The Golem

The battletomes we are sure to get in 2019 so far: Gloomspite Gitz (Destruction) [already released] Skavens (Chaos) Flesh-eater Courts (Death) Khorne (Chaos) Slaanesh (Chaos) Dark Oath, perhaps mixed with Slaves to Darkness & Everchosen. (Chaos) Seems like Chaos will be busy this year.

I agree, the classic aelf factions only need a decent battletome and maybe a few endless spells and they would sell like hot cakes. Squatting them would be a big waste of potential and money. There are many people, myself included, who are waiting to see what GW will do with the aelfs before buying them.

Which ones (in your opinion)?

As a deaf golem, I'm super glad they've put subtitles in their video for once. Also, very cool trailer!

Could be funny if Malus came back but fused with Tz'arkan, basically becoming a new daemon character for Chaos. And when people bring up the made-up story about Malekith fusing with his dragon, we could correct them and say "no no no, you got it wrong: it was actually MALUS who fused with his DEMON." I agree.

While I liked Malus Darkblade, it seems his soul has been annihilated by Tz'arkan, the demon within him, during the End Times So no soul = no coming back?

Hypothesis: maybe because the Dispossessed is a faction of very traditionalist duardins who are very suspicious of modern weapons? Things such as organ gun and gyrocopter are considered as too 'unorthodox' while thunderers pistols and rifles constitute the limit of what they can accept? Maybe the Ironweld duardins are even considered as brazen youngsters by the Dispossessed duardins. And in the same way, perhaps the Dispossessed see the Fyreslayers duardins as a bunch of weirdos, and the Kharadron duardins as flying freaks. And perhaps the Ironweld, Fyreslayers and Kharadron duardin see the Dispossessed as a bunch of old-fashioned grumblers who cannot get over the loss of their great ancient empire even after several centuries. But fortunately, all duardins can put their differences aside when it's time to smash grot heads and to drink beer.

Apart from Statuesque Miniatures, I know Maximini.eu which also sells head bits. You can also search for "28mm heads" on eBay.

Nicely done! And I love the animated gif.

Thanks! The heads come from Statuesque Miniatures. I am not the only one to have used those female heads by the way, I remember there was a someone on TGA who posted conversions of Stormcast using those.

"Even if they hide in the darkness and the mists of Ulgu, the enemies of the God-King will not escape me." — Elinor Borealis, Knight Zephyros. While chaos worshippers and traitors inside the city of Port Stellis regularly get assassinated by Nocturne, the enemies outside the walls of the free city aren't safe from being murdered by the forces of Order either. Sometimes, when his vanguard rangers identify a threatening character looming around in the Coast of Fleeting Hopes, the Lord Aquilor Andras Silverblade sends one of his best agents on a hunt, a female Knight Zephyros known as Elinor Borealis, the huntress of shadows. Elinor usually work along with her vanguard ranger comrades, patrolling and exploring the region, but when she when she receives an assassination mission, she ventures alone in the wilderness. While all Knight Zephyros are blessed with superhuman senses, Elinor has to face a peculiar challenge that the others usually don't: the landscape of Ulgu is treacherous and full of misleading illusions. The darkness murmurs lies made credible by faint hints of truth. Paths are never fixed and always change, so it is no use memorizing them. And shadowy creatures prey upon the confused and the lost who have been led astray. Many travellers and warriors have disappeared in the mists. However Elinor possesses an advantage: in her mortal life, she belonged to a clan of humans hunters in Ulgu. She is a native of the Realm of Shadows, therefore she understands the land better than most and she knows how to thwart the illusions and how to navigate in the mist and the dark. She can even use them at her advantage against her foes, slaying them with greater ease. Lately, Elinor has been ordered to monitor the movements of a chaotic army gathered in the north: the Court of all Sins.

Personally I hope GW won't reunify the aelves, or at least that they won't re-do them the way they were in WHFB (high elves/dark elves/wood elves). I was getting tired of the classic warhammer elves and I like the way they shook those armies and made new sub-factions out of them. I also prefer when my dark elves are a little less dark (especially the scourge privateers): I prefer them as morally dubious characters instead of the outright psychopaths and sadistic murderers they were in the World-that-was. Therefore I really hope that the Daughters of Khaine will be the closest faction to the original druchiis and that the other "dark elf" factions (privateers, shadowblade, serpentis) will become a bit lighter (or "grayer" if you will) compared to their previous incarnations. The same goes for the high elves: I hope they will be updated to be a little less noble and haughty than they were in WHFB with their spotless white robes. All in all, I don't mind a unified aelf battletome, as long as GW get innovative and don't write them to be the exact same type of elves as they were before. For example, a battletome that would mix a bit of both dark elves and high elves (like Order Draconix + Order Serpentis being various knighthood orders working in the same army) would be cooler in my opinion. PS: sorry, I went a bit off-topic.

Considering "Heart of Winter" is written by Nick Horth, I wonder if the corsair could be Arika Zenthe from "City of Secrets". Although she doesn't wear a sea dragon cloak, her blades look pretty much like those of the Scourge Privateers. Bigger picture of the aelf corsair, because why not: Man I really hope GW will update the Scourge Privateers one day, they have the potential to be my favorite faction.

"Commander, we found a dead body on the docks during our patrol. A duardin miner. Someone slit his throat." Isilde Brumehaut looked up with weariness at the subordinate who came to deliver his morning report in her office. Another concern that added to the pile of problems she had to solve. If the victim had been murdered at the docks, the territory of the aelf privateers, then it was probably a settling of scores... "I can already hear the countless recriminations of the miners' syndicate," said the commander with a sigh. Do you have any leads on who did this? - I don't think the duardins will make any noise this time, ma'am. The murder was signed. With a card marked with the symbol of a dagger. - A card? The same as the others? - Yes, ma'am. It was Nocturne. Again. - What about the corpse? - We have checked. Like the other stiffs, he had a black mark on his chest. The eight-pointed star." Isilde fell back into her chair with a slight relief. Not only had a chaos cultist been killed, but representatives of the miners' syndicate would keep a low profile at the next Conclave meeting, embarrassed by the fact that a member of their race could have given in to the promises of the dark gods. All in all, this day was off to a pretty good start. ——————————————————————————————————————— Between the strange climate of the realm of Ulgu and the bay with its sea air, the free city of Port Stellis is regularly wrapped by fog. A blurry shadow creeps through the misty streets, invisible to everyone. And when the mists recede, revealing the starry sky, a camouflaged silhouette walks on the rooftops of the city, furtive and intangible, before passing through a wall and disappearing like a ghost... This shadow, which all the inhabitants know from stories and legends, is known as Nocturne. No one knows who this character is or what his or her real name is. Nocturne has been roaming the alleys of Port Stellis for years and no one has ever been able to see it. Even its existence is questionable. But one thing is certain: people die, murdered by Nocturne, who always leaves a card marked with the symbol of the Shadowblades beside each body. And each of the victims, from the first to the last, regardless of gender, age or race, had a dark secret: they worshipped the chaos gods. An unholy tattoo or a strange mutation was always hidden under the clothes. It did not take long for the authorities in Port Stellis to understand that the city was blessed with a kind of guardian angel who was protecting it from chaotic corruption with remarkable efficiency. The rumour spread quickly and soon everyone knew that the Shadowblades of Azyrheim (or at least one of them) were watching the citizens of Port Stellis. Any chaotic deviance would be punishable by death. And no secret can resist a ghost killer who is able to blend into Ulgu's mists, change appearances as if they were only illusory masks and penetrate walls as if they didn't exist.... So today, here is another personality from Port Stellis: an Aelf assassin from the Shadowblades faction. In order to convert a tad the assassin's mini, I replaced his hooded head with a warhammer 40K eldar harlequin head (didn't need to buy an eldar kit, I just bought the head from a bits seller on the internet). I think the mask is more fitting for an Order assassin. And while I was at it, I slightly repositioned his left arm so it wouldn't hide his mask. Now that I finished painting this masked killer, he will join his comrades in future battles. Because Nocturne doesn't just wander around the city in batman mode, looking for chaos worshippers. Sometimes, the soldiers of Port Stellis who fight to defend their city against monsters think they see an elusive shadow sneaking from one enemy to another, as if it were dancing, leaving dead bodies in its trail, all stabbed with surgical precision...

For your information, the website Warhammer Adventures has been updated (you know, the stories with the kids in AoS and WH40K). The first chapter of each book is available to download if you're curious.

"My colleagues want to see concrete results before we can decide whether or not to renew our support to your enterprise. So you know what you have to do, your Lordship Somberheart..." — Moryelle, Loremistress and Eminent Emissary of the Eldritch Council of Azyrheim This aelf, who came directly to Port Stellis from Azyrheim, plays an important role in the city as an emissary of the Eldritch Council (she is at the moment the only member present in the free city). Although she is not a member the Conclave of Port Stellis, she attends their meetings as an esteemed consultant on magic and all things supernatural. A role that sometimes puts her in competition with the Astromancers' Guild and its Grand Master, Caius Lorentius. In addition to her role as emissary, Moryelle also works for the dreadlord Sicath Somberheart, commander of the Order Serpentis army currently stationed in Port Stellis. She officially assists him as an advisor and provides him with magical support. But what everyone (except Sicath) doesn't know is that Moryelle is a double agent. Although she is a member of the Eldritch Council of Azyrheim, her allegiance goes first to the Darkling Covens. She acts as the liaison agent between Sicath Somberheart and the sorcerers of the Covens. Her mission is to help Sicath and his knights of the Order Serpentis to regain their lost fiefdom in the north but also to monitor them and send reports to the Covens who are closely observing the situation. If Sicath succeeds in taking back his domain which is currently occupied by slaaneshi, then the Lord-sorcerers and the Queen-sorceresses of the Darkling Covens will begin a large-scale military campaign, with the help of the Order Serpentis, to reclaim all their lost territories in the realm of Ulgu.

The Protectors of the Candle "We protect the light in the darkness." — motto of the Protectors of the Candle. Like any other major city of Order, Port Stellis is governed by a Conclave composed of representatives of the various factions, guilds and corporations of the city: the aelf corsairs, the miners' syndicate, the knights of the Order Serpentis, the astromancy guild, etc. Each of these groups seeks above all to protect and develop their own interests. As a result, there are often rivalries and tensions between them. However, there are two factions that do not participate in this game of political influence because they exist primarily to fulfill a duty: the Stellar Champions and the Protectors of the Candle. The first are stormcast eternals stationed in a fortress on the edge of the city and they live to accomplish the mission that the God King has given them. They are not involved in Port Stellis' internal affairs and will only intervene in cases of war or chaotic corruption. The latter are none other than the city watch who ensures security inside Port Stellis. They are men and women who have chosen to enlist, wear uniforms, enforce laws and maintain public order. While it should be prestigious role, it is rather an ungrateful and dangerous job. Soldiers with several years of service are generally considered particularly tough and stubborn. The budget allocated to the city watch is very limited, so the hierarchy is forced to be cheeseparing over every expenses. For example, the uniforms are all the same size, each soldier having to sew it up if necessary. In addition, the city watch is lacking men, especially for a city the size of Port Stellis, which makes the work considerably more difficult. And as if that wasn't enough, the soldiers' pay is rather poor... Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Port Stellis must admit that without the Protectors of the Candle, the city would quickly fall into anarchy. Isilde Brumehaut "We're not giving up ground! Hold your positions! And remember: we protect the light in the darkness! Let's show them what we've got! For Port Stellis! For Sigmar!" — Isilde Brumehaut The Commander of the Candle is Isilde Brumehaut, an upright soldier descended from a noble lineage of azyrite origin. Not only does she command her soldiers and supervise the security of the city, but she also serves as a member of the Conclave. While she never falters in her task and never loses her seriousness, the days spent arguing in endless debates in the Conclave and mediating conflicts between guilds make her regret not being on the field as a normal soldier any more. Her desk is invaded by staggering piles of administrative paperwork that seems to renew themselves every day and her drawer is filled with migraine medication... But sometimes, when the city is in danger, she can gladly abandon her administrative duties and lead her soldiers into the action along with the champions of Sigmar.