ECHOES OF IMPERIUM

The oubliette

A never ending song fills the chamber

A hymn to lull the great one, to keep his slumber

It was a promise unasked for and it was a wall of sound, unbroken

The shape stirred in the light and twisted slowly in the dreamlands
And in the waking world the sound of heavy footsteps filled the staircase downward

The high guard walked around her keeping her from her daughters’ fury from the wrath visited upon intruders

The song continued

Mother, it was not even a whisper yet Bertha Bestraufrung knew the word

From the innermost light her darkest daughter walked out to greet her and bar her path

None are welcome, depart and let us continue our task

Your duty is all, daughter of the wheel yet your duty now lies elsewhere

The Unheld Hammer must remain asleep, he must not awaken before the time of endings

Daughter gather those you love and wage war upon the usurpers, the foulness and the bloodless

Cold eyes followed the high matriarch as she departed

The song continued, it was now cracked and light streamed out between the bars

The daughter and her daughters followed their mother

Death was in their heart and if their lord would be allowed his dream then his tomb must be kept.

The song remained as the Choir departed

After much indecision and three built warbands I have finally settled on the one I will bring with me to Mordheim 2019, the Sisters of Sigmar. This means that we have four Sisters of Sigmar warbands in the campaign, a major force if we can manage an alliance against the lost and the damned. However all four warbands are very different, Erik has managed to perfectly capture the spirit of the old miniatures using modern components. Adam’s warband is realistic and show the attention to detail that he is famous for and Nicolas has crafted a baroque vision that embrace the art of Warhammer.

So how would I be able to make a unique vision that fit my style then? Well the first thing I did was to throw out all the concepts of what the Sisters miniatures looked like. The art always did a better job at showing the grand gothic style of Warhammer, something that the miniatures did not.

I decided that my warband would form a part of the Sisterhood that stands guard deep inside the Rock, for the last 20 years or more they have guarded someone inside the sanctum oubliette. To protect themselves from the baleful energies they wear heavy leather coats and masks. This of course gives them a rather sinister appearance and they are rightfully mistrusted by the others inside the convent.

The new Delaque miniatures fit perfectly what I had in mind and combined with the Drukhari Wracks I had what felt like an interesting mix of parts to work with. Of course I needed to add random bits and pieces, like devotional fetishes, relics and skulls.

The warband’s visual style is not strict Mordthodox, but I will try to remain somewhat faithful to the wargear selection. The most important thing is to have fun and make miniatures I enjoy.

The painting is inspired by black metal bands such as Gorgoroth, Behemoth, Hindvir and 1349. The sisters will look bleak and foreboding, grim heralds of death. The colours are mostly limited to black coats and white masks with a red belt to symbolize martyrdom. Spots of bone, ash and mud will make them easier to spot on the dark boards.

The matriarch, Mater Iarnvidia, is the leader of the warband. She wields a ritual Blade of Avowal in combat and the two twin-tailed comets symbolize Sigmar’s birth and eventual return in 2000 IC.

Sister Managarmr has advanced to the rank of Sister Superior. She assist Iarnvidia in the daily tasks and keeps the discipline within the oubliette. It is her blood soaked duty to dispose of those sisters who falter in their duty. She is armed with a great devotional wheel that counts as a two handed hammer.

Sister Hyrrokin, the fire smoked, wields a ceremonial sword. It is one of the relics given to the Choir’s keeping, a strange dull sword of uncertain origin. It is rumored to have been wielded by a chariot riding queen at Blackfire Pass. Due the dullness of the blade I will treat it as a mace.

Sister Fenia is a shield breaker, a berserker known for her furious technique. Her chastity spikes and iron crown show the depth of her faith and conviction.

This is it for now. There are still many more sisters to come.

-Alexander Winberg-