Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed and Guardian of Souls

I rebased and quickly repainted the Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed and Guardian of Souls over the long weekend. Most of the weekend I spent working on some old Putrid Blightkings that I've put on 32mm bases to use as Rotswords, but then switched gears and decided to quickly knock these out! 

Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed and Guardian of Souls

Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed

Guardian of Souls

ALL THE NIGHT HAUNTS

Now, with the Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed, I can legally field the Dreadblade Harrows (as all the Nighthaunt Heroes I'd had previously could only lead INFANTRY Units... and the Dreadblade Harrows are CAVALRY!). Fielding them all together could look like:

Knight of Shrouds General's Regiment 

• Hero - Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed (1)  160 -  0-1 Cursed Soul, Any Nighthaunt
• Unit - Scriptor Mortis (1) 120 - Any Infantry - This Hero can join an eligible regiment as a Cursed Soul.
• Unit - Bladegheist Revenants (10) 210 - Infantry
• Unit - Craventhrone Guard (5) 110 - Infantry
• Unit - Dreadblade Harrows (2) 50 - Cavalry

Total: 650

Spirit Torment's Regiment 

• Hero - Spirit Torment (1) 120 - 0-1 Black Coach, Any Infantry
• Unit - Chainghasts (2) 90 - Infantry
• Unit - Myrmourn Banshees (4) 100 - Infantry

Total: 310

Guardian of Souls’ Regiment 

• Hero - Guardian of Souls (1) 130 -  0-1 Black Coach, Any Infantry
• Unit - Chainrasps (10) 110 - Infantry
• Unit - Dreadscythe Harridans (10) 210 - Infantry

Total: 450

Army total: 1410

If I added in the units that are soon passing into Legends... 

Cairn Wraith’s Regiment

• Hero - Cairn Wraith (1) 130 - 0-1 Black Coach, Any Infantry
• Unit - Glaivewraith Stalkers (4)  100 - Infantry

Total: +230 = 1640

If I picked up Lady Olinder and added her to this mess... 

+ Lady Olinder 320 points = 1960

This is not really a PRIORITY force right now, though... I just like having all the stuff done for them! 

(though, technically, I still have two Warhammer Underworlds Warbands yet to paint, one of which can still be fielded as a regular unit... Maybe I should get to those at some point!) 

I will probably finish up those "Rotswords" sometime this week. It's reading week and Amanda's off on a little vacation, so I have some time to devote to painting projects! 

this brings me to 33x 28mm Foot and 1x 28mm Mounted painted so far this year - versus 19x 28mm Foot and 1x 28mm Mounted acquired! Still in the black... until Saturday, at least... 

Dire Wolves

I picked up these wolves over a year and a half ago when I picked up the Fangs of the Blood Queen Dawnbringers box. I needed the Fell Bats for Night Wars and that was a way to pick them up - and some other Soulblight Gravelords stuff - at a bit of a discount!  I just didn't get to painting the Dire Wolves... (or the vampire that came in the box, for that matter!). Now that I have a copy of Warhammer Quest: Cursed City - Nemesis on the way, I finally found some motivation to knock them out quickly... I think what kept me from getting them done was colours - I agonized over how to to a pack of wolves with some variance in colours... This week I decided, fuck it, they're evil undead fantastical wolves from a fictional realm.... they can all be BLACK!! 

Dire Wolves! 

ALL of my other Soulblight Gravelords models are on flagstone bases, but that felt like it might look odd for these - especially since many of them had large boulders incorporated into the model and I thought they'd look funny just sitting on the flag stones. I guess I could have made them look like rubble...? As it is, I did them all on rocky bases painted the same colour as the flagstone so they could blend in a bit and it COULD be rubble in a city OR it COULD be rocky mountainous terrain!? 

Once I'd decided on just painting their coats black, these went VERY quickly! 

Most of the Vampire Heroes I have are named characters of the Vyrkos Dynasty. The fluff suggests some relationship with wolves - like maybe they're descended from Wolves or something? Belladamma Volga (one that I don't have) can have a meatshield of Dire Wolves. When I have megalomaniacal dreams of possible armies, I sometimes think of an entire Soulblight Gravelords army based around the Vyrkos Heroes and just packs and packs of wolves... It would probably be total crap as a competitive army... but it would look cool and be very thematic! 

(Well now I HAD to math it out... If I picked up Belladamma Volga and Ivya Volga - the two Vyrkos characters I don't have - I'd need another FIVE packs of Dire Wolves to make a 2000 point army... and that would be just a bit under $500CAD...) 

It felt like they were HUGE while I was painting them..probably because, in my minds eye I was comparing them to ancient metal Wolves I had... 

I think the one on the round base is from Westward Productions and the goblin wolf-rider is a metal Marauder Miniature from the 1990s that I still haven't stripped and repainted! 

I'm not suggesting this is BAD thing. I think it is apropos that they be HUGE and TERRIFYING... they are DIRE wolves, after all!! 

Comparing them to modern Vyrkos Dynasty Vampires, though... they're kind of perfect! 

With Radukar the Wolf

With Kritza the Rat Prince

With Lady Annika

Somparing them to the Vampires on their flagstone bases, I kind of feel like maybe I need to hit the bases with another dry-brushing of a slightly lighter grey...? to make them match the tone of the flagstone a bit better - but also seeing them on the game table, it will make a bit better contrast between the bases and the wolves... Will I get around to doing this any time soon...? Maybe...? 

I still have the Vargheists, a unit of Grave Guard, and the Necromancer to finish up for Nemesis, but we won't be playing for almost three weeks, so I'll easily get those done. The Vargheists came with the Soulblight Gravelord Bloodcrave Hunt Spearhead army, so getting them done will get me a bit closer to finishing those as well - I'll just have the five Blood Knights to finish up! (Then we'll see some Vamp-on-Vamp violence versus Orion's Soublights!) 

First Purchases of 2026

Technically, the stuff below aren't really the first purchases of 2026... I bought some stuff on Friday... but that was mail ordered and won't be here until later in the week and I don't really count things that aren't in my grubby little hands yet! 

It is BECAUSE of said purchases that I wandered on over to the Dragon's Den and bought the stuff below. 

Fenris Workshop had a copy of Warhammer Quest: Cursed City - NEMESIS! The THIRD campaign in the trilogy - long out of print and I'd kind of given up the idea that we'd ever play it as the only copies I'd seen available were hundreds of dollars! The copy Fenris had was still in shrink-wrap and not too unreasonably priced! So I bought it! (and since I was ordering from them, I also picked up a BUNCH of flowery tufts for basing and a small handful of used miniatures). 

Luckily, the required miniatures for Nemesis include Varghiests, Dire Wolves, Grave Guard, a Wight King and a Necromancer. I already HAVE Varghiests and Dire Wolves and a Wight King... I just needed a Necromancer and the Grave Guard.... 

So I picked up the Necromancer and Grave Guard at the Dragon's Den. 

I should be able to knock these out pretty quick. I've already started on the Dire Wolves - which is what's distracted me away from the Pestigors. We won't be playing ANY Warhammer Quest until March, anyway, because Amanda is very suddenly off on a little vacation for the latter half of February! 

(I guess if I finished up the Pestigors, I COULD just play through the whole campaign with OTHER PEOPLE while she's away!) 

(I could probably play through it a FEW times!) 

For our Tuesday evenings, however, we'll probably return to play in March with Cursed City Nemesis... and THEN when we're done that Amanda, Finnegan and I will play through Warhammer QuestL Darkwater.

(but, yeah, I might just play it with others - or solo it myself - while she's away!) 

This puts me at 22 painted, 11 purchased for the year so far. Another 8 foot and 1 mounted are arriving with the Fenris Order. I'm hoping by the time it arrives I'll have finished either the Pestigors or the Dire Wolves (or maybe BOTH!?) which would be another 18-20 miniatures (depending on whether I can find some of the old beastmen I have squirrelled away to use as stand-in pestigors or not - to make it a full unit of 10!?) 

In another couple weeks, the Battleforce: Disciples of Tzeentch – Warpflame Cavalcade will be arriving, which will be adding almost another FORTY miniatures!! It's actually thirty-six little Daemons, an Exalted Flamer (which is big enough I'd classify as "Mounted/Small Beastie") and a Herald of Tzeentch on Burning Chariot and a Lord of Change - Greater Daemon of Tzeentch (both of which would be classified as "Vehicles/Bigger Beasties"). This will bring the total purchased/acquired to 55.

Can I get another 33 x 28mm foot miniatures painted in the next two weeks - to keep me "in the black" in that category at least...? Maybe... Maybe not... Regardless, these graveyard should be pretty quick and easy to knock out, so if I could finish these AND the Pestigors AND the Dire Wolves, I'd be CLOSE - and within the next week or so, I'd be able to finish up a few others bringing the painted back higher than the purchased!! 

I am trying really hard to keep from adding too much to the collections this year - and definitely want to keep it lower than the amount I paint. I'd would be nice to paint twice as many as I purchase, but I'm not going to do anything silly like make a proclamation that I will be doing so! 

Warhammer Quest: Cursed City - Night Wars 14 - Desperate Frenzy Decapitation Journey

 And thus it was time to face Kritza the Rat Prince... 

A bit about this scenario... As with all the Decaptiation Journeys in the Night Wars campaign, the journey begins with a Haven Defence scenario - where the Vampire Lord lashes out at the Heroes and sends their minions to Haven to hunt them down. In this one the Heroes are attacked by a Vargskyr(!), a group of Deadwalker Zombies, some Corpse Rats, and THE ABHORRENT SWARM!!! (suddenly wished I'd gone with the LARGER option). The special rules for the swarm is it FILLS the room it is in, counting as having a hostile figure in every space in the room - so heroes cannot move INTO the room with it. If the Swarm moved into the room, all other models have a move of one (and can presumably move through spaces to get out!). The swarm counts as having 15 wounds and if it is destroyed returns to the table as reinforcements on it's next activation. At the beginning of each turn, just before the determine if the scenario is over step, the swarm deals two damage to any hero in the same room as it, and one damage to any hero in an adjacent room. If on its activation it starts on the table and there aren't any heroes in the room it is currently in... it moves to an adjacent room, moving towards the closest hero...

The swarm has to be destroyed four times to win the Haven Scenario.... all while being hunted by a Vargskyr, that just keeps coming back (66% of the time) any time it is destroyed, and being harassed by zombies and corpse rats... 

IF the Heroes survive that... they track Kritza back to his compound and have to kill him... Kritza always tries to run away from any heroes. and he is FAST... and has a LARGE estate... AND every time he takes ANY amount of damage, he bursts into a pile of rats, and reappears at a random spawn point somewhere in his estate... AND the Heroes only have SIX rounds in which to kill him, or he escapes!!

Wow... 

So here's where everyone started... 

Qulathis stormed into the square where Brutogg and a Vargskyr were staring each other down. The Aelf put a half dozen arrows into the hulking beast (the Vargskyr, not Brutogg!) and down it went! 

Glaurio advanced on a square where a horde of Deadwalker Zombies had gathered and started shooting them. 

Octren snorted some gravesand and started staring down the Abhorrent Swarm. rats started bursting everywhere - like a kettle of popcorn - but splattering gore and viscera everywhere!

(Octren Glimscry has an ability called "Hollow Stare" - it's a ranged attack, he stares at things and deals them damage! He also has an ability where he can deal himself damage and then his hollow stare deals EXTRA damage, for the rest of the turn... we've always joked that he either snorts gravesand - the realmstone of Shyish - or pours it into his eyes to do this... something BOTH... doing this and then doing three Hollow Stares dealt the horde enough damage that it destroyed it! Or perhaps did enough damage that the remaining rats fled... only to return again with friends the next turn!) 

And return the Abhorrent Swarm did... in the same room that Glaurio was in... with zombies... and rats... 

(Amanda was, not unjustly, concerned that this might be end of Glaurio!!)

Brutogg came running, stomping on groups of Corpse Rats along the way... 

From the doorway he started stomping and smashing rats by the fistful, there was no end to them.. 

Octren snorted another dose of gravesand and stared down the Abhorrent Swarm again... bursting hundreds like giant horrific pustules! 

Qulathis joined Brutogg and started shooting the remaining Corpse Rats and Zombies! 

The Vargskyr returned... or... another one did...? ALONG WITH the Abhorrent Swarm!! 

Glaurio covered in gore and blood escaped the room he'd been in... it was unclear how much was his and how much was just from being showered by exploding rats! 

AGAIN, Octren approached the Abhorrent Swarm

Qulathis stepped back out of the room and shot many arrows into the Vargskyr. Meanwhile Glaurio found himself surrounded again! 

Brutogg, after finished off the Vargskyr came running to help out poor Glaurio! 

When the Abhorrent Swarm appeared again, for the last time, it was Qulathis' turn to destroy it... She fired so many arrows into it, catching a dozen rats on every shaft it disrupted the nigh endless tide of of vermin and sent the rest scattering to the winds! 

The remaining zombies and rats shambled away, defeated... and our heroes followed them back to their master's abode! 

On to part two... we took a little break while I put away the haven tiles and set up Kritza's Mansion... 

It was a LARGE place... lots of space for the Vampire Lord to run around and disappear into! 

The Heroes arrive on his doorstep! 

Brutogg is the first to go... He charges forth, past the Vargskyr and to some Deadwalker Zombies, blocking his way. He doesn't even hit them, though, he just Shoulder Barges past them all! 

Then uses a Destiny Die to take one more step and take a swing at Kritza the Rat Prince. The blow connects, solidly - Kritza having failed to dodge - and deals FIVE damage (Kritza had only nine health!). The Vampire lord dissolves into a pile of rats that scurry off in all directions and... 

... reappears elsewhere in his mansion... 

Which just happens to be close enough for Glaurio ven Alten III to dash forth and blast Kritza with one of his pistols... AGAIN the Vampire Lord fails to dodge! He is dealt three more damage and bursts into a swarms of rats that scurry off into cracks, under furniture and behind curtains... only to reappear... 

RIGHT BEHIND GLAURIO!!?

Glaurio still had one more action, so he turned around and shot Kritza in the face... BLAM! The Vampire Lord, once again, dissolved into a pile of rats and scurried off, never to be seen again... well... until the final boss battle... 

Are... 

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?!?!

This is the SECOND TIME the heroes, faced with what looked on paper like a rather challenging scenario, KILLED THE VAMPIRE LORD ON THE FIRST TURN!?

WTF!?!

It took me longer to set up this mansion than it took them to play through the scenario and kill Kritza... 

They didn't even have to get to an Extraction Zone in this one.. at the start of a turn if Kritza was killed and it wasn't past Round Six, game over, players won... That did mean we had to finish out the round... 

So the Vargskyr did attack Brutogg... Brutogg just shrugged off its menacing blows... 

Some Zombies joined in... but they were even more useless... 

An extra Zombie appeared right in the Landing Zone and attacked Octren... who ignored it... 

The corpse rats were too far away to get to any of the Heroes - even with a charge!

And... that was that... 

All three Vampire Lords have been stripped of their power base... Now to face them all ONCE AGAIN in a FINAL BOSS BATTLE!!

That will be next week, though... 

Wow... I guess I better get painting the Warhammer Quest: Darkwater stuff!!!

Warhammer Quest: Cursed City - Night Wars 09 - YET ANOTHER Sabotage Journey to the Tallyman's Lodge

Before the heroes had even left the landing zone, the first Gnawbone Stray familiar just came waltzing right up to them as though it hadn't a care in the world... 

Until Glaurio blew it apart with one of his pistols! 

Octren and Brutogg pushed out, exploring the Tallyman's Lodge... Brutogg found a group of Deadwalker Zombies and set about preparing his supper, pulverizing every one of them - and collecting up the good bits for eating! 

Glaurio rushed out of the landing zone and shot a Zombie that was creeping up on Octren... 

Then ran along to aid Brutogg, who'd found TWO MORE!? 

"wait... was that bookshelf there a minute ago!? 

(when an unrevealed hostile group activates a random lurk token that is within a certain distance of Heroes is checked to see if it moves closer, stays where it is, or moves further away.... and sometimes those lurk tokens move into view of the heroes or MOVE INTO THE SAME ROOM as the heroes and are revealed... and I is never not funny when a lurk token moves into a room with a hero... only to be revealed to by a Mysterious Object - which can be examined and sometimes has treasure...and sometimes has traps!)

BLAM! another Diregoyle reduced to paste... 

Qulathis chased down another Gnawbone Stray... 

And then ANOTHER.... 

Octren practiced staring at them, and reduced one to ash... 

Qulathis killed another Diregoyle... 

Even Brutogg had a go at smashing one to goo... 

And that they decided was enough and made their way to the Extraction Zone!? 

This one just kind of worked out that the first six lurk tokens they revealed were three Familiars, two Mysterious Objects and only ONE Hostile Group... and THEN two of the Familiars just kept respawning in the areas that they'd explored and the one monster lurk token (and one of the familiar lurk tokens) respawned in the corner of the Tallyman's Lodge where, presumably, all the other Hostile Group Lurk Tokens were hanging out having a staff meeting along or something...? So they chased the diregoyls and gnawbone strays around the explored areas and didn't go anywhere NEAR the others, so the lurk tokens wouldn't go activating!

It was CrAzY!?!

The game went SO FAST, that Amanda suggested actually starting the NEXT scenario... but because this was the third successful Sabotage Journey, the next game would be a Decaptiation Journey... and those are MUCH longer - played in two parts... (and I was still VERY FAR BEHIND on typing up these game reports!!) 

(They attempted the Decapitation Journey last night... stay tuned for the Game Report later today!)