Thorin And Citadel's Norse Dwarves

Buddies, here's another post showing off my new Cigar Box plush mats.
This time its one of the European Field ones, of which there are 4 different ones in the series.
They give off a distinct fantasy world vibe, to me at least.
Not exactly the same as old Bakshi Lord of the Rings 80s movie, but somewhere along those lines.
Which is a great fit for this Oldhammer Middle Earth Imagi-Nations Campaign!

Now on to the latest fluff!

When last we left, the Shire defenders reached Moria.
But they arent the only ones heading to Khazad-Dum.
Several days journey north of Moria, another force of Dwarves are marching towards the call of battle...

Thorin Oakenshield has awoken from his slumber beneath the Lonely Mountain!
The Runesmiths of Erebor with guidance from their Adeptus Mechanicus allies have combined archeotechnology with Runesmith-ery to keep Thorin Oakenshield alive from his much publicized (false news!) death during the Battle of the Five Armies.
For more info on this and Thorin's true lineage, see this previous post:   http://mars-miniatures.blogspot.com/2017/10/pulp-fictional-slice-of-middle-earthian.html

So the truth has come out at last - The Arkenstone is a stasis healing device that can create a medically induced healing coma, which is good for Primarchs and Sons of Durin alike who need recovery from ouchies received in battle.
Apparently its quite useful for a galaxy spanning grimdark Empire Imperium full of grim and dark war, and an "only war" future that is dark, war grim... grim...  did I mention the dark?
Back to the present... (or is it the past? Im so confused!)

But Thorin and his Runesmith posse are not the only Stunties looking for a fight!
Queen Helgar of the Norse Dwarves have come to escort Thorin to Moria.
Some say she might have the hots for the bearer of the Oakenshield, if ya know what I mean...
Thats right, she must be after Thorin's family recipe for "The King's Spicy Rhinoxen Hasenpfeffer in Athelas Leaf Stew" (Oh, what did you think I meant?)
That recipe's name has references to Warhammer, Lord of the Rings... and Bugs Bunny too!

Reinforcements from Erebor the Lonely Mountain, and also from the Dwarven Holds in Norsca.

Here is the Argonath Du Nord.
This smaller version of the Argonath is just north of Moria on a small stream feeding into the Anduin river.
While the Big Argonath, south of Lothlorien, are massive statues of the 2 Kings Isildur and Anarion, this one is just one king from the northern kingdom.
No one remembers which king's or chieftain's likeness it is.
Either Arvedui, Araval, or maybe even Arveleg.
Its some distant ancestor of Aragorn's, at any rate.

View of the back.
There are winding stone stairs cut into the rock leading up to a promontory at the peak.
Good place for some Thunderers, or a Wizard.
This terrain piece is from Ziterdes.

Here are the Dwarven infantry.
In the center is Thorin himself.

Thorin II Oakenshield, son of Thráin, son of Thrór, King under the Mountain.

Im sure everyone is anxious to see if his views on Elves and Humies have changed any...
At least Halflings are on his good side, thanks to that Hobbit thief extraordinaire Bilbo Baggins.

Never trust an elf.
Be wary of humies too!
They are just short lived, round eared Elves after all.

Thorin in the center and Queen Helgar on the right.

Thorin is a proper 80s Oldhammer metal mini.
His code is ME-82 The Hobbit Personalities, Thorin Oakenshield

Queen Helgar comes from 5th Edition and the Grudge of Drong campaign.
She is a hefty and stout Dwarf Lady!

More Norse Dwarves. And a female Dwarf warrior.
These Norse Dwarves are vintage Oldhammer and are coded as C06 Northern Dwarves.

Even more Norse Stunties.
Notice their iconic horned helmets.

They certainly look like they are a grim and humorless folk, dont they?

Here we have an Anvil of Doom!

Riding upon the Anvil is Runelord Vulkanor of Erebor.
Vulkanor is the senior Runesmith in Erebor who supervised the powering of the Arkenstone.
He has served Thorin Oakenshield well and has been honored with riding the Anvil of Doom wherever Thorin goes.
He learned from the greatest Runesmith of the era - Kragg The Grim, who is currently serving High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer in Moria.
Vulkanor hopes to impress his teacher with tales of the Arkenstone and also to show off his new fancy free-wheeling Anvil of Doom!

The Anvil of Doom is accompanied by 2 guards.

From the back of the box set:
Only in times of great need will a Dwarf Runesmith bring an Anvil of Doom into battle.
With a mighty blow from his hammer, the Runesmith releases the Anvil's power, sending billowing clouds of multi-coloured magical energy and terrifying blasts of lightning high into the air.

More warmachines for the Dwarves!
A Bolt Thrower is ready to loose destruction on the enemy.

A Dwarven Cannon.


~~~

So even more Dwarves are on their way to Moria.
Will Thorin outrank High King Thorgrim?
Also, will Thorin be happy to see his old friend Balin, even though he is now a Chaos Dwarf?
Im pretty sure Thorin wont like Legolas, especially since his dad Thranduil was the one who locked them up in Mirkwood Prison for a bit.
If Thorin takes power over the Dwarves, I wonder how his extreme racial views will affect Dwarven diplomacy with the other allied nations of Middle Earth.
Remember in the Battle of the Five Armies, that the Dwarves were about to go to war with the Humies and the Elves!

News flash, this just in!
Thorin has just tweeted #MakeMoriaGreatAgain
Oh, boy.

Well, from the very beginning, it was all in the fluff wasnt it...  about Dwarves...
They love gold and precious stones and metals, they are stubborn, and they are isolationist.
There was a certain wise Half Elf who warned Gandalf about the Dwarves...

Elrond:  They hide in their mountains seeking riches... they care nothing for the troubles of others.

But what do these Elves, and Half-Elves and Wizards know?
I love me some beer drinking, gold mining, axe wielding Stunties!
Let's just hope the Dwarven Lords can get Thorin to take things down a notch or two for the sake of the (2nd) Last Alliance.


Stay tuned for more Cigar Box mats and terrain posts.

Cheers,
Mar

Hobbits In Moria

Well, my Cigar Box plush game mats came and I thought this would be the opportunity to show them off with a couple of "show and tell" posts with some terrain and figures.
Enjoy some pics and fluff!

So after the fall of the Shire, the allied defenders were able to escape with most of the civilian population.  (And while I have figures for all the combat ready Hobbits, I leave it to your imagination that thousands of civilian halflings are shuffling along behind the front lines).
Most importantly, Bugman's quest for supplies was accomplished;  food, pipeweed, and beer!
Dwarves from the Reaper & Grenadier Clans, as well as the Thunderers were tasked with the tactical retreat at the back of the allied columns.
The Highlander Dwarves scouted far ahead of the main column and were able to identify an Orcish ambush at the West entrance in Hollin.
Saruman's Orcs from Isengard were waiting for them!
So Bugman and the other commanders held counsel and decided to take the Redhorn Pass east over the mountains and from there they could approach Dimrill Dale and the Eastern Entrance to Moria.
And were the skies ready to blast them with snow?
No.  Something must be distracting Saruman and his weather control spells.  I wonder...

Now we take you to the action at the main allied column with Bugman and his allies!

The allies are just about to exit the Redhorn Pass.
Moria is close!

Here we see Bugman leading the front, the Beer Cart behind him, the Shire Hobbit Militia, and finally Commander Guts and his Blue Mountain Dwarves.

There is a hushed awe as the stunties behold the Eastern Entrance to Moria.
For the Hobbits, its both awe and a nervousness about their (hopefully) new home.

For the Blue Mountain Dwarves, it is their first sight of their ancestral homeland.
Many of them are young Dwarves born long after the loss of Khazad Dum to the Balrog... Durin's Bane!

Bugman and his Beer Guards are anxious for news concerning the state of the Dwarven colony.
Have they arrived in time to supply their brothers?
Or have the forces of Darkness defeated the stalwart defenders?

Lobelia and Frumpy Bolger lead the Shire Militia.
Despite the important historical moment, some Hobbits can still be seen munching on drumsticks.
Chicken... good.

And Frodo the Ringbearer has come to Moria.
With no Gandalf, no Aragorn.
Well, he has Legolas at least.
And Sam.
And Merry and Pippin.

Its a smaller Fellowship this time around, but at least they got some proper armies with them!

The Beer Cart driver really needs a break, a good walk around to get some feeling back into his legs!

Lobelia, at least, was busy during the retreat to Moria.
She was able to weave a flag for the Shire Militia, complete with poultry heraldry.
Afterall, what Hobbit wouldnt march under a food related banner!

Left to Right:  Legolas, Frodo, Pickles, Bugman

Pickles:  If you look to your left you will see a lake, the Mirrormere.  And further on, is the valley of Dimrill Dale.  And right behind us...  according to the map, we are here!  Moria, Khazad Dum, the Dwarrow Delf, the Halls of Durin! 

Bugman:  Just you wait, little Hobbits.  You will see the legendary hospitality of the Dwarves.  Malt Beer, BBQ meats, and we will even get to watch a good game of Dungeon Bowl!

Frodo:  Mr Bugman, sir, I need to talk to someone in charge, like one of your Dwarf Kings.  I have a really important secret that Ive been wanting to tell someone... anyone... its about this One Rrrr...

Legolas: (shushing and elbowing Frodo in the ribs)  Listen!

Bugman: I dont hear nothing...

Legolas:  Its because you Dwarves have fat eardrums.  But nothing escapes my finely tuned Elven senses!  Its coming from the Entrance to Moria itself!  A sound as if a thousand warriors in full armor were marching toward us...

Pickles:  Hmm... well according to my map (its the Marauder's map)  I see some pretty big signals coming our way...

Bugman:  Well, who is it? Is it Dwarves or Orcs?  Let me guess...  We will find out in the next blog post, huh?


~~~


Too right you are, Mr Bugman!
Oh before we get too far into the post script, lets take a look at that Dwarven Mine Entrance again, shall we...?

Its from Eslo, another german company like Ziterdes.
But they sell their terrain pieces already painted.
I might touch them up a bit here and there, but its mostly "good enough".

Another view of the Mine Entrance.

~~~

How about that Cigar Box plushy mat, huh?
Its the Lost Temple design.
I got 4 of these plush mats and they are double sided, so I have 8 designs altogether.
They are basically just really soft blankets with some great art on them.
I love them, and cant recommend them enough!
My rating?   5 Axes out of 5!
Stuntie Mithril Seal of Approval!

So, the Ring Bearer is getting closer and closer to Mordor without guidance from the wise elders of Middle Earth.
Well there is the constant elbows of Legolas at least!

Will Frodo stay with the Dwarves or move on to Lothlorien?
Will Gandalf ever break out of Isengard?
One thing is for sure... big happenings are about to erupt in Moria!

Next post:   More plush mats and stuff!


Cheers,
Mar

Pulp Fictional, A Slice of Middle Earthian Life

A fluff-tastic post for your consideration!
Lets go straight to the action!

Somewhere in Middle Earth, a Giant Spider is having a heated conversation with a mysterious figure on a horse...

Shelob:  ...like I said, I did not open the Chamber of Secrets.

Mouth of Sauron:  But the clue we got was "Follow the spider!"

Shelob:  Look, Im not the only Acromantula running about, am I?

Mouth of Sauron: Acro.. what?

Shelob:  Spiders of unusual size!

Mouth of Sauron:  Well, I do know of "Rodents of unusual size"...  They are one of the 3 terrors of the Fire Swamp.  The first being the...

Shelob: We are talking about spiders... there's my cousin Aragog over in the Dark Forest.  You know the one living near that Wizarding School.

Mouth of Sauron:  Shelob, its nothing personal, its cutbacks being what they are.

Shelob: Why am I being fired and not Gollum?  Is this reverse discrimination? Are there disability quotas Mordor has to fill?

Mouth of Sauron: I dont know what you mean.

Shelob: Are you keeping Gollum on, just because he is disabled?

Mouth of Sauron: He isnt disabled.

Shelob: He is a midget.

Mouth of Sauron: Yeah, but he isnt disabled because he's a midget.  Thats not a disability, thats just small. Grima Wormtongue doesnt get special treatment now, does he?

Shelob: Wormtongue is five foot.  Gollum is 3 foot 4.

Mouth of Sauron: So are some children.  Children dont get special favors.  Children arent disabled are they?

Shelob: Children dont work in Cirith Ungol.

Mouth of Sauron: Look whether or not Gollum is a midget or dwarf...

Shelob: No, he is a midget!

Mouth of Sauron: ... whats the difference?

Shelob: Well... a dwarf is someone who has disproportionately short arms and legs, caused by a hormone deficiency.  And a midget is still a dwarf, but their arms and legs are in proportion.

Mouth of Sauron: So whats an elf...?


~~~


AAaaaaaaannnnd...  Scene!

OK, this is pretty much a scene from The Office.
Or as we call it here in the colonies - The Office UK.

So...  who knew that Hobbits were just midgets?
And I totally forgot how Rowling totally stole everything from Tolkien. 
Google "similarities between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings"
Both have Dark Lords.
Gollum is Dobby?!?@?! 
Ron is Sam?! 

Onwards to Scene 2...

Elsewhere in Middle Earth, a ranger and a wizard walk into a bar...

Radagast:  ...and thats the reason Sigmar has elemental weather powers.

Aragorn:  Ok. So your saying that Mr Wednesday... Odin, the All-Father of Valhalla, father of both Thor and Loki had another son, older than those two?

Radagast: Yes.

Aragorn:  And that this first born son is Sigmar... and this Sigmar had a son with a dwarf shieldmaiden named Thora Birch?

Radagast:  Actually... wrong wood.

Aragorn:  Wood?

Radagast:  Not birch, oak.  Oakenshield, really.

Aragorn:  So.... are you saying that Thorin Oakenshield is the legitimate heir of Valhalla, the Empire, and the Dwarven Kingdom of Moria! 

Radagast:  Yup.

Aragorn:  Thats heresy! Dont let the Grand Theogonist and his inquisitors hear this. And anyway, Thorin is dead, buried deep under the Lonely Mountain with the Arkenstone on his chest. 

Radagast:  The Arkenstone is a stasis device made by the Adeptus Mechanicus and sent here by order of somebody called Roboute Guilleman.

Aragorn: Robooty Girlyman? Thats a strange name.  Are you sure this isnt the wrong game system?  This all sounds like it belongs in the latest fluff of the 40k version of Warhammer.  So Thorin isnt dead...  just mostly dead?

Radagast:  Oh, Im sure!  In fact, the Dwarves of Erebor have just recently found out, when they put him in a diamond sarcophagus.  They say he is visibly breathing and that his wounds are healing at a very slow rate.  Someday, it is prophesied that he will be fully healed and return to lead the stunties in a grand crusade to reclaim not only Moria...but all of Middle Earth. 

Aragorn:  Well, there goes the Age of Man and the 4th Age of Middle Earth...

Radagast:  Yeah, it wont be the Age of Man, or the Age of Sigmar...  its the Age of Moria!

~~~

AAaaaaaaannnnd...  Scene!

Even Aragorn and Radagast know the world belongs to the sons of Durin the Deathless!

Also, Age of Moria sounds like a better descriptor for this blog, rather than the wordier Moria Reclamation Project.

So... this post is ripping how many IPs?  Harry Potter, Princess Bride, The Office UK, American Gods, 40k, Warhammer Fantasy, and LOTR of course.

All kidding aside, Im not kidding here.
Balrog beware!
Thorin Oakenshield really is on the mend...
The Age of Moria is indeed coming!

Cheers,
Mar

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Looks like our Oldhammer Middle Earth gaming campaign has stalled a bit and will continue to experience a slow down for a while longer.
The Bree campaign will resume at some point when the stars are right (and Cthulhu wakes!)
Im going to tentatively rename November as Bree-vember as that is when I hope to get the current campaign up and running.
Which is perfect timing as I hope the new game mats will arrive around that time!
Yes, I have some lovely plush mats from Cigar Box Battle coming, via their Kickstarter.

In the meantime, Ive put a couple of figures together for this post.
These minis were to be used for a future campaign.
But I hate having long droughts on the blog, so here they are for a little show and tell.
So lets spoil the Misty Mountains campaign with this little teaser...

Oh!  Also I have an "internet garage sale" going on, so hop on over to my commission blog to see what Im selling. 
Support the Moria Reclamation Project and buy something why dont ya?
Go here for more details:  http://mars-miniatures-commissions.blogspot.com/2017/10/mars-internet-garage-sale.html

And finally, I have a backlog on commissions and am not taking new clients until I can clear up the painting queue.
If you are currently a client and on the queue, please accept my apologies for the long delay.

Thank you for your patience my good fellows.

Now, onwards to pics and fluff...

Left to Right:  Fishspeaker Siona, Hag Queen Morathi, Belladonna Lestrange

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

Also note my new terrain piece...  Amon Sul...  Weathertop!
I will show it off properly when the Bree campaign resumes.

Fishspeaker Siona, much like one of her distant ancestors, is a blind prophet/mentat who also has Fire powered spells at her command.
She belongs to the Sisters of Manaan, also known as the Fish Speakers of Numenor...

The Sisters of Sigmar arent the only female order in the Empire.
Manaan is the god of the sea and is known the Drowned God in the Iron Islands, Poseidon in Themyscira, and Ulmo in Middle Earth.
Since Marienburg is a maritime city, Manaan is its most worshipped deity.
But the headquarters of the Sisters of Manaan is on Numenor, to the West of Eriador.
The warrior order of the Sisters are known as the Fish Speakers - the protectors of the God Emperor, caretakers of the Great Sea Wyrms of Shai-Hulud.

"Bless the Maker and His water
Bless the coming and going of Him
May His passage cleanse the world..."

These warrior/mage women have been trained to be fanatically loyal and believe in the destiny of mankinds rule over Middle Earth through the mysterious Golden Path.
They are taller than even most men and their beauty makes most think they are descended from the gods and goddesses themselves.
Some of the girls have white hair which might come from a Targaryen heritage.
There are whispers that they are bred from the finest stock of Amazons from both Lustria and Themyscira, Bretonnian Damsels, Empire Aristocracy, Numenorean Lords, Atreides Sea Captains from Caladan, Ironborn raiders from Pyke and legend has it - from Manaan himself!

"Let your servant be born again from the sea, as you were. Bless him with salt, bless him with stone, bless him with steel."

"What is dead may never die!"

Morathi is the ancient mother of the Witch King.
Oh... not that Witch King!
The Dark Elf one.
She is the first of the Hag Queens and a great and powerful sorceress.
It is whispered that the great Cauldron was given to her by the Elf War God Khaine himself 5,000 years ago, and each year she bathes in its warm blood to restore her beauty.
Not only can she take Dark Elf spells, but Chaos Slaaneshi ones too.
She is quite the naughty elf lady!

If you thought Alyssa the Queen of Dragons had alot of pets, wait til you see Morathi's menagerie of mad monstrosities!
Yes, Morathi will be leading the vanguard with a veritable army of monsters.
The very ground of Middle Earth will shake with the trampling of their varied and numerous hooves.
The Dark Elf hosts are coming and this blog will soon fill with the full machinery of pointy eared malice.
The end is coming, humies and stunties (mainly because I was consumed for a bit with collecting Dark Elves and EvilCute monsters.)

"And you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend,
You don't believe we're on the eve of destruction."

"Nimrod Bodfish have you any wool
Get me another body bag the body bag’s full
My face was scorched, scorched
I miss my home I miss my porch, porch
Left, right, left"

Belladonna Lestrange is quite mad you see.
But one cannot master the magic of Mordor without first travelling to the other side!
Belladonna is a member of a Mordor Death Cult.
She belongs to the most twisted one... The Order of the Black Rock.

Mordor Death Cultists are covens of evil humans who worship Sauron.

Three of the largest of these cults are:

1) The Druids of the Astral Sea.  These animal worshipping barbaric cultists are from the Easterling lands of Rhun.  In their shamanic visions, these cultists believe that Sauron is the prophesied Lizard King.  Because his Ring Wraiths ride atop ancient winged reptiles, just further strengthens their beliefs.  They foresee a world where "Man becomes one with Beast" in a green environmentally safe hippie commune love-fest. 

2) The Order of the Black Rock.  The toxic air of Mordor has twisted these humans into grotesque nightmares.  They mostly come from the southern area of Mordor known as Nurn.  It is their belief that only the strongest can survive in Mordor and it is through mutation that a new breed of human will emerge and inherit Middle Earth.

3) The Golden Mumak Society.  These Southrons are from Haradwaith and have seen the birth of a yellow-gold colored Mumakil as the sign that the King in Yellow has returned.  They believe Sauron will become this King after unifying the lands of Middle Earth and will usher in a Golden Age of Magic.

"She wore a gown the color of storms, shadows, and rain and a necklace of broken promises and regrets."

I will have 3 Mordor Cultist units, of 12 cultists each.

In addition to having the stats of chaos marauders, a Death Cultist unit is considered to be a Wizard and can cast spells in the same way as Pink Horrors of Tzeentch.
A unit of 12 Cultists will cast spells as a Lvl 2 Wizard
Choose spells as normal Wizards do,  but as casualties occur, the unit will lose magic levels and spells.
Once the unit is reduced to 8, it becomes a Lvl 1 Wizard.
The unit loses Magic ability once it is reduced to 4.

~~~

Yup!
Lots of background fluff to fill in the lack of painted minis/battle reports for now.

I have a couple more painted teasers to show off til Bree-vember comes.
I dont have full units, as my painting hand has been injured the last few months.
And while I normally wait to show off whole painted units, we will have to settle for more posts like this one.

Oh, I have terrain pieces that I was saving for the future.
But I suppose I can show them ahead of time.

I suppose I can even give some fluff for minis already shown on the blog.
Aragorn and Radagast conversations?
Or Mouth of Sauron and Shelob just shooting the breeze?
Hope some of you like fluff, because its going to get fluffy around here!

Cheers,
Mar