The High House of Chains - a Druchii plog

[JackDaw]

Hello to all you lovely Warseer people.

After a year or so of lurking around I've decided to take the plunge and pop on a project log for my Dark Elves. A couple of buddies of mine are running a tourney in Cardiff in November, giving me the boot up the **** needed to finish off my 2400pt list.

The list itself is heavily themed - I much prefer fluffy list-making to tourney lists - I'll explain more about the theme and background in later posts.

I'll also dot in random pics of other bits I've been working on - starting with this chap, painted for a local GW competition a few years ago

Lorenzo Murcatto - The Snake of Tilea






Enojyed painting this chap immensely - great fun adding the little details like the tattoo on his 'cheek' and the card, as well as his powdered and rouged face.

I'll sort some pics of the Dark Elves over the next few days, along with various background bits and bobs. Hopefully the new cam will give me some decent pics...

C&C very welcome - cheers all

[pscm]

Haha!!! That is awesome!!! This model oozes character =D Looking forward to reading about the theme and background!

[Monsterzonk]

Very, very nice job! The conversion is great. He really looks as arrogant as a Slaanesh champion should. And the makeup rounds that off nicely! Love it!

Cheers,
Monsterzonk

[JackDaw]

Cheers guys The intention was to get that arrogance in there, contrasted with the whoreish makeup - glad it comes across.

[Cragum]

That is such a nice start to a log! He really has character, its like you can imagine him being that villain in some game or movie who has a massive monologue before he kills someone who was a sub hero

He has got a eerie face to him what shows a slight bit of evil pleasure, plus love the random card. Nice touch to change a simple base. is it greenstuff?

[JackDaw]

Hey Cragum - thanks for the kind words. The card was actually a flagstone trimmed from the same plasticard sheet as the base itself, just cut away from the surrounding flagstones and shaved down a bit. Its a trick of the painting that makes it look thinner than it actually is.

[ArtificerArmour]

First law/best served cold theme? Ill watch this...

[JackDaw]

Haha for this guy yes - kudos for getting the reference. The Dark Elves are more of a mix of some elements from the Darkblade Chronicles and The Malazan Book Of The Fallen

[JackDaw]

Er...well. Arise my log, arise!

Ahem.

Apologies for the stop-start (well, mainly stop) nature of this log. Just as things were looking good painting wise and plenty was getting done.....my firstborn decided to arrive in mid August.

Nathaniel's arrival obviously put a damper on painting and getting pics etc sorted, and instead my energies were directed towards cleaning a seemingly endless stream of the 3 P's. I'm sure you can all guess the nature of those.

Anyways, I'm kinda back on track now - Nate's settled nicely, leaving me a little time to get some painting done and get some pics, so this log should get back on track.

In this post, I'll just go through the thinking behind my army and choices, then delve into the fluff a bit more in the next post. Oh yes there will be fluff...so much fluff. Shiny pics will come over the next few days, once i get home from work

Thanks for your interest and bearing with me guys - i'm looking forward to this plog and the comments from you lovely lot.


So.
Dark Elves. Always loved them. Always been my main FB army over the years in several different incarnations. Vets from Cardiff might well remember my Shade/Dark Rider army from back in the day - The Crow Clan. Much fun was had running round armies before stabbing them in the back.

But this is a new age, a new edition and a new army. And a new theme. I like theme. All my lists, for every game and army I've ever done have been themed, often to the point of severely limiting the units I'll allow myself to take. I get immensely annoyed at the perceived internets wisdom regarding list building and unit choices, more so at the tendencies of a few players to try and make everyones list the exact same clone of theirs.

Thats not for me. I know Lvl 4's and Cauldron BSBs are the way to win. I don't care. They don't fit my theme. Ergo, I won't use them. No matter what.

Phew. Rant over.

So, for this edition, I wanted something a little different to the cookie cutter lists you see online. Corsairs were tempting, but one day of trying to rank up a unit and that went out of the window. Literally.
I turned to the army books for inspiration, along with the Darkblade BL series (which I think are ace). I even looked over the High Elf book. Then it hit me. A lot of Druchii armies tend towards the darkly sinister stabby stab influence - this is all well and good and I've been there myself but this time..this time I went the other way.

I wanted a list and army that played up the cold, proud lineage of the sons of Naggarythe, a theme that played to the shared heritage between the Druchii and the Asur. I wanted an ancient, proud noble house that viewed the murderous excesses and bloodlust of current Druchii culture as a bit...well, childish.

They are Elves after all. That innate pride and arrogance doesnt go anywhere - it just gets covered in layers of steel, razors and a lack of empathy towards others.

So there was the theme - a noble house, led by a Highborne - cold, proud, vicious and willing to die for the ideals of Naggarythe.

This in turn limited my list choices - no Khainite units. No war-beasts. No corsairs. No Lvl 4 Mage. This was a noble house after all, and at the core had to be my Highborne and household knights.

I deliberately chose a very different scheme as well, to play down the darkly sinister aspects. Hence, polished bone armour for my elves, offset with black cloth. The darkness of the cloth still makes them obviously Druchii - the boen armour gives them a different feel - almost antiquated compared to the prevalent blacks and purples. I'm happy with it, hopefully the pics to come will do it justice.


Phew, cheers for sticking with through that ladies and gents and i hope it gave you an insight into where this log will be going. Next post from me will be the start of the fluff avalanche and tonight I promise to get pics of the first finished block of spears up and some tasters of whats to come.

TL;DR - bone armoured Druchii, pics this evening

[Saulot]

Damn.. you sure know how to whet a Druchii geek's appetite! Looking forward to some pics!!

[Still Standing]

I eagerly await pictures!

[JackDaw]

Nice to see that people are interested I promise that pics will follow tonight.

In the mean time, to keep those appetites whetted, here's the background for my Druchii:

The House of Chains
The scions of Arkitaine can trace their lineage back through the years to the time of the courts of Nagarythe. Once powerful and respected amongst the Elder Families of Nagarythe, the line of Arkitaine now languishes in near obscurity, a pale crippled shadow if its former glory.

Following the death of the last Highborn Lord, Hansir Arktaine, at the hands of the very corsairs hired to crew his last raid, the pitiful remaining fortunes of the house fell to his three sons. The eldest, Lanys, seemed content to spend the twilight of his families line in the flesh-pits and murder-houses of Clar Karond, trading and gambling away the few relics and coin belonging to the house.

By comparison, the middle brother Hiroth applied his hatred and frustration to the arts of war, earning a reputation as a formidable warrior and leader of men. Hiroth spurned the advances and enticements of the Khainite temples, Witch Covens and other noble houses, preferring to lead his remaining spears from the front. Perhaps in some way Hiroth accepted the demise of his line and was simply content to spit his last hate filled breath into the face of his enemy when the end came.

As for the youngest of the sons, Velrys, he chose a very different path.

Railing against the slow ennui and dissolution of his line, as well as the self-indulgent indolence and studied indifference of his brothers, Velrys sought power wherever he could find it. Possessed of a quick eager mind and a capacity for intrigue and sadistic violence far outstripping that of his kin, Velrys vowed he would stop at nothing to restore the fortunes of his house and carve his lines name into the bloody heart of Naggaroth itself.

Velrys’ quest eventually led him to the ancient necropoli on the borders of Naggaroth, the very remains of the ancient courts of Nagarythe his forebears once walked amongst. What he sought to find amongst the cold marble and antediluvian remains of Druchii families is unclear. Maybe it was some relic of immense power, a weapon or trinket. Maybe it was merely inspiration Velrys sought amongst the bones of his ancestors. Whatever the reason for his arduous, dangerous journey, Velrys remained tightlipped, refusing to speak the details even to his Autarii guides.

None know exactly what Velrys found, long buried amongst the remains of that ancient extinct time – he returned to Naggaroth alone, his Autarii guides vanished, clad in bone-lacquered plate and wielding a blade of ancient design that rippled with midnight flames when unsheathed. Certainly some source of power, some puissance, had been claimed by Velrys – though the exact aspect of that power was a truth few would be prepared to countenance.

Three years to the day he left Clar Karond, Velrys returned to the decaying tower and grounds of the line of Arkitaine. His first act was to maim his elder brother Lanys and crucify him above the tower gates as a lesson to all who served his line – no more would weakness of spirit and indolence be tolerated. Taking the sigil ring of his father, Velrys declared that from this night forward, his hate and his life were pledged to the House Of Chains and the line of Arkitaine would follow or die.

At present, some unknown influence swirls around the line of Arkitaine, attracting other who hunger for power. Fell knights clad in bone-lacquered plate stand alongside Velrys and his cohorts of spears, led ably by Hiroth, have garnered a reputation for viciousness and prowess beyond their standing. The strength of the House Of Chains waxes strong and other fell powers are slowly beginning to notice...

[JackDaw]

Finally, some pics! Apologies in advance for the quality - not the best light at the mo thanks to the great British autumn. May try and get some better ones done on the weekend. Anyways, least you can get an idea of where things are going.


First Cohort, Household Guard

Under the leadership and tutelage of Hiroth, the Household Guard of the line of Arkitaine have gained a reputation as skilled, vicious warriors who hold their line against any who may test themselves against their spears.

The half-plate worn by the spearmen has been recoloured in the bone-lacquer adopted by Velrys, making the Household Guard easy to recognise amongst the normally dark and sinister legions of the Witch King. Velrys' reasons for this are simple - his Household Guard evoke memories of the courts of Nagarythe before the Fall and are justly proud of their heritage.

The tall shields born by the Household Guard bear Hiroth's personal sigil - an iron gauntlet clutching a Hunters Moon. Velrys's attempts to replace this sigil with his new heraldry of a field of steel razored chains have met surprising opposition from the Household Guard. While they remain happy to serve the House Of Chains, they have no compunctions about reminding Velrys that their true allegiance lies with Hiroth.







The Household Guard often march to war accompanied by the Naggarothan Crag Lions that were adopted as the symbol of the line of Arkitaine. Related to the Chracian lion, these large predators are a dark mirror of their nobler kin, in the same manner as the Druchii themselves. Fiercely territorially, they will fight to the death to establish their dominance and have been used to guard the grounds of the Arktaine tower for generations.

Accompanied and goaded by one of the handlers, Ashryn, the lion is often unleashed upon an unsuspecting enemy at the last moment, disrupting ranks and charges in an avalanche of fangs, claws and howling cries.







Ashryn can be seen here wearing a lighter version of the Household Guard's half plate and mail, enabling him to keep pace with the much swifter hunting beast

A few shots of the unit ranked up on the movement trays and with unit filler included. Pretty happy with how these turned out in the end, the massed bone armour looks pretty decent IRL. The filler was a random addition designed to save my sanity from having to paint 60 spears - the lion and handler count as 7 spears, so two of them (one for each unit) means 14 less spears to paint.

One thing I will be changing is the standard. Not sure what happened there - the posing is off and the standard itself is crap. I'll probably remodel him completely, using either the Corsair standard or the White Lion standard parts.

The bases and movement tray were designed to evoke the image of the army marching through the streets of some Druchii city or other ruined town etc. Basically I wanted something different to the standard grass or dirt. In my mind I see them marching silently through the streets of Clar Karond, fog twisting around the massed bone-armoured ranks.

You may have spotted the assassin - there will be more on him later when I get round to detailing the various characters in the army.

Cheers for taking a look.

[JackDaw]

Double post - apologies.

Just wanted to add in this little section for the unit champion - I'm a sucker for giving all my units and characters a little backstory and personality.



The First Cohort is currently led by Temul Kinslayer, son of a minor family. The shield he bears was recovered from the body of an Asur princling who challenged Temul to single combat. Temul accepted and mocked the princeling as he was summarily skewered by the massed spears of his Cohort. The princelings shield was taken as spoils and repainted for its new purpose, the Druchast markings proclaim this tale for all Druchii and Asur to see.

Won't be the last time that some High Elf bits make it into the army - the second spear champ will probably be converted from the mini that lent this guy his shield - It's all helping with what I talked about earlier, establishing that link between the Druchii and the Asur.

[Student]

Great background story. The colour scheme works well, it's very striking. Keep it up.

[The Yak]

This this this is just basically marvellous! Painting and modeling is top top quality. I think your theme is original and well thought out and your fluff has already brought this army to life. I am especially looking forward to seeing the Brothers.

Never seen Dark Elves painted like that and it looks superb. Great contrast with the green gems.

Subscribed and honoured.

PS I like your Warhammer rendition of Iggy Pop on the first page too!

[The Yak]

4 Star rating? Come on people this is sheer wonderjuice!

5 from me

[Saulot]

JackDaw: Your last post, Sir, was well worth the wait! I'm drawn into the convoluted world of Druchii life! Please keep it up! (We'll be here to ooh and ahh for your motivation! )

The Yak: I couldn't understand the 4-star rating myself. Great theme, great painting, great modeling, and great writing!

[Kenzaburo]

dude, that is some really sweet painting going on here. consider me subscribed.
also great use of the sigvald mini. so much more creepy than the golden boy.

[JackDaw]

@ the Yak - Cheers fella glad you're liking things so far. I know what you mean about the scheme - I've seen so many Druchii armies in the same purple/black/dark blue etc colours that I thought something different was needed. I'm not knocking those schemes at all, just variety is the spice of life.

The brothers wil be coming soon - i'll get some WiP pics up on the weekend showing off some of the things still to do (considering I've assembled approx 2400pts theres a fair bit..)

Highly enjoying your Averland log as well - those SoM mages are great.

@ Saulot - glad the pay off was worth it Plenty more to come so keep an eye out.

@ Kenzaburo - again, cheers fella. Sigvald was a one-off but he came out nicely. At some point i might go back to the Chaos range and do another random character...