Captain Lukas Heinriksen quailed as Todeswunsch pulled the letter he had but two hours ago written, sealed and pressed in to the hand of a loyal runner. The paper was torn and judging by the bloody stains, the runner had met a sorry end too. Todeswunsch tossed the ripped missive on to the table before him and stared coldly at Heinriksen,
"I see you are not enamoured of the new additions to our little expedition Captain. Not only that but it would seem you seek to share your views with our masters back in Ostermark. Would you care to explain yourself..."
Well! Good to be back after a month off and hopefully this is a triumphant (or at least as triumphant as a couple of units of pathetic peasant levies can be!) return...
This month I had hoped to finish off most of the remaining rank and file units I have for this army but time has not been my friend yet again. My leader may have some company next month! First up is Todeswunch's infamous Death's Head Regiment, led by his newfound and somewhat dubious Sylvanian ally, Count Karnstein. There are those who whisper that the Count is not Human, that he is well versed in the ways of the Necromancer and that the ranks of the regiment he commands come from the grave...
Kurt Todeswunsch eyed his Captain coldly as the man stammered out his objections,
"So you feel my ideas, my methods have become unsound... Unsound. Well, you see Heinriksen... In this war, things get confused out here, power, ideals, the old morality, and practical military necessity. Out here with these natives it can be a temptation to be god. Because there's a conflict in every human heart between the rational and the irrational, between good and evil. The good does not always triumph. Sometimes the dark side overcomes what those in more comfortable positions call the better angels of our nature. Every man has got a breaking point. You and I have. And you think I have reached mine. And very obviously, you think me insane. That my command should be terminated..."
Heinriksen lowered his head, unable to meet the gaze of his superior officer,
"Sir with the greatest of respect... how can your judgement be sound? There are heretics and those touched with the taint of Chaos amidst our ranks. The men think you in league with Necromancers and that the Dead fight alongside them... You are out here operating without any decent restraint. Totally beyond the pale of any acceptable human conduct..."
The miniatures are a mix of several different manufacturers as usual! The zombified French soldiers and Castle Guards from Studio Miniatures are great fun.
I threw in a few kitbashes from various Perry Miniatures sprues with some zombie bits to make up the numbers.
Of course I had to include these lovely Landsknecht Zombies from the Assault Group.
And a bunch of Crooked Dice Husks rounded the unit of nicely!
A humourless smile stretched Todeswunch's features in to a rictus-like grin,
"I shall let this insubordination slide Captain this once and let you in to a little secret. A great man once told me - I have considered all the works that are under the sun, and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of the spirit, but who believes it till Death tells it us? It is therefore Death alone that can suddenly make a man know himself. Oh eloquent, just and mighty Death! Whom none could advise, thou hast persuaded; what none hath dared, thou hast done; and whom all the world hath flattered, thou only hath cast out of the world and despised; thou hast drawn together all the far-fetched greatness, all the pride, cruelty, and ambition of man, and covered it all over with these two narrow words; Hic jacet! Do you recognise those two words Captain? You should for they adorn a great many grave stones - Here Lies - and this is the reason I have it as my motto.
No I worship not Death and nor do I fear it. I do, however, respect it for this reason and take heed of the lessons it offers. Keep your Gods and your servile bowing and scraping, for Death laughs even at Morr who is but a pale imitation. We will never win here in Sylvania, with all the forces of Death and Undeath ranged against us. At least those mad fools we harry and chase about the place realise that. At least there is a grain of truth in the teachings of that Cult of theirs… You look surprised to hear me in agreement with the heretics when it is you who hold more in common with them than I. Your adoration of what you believe to be a superior and omnipotent God, which is but a poor masquerade for Death comes from the same fear and impotence as those poor wretches, who have fallen under the sway of some Demon who wears the face of Death. You both welcome and seek consolation in the oblivion that that naked and absolute power promises you. It is an escape from the realisation that within your flesh is not one point of firm stability, nor in your bones there is no steadfastness: such is your dread of mutability and change, success and failure, death and life."
The Captain listened on - whether to a madman or a wise one, he knew not.
I figured if the Imperial Guard can have Penal Troops in Rogue Trader then why shouldn't my evil Empire army. I hope to paint up some handlers to shepherd them in to battle before the end of the challenge...
The banner features detail taken from Breughel's Fall of the Rebel Angels - I figured his depiction of Lucifer's rebels as weird and wonderful creatures, as opposed to the more traditional angels who are harrying them out of Heaven, fit quite nicely with the idea of horrible mutations from the taint of Chaos.
Looks pretty Choatic to me!!
The text is taken from Revelations 14:11 and reads:
And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.
A chill wind buffeted the tent and the candle flames guttered, sending crazed shadows wheeling about the two men who sat opposite each other across the table. Todeswunsch paid them no mind and went on,
"I've seen horrors...horrors that you've seen. But you have no right to call me a traitor. You have a right to kill me. You have a right to do that...But you have no right to judge me. It's impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means. Horror. Horror has a face...And you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are your friends. If they are not then they are enemies to be feared. They are truly enemies. We have to be as strong as them, as the monsters, Heinriksen, or judgement will defeat us. Besides, out here the boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?
You will address the men Heinriksen and set their minds at ease. The mutants have their handlers, Karnstein alone commands his regiment and we are but few against the threats ranged against us. Any man who still objects to the nature of our reinforcements is welcome to fend for himself..."
Again I've used a fair mix of miniatures - this lot are from the wonderfulk Dunkeldorf range. So glad they decided to make some mutants!
As the flavour of this army is very much in line with Heironymous Bosch and Brueghel's weirder paintings, I had to include some of Eureka Miniature's fantastic Chaos Army - directly inspired by these two great painters! The Goat Man is from Northumbrian Tin Soldier's lovely Night Folk range.
The (twisted) backbone of the unit, however, comes from the wonderful Midlam Miniatures and their Cult of the Chosen! Peasants with tentacles erupting all over the place - just what I needed!
Heinriksen stumbled from the General's tent, having been dismissed. His head reeling, he found himself going over a verse of an old poem he half remembered,
"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."
Did Todeswunsch represent the best or worst of humanity - Heinriksen was dismayed to find he no longer knew...
Well that'll do for this month - hopefully real life will be a bit more forgiving and allow me to tie up a few loose ends as well as getting my leader painted next month...
25 Zombies - Die Schale 512 Points
L10 Vampire Hero, light armour, spears, musician and standard
20 Penal Mutants (Peasant Levy) - Die Sünderinnen 120 Points
L10 Hero (Light armour, hand weapons), hand weapons, musician, standard
Erzatzsolder but with D6-4 dominant attributes