ECHOES OF IMPERIUM

The time has then come to take a look at the first three heroes that are trying to save/punish/exploit Forbidden Castle Drakenhof. As I mentioned my setting is Sylvania, the home of gothic vampires and all their undead ilk, and the main action takes place in the lair of the von Carsteins, Drakenhof. I would love to make some proper terrain for the game, inspired by Bram Stocker’s Dracula and Castlevania. Maybe someday… But back to the actual topic and the first hero to enter the stage, Qualthis the Myrkkalfr.

Qualthis is an incredibly dynamic miniature with a feet firmly planted in both the Age of Sigmar and Warhammer classic. I actually like the miniature a lot and it was the only one I bought from the game, it will eventually be a gift for my daughter as she likes elves and is very unimpressed with my choice of miniature to replace Qualthis with. The antlers are a bit strange, I don’t know if they are supposed to grow out of her head or if they are some sort of decoration, either way they don’t work for me.

I chose a very toned down and somber miniature to replace the much more dynamic elf with. She is from Skarloc’s Wood Elves Archers, just labelled archer, a rather nice regiment with a great mix of miniatures. It is a bit of a pattern for me to use miniatures from the Regiments of Renown, but they are just too cool to ignore.

I wanted a very down to earth colour scheme for Qualthis, so she is mostly dressed in brown colours, with the main exception being her bracelet. It is an old heirloom and one of the few things she has left of her parents, the rest having been stolen by the ghouls who murdered them. To make her look more inhuman I gave a her a very pale skin colour, bright orange hair and yellow eyes, I like elves when they are less human and more feral. She carries her trademark white arrows (that we actually have not used in a game yet).

If I liked Qualthis then the same can not be said for Dagnai Holdenstock, he is probably the hero I most dislike of the bunch. It might be because I feel that there is a good miniature hidden beneath all the crap that he has tacked on. With a lot of work he could even be pretty decent. But as I prefer to judge miniature as they are, rather than what they can be I feel he is quite a disappointment.

Perhaps it is somewhat ironic that I didn’t like his replacement either and really struggled to find a miniature that at least somewhat interested me. Citadel has made some amazing dwarfs over the years, like the Dwarf Adventurers and the Dwarf Villagers, but for what ever reason it was I wasn’t really happy to use any of them. A slightly eccentric choice would have been one of the unforgettable Gothic Dwarves from Bob Olley’s venture, Iron Claw. I own some of them and they are definitely quite peculiar but also very charming. The piggy back pair could have been a fun option. But since I already had him I went with Borax Bloodaxe from the Dwarf Lords of Legend, for once I even took inspiration from the cover art. The renamed Dagnai Mîm, warrior, trader and murderer, is ready to slay the beasts of Drakenhof.

Brutogg Corpse-Eater is a beast, no doubt about that. He is probably also the best ogre miniature released in a long while. The decision to take inspiration from the old days and not use new concepts like the gutplate makes for a brilliant miniature that still reads as belonging in the Warhammer universe. There is really nothing to dislike about him.

Brutogg the Corpseater, the oldhammer edition, is a more humble monster. He is probably around half the size of his modern cousin, but I would say he more than makes up for that in pure charm. Released in 1985 as the champion of Golgfag’s Other Ogre Mercenaries, but not the leader as at least the Regiments of Renown tended to include a named leader and a champion (sometimes with a name of his own). He is sculpted by the old master himself and it shows that he is a Jes Goodwin miniature, and also that he was made in the 80’s! Just look at the bizarre haircut, I don’t know if that cut was popular in Nottingham back then but it can be seen on other miniatures as well. The way he shows his chest in what might be a macho pose is just hilarious. He is a mainstay in our games and I must say it is a pleasure to see him bash some old skeletons on a regular basis.