Bret-Ogia! An Ogre Kingdom's Blog by Anvalous

[Anvalous]

For now, this is a place holder... My local game store is starting an escalation league in February and I think I'm going to be building my ogres for it.

I want my ogres to be special. Regal. Unique. While chatting with a buddy about my first 600 pts, he offered up the idea that Bretonnian ogres would be sweet. I already have The Duke (reposted form my Beastmen blog):

WIP:





95% done:









The rest of my 600 points is 8 ogres, 2 mournfangs, and 2 sabretusks. My intention is to make my ogres look rather men-at-arms-y and my mournfangs knightly - complete with ragged quilt horse blankets, lances, and flowing pennants. We'll see what I can come up with...

Looking forward to sharing this adventure with all of you!

[EmperorNorton]

Now that's an ambitious project and you're off to a good start.
I can't wait to see more!

[mrtn]

I'll follow this! *gets the popcorn*

[Cragum]

Sir already I feel you and I will be getting along with an army start off like this...

[Saulot]

Oooooh! Looking forward to this plog!

Your golds are beautiful, btw!

[Eldorad]

This is a great project. Good luck! Off to a good start!

[Anvalous]

Due to some crazy rules of the escalation league, I am not allowed to change my list much, at all, over the course of growth. Minor tweaks (+/- a model or two) are allowed, but swapping bulls for ironguts, for example, is not. Makes things interesting.

Because of this, I've decided to run Ironguts. Big question right now, though, is whether or not I give them quilted armor, chainmail, or a breastplate for their upper body. The arms are going to be exposed to give me some skin to paint, and they'll all have bucket helmets akin to the Bretonnian knights of the realm. Also curious about leaving the gut plates on...

So:
Quilted armor, chainmail, or breastplate

And:
Gutplate, or no?

What do you think would work best?

[the_gobbo_king]

I like it. Subb'd.

[Elfboy]

This sounds like a great idea. Really looking forward to it!

For the ironguts, I think those heraldic shirts that knights wear over their armour would look good. Don't know what they're called though.
Or perhaps quilted armour shirts with heraldic shield gutplates. My two cents

Edit: I suppose those heraldic shirts are called quilted armour right? Whoops

[Anvalous]

So my wife has gotten into the BBC Sherlock series... meant that I had some time last night to dink around on an ogre when I should have been adding manes and paws to 5 more gors... Ah well. Here's what I've got for one concept:





What do you think? Is it too clean for an ogre? Too far away, aesthetically, from The Duke?

[colonel kane trine]

I think its looking good. The dukes an amazing model im sure I praised it in your plog.
Id paint that ogre up and get a photo of him and the duke together.

I personally think they will look great in a unit together

[Griffonclaw]

I'd go for a bareheaded ogre with chainmail armour which is mostly covered in a heraldic shirt. Bare arms too!

[Anvalous]

I've seen a fair bit of fluff on these boards and thought I'd add some of my own... Hopefully it will give you a taste of what I'm thinking. Also, for any of you Bretonnians out there with a more intimate knowledge of their world, feel free to chime in and offer C&C! Thanks for reading, friends :-)

Sir Sacramor stood aghast. The knight had taken an oath to deliver his lord’s new squatters their eviction notice, by force of arms if necessary, but this was a complete surprise. Before him, slightly beaten and worn down, was the castle of the late Lord Femerast, flying a pennant bearing a crude coat of arms. More stunning yet, were the ogres milling around and bullying dozens of small creatures who seemed to be intent on dodging boots and planting a field. Swallowing his fear, the questing knight clicked his tongue and sent his fine steed trotting towards the gate to perform his duty.

Ogre guards lowered their halberds to bar his way as he approached. One belched loudly, expelling a visible fume and eliciting a snort from Sir Sacramor’s warhorse.

“I come with a message from Lord Morlan.” The stoic veteran of the goblin crusades began as he cleared his throat, and his nostrils.

“To the occupants of the land of my late vassal, the esteemed Lord Femerast:

I command you to vacate this castle and land in the name of the Lady and our King. You have two weeks to depart, after which the newly named Earl of Fraywind will assume his title and arrive with a full complement of knights and men-at-arms. He has been instructed to clear his land with any means necessary.

Make your peace and your way before conflict becomes a reality.

Cordially yours,

High Duke Morlan
“

The guard on the left peered down through his greathelm at the mounted warrior. “Too many words manling, err... m’lord. Go inside ‘afore we eat yer horse.” His counterpart on the right chuckled and smacked his chops for effect. The knight promptly tapped his steed on his flanks to get past this first obstacle.

Riding between the hulking blockade of muscle, leather, fat, and steel, Sir Sacramor felt a sense of utter confusion. These monsters had arms, armor, and some semblance of organization. Not only that, he had been addressed almost properly. Baffled, he led his mount through the gatehouse and into the courtyard. What he saw here dropped his jaw even further.

Most of the buildings lining the courtyard were in good repair. Barracks, blacksmith, and a shrine to the Lady all seemed to be in order. The stable was an entirely different matter, however, and appeared to have been enlarged by simply having a wall brought down. A quartet of enormous mountain bearcats lounged inside - horse haunch had clearly been the morning meal. Sir Sacramor’s stomach began to turn. Then to flutter when the beasts picked up the scent of his warhorse and cast their hungry eyes his direction. Forcing his steed’s head away, the knight forged ahead to the main keep.

He was met at the base of the stairs by knight with the familiar coat of arms of the Femerast family. A quick recognition of the mountainous stature of the man cued recognition. This was Alber Femerast, second cousin to the former lord and, as much as Sir Sacramor cringed to admit, one with a legitimate claim on the lands.

“Lord Alber Femerast, I presume? Your reputation precedes you. Though it speaks to your death in the last great conflict with the vampires... It seems that our field sources must have been mistaken.” The knight kept his voice under tight control and noted the sun high in the sky and shining full on the warrior before him. At least that fear was quickly dispelled by logic.

“Well met to you, sir! I haven’t spoken to another human in nearly a fortnight. It is my pleasure to welcome you to my lord’s keep. I stand before you as his warmaster and confidant.” The young Lord Femerast bowed deeply. “As you have identified me by my arms and location, I will venture my own un-practiced guess as to who you may be...” he paused, tapping a steel-clad finger on his chin. “Sir Eros Sacramor, champion of the Goblin Crusades, rumored to now be questing for the Grail?”

Despite the fact that the knowing toothy grin delivered the question as a statement, Sir Sacramor inclined his head in acknowledgement. “The same, though champion may be a stretch. Pardon my need for haste, m’lord, but I must speak to the occupant of this estate. Am I to assume by the nature of the guards and steeds positioned here that I should be prepared to share words with an ogre?”

“Perceptive you are, Sir Sacramor. Walk with me to the audience chamber and hear my tale of how the things of today came to be...”

Alber started off with a slow, albeit long stride, and began his story. “As you’ve already recalled, I was responsible for leading a company of knights into battle against the most heinous of undead some years ago. Accompanied by our men at arms, squires, and assorted machines of war, we descended upon their dens with the righteous purity of the Lady. We struck at their heart and drove them deep into their darkness. Victory was all but ours, when, as we were returning to camp for the night, disaster struck in the form of a great, rotting dragon with eyes of balefire.

“The blood dragon noble who sat astride the foe beast roared a challenge and, honor-bound, I accepted. I clapped my heels to Estalliar’s side and we were catapulted into a glorious charge. My lance point rose, aimed at what I could only assume was the dragon’s heart, and I braced for impact. Just as I was about to drive my blessed tip into the unholy fiend, a clinging darkness struck me from the side and lifted me wholly from the saddle. Motionless in the air, I saw the necromancer across the meadow and was helpless before his foul magics.

“I was not the only furious party, however, and the vampire turned on his ally, raging about his stolen honor. With brutal efficiency, he clove his erstwhile ally in two with one strike. Deprived of life, the necromancer’s spell lost its hold and I plummeted to the ground. Darkness took me. The last I saw was the dragon pouncing on my brethren, tossing them about like dolls.”

Lord Femerast paused then, pain of the memory clearly showing. With a deep breath, he continued. “When I finally awoke, The Duke – the leader of this ogre clan - was standing over me. He wore a sturdy golden crown with an emerald the size of my fist set in it. With one meaty fist, he hefted me to my feet and held me steady. ‘You’ve seen a great fight, methinks.’ He told me. ‘I think you’d better come with us. Your horse is the only one we’re not eatin’.’

“Let me tell you, I hadn’t been afraid in my service to the crown until that moment. I’ve never backed down from a fight, but I was shaking there! Big ogre with one huge hand around my chest. Wasn’t my idea of fun. True to his word, though, my horse was tethered to a lance five yards away and looked to be in fair condition. I steadied myself, bowed to my benefactor, and stumbled to Estalliar. It was that day that I ‘joined’ his tribe.

“The Duke is an interesting man, as you’ll soon find out. He was fascinated by our ways and tactics in battle. In many ways, he became my squire. Of course, he threatened to eat me or my horse almost daily, but it became a game, after a fashion. Before two months had passed, we were fast friends and I had begun to even teach the more adventurous of his clan to ride their fierce mournfangs and even to joust. It was incredible to see.

“We fought many, many battles on our meandering way back to Bretonnia. I decided, about six weeks ago, that my great uncle, the former Lord Femerast, was the best chance of finding a home. Turns out the poor man had died. We slaughtered the bandits which had taken up residence and, as you can see, are reestablishing my family’s home to its proper state.”

Alber finally stopped before a great door – recently widened and re-trimmed. “Before you go in, expect the unexpected from this one. He’s a keen mind and a wholesome heart. Treat him as the equal he is and with the honor due to him as my liege lord.”

Sir Sacramor swallowed hard and scrutinized the very serious declaration of his associate. Setting aside his preconceptions and misgivings about walking into an audience chamber full of man-eating beasts from the hills, he offered a curt nod. “Show me in, m’lord.”

[Anvalous]

Got some serious work done on my mournfang knight today... pretty happy so far. Still need to work on the saddle, reins, and stirrups. Lance is mostly done, just not shown. What do you think? I tried to keep a bit of an ogre-esque feel to the guy...

[Grain Weevil]

Great knight!
PS: maybe some headcover for mournfang?

[Confessor_Atol]

Fantastic stuff! The mornfang knight is going to turn out great. I read the fluff you wrote earlier loved it too.

[Duke Donald]

Really enjoyable fluff and the Mournfang knight is looking promising. I agree with Grain Weevil that some headgear on the mount or even a caparison could look good.

[Anvalous]

Thanks, folks! I'm really liking how he's come together. What I'm thinking for the headpiece is actually the battered Bretonnian shield that comes with the Ironguts sprue. Should be about the right size and mirror the shield plates on the existing Bret horses.

As for the caparison, I decided that the ogres may not have the textile abilities to get one properly made for a mournfang. The pieces I put across his shoulders serve that purpose and are actually just a touch smaller than the fabric on a Bret's horse. This conveniently gives me some surface to paint with mis-matched, bright colors and patterns. I'm really excited to get to that phase but am forcing myself to take the right amount of time sculpting. Patience......

[The Lost Hobbit]

Great conversions.

[Demortu]

Wow, just seen this log. Great work - very characterful conversions and very nice painting. I look forward to seeing your knight completed .