Goat gets an army done (or fails at the attempt)

[Goat of Yuggoth]

OK, so I've found myself signing to the ToFP this year with Vampire Counts, a whopping 2000pts of the buggers that I found in a box lying around. And that's not even all of it, but more than 2k is just like asking me to sit on an anthive!

Latest update: Story + Color tester of Ghouls!

Now some preparations are needed for me to brace myself for the year. First and foremost I catalogued the mini's that needed the paint, and fashioned myself an army list (it's not competetive, so don't tell me about how I should change it!), purely for WYSIWYG reasons (I don't want to buy anything more for this army).

So here we go, a list of what I have, coloration shall follow when the time comes:

The Festering Coven of Argoth the Red

Lord

Argoth the Red

Heroes

The Traveller (BSB Vamp)
Vatah the Vile (Necro on foot)
Naggund the Putrid (Necro on Cart)

Core

Bane Hounds
Blood Hounds
Holders of the Red River (spearskellies)
The Under-court (HW+S skellies)
Scurryers (Ghouls)
Lurkers (Ghouls)
The Freshies (guess )

Special

The Court of Argoth (GW guards)

Rare

The Beast of Argoth
The Red Knighthood
The Hollow and the Shriek

Coloration guide:
Green=finished
Yellow=in PiP
Red=undercoated
Gray=Work in progress/not yet GS'd

WIP shots and an undercoated armyshot will follow when I get more primer and daylight

And, as an appetizer I probably should tell you a tale of the idea behing Argoth...

There are tales whispered among the rural folk of the Old World of a once-great Citadel and its lord, known to most as The Red. The tale is as tragic as it is foul, some of the scholars even deny ever hearing of it, although it is taught to all those wishing for more power.

This tale begins from the sea, where in ages long past a vessel of the Empire, namingly the Robust Barmaid, was adrift from its course to the New World. The ship ended up far more north than it should have, tossed about by winds that were most likely conjured by a Shadow Matriarch of one of the Black Arks known to be in the vicinity.

Separated from their fellow men, the soldiers were anxious at the thought of the most hostile land they would ever have to endure. There was, however, hope still. They had a young and powerful leader, named Argan the Loud (mainly for his voice).
Argan announced to his soldiers that they would use the ship as material, set up camp and make fortifications, waited for rescue and found a new town where they had shored. The town was to be named Farout, and Argon's second-in-command, Felgis the Seasick (named during the storm), was to become its commander when founded.

Months went by, and the atmosphere in and around the small town became colder by the day. They had infrequent attacks from native tribesmen, named by the soldiers Nic-Knacs for their fearsome battle cries, but even they seemed to be less and less interested of the unbreachable walls the soldiers had made during the waiting.

Argan was worried about whether or not was anyone interested in rescuing them, after all he had a Citadel to watch over back in the Old World. He gazed at the stars hopefully, and noticed that they weren't so different viewed from one of his balconies.
He sighed and looked at his feet, all hope withered from him slowly, day by day. Then he discovered a small item next to his left foot.

It was a glowing pendant of some sort, shaped in the form of a dragon biting its own tail. Argan put the item around his neck in hope that it would bring help to them.

The very next morning, at the gaze of dawn, Argan found himself awake in front of a tomb, all his men exhausted beside him. When questioning what it was all about Argan got maddened glares in return, his men had been ordered to dig down a hole in the center of town by Argon himself!
Bewildered, Argan snapped the pendant from his neck and looked at the newly-found tomb entrance, for a tomb it was, Argan had seen quite a few of them when crossing the moors of the Old World.

Inside of the tomb, he found only an intricate coffin, with images most likely carved by the feral natives.
When he opened the coffin, a stench far worse than anything he had ever smelled entered the tomb. Using a bit of towel he managed not to vomit, although it was still horrible enough for his men to stay away.

The coffin was almost empty, only containing a piece of parchment. Rolling it open, Argan found himself looking at something he was more than delightful to announce to his men. Not only were there complete instructions on how to use the native trees to make a ship that would endure the harshest weather, there was also a guide how to navigate the ship with only the stars!
The parchment was signed by Elleus Windmourn, an Empire sage and scholar of the Star-Castellans of old.

If you read the whole text, congrats! If not, well, stay tuned! Updates before the painting commences will contain more fluff (if you liked it ), the WIPs as promised, an army shot and a bunch of Fantasy mini's from outside the ToFP!

Cheers,
Goat

[Demortu]

Sounds great - that's quite a task ahead of you! I've just started a log and I'll be chuffed if I ever reach 300(!!).

Enjoyed the fluff, looking forward to find out what dastardly fate awaits!

[DeathCat147]

I look forward to the rest of the story ..... oh and the models as well

[Goat of Yuggoth]

@ Demortu & Deathcat147:

Thanks for the comments guys, I'll continue the story then! Nice to hear that it was good, I haven't been writing for the past three years so maybe it's good practice then!

The men started to work hastily on the ship that would take them back to civilization and their loved ones. Argan found himself contemplating on why he hadn't thought of using the local trees befor to mend the ship, after all the quality in the fibre was similar to the trees of Drakenwald forest, although the wood was more light and could be used more abundantly.

Argan also started to study the tomb frequently, and was seen there many times by the soldiers, some even claimed that he had the "Cursed Wyrm" (again a name highly favored among the men when talking about the pendant) tied to his neck again. A few men said that the Duke had gone mad, but those claims were quickly silenced by the others in a very manly way.

The small town was in quite a good shape when the men had finished their project with the ship, they had a well, some farms of wheat and corn (they grew much faster in the humid and warm atmosphere of the New World), and even some cattle and chickens, local species domesticated by the men in the first few months of their stay.

Felgis and a small detachment of soldiers decided to stay and keep the town in shape, after all they had been working on it so hard and defended it with their own lives, and some had even taken a wife from the local clansmen, which were no longer aggressive, but rather decided to even trade with the founders of the town (strangely this happened just after Argan found the pendant and was seen by the tribal leader of the Nic-Knacks).

Just before they were to set sail towards the trading routes of men, Argan ordered to take the coffin to his cabin in the ship. He thought by himself that this finding could very well bring him luck and fame back home.
He had also excavated with the aid of the soldiers a few items he considered of great importance, they were mostly just tools and ancient icons shaped in the form of vicious sharks and gnarling beasts, most likely made by the locals again.

When the ship left the shoreline behind, Argan was astonished of how he felt better every day at the thought of being with other Dukes again, his discoveries marveled by the scholars all over the County. He had a slight disemboweling feeling, however, every time he stepped away from the comfort of the findings. He felt like they needed his protection, they were his most precious possessions.

It was the fourth night at sea when they encountered another ship, with tattered sails and rotten wood. When it came close enough, Argan sensed - or rather smelled in the air - magic. Powerful magic.

It was a corsair ship, and the Dark Kin of the elves of Ulthuan descended upon the ship, slitting throats as a farmer would slit grass with a scythe. Luckily there were not many, and the assailants were quickly incapacitated. The men found that one of the dead among the corsairs wasn't dead, but sleeping instead. Argan decided to chain him and bring it home as well as a slave, for it would be the ultimate mockery for a Black Elf.

And here are some pics, namingly in order the army shot, The Traveler, Argoth the Red and Vatah the Vile.




For the Traveler I wanted to make a foreign look, I think it came out good save for the fact that I just couldn't think of what to sculpt for the elbows


For Argoth, I wanted a robust and huge terrifying appearance with slight hints of deformation. Still a lot of work to do.


Vatah the Vile, not much to comment on except that I like how the robes came out simple.

That's it, folks! More to come as I get the army primed (the painted ones are getting a redone so I'll just prime them as well). Hope you enjoyed the fluff (IF you read it, that is), and hope to catch up with you soon enough!

Cheers,
Goat the Undying

[Student]

Good minatures to go with a good story.

[natutatu]

jes! I see Carnifex in picture, I love Carnie <3

[Goat of Yuggoth]

@Student: Thanks man! It really keeps me going when people recognize my efforts!

@natutatu: Thanks, I guess

So, a little more on the story:

The captured assailant refused all food and water, and threw them out of his cell in the brig. Argan was worried that the slave might die, and then he'd have no-one to serve him back home. He pondered whether or not he should force the food down the slaves' throat, but it would only result in vomit stains instead of food...

Two days later the slave died, partially to his abstenance of food and water, but mostly to the wounds he had suffered during the assault. Argan didn't want to throw the assailant away just yet though.

He had been studying the ancient runes and carvings of the Nic-Knacks, and one image in particular was deeply in his mind when the slave got worse every day. He brought the prisoner to his cabin, amazed at how light elves were of composition. He had seen elves before, but carrying one was the closest encounter he had yet had with them.

The image was on Argan's desk, copied onto a length of parchment. In it, the tribesmen were gathered around the coffin, and a corpse of a shaman was being carried into it. The image continued, however, onto another coffin similar to the first. In this one, however, was not a corpse. The shaman was rising from the coffin, a drop of what seemed to be blood from one the tribesmen above him.

Argan had a hunch that this might be a healing device of some sorts. He had once been installed onto a harness when he had been wounded on the first battle he'd ever been, and a priest of Morr had made some sort of salve for him. The wound had rapidly closed and the pain had soothed away. Maybe this was of similar design, but used just simply blood as the healing agent.

Argan cast the corpse into the open coffin, and then closed the body's eyelids and sealed the coffin. There was a design of a skeleton wearing a mask on the cover, and there was a cup in it's hands. Argan took a knife he found from the town, and placed his palm over the cup. he hesitated for a moment. What if this would drain his life and resurrect the dead Elf?

No, that simply couldn't happen. He HAD to try it.

As he slit his palm open, a drop of blood smeared against the pendant he was wearing. Argan saw things that had never existed, and he also saw his own uncoming. He viewed all the events as if he was... ...shorter. Then he realised that he viewed the things from inside the pendant.

Argan woke up from his bed the next morning, his head was spinning faster than a shipwheel in the storm.

But he remembered things he'd never done. He had the knowledge of every man on the ship, where they were, what they were doing. He heard a swarm of fish just below the ship, and he heard a shark tailing them, for dinner was just served and the bones were being cast into the sea.

But inside of the coffin, he sensed nothing. Had the spell not worked? Did it need more time? Was the blood the wrong kind? He could not know any of this.

He didn't step out of his cabin for the rest of the day, he shun away from his men. At night, he ventured to the deck and looked at the sky.

Then he realised that they were close to home. Very close. At the thought of this, he decided it was for the best to throw the Elf into the sea lest they be dubbed elf-lovers.

When he opened the coffin, the knife he had slit his palm open with dropped from his chest into the coffin, scratching the corpses hand. It bled.

The elf rose from the coffin and cast aside the lid. Then he replied to Argan:

"I am in debt to you, dark one, and until my undoing I shall be."

I did a tester to see how the colors suited together. Looks like this:





Next up: some stuff outside the tale (at least a Necromancer, and perhaps starters on that Chimera!)

Cheers,
Goat

[Goat of Yuggoth]

Blimey! That Chimera is a serious piece of work! Mouldlines, gaps, the anatomy doesn't fit around the tail and heads, you name it... Getting pics this evening of the serious remodelling I have to go through to get it undercoated.

And the second necro (one not part of ToFP) is a real pain in the backside paintingwise. Why did I have to try OSL on it?

But yeah, enough whining, more business. On the bonus side I'm absolutely thrilled about this project, lovely plastic models (only 11 metal models in 3000 pts!) and a lovely mistress who helps me paint undercoats and the like Not much, but appreciated anyhow, after all she likes to paint demons more than undead...

Sorry, just a quick paragraph for the story this time:

The miraculous healing of the prisoner didn't get unnoticed by the soldiers, and the fact that the slave had become Argan's closest guard was even more disturbing to look at.

Yet then again, Argan was known to be very intimidating, and the slave looked really beaten up, so it was passed with a mere shrug. The shoreline was seen on a Thursday morning just past midsummer (the men had been on their journey for 11 months).

As they approached the dock, a little skip was sent towards them. A voice boomed over:

"Halt your vessel immediately, or we will take her down!"

Argan bellowed in response that a Duke wouldn't be very suited for this behavior and would have their family names disgraced if he wouldn't be allowed to enter his home after a harsh journey, and the skip suddenly turned about and docked.

Landing for the first time in a sturdy three months was quite a harsh experience for some of the men, only the elf seemed to have no difficulties accustoming to this new circumstance.

The artefacts of the New World was great news for the scholars and astronomers, and the wood-crafters were all gathered around the odd-looking vessel that seemed to be of ancient, but intellect design.
Argan wanted to make haste to his home and see how the place had stayed in shape over the past months, and so he fared the men well and set off towards the mountains.

When they were a day away from their destination, the Black Elf started to retch. Suddenly, he leapt into the bushes, and came back just a few seconds later, all bloodied, but seemingly in better shape...

See you soon!
Goat

[mdiscala]

Good paint job on the skeleton. Now do some more!

[itisI]

Wow, Nice story writing skills you've got there goat. I really enjoyed reading it. can't wait to see more.

same goes to the new chimera model, and everything else also.

Keep it up!

[Goat of Yuggoth]

@mdiscala: Aye aye sir, already doing.

@Itisi: Thank you, you shall be rewarded well for looking in the future as well

Sorry guys, no story today, massive headache depleting my writing skills to zip. IINSTEAD, I present WIPs of the Necro that's been an **** paintingwise for four days now. The cape needs to be recolored from the back, the first freehand turned out rubbish. It's done with paints only, thanks to my GF for jutting the raw design out perfectly! Don't worry, I will still redefine the colours to a more moody atmosphere.

Here we are anyways:



Comments and propositions resulting into more efficient, sufficient and marvelous painting are always welcome!

Cheers,
Goat

[IGoblinego]

I Consider this new from you Goat, Dreffbuilder told me you got tons and tons of projects

[Goat of Yuggoth]

Well, if three plus commissions is a lot, then yes. Otherwise, I've had more

Cheers,
Goat

[Demortu]

THat necromancer's looking very cool with the flaming skull!

[mdiscala]

Might make a better wraith than a necro. Good osl regardless.

[Queekvondrak]

i must know how you did the skull on necromancer i've been looking to my ethereals like that but i haven't been able to track some down that knows how

[Goat of Yuggoth]

@Queekvondrak: The skull itself is from the Empire Battle Mages box set, but if you meant the colors, here's a quick breakdown of how to do it:

1. White undercoat
2. Starting with white and a little drop of Hawk Turquoise, wash/glaze this mix into the recesses of the flames.
3. Adding more turquoise to the mix to about 3 white/ 1 turq. , use it similarly, but more towards the recesses.
4. Now it gets tricky. Using the previous mix and adding a tad of Enchanted Blue, wash only the most deep parts and bases of the flames while the previous mix is still wet.
5. Adjusting. I wanted a bit more green tinge to it, so I used Vallejo Fluorescent Green/Prussian Blue mixes (a couple of them, different mixes) to the eyesockets and teeth, and the part of the flames where the colors shifted to white.

I know, this is a bit hard to explain, but with practice and that little guide you should be able to do it similarly. If I ever do a similar lighting effect onto some of my other miniatures, I'll post a step-by-step of the process for you to see it properly.

To all: Thank you for your words. Still lots of work to do with the Necro, but you'll see when it's finished!

Cheers,
Goat

[Dreffbuilder]

Enjoyable bro, enjoyable. Might wanna come and beat the heck out of us all. (Me, Goblinego, and itisI + Taneli)

Waiting for the dwarf update... waiting for it.

[itisI]

You consider that freehand crap? your well out of my league man...

love the necro, with the unholy flames. just finished reading the ciaphas cain novel series, (it was funny how he kicked Varan in the **** in the end ), and am waiting to see what you come up next. maybe i should write something on my blog too... will see if i get the time now that the schools are starting again.

until then: Cheers.

[defunct]

I like that freehand design. It's STYLISH and technically much better than what I'm able to do.
I like your conversions as well.