Post by foxlordpaints on Jul 20, 2019 12:18:39 GMT
Of arms, I sing, and of a man who, exiled by fate, patrols the dark woods on northern borders of his beloved Empire until he can reclaim his stolen honour and take revenge on his foes at court.
Context
I fell in love with the Empire when I first started Warhammer, around the time when 5th ed, was on sale to clear the stocks before -th ed. came out. By rights, my love of high medieval England and France should have made me a Bretonnian player, but we are what fate makes us. I saw the cover of the Empire book, with heroes in black and silver armour, wearing laurels and sashes, fighting off greenskins as a wizard helps by taking a swipe with a flaming sword. It captivated me immediately.
I've spoken at length about the importance of theme in this post on my (slightly out of date) plog, so won't labour the point here.
What's the plan?
This Tale of X Gamers has come slightly late, but is still a good point. Putting all my cards on the table now, I have already painted most of one unit and a few extra men. BUT I have a couple of tournaments coming up in September (1,500 points) and October (2,000 points). That is a LOT of painting, especially by my standards.
The good news is most of the converting is done, so I can crack on with the painting. The bad news is I'm a slow painter, sso if I get anywhere near that many points, it will be a miracle.
Here's a shot of the army so far. Apart from the spearmen and the half done cannon, the rest are occasional test minis painted.
The background: Friedrich's exile
Safe to say, I'm having plenty of fun with converting the army to really fit its theme. I will expand on this further in future posts - as well as find a better way of uploading my pictures, as Photobucket seems stuck in 2008.
Here's what I'm working on this month: the Knights of the Prowling Fox.
I hope you enjoyed the read and look forward to hearing your own stories.
Let me sign off with 2 words: Stillmania lives!
Context
I fell in love with the Empire when I first started Warhammer, around the time when 5th ed, was on sale to clear the stocks before -th ed. came out. By rights, my love of high medieval England and France should have made me a Bretonnian player, but we are what fate makes us. I saw the cover of the Empire book, with heroes in black and silver armour, wearing laurels and sashes, fighting off greenskins as a wizard helps by taking a swipe with a flaming sword. It captivated me immediately.
I've spoken at length about the importance of theme in this post on my (slightly out of date) plog, so won't labour the point here.
What's the plan?
This Tale of X Gamers has come slightly late, but is still a good point. Putting all my cards on the table now, I have already painted most of one unit and a few extra men. BUT I have a couple of tournaments coming up in September (1,500 points) and October (2,000 points). That is a LOT of painting, especially by my standards.
The good news is most of the converting is done, so I can crack on with the painting. The bad news is I'm a slow painter, sso if I get anywhere near that many points, it will be a miracle.
Here's a shot of the army so far. Apart from the spearmen and the half done cannon, the rest are occasional test minis painted.
The background: Friedrich's exile
Friedrich was born into an aristocratic family in Talabheim, Talabecland’s capital which lies within the safety of a great crater.
—The promise of youth—
Friedrich was tutored by Johan Flussfrater, a priest of the Temple of Taal, the river god. Taal’s cult is an old one and has remained popular throughout Talabecland. Friedrich earned his spurs serving as a pistolier in the elector count’s army, before leaving for the imperial capital Altdorf to join the elite ranks of the Reiksguard Knights – the Emperor’s personal guard.
It was during these years that Friedrich met Kristina, the daughter of Hans Geldgier, a merchant whose wealth had bought him favour at court. The two fell in love, but the girl’s father disapproved of the match. He had set his sights on marrying her to another knight of the Reiksguard, of noble Reikland stock.
—For he had spoken lightly of a woman’s name—
Friedrich knew the other man did not love Kristina and called him out. During the duel, Friedrich killed his rival. On hearing the news, Geldgier appealed to Kurt Helborg, Grand Master of the Reiksguard & Reiksmarshal of the imperial army. He claimed that Friedrich was a murderer and heretic who held Taal in higher esteem than Sigmar, who is revered above all other gods in the southern provinces of the Empire.
Helborg disbelieved the story, having seen Friedrich’s honourable behaviour countless times. Yet such was Geldgier’s standing at court that the Grand Master had little choice but to take action. He convened a court which found Friedrich guilty and sentenced him to death. Before the sentence could be carried out, Friedrich escaped – rumours were abound that the Reiksmarshal himself had a hand in this.
—Exile in the woods—
Friedrich fled, with only his most loyal friends from the Reiksguard, into the forests in the far north of Talabecland – an area known as Vergessenwald. There, Friedrich and his friends painted over the colours of the Reiksguard with black. They kept their rich red cloaks, but trimmed them with fox fur and took to prowling near the frontier, taking out their anger on those servants of evil who dared venture near. Soon, their ranks were swollen by dishonoured knights from other orders who heard of them.
Thus was born the Order of the Knights of the Prowling Fox.
Motto: “Rache in Entehrung” (Vengeance in dishonour)
—The promise of youth—
Friedrich was tutored by Johan Flussfrater, a priest of the Temple of Taal, the river god. Taal’s cult is an old one and has remained popular throughout Talabecland. Friedrich earned his spurs serving as a pistolier in the elector count’s army, before leaving for the imperial capital Altdorf to join the elite ranks of the Reiksguard Knights – the Emperor’s personal guard.
It was during these years that Friedrich met Kristina, the daughter of Hans Geldgier, a merchant whose wealth had bought him favour at court. The two fell in love, but the girl’s father disapproved of the match. He had set his sights on marrying her to another knight of the Reiksguard, of noble Reikland stock.
—For he had spoken lightly of a woman’s name—
Friedrich knew the other man did not love Kristina and called him out. During the duel, Friedrich killed his rival. On hearing the news, Geldgier appealed to Kurt Helborg, Grand Master of the Reiksguard & Reiksmarshal of the imperial army. He claimed that Friedrich was a murderer and heretic who held Taal in higher esteem than Sigmar, who is revered above all other gods in the southern provinces of the Empire.
Helborg disbelieved the story, having seen Friedrich’s honourable behaviour countless times. Yet such was Geldgier’s standing at court that the Grand Master had little choice but to take action. He convened a court which found Friedrich guilty and sentenced him to death. Before the sentence could be carried out, Friedrich escaped – rumours were abound that the Reiksmarshal himself had a hand in this.
—Exile in the woods—
Friedrich fled, with only his most loyal friends from the Reiksguard, into the forests in the far north of Talabecland – an area known as Vergessenwald. There, Friedrich and his friends painted over the colours of the Reiksguard with black. They kept their rich red cloaks, but trimmed them with fox fur and took to prowling near the frontier, taking out their anger on those servants of evil who dared venture near. Soon, their ranks were swollen by dishonoured knights from other orders who heard of them.
Thus was born the Order of the Knights of the Prowling Fox.
Motto: “Rache in Entehrung” (Vengeance in dishonour)
Safe to say, I'm having plenty of fun with converting the army to really fit its theme. I will expand on this further in future posts - as well as find a better way of uploading my pictures, as Photobucket seems stuck in 2008.
Here's what I'm working on this month: the Knights of the Prowling Fox.
I hope you enjoyed the read and look forward to hearing your own stories.
Let me sign off with 2 words: Stillmania lives!
