are likely to be especially treasured by devoted Privateer Pin collectors.
The Privateer Pins Collection For the first year, collectors formed their own lists of Privateer Pins and shared them across the forums. Now a definitive list is growing on the Privateer Pins website. In addition to scheduled updates for new releases, the site includes the over 150 pins released in the collection since June 2014, many of which contain links to purchase the pin if it is still available in the online store. Collectors can check out the alternate chibi Tyrant Xerxes (available only through the Australian convention CanCon), all four Path of Devastation league pins, and out-of-print pins like Chibi Skarre. Check out privateerpress.com/pins for the latest updates.
Tricks of the Trade For pin collectors who have not yet had a chance to trade with Privateer Press staff and volunteers, the guidelines are pretty easy to master. Once you find a crewmember wearing a lanyard with Privateer Pins on it, simply offer an official Privateer Pin in exchange for a pin on the crewmember’s lanyard, and the deal is done! A couple of things to keep in mind: your pin can’t be damaged, has to have its original backer, and can’t be a pin already on the crewmember’s lanyard. You can only trade with the crewmember once per day, one pin for one pin, and you can’t trade for a pin that’s not on the crewmember’s lanyard (crewmembers often display upcoming pins that haven’t been released yet).
for more pins visit: privateerpress.com/pins privateer pins
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Drawn and Quartered Redux The last time a cartoon appeared in No Quarter was way back in early 2010, issue #29—it was a gag about Stryker and hair gel. The lesson: comedy and the Iron Kingdoms mix like the Protectorate and tolerance. But it was a lesson we have deliberately forgotten for this anniversary issue, so, as George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Here we are, condemned. Our runner-up: an image of the Butcher with two dismembered arms that he flails around gleefully as musical notes dance around his head. The caption: “You butcher left arm in, you butcher left arm out, you butcher right arm in…” Illustration by Laine Garrett
We’ll save that one for No Quarter #90, May of 2020.
THE RETURN OF THE
It’s time to put your tactical genius to the test with this perplexing battlefield puzzle! You are in control of Captain Phinneus Shae and his band of rowdy privateers. Your task is simple: destroy the Kommander Sorscha this turn or lose the game. All the tools are there—can you achieve victory before it’s too late?
WARMACHINE
CHALLENGE Instructions It is currently your activation phase, and your Galleon has already activated this turn.
1.5˝
Your dice are cursed, and always roll the exact same result. If you roll one die your result will always be 3, two dice will net you a 7, three dice will result in a 10, and with four dice your result will be 14. If you cannot destroy Kommander Sorscha this turn, you will lose.
S HOUSE
3˝ 1˝
W D
W
1˝
W
1˝
1˝
W
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NQ redux
1˝
W
2˝
D
10˝
9.5˝
2˝
D
B
Behemoth
W
Winter Guard
Sh
Shae
H
Hawk
D
Sea Dogs
P
Press Gangers
R
Rockbottom
C
Commodore
W
2.5˝
D
Sorscha
D
2˝
FOREST
D H Sh
P P P P P P R
G
C
Puzzle by William Overstreet.
For our solution, see page 70.
Unit Leader
B
Both Lord Rockbottom, Expedition Financier and Captain Phinneus Shae have been playing conservatively. Lord Rockbottom has not used any of his 5 Coins. Shae has not used his feat and did not allocate any focus to his warjacks this turn. Kommander Sorscha’s bloodlust may have finally gotten the best of her. She spent all of her focus last turn killing Doc Killingsworth and Bosun Grogspar.
KEY
S
C C
C
C C C
G
Galleon
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