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The Golem

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  1. The Golem
    Although Port Stellis flourished and became a fortified city, not all attempts to build communities in Ulgu have been successful.
    Over the past decades, as Port Stellis developed, settlers tried to establish villages in the neighboring region in order to develop agriculture. But none of these projects succeeded: the wild monsters and the darkness made the settlers disappear one after the other. Sometimes half-devoured corpses were found, and some other times the victims simply vanished, leaving no traces, giving rise to stories of peasants being swallowed up forever in the mists and the shadows.
    To date, the duardin prospectors' camp near the Scintillating Mines is the only civilized post that has managed to hold in the Coast of Fleeting Hopes, with the exception of Port Stellis, of course.
    In the the present days, ruined buildings remain here and there in the wilderness of the Fleeting Hopes, as the last remnants of the villages that failed to survive. All those projects of warm hearths, big farms, livestock and crops are now nothing more than stillborn dreams...
    At least those ruins offer temporary shelter to patrolling rangers and passing travellers, as long as they aren't already occupied by mist monsters...
    * * * * *

    These 2 ruined buildings were printed by a friend of mine who happens to own a 3D printer. The files for these buildings are free to download on Thingiverse (all credits due to Terrain4Print). Note: I had my buildings printed at a 125% size so that 25mm base minis can move through the entrance and stand on the stairs.












     
  2. The Golem

    The Grey Clickers

    By The Golem,

    "When will this damn fog dissipate?" Begodrek groaned as he tightened his cloak to warm himself up.
    "Don't speak too loudly," his companion whispered. "We don't know what might hear us."
    In response, Begodrek sniffed disdainfully. The duardin hated the damp dark cold climate of the Coast of Fleeting Hopes. Cursed be the Shadow Realm! For his part, Calestor, a a tall slend human around thirty, nervously scrutinized the mist that obscured the landscape. The two fellow travellers had been caught by surprise by the sudden appearance of fog and had to quickly take refuge in a dilapidated cottage, obviously abandoned for years. They were extremely fortunate to have found a shelter in the middle of nowhere in the wild lands of Ulgu.
    "If only we could light a fire to warm our bones..." Begodrek muttered.
    "Certainly not. It could attract nasty creatures. We have to stay hidden and wait for the fog to pass. Only after that will we be able to light a fire or get back on the road."
    The frustrated duardin glared at his travelling companion then turned his ear to listen carefully, just in case there were something crawling around the cottage. Not a sound. Only silence...
    "I hope your information is reliable, human. I'd hate to find out that I came all the way from Azyr for nothing. If that's the case, you'll wish you hadn't brought me into your business..."
    "Trust me," Calestor replied. "I have already checked and rechecked my sources several times. My documents do not lie. If we can find and enter the Citadel of the Starry Firmament..."
    "The Blinking Tower," the duardin interrupted him.
    "That one, yes," his partner replied in an annoyed tone. "So if we can get inside, my documents will help us find the magic treasure that is hidden in there. You'll see, my research in the Azyrheim libraries will be useful to us."
    In response, Begodrek gave him a look that seemed to mean "we will see". Calestor ignored him and pretended to examine the fog outside. This duardin annoyed him more and more with each passing day. In the end, he regretted having chosen him for his protection, but it was too late to turn back now. They were very close to the destination: the enchanted tower was somewhere in the region. All they had to do was locate it and they would soon become very rich. Calestor thought about what he would do with his share of the loot: he would buy himself a nobility title as well as a manor house and invest into one or several companies. He was smart enough to know how to invest his money wisely and if he played his cards right, he wouldn't have to work a single day of his life. As for the duardin... well, he would probably drink all his salary in fyrebeer imported from Hammerhall. This uneducated fool was unable to see beyond the tip of his beard. Anyway, Calestor would terminate their collaboration as soon as they split the treasure. But first of all, they had to wait until the fog lifted so that they could resume their journey. That damn fog that seemingly wanted to linger forever...
    Suddenly the duardin mercenary made a thundering sneeze behind Calestor's back, who flinched with surprise.
    "Aaatchooo!"
    "It's all dat humidity" he grumbled, blowing his nose in his cape.
    "Shh! Shh! Silence, you idiot!" Calestor whispered as he listened outside.
    He seemed to have heard something react in the mist. The adventurer stood on the lookout, his whole body tense. Nothing. No sound. Then a series of clicking noises broke the silence, soon joined by other clicks from different directions. Blurry silhouettes appeared in the fog, rushing towards the cottage.
    "By Sigmar, Grey Clickers!" yelped Calestor, panicked. "The guards in Port Stellis warned us!"
    In a glimpse, Calestor saw that his duardin bodyguard had already grabbed his axe, ready to fight. "Good reflex," he thought, while clumsily trying to pull the flaps of his cape apart in order to grab his sword. But before his trembling fingers could pull the weapon out of its sheath, Begodrek smashed his right knee with a well-placed blow of his axe, breaking the joint cleanly.
    "Aaaaaargh!!"
    "Aaarrhhh!! What the hell...!?
    "Sorry, human. Rather you than me."
    The duardin snatched the bag containing the notes on the Blinking Tower from Calestor before fleeing as discreetly as possible in the direction opposite to the approaching clicks.
    "Begodrek! You traitor! I swear I'll find you!"
    Calestor tried to crawl in pursuit of the thief but it was too late... The Grey Clickers were already on him.
    As Begodrek moved away as quickly as possible, he heard behind him the screams of his former partner who was being eaten alive by the creatures. If he felt a pinch of guilt, it was quickly dispelled by the alluring thought of getting all the treasure for himself instead of having to share it with a stupid human.
     
    †     †     †
     

    Grey Clickers
     

     
    Among the monsters that prowl around the Coast of Fleeting Hopes, the most famous are the Grey Clickers (sometimes also called Grey Gnashers). These humanoid creatures have a lean appearance and grey skin with purple parts. Their most striking feature is the lack of eyes: Grey Clickers are simply blind. They compensate for this handicap by a very good hearing that allows them to detect any prey over long distances, or even to hear heartbeats at short range. These creatures have another special peculiarity: they emit a series of very distinctive clicking noises, more or less like a stridulating insect. The scholars and hunters of Port Stellis have two hypotheses to explain these noises: either they serve as "sonar" for these blind creatures, allowing them to find their way around, or they serve to recognize each other. In fact, these two hypotheses are not mutually exclusive and could both be true. Whatever the real reason for these clicks, if you can hear them, it's that Grey Clickers are nearby...
     
    Clicks: local slang for "bad news".
    Example: "The messenger was hanged for announcing clicks to the lord."
    — Encyclopaedia of Port Stellis
     

    These creatures are easier to spot when the fog has lifted.
     
    Grey Clickers usually move in bands, so it is rare to encounter only one or two at a time. These creatures are spectacularly voracious and when they spot a prey, they immediately attack it, regardless of its size. Their movements are completely chaotic and without tactics, so a community with a properly organized defense can repel them without suffering too much damage. However, Grey Clickers are often very numerous and their ferocity makes them immune to fear, so that by the time you kill a clicker with a fork or spear in the chest, two or three more clickers are already on you, busy tearing out your flesh with their sharp teeth. As an anecdote, Voredd (the Ogor warrior from Port Stellis) claims to have seen a gargant being overrun, then knocked down and finally devoured by a colony of Grey Clickers.
     

     
    Although individually, they do not represent a very significant danger, when they are many, Grey Clickers pose a real threat to Port Stellis. No one knows for certain how they multiply, but it seems that they have asexual reproduction. The most common belief is that they are born directly from the mist hence why they are sometimes nicknamed "mist wights". One thing is certain: the clickers are considered a dangerous species whose population must be regulated. For this reason, stormcast eternals regularly conduct hunts in the wild in order to kill as many as possible (usually when a wandering colony has been spotted). The Ogor warrior Voredd also regularly kills some of them during his forest patrols.
     

    A few stormcast eternals versus a swarm of clickers.
     

    Voredd the Ogor is an expert at skragging clickers. But even he has to be careful not to fight too many of them at once...
     
    For the inhabitants of Port Stellis, the Grey Clickers are merely one of the ordinary dangers that punctuate their daily lives. Farmers living on the outskirts of the city have learned to take shelter in silence when the fog comes, while children are told scary stories so that they learn to fear clicking noises....
     

    Fear the clicks in the mist...
  3. The Golem
    Here are my Vanguard-Hunters of the Stellar Champions Stormhost stationed in Ulgu. They tirelessly explore the wilderness of the Coast of Fleeting Hopes, in a radius of several leagues around the city of Port Stellis. Their mission has multiple objectives.
    First, they have to fight and eliminate the fiercest monsters who sometimes prowl a little too close to the city. They are sometimes helped by motleys of aelf privateers who are always interested in capturing these creatures or butchering them for commercial purposes (whether whole or in pieces, these monsters can always be sold to interested customers).
    Second, Vanguard-Hunters must regularly update the maps of the region, as it changes with the passing of illusions and fog. In Ulgu, the topography of a place can be as ephemeral as a fleeting hope or a fallow light... What seemed to be a mountain can ultimately turn out to be a shadowy and murderous abyss.
    Third, the Hunters keep check on creatures known as mist wights who are frail but ferocious. Sigmar's warriors regularly hunt them down and slaughter them before they become too numerous and dangerous. But it seems impossible to kill them all because they always come back, as if they were born out of the fog. Therefore the Vanguard-Hunters kill sufficient numbers of mist wights from time to time in order to prevent them from proliferating. They are sometimes helped in this task by Voredd the Ogor warrior who always enjoys fighting and smashing opponents.
    (you can click on the pictures to display them in full size if you wish)








  4. The Golem
    "What ze hell are ya doin' here?! Ze fog is coming and if ya don't hide quick, ze gray gnashers will come and devour ya. Ya won't run to ze city fast enough. Better run zat way, zere's an old tower very close. Hide in it and wait for ze fog to pass. Me gonna stay here and beat the hell out of the gnashers. Will be fun!"

    — Voredd, shouting at a careless traveller on the road to Port Stellis
                                                                                                                                                                          



                                                                                                                                                                          
    No one knows why Voredd, the imposing Ogor mercenary, has been banished from his tribe and no one had the courage to ask him. He came out of nowhere one day, walking the mists of the Ulgulands and introduced himself to the guards posted outside the gates of Port Stellis.
    "Me name is Voredd and I been kicked out of my tribe. Been wandering around fer a long long long time in ze mist and ze dark. Had to fight all ze time against nasty beasts in the fog y'know? But today I'm real hungry and tired and bored of being attacked all ze damn time. If you gimme something to eat and let me sleep in ya town, ya know what? I will work for you."
    Of course the city guards were completely caught off guard by this strange request. In normal times, monsters are obviously not allowed in the city, but Voredd was able to speak intelligibly (albeit with a rustic accent). And his intimidating physique frightened the guards, who could hardly find within themselves the courage to chase him away with spikes. So they chickened out and passed the situation on to their superiors, secretly hoping that their leader would call the stormcast warriors to rid them of this unwanted ogor.
    In the end, commander Isilde Brumehaut made the decision to let Voredd in and temporarily offer him shelter and food, despite the protests from some soldiers. And it proved to be a good choice because Voredd kept his word: he started working for Isilde, becoming a major asset for her. Unsurprisingly, after the word had spread in the city, the Commander of the Candle was treated with much more respect at the next Conclave meetings. To add with that, the number of citizens filing administrative complaints decreased significantly because rare were the ones who dared enter the Candle headquarters while the ogor was in there. For the first time in years, Isilde felt like she was on vacation.
    However the situation could not last forever. Voredd was getting frustrated like a lion in a cage because he was unsuited for civilized life. His skills were better used by sending him on missions outside the city. So the terms of his work were redefined: from now on Voredd would patrol outside the city, keep an eye on the wilderness around Port Stellis, look for possible threats, track down the most ferocious beats, help travellers coming from the misty moors to Port Stellis and return regularly to the city to make reports and stock up in supplies. Everyone, Voredd included, approved those changes. Nowadays the ogor spends most of its time in the countryside around the free city. He is actually very competent in his new job: having spent many years wandering in the Ulgulands, he knows many tricks and is an expert on how to face the dangers in Ulgu. If you plan to venture in the Ulgulands, you'd better ask him some advices before...
  5. The Golem
    * * * * *
    The Citadel of the Starry Firmament is a magical building whose construction dates back to the Age of Myths, before the Free Peoples took refuge in Azyrheim, before Sigmar's first stormcast were forged.
    This citadel built in the dark lands of the Shadow Realm stretches toward the sky, like a vertiginous peak that rises above the mists. It is also called the Blinking Tower because it never stays in the same place for long. It frequently disappears and reappears at another site, usually miles away. It is somehow a nomadic building that migrates through the Coast of Fleeting Hopes. It goes without saying that its "movements" often startle travellers who pass nearby and many choose not to approach it (which is quite wise).
    Given its starry appearance and its magical nature, it is assumed that this tower was built long ago by a celestial archmage. But there is no concrete evidence to support this theory and so far there is no sign that the tower still belongs to anyone...
    As is often the case with enchanted buildings, rumours suggest there is a fabulous magical treasure hidden inside. Of course, many adventurers have tried to unravel this secret. Some have never been able to reach the tower because of its untimely teleportations, while others have managed to enter it. Most of those who came out simply found nothing interesting and left empty-handed, while the others have inexplicably lost their sanity in the tower...
    But despite these obstacles, people are still trying to discover the secret of this mysterious citadel. Among them, the Grand Master Astromancer of Port Stellis, Caius Lorentius, believes that the movements of the tower must correspond to constellations. He pays people in exchange of informations about the last movements of the citadel. But to date, his theory has not yet been proven and the mystery remains whole...
    * * * * *








  6. The Golem
    Although the Protectors of the Candle are responsible for maintaining order and security in Port Stellis, it hasn't always been their only duty. When the town was still young, the Protectors of the Candle operated both inside and outside the city walls. Groups of soldiers patrolled the wild land around the Port Stellis and had to hunt down the marauding beasts they found in their path. But the task quickly turned out to be complicated: Ulgu's mists and illusions misled several patrols, some of which disappeared forever, while the wandering creatures were sometimes far too formidable to be killed by a simple group of patrollers.
    Since that time, the Protectors of the Candle have stopped making patrolling rounds outside, focusing on security and order inside the city. There are still some lone hunters and loose members of the Candle, who roam in the wilderness. Most of them of them are antisocial and reject the comfort of the city. Apart from those, the Stormcast Eternals are now the ones in charge of patrolling outside the city and slaying the mist monsters.
    However, the watchtowers built by the Protectors of the Candle are still there. There are a dozen of them, usually located at one or two leagues away from the city. Some are still in good condition while others are dilapidated due to lack of maintenance. Nowadays they are mainly used by hunters and travellers who seek temporary shelter.
    And lastly, an amusing anecdote: although the Protectors of the Candle no longer patrol beyond the walls, they have never officially given up on this mission. This means that the city watch can at any time order soldiers to patrol the hostile wilderness of Ulgu. In fact, Commander Isilde Brumehaut sometimes uses this excuse to punish troublemakers in her ranks: unruly soldiers are ordered to go up in one of the watchtowers outside the city, under the pretext of strange activities in the area in question. This is obviously a false reason because strange things happen all the time in the Shadow Realm. That said, the prospect of spending an entire week, shivering in the cold and hearing strange whispers, inside a solitary tower surrounded by thick haunted fog is usually enough to discipline any hard-headed soldier.











  7. The Golem
    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.

       
  8. The Golem
    "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.








  9. The Golem
    "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...
  10. The Golem
    Hey!
    It's been a looong time since I last posted in this blog (nearly two months!). Well I haven't forgotten about Port Stellis at all, I was just working on some other projects meanwhile.
    Anyway! Here are my first vanguard stormcast from the Stellar Champions stormhost: three Vanguard Raptors with Hurricane Crossbows.





     
    Back then, when I started to assemble them, I had the choice to equip them with Longstrike Crossbows or Hurricane Crossbows.
    When we look at their stats and ability, the Lonstrike Crossbows are obviously meant as some sort of sniper rifles: with them, the raptors can shoot once per turn over a long distance and with great accuracy. They are perfect to snipe at enemy heroes without taking too much risk. However I dont think it is particularly exciting to play with sniper stormcast who sit on their butts and shoot at the enemies from afar. Which is why I preferred to equip my raptor guys with Hurricane Crossbows: more firepower (6-9 attacks) but shorter range (18") and lesser accuracy (4+ /4+). That way the raptors will have to get quite close to the enemies and thus more exposed to danger.
    On another topic, I have slowly started to prepare my corsairs aelf from Port Stellis. And I decided I will convert all or most them, using a few bits from WH40K dark eldars, to make them look like a motley crew (by the way, the corsairs from WHFB look a bit to homogeneous for my taste). Here is a preview of my first Port Stellis corsair:


    That's all for now! I will probably paint my Vanguard Hunters next and continue to assemble/convert my corsairs meanwhile.
  11. The Golem
    Hi guys!
    With all the stuff lately about the Free Cities, such as those from the Firestorm campaign box, or about making our own cities, I started to think about a setting for my Order armies. I must say that I really love the idea of several races (humans, aelf, duardins, etc.) coexisting in a same army under the banner of their Free City.
    So I cooked my own Free City: Port Stellis.
    What is Port Stellis?
    It is a harbour city located on the Coast of Fleeting Hopes, in one of the thirteen domains of Ulgu.
    The Coast of Fleeting Hopes is a very dark region: the night lasts half of the year while the day is bleak and gray during the other half.
    Port Stellis was originally an aelf corsair campment but it developped fast to become a fully fortified city thanks to human, duardin and aelf settlers. To this day, Port Stellis has become the home of nearly 100.000 people (humans, aelves, duardins and stormcast eternals) and the number is growing.
    The city and the surrounding region possess many special and uniques features which make it a strategic place for the Order alliance.
    What factions are there in Port Stellis?
    Here is a list of some of the main Order factions in Port Stellis at the present time (more may come when the city gets bigger):
    Collegiate Arcane Dispossessed Free Peoples Order Serpentis Scourge Privateers Stormcast Eternals The others Order Factions are not necessarily absent from Port Stellis, but they don't have enough people present in the city to be considered as "real factions".
    Now, let's see the special features of Port Stellis!
    The Star Ocean Gate and the Scourge Privateers
    "I've sailed thousands of miles, thousands of miles, chasing the stars...♪" — excerpt from a popular song among the aelf sailors
    The primary feature of Port Stellis is a huge Realmgate situated in the middle of the city bay. Its leads indirectly to the realm of Azyr. Since this gate is on the very surface of the water, a ship or a boat is required to pass through it. However crossing it is particularly dangerous because before you can arrive in Azyr, you need to sail through a mysterious interspace which separates the realms of shadows and heavens: the Star Ocean.
    The Star Ocean is a magnificent and breathtaking vision: a starry night sky, without any cloud or any light pollution, and a perfectly still ocean which reflects the sky just like a mirror. When a boat passes through the gate and enters the Star Ocean, it is exactly as if it were floating through the cosmos. It is all quiet and silent with scintillating stars everywhere and beautiful clouds of interstellar dust. However the Star Ocean is seemingly infinite and thus dangerous: if a captain goes astray or simply doesn't know how to follow the secret path hidden in the stars, then there is no way back home. The ship will get lost and wander forever...
    To this day, only the aelfs corsairs of the Coast of Fleeting Hopes know the path through the Star Ocean and to the realmgate at the other side. And even if they know the way, they still need the blessing of Sigmar to open the gate to Azyr. Note that those aelves worship Sigmar under the aspect of Silmaris, God of Cosmos, Lord of storms and Guardian of the Star Ocean. 
    Since the corsairs are the only sailors who can travel from Port Stellis to Azyr and thus transport passengers and/or merchandises, they have a huge importance in the city and they are one of the most influential factions. Among them, Captain Naritha Blackbird is the most powerful of all: she commands nearly all the aelf corsairs of the Coast of Fleeting Hopes.
    The Scintillating Mines and the duardins miners
    "Brothers, sisters, never forget that Port Stellis is flourishing thanks to us and our hardwork!" — Barik De Bier
    Half a day's walk from Port Stellis are the Scintillating Mines. They are a network of underground galleries in which duardin miners extract precious gems called clariæ . It is an iridescent gemstone that emit a scintillating light, like a little star.
    Clariæ gems are Port Stellis's first export merchandise but there are also a lot of jewelers in the city who specialize themselves in carving those gems and craft beautiful jewels out of them. The wizards of the Astromancer Guild are also very interested by those gemstones and they are actively studying them since they believe they may have magical properties.
    The duardins of the Miners' Syndicate pride themselves on providing the city's primary source of wealth (the gemstones) and thus they have a lot of influence in Port Stellis. Although they wish they could do business without the aelf corsairs, they need them to export their gems in Azyr.  The Miners' Syndicate is led by Barik De Bier, the richest duardin in town, who wears clariæ rings on each of his nine fingers. Rumors say that he became incredibly rich during his youth when he found a melon-sized gemstone while digging in the mine's deepest tunnels.
    The Stormkeep of the Stellar Champions
    "Sigmar's light shines eternal!" — motto of the Stellar Champions
    A garrison of Stormcast Eternals is present in Port Stellis. They are the Stellar Champions, one of Sigmar's stormhosts. Their most striking feature is their dark armors adorned with stars. Their leader is the noble Lord Aquilor Andras Silverblade.
    The Stellar Champions' mission is not only to protect Port Stellis and keept it clean from chaos corruption, but also to chart the region of the Coast of Fleeting Hopes and hunt the strange wild monsters who may become a threat should they get close to the city. Sometimes they are accompanied by the aelf corsairs who are always interested in hunting and capturing monsters.
    The Order Serpentis
    "I will take back what is mine and those barbarians will regret being born." — Sicath Somberheart
    A detachment of the Order Serpentis is posted in Port Stellis. The knights are led by Sicath Somberheart, an old white haired dreadlord who aspires to take back his lost fiefdom from the hands of Chaos barbarians. When the Age of Chaos came, he had no choice but to flee with his soldiers in Azyrheim because the  enemies were too numerous. But after several centuries he will finally have his revenge... In fact his lands are only a week's walk from the Port Stellis. So far his soldiers have been training and defending the city along with the regular army, waiting for the day they will be fully ready. New drakespawn riders regularly come through the Star Ocean Gate to join Sicath's cause and pledge fealty to him.
    Sicath has the secret support of a few sorceresses of the Darkling Covens who are also waiting to take back their own lands in Ulgu. If Sicath is successful in his quest then they too will move in Ulgu and go to war with their chaotic enemies.
    The Astromancer Guild
    "The long dark night is coming. Sure it will be gloomy around here for half a year but this will also be ideal for studying the constellations!" — Caïus Lorentius
    Port Stellis is the home of the renowned Astromancer Guild. It is a college of wizards who seek to master the magic of heavens (although a minority of them choose to learn the magic of shadows instead). The Guild is led by the grand master Caius Lorentius, a very stern scholar who possesses his own Celestial Hurricanum.

      That's it for now. I will write more about the Coast of Fleeting Hopes and its strange inhabitants later. Here is a stormcast on which I tested a color scheme for my Stellar Champions Stormhost.






    When the real army will come, I will probably do a few minor tweaks in the color scheme (like painting the halo around the helm in a different color, perhaps silver) but the idea is there. The vanguard stormcast from the blightwar set will be painted like that.
    Meanwhile I ordered a gaming mat which will represent the typical terrain around Port Stellis and in the Coast of Fleeting Hopes:

    I can't wait for it to be delivered at my home!
  12. The Golem

    Moryelle the Loremistress

    By The Golem,

    "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.
     

         

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