McDeath: The Original Raybees? or The Crossroads Connection?

There are many links to popular culture hidden away in the most unusual of places, and '80s Warhammer is no different. And it seems to me too easy in this day and age for new connections to be created - as people share information online without checking on its accuracy before hand. Some say that we are living in a 'post truth' world, and that the spreading of this information is a merely a symptom of that age. I disagree. My academic life concentrated on the study of pre and ancient history, and as any historian will tell you; 'truth' is a subjective force. One man's evil can be another's good after all. 

Fact on the other hand is often indisputable. It makes me laugh how many people list Ratter as being part of the McDeath set on eBay now, after I included it in my project. There were never any figures released for Glen Woe and my inclusion of the little dog was purely whimsical. But 'facts' have a funny way of going awry online, don't they? 

What I propose today is not fact. It is conjecture. As you will have seen I have painted up a little halfling. I gave myself an hour yesterday to paint him (basing excluded) and I really enjoyed working to time and the result isn't too bad if you squint a bit. Now this little chap has a bit of a mysterious heritage, having a surprisingly similar look to the original Raybees in the McDeath cardstock counters. 

Take a look. 

See the short sword and bobble-hat?

As you can see below, the unpainted and shield lacking model bears a striking similarity to our friend, the card Raybees. This figure was released with the moniker (probably supplied by Tim Pollard) of Benni Bottomdown and this name, along with the distinctive hat has had many a collector wondering about the figure's place in popular culture. Two of these esteemed colleagues are Jason Fulford and Leadhead, both of whom have suggested to me that this figure, and his curious name, are a play on the once highly popular (if incredibly low in production values) soap opera, Crossroads. 

To those of you not in the know about vintage British television series, Crossroads ran from 1964 through to 1988, with a brief return in the early 2000s. One of its more enduring characters was the hapless Benny, a rather inept handyman who pottered around the Crossroads Motel acting often in light relief. As you can see in the picture below, the character spotted a rather distinctive woolly hat too!

So iconic was the character, that poor old Paul Henry (the actor who portrayed him) was eternally typecast and has been seen less than Lord Lucan since the show ended. Though memorials to that era have adorned many a item, as illustrated here with this rather fetching t-shirt. 

Well, if it is good enough for cotton it is good enough for Realm of Chaos 80s. If you look, you can see that I copied the white shirt/blue dungaree look that Benny often sported (at least in my memories) and used it as my colour scheme. Obviously, the bobble hat had to be blue too! Somewhere in my collection I have another version of this model, or at least I did, one day I shall find him and paint a second model in splendid tribute to the rather yellow cardstock fellow. 

Until then, when can all ponder on the chances of Warhammer's Benni having anything to do with the Benny of Crossroads. I like to think that they do. 

Orlygg. 

McDeath: Markul Grimmock

Another weekend, another opportunity to get back into the swing of things. Actually, I am fibbing a little here, as some of this model was started in the week but I managed to complete the model this morning. Having painted oodles of barbarian types over the years (and rather enjoying the theme) this C22 giant just painted itself and was a joy from beginning to end. I guess I must have spent four hours working on him once the basecolours were painted and shaded in ink. 

Of course, this model represents Een McWrecker's giant repairman in-game and is involved in the action at Dungal Hill - the fourth of the McDeath scenarios. The model was a particular bugger to get hold of as I was repeatedly outbid every time the model came up for auction. I now lack just Sandra Prangle though I do have the 'Renate' version of the sculpt, which is very similar. 

Eagle-eyed readers will no doubt have noticed the McDeath Toll House lurking in the background. At this present moment in time I just have this single model, and will need to source (or scratch build) a second one in the future. Though playing any further scenarios for McDeath is still a long way off at the rate I work, so no need to panic just yet.

Curiously, many previous gamers have chosen to mount this giant's weapon in the raised left hand. When searching for inspiration online I found several examples of the detachable weapon being placed in this way, which quite frankly made the model look rather ridiculous with its empty gripping right fist. Looking at my completed model, I like to imagine that Markul is rather proud of his ginger locks and is reaching to twiddle his golden baubles as he contemplates which stuntie he'll squish next. 

Right, off to paint once more. I have a second McDeath model on the workstation and I have challenged myself to paint him in one hour. So expect to hear from me again soon. 

Orlygg. 

McDeath: New Acquisitions

Hello all. I have to make the seasonal confession of having achieved nothing over the last month or so Oldhammerwise. I have just been too busy with Church services (for work), Christmas nativities (for work), Christingles (for work), weddings (for family), visits from the dreaded mother (for family) and the general hustle and bustle of December in England. 

However, I have managed to take advantage of the recent eBay miniatures frenzy. Unless you have been living under a rock, you will have noticed that an exceptionally well resourced collector, who may or may not be a well known and long serving member of GW (;  ,has been selling a very large and unique collection of models online - including the fabled Nuln Spearman for over £1000! Well, the swarming waters Citadel collectors have frothed up have obscured several other nuggets that usually attract plenty of attention, namely Collector Sets. 

As you will have seen in my photograph, I have managed to purchase a further ten clansmen (the useful sculpts with the cabers and shotput) and Marcus Grimmock, the fearsome C10 preslotta giant in recent weeks without breaking the bank. Despite having multiple projects on hand, I feel the urge to return to my ongoing mission to recreate the five scenarios for McDeath. With Christmas looming and a entire week free, I will have plenty of time to get stuck into painting up the models I will need. With both my blogging and painting skills rusty, I will need to get back into the swing of things before my festive diet of whiskey, mince pies and roast dinners finishes me off!!

Orlygg

McDeath: The Lost Scenario Figures?

This blog post has been a long time coming. I have been thinking about writing it on and off for several years and I guess today just happens to be today! It has been inspired by my quest to acquire all of the McDeath figures (something I have yet to achieve, as I am still missing the giant model and Sandra Prangle) and my passion for recreating this wonderful Richard Halliwell scenario. 

Those readers out there not over familiar with the McDeath set may not have ever lain eyes on the artwork for the card counters that came with the box set. Old hands will be well aware of the classic era of cardboard cut out models. Many '80s games came with them and McDeath was no different. They provided an opportunity for cash strapped gamers to use the scenarios without the correct forces in lead.

 Now, there were loads of card counters in the book and I have scanned a small sample here to illustrate my point. 

Take a look. 

Now the first thing that will strike you if you are familiar with my McDeath project is how similar many of the colour schemes are to my painted models. This is not coincidence as I always sought inspiration for my figures from the original artwork. If I liked the way the art looked - I copied the colour selection and if I didn't, I chose the scheme that best suited me. 

What struck me working with the source material was that a great deal of the models looked identical to the artwork, almost as if they had been drawn from life. Just look at Mogro Neckbreak in the artwork above and my finished example below. It is very clearly the same model with a few positional differences. 

Spot, Lady McDeath's fearsome hound, doesn't look enormously similar to the figure I use but I know for a fact that the different pre-slotta models were sent out to purchasers back in the 1980s, and the artwork on the card counter looks very similar to the models in the range. So no surprises here. 

Take a look below and compare with the top image and make up your own mind. 

Juggo seems to have followed Alice into the rabbit hole and mistaken the 'Drink Me' bottle for hard liquor as he has had a serious case of 'The Shrinks' when you compare him to his original card illustration. Yes, that is him top right. The original image is clearly a human figure (and more on him later on in this post) while the 'official' model is of course a dwarf. 

This got me thinking 'why the change?' A fluff mix up? The disappearance of the original figure? I guess we will never know. What we can be sure of is that some of the illustrations are bang on, while others are a million miles off the mark. Are there other models out there that may have one day been intended for the McDeath scenario? It certainly got me thinking. 

Fergus, that muscle bound thug of the McEwman clan, looks identical to his cardboard equivalent, his is just drawn from a different angle than my photograph below. Obviously, it is the same figure. But if Fergus survived the design process unscathed why not Juggo? And to make matters even more confusing there is another trollslayer figure out there in Citadel collecting with Juggo on the tab!! Can the real Juggo please stand up? 

Julia doesn't appear on the cut out scan I shared above but the figure selected for release matches her closely. You can see that it is clearly her in the artwork if you go and look. Dokko, positioned bottom right on the cardboard counter image, again looks strikingly like the model released to represent him. Problems arise again when we take a look at Donaldbane. Compare my painted figure with him on the card counter, I have circled him in red. 

It's clear as day that the two designs are utterly different, though similarly armed. Again, that question raises its head. If Julia and Dokko are bang on the money, then why not Donaldbane?

Though McWrecker is posed differently in the artwork and lacks his magic bowl it is very clearly the same figure, or indeed a variant of the model released. The differences are not so stark as they have been with Donaldbane and Juggo. Glancing at Brooben it's plain to see that they are near identical, almost as if drawn from life. 

Mergrey matches very closely too. Take a look.

As do the iconic Lord and Lady McDeath, beyond a few minor differences.

Things go awry once again with the halfling, Raybees, who looked completely different to his card counter version even though Banquo matches pretty strongly. Take a look, I have circled the card version of Raybees in blue. Why the difference? It is certainly intriguing if you are a collector and a fan of minutae like me. But surely there couldn't be any 'lost' figures out there I hear you ask? This is surely just the rambling of a man who has sniffed one to many jars of Dettol in his life. To be honest, I would heartily agree with you if it wasn't for one thing...

I have found an exact match for the original Juggo illustration, minus an eyepatch - the woodcutter from the villagers/rangers/townsfolk set! Compare the two - I am quite correct am I not? They even share that most essential of '80s fashion items (see Arnie's Commando film for further reference) - the chainmail vest!

This discovery leads on to another question. If there is a clear match to the original Juggo picture why not the two other examples? 

Have a closer look at the original artwork for Raybees (in blue) and Donaldbane in red. As I am not an exhaustive expert on every Citadel range, particularly the pre-slotta stuff, it could well be that these models are 'out there' just as the original Juggo is. Anyone recognise these designs in any actual released models? If so please do drop me a line as I would love to have my suspicions confirmed, or crushed utterly!!

But even with the irregularities of Raybees and Donaldbane left on the table, this story isn't quite complete as there is another character mentioned in McDeath (albeit very, very briefly- you really will miss him if you blink) who has a card counter to represent him. 

Boney Prince Charlie. 

You can see him on the far right circled in red. I have heard in several McDeath collecting circles that there is a zombie model out there that resembles this illustration very closely. I have searched the ranges in hoping of spotting this model but have failed utterly. 

Do you recognise him?

So esteemed members of the Oldhammer Community. Can any of you help unravel my conundrums?

Are there really 'lost' scenario figures out there for McDeath?

Orlygg 

McDeath: Sir John Quicksure on foot

I have been very busy of late preparing for my house move, and after many weeks of frantic organisation we have hit a lull. Despite rushing to be prepared, dates have slipped back and so I must exist in a strange hiatus between abodes. Much of my Oldhammer stuff has long since been packed away, as has my lovely home computer and I dread the thought of having to unpack the lot only to repack it all again in the future. Thankfully, I have my school computer as back up and it is on my old academic workhorse that I type these words now.

As you would expect, there has been little opportunity to get anything done project-wise. I am left with a cluttered bunch of half-finished projects now, and I manage a few minutes here and there to tinker with them. As you can see, over the last week I managed to get Sir John Quicksure finished off. 

And what a struggle he was too. 

He must be one of the most lumpen figures I have ever had the misfortune to paint, and my casting is a rather battered lead version that must be at least thirty years old. Like many a knight of yore, this Sir John has certainly been 'in the wars' and much of his detail is bashed and bumped. 

I have written before about how hard I find painting gold. I had painted the figure once before but was very unhappy with the finish and so he was subsequently popped in the Dettol. My second version is no better than my first but I am done with the figure now and I am keen to move on to other projects. 

Quicksure uses a 'lion rampant' as his symbol and I attempted to freehand paint an example on his shield. Having never attempted anything like this before, and with limited time available, I must say the finished result is a little underwhelming - but he IS finished! Anyway, when he is placed alongside my other completed McDeath models he fits in seemlessly, despite his less than perfect paint job. I am satisfied with that and as I have said before, sometimes you just have to move on rather than obsessing over the finish of a single figure. 

Here in England we are enjoying a long Bank Holiday weekend. Perhaps due to the manic nature of recent weeks we have elected to do nothing at all over the next few days so I should find plenty of time to finish off some of those projects I mentioned earlier. The most important being the second part of my Tale of Four Oldhammerers contribution from April!

Fingers crossed I can get those completed and photographed today! 

Orlygg

McDeath: Dart of Harkness on Foot

My McDeath project gathers pace once more with the completion of this figure, Dart of Harkness on foot. Before you ask, yes I do have the mounted version but for now he resides somewhere in the leadpile. I was pleased to get this model finished after so long, as he has been waiting patiently for some months on the paint station along with McWrecker and Quicksure. 

In retrospect, I don't like this figure very much. He is a rather squat, ugly cast and one that I found difficult to paint. To this day I wonder why the bods at GW picked this particular model to represent the character in McDeath, as compared to many of the other sculpts in the range he is more than a little clunky. Most likely, he was selected (along with Quicksure) as there were both mounted and foot versions of the figure but the idea of fielding a chaos warrior model as a human character is a strange one! 

Still, I had a good old crack at the model and used John Blanche's lovely cover painting for the McDeath supplement book as my inspiration. Don't you just love the buff leather and jade green colour combo? Actually, working from colour schemes imagined by someone as great as Blanche really helps establish the character of each model and I even went as far to copy much of the shield design. What do you think?

The cover painting shows dart to be armed with a pretty nifty flaming sword. Obviously, this model was cast up in the years before such poultry things as flames were regularly sculpted onto figures, and this model's blade is rather lacklustre in comparison. To remedy this, I opted to repeat the flaming look I had achieved quite by accident on my palanquin of Nurgle. This created some interesting contrasts with the green of the armour.

I also noticed a strange dappled effect had been used on his scabbard. I copied this onto my model too, though I am not too sure how effective the result is now that the model has been photographed. I may have to go back and add a highlight or two to bring out the pattern a little more. 

Orlygg

McDeath: Een McWrecker

Een McWrecker stands alongside the Rough Inn at Winwood Harbour. As one of McDeath's most trusted underlings, McWreck spent many days dealing with the clansmen under his master's control. The McArnos were no exception. 

It has been some months I know but today marks the day I am officially back on my McDeath project. Een McWrecker stands complete after nearly a year on my paintstation! As before, I opted to follow the colour scheme used on the original cardboard cut outs in the McDeath supplement, giving him a spanking red hat, brown breeches and a pea-green jacket.

I didn't faff around painting but threw myself full force into my speed painting techniques. I am particularly pleased with his face, and I created the sense of depth you can see in the photograph using dark brown and black inks before highlighting. As with many of the wizards released in the mid 1980s (Een McWrecker is not a limited figure, and was available in other ranges) he has a number of little irreverent details about his person. A broad bladed steel knife hangs at his hip for starters and a curious 'rosary' dangles from his raised wrist. I liked the fact that the raised hand has been sculpted in such as way as to suggest he is in the middle of an incantation. You cannot see the detail in these photographs, but the golden bowl he is holding has been sculpted in such a way to suggest it holds burning coals. I used black, reds, orange, yellow and white to paint on burning coals inside the vessel. 

Salty porridge is a virtue in the wild north of Albion. Sadly, not so for McWrecker's digestion. After consuming some of the McArno's fare he was forced to make a hasty exit towards the privy. 

More details appear on the reverse of the model - including a telescope! His hat intrigues me the most though, for he has some kind of 'lump' sitting on his hat and I didn't have the foggiest what it was supposed to represent. In the end, I painted it as a candle (complete with running wax and wick) stuffed on top of his wide brimmed hat. Well, how else would he see I suppose?

Have any other Oldhammerers taken on this wizard? If so, how did you interpret the strange lump?

Orlygg

A hurried snap of my painted McDeath collection. I will try and do better next time...

McDeath: Is this the world's worst recast?

As many readers will know, I have been (slowly) re-creating the McDeath scenario using many of the original models. We even managed to play through the first game of the scenario several times in August at the third annual Oldhammer Weekend at the Wargames Foundry. 

Getting to that point was a real challenge, partly due to the scale of the project. I am just one man, with limited time, who needs to paint hundreds of models, build scenery and create custom tables for each part of the narrative. The other great hurdle of the project was getting hold of the models themselves. Not only are some of them quite rare, they are also highly desirable and have very high price tags - think £100+ for McDeath and Lady McDeath each!

My quest through the fathoms of collectingMcDeath have hit some real lows and reached some wonderful highs. The generosity of some Oldhammerers has been remarkable - especially my friend, Steve Casey, who supplied McDeath himself. But the dodgy dealing and dubious miniatures that I saw for sale on that journey shocked me. 

Though nothing I saw shocked me as much as the above listing I found on eBay this morning. Just look at that image boys and girls! Isn't this the worst 'recast' you have ever seen? If indeed it IS a recast as its SO bad it might even be a sculpted copy.

Here is what McDeath SHOULD look like! 

And I am afraid that the rear view of the model is even worse than the front! Just have a look below if you don't believe me. What makes matters worse - its up for sale for an astonishing £150!!!!!! The seller is called 'deiv-zalg' and has zero feedback. Make of that what you will! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tragedy-Of-Mcdeath-Scenario-Mcdeath-Very-Rare-Citadel-Metal-Games-Workshop-/221923839237?hash=item33abb10d05:g:6i0AAOSwo0JWLlDA

McDeath: The Three Murderers aka Paulus, Chico and Stefan

Three ne'er do wells: from left to right; Paulus, Chico and Stefan. Oh, and Ratter too! 

I just managed to snap this shot of my final batch of miniatures for the summer holiday 2015. It's been a brilliant six weeks but now is the time to concede the fact that I must return to a teacher's grind. Having been moved year groups (and key stages) over the holidays I don't really know what to expect. 

As you know, I am attempting to recreate the Glen Woe game next in my McDeath project and as part of that game I need three murderers. I pondered which models to use for a while, but in the end opted for these lovely Citadel militia, two of which have been re-released by the Wargames Foundry now. 

With just today left of the hols, I decided to spend what little time I had left blogging and painting - hence an increase in posts today. The Chico model (centre) was mostly finished, and needed just the chainmail drybrushing. The Stefan model was tided up and the lines on the hose carefully added, but Paulus and Ratter were painted in full today. 

I love Ratter. He is part of one of the old villagers sets, and though not unreleased or even limited in production seems to fetch a high price online. Rather ironic considering his tiny size. I painted him up like the English Bull Terrier he so obviously is. 

If the names sound familiar, that is because they are. These boys are my mini tributes to three Oldhammerers who have done an incredible amount for the community, particularly on Facebook, and I felt that they needed to be immortalised. If you have ever bought or sold on the Oldhammer Trading Company successfully, it was down to the hard work of these guys. 

I salute you all! 

Speaking of these great men of Oldhammer. We have decided between us to do our version of a great Games Workshop classic - namely 'The Tale of Four (Oldhammer) Gamers' in which we will have about eleven months to collect, paint and build a 1000pt Third Edition army to face-off with come BOYL 2016.

Chico has even created a banner to use!



So look out for my introductory post about that soon!

Orlygg

First batch of McDeath's Orcs

If you read my recent post about Glenwoe, you will now know that I am working on that scenario and as part of that project, I need a unit of about twenty orcs. Looking about for inspiration, my eyes fell upon the old C15 orcs and I had a rummage around in my leadpile to see what I could find. 

These three goblinoids are the first of the bunch to see paint, and having long been dis-satisfied about the colour of my orcflesh, I set out to try something different. I used a much darker green as a base, mixed in brown to darken it further and used bleach bone once again to help create the highlight shades.

There rest of the painting was pretty straightforwards, with drybrushing used to create the fur and chainmail effects and layering used elsewhere. I enjoyed painting these, though I don't fancy sitting down and painting up the remaining seventeen models as a single project! Instead, I plan to do three at a time and intersperse my goblinoids with other miniatures. I already have the Foundry fishmen and the 'Three Murderers' (cue dramatic music) on the go!

I hope you like my latest work! 

McDeath: Off we go to Glenwoe

With the arrival, and painting, of McDeath the plans for my project based on his scenario pack can change. Previously, I was all ready for Loch Lorm and had bought up all of the miniatures I required to re-create the game (again, units at half scale) and produce another custom board to play on. I was deliberately working through the parts of the supplement where McDeath was not required - in fact he doesn't appear until the very last game. 

Now that he is part of my collection I can consider other options. So instead of going forwards, I am going to go backwards and work on the 'prequel' scenario, Glenwoe. Released in April 1986 and published in White Dwarf 76, Glenwoe tells us the story of McDeath's fall from grace and the his murder of the rightful king - Dunco. 

As with Winwood Harbour, the map provided really inspires ideas for gaming tables. Looking at the layout of the buildings and the need for rivers and brooks, this battlefield is going to be much larger than my previous effort and will need a good deal more modelling. Most of the edges need to be impassable so I shall need to think of a way to create high land for a  reasonable price. But that is a long way off, as battlefields are the final part of an ongoing project. Collecting and painting the miniatures must come first! 

Having a good read through there is clearly plenty of scope to fiddle around with the scenario and include additional victory points. Doing this to Winwood Harbour only improved things in my eyes and added an additional layer of strategy to the proceedings. In my view, these victory points should help guide players into the direction they are going to play in and wildly different ways to build up points can encourage players to do all kinds of amusing and entertaining activities, rather than just slugging things out hand to hand. 

Looking at the forces required (and cutting them roughly in two) means that I need to gather up the following models:

King Dunco's Forces 

King Dunco
Mergrey Calchoner - have him painted already
MacDuss, Nobleman - selected a model to represent him
Ross, Nobleman -selected a model to represent him
Angus, Nobleman  - still need to find something (model from Dwarf Lords of Legend?)
5 Escorts  - still need to find something (Foundry ex-Citadel mounted knights?)

McDeath's Forces

McDeath - have him painted already
Lady McDeath - have her painted already
Banquo - have him painted already
3 Murderers - selected the models and working on them now.
20 Orcs - 10 models collected so far, 3 painted.

If you read the scenario, you can see that King Dunco and his nobles are supposed to ride warhorses. I am thinking of changing this and keeping them on foot for ease, but we shall see. 

As for scenery, I shall need to locate and build two toll booths and the windmill from McDeath itself. I originally built the card buildings as proxies for proper models but I have since fallen in love with the townscape models all over again and plan to keep using them. 

Right, I better go on with things, eh?

Orlygg

McDeath: McDeath!

One of the miniatures I managed to acquire, thank you Steve Casey, at the Oldhammer Weekend was the high desirable McDeath. With two examples selling on eBay over the week of our event for £100 or more, I was pleased to finally get hold of this elusive miniature. 

But how to approach painting him? After all, he is so rare that hardly anyone has a painted version. I am pretty sure I saw one in part of Orclord's collection, painted in black armour, but after searching again online I was unable to find it. In the end, I opted for the colour scheme on the original box art.There was only one snag, most of the figure is gold and that particular colour is not at all a strength for me. So armed with little more than a paintbrush, I took on the task with trepidation. 

I undercoated the entire miniature in brown and worked the face and beard up in my usual way. The gold was harder, and in the end I decided to make his helmet a little lighter. I mixed in loads of brown to my Foundry gold paint and worked up successive layers of highlights, ending with a muted silver. I then washed the entire suit of armour with a chestnut glaze to help dampen things down. I used silver as a spot colour on the chainmail between the legs and under the arms, washing this with a black ink glaze and giving the lots a final highlight of silver. I did the same with the swordblade. 

I used Foundry's excellent bone triad for the skulls on his armour and highlighting the gloves, boots and belt up was a simple task. I wasn't at all sure what to do with his shield - as the McDeath banner was complex and I didn't want to cut off the boss from the figure. In the end, I copied some of the themes from the banner example and included some green knotwork and a freehand shield. 

What do you think?

I know that the model isn't one of my best pieces but I am pleased to have got a satisfactory result on his armour after working so long to improve my metallic painting skills. I still think Lady McDeath is the far better paintjob but where else on the internet can you see both models fully painted and standing side by side, eh?

Orlygg

McDeath: The Battle of Winwood Harbour Part 2

We must return again to Winwood Harbour, home of the Greevant clan and now under invasion from the sworn enemy of McDeath, Julia McEwen. With the overwhelming need to not encourage their laird-in-chief to warm up his torture-tongs, the combined forces of the McArnos and the Greevants set about trying to defeat the would be usurper, out numbered as they were.

To the west of the orchard, the McArnos closed in with the valkyries of clan McEwman. Kit, his eyes now a furious bloodshot, yelled across at Julia's warrior-women his thoughts for the future. "We will send ye back tae th' scullery whaur ye aw belang an' make sure ye hae plenty ay socks tae darn tay!"

No sooner than the curse had left Kit McArno's lips than the two forces clashed together in violent struggle. Swords sliced, spears struck, axes fell and hairstyles were adjusted (not just by the valkyries, either) as the two groups fought for dominance. The McArnos had won the charge but they were outnumbered. A caber (to this day, no-one is sure if it was shaved or not) was tossed through the air and it fell onto the head of a valkyrie. She was killed instantly and fell to the floor. 

Would the same irresistible force of the the enraged clansmen hurt the McEwmans deeply? Or would the numbers Julia brought to battle tell their tale instead?

With two great battles in progress, the fate of McDeath's rule held in the balance. Slowly, the Greevants began to take the advantage in the orchard as more of the McEwmans fell. Fergus fought desperately, but was wounded and later cut down in the melee. His last words were said to be: "Sae Ah die haur 'neath th' apples. At leest mah lips waur ne'er defiled by unsavory oat based foodstuffs!"

His death left a single McEwman fighting under the boughs. Carefully, the surviving Greevants encircled him. This fighter's fate was now sealed. 

To the south Juggo was feeling frustrated. There was little he could do beyond watch his comrades in combat with the local clans. Guard duty was not his preferred responsibility and he had initially thought to find a great deal of booty within the harbour. He had been sorely disappointed. 

His attention suddenly switched to the orchard where he noticed that Fergus' force seemed to be in trouble. He hadn't been looking long until he realised that Greevant clansmen were moving from the trees. It was obvious now that his fellow McEwmans had failed in their mission to stop the advance and a counter attack was now is place. 

Smiling, Juggo ran his thumb along the edge of his axe. 

Leaving the mangled bodies of friend and foe alike behind in the undergrowth, Richard Greevant lead his men back towards their homes. As far as he could see, there were a few ragged invaders between him and his beloved rough inn. "Thaur is only puckle ay them," Richard hollered to his men in joy, " an' a body ay them is a dwarf! Lest a body haem has tae buy th' drinks!"

With that, Richard led his men across the scrubland towards Winwood Harbour! Juggo's men moved to counter their advance.

To the west, the shieldwall still held. Bodies now littered the ground but the numbers had mattered and now only two of Kit's clansmen still stood. Julia pushed her way through the fighting to get close to her rival. With the Laird dead, resistance would crumble...

Alec sent forth yet another shot put and as before it struck with deadly force. One of Juggo's charging men was knocked down, his chest now a mass of splintered ribs. It was now four against five and anything could happen. A wicked gleam in his eye, Juggo pounced forwards and struck for slaughter. 

The fates are cruel. And the Greevants suffered badly in the melee. After an almost unstoppable advance, their numbers began to fall. Two clansmen were cut down in quick succession, leaving only Richard and Alec fighting. With the presence of the dwarf, there was little that they could do to stop their likely demise. 

A great cheer went up behind Juggo as Kit was felled by Aili, the chief valkyrie. Her heavy hammer ending the dream of a despotic Winwood for generations to come. With the last of the McArnos cut down, their clan passed into history. The truth about the rumour of supportive underwear was never proved either way. 

With the McArnos defeated, Julia's forces moved against Richard and Alec. Only two of them now stood and they knew that their final moments were now here. With the gods of animal stomach based cuisine looking down at them expectantly, they did not stand around to disappoint their ancestors. "Ah will cut as mony ay ye idiots doon afair," Richard called defiantly, "Ah faa an' mah ghost will haunt yer early hoors wi' mah flatulent renditions ay 'Ooo Lassie' oan mah bags!

"Gang blaw it oot yer erse 'en," Julia replied and struck the leering Greevant laird down with her spiked mace. Bryvon Anvil, one of her champions, followed suit with Alec and the final local defender was slain.

The flower, diseased as it was, of Winwood lay on the scrub. Julia was triumphant. She ordered extra Iron-Brew for her exhausted fighters and ordered them back to the hamlet. The inn would see feasting through the night, no doubt but in the morning there would be much reluctance to clear the tab. 

As darkness fell and the sound of revellry abated, Julia ordered her most loyal followers to guard the harbour against any further incursions. But with all the clansmen dead, there was little chance of news getting to McDeath in the immediate future - news travelled slowly in the north you see. Still, it was sensible not to take risks and her best were posted on watch. 

Julia had found a little respite. She had taken the harbour and now stood poised to land the rest of her forces. McDeath was still a long way away and there were many other struggles to overcome before she could face him. 

For now she was content to be Mistress of Winwood. 

But at what cost?