Melcavuk

Since I'm still playing around with Warscrolls the concept of building the models is playing on my mind a little bit, I'm pretty happy with my concept for the labourer centric units so have moved on to considering the Phalanx and Ironsworn Units. Below are my current ideas on units and their composite parts: Weld Arbalesters/Riflemen - Bodies/Legs - Necromunda Cawdor Heads - Human, Bare (currently looking at Van Saar head upgrade kit) Weapons - Crossbows from the Empire Crossbowmen kit, Rifles from the same kit of the Skitarii Range Rifles. Additionals - Power/Shot pouches made from greenstuff, more ornate heads for the Quartermaster and Master of Shot (thinking forgeworld Ironsiders heads) Weld Phalanx/Other - Bodies/Legs - Militarum Tempestus Scions (if considering armoured look, Cawdor if focusing on the more Labourer aspect) Heads - Nuln Ironsiders Weapons - 1.5mm brass rod cut to 7cm lengths as pikes, the Van Saar energy shields with the hole replaced with a duardin icon and painted to become a far more primitive shield instead. Additionals - Open to suggestions. Ironsworn Templars - Chassis - Starting with the Forgeworld Ironcircle model as a base, bore a column vertically down the front of the model to craft an alcove for the pilot, removing the neckpiece in the process. Within this cavity mount the pilot (Captain from empire Steam Tank kit), using greenstuff to sculpt the crude leather straps of a harness. Pilots arms should stick out horizontally, disappearing into the chassis frame to control the suits arms with legs strapped and supported by metallic pedals below. Power source - Do not add the top armour to the chassis, instead utilising the steam engine from the Empire Steamtank kit, cut the barrel in half and mount over the top of the chassis forming a rudimentary top piece. Armour - Leaving the shield and shoulder pads off of the Ironcircle, take the rear wheel frames from the Steamtank, cutting each in half until you have 4 semi circles of banded wood. Attach two of these to each of the shoulder frame mounts to make crude wooden armour panelling over the shoulder. Weaponry - Angling the hammer to be held in two hands (as the shield will not be attached), replace the hammer head with a suitably Age of Sigmar weapon of your choice. Alternative weaponry build takes the Steam Cannon from the Steam Tank Turret, mounting it on the haft of the Ironcircle hammer and running hoses (made from greenstuff) to the steam engine on the armours back, this gives the suit a short range steam belcher.

I was thinking for Cog forts to be their terrain type, a walking bastion that benefits that army around it with a once a game shooty ability for a name artillery piece within it. This gives the army mobile cover (slow but mobile) with benefits specific to the type of Cog fort taken Yup, the aim is for Ironsworn Templars/Paladins to be steam powered/clockwork armour about 15 foot tall and the Fusiliers and Lancers to be riding the mechanical cog striders from the malign portents story. Labourer units (Arbalesters, Riflemen and Phalanx) are designed to be just that, armed well enough by the Weld to defend the arsenal and able to sacrafice models to crew the warmachines as the battle goes on. To add to my own musings, one of the original concepts I was playing with was encapsulating something of the crusading knights element of the Brets of old into the nobility (we already have the peasantry and the knights but frames in a Sigmar oriented Ironweld Heart). To this end I was considering adding a "Quest" element to the Nobility units, a pre game objective you assign (after forces are deployed but before the first turn) to each unit with the IRONSWORN keyword (you can choose seperately for each unit), this could be anything from Kingslayer (bonuses when fighting heroes), Defender of the Realms (reroll charges if friendly unit is already engaged), Beast Hunter (bonus against monsters). And having Banner relics for the LABOURER classes (big, guild specific banners that are each unique)

I think its also an exciting way of exploring the non-literal interpretations of the Realms, whilst it can be easy to go for the very basic interpretations of the Realms delving deeper into the insights each of the key realms would lend to a creative process and industrious empire could further explore them and how the native populace are influenced in daily life: Realm Of Fire - Workshops and Artisans whose passions and obsessions are driven to new heights, arguably one of the more artistic of workshops the fruits of its labour often take far longer to desig and manufacture but are true expression of imagination and love. The products of the Aqshy workshops are often considered as much generation defining works of art as they are practical machinery. It is a workshop steeped in passion and ambition, constant competition and fierce rivalries burning as hot as the forges. Realm of Light - The realm of imagination and innovation, the constantg drive to learn, to explore, to create. The realm of light is known for the most cutting edge innovations from the workshops, striving to always be different, to be new and to progress,some argue that the innovations of the Realm of Light are never allowed to flourish before being replaced, that its artisans cannot bring themselves to duplicate their own work before moving on to the next new idea. A studious, inventive workshop, often considered excessive in intricacies. Realm of Death - Those who work in the valleys of Shyish are cold, practical people, their machinery engineered to perfection, every gear inspected with clinical precision, every working practice developed with an enduring logic to ensure they withstand the test of time. An engine built in the workshops of Shyish will outlive many a user, enduring as a testament to its inventors legacy. A logical, practical workshop often considered to be lacking in passions. Realms of Beasts - Those who study in Ghur are a pragmatic sort, they feel no need to over engineer their weaponry, instead creating sturdy, somewhat brutish and enduring work. Some say it is the Cog Haulers of Ghur that are used throughout all the realms, their rugged nature and simplicity to maintain and repair making them the ideal work horse on which to build an empire. A practical workshop, many claim they lack innovation. Realm of Metal - The workshops of Chamon are mercurial, ever shifting and changing, it is within these workshops where the ideas of the Guild are refined, forged to newer, keener edges. It would be easy to claim their artisans are unable to think of new concepts themselves, but it is in the forged of Chamon that ideas from the other workshops are developed and refined further, taking a good invention and turning it into something great is as much a work of craftmanship as any. And so forth!

I love the Steam Tank, seriously its a beautiful bit of kit, but its emblazoned with empire Iconography and has Karl Franz emblazoned on the front of it. My main aim for a redesign would be to take the heart and base of what it is now but dial it up a bit and add in more Ironweld specific rather than Empire iconography (and a more upto date detailed captain/Gunner in the turret)

Approaching the redesign of a faction is a challenging concept, typically GW do the models first and that allows the rules designers to know the constraints of the faction and can build the battletome around a set list of models that are coming soon. This allows a structure that when approaching rules first can... lack, where anything is possible it mistakenly leads to the idea that EVERYTHING is possible, so breaking down the unit options as follows here is what I currently see us as having: Duardin Engineer (Existing Model) Gunmaster (Existing Model) HERO A (Monsterous, built as secondary option to a different kit) HERO B (Cavalry or flier) BATTLELINE Riflemen/Arbalesters (Dual Kit, Battleline if Ironweld) - Working in well with the Gunmasters, Phalanx/Something (Dual Kit) - Here I'm considering factoring in the Cog soldier aspect, potentially functioning better when in the presence of an engineer essentially having the Duardin Engineer acting as a buff hero for the Cog aspects of the army. It would rob the labourer aspect of a second unit to benefit from faction specific buffs. OTHER Ironsworn Templar (Also Builds Paladins Hero) - Non-Monster heavy hitter unit, monsterous infantry. Ironsworn Fusiliers/Lancers - Fast Moving Cavalry Gyrocopter/Bomber (Existing Kit) ARTILLERY Helstom/Helblaster (Existing Kit) Duardin Cannon (Existing Kit) BEHEMOTH Steamtank (Needs a new kit, likely a dual kit. My theory was an Iron Dragon rocket spitting tank, Steel behemoth labourer carrier) Taking that as a base it means that new kits wise it would be: Weld Riflemen (Dual Kit) Weld Phalanx (Dual Kit) Ironsworn Templar (Dual Kits) Ironsworn Fusiliers (Dual Kit) Hero B Clam Pack Monster/Tank something kit. Now thats already something thats rivalling the bigger releases, so I'd say at this stage to add a unit we'd need to remove one of my unit suggestions at each time (barring hero B which I have left spare currently). I think the best plan is add a unit, remove a unit policy (unless anyone can make a convincing counter arguement there When approaching unit design I would go with the following criteria: Does it fit the theme? Does it fill a tactical void in the army? (Not every army needs to fill every void but the army should be competitive based on its own roster) Does it bring synergy (Part of why I strive to add the Labourer keyword to Weld guard is to have interplay between them and the artillery in the faction, it gives a synergistic link. And just as artillery benefits from them, they benefit from Ironsworn nearby to inspire them. The benefits cascade down from having a mixed list. Is it needed? (As above, not every faction needs to fill every niche, not everyone needs a monster or magic etc unless it forms a cohesive part of the army, theme and roster) Is it something better provided by allies? (pretty self explanatory) So what is the theme? My suggestion is below, but this is simply my suggestion, it is entirely possible that my own interpretation is wrong or needs refining but here's where collaborative debate can help really hammer down the heart of the question "Who are the Ironweld?" Industry Driven Humans and Duardin surviving a magical world through innovation and strength of arms.

Approaching the redesign of a faction is a challenging concept, typically GW do the models first and that allows the rules designers to know the constraints of the faction and can build the battletome around a set list of models that are coming soon. This allows a structure that when approaching rules first can... lack, where anything is possible it mistakenly leads to the idea that EVERYTHING is possible, so breaking down the unit options as follows here is what I currently see us as having: Duardin Engineer (Existing Model) Gunmaster (Existing Model) HERO A (Monsterous, built as secondary option to a different kit) HERO B (Cavalry or flier) BATTLELINE Riflemen/Arbalesters (Dual Kit, Battleline if Ironweld) - Working in well with the Gunmasters, Phalanx/Something (Dual Kit) - Here I'm considering factoring in the Cog soldier aspect, potentially functioning better when in the presence of an engineer essentially having the Duardin Engineer acting as a buff hero for the Cog aspects of the army. It would rob the labourer aspect of a second unit to benefit from faction specific buffs. OTHER Ironsworn Templar (Also Builds Paladins Hero) - Non-Monster heavy hitter unit, monsterous infantry. Ironsworn Fusiliers/Lancers - Fast Moving Cavalry Gyrocopter/Bomber (Existing Kit) ARTILLERY Helstom/Helblaster (Existing Kit) Duardin Cannon (Existing Kit) BEHEMOTH Steamtank (Needs a new kit, likely a dual kit. My theory was an Iron Dragon rocket spitting tank, Steel behemoth labourer carrier) Taking that as a base it means that new kits wise it would be: Weld Riflemen (Dual Kit) Weld Phalanx (Dual Kit) Ironsworn Templar (Dual Kits) Ironsworn Fusiliers (Dual Kit) Hero B Clam Pack Monster/Tank something kit. Now thats already something thats rivalling the bigger releases, so I'd say at this stage to add a unit we'd need to remove one of my unit suggestions at each time (barring hero B which I have left spare currently). I think the best plan is add a unit, remove a unit policy (unless anyone can make a convincing counter arguement there When approaching unit design I would go with the following criteria: Does it fit the theme? Does it fill a tactical void in the army? (Not every army needs to fill every void but the army should be competitive based on its own roster) Does it bring synergy (Part of why I strive to add the Labourer keyword to Weld guard is to have interplay between them and the artillery in the faction, it gives a synergistic link. And just as artillery benefits from them, they benefit from Ironsworn nearby to inspire them. The benefits cascade down from having a mixed list. Is it needed? (As above, not every faction needs to fill every niche, not everyone needs a monster or magic etc unless it forms a cohesive part of the army, theme and roster) Is it something better provided by allies? (pretty self explanatory) So what is the theme? My suggestion is below, but this is simply my suggestion, it is entirely possible that my own interpretation is wrong or needs refining but here's where collaborative debate can help really hammer down the heart of the question "Who are the Ironweld?" Industry Driven Humans and Duardin surviving a magical world through innovation and strength of arms.

I actually previously had a freeguild for my Stormcast that had Cogs as soldiers (rudimentary clockwork soldiers). As I see it we have several possible approached that can be explored through, though all at once might then become unwieldy and more importantly hard to define as a faction concept. Like most factions in Age of Sigmar there needs to be a single theme dialled up to 11 with the potential for smaller subfactions orbitting. To me the key concepts are Industrial, Mechanical, Mortal. I even doubt my own concepts on runic magic fitting into those three key concepts, Looking through those every unit concept to me has to see if it fits to those three, or atleast two of the three in order to be viable, cohesive and to concept.

Focusing on both of the above, I had various musings I have played through in order to try and find a suitable theme. Magic itself whilst not the antithesis of the Ironweld is something that the Colleague Arcane is more inclined to play with, I am firmly of the opinion that not every faction needs magical potency. Instead looking to the Duardin elements of the Ironweld arsenal what about Runic Enchantments? Have certain characters would allow you to assign certain runes to a unit, and have some combos that allow you to "activate" all runes within a certain aura. So for example an Runic Ironfather might impart the Rune of Preservation to 1 unit (D3 with a certain warlord trait), when activated it provides said unit with a save vs wounds/mortal wounds. A Rune of Devastation might increase either the damage of attacks or impart mortal wounds but doing so could well be destructive to the unit it is attacking. To cover the anti-magic elements of the army it could be entirely possible to have metal hewn "Arcane Siphons" that literally drain an area of magic, again likely through sciences or runic enchantments to be able to channel, disipate or create "noise" that disrupts a spell.

Currently working on scrolls for two kits, both of which fill the combat void in different ways (one has a fast shooty alternative but its still a rapid response unit in order to fill out mobility). Ironsworn Templars - Touched on these in my blog, a non-monster heavy infantry unit. Armourclad and Steam powered they were built to go toe to toe with treelords and their ilk. The Paladins and Templars of the Ironweld arsenal their weapons are adorned with heavy hoses to pump boiling oil from vast vats over the blades ready to ignite in order to fell heavier enemies. Ironsworn Fusiliers - The outriders of the Ironweld Arsenal they mount elaborate Cog Striders, each noble begins to build their own Cogstrider from a young age, an artificer construct of the finest metals and steamwork that can over short distances sprint as fast as the horses of old. Their true potency is the surefooted nature of the constructs, able to provide a stable firing platform for the repeater guns mounted infront of the rider, strafing enemies with heavy leadshot at a short range losing little accuracy when moving. Ironsworn Lancers - The Knights of the Ironweld Arsenal, much like the Fusiliers they mount Cog Striders though due to their heavier armour move at a slower pace, usually the first into combat for the Weld they fight with heavy lance and cavalry sabre, often also accompanied by a handgun. The sure footed nature of their mounts allows the Lancers to climb obstacles on the battlefield that would otherwise have been impassable to a standard horse.

I was actually listening to Stormcast (because why not) whilst painting some goblins earlier and they touched so briefly on the concept of exploring the depths of the realms. One part they covered was that the realm of light is also known for development of knowledge, innovation, invention and the strive for progress, to me this is a realm that would speak to the very heart of the Ironweld, a faction of tinkerers, mad scientists, those seeking to progress the armouries of Azyr through order and innovation. Currently I'm trying to think through how best to create an ideal capitol in my head that isnt just "clockwork city" that could embody the concept of Ironweld in one or two sentences as a description before fleshing it out further. Currently all I have is: Location: Hysh Faction: Ironweld Distinguishing features: Sealed terrible vault, distinguished freeguild guard, ore/gem deposits, arcane forge. Edit: Because I type faster than I think Cor Temporis, the Walking City The term walking is largely a generous exaggeration of the city that crawls its way steadily across Hysh, pulled by hundreds of Cog haulers the very fact it is able to move is perhaps what has lent to such a grandeous term. Few understand the reasoning behind such an attribute beyond the very fact that the Ironweld invent for the very sake of innovation, dismissing the cities mobile nature as little more than a flamboyant architects masterpiece. To those who know better there is an ancient tale, whispers that before Cor Temporis came to be an expedition found something buried in the sands of Hysh, undeniably ancient and hewn from metal no axe or pick could pierce, a cube littered with Sigils unlike any others seen the realms over. It is said this unknowable vault bewildered the expedition, and around it they built an encampment, it was as the days passed, when each mornings sun struck the Vault they observed perhaps its most perculiar attribute, shifting in the sand, tremoring as it carved its way a few inches further through the realm toward destinations unknown. Over the years the encampment has grown, dozens of cogforts deployed that the Weld might understand what secrets the vault could unlock. In time they locked together to shield the vault from the view of would be interlopers, and as yet more forts joined their midsts the engineers within sought new technologies that they might find a way to bore through its metal hide, grand factories sprung up to devise new drills, workshops sought to master flame and fire to melt away the outer layers, prismatic light harnsesses channelled the very nature of the realm at this enigma. Centuries has since passed, and whilst some secrets have been derived from the vault it has yet to relent to the bombardments of the Weld, the cogforts have grown to the largest city in the Ironweld with the obsessive need to unlock the Vault driving forward their progress at a staggering rate. Now each day as the Vault moves so does the city, ever onwards to a destination beyond their unstanding.

The Ironweld thread in the Order subforum is the best home, as this is my personal blog it'd be hard for multiple posters to get equal headroom without lingering in my comments sections Atleast using the Ironweld Thread it's in the right subforum and anyone can post to it without it being retired to comments.

Ofcourse, the others were only targetted because they'd specifically offered, always happy for more help!

@khadgar567 @S133arcanite if you guys want to help out writing an Ironweld Battletome I'd be more than grateful for the help, mixed viewpoints will do well to ensure the theme is conveyed through rather than my own personal perceptions filtering how things are viewed. Would be nice to get some collaboration going as the Suneaters on my own was a fair amount of work and still fell short of where i feel it could have reached.

I tried to avoid using Skitarii specifically as the base models (I do really want their rifles though) as they are entirely too metal for my tastes. The crude prosethetics on the Cawdor, the bandaged and patched clothing, the occasional shoe missing etc to means far more of a labourers life than a smooth coated Skitarii Vanguard. For the officers weirdly Eisenhorn makes the best base model (turn that coat mustard, change the head to something more Sigmaresque) and I have forgeworld heads from the Nuln Ironsider kit to replace his head with. For the confusion around the marines the harness (thrice the height of a man), and the prosthetics (literally a more industrial version of the modern equivalent) are the two enhancements I had angled for, the first is literally a mechanical version of a monster with a butchered noble piloting it (Here I can see comparisons to the Knights but smaller, less armoured, less advanced, exposed pilot and a big ass sword) and the second is... a replacement limb. No steroid induced, indoctrinated, 8 foot marines walking around (unless you count stormcast and thats a whole other debate) The reasoning behind using 40k kits is simple, they have human kits that were made this century. Unless you're looking for barrel chested chaos dudes Sigmar is currently light on base models for a human conversion, as much as the Empire troopers were good in their day they really havent ages well (to my mind) and whislt I do love the forgeworld variant even I cant afford to run full forgeworld on every conversion project (yet, one day...) I understand how Factory Cities might lend to the concept of Forge World Equivalents, but since their outposts are Cog Fort, I tried to scale upwards and simply changed the name from "Factory Complex" in the lore to "Factory City" to make it self governing as a faction. On the plus side rereading the malignportents story has informed me they have "Cog Haulers" about the same size as alarilles beetle, whether this is a new name for the old steam tanks or something entirely new any lore tidbit that can lend ideas is always a most welcome concept.

Thats an interesting point of view, not entirely unfounded but what we have seen so far of Ironweld Arsenal, beyond the limited range of models imported from Warhammer Fantasy is in the malign portents stories. I have built on brief descriptions and then extropolated outwards. "The Master of Shot met him at the top of the stairs. Henraus Malliver was a stocky, barrel-chested man of middling years, his skin permanently marred by soot and valchemite burn" Clearly indicating a life of hard labour, wounds where practicality matters more than vanity. "Loerson frowned, and turned to look at the towering tangle of steam-pipes and roaring bellows that was the pumphouse, built into the iron hide of the cog-fort’s larboard wall. Great copper tubes descended a dozen meters into the swamp, greedily devouring the silt and slime underneath the surface. Below, surveyors in hook-nosed masks strode through the murk upon mechanical striders, directing the labourers in their work." Labourers, mechanical striders, massive industrial pipes and steam belching machinery. Not shocking to the man indicating common place in the Weld "Greycaps were lined along the walls of the cog-fort, their rifles placed in firing channels set along the ramparts of Saint Sverova. At their officers’ command, they cracked off a storm of lead and spun behind the parapet. The second rank stepped up to fire, while the first reloaded their wheel-lock muskets." Riflemen, commonplace As for your space marine/devastator comments? Where exactly are we seeing that? You've labelled the clockwork harness as imperial knight so I'm struggling to see what you mean as space marines/devastators? Or is that any model with a rifle like say... empire had in fantasy. If you have constructive critisism I'm more than open to it, however from the lore we have had I have simply extropolated what I could

Cheers, the running theme is that these are the cult of the Spida King, grots naturally seeking to follow power in the hopes of seizing it themselves. His Suncatcha Shrines atop Arachnarok gives them the ability to drain light from an area, for moonclan this essentially lets them travel in relative safety even during the day. Heres test model pending basing.

Rather than a new blog post I figured i would share what i have so far of the lexicology for the Ironweld here: Weld - Overarching term to cover all of the factory cities and their resources. commoner reference to the Ironweld Arsenal as an empire. Ironsworn - Nobility who have taken to battle, carrying with them the best that the industrial empire of the Weld can produce, though service is compulsary for all heirs to the noble houses to be inducted into the Ironsworn is still a great honour Labourer - Commoners who serve the interests of the Weld, whilst the majority of their number might well never see the field of battle all are trained in the use and maintenance of the artillery they produce, should the factory cities come under attack each and every labourer is trained in their defense. Weld Guard - Labourers who have been tasked with accompanying the Arsenal to battle, for many this is a brief endevour however the Weld know the value of human life and have found themselves to have excess. The Weld Guard exist purely to defend the Arsenal. The Arsenal - War is industry to the forces of the Ironweld, the Arsenal is as much a reflection of commerce as it is of military might. When the Weld march to war it is to advertise their mastery of it, and to sell arms to those who wish to purchase. The Arsenal as a term of reference is used to signify unmanned artillery, but is also a unit of measurement for the wealth of the Noble Houses. (Note: it is said that the name Ironweld Arsenal comes from the three pillars of their society. The Ironsworn Nobles, The Weld Guard and the Arsenal that gives them wealth) The Noble Houses - At one time there were only four of the noble houses, one Duardin made up of the first pupils of Grimnir, three from the engineering schools of the largest Freecities. Each represents a particular aspect of the craft of war, with the Duardin mastery of runecrafting beyond compare, the house of Oran are master armourers, others perfect explosives, riflings etc. Each house takes a turn leading the interests of the Weld with the passing seasons though there is often fierce debate as to who should ascend next. In recent days a fifth noble house has risen up, new technologies have elevated commoners to the houses of nobles yet there is clear disdain from all but the Duardin house in their presence. Anyone else wanting to throw out some terms of cultural tidbits feel free!

Still working on the concept for I’m not entirely sure on how the final model will look, I have the idea of how they look in lore but as I can’t sketch it’s hard to convey. Aiming for four max in a unit, points per single model, logic here is I imagine it to be a two model kit that either makes two Templar’s or one and a paladin

Update with test scheme

Yeah they are the best base model, trying to work out a small malign portents narrative to describe the Templars but finding the right voice is challenging. The vibe for the Templars is important to the lore, to the uneducated masses they are inspiring heroes, towering testaments to the might of the weld wielding flaming swords to slay monsters. But to the Engineers the thought of being interred in the Templar armour is horrific, it is a life of constant agony that burns through the wearer in short order, a last chance at glory for a maimed heir to a noble house. The cost alone is so exorbitant that the sight of a Templar harness being hosed down for reallocation after its wearer has expired is a tragically common thing in the factory cities. Its important that the lore establishes these arent Stormcast, no shining knights who get infinite tries, it is a tragic final act of a wounded soul.

Looking for idea on the development of the Ironsworn Templars (aiming to make a unit version (Templars) and a character version (Paladin) with the latter able to buff the former Significantly, and both able to inspire the Labourers) War beyond the walls of Azyr, to the little people far below the gaze of the Gods and Titans that seek to claim the realm of their own, is a bloody and often short lived affair. Those who have not earned the favour of the God King are not spared the bloody butchery that make up the myriad of battlefields the realms over, from the tortured wastelands of the Great Parch to the body strewn marshes on the approach to the Black Pyramid of Shyish. To the nobility of the Ironweld, whose souls are far from the perfection sought by Sigmar to make up his great hosts, the disfavour they have been shown is insult unanswered, perhaps they have spent far too long in the company of the Duardin Artisans but such nobilty know all too well how to hold a grudge. Denied the preservation of eternal service in the hosts of the Stormcast the Ironweld have sought new ways of prolonging their lives, replacing limbs lost in battle with finely tuned prosthetics, some even go so far as to say that the Matriachs of the noble houses have found ways to live far beyond the years of mortal men and women. It is this very determination to endure inspite of the arrogance of gods that drives the true heart of the Ironweld onwards, their cannonades become the roar of their choir celestial, their steel behemoths are the wings upon which their empire soars, and on the backs of their labourers they will be raised aloft that they might stand amongst Gods and Titans to claim their place within the Realms. Yet in truth all of this would not be possible without the aid of a God, Grimnir the Master Smith has long since been the benefactor of the hosts of the Ironweld, teaching his craft first to the Duardin artisans of Azyr, and through them the heart of the Ironweld has spread to man and dwarf alike. The greatest pupils of the Duardin artisans became the first families of the noble houses, the five pillars of the Ironweld Arsenals combining their family estates into the first factory city of the Ironweld, and through the generations it is these families who have been responsible for the myriad of weaponry that marks the Ironweld Arsenal as the true heart of the empire. The Ironsworn Templars - Even the true heroes of the Ironweld, the children of the noble houses are not spares the miseries of the Battlefield. War is the very heart of commerce for the Ironweld Arsenal, any child expected to rise through the ranks that they might one day steer the fate of the factory empires must understand the visceral nature of War in a manner that only those who have served the host could. Should these young nobles be wounded in battle no expense is spared to restore them to fighting fit, eschewing medicine for masterwork engineering it is far quicker to sever a damaged limb and replace with a metallic replacement to return them to the front lines instead of waiting for healing to eventually take hold. Yet there are those whose injuries could baffle even the artisan engineers of the Weld, and it is these souls who qualify for the growing ranks of Ironsworn Templars. New, innovative and brutally effective the Templars have only recently marched forth from the crawling factory city of Oran, heavy lumbering suits of armour thrice the height of any soldier in the weld. The beaten steel plating built around a harness augmented with newest hydraulic innovations, they are the glorious knights of the new generations of Weld Nobility. They carry with them enormous zweihander blades augmented with oil belching hoses that they might be ignited in the midsts of battle, able to cleave into even the most monsterous or magical of foes with disturbing potency. Those soldiers whose injuries have moved them beyond the fields of battle can still serve the Weld from within the Ironsworn Templar armour, burning metal rivets driven through broken limbs to adhere them to the beaten steel harness. Torn wounds cauterised by the searing heat of the suits furnace that they might never tear open again, the very internment is a life of constant agony and yet they are revered amongst the armies of the Weld, a living embodiment of sacrafice in the name of the Ironweld. For the labourers to see such icons of war marching alongside them sparks inspiration beyond measure, that the nobility might bleed amongst commoners is a unity beyond measure. Monsterous Infantry (6 wounds, 3+ save, slow movement) Special Rules - Icons of War - Friendly LABOURER units may reroll failed Battleshock tests whilst they can draw line of sight to any IRONSWORN units from your army. Incendiary Arsenal - able to deal mortal wounds but risk taking mortal wounds themselves each time the blades are ignited. C&C welcome as always

Currently playing with scrolls and trying to find a vibe right now but if I can find the theme for the faction I'll be fleshing them out into a battletome, would welcome the help.

Finished converting the first 5 of my Spider Riders, hopefully conveying alot more momentum than the original models with their reposing.

Like many others since the inception of Age of Sigmar I have been waiting to see how the normal men and women of the Realms come to be represented, from the citizens of Azyr to the settlers who go on to form Freecities and the refugees trailing in a never ending stream back towards the Golden city as the tides of chaos, death and destruction ravage the Realmscape around them. As I wasnt a fantasy player before Age of Sigmar became a thing i had no pre-existing loyalties to the factions of old, no fond memories of Empire and Brettonians to niggle at the back of my mind when imagining the shapings of the armies of Man to come in the later Age of Sigmar lore. One of the most interesting elements to me was the seperation of the Ironweld Arsenal, a faction comprised of the heavy artillery and siege engines of old accompanies by engineers and the potential this could open up in terms of how the faction would grow, expand and become a unique force on the battlefields of Sigmar. The concept of soot drenched, smoke belching armies chewing their way through the battlefield, a vertiable force of the industry of man that held little reverance to the will of Gods and Daemons, who trusted in the strength of their own steel and heat of the flames of the furnace. Preamble and thoughts on theme: Second Stage Updates: MOST RECENT UPDATES - 28/01/19: HEROES BATTLELINE OTHERS ARTILLERY BEHEMOTHS (COGHAULERS) COGFORT VERSION ONE POINTS COSTS

Frankly Ironweld would not be Ironweld without artillery pieces, it is the very heart of their faction and sadly of late their artllery has been left to rot due to the ability to shoot the crew out from behind the warmachine leaving players with simply useless cannons unable to be crewed on the battlefield. There was no need to tweak the lore behind these warmachines as each is a defined and well known part of the arsenal and thus my aim was merely to bring them more in line with modern War Machine scrolls and answer that age old question "Why dont other soldiers crew them when the crew die?" Well now they do, every labourer in the Ironweld has basic experience of manning the guns, it is the very heart of their existance, they help to manufacturer, maintain and fire these devastating machines of war and understand that the cost of the artillery far outweighs the cost of a labourer. As such the artillery pieces can now "heal" using labourers from units nearby, who drop their current weaponry to frantically maintain the artillery when ordered to do so. This is simply the first interplay with the LABOURER keyword added to the Weld Guard, they form the backbone of the force so that the Nobility can fullfill their own agendas. Having a good number of Labourers in your force not only lends weight of numbers and attacks but ensures that your heavy hitters are kept in the battle for longer.