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Melcavuk

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  1. Melcavuk
    So here's a first look at what is the basis for a sleek and more refined looking Suneater Tribes battletome. Latest revisions include the newly refined Allegiance abilities for the Faction along with revised prayer and a newlook warscroll layout for 2.0
     
    Along with a handful of screenshots I have enclosed a PDF for everything i have written thus far if anyone wants to do some playtesting for me with proxy models or give feedback.

     






    Download the current WIP tome here: Tribesinprogress.pdf
  2. Melcavuk
    Alot of the time when I design a unit or faction ability I get alot of questions as to how I can tell what is "Fair" on the battlefield, mostly I like to think i have a good eye for what makes for a fun, thematic but balanced faction and unit within the factions but there are times at which I can get it wrong. Through copious playtesting the Suneaters one thing came to mind as an oversight on my part, the GOTHI became an autoinclude as they very faction abilities meant to come by selecting the faction are keyed to their prayers, so you could never benefit from allegiance without having to spend copious points on the priests. After playtest number 4 or so I've revised a way of keeping the Pyres thematic and limited whilst allowing for list diversity, here is the new Allegiance abilities:
     

    BATTLE TRAITS
    An army with the SUNEATER TRIBE allegiance gains the FEEDING THE FLAME and CREEPING DEATH special rules
     
    CREEPING DEATH: The Suneaters do not simply bombard a foe with rocks and arrows like lesser races, every attack sends great gouts of flame, burning oils or incendiary devices down the field as much waging war on the very lands around them as they do the foe. Enemy Models may not benefit from COVER against a Suneater Tribes ranged attack, every would be shelter soon descending into a fire drenched tomb.
     
    FEEDING THE FLAME: Before either army deploys on the battlefield select one piece of TERRAIN and place a single INFERNO MARKER, it is possible for other INFERNO MARKERS to be placed throughout the game through abilities or artefacts, when placing an INFERNO MARKER, it must be placed wholly within a terrain feature and not within 6 inches of another INFERNO MARKER. Each turn you may enact the below rule in your hero phase:

    In each of your HERO PHASE any SUNEATER HEROES within 6 inches of a terrain feature may attempt to call forth a Pyre. Roll a D6, on a 4 or more you may place an INFERNO MARKER on that terrain piece.
     
    PYRES OF THE SUNEATER
    In your hero phase count the number of INFERNO MARKERS currently on the battlefield and select an army wide ability from the chat below. You may select one ability to enact until your next hero phase up to the number of pyres you have (you may select a lower number ability if you wish) to channel the favour of the Suneater. Only one such Pyre Ability may be in force at any one time.
    Once an ability has been enacted roll a D6, on a roll of 1 you must remove 1 INFERNO MARKER from the battlefield as it is drained of its energies.
     
    INFERNO MARKERS
    ABILITY
    1
    Choking Smoke – With the smoke from the Pyre hanging low over the battlefield the Suneaters can conceal themselves with ease. Until your next Hero Phase, subtract 1 from any attacks targeting a SUNEATER TRIBES unit in the shooting phase
    2
    The Leaping Flame – Until your next Hero Phase SUNEATER TRIBE models may re-roll failed charge rolls this turn, in addition any successful charge that rolls a 9+ immediately inflicts 1 mortal wound on an enemy unit within 3 inches.
    3
    The Roaring Blaze – SUNEATER TRIBE units may run and shoot, or run and charge for the duration of this turn. A unit may not elect to do both however.
    4
    Undying Embers – SUNEATER TRIBE HEROES immediately heal D3 wounds, additionally increase the attack characteristics of their weapons by 1 until your next hero phase.
    5 or more
    Shimmering Heat – Until your next hero phase SUNEATER TRIBE units that suffer a wound or mortal wound may ignore them on a D6 roll of 5+ this turn as the heat of the blaze warps away otherwise mortal blows.
     
    GOTHI PRIESTS
    Now ofcourse this meant that the Gothis prayer on their scroll needed changing, once more it should be keyed to the Pyres that they attend to for their god but since they intuitively can summon pyres through factional allegiance it should be something new. I actually took Prayer 6 off of the original prayer list and tweaked it allowing them to weaponise summoned pyres instead of making new ones by praying:
     
    All Gothi Fyri  know the Spark of Destruction prayer and may additionally select another from the Suneater tribe prayer list. They may attempt each prayer they know during each of their HERO PHASE.
    SPARK OF DESTRUCTION: In your HERO PHASE select an INFERNO MARKER within 15 inches of this model and roll a D6. On a roll of 4 or more that INFERNO MARKER erupts in a glorious explosion, any enemy units within 6 inches of the marker immediately suffer D3 Mortal Wounds
     
     Which means the new replacement Prayer 6 makes sense in the times of magic that are now ravaging the realms giving even a Volsungrless Suneater list the potential to consume spells.
    PRAYER LIST
    1)       Wrath of the Blackened Wyrm – A priest channels his will into the thick black smoke billowing from the pyres, coiling it like a serpent to obscure the Suneaters from their foes. Pick one TERRAIN feature within 15 inches of this priest and roll a D6, on a roll of 4 or more enemy models may no longer draw line of sight through or over that terrain feature until the beginning of your next hero phase.

    2)       Judgement of the Suneater – The best blades are formed in the hottest of flames, pick a friendly unit within 12 inches and roll a D6, on a 4 or more that unit immediately heals D3 wounds. On a roll of 1 however they are found unworthy and instead the target unit suffers D3 mortal wounds.

    3)       Volcanic Blows – Pick a friendly unit within 3 inches and roll a D6, on a 5 or more that units weapons are charged with the force of a volcanic eruption. Until your next hero phase whenever your target unit rolls of a 6 or more to hit increase their rend by 2.
     
    4)       Under the heel of Gork – Select an enemy unit within 18 inches and roll a D6, on a roll of 5 or more that unit counts its SAVE as its movement value until your next hero phase (A unit with a save of 3+ now has a move of 3) as they feel the weight of Gorks mighty foot pushing down upon them.

    5)       Burning Blood – Select a friendly unit within 3 inches and roll a D6, on a roll of 4 or more that unit is enchanted. Until your next hero phase, if at the end of any combat phase that unit has lost wounds in close combat their attacker suffers D3 mortal wounds as their foes blood burns at their skin.

    6)       Spell Eater – Roll a D6, on a 3 or more the PRIEST channels the flames hunger for the arcane magicks permeating the realm. Until your next HERO PHASE this model may attempt to dispel 1 spell each turn as though he were a WIZARD.
  3. Melcavuk
    If the Aelves thought themselves fortunate to stunt but a single tendril of the great Migrations they were mere fools, they had not been the target of the migrations long march across the realmscape, nor had they faced the true might of the Migrations warriors, instead to revel in the joy of their ambush showed the arrogance of all of Sigmars pets. Their greatest mistake however was to put thorn to the great beast and then flee without expecting retribution, even as their fleetfooted kin retreated higher out of the valley and into the forests the drums of war began to reverberate, seemingly coming from the mountains themselves. Those animals of higher instinct knew what was to come, great flocks of birds taking to the skies in search of less volatile grounds to make their nests, whole herds of antelopes racing in a crazed stampede through the valleys to find pastures and refuge far from these fields.
    Aelven scouts, hidden high in their perches to watch for signs of the enemies witnessed the arrival the main body of the migration into their secluded valley, vast plumes of smoke rising high up into the skies as every tree seemingly erupted into a rapturous applause of flame in the very presence of such military might, every blade of grass withering to form a carpet of Ash that the divine migrations might not walk upon unworthy ground. Worse still a word carried on the wind, riding the beat of every drum and etching its way into the hearts of those who heard it...
    "Surt'ar....."
    Leaping deftly from their lofty perches the Aelven scouts made all haste toward the refuge of their kin
    "Surt'ar...."
    The very air around the scouts seemingly became thicker with every passing moment, a wave of blistering heat crashing down upon them, the sun long since having retreated behind the clouds of smoke from the migrations Pyres.
    "Surt'ar...."
    One by one the scouts dropped lifeless, their bodies already shadowed in ash as they slumped face first into the dry and cracked earth, the very air in their lungs blistering and burning as they choked out their last few breaths before giving way to the sweet release of death.
    He was awake....
    So game 2 of the narrative series is tomorrow, I get to test out Surt'ar in his post-prison state as a rage fuelled fanatic hell bent on vengeance, where better to start than with a migration that has been assaulted by pesky Aelves. Here's the 2k list I'm looking at:
     
    Surt’Ar – The First - GENERAL
    Gothi Priest - Judgement of the Suneater Prayer (healing)
    Gothi Priest - Volcanic Blows Prayer (Increases rend)

    Aldin Draken x 2 - Battleline because Surt'Ar has the Volsungr Keyword
    Aldin Draken x 2
    Gullveig Ogors x 6 - Battleline, large unit to maximise the benefit of command ability and prayer
    Ashen Grots x 20 (Bows) - Harassment battleline

    Bal Kasta x 2

    Slatr Warbeast
    Burnin Bomb Catapult x 1
    Pyre Belcher
     
    It gives me a decent mix of units and a chance to see how the revised scrolls on the Pyrebelcher and Aldin drakken play out.
     

     
  4. Melcavuk
    At any one time it is hard to gauge exactly how many migrations of Suneaters roam the realms, with no overarching hierarchy or chain of command to unit the migrations it is only when the Gothi hear their gods divine summons to war the the migrations will unite once more to form a tide of flame and destruction that can drown whole realms. There are however Migrations who have carved out the disctinction of "Clear and Present Threat to Civilization" within the whispered halls of Azyr, those whose threat encroaches ever closer to the cities of order, those who have raised villages and butchered populace far too long to be dismissed as mere raiders. These infamous migrations are slowly becomining whispered legend across the cities of men, the glow of their pyres tainting even the glow of dawn that it might be an army on the march, and they are named as follows:
    The Burnin Klaws (Ghur)
    The Pyre Maws (Aqshy)
    The Ur-Gores (Chamon)
    The De'd Heads (Shyish)
    The Ash Walkers (Ulgu)
    Whilst each tribe is different, formed in the image of their Barbarian Overlords the Volsungr Prophets they tend to share similar hierarchy, mimicking that of the very first tribe to depart Ghur on their rampage of destruction.
    CHOSEN CHAMPIONS
    Those born of Suneater Lineage, the leaders and elite of the tribes most favoured
    VOLSUNGR (Prophet and King by Divine Law)
    BESERKR (Apostles and Disciples of the Volsungr)
    ALDIN DRAKEN (Elite Guard, Answerable to the Volsungr Only)
    FYREBORN FANATICS (Divine Soldiers, Marshalled by the Beserkr)
    CONQUERED TRIBES
    Conscripts or trophies of conquered Ogor tribes allowed to serve the almighty Suneater
    GULLVEIG (Conquered Ogors, the strongest survivors joining the growing Suneaters Armies)
    BAL KASTA (Children of defeated Tyrants, Soldiers consumed by the Flame and used as Shock troops)
    GOTHI 
    Grots serving the Suneater, considered second class citizens though the Gothi Priests are afforded respect for their affinity with the Suneater
    GOTHI HERALD (Lead Gothi Priest, interpreter of Divine will second to the Volsungr)
    GOTHI PRIESTS (Cunning, backstabbing priests leveraging favour with their god for position in the tribes)
    ASHEN GROTS (Fanatical Grot cultists serving in the hopes of ascending to Gothi Status)
    GOTHI ARTILLERY (Pyre Belchers, Burning Bomb Catapults, Salamander Herders)
    WAAGHKART (A totem to the Suneater, Grots clamour to serve on the Kart that their god might takes notice)

    BEASTS OF THE TRIBES
    Beasts forming the Migration, these heavy beasts are as useful in Siege warfare for their resilience and brute force as they are at surviving the long marches on little food
    MAGMA DRAKES
    SLATR WARBEASTS
    CARRION DRAKES

    HEROES OF LEGEND
    (In Recent Days heroes who had long since departed the Migration, either thought lost in battle or awaiting their gods final assault upon the realms, have begun to awake and return to the Great Migration, these legendary warriors exist outside of the Migrations Hierarchy, those to march to war alongside one is to be in the presence of the Favoured)
    EXALTED VOLSUNGR (More mountain than Ogor these ancient Volsungr carry so many blessings of their God it is hard to recognise them)
    THE FIRST (Legend has it the very first Volsungr of the Tribes has returned, though what savagery lies within his heart is yet unknown)
  5. Melcavuk
    So at the end of day one of painting Surt'ar the progress is going well, for anyone who hasnt seen my progress thread in the painting forum he started the day looking something like this after in my impatience I balanced him on still curing greenstuff lower limbs and propped him up with a Doritos dip jar (other dips are available):

     
    After alot of airbrushing, some glazes and the usual fire glow treatment I've gotten onto doing the detail work including his "packed lunch" of capture Azyrites in the back pouch:






     
    Also given me a chance to think on some more of his background and state of being, rather than going full mortal or full daemon of destruction I'm leaning toward The First being somewhat inbetween. he is sustained by the worship of his god much like daemons are, growing more potent in the presence of Pyre shrines to the Suneater and able to withstand wounds that would feel mortals. Similarly when eventually slain he is seemingly rendered down to the inert magma that was sculpted into his current existance with armour panels simply clanging to the dirt, how long it takes him to recover seemingly varies though some claim it is simply the sulking of a creature licking their wounds that delays him. When the time comes to return to the battlefield he is birthed once more in the heart of a volcano, his form rippling back into existance with a force that can render even the dormant volcanoes of the realm active once more.
    Also working on how he "Feeds", current concept is literally grabbing a mortal up in his hand, channelling the heart of his form into that grasp to burn his victim alive. As the flames spread and blood boils, flesh sloughing away into nothingness eventually even the bones crumble into little more than ash. Those who have observed this happening say a flameborne shadow of his victim remains, as though a faint flickering echo of their soul that one deep drag of his massive nostrils seems to be absorbed into the Prophets form. Such feeding is the only way a creature so old can sustain themselves, the souls no longer finding afterlife and robbed from Sigmars salvation it is destroyed entirely in the process, some claiming this is the perfection in the Suneaters plan, he does not feed the forces of Sigmar, Nagash or Chaos, instead the dead are simply snuffed out of existance. When Gorkamorka kills you, he kills you right the first time.
     
  6. Melcavuk
    Known Names:
    The First (Also known as First Prophet) - Surt'ar is often referred to both as The First and The First Prophet, in terms of the Suneaters both are equally true. When he climbed back through the mighty Jaws of the Suneater he was born again as the very first member of the Suneater tribes, he was also gifted a sliver of the divine power that he pulled from the god that rebirthed him becoming the first ever Volsungr of the tribes
    Forsworn of Vulcatrix - In part Surt’ar owes his unnatural longevity and might to the powers instilled in the life’s blood of Vulcatrix. When the great godbeast was shattered by the puny Duardin god little regard was given to where shards of her form fell. In each of these craters great volcanos blossomed to life pulsing with the scorching heat of every drop of her blood. Robbed of the fight Gorkamorka was not one to turn down a free meal, scouring the realms he found the still beating heart of the great salamander, in one mighty gulp he swallowed it whole. Legend says this heart still lurks within the gods stomach, pulsing undeterred, and from this the First Prophet drank deep of the blood of a Godbeast to sustain him in his long stay in his gods gullet.
    Exalted of the Suneater - Every Volsungr to follow in the Great Prophets footsteps is at best a poor imitation of his power, whilst each stands taller and stronger than any other Ogors they cannot match the sheer potency that came with the First. In this way he is considered the Exalted of their God, the first of his kind and without comparison.
    Surt’ar - The Last Chief of the Iron Klaw clan, and founder of the Burning Klaws this once mortal creature answered to the name Surt'ar before his ascension.
    Ruler Over All - Suneaters despise the cities of order encroaching upon their lands, none more so than Surt'ar whose tribe was butchered by this relentless invasion of order upon the realms. By divine law Surt'ar asserts dominion over all that the light of the Sun touches, by right of his gods power.
     
    Description: 
    His once mundane Ogor form has long since given way to the unrelenting heat of the Suneater, the very blood in his veins boiled his skin until it sloughed away from a mighty molten form. With age and mastery of the winds of Aqshy Surt'ar has resculpted himself a form, sinews shaped from living flows of magma, the pulsing heart of the volcano fuelling his power and every footstep rendering dirt to glass beneath his feet. In this way he stands at over twice the height of any Ogor, more gargant now than his flesh and blood kin, but he has never entered the long sleep of the Exalted, never had his flesh given way to the stone that slows the muscles and brains of his most favoured disciples. In many Ogor tribes his smaller stature than the Exalted would render him secondary to them in the chain of command, yet none contest his rule over all of the tribes, within his heart pulses the very power of their god, his every word revered as divine law, on the field of battle none match his sheer destructive force, his unrelenting will and fury beyond ages.
    In battle he wields two relics of his power (though some contest these had previously been stolen from other tribes):
    Pok'Gar - The Tongue of Vulcatrix is a whip wrought from the living flames of Aqshy, whilst unlikely to have been formed out of the literal tongue of the godbeast (as such a thing would dwarf even the great drakes of the realms) it is an exquisite weapon of destruction, coursing with a life of its own feeding on the very winds of flame that surge throughout the realms. 
    Savar - This heavy magma drenched mace is said to have been formed from crowns taken from conquered kingdoms, each king is said to have burnt alive with all his finery, the great Gothi priests sculpting the bone meal and precious metals with the spark of divine power of their forges into the weapon Savar, butcher of Kingdoms.
    Destroyer of Civilizations:
    Had Surt’ars rampage not been cut short in the Age of Myth there is no telling the damage he could have dealt to the growing expanse of order, indeed the Suneater claim that they would have better held the tide of chaos than any Order alliance had their Prophet been at the head of the Migration. Yet imprisoned he was, for an Age he was alone, cursed with his rage and the burning fury of his god, subject to the unrelenting torrents of the great Falls of Ghyran in a prison of water and arcane sorcery. All that time did nothing to lessen his hatred for the Aelves and their kind, the constant torment honing his blunt anger into a weapon of precise destruction. Now freed unwittingly by Nagash and his Necroquake this titan of destruction has clawed his way out of the pit for the second time in his life, ready to seek out his kin and see what has become of his legacy. Once more at the head of the great Migrations of the tribe it will not be long until he steers it into the very heart of Sigmars cities, that true destruction might reign in the realms once more.
     
    On the Battlefield:
    Surt’ar is one of the few mid-sized heroes within the Suneater tribes, where as his lesser Volsungr seek out the power of the Magmadrake to lend to their own in the heat of battle, and the mighty Exalted are entombed in the volcanic rock that an Age of rest has rendered upon their forms Surt’ar represents the ideal his kin strive for. This makes him unique in the alliance, whilst large he is not fully considered a monster, toeing the fine line between monstrous infantry and the larger beasts in your army.
    Surt’ar is at his very heart a combat berserker, designed to charge into the very heart of your enemies forces and carve down their heroes, yet with his smaller stature he lacks the resilience of some of your larger heroes and for this reason is ideally supported by Gothi Priests who will further enhance his combat potential either with vital healing prayers to keep him in the fight longer, lending Volcanic blows to enhance his weapons to sunder even the toughest armour into dust or choking his victims in ash so that they might not fight back.
    Utilising Surt’ar alongside the powers from Pyres allegiance ability will be a furious assault upon your opponents defences, coupling his ability to increase the attacks characteristic of a nearby unit along with the Pyres ability to run and charge in the same turn can turn a unit of Fyreborn Fanatics into a blender of flame and beaten steel.
    Unlike most named characters Surt’ar does not show affinity to any particular Tribe within the Suneaters, each of them has been birthed from his own Burning Klaws and it is his energy the powers the Volsungr in every migration. With rumours of his return spreading throughout the tribes Gothi priests can be heard wailing into the mighty Volcanoes of the realms, that he might hear their cry and emerge from the roiling molten rock to lead their tribe into war.
     
    Model Inspiration:
    I had a few concepts in mind for when modelling Surt’ar and in my eagerness I explained each in turn to my partner, whilst perfect at humouring my creativity she can often see things in the design stages that escape my notice due to enthusiasm. In this case it was simple “So its another big monster?”, yes… yes it was, every model I have made for this faction so far has been the constant strive to go bigger, go tougher, but The First isn’t about size its about power and rage, adding another monstrous miniature to the battlefield would make the force unwieldy, whats more it does little to differentiate what makes him different from the rest of his kind.
    For this reason, we’ve actually opted to go SMALLER (ironic that’s in bigger text, right?), currently Surt’ar stands only at twice the height of an Ogor, indeed even with his own trophies adding to height he is smaller than both the Volsungr on Magma Drake and stands just over half the height of the Exalted Volsungr. This is nice for a couple of reasons, firstly he stands it in an army of “bigger” by being unique and midsized, secondly it means I can lop off the behemoth requirement for him and am considering removing the monster keyword too.
     
    MODEL UNVEILING TOMORROW!
  7. Melcavuk
    Work in progress for the emergence of the first Suneaters Named Character, the first champion and prophet who drank deep from the lifes blood of Vulcatrix, the founder of the Suneater Tribes and true son of the Suneater.
    The First Prophet disappeared from the tribes millennia ago, stories circulate around his exact reasons why but no Ogor could truly speak to what filled the mind of such a mighty champion of the Suneater. Most assumed he marched forth to the first Pyre, much in the same way the other ancient prophets have done that they might prepare for the final battle at the side of their mighty God, though none returning from the Pyre speak of the First Prophet. In truth his rampage outgrew even the mighty tribes of the Suneaters, he was stronger and faster than any of his kin, his hunger for battle outlasted any of the savage soldiers who fought at his side, he could march for days when lesser mortals had to stop to rest. One by one his migration fell out of step with the great Prophet, they were left to wage war in his wake and decimate those civilizations too small to face the wrath of the mighty one.
    It was an alliance of Aelves and Sylvaneth who stunted this rampage, though the battle waged long into the winter seasons it was as the weather began to grow cold and the great flames of his forms waged war with the icy elements that the alliance of Order began to gain the upper hand. Grew flocks of the frostheart Phoenix flew high above the Magma drenched gargant, a swirling tempest of lashing ice and snow caged him in. Great war beasts of the Aelven empire dragged mighty chains forth, raised high by the Arcane powers of their masters to lock onto the rampaging Prophets limbs, inch by inch his volatile form was dragged forth, his feet digging deep into the battle worn fields as he lashed out at his would-be captors with massive blows of his flame wreathed weaponry.
    It was with a final roar of contempt that the Prophet was pulled from the field of battle, sent tumbling down into a darkened chasm with even the brilliant light of his form disappearing into the darkness of the depths. Yet the Aelven empires knew that such a creature could not truly be killed by such trivial means, at best they could cage him until a weapon could be forged to slay the great beast, and for this their greatest sorcerers set to work shaping the very landscape around them to become a cage hewn from nature. Three great rivers were rerouted through the realm, the dirt roiling upwards and great tracts carved through the hillside, sending their murky waters tumbling into the great chasm to quench the flames of the Prophets rage, hissing gouts of steam spitting upwards into the skies above. Time has long since forgotten the battle, and the prisoner since caged, pilgrims even starting to reverse the geyser of Ghyran as a holy site of Alarielle interpreting its hissing as divinations of their gods will. And with ages these volatile days became something of myth, eventually lost to history in the Age of Chaos as all things are in the death of civilisations.
    Hidden at the foot of the Arboreal Mountains in Ghyran lay the nameless city, its new denizens dubbed it the Phoenicium and so content were they in their own victory in liberating this ancient stonehewn marvel that they asked not what it had been called before, nor why its echoing halls bore the arcane symbols of magics long since lost. In the years since the War for Ghyran and the liberation of the Phoenicium the architects of Azyr are still finding new marvels lurking within the expansive labyrinth that runs beneath the mountainrange, their arcane historians tracing back runes and wardings to some of the oldest civilizations in the realms all focusing power throughout the complex as though a lightning rod to the very heart of Ghyran. 
    Yet still they have not found the chamber of whispering, long since hidden from the prying eyes from mortals yet the voices within carry out into the echoing tunnels that form the Labyrinth. In the dead of night the young say they can hear the soft murmurings of lost voices, as though a lullaby reverberating through the stone itself, at once echoeing from every wall and none at all. This hidden chamber lay within the very heart of the city, no windows or doors piercing its marble walls, there was afterall no surface untouched by the wardings erected by its architects, the height of the chamber seemingly pierces high into the mountaintops, no ceiling visible to the naked eye and no light able to pierce such lingering darkness.
    At the heart of this rounded chamber lay the Altar, a roaring flame hovering above ground level, shifting and warping as though tugging at some invisible bonds that refuse to release their grasp. Around it three Oracles kneel in constant prayer in flowing waters of the restorative fount of Ghyran, their ancient skin showing no sign of age beyond a few decades though their eyes, blinded to the physical world, seem yet to carry wisdom that kings would never truly achieve. Here they have remained, their ward and duty demanding their every attention since the inception of this great work, it was the oracles who ensured neither man nor aelf would pierce the great stone walls of the Nameless city in the age of chaos, it was they who ensured the cage would not be broken by mortal hands.
    Each oracle courses and sways as though the very rivers of Ghyran themselves, the waters around them raising and falling with every motion, rushing toward the altar in crashing waves before receeding to the very edges of the chamber, their lips moving in constant prayer, soft lullabies seemingly to soothe the restless flame thatlurks at the chambers heart. Here they would have remained undeterred till realms end... but Nagash's great work was ignorant to their very existance let alone their purpose, he did not think of the repercussions when he sent his wave of malicious energies coursing through every vein in the realms. most villages merely felt the briefest of tremor, soon forgotten with the arrival of the restless dead urging more to join the ranks. The Whispering Chamber however, this great conduit of arcane power to the very heart of Ghyran was shaken by the convergence, even ignorant to the chambers existance the populace of the Phoenicium felt as every stone heaved and twisted in the impact of volatile magics, within the chamber itself the oracles screamed out as one in piercing agony, their heads flung back and sightless eyes burning bright with the same radiance as the flame, all water in the chamber bucking and recoiling from the flame as the oracles were riddled with torment.
    Nagashes powers flooded the chamber, rising through the arcane sigils across the walls, every inch it crawled higher fresh fissures began to form within the ancient marbling of the chamber, ageless symbols broken unable to contain the shockwave of magic that had been unleashed upon the realms. One by one the Oracles slumped forward, the heat of their body sending great clouds of steam racing skyward as the waters of Ghyran evaporated, tendrils of the flame inching their now lifeless forms toward the rooms central altar.
    Deep within the lost forests of Ghyran there is more worrisome news, the water levels of three rivers that forged a winding path through the hills of the Realm have dropped, with every passing day less water reaches the chasmic prison of the Prophet. And those Pilgrims who visit the site no longer hear the whispers of Alarielle from the Geyser, instead they speak of a roar of endless rage and the clanging of chains...
     
    WARSCROLL

     
    Contemplating giving him the DAEMON keyword as he is now technically an incorporeal living Avatar of a Gods will, in that regard he does match up pretty well with what it would take to be a Daemon (And a daemon of destruction would be a nice first)
  8. Melcavuk
    Anyone who read my battle summary would have seen that tragically the Exalted Volsungr got a bit beaten up by a Griffon and a Chariot, tragic ofcourse but it does beg the question what happens when an immortal warrior of the Suneater is felled in battle?  Can such a creature ever really die? What role does the Gothi accompanying them play in such a situation and how exactly are they "healed" if the can be? 
    Well here's how, part two of the battle summary, Rebuilding a God as the now mountless Gothi seeks to rectify what went wrong:
    “Stupid Aelves….” His voice shrill with irritation as his thin wrinkled lips curling back to revel a rack of yellowed yet wickedly sharp teeth as he spat into the dirt “Stupid skin and bone Aelfkin, broke him they did…” Irritated, old and wizened yet remarkably fat for his kin the Gothi priest balled his fists and slammed one into his rocky mount, a piercing scream of agony punctuating the idiocy of such a move for a frail and feeble creature to undertake. Worse yet as realisation overtook him the priests began to caress the rock, murmuring softly back to it “But we’ll fix him up, feed him up food, feed him on the Aelves and their pathetic little souls and yes….”. Within a moment all trace of softness vanished from his voice “FASTER! HE’S HUUUUUUNGRY!” he barked forward to the scarred and blistered backs of two Ogors in front of him, swaying with every step of their rippling scaled mounts, the stench of the pair was almost unbearable, a putrid combination of the muds of this rain sodden field combined with Ogor sweat and the unmistakable odours of faeces made the frustrated priest miss the isolation and dry cracked earth of his former refuge. He could not tell if the response came from Ogor or Draken, but it sounded enough like an irritated huff of compliance to assure the old Gothi of compliance, turning his attention back to the boulderous skull of his former master and mount he was sat upon, great chains wrapped around its mighty horns to drag it behind the giant Draken mounts of the Aldin bodyguard.
     
    There was little by way of conversation as the two mounted Ogors dragged their precious cargo up the hill toward the sweltering heat and night piercing glow of the great pyre, it afforded the Gothi time to nail down precisely what had gone wrong in the battle. They had been sent ahead of the great migration of the Burnin Klaw, Great Prophet Fyrebite had demanded it of course… why would someone chosen by the gods ask when he could demand after all. They were to forge the path to the Maw Gates whilst the rest of the migration gathered slaves to sustain them on the long haul back to Aqshy and the blistering heats of home. This land was meant to be the quite place, once fortress to the puny fanatics of the pretender god Khorne and their pathetic little rituals, the very thought brought a furrowing of the brow and yet more spitting of distain from the Gothi priest. Those pretenders had taken the land from the fool-man Sigmars pets, and before them it was the wildlands… now it was to be the Scorch, one finger of the mighty fist of the Suneater as he pummelled this realm into submission. But this quiet place wasn’t good quiet… no it was Aelf quiet, the quiet that bites on the wind and runs like a coward, the quiet that isn’t a good fight but like rats in the night. Stupid raingod thought he could quench the great Pyres of the Suneater, but the Suneater pummelled raingod and the Pyres rose high, puny Aelves thought they could stick the Gothi good with their beelike arrows stinging all round but the Gothi were too smart, hiding behind Ogorkin whose big backs could take many arrows and small brains might not feel them. Stick bird thing though… stick bird pecked at the mighty Gor-da, Exalted Prophet of the tribe, mighty Gor-da who had shaken whole realms and walked as mountain of flame and stone, Gor-da who now was just a dull rock starving slowly in the night… stupid Stick-bird broke him good.
     
    “Bring it!” the Gothi priests shrill cry pierced the night once more as his two escorts unceremoniously dumped their chains into the dirt by the pyre, only the thick mud of the hill stopping the great stone skull from rolling back down to its starting point once more. The maniacal laughter of his attendants at least brought a shifting evil grin to the older gothis face, each shuffling into view from behind to glow of the pyre with a barbed chain lashed around the face of a bruised and beaten Aelf. Every tug of the chains elicited a pained yelp from their captive, much to the riotous laughter of his jailors, inch by inch forcing their new toy closer to the giant skull.
    “Make it kneeeeeell!” he cried into the night, an attendant delivering a bone crunching wallop to the feeble boned Aelf to drop it to its knees. Even the laughter of the attendants died out at the Gothi raised his hands to the nights sky, the beasts of Ghur falling silent in anticipation. The older Gothi begun to utter guttural prayers, low… rumbling noises of the volcanic wastelands he had for so long called home, his hands arching and curling through the air as bony pale fingers beckoned to the great pyre before him. Serpentine the flames leapt higher, leaping and twisting as they moved toward their summoner, at times they reeled back as though some wild beast resisting the will of their master but each time he called out shrill into the night and they came back to compliance. Each tendril wrapped around the broken Aelf, at first inching around limbs, the smell of singed Aelf flesh sweet in the night sky, the flames rose through the Aelven form as though through dried wood, wreathing the creatures whole form into flame.
     
    The priests prayers reached a climax, now so shrill they’d passed beyond the hearing of most mortal creatures, his fingers outstretched toward the burning Aelfs form he balled up fists and slammed them once more down into the Rocks skull that formed his stage. With this final movement the flames leapt from Aelf, burning into the eyes of the stone-hewn mask, the roar of the Volcano punctuating the rituals completion with great gouts of flame emanating from eyes and mouth of the fallen Idol of the Suneaters. The spark once more lit the Gothi caressed his fallen masters skull, beady eyes staring out into the crowd of gathered Ogors and Grots “More Aelves… He’s hungry… and bring rocks... big rocks.”

  9. Melcavuk
    So having worked on my Suneaters for a long time my partner has been working on her Nature Aelves to fight against them, one thing we have noticed is that the old Aelven scrolls are lacking... something, in splitting them down between so many factions and without recent updates they struggle to stand up to the more modern scrolls in efficiency or character. For this reason she asked me to look into allegiance abilities and more modern scrolls for a Wanderer evolution to fit the growing themes of Age of Sigmar for when Soul Wars hits.
    So heres where I am right now:
    AELORAN NOMADS
    When the Realms fell to chao those Wanderers who found themselves abandoned by their volatile and spiteful goddess fled across the realms, the tide of chaos ever biting at their heels as they sought a place to call their own. Yet godless and without allies every door became closed to them, even the mighty gates of Azyr were found sealed by the time their beleaguered populace came unto it. It was then that they were driven onwards, ever further out from their cities in the heart of Ghur towards the volatile and unknowable forests at worlds edge that they might endure the elements longer that they could the blades of their foes. Their hidden refuge at realms edge has, for the longest time kept the nomads hidden from the wars that ravaged the Realms, but the very magics that have shielded them have taken a heavy toll upon their bodies and souls. An intelligent and deeply invasive bestial wind called the Wyld at the edge of Ghur has seeped into the very fibres of every muscle, the primal drum beat that forms the very pulse of the realm now resides within the souls of every Aelf in their ranks threatening to overwhelm reason or logic with every beat of the endless rhythm.
    As the Wyld seeks to claim their souls the desperate Nomads sought ways to stave off their final bestial forms, that they might retain their Aelven grace and nobility for few millenia longer. Through many trials that claimed more and more of their population with every passing year eventually a symbiosis was found, the strongest souls within their ranks could merge their souls with the savage beasts of the realm, burying their own soul within that of the mighty beasts to hide it from the Wyld that sought to snuff them out. Such an act would preserve the Aelven soul but the toll it took on their partnered beast was heavy, no such beast could endure more than a few years of the merge before the Wyld claimed it entirely.
    It has then come to pass that the eldest amongst the Aeloran populace have formed such a bond with hundreds of beasts, each becoming inclined to merge with a beast that matches their personality beyond all others. At first such pairings seemed solely matched by personality, the most vigilant paired with the mighty raptors that claimed the skies of world edge, the fleet of foot would pair with the mighty stags that leapt deftly through the forest and the greatest hunters would merge with packs of the savage wolves that hunters in the darkest corners of their realm. As the years have worn on however the Aelorans features have begun to shift and alter to match that of the beasts whose souls have touched their own, the Birdkind develop accute vision, their bone structure lightening as though able to drift on the wind instead of falling. The Doekind develop extraordinary muscle structures allowing them to dance across the very tree tops with every deft leap, and the Wolfkin become hunters beyond compare.
    The Aeloran carry with the Wyld wherever they travel, it has become a disease that spread like wildfire throughout their populace and even the blending of souls can only delay it so long. They have become blighted, never able to settle for long lest the carnivorous plants of the Wyld itself spawn in their very footprints, beset at all times by the predators within and without they lead nomadic lives, ever in pursuit of the great hunt that they might find a beast able to endure the blend long enough to hold their degradation entirely.
     
    ALLEGIANCE ABILITIES -
     
    The Hunters Heart – To survive the Wyld is to understands ones place within the food chain, the Hunter must consume the prey, and the prey must be consumed. Roll a dice for every enemy model that flees due to battleshock whilst their unit is within 3 inches of an AELORAN unit, for every roll of a 4 more more the AELORAN unit regains a wound, if there are no wounded models in that unit you may instead restore a number of models to the unit lost earlier in the battle with a number of wounds upto the wounds restored.
     
    Wyldform – The eldest of the Aeloran populace have begun their final descent into the Wyldform, every drop of their blood carrying the changing taint from world edge with them into battl. Should a precious drop of this blood hit the ground it bears the spores of the predatory plants of Ghur, erupting forth to reclaim the lands. At the end of any turn in which an AELORAN NOBLE is wounded but not slain, roll a D6 for every AELORAN NOBLE that was wounded adding the number of wounds lost. You may add one base of WYLDSHARD BRAMBLES within 3 inches of that model for every roll of a 4 or more.
     
    WARSCROLLS:
    Many of these are still WIP and yet to be tested, as you'll see below I have pointed out scrolls that I havent yet published as I work out the details however the faction is split into 3 racial keywords (Aeloran for those still mostly Aelf, Centaurid for Aelven Centaurs and then Avari for the more Avian Aelves).
    Aeloran Reavers take the Reaver (Previously Ellyrian Reavers) warscroll with Keywords changed to match Aeloran Allegiance
    Aeloran Chargers are currently just a retooled Pallador scroll because of fondness for the Gryphchargers, they'll become more distinct soon whilst maintaining mount specific characteristics
     





     


     
    PITCHED BATTLE PROFILES

    The table below provides points, minimum and maximum unit sizes and battlefield roles for the Warscroll and Warscroll battalions in this book, for use in Pitched Battles. Used alongside the rules for Pitched Battles in the Generals Handbook, this provides you with everything you need to field your army of Aeloran Nomads against any opponent
     
    AELORAN NOMADS
    UNIT SIZE
    POINTS
    BATTLEFIELD ROLE
    NOTES
    UNIT
    MIN
    MAX
    Aeloran Noble on Wyldrunner Chariot
    1
    1
    220
    LEADER
     
    Aeloran Wyldshaper on Griffin
    1
    1
    260
    LEADER, BEHEMOTH
     
    Aeloran Lord on Wyldmare
    1
    1
    220
    LEADER
     
    Aeloran Gladeshards
    10
    30
    160/420
    -
    BATTLELINE if AELORAN NOMAD Allegiance and your general is an AELORAN NOBLE
    Aeloran Reavers
    5
    20
    140/500
    BATTLELINE
     
    Aeloran Forest Shades
    10
    30
    160
    BATTLELINE
     
    Aeloran Chargers
    3
    12
    200
    -
     
    Centaurid Huntresses
    5
    15
    180
    -
    BATTLELINE if AELORAN NOMAD Allegiance and your general is a CENTAURID
    Centaurid Stargazer
    1
    1
    100
    LEADER
     
    Centaurid Gladiatori
    5
    15
    180
    -
     
    Avari Sunrakers
    3
    6
    200
    -
     
    Avari Starcaster
    1
    1
    100
    LEADER
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  10. Melcavuk
    Today saw the most recent clash between the Aeloran Nomads and my Suneater Tribe Ogors, the first in our narrative series to shape the factions place within the Realms. We decided to use the Open War card in order to generate a decent narrative for the battle beyond the normal objective based clash, it was our first time using the card and the variation in deployment made for an interesting start. The Suneaters tribe came straight down the middle of the field, a roiling unrelenting steamroller of muscle and flame, meanwhile the Nomads scattered to the edges of the field, emerging from two of the nearby forests in a pincer move to surround and envelop the slower and more cumbersome foe. Generating the Torrential Rain card was a nice touch, adding a real sense of atmosphere to the battle whilst our objective was to each take out the opponents messenger (for us these were the people carrying warning back to the rest of their faction of the oncoming war).

    TACTICAL OVERLAY
    As this was the first time in testing out many of the Aelven units I played soft with the Ogors, rather than deleting units I knew to be potent I wanted to see how potent each of the units were, however this couldnt always be the case (closest target, blocking my way etc). Poor deployment made the gladeshards easy prey to even the weaker flying hero of my force, they were initially too far out of range to hit and with a 16 inch move the carrion drake moved from outside their shooting range to in combat with them in a single turn so they didnt hold up too well.
    The Longstriders survived an onslaught of Bal Kasta, Aldin Draken, Grots and catapults, very resilient and putting out a few wounds of their own in return but the Pyre ability (-1 to hit for shooting) and the rain (-1 to hit for shooting) really didnt help the Aelves in this encounter, often making even their normal infantry hit on 6's at range which is just unplesant to far. It also stunted both the Bal Kasta and Aldin Draken shooting however, the former I forgot to use most of their abilities and the latter did reasonably but would be better utilised against a force with more monsters in it.
    The Apex predator rule on the Wyld Runner chariot was fantastic, holding my general in place whilst both the chariot and griffon savaged him and brought him down was a great victory for Charlotte at this point in the battle (I had been systematically deleting units, the centaurs got stood on by the volcanic idol). The battle really went on for about 6 turns, even then both our messengers were on full health (my grot hid in a cave, he's a grot) as time wasnt on our side and the battle was balanced we diced off and Charlotte came away with a well fought win. Narratively as more aelves had died the Ogors dominated the village and took the land but the Aelves filled their mission of getting a messenger through the Suneaters lines to rouse the rest of the Hunt to this new threat.
     
    STORY
    The Aeloran scout crouched low in the lashing rain, her boots sinking into the deluge of mud beneath her and the once life Aelven cloak that shielded her form now sodden with rain hung heavily on her back. Her party had been ordered to take up position in a small copse of trees at the edge of what must have once been a man-kin village, from here she saw her first glimpse of the devastation wrought upon the world when her kind had abandoned it to the tide of chaos. Once mighty stone structures had been shattered as though by the hands of gods themselves, mighty carved pathways through the village now broken and shoddy reclaimed once more by the wilderness, there were no signs of the populace of this once burgeoning settlement, no laughter of children, no ringing of the dinner bells… it lay hollow and empty much like the Aeloran themselves.
     
    Though it must have been nearing midday the heavy clouds had long since drowned out any memory of the sun, darkness swarmed across the battlefield and visibility was rapidly becoming an insurmountable challenge. Yet even through this wall of rain she could see the flickering lights of their quarry, hundreds of torches somehow enduring the outpour as though fuelled by some arcane means, the very rain tasted of the smoke and ash their foe sent out into the wilds. More worrisome was the thunderous footfalls of the beasts that formed their preys procession, at the head of their column lumbered some monolithic creature, the glowing embers of its mask making its haunting visage visible leering in the darkness, with every slam of its heavy feet the trees itself seems to wince and lean away from its advance.
     
    As the last of the enemy procession cleared the treeline, the low drone of a hunting horn spurred the young Huntress from her thoughts, all distraction fading from her mind she felt the doe-kin spirit that shared her form spark into life. The energy of her blended soul coursed and rippled through her form, every muscle twitching with renewed vigour, leaping out of her crouched position her fingers curled tightly around the ironbark bow as her party joined the hunt. Silent save for the last reverberations of the horn still resonating through the treeline the Aelves advanced rapidly, leaping deftly over broken branches and ruin alike, the nearer the came to the enemy force the more they could hear the shrieking riotous laughter of the madness tinted grots still hidden from view, screeching in their primitive tongue to whatever gods they had sworn allegiance to. Notching an arrow, the Hunter took up her position amongst dozens of other archers, even Aelven eyes straining to pick out their quarry through the rain.
     
    As the enemy advance came into view she could feel the ripple of shock resonate through those around her, each doing their best to mask it, but a discernible wince seemed to flood through the battle line. Standing well over twenty aelves in height came the enemy leader, a giant hewn of stone, its every coursing vein glowing with volcanic heat, a savage mask offering only a leering grin of distain to all that lay beneath it. Every step it took seemingly scorching the very earth upon which it stood, on its shoulder stood the screeching maddening grotkin they had heard on their advance, large and bloated for its kind she could not help but feel disgusted at its very form. With this massive monstrosity came lumbering Ogor cavalry, massive even for their kin and clad is heavy beaten iron armour, sat atop fat wingless drakes whose scales glimmered and rippled in the glow of their volcanic master. Behind them came crude metal contraptions, lumbering and creaking with every step mounting crude weapons beneath each arm, what foul monstrosities they were she could not tell but only hope it was not first hand that she would find out.
     
    With every moment yet more horrors came into focus, poorly constructed wooden frames carrying massive rock totems to their god, siege engines carrying burning pay loads, dozens more Ogors and hundreds of screeching Grots… yet it was of little consequence. The hunting horn sounded once more, as one the archers rose from their positions and loosed their arrows, wood slick from rain what would have once been a seamless barrage rapidly descended into madness yet enough seemed to find their mark, Ironbark tips piercing even the rock hide of the monstrous creature at the head of the Ogor column. No cheer went up yet there was a sense of smug satisfaction as the Volcanic entity reeled backwards, short lived however was any joy the Aelves derives at its low rumbling laughter shook the very trees around them, followed shortly by the same lumbering footfall as before, they had done little more than amuse it.
     
    As the rain broke momentarily the Huntress could spy the second pincer of the hunt closing on the enemy across the shattered remains of the village, dozens of stags leaping over low walls as their riders filled the sky with a torrent of arrows instead. The satisfying screech of impales grots punctuated every loosed arrow, Kurnoth hunters from the realm of the forest loosed massive spear like arrows of their own, yet even their mighty blows seemed to do little to the monster at the head of the column. Through the midst of the Ogor ranks she could spy crude bonfires being rapidly assembled by the enemy priests, every bonfire lit beginning to fill the clearing with a heavy smoke that threatened to choke the air around them. Even without the rain this smoke made it hard to place arrow to their quarry, wiping the sweat from her ash stained face the huntress paused for a moment. A sound resonated through her acute hearing even over the clamour of the battle, the strain of wood… a low growl, too late she realised the source of her distraction as the agonising sensation of a crude bolt ripped through her shoulder, the very strength of the shot carrying her forwards as the bolt embedded in a broken wall in front of her. The impact slammed her head to stone, coursing agony flowing through her every thought, blood beginning to blur her vision as she glanced backwards to her attacker. A second party of the giant lizard riding Ogors had approached from their rear… had they been the ones being hunted? Such delirious thoughts had little time to take root however as consciousness began to flee her beleaguered mind and darkness resumed.
     
    Flickers of consciousness… merest glimpses of the battle found their way to the Aelfs mind, she could only watch helpless as her sisters valiantly tried to fight off the lizard riding hunters to no avail, soundlessly whimper as the bloated beasts feasted on their entrails. She could utter no warning as the heavy metal clad Ogors with their crude weaponry seemingly walked from the mighty pyres their priests had erected, belching gouts of molten metal that turned the once peerless gryph chargers of the nobles into screeching piles of singed flesh and molten slag.
     
    She saw, with at least some satisfaction, her noble king fighting the volcanic beast that led the enemy assault, as his great chariot impaled the beast in a fearless head-on charge, a noble griffon descended on the stone-beasts back, the pair clashing and ripping the beast apart stone by stone even against the screeching protest of its Grot passenger. She saw too the hammer blow that shattered her kings chariot… though held out hope he had survived the assault to hunt once more, the spear like bolt that laid low the griffon even over the smouldering wreckage of the volcanic idol.
     
    Great Wyldshard brambles had begun to flood the battlefield, every drop of noble blood that touched this accursed dirt sunk deep into the rain sodden mud. Wickedly sharp brambles erupted forth, they moved with carnivorous intent as they coursed and flowed across the battlefield, a living wall of vine and thorn that sought to stunt the Ogors advance.
     
    As consciousness fled once more her final vision was of the fleeting form of the Wyldmare racing past her, a smile filling her blood-stained lips. The messenger had broken through the Ogor lines, help was coming.
     
     
     
     
     
     





























  11. Melcavuk
    Background
    "They come like thunder and fire, like savage beasts driven mad by ravenous hunger... they are the volcano and the quaking earth... these savage beasts, our enemy, our quarry" Huntmaster of the Shatterflock Nomads
    The aftershocks of Nagashes malignant Necroquake still reverberate throughout the realms, tremours of nefarious magicks that shape and distort otherwise harmless beings into nightmarish monstrocities, but worse still after the effects it has wrought on the Maelstrom at worlds edge. These primal and shifting magical energies know no master, the insult of the wave of death that encroaching on their riotous storms only serve to stoke their ire, and in turn what had for so long been safe harbour for the Aeloran Nomads hidden beyond the edges of the map has begun to decay into arcane madness. The Wyld that they had for generations sought to mitigate though the soul blends seems to have risen once more, cancerous within the very skin of the realm as flora and fauna alike are overriden by the vicious carnivourous change of its ancient and knowable power. Once content to conceal their presence from the denizens of the Realm the nomads once more find themselves forced from save haven, ejected from their hiding place entirely exposed to a world that has changed much in their absense.
    Isolated, alone and oblivious to the developments of the realms in this new age each of the Aeloran Nobles strike out with their hunters, leading a great hunt across the realms in every direction that they might find new harbour, allies or benefactors to weather the storm that robbed them of their own. And yet no matter how far they travel from the primal storm of worlds edge they cannot escape the Wyld that has taken root within every member of their populace, driven ever onwards knowing that if they ever stop for too long the very jungle of savagery they have fled will begin to sprout around them. 
    It is a young noble of the Shatterflock that now finds himself in the path of an oncoming Suneater Migration, a wall of fire at his back and this new foe bearing down on his people the hunt has once more been joined, let arrows fly and battle commence.
    Wordy bit
    Tomorrow sees the first playtest of the newly written Aeloran Nomads rules that form the heart of their battletome and a chance to experiment with their unique allegiance abilities including the vicious Wyldshard Brambles that sprout from ever barren dirt when seeded with the blood of Aeloran Nobility:
    An army with the AELORAN NOMAD allegiance gain the following abilities.

    The Savage Heart – To survive the Wyld is to understands ones place within the food chain, the Hunter must consume the prey, and the prey must be consumed. Roll a dice for every enemy model that flees due to battleshock whilst their unit is within 3 inches of an AELORAN unit, for every roll of a 4 or more the AELORAN unit regains a wound, if there are no wounded models in that unit you may instead restore a number of models to the unit lost earlier in the battle with a number of wounds upto the wounds restored.
    Wyldform – The eldest of the Aeloran populace have begun their final descent into the Wyldform, every drop of their blood carrying the changing taint from world edge with them into battle. Should a precious drop of this blood hit the ground it bears the spores of the predatory plants of Ghur, erupting forth to reclaim the lands. At the end of any turn in which an AELORAN NOBLE is wounded but not slain, roll a D6 for every AELORAN NOBLE that was wounded adding the number of wounds lost. You may add one base of WYLDSHARD BRAMBLES within 3 inches of that model for every roll of a 5 or more. In addition is an AELORAN NOBLE model is slain, immediately replace the model with a base of WYLDSHARD BRAMBLES.


     
    Its also a great chance to try out some of the newly fledged aspects that function as the command traits in the Aeloran society, each of the nobles bear a specific trait from their blends with their beasts of affinity, over time managing to manifest those traits they find most benefitial in an arcane evolution of their species:
     
    COMMAND TRAITS
    In addition to their command abilities, if they are a Hero, the general of a AELORAN NOMAD army can have a command trait from the list below. Pick the trait that best suits your generals’ personality. Alternatively, you can roll a dice to randomly determine a trait. If, for whatever reason, you must select a new general during the battle, immediately generate a trait for them.
     
    D6
    Command Trait
    1
    Aspect of the Scorpion – Your hero channels the poisonous nature of the monolithic scorpions at world edge. Pick one of your heroes weapons (this cannot belong to their mount), if your hero wounds but does not kill an enemy model with this weapon that model suffers an additional mortal wound at the end of that phase.
    2
    Aspect of the Stag – This hero channels the grace and speed of the great stags of the forest. Add 3 to this models move characteristic.
    3
    Aspect of the Raptor – Channelling the great raptors that claim the skies of Ghur these heroes descend on wounded prey with unrelenting speed. You may reroll failed charges for this model if the charge move will end within 3 inches of a model already wounded that turn.
    4
    Aspect of the Lion – The nails and teeth of this hero have sharpened to the needlike points of the feline predators of their homelands. In the combat phase you may add one to the rend of and attacks that roll a 6 to hit.
    5
    Aspect of the Hydra – This hero has gained a sliver of the mighty regeneration power of the Hydra, seemingly regrowing lost limbs in the heat of battle. In each of your hero phases you may regain 1 wound on this model lost earlier in the battle.
    6
    Aspect of the Ironhide – Channelling the tough hide of the Ironhide Rhinos of the Ghur mountains this heroes skin has toughened to deflect blades. Roll a dice whenever a wound or mortal wound is allocated to this model, on a roll of a 6 that wound is ignored.
     Finally my partner gets to show off some of her in progress models on the battlefield (nice looking WHW table booked) including the Wyldshaper on Griffon, Reavers and the new Wyldrunner Chariot featured below:



     
    And for the clash here are the planned 2000 point army lists:
    SUNEATER TRIBES MIGRATION - 2000
    EXALTED VOLSUNGR – General, Leader, Behemoth (400)
    Gothi Fyri – Priest, Leader (80)
    Gothi Fyri – Priest, Leader (80)
    Gothi Herald on Carrion Drake – Priest, Leader (200)
    3 x Gullveig Ogors - Battleline (120)
    Crusher, Bellower, Banner Bearer (1 x Great Weapon)
    20 X Ashen Grots - Battleline (130)
    Spark Bearer, Standard Bearer, 20 x Burning Bows
    2 x Aldin Draken Battleline (180)
    Huntmaster, Tracker
    2 x Aldin Draken Battleline (180)
    Huntmaster, Tracker
    2 x Bal Kasta (200)
    Ignitor, Fyre Stoker
    2 x Burnin Bomb Catapults - Warmachine (160)
    1 x Pyre Belcher - Warmachine (140)
    1 x Waaghkart – Warmachine (160)
     
    AELORAN NOMADIC EMPIRE - 1960
    Aeloran Noble on Wyldrunner Chariot – Leader, General (200)
    Aeloran Lord on Wyldmare - Leader (220)
    Aeloran Wyldshaper on Griffin – Leader (260)
    10 x Gladeshard - Battleline (160)
    5 x Aeloran Reavers - Battleline (140)
    5 x Aeloran Reavers - Battleline (140)
    10 x Forest Shades (160)
    3 x Centaurid Hunters (120)
    3 x Aeloran Chargers (200)
    5 x Melusari Blood Stalkers (bows) ALLIES (160)
    3 x Kurnoth Hunters (bows) ALLIES (220)
     
     
     
  12. Melcavuk
    For the Suneater tribes with Artefacts, Spells and Prayers to keep track off within the army there needs to be a good way of staying informed within a game, so along with working out the technical components of these items I've been working on basic card designs to bring them to life within the game. So here they are for judgements and review!

    PRAYERS - MANIFESTATIONS OF THE SUNEATER 
    1)       Wrath of the Blackened Wyrm – A priest channels his will into the thick black smoke billowing from the pyres, coiling it like a serpent to obscure the Suneaters from their foes. Pick one TERRAIN feature within 15 inches of this priest and roll a D6, on a roll of 4 or more enemy models may no longer draw line of sight through or over that terrain feature until the beginning of your next hero phase.

     
    2)       Judgement of the Suneater – The best blades are formed in the hottest of flames, pick a friendly unit within 12 inches and roll a D6, on a 4 or more that unit immediately heals D3 wounds. On a roll of 1 however they are found unworthy and instead the target unit suffers D3 mortal wounds.

     
    3)       Volcanic Blows – Pick a friendly unit within 3 inches and roll a D6, on a 5 or more that units weapons are charged with the force of a volcanic eruption. Until your next hero phase whenever your target unit rolls of a 6 or more to hit increase their rend by 2.

     
    4)       Under the heel of Gork – Select an enemy unit within 18 inches and roll a D6, on a roll of 5 or more that unit counts its SAVE as its movement value until your next hero phase (A unit with a save of 3+ now has a move of 3) as they feel the weight of Gorks mighty foot pushing down upon them.

     
    5)       Burning Blood – Select a friendly unit within 3 inches and roll a D6, on a roll of 4 or more that unit is enchanted. Until your next hero phase, if at the end of any combat phase that unit has lost wounds in close combat their attacker suffers D3 mortal wounds as their foes blood burns at their skin.

     
    6)       Burn it all – Select a friendly INFERNO MARKER and roll a D6, on a roll of 5 or more your prayer has been successful. Roll a dice for every ENEMY model within 6 inches of that marker, on a roll of 6 or more that model suffers a mortal wound as the pyres flame suddenly erupts outwards.
     
    SPELLS - LORE OF THE FLAME
    1)       Fireball
    Casting Value 5
    Pick an enemy unit visible to the caster and within 18 inches and roll a D6, on a roll of a 1 that unit suffers a mortal wound, on 2-4 that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds, on a 5-6 that unit suffers D6 mortal wounds.
     
    2)       Molten Shield
    Casting Value 7
    Pick a visible friendly unit within 12 inches of this wizard, until your next hero phase you may re roll failed saves for that unit, additionally any save roll of a 6 or more inflicts a mortal wound on an enemy unit within 3 inches.
     
    3)       Jaws of the Suneater
    Casting Value 8
    The ground itself seems to warp and shift into a molten burning maw that threatens to swallow a man whole, consuming all in its path until its hunger sates. Pick a visible enemy MODEL within 18 inches that MODEL (damage will not overspill into the unit) suffers D3 mortal wounds, if the roll resulted in 3 mortal wounds (and the model was slain) select another model in the unit and repeat the process until you inflict less than 3 mortal wounds on a roll or the unit is destroyed
     
    4)       Aftershock
    Casting value 6
    The wizard slams his foot against the dirt with a thud that resonates as though a clap of thunder, as they ground shakes and distorts enemies find it hard to find their footing. Until your next hero phase enemy units that initiate a charge move within 9 inches of this wizard must subtract 3 from the result.
     
    5)       Choking Ash
    Casting Value 6
    Pick a visible unit within 18 inches of the caster, until your next hero phase that unit must subtract 1 from all hit rolls as they as surrounding by a thick blanket of ash, if the casting roll for this spell was 11+ that unit must also subtract 1 from to wound rolls until your next hero phase.
     
    6)      Immolate
    Casting Value 8
    The last spiteful act of many a Suneater wizard is to give themselves over entirely to the flame. Every unit friend or foe within 6 inches of this model (including this model) suffers D6 mortal wounds, if the casting roll was 11+ they instead suffer 2D6 mortal wounds as the Suneater revels in the destruction.
    ARTEFACTS - TROPHIES OF AQSHY
    1 - The Elusive Spark
    This shimmering spark was once a fire imp, its essence ripped away by Suneater priests it now fuels a lantern lengthening and distorting the shadows of its bearer into a haunting spectre. Enemy models within 6 inches of this model reduce their Bravery by 2
     
    2 - Drake blood Oils
    Pick one MELEE weapon for the bearer to apply these oils to, this cannot belong to their mount. Any wound rolls of 6 or more with this weapon inflict a single mortal wound in addition to their normal damage
     
    3 - Embers of the first Pyre
    Blessed are those given but a part of the first Pyre of the Suneaters, this model may utilise the Spark of Destruction prayer even if they are not a priest. If the model is a priest they may use this prayer twice in a turn.
    SPARK OF DESTRUCTION: In your HERO PHASE select a terrain feature within 15 inches of this model and roll a D6. On a roll of 4 or more that terrain feature sparks into flame and you may place an INFERNO MARKER on it. Additionally roll a dice for any model (friend or foe) entirely within that terrain feature. On a roll of 6+ that model suffers a mortal wound as they are engulfed in the flames.
     
    4 - Flickerfire Cloak
    The bearers cloak ripples and shifts as though a coursing magma flow, enemy models attacking this Hero in the combat phase must re roll any hit rolls of a 6 as they are captivated by the cloak.
     
    5 - Volcanic Shield
    Hits struck against this shield reverberate with the deafening boom of a volcanic eruption, Cunning Ogors bang their blades against the shield on the charge to send their foes off balance. Enemy units within 3 inches of this HERO may not be selected to attack in Melee until all other units have been resolved.
     
    6 - Bone hewn Effigy
    This model has a small token effigy of the Suneater carved from the bones of a great drake, it is said when the strength of the bearer begins to leave their form they may drain the last of the drakes energies from the bone to reinvigorate themselves. Once per battle in your hero phase you may elect to use this effigy, restoring D3 wounds to this model.
     
    SAMPLE CARDS


     
  13. Melcavuk
    As the name implies the Suneater Tribes consist of more than one Singular migration, back before the Age of Chaos the great prophet climbed from his pitlike grave and set out across the realms to unite his kin in a conquest that would shatter the very walls of the cities of Order. It was here that the first tribe, dubbed the Burning Klaw tribe was formed, born out of Ghur and yet in time many others have sprung up, each led by and tailored to the great Volsungr that leads them. Whilst the Suneaters might naturally seem to favour the wild landscapes of Ghur or the flaming hills of Aqshy they can be found in nearly every realm.
     
    THE PYRE MAWS (SCORCH) -  When the forces of Man, Aelf and Duardin sought to retake the realm from the wilds and chaos that had reigned the did so with supreme arrogance and lack of foresight to the whims of the realms themselves. In the chaos that had descended over the realm the Suneater Tribes had flourished, their trail of destruction cared not if the cities razed were of Sigmars pathetic cohorts or the Dark Gods of the deluded masses, simply that the flames rose high into the night to please the Suneater. To see such glorious destruction come to an end as the forces of Order sought to raise new Cities, their “Seeds of Hope” was an affront to the Great Destroyer, that anything could rise from the Ashes was an insult to the devotion that the Maw Pyre clan had shown in their ravaging of the forests of Ghyran.

    Incensed by this affront to their destructive labours the Maw Pyres migration was ceased, no longer pushing onwards to their homes in the lands of Aqshy and the blistering heats of the volcanic winds in that realm of fire their Prophet turned them back toward these fledgling cities. The wrath of this tribe was unlike anything the mortals had come to expect, the ferocity of their flames tore through the forests of Alarielle in a seemingly unstoppable tide, the very nature of her Sylvaneth making them vulnerable to the heat and flame that sought to devour everything in its path.

    It was then to the great engineers of the Freeguild that she had so often rebuked for their ways of industry that Alarielle went, their smoke belching machinery seemingly more tolerable in the face of the total incinerations of her forest realm. These bewildering machines were put to task by their engineers, digging great trenches through the forest to blockade and surround the tribes of Suneaters as they made their advance. These great trenches were linked to the river Terral, its coursing life giving waters flooding through the trenches and forming a bulwark against the fires and halting the Ogors advance. The wound the Maw Pyres carved into the very skin of the Realm of Life would never fully heal, the heat of their onslaught had burnt deep through the dirt, scorching and sealing the dirt and rocks into blades of volcanic glass that would endure no life to grown in them. To this day this lingering malignant wound persists, a reminder of the outrage of the Suneater Tribes to the fresh onset of civilization seeking to end their joyous infernos.
     
    THE BURNING KLAWS (SHATTER TOOTH PLATEAU)
    The Burning Klaws tribe is said to be the original Suneater tribe, born of the teachings of the first prophet after he was chosen by the great burning god. In the beginning they were few, the Ogor Firebelly wizards had been spread far and wide throughout the realms as they sought new and more potent elixirs to try and mirror their gods mighty powers, however the Prophet was a beacon fire, one great burning pyre that drew all the disparate Firebelly tribes from across the realms toward the Shatter Tooth Plateau in the realm of Ghur. It was here, many months before that the Prophet had been reborn in the stomach of the Suneater, here he had faced trial by fire, combat and of resolve, and it was here he had emerged the champion and prophet of the great God.
     
    In modern days the Burning Klaws are the largest of all tribes, holding dominance in the realm of Ghur whilst many of their kin undertook the great migration to the fires of Aqshy, here they control the greatest site of power in the Suneaters history, one that inspires both the respect and ire of lesser tribes. When each of the great Volsungr left the Burning Klaws to start their own tribes they took with them their own interpretations of the Suneaters whims, it was in this way that his teachings of the Pyres changed, evolved or diluted with every new tribe. The Burning Klaws however stayed true to the teachings of the first prophet and are afforded far more potent magicks than their kin, in battle they are known to field elite Ogor bodyguards for their Chosen Prophet, carrying great slabs of volcanic glass as shields to create an unbreakable wall around their foes, penning them in and pushing them ever closer to the pyres. In this way foes that do not perish in battle slowly roast alive in an ever-tightening cage of fire and shield.
    The Burning Klaws invoke far more Bal Kasta than any other migration, so long and far has their migration marched that many tribes have fallen to their ever onwards onslaught.
     
    THE UR-GORES (FYREWATER GULCH)
    When the Great Migration to the realm of fire occurred, it was the Ur-gore tribe that led the way, their young and inexperienced Volsungr commanded his tribe make the journey that they might bathe in the burning might of the Suneater in a realm that reflected his eternal glory. The first of the great tribes to separate from the Burning Klaws they cut a swathe of destruction from the Ghur gate into Aqshy, however in their wake they often spied the stunty and arrogant Fyre Slayers, these dwarves held no love or respect for the great Suneater but worse they seemed to pillage the Ur-gold left in the ruins of the great advance of the Suneater Tribes. To see anyone finding comfort or solace in their reign of destruction angered the mighty Ur-gores, that their weak and pathetic foes might profit from the glory of the Suneater was a slight that could not be allowed to endure. It was then only proper that the Volsungr found a momentous act of spite to shown dominance over this foe, when they razed their next village the prophet gathered his Gothi Fyri priests to him and set them to task, a great pit was dug in the heart of the ruined village with every precious metal found thrown in. When they had gathered all of worth he stoked a mighty blaze, calling on the primal fires of the realm and his own gods mighty magics the blaze roared with blistering intensity, slowly melting the precious metals into a glimmering, bubbling pool of burning hot metal.
     
    Gathering his most elite kin to him the Volsungr and his priests set to work, shaping and warping the molten metals with agonising efficiency into glistening golden tattoos across the skin of the Tribes chosen. The very touch of the metal was a torturous burning unlike any they had endured before and yet the Ogors endured it as they would any gift from the great Suneater, and when the Volsungr will was completed his tribe marched to war once more, now emblazoned with rippling metallic tattoos formed of the very Ur-gold that they Fyreslayers had sought to pillage from the ruins of their migration.
     The Volsungr of the tribe is a mighty creature, his entire skin covered in rippling and shifting Ur-Gold ever heated by the supernatural flames stoked from inside his destructive soul. He marches as a living effigy and idol to his tribe, considered far more a demi god than mere prophet by those who follow in his wake no blade can pierce his golden hide.
    Such arrogance and spite has left to a fierce conflict between the Ur-gores and Fyreslayers, the latter desperate to reclaim the Ur-gold of their god.
     
    THE ASH WALKERS (MISTS OF ULGU)
    It is said that the mists of Ulgu glow with the brimstone haze in the approach of the Ash Walker tribes, the thick fog that envelops the realm shifting and enhancing the lights from the many torches of the tribe until the very air around them seems to boil and hiss with the encroaching flame. It has been many decades since the Ash Walkers moved into the mists of Ulgu, led by a young prophet seeking to carve out his place in the legends of his people by finding and bringing down the cities of the elusive Aelves rumoured to call the city home. However there are creatures that lurk within the mists of this realm, born and shaped by the ever shifting nature that began to pick away at the migration, ripping Ogor from mount and consuming whole swathes of the Grot accompanyment in a single bite. Beset on all side and never truly seeing their foe the Prophet found himself shaken by not quelled, he spurred his Aldin Draken kin forward with him at the head of the pack, charging headlong into the mists with a ferocious roar and a gout of flame that lit the entire region.
    What fate found the Volsungr is as yet unknown, but with both their prophet and elite warriors having been taken the migration was on the bring of collapse, no Ogor had the strength of will nor the divine status needed  to lead the tribe onwards. Just as it appeared the migration had come to an end the Gothi priests came togther, their shrill voices shrieking and wailing out into the nights sky as they were riddled with visions (or so they say), it is the word of the Gothi that the Suneater wishes them to push onwards into the realm, that their prophet yet lives still waging wars ever deeper into the shifting mists of the realms. WHilst doubtful there was little the Ogors could do to contest the vision, this small flicker of hope was enough to spur them onwards deeper into the mists of Ulgu.
    As time has passed the Gothi leadership of this migrations has shifted and shaped its actions, leaning more heavily on Grots to do the majority of fighting they favour quick strike and hit and run tactics across the realm. The Ash Walkers make extensive use of Carrion Drakes, favouring bow over spear and pulling the mighty artillery and Waagh karts behind them that they might atleast have the eye of the Suneater upon them if his prophets cannot be with them.
    THE DEAD HEADS (GRAVES OF SHYISH)
    The Dead Heads are odd kin to the Suneater tribes, hailing from the rotting lands of Shyish where all life begins to wither and fade they have taken the very energies of the Realm into their migrations. Wielding strange and shifting green flame borne of the darker magicks of the realm they are a disconcerting sight for those that behold them, their warriors dubbing bio luminescent paint across their forms in the vague shapes of a skeletal visage they can be seen leering from the darkness on the still nights as a legion of glowing skeletal monstrosities. For Suneaters this is a sombre migration, gone are the visicious chants, the maniacle laughter or the revellery that comes with a normal migration, instead they set to task with a startling efficiency and near silence save for the occasional grunt or groan of the mighty beasts that accompany them. 
    In battle the Dead Heads make more use of the elite Ogor units than their kin, favouring the Slatr warbeasts and Aldin draken both of whom can march for days without food or sustinence, ideal for a realm where even crops are known to wither with the briefest of glances. It is said that their mighty Volsungr can never know death, having bathed in the ethereal flames deep at the heart of the realm his body lay littered with scars from wounds that could have been mortal to a lesser beast, he dons and ancient carved skull mask  and has adorned his magma drake with skeletal armour. To fight the Dead Heads is to witness the ruthlessness of their commitment to the task, to face sheer burning agony in the eerie green glow of the flame, and when battle is done the Dead Heads efficiency in burning all that fell ensures their battles do little to reinforce Nagashes legions in the realm.
    THE LOST MIGRATION
    Whilst the tribes hail from nearly every Realm there is one that no tribe calls home, the mercurial and shifting metallic realm of Chamon, it is said in centuries past some upstart Ogor tribe within that cursed realm considered themselves the true disciples of the Suneater. What followed was a savage battle between the Suneater migration and the self dubbed Furnace King of Chamon over the true teachings of their destructive God (who likely simply revelled in the fresh destruction and onslaught to be witnessed). It is said the Prophets and Iron Baron clashed over days, weeks and months, every battle sending hundreds of Ogors to an early grave and countless grots, great gouts of flame clashing with cold and beaten ironworks of the Furnace kings yet there was to be little victory found on their side.
    As the months turned to years the first great prophet made a decree, the realm of Chamon was to be blocked to the Suneater tribes, the children of the Suneater could not waste their numbers in such petty conflicts whilst the true enemy of their kind erected yet more cities, walls and fortresses across the other realms that they had neglected. Instead an accord was found, the Iron Barons would send great shipments of the Iron Bark of their realm through the mighty gates to Aqshy and the Suneaters holy site, in return the Fyrepowders of the realm of fire would be sent back, each would pursue the destruction of the cities of Order in their own manner without shedding the blood of other Ogors.
    The accord was sworn, yet shakily held, all together weakened by the rumoured the Iron Barons had made off with a shard of the eternal flame of the Suneater stolen from a fallen prophet. What machinations these Ogor engineers had for such a potent relic was as of yet unknown, though if it was brought to bear against the newly swelled ranks of the Suneaters the conflict might well consume both tribes.
  14. Melcavuk
    The great tribes of the Suneaters are a nomadic people, their every migration an endless march to war for the glory of the Pyre. Many creatures of the realms see the glory of the flame, and seek the blessings of the great Suneater, adding their number to the swelling ranks of devotees following the Great Prophets of the Suneater Tribes.
     
     
     
    HEROES AND CHAMPIONS
    Volsungr on Magma Drake
    In the guttural dialect of the nomadic Ogor tribes the word Volsungr roughly translates to Chosen one or Chooser, both of which apply aptly to the great Volsungr of the Suneater Tribes. They are the highest authority within the tribe, seconded in potency only to the great Suneater himself, they have walked the blasted wastes and faced the great trials in the same way the very first Prophet of this kind did and emerged the stronger for it.
    Each nomadic tribe has but a single Volsungr, the most potent of their Ogor wizard that has risen to dominance, often the oldest and strongest of their kind their skin is rough and blistered from decades walking the flames of their Gods glory, adorned with trophies of civilisations that they have incinerated. To pass the final trial to become a Volsungr each aspirant must tame one of the great drakes of Aqshy, walking alone and unarmed into the Scorch fire Chasm as their prophet had done so long ago. So seldom does such an aspirant emerge from the Chasm successful (or intact) that there are but a handful of Volsungr roaming the realms, each at the head of a great host of the Suneater tribes who recognise their glory.
    Volsungr ride into battle mounted atop their Magma Drakes, a rippling beast of scorching heat and burning hot scales. Their hides are thick enough to deflect even the best of Duardin blade and their great wings allow them to race down the battlefield even carrying to burden of their master atop their backs. In the heat of battle, they can unleash boiling brimstone flame from their wicked beaks, boiling blood and shattering bone with the intensity of the molten magma that erupts from their gullet.
    Tribes form around the Volsungr, seeing them as the prophets of the Suneater and his embodiments within the realms, as such each tribe takes on features of their Prophets, often mirroring his garb and trophies with priests screeching out their new masters interpretation of the will of the Gods. For this reason, should a new member of the tribe seek to take on the position they are cast out into the blistering wastes, for no prophet can endure the word of another, if the Suneater finds the challenger worthy he will protect them and allow a tribe to form around their new interpretation of his will.
     
    Exalted Volsungr
    It is said that from the day they are chosen the Volsungr, great prophets of the Suneater tribes are gifted with the touch of the volcano, indeed many have been witnessed in battle belching forth great gouts of flame and magma to douse their enemies and leave them to an agonising death. Such things (the Gothi say) are the blessings of the Suneater, that his mightiest warriors might one day rival the destructive powers of the volcanic mountains of the realms). They are seemingly untouched by flame from the day of Ascension, feeling no heat nor pain at its presence. Indeed, many take to bathing in the Magma flows to cleanse their unsightly crevices of parasites that no Gothi can even be convinced to remove.
    As a Volsungr migration spreads across the realms, leaving a blistering scar of scorched earth in their wake, they share in the power gifted to the Suneater with every pyre to his glory lit, the further they travel and more pyres they ignite the more powers bestowed upon them, to some comes the choking cloud of ash that shadows their every movement, choking out any foes who would dare approach. To others the calloused and coarse skin becomes as hard as the stone of the mountain itself, yet more manifest a mighty bellow that can fell trees and shattered the most hardened rock as though the power of a volcanic explosion.
    It is said that the most aged of the Volsungr reach such power that they need no migration to follow in their wake, they have become the mountain and their Gods chosen warriors, in time these ancient warriors leave their tribe to the next prophet, migrating across the realms to rest at the Maw of the Suneater, the birth place of their tribes and await their gods command. They take no guard with them, nor trophies or treasure... such things mean little to these mighty avatars of their god, instead only their most loyal of Gothi priest are permitted to (and insisted upon) accompany them to their holy site.
    As years turn to decades these warriors fade to myth, yet now as tremors of change ripple across the realm the Suneater stirs from his pit, with a mighty bellow his chosen warriors march forth once more. This once mortal forms changed entirely as their hardened rocklike skin has grown to immense size, no longer can they merely belch the flame, their entire visage has eroded to the rippling orb of flame to drown out even the Sun itself, so much has their power intensified that every crack and crag in their rocklike skin seethes with blistering heat. They are accompanied, as all Volsungr, by their most loyal of Gothi borne high above the battlefield on the shoulder of their prophets. These Gothi are perhaps the unsightliest of the pair, a Grot unlike any other... one that has allowed to both grow fat and old, feasting on the food and treasures their champions no longer require.
    Gothi Fyri
    It is said in Suneater tribes that no Ogor has ever held the rank of Priest to the Suneater, they claim that their deep and booming voices are too like the sounds of volcanoes erupting for the mighty god to distinguish them from the volatile realm of Aqshy and hear their pleas, meanwhile it is the shrill and piercing cries of the Grots that are unlike any other within the realm, able to pierce through the seismic rumbling and volcanic eruptions to irritate the god enough to earn his attention. It has been this way since the very beginnings of the tribe, those grots of particularly loud, shrill or annoying voices picked out from the crowd at a young age and thrown out into the wastelands to earn the attention of their God.
    Each is forced to live in exile until they return with a convincing token of their gods favour, though what is considered convincing is often left open to interpretation, some hunt the great phoenixes of the realm to try and carry off a cloak of flaming feathers as the warm (and burning) embrace of the Suneater. Others climb to mountains top to pluck a shard of the great salamanders burning rocks from the very lip of a volcanoes edge. Of course, many more simply band together in a conniving mob and wait for a more competent grot to complete such a heroic feat, then as their soon-to-be victim heads back to camp the mob descend on them in a flurry of rocks and fists to savagely beat them to death and steal their prize. Such acts often amuse the Suneater enough to let pass... and in doing so he loses but a single priest and gains a handful more as their victims trophy gets divided up between them.
    In battle the Gothi Fyri cut small figures, often able to hide behind the ranks of Suneaters that they might search for favour and blessing from the great god, it is this cowardice and cunning that makes them particularly adept at their jobs, often finding the resolve to channel the gods will when it benefits them most. Aside from their divine talents the Gothi Fyri act as mouth pieces for the great chosen ones of the Suneater, barking out their orders in a shrill and piercing cry to the rest of the tribe, though such cries often boil down to the annoying and hardly helpful “He's right you know”
     
    Gothi Herald
    Some Gothi priests can be seen riding to battle atop a weedy scavenger dragon known to feast on the corpses left in the wake of the Suneater tribes known as the Scorch. The Carrion Drake is a lesser dragon in the realms, lacking in the brute strength of its greater kin and unable to produce volatile breath to drench its foes it instead finds its feasts in the wake of greater creatures, using its acidic maw to burn through cloth, armour and stone to feast on what meats the other predators could not reach. Its cry mimics that of the death wails of its victims, known for capriciously toying with its food before it feasts, often if it can separate a weakened mortal from their people it will strike and retreat, leaving rents gouged in their flesh and relishing the scent of their blood spilling into the dirt as they try and make good an escape.
    Time and time again it will claw at its victims until eventually sweeping from on high to feast. It is said the first Gothi to ride a carrion drake subdued it quite by accident, when scavenging weapons and armour from the corpses left in the Scorch the grot opted for an impromptu break to consume mushrooms to sate a growing appetite (and due to immense laziness), cracking open the breastplate of a fallen human soldier he packed it full of mushrooms before starting a blaze beneath the corpse, relishing the scent of fresh meat blending with the narcotic smokes of the mushrooms. Alerted from his mushroom induced stupor by the cry of a carrion drake above the little grot scuttled across the ground, secreting his small form in a crevice between two rocks and uttering a shocking array of curses as he was left to watch the serpentine dragon feast on his meal. However, as the acidic maw sunk into the crumpled breastplate the vicious liquids merged with the mushrooms, the two combining into a heady haze of madcap madness which was quickly followed by the resounding thud of the now unconscious drake landing on the ground beside it.
    The Gothi saw he opportunity, this new beast would raise him high above the other grots, its guaranteed status, respect (for a grot at least) and most of all meant he'd be a good distance further away from getting stabbed, shot, sat on, fallen on or generally crushed on the field of battle
    Gothi Heralds fly ahead of the great hosts of Suneaters, where their lesser kin are the spark that will burn down all in their path it is the Heralds task to break the will of the people ahead of the host, they are masters of the long hunt, scratching and screeching at their foes until huge trains of refugees march for the safety and refuge of the mighty fortresses of Order. The Heralds ensure that every human, Duardin or Aelf in their path cluster together to hide within their stone walls so that when the main host arrives all of the meat is in one place, in this way they ensure that when the Suneater consumes the souls of the fallen he is now fed meagre scraps, but a banquet fit for a God of his magnitude.
     
     
     
    Beserkr -
     
     
    THE TRIBE
    Ashen Grots –
    Grots by their very nature and small stature often find themselves at the bottom of the pecking order in the mortal realms, yet these cunning creatures are drawn to power either desiring the acquisition of it or to be elevated by their very proximity to it. Those that follow the will of the Suneater do so with a fanatical devotion, revelling with glee in their ability to slip past the walls of the cities of order and start a blaze deep in the heart of their enemies fortifications. These blazes are much like the grots, small and weak when isolated but when many rise up together they are able to topple even the biggest of foes. Ashen grots make up a large portion of the Suneater tribes, and their fanatical cackling laughter ripples through the forces with every fresh pyre lit, they bombard their foes with an endless onslaught of black powder spark grenades or get in close to slit throats with crude but glistening obsidian blades.
    Ashen grots can often be seen in a host of shuffling grey hoods and cloaks as though a roiling tide of ash threatening to choke out all life in the battlefield, their name however is derived from being unfortunately short enough in stature to soak up much of the dust kicked up by the great beasts of the tribe, lending them an unfortunate dusty camouflage whether they want it or not.
     
    The Svangur –
    Sun-bleached and half Starved Ogors saved from the Desert by the will of the Suneater, these fanatics descend on their prey with startling speed and ravenous appetite. Those who have looked upon the face of the Suneater are often driven mad by the experience, gouging out their fingernails in a gruesome display of devotion and forcing in jagged shards of obsidian in their place, others go even further, ripping the teeth from their mouth to replace them with wickedly curved metallic tusks with which to gorge their foes during the feasting on the battlefield. These Svangur never truly lose the hunger they felt when wandering the deserts, it is ingrained into every element of their being and the urge to feast drowns their every sense, on the field of battle they a gruesomely gore drenched sights as they feed on fallen foes before descending pack like onto the next.
     
    In their ravenous and deranged state, the Svangur are a challenge for any general to marshal, they are volatile and often given over to fits of rage that can run rampant and contrary to the will of their Tribal Leaders. And yet these mad Ogors are considered to have been touched by the very hand of the Suneater, they cannot be cast from the camp without risking the ire of their volatile god. Instead such creatures are often led at a distance to the rest of the host, parties of ashen Grots and their Gothi Fyri carrying great torches lure the Svangur as a vanguard to the main body of the tribe, at once limiting the damage they can do to their kin and allowing favourable flanking around an enemy force.
     
    Gullveig Ogors - The Gullveig Ogors live in the unenviable position of being part of the Suneater tribes but devoid of blessings of the Suneater, in this manner they are often considered the lowliest of the Ogors in the tribe (but still far preferable to a mere grot). Due to their precarious role within the tribe those who can afford it often don heavy armour and large slab shields until such a time as they have earned the protection of their fierce and demanding god whilst others are doomed to rely on their (admittedly lacking) wits and their coarse skin to save them from harm. Such things are unneeded after all by those who bear the mark of the Suneater as that in itself would protect them from harm. Often comprised of the tribe juveniles these fanatical followers seek to slaughter and pillage until they have accomplished feats of such destruction as to earn the favour of their God, many leaving their tribes to join that of the most feared Volsungr across the tribes, that they might bask in the glory of the greatest prophets and be led to feats worthy of earning their name. Other still become mercenaries, travelling far beyond the borders of their tribe migrations to seek out their own destinies before eventually returning to their true homes in the tribes. 
     
     
    SAVAGE VETERANS
    Bal Kasta –
    The Bal Kasta (Also known as Akursed) are Trophies of the Volsungr, taken from the firstborn of conquered tribes these massive Ogors would be contenders for Tyrant one day in any other Ogor migration, instead in the Suneater tribes they can never hold rank or power. Those tribes who refuse the enlightenment of the Suneater, too blind to see the true path to glory, and who are too weak to avoid subjugation by a Suneater migration swell within the ranks of the Gullveig of the tribe. But these tribes are hidden from the Burning Gaze of their mighty god, they are not viewed as foes of the Suneater (such a status would make them fearsome indeed), they simply no longer exist in his eyes and therefore can never receive his blessings. As such the flame still burns them as it would never burn a true disciple of their god, they cannot belch forth his devouring fires nor summon the pyres to his glory.
      
    Such is the curse of the Bal Kasta, they will live their entire lives in the service of those chosen by their God but never live to see that power become theirs. Great Volsungr will have full regiments of Bal Kasta within their armies, a striking show of his dominance over the tribes as his fallen foes now serve at his whims in Battle, and in time some of these fallen champions may well be put to use. The Gothi Engineers of the tribes have long since mastered the Fyre Powders of Aqshy, using it to power their catapults payload and feed the mighty Pyre Belchers of the tribes, and whilst no true Son of the Suneater would disgrace himself with using it to mimic the mighty fire belch of the Beserkr there is little that Bal Kasta have to lose, and many find themselves all too willing to try.
     
    These brave (suicidal?) Balkasta have two mighty fire belching blunderbusses strapped one beneath each arm, their form clad in beaten iron plating that might (probably not) resist the flame should the volatile alchemical mixture backfire onto them, each is attended to by their own compliment of Grots tasked with filling and reloading the fire belching cannons as the Ogors simply cannot use their hands for anything other than holding onto this fearsome arsenal. Those who live long enough in battle hope that in time, should their gods eyes fall upon them belching flame from these mighty cannons, they might earn his favour and be elevated from the rank of Bal Kasta, though such a thing is unlikely.
     
    In their desperation to find the attention of the Suneater these Akursed Bal Kasta have been subjected to the most extreme of Gothi engineering, their unfavoured forms however prove poor vessels for the sheer power of their god being forced through them from Gothi incantations. The weakest of Bal Kasta burn alive, their god devouring their souls first and their bodies withering away after, but a rare few can endure the constant agonising torment, learning to crave its agony as a mark of recognition from a god that cannot stand their presence much less their prayers.
     
    Aldin Draken –
    The Aldin Draken are enormous even for Ogors, drawn from the ranks of the Gullveig, these chosen of the Suneater have walked the blasted wastes alone for months on end and entirely without supplies. They are tasked with finding enlightenment that at their lowest moment in their final breath they might look upon the face of the Suneater, be judged and reborn. Perhaps more shocking they have emerged from those daunting wastes with enough of their sanity intact not to descend into the bestial hunger that claimed so many of their kind, and with the physical strength to drag what remains of their half-starved bodies back from the brink of death. Those who emerged from the wasteland are a cruel sight to behold, their skin is blistered and scarred, coarse to the touch but toughened in the eternal heat of the Suneaters embrace, their eyes have blackened to coal seemingly at once unseeing and all too piercing for their kin to endure, some say to be looked upon by the Aldin Draken is to face the wrath of Gorkamorka himself. When they return these champions do not seek food or comfort, instead ascending the peak of the Draken nest, a bustling feeding ground for the enormous stone hide bearing Draken of Aqshy, an irritable bundle of sword-proof hides and jagged teeth prone to belching flame when provoked, here they face their final test. To ascend to the rank of Aldin Draken the champion must first claim his mount from the vicious lizards that populate the Drakens nest, each must engage in mortal combat with the Draken with many succumbing to the cruel claws and wicked beaks of the fattened lizards and feeding the nest.
     
    Those who survive the trials do so through the use of brute force and strength of will to beat a reptile into submission, triumphantly riding their new bruised and beaten companion down from the mountaintop. In battle these Cavalry are slow and cumbersome, the drakes themselves lumbering and covered in heavily armoured scales whilst their riders wield crude heavy crossbows firing obsidian tipped barbed bolts across the battlefield, often first into the fight they are more than a match for many a mortal hero and used as the elite guard for the Prophets of the Suneater Tribes.
     The sacred duty of the Aldin Draken is to accompany the Volsungr into battle, should their mighty prophet fall the Magma drake mount has been known to rampage back through the Suneater Migration wreaking havoc on their numbers. Should this happen the Aldin Draken are put to task, pursuing the distraught beast and bringing it down that it might join its masters body on the Pyre and ascend to the halls of the Suneater together.
    Burnin Bomb Catapults –
    The destructive toys of Gothi engineers these ramshackle artillery pieces have felled the walls of many a city who thought themselves secure from an encroaching migration. Formed of the Iron Bark of Chamon the skeleton of the catapult is impervious to the volatile fyrepowders it is tasked with launching at the enemy, a blessing not extended to its overly eager and some what derange Grot crew. Driven onwards by their fanatical faith the Grot crew drag the catapult from ash and mud to reach their perfect firing position before loading ever increasing piles of volatile fyrepowders mixed with the excrement of the tribes beasts (to make it stick to a target) into the catapult cup. Launching this volatile chemical down the field hopefully before it detonated in their hands, though such a divine act of destruction from their god would only stoke the Grots faith higher.
    A battery of these crude machines is capable of bombarding the villages and townships of order from over their wooden palisades, raining hellfire down upon the populace and inviting them to leave the safety of their walls to fight the tribe in open battle or burn alive in a cage of their own making.
     
    Pyre Belcher –
     This great beast from Aqshy is a bloated and tormented creature gorged on the industrial runoff from the cities of man. Its form has swollen and misshapen with the volatility of the chemicals it has been fed but in return it has developed the ability to spit forth huge gouts of flame in the course of a battle. It is forced forward into battle by its Grot handlers, poked and prodded and gorged on lesser squigs that it might launch its payload further forward setting flame to all in its path.
     
    THE GREAT BEASTS
    Slatr Warbeast –
    When one looks upon the Slatr Warbeast it is hard not to be wowed by the majestic nature of this primal creature, it is not by any stretch of the imagination a creature of traditional beauty but one evolved perfectly for longevity and resilience. Indeed, it has never been recorded of such a creature perishing due to natural causes lending credence to the theory that such a beast may be immortal lest for death by less natural themes. Its flattened and bullish face is akin to many a nightmare as a child with the full stretch of its maw measured at over a cart in width and at least the same in depth to the gullet though I have yet to find an apprentice willing to test that, when looking into its eyes you are struck by the sheer simplicity of the creature not burdened by higher thought or malice. The juveniles of the species are often found in migratory herds travelling alongside the Suneater tribes of Aqshy, seemingly drawn moth like to the pyres to their primitive gods that these tribes are prone to igniting, indeed the subdued state these creatures enter in the presence of such a blaze has allowed ramshackle howdahs to be assembled across the beasts’ broad backs. It is then sadly witnessed that when these savage tribes march to war they goad the Slatr alongside them, bombarding their enemies from afar with crude catapults launching burning debris down the battlefield. Such burning projectiles seemingly spur their mounts onwards chasing the bright lights racing across the sky
     
    Mighty Slatr
    Dwarfing even the regular Slatr these beasts of war can carry units into battle, they are also inspiring to those Suneaters nearby as living manifestations of the might of the Suneater. Crewed by an Ogor chieftain with Bal Kasta as their personal guard.
     
    GREAT TOTEMS OF THE GODS
    Waagh Kart Totem of the Suneater -
    A destruction war shrine that moves with the migrations of Suneaters. The rippling heat and power of the shrine can turn away blades and burn up projectiles before they reach the fanatical followers of the Suneater, but its true potency lies within the trials of flame. Gothi attendants stoke the flames around the giant stone effigy before swinging it forwards, should he prove willing the Suneater musters his energies to belch forth huge gouts of flame from the pyres to engulf loyal warriors, consuming them and letting them emerge unscathed from other pyres of the Suneater. Those who are unworthy however will find themselves consumed by the Suneater in his eternal hunger. These mighty shrines spur the Suneaters warriors onto even great violence and destructions. A physical manifestation of their gods mighty and wrath these mighty war machines are prized possessions of the Prophets and often jealously guarded from the other Migrations.
     
  15. Melcavuk
    So who then make up the Champions of this Flame obsessed tribes, that they might elevate themselves above the Gullveig and Grots within the migration and carve out their own names in the legend of the Suneater.
    Aldin Draken –
    The Aldin Draken are enormous even for Ogors, drawn from the ranks of the Gullveig, these chosen of the Suneater have walked the blasted wastes alone for months on end and entirely without supplies. They are tasked with finding enlightenment that at their lowest moment in their final breath they might look upon the face of the Suneater, be judged and reborn. Perhaps more shocking they have emerged from those daunting wastes with enough of their sanity intact not to descend into the bestial hunger that claimed so many of their kind, and with the physical strength to drag what remains of their half starved bodies back from the brink of death. Those who emerged from the wasteland are a cruel sight to behold, their skin is blistered and scarred, coarse to the touch but toughened in the eternal heat of the Suneaters embrace, their eyes have blackened to coal seemingly at once unseeing and all too piercing for their kin to endure, some say to be looked upon by the Aldin Draken is to face the wrath of Gorkamorka himself. When they return these champions do not seek food or comfort, instead ascending the peak of the Draken nest, a bustling feeding ground for the enormous stone hide bearing Draken of Aqshy, an irritable bundle of sword-proof hide and jagged teeth prone to belching flame when provoked, here they face their final test. To ascend to the rank of Aldin Draken the champion must first claim his mount from the vicious lizards that populate the Drakens nest, each must engage in mortal combat with the Draken with many succumbing to the cruel claws and wicked beaks of the fattened lizards and feeding the nest.
     
    Those who survive the trials do so through the use of brute force and strength of will to beat a reptile into submission, triumphantly riding their new bruised and beaten companion down from the mountaintop. In battle these Cavalry are slow and cumbersome, the drakes themselves lumbering and covered in heavily armoured scales whilst their riders wield crude heavy crossbows firing obsidian tipped barbed bolts across the battlefield, Often first into the fight they are more than a match for many a mortal hero and used as the elite guard for the Prophets of the Suneater Tribes.
     
    The sacred duty of the Aldin Draken is to accompany the Volsungr into battle, should their mighty prophet fall the Magma drake mount has been known to rampage back through the Suneater Migration wreaking havoc on their numbers. Should this happen the Aldin Draken are put to task, pursueing the distraught beast and bringing it down that it might join its masters body on the Pyre and ascend to the halls of the Suneater together.
    Tactics: These fearsome heavy cavalry become battleline if you field a Volsungr as your general, whilst slightly slower than their Prophets they excell at following the mighty beast up the Battlefield and using their crossbows to weaken foes he intends to charge. More over their specialties against monsters make them a genuine contenter to hunt down the enemies toughest warriors and drop them before any damage can be dealt to your heroes. 

     Bal Kasta - 
    The Bal Kasta (Also known as Akursed) are Trophies of the Volsungr, taken from the firstborn of conquered tribes these massive Ogors would be contendors for Tyrant one day in any other Ogor migration, insread in the Suneater tribes they can never hold rank or power. Those tribes who refuse the enlightenment of the Suneater, too blind to see the true path to glory, and who are too weak to avoid subdjugation by a Suneater migration swell within the ranks of the Gullveig of the tribe. But these tribes are hidden from the Burning Gaze of their mighty god, they are not viewed as foes of the Suneater (such a status would make them fearsome indeed), they simply no longer exist in his eyes and therefore can never recieve his blessings. As such the flame still burns them as it would never burn a true disciple of their god, they cannot belch forth his devouring fires nor summon the pyres to his glory.
    Such is the curse of the Bal Kasta, they will live their entire lives in the service of those chosen by their God but never live to see that power become theirs. Great Volsungr will have full regiments of Bal Kasta within their armies, a striking show of his dominance over the tribes as his fallen foes now serve at his whims in Battle, and in time some of these fallen champions may well be put to use. The Gothi Engineers of the tribes have long since mastered the Fyre Powders of Aqshy, using it to power their catapults payload and feed the mighty Pyre Belchers of the tribes, and whilst no true Son of the Suneater  would disgrace himself with using it to mimick the mighty fire belch of the Beserkr there is little that Bal Kasta have to lose and many find themselves all too willing to try.
    These brave (suicidal?) Balkasta have two mighty fire belching blunderbuss strapped beneath each arm, their form clad in beaten iron plating that mighty (probably not) resist the flame should the volatile alchemical mixture backfire onto them, each is attended to by their own compliment of Grots tasked with filling and reloading the fire belching cannons as the Ogors simply cannot use their hands for anything other than holding onto this fearsome arsenal. Those who live long enough in battle hope that in time, should their gods eyes fall upon them belching flame from these mighty cannons, they might earn his favour and be elevated from the rank of Bal Kasta, though such a thing is unlikely.
    Tactics: Short ranged and at their best when immobile the best use for Bal Kasta is to use a Waaghkart to throw them up the battlefield, becoming a point defense unit on an objective you need secured and scorching any enemies that mighty dare to come close. The Bal Kastas ideal target is mid weight infantry though they are no slouches in horde control. Supported by a defensive line of Ashen Grots to take any charge these Ogors can then fire over their defenders in unrelenting barrages to fell oncoming units.

  16. Melcavuk

    A Hidden Truth...

    By Melcavuk,

    A continuation of the background story for my Suneaters
    The tomes of Azyrheim tell little of the battles that quelled Gorkamorkas rebellion, nor the atrocities that followed it at the hands of those who fought in the name of justice and Order. The few tales that have survived to the modern age speak of a host of men, aelf and dwarf the likes of which the young realms had never before seen, all marching in the shadow of the Man-God Sigmar under the mighty flags of Azyr. This massive host was drawn not just from the noble houses within Azyr, but every general (disgraced or otherwise), pirate, corsair and mercenary who owed fielty to the Barbarian king. This vast host spanned from horizon to horizon, some say that its footfalls could be heard across the entire spanning continent of Ghur as it marched across the lands, that its nightly campfires were so many that they threatened to drown out the darkness entirely as though day simply spanned into day once more. It is said that the tides of Gorkamorka were met by this host on the plain of Rok-Gor, a once verdant and beautiful landscape in a realm of savages, the green tides number were twice that of the Order host and beneath the combined footfall of the legions every spec of grass within sight was crushed out of existance. It is said that the mages of Hysh wielded their sun based powers with reckless abandon, forever changing the intensity of the sun in this part of the realm to scorch all life from the grounds below, that so savage was the combat that no native fauna escaped the onslaught.
     
    The battle was savage, with vast number of casualties on both sides, but eventually the god of destruction found himself brought to heel, beaten and bloodied but his thirst for mayhem and war thoroughly saited the mighty Orruk god lay down to revel in his heady onslaught. With the rebellion quashed Sigmar returned back to Azyr, with matters more befitting a god to focus his attentions on he left his grand host to disband themselves, here he trusted in the souls of men to do as they were instructed… a fools hope. His vast host had been raised on the promise of bloody conquest, of glorious trophies and heroic deed, but moreover they had been promised a wealth of gold and treasures that they might use to raise kingdoms of their own. Men lured by such temptations are not so easily swayed into forgetting them, and Sigmars conquest against Gorkamorka had cost them many lives and far more gold than they had been repaid, now left in the midsts of the savage landscape of Ghur these weak men sought to find treasure of their own.
     
    Corrupt generals and greedy nobles all spurred their legions forth into Ghur, they butchered the local populace indiscriminately, Ogors that had no part to play in Gorkamorkas rebellion and mighty beasts older than human memory all under the guise of bringing order and civility to the Realm. Whole Ogor migrations found themselves on the wrong side of man-forged blades, any lands of worth or found to be rich in metals and minerals soon became annexed by Dwarven kings and merchant guilds, the previous owned put to work in slave camps or executed as warning to the savage populace of Ghur as to what happened to those who resisted the recent influx of Order into the Realm.
     
    The Iron Klaw Ogors, who had lived in relative harmony with the man-kingdoms of Ghur for as long as records existed, never took more meat than needed from the human villages around their migrations. To blame them for taking their share would be to blame the man for taking the sheep to slaughter, these Ogors demonstrated immense discipline only picking the elderly or weak from human villages to sait their hungers, never staying in one place long enough to diminish the populace beyond reason. Their demise came without warning, unbeknownst to the tribal elders their migration had setup camp atop a wealth of mineral deposits high up in the mountains at realms edge, it was in the dead of night amidsts a thunderous storm that a dwarven cannonade sought to bring the whole mountaintops down upon them. Flashes of black powder detonating lit up the nights sky, punctuated by streaks of lighting racing to the heavens, war scarred and embittered dwarven veterans marched up the mountainside to butcher those Ogors who survived the savage cannonade. It fell to the young Chieftan of the tribe to muster what little defense he could bring to bear, a mere handful of champions atop mournfangs raced down the crumbling mountainside to meet with their attackers. Fortunate was not however with the young chieftan, struck in the helmet by an oncoming cannonball he found himself flung backward off of his mount, foot still tangled in the saddle straps he was dragged down the mountainside, dazed from the strike and beaten by every rock on his descent his blood crazed mount ran throughout the night deep into the deserts beyond the mountains.
     
    As the dwarves butchered all those Ogors who remained they lacked the insight to know what they had instigated, the nightmare that they had unleashed upon the realms with the soul survivor carried far beyond the charted edge of the realm….
  17. Melcavuk
    I've begun the start of the Suneaters background, it tells a very different tale of Gorkamorkas rebellion that has been told to date and is the tale from the Ogors of old, Sigmars "truth" is a lie...
     
    THE SUNEATER TRIBES
    Deep within the Realm of Fire the drums of war echo with resounding beats as the fanatical Ogor and Grot acolytes of the violent and fire-born god The Suneater march to war. Putting all that stands in their path to the flame that every realm might one day reflect the broken and charred world that birthed them.
     
    There are many who tell the tales of righteous victories of Sigmar, those that would tell of his heroic deeds and noble intentions to creation a unified pantheon of the gods, all equals in their own right who would form a bulwark agaisnt the tides of chaos that sought to seize upon the Realms. But the words of men are weaved of lies and weighted by the egos of their kind, such tales are little more than the fanciful reimaginings by the poets and politicians of Sigmars realms, their lies woven into the very fibres of every building and the muscled sinews of every Soldiers in his armies.
     
    The terms of Sigmars alliance with Gorkamorka are oft glossed over in the telling of the pantheons founding, such details do not fit the narrative of Sigmars tales and thus who chose to share it with nobody, the feeble Man-God promised the Lord of Destruction a war unlike any other… he told tales of a tide of chaos encroaching upon the realm and a mighty battle to dwarf anything the mighty Orruk god had ever experienced before. The weak god sought to whet the appetite his rival, but where he offered war he hide his desire for a peace without end, when he spoke of battles in glory he wove a leash to keep Gorkamorka to heel, and when he spoke of an empire that spanned corner to corner of the realms he meant only his own. And thus when Sigmar lay the first bricks in the foundation of his grand alliance it was on a crumbling foundation built of lies and deceit, doomed to fail.
     
    To leash the Lord of Destruction is to try and cage the very wind or lid the volcano, for every day that passed for this mighty beasts beneath the heel of Sigmar his temper grew and his patience shortened. Years of enforcing a peace he had never wanted renegated the only glorious creature to little more than the attack dog of the man-god, sent out to wage wars no other god was willing to risk there people for only to return and find yet more idols and cities erected to the weaker gods of the pantheon. As his realisation of this injustice grew Gorkamorka began to unravel the leash he had been caged by, he saw the lesser gods for what they were, false idols feeding off of the belief of their peoples seeking to impose their wills upon the realms that neither asked for nor wanted them. Gorkamorka however was born of the primal winds of the realms themselves, every brick laid tore just a fraction more of that primal wind away, every mighty beast caged fed the other gods and syphoned away his powers. All this while Sigmar thought himself just and glorious, he saw no ill in the cage he had built for the Lord of Destruction, and in his arrogance he failed to see the last threads of his leash unravel until it was too late.
     
    The Gods of Order had thought Gorkamorkas power had diminished beyond reckoning, but the explosive force of his temper caught them all off guard, as the last strands of his leash decayed he erupted forth in a tide of destruction unlike any that had gripped the realms before, he gathered to him every Orruk and Greenskin and those Ogors that would heed the call. It is said by the scholars of Sigmar that every creature of destruction fell beneath the sway of Gorkamorkas petty rebellion, they do not tell of the Ogor tribes that wanted no part of the endless wars that Gorkamorka sought to instigate, but these truths are often found to be inconvinient in light of the war Sigmar waged against Gorkamorkas kin. In retaliation to the tide of destruction Sigmar gathered to him an army of man, aelf and dwarf to enforce his word of Order across the realm, such a combined army marched that the very grass beneath their feed was crushed away to darked dirt, their hunger was so ravenous that they stripped whole regions bare off livestock yet all these things were blamed on the kin of destruction.
  18. Melcavuk
    So here's a light hearted faction focus for my Suneater tribes for AoS 2.0
    FACTION FOCUS: SUNEATER TRIBES
    Its time for another Faction Focus today and one I'm sure all of me has been waiting for! We'll be looking at who the Suneater Tribes are, with tactical insight from "Totally not me wearing a different hat" along with how they'll evolve into Age of Sigmar Second Edition...

    WHO ARE THE SUNEATER TRIBES
    Fanatical, obsessed and enraged the Suneater Tribes are the city burners of the Destruction faction, they are ruled over by Ogor Prophets who play the role of Barbaric Kings and Seers of the tribes, driven by the will of the Suneater (A Volatile aspect of Gorkamorka) to burn the cities that seek to bring order to the wilds of the Realms. The Suneater tribes are an enemy of Sigmars own making, a result of his armies being left to enforce their own concepts of civilization without restraint across the realms, conquering tribes who would otherwise have taken only their fair share of meat and lives from weaker races. The relentless expansion of Order cities pushes the tribes to the edge of extinction, and in this moment of cataclysm a mighty Prophet walked forth from the blasted deserts at the edge of Ghur, a living avatar of their Gods firey temper.
    To the Suneater tribes every city in the realms is a taunting reminder of the dominance that Order sought to show over their people, it is a blight on the face of the Realm, they believed that when walls are broken and shelters burned the natural order of things will resume, with Ogors (and their grotkin) resuming dominance over the weaker man-things of the Realms. The Suneater tribes fiery temper is matched by their abundance of pyrotechnic weaponry, wielding flame as easily as blade or club in their onslaught, they bring what few other destruction factions can... the ability to break wall and burn fortress. To this end they are often slower moving than many of their destruction kin but make up for it with a plethora of ranged weaponry and a first for destruction: Priests.
    A Suneater tribe migration is a literal scar upon the realms, hundreds of miles of woodland in Ghyran is now little more than a blackened wound referred to as "The Scorch" where a rogue Suneater migration was eventually brought to a halt by a combined Order alliance. Whilst the Suneaters themselves were destroyed the wound they left on the realms has yet to begin to heal, either through intense heat or magical mean no seed will take to the burnt soils they left in their wake.
    PLAYER PERSPECTIVE
    Ricki-in-a-Hat is one of the most devout players of the Suneater tribes, more to the point is definately not me in a hat giving the tactical overlay of my custom faction, at all.
    Interviewer: So what attracted you to the Suneater Tribes
    Ricki-in-a-Hat: Well first of all thanks for having me Tim..
    Interviewer: I'm not Ti...
    Ricki-in-a-Hat: Good story Tim, I found the original factions of destruction to be lacking something, they all encapsulated the wilds of the Realms but it lacked that emotional aspect that I find ties me better to collecting and playing a faction. There is a visceral rage to the Suneater tribes, they are not acting without reason but avenging centuries of abuse and onslaught by the cities of order, in their minds they are the good guys here, fighting to reclaim lands and lives lost when Sigmar decided that his armies would take what was theirs in the name of "Good"
    Interviewer: So what're your tips for Suneater Tribes players?
    Ricki-in-a-Hat: Stoke the Pyres, the inferno marker ability is a fantastic way of delivering massively impactful abilities on a turn by turn basis, all from the hugely thematic concept of burning down the terrain that makes up the battlefield (could anything be more destruction?) You'll want a couple of Gothi Fyri priests using their Cowardly rule to avoiding incoming fire to stoke pyres across the battlefield. Most Suneater Tribes units are better when near, or targetting an enemy near an Inferno Marker, use their to control the battlefield either by having troops Firewalk using the Waaaghkart or delivering an unrelenting artillery bombardment.
    Interviewer: What advice would you give to a new Suneater Tribes player?
    Ricki-in-a-Hat: Start with a character, these are the lynchpins of the Suneaters story, every tribe is shaped by the will of its Volsungr prophet from their fighting style, appearance all the way down to their motivations. In developing your tribal leader you'll understand and connect better with the rest of your force. Some will be led by Ogor centric Volsungr who trust the Gothi Priests as far as they can throw them (which admittedly is still pretty far, especially if you crush them into a ball first) so will focus on Gullveig and the mounted Ogors to deliver much of their blow. Others might listen a little too much to the Gothi whispering in their ears, a force comprised of cowardly Grots with minimal Ogors present but bringing in much more artillery.

    IN THE NEW EDITION
    So GREAT NEWS... I'm still writing the Battletome (see procrastination is for WINNERS), what this means is it can evolve and change with the new edition, first of all this faction packs in some of the most reliable combat Wizards in the game with a Volsungr on Magmadrake packing in over 20 wounds and enough mobility to delivery him where you want your endless spells to originate. Your Inferno Marker will also take on new life in AoS 2.0 as the excitations of flame elementals focuses around the Pyres of the Suneaters, you'll have to decide whether to use your Pyres to enhance your fighting capabilities or extinguish them to unleash volatile and capricious flame elementals on your foes and drown the battlefield in living fire.
    Points will ofcourse be reviewed as we enter the new edition, with a couple of units already seeing points drops (Slatr Warbeast), but moreover whilst over factions relish the new "Look out Sir" mechanic your Gothi priests take it a step further with their Cowardly rule keeping them entirely safe from enemy shooting when hidden near other Suneater units.
    You'll also be able to take advantage of some of the massively thematic new relics from Ghur and Aqshy, realms the Suneater tribes have the bulk of their Migrations in, this way you can tell the tale of your tribes conquests through treasures captured along.
    Combining Pyre Markers and your Waaaghkarts ability to launch units up the field you'll be able to target enemy characters seeking to hide in the backfield, or bring your slower units to bear in the prescence of your Volsungr on Magma drake, locking down the enemies most potent units with your own viscious combat units and controlling the battlefield from an early stage.

    IN SUMMARY
    The Suneater tribes and their world burning migrations are looking set to bring the cities of Order to heel in the new edition...
  19. Melcavuk
    Chosen of a god borne of Fire and Destruction, the Prophets of the Suneaters rule not by might alone but by Divine Right, they are chosen, elevant and gifted beyond any of their kind that they might be the fists of the Suneater beating down against the cities of Order. Every Volsungr is a warrior of reknown, a capable wizard (though intensely destructive in the nature of their spells) and a competant tactician, those who have not passed their trails of the Suneater cannot challenge them for rule of the tribes as none would follow a creature so unloved by their God. 
    The Volsungr
    In the guttural dialect of the nomadic Ogor tribes the word Volsungr "Vol-Sun-GHUR" roughly translates to Chosen one or Chooser, both of which apply aptly to the great Volsungr of the Suneater Tribes. They are the highest authority within the tribe, seconded in potency only to the great Suneater himself, they have walked the blasted wastes and faced the great trials in the same way the very first Prophet of this kind did and emerged the stronger for it.
    Each nomadic tribe has but a single Volsungr, the most potent of their Ogor wizard that has risen to dominance, often the oldest and strongest of their kind their skin is rough and blistered from decades walking the flames of their Gods glory, adorned with trophies of civilisations that they have incinerated. To pass the final trial to become a Volsungr each aspirant must tame one of the great drakes of Aqshy, walking alone and unarmed into the Scorch fire Chasm as their prophet had done so long ago. So seldom does such an aspirant emerge from the Chasm successful (or intact) that there are but a handful of Volsungr roaming the realms, each at the head of a great host of the Suneater tribes who recognise their glory.
    Volsungr ride into battle mounted atop their Magma Drakes, a rippling beast of scorching heat and burning hot scales. Their hides are thick enough to deflect even the best of Duardin blade and their great wings allow them to race down the battlefield even carrying to burden of their master atop their backs. In the heat of battle they can unleash boiling brimstone flame from their wicked beaks, boiling blood and shattering bone with the intensity of the molten magma that erupts from their gullet.
    Tribes form around the Volsungr, seeing them as the prophets of the Suneater and his embodiments within the realms, as such each tribe takes on features of their Prophets, often mirroring his garb and trophies with priests screeching out their new masters interpretation of the will of the Gods. For this reason should a new member of the tribe seek to take on the position they are cast out into the blistering wastes, for no prophet can endure the word of another, if the Suneater finds the challenger worthy he will protect them and allow a tribe to form around their new interpretation of his will.
     
     

    Exalted Volsungr: 
    It is said that from the day they are chosen the Volsungr, great prophets of the Suneater tribes are gifted with the touch of the volcano, indeed many have been witnessed in battle belching forth great gouts of flame and magma to douse their enemies and leave them to an agonising death. Such things (the gothi say) are the blessings of the Suneater, that his mightiest warriors might one day rival the destructive powers of the volcanic mountains of the realms). They are seemingly untouched by flame from the day of Ascension, feeling no heat nor pain at its prescence. Indeed many take to bathing in the Magmaflows to cleanse their unsightly crevices of parasites that no Gothi can even be convinced to remove.
    As a Volsungrs migration spreads across the realms, leaving a blistering scar of scorched earth in their wake, they share in the power gifted to the Suneater with every pyre to his glory lit, the further they travel and more pyres they ignite the more powers bestowed upon them, to some comes the choking cloud of ash that shadows their every movement, choking out any foes who would dare approach. To others the calloused and coarse skin becomes as hard as the stone of the mountain itself, yet more manifest a mighty bellow that can fell trees and shattered the most hardened rock as though the power of a volcanic explosion.
    It is said that the most aged of the Volsungr reach such power that they need no migration to follow in their wake, they have become the mountain and their Gods chosen warriors, in time these ancient warriors leave their tribe to the next prophet, migrating across the realms to rest at the Maw of the Suneater, the birth place of their tribes and await their gods command. They take no guard with them, nor trophies or treasure... such things mean little to these mighty avatars of their god, instead only their most loyal of Gothi priest are permitted to (and insisted upon) accompany them to their holy site.
    As years turn to decades these warriors fade to myth, yet now as tremors of change ripple across the realm the Suneater stirs from his pit, with a mighty bellow his chosen warriors march forth once more. This once mortal forms changed entirely as their hardened rocklike skin has grown to immense size, no longer can they merely belch the flame, their entire visage has eroded to the rippling orb of flame to drown out even the Sun itself, so much has their power intensified that every crack and crag in their rocklike skin seethes with blistering heat. They are accompanies, as all Volsungr, by their most loyal of Gothi borne high above the battlefield on the shoulder of their prophets. These Gothi are perhaps the most unsightly of the pair, a Grot unlike any other... one that has allowed to both grow fat and old, feasting on the food and treasures their champions no longer require.


  20. Melcavuk
    One of the key weakenesses in the destruction faction to date has been a lack of real ranged fire power which can cause the faction to struggle against tough ranged armies or those factions able to out maneuver them. Whilst the gitmob faction has a number of unique artillery options they are buried within a small and as of yet un-updated faction that lacks real allegiance benefits, and the Bonesplittas whilst able to fire enough arrows to blot out the sun themselves lack other methods of putting fire down the field.
     
    Why do Suneaters Have Artillery?
    The Suneaters take every walled city, every monument to a pathetic order god and every Order settlement eroding away their domains as a personal insult. In the time before time it was the rule of strength that dictated status within the realm, but as Sigmars pathetic council of gods has curled a mailed fist around the throat of every beast they have come across, choking the very life out of the realms as they seek to erect cities of stone and felled wood to bring civilization to that which ought be left wild. The Sunaters are driven by the desire to put flame to every stone hewn insult of a city that defaces their realms, that they might in time light the very fuse to bring down Azyr itself and restore the nature order of destruction to the Realms. 
    The Suneaters are masters of flame and the exotic fyrepowders of Aqshy, long have they travelled through the realms of fire and beast perfecting the art of destruction and there are few walls in all the Realms that can withstand the full might of a Suneater bombardment.
     
    Tactics:
    The Burnin Bomb Catapult - This ramshackle siege machine is forced through dirt and undergrowth by a crew of ashen grots, filling its cup with a volatile mixtures of squig "extracts" and aqshy fire powders to launch down the field. The improvised nature of the explosives means it is far less than reliable and can just as easily splatter harmlessly against the walls of a city as shatter through them, but it is the maniacle determination of the crew that sets the machine apart loading the cup time and time again in ever increasing volumes of explosive until they get to rejoice in the thunderous roar of the Suneater as their payload finds its mark. 


    These catapults come in cheap at a mere 80 points, designed to be purchased in units of upto three what they lack in potency they make up for in numbers, a number of these catapults in the backfield accompanied by a Gothi can lay down serious bombardment to deter enemy units from approaching vital objectives and cover the approach of your melee units.

    The Pyre Belchers - This great beast from Aqshy is a bloated and tormented creature gorged on the industrial runoff from the cities of man. Its form has swollen and mishapen with the volatility of the chemicals it has been fed but in return it has developed the ability to spit forth huge gouts of flame in the course of a battle. It is forced forward into battle by its Grot handlers, poked and prodded and gorged on lesser squigs that it might launch its payload further forward setting flame to all in its path.

    This unit produces variable levels of fire each turn, whilst this can limit how much you depend on it it also makes the unit an unknown variable to your foes. The fear of its large volume of fire and relatively high damage output coupled with the ability to improve accuracy through immobility makes this a fantastic addition to the arsenal of the Suneaters.

  21. Melcavuk
    Today I'm looking at who the Gothi priests are and what role they play not only within the Suneater Tribes faction but in the Destruction faction as a whole. To begin their name comes from the very first Grot to discover the Great Prophet of the Suneaters, it was a meagre and mildly deranged grot picking clean the corpses of those who had fallen victim to the blasting sun of the Shattersands that witnessed the mighty ogor climb forth from the Maw of the Suneater. At first young Gothi chose to follow this Ogor through the desert in the hopes of fresh meat when his new found companion fell dead and yet as the days dragged on his insanity began to slowly shift and attune with the strange new power eminating from the Ogor. Those visions that had once been a tidal wave of destructive thoughts coalesced into a burning dagger of righteous destruction, a fine needlepoint to drive through the hearts of the enemies of his god, and as his visions changed so too did the form of the Ogor he followed, no longer did the creature look bedraggled and half starved, instead Gothi now saw him wreathed in rippling tides of flame as a glorious Avatar of the Sungods will.
    Gothi was a constant companion to the Prophet from there on out, it was his cunning that aided the might of the Ogor in uniting or dominating the tribes that fell before them, and his constant screeching whining that lent caution where needed to root out those who did not believe in the Suneaters cause that they might make an exampe of them. Where as the Prophet had the raw strength to harness the raging flames of destructive magic it took considerable physical and mental exertion with every effort, such primal energies would have torn any Grot attempting mastery apart in seconds, but Gothi had a different gift. The Great Suneater was said to reside sat on the lip of the greatest Volcano in the Realms, so volatile was the volcano that the deep reverberating prayers of Ogors blended with the seismic rumbling and were lost to the ears of their god, time and time again Ogors would pray to their deity but found no reply, it was however the high pitched, screaching prayers of Gothi that pierced through the rumbling to find the ears of the Suneater. Whilst other priests might pray and beseach their god with kind words and flattery Gothi was not a creature of such finery, instead his prayers were constant nagging, whining, screaching until the god was whipped to fury enough to respond, and in time Gothi mastered exactly what to say to trigger specific furious responses from his god to tailor his prayers.
    It is unclear at exactly what stage the first Gothi passed on, various rumours say the Prophet sat on him months into their conquest, others that he survived years before falling into an oil vat and burning alive, what is known however is that rather than face the wrath of their Prophet in telling him his favourite pet had died the Ogor elite simply scraped what they could of the first priest out of the robe and shoved the next most annoying grot to hand into them. And in this way the order of Gothi Priests was born, what started as a bunch of spares for each time the main Gothi died grew and grew, Grots eager for the one role in Suneater society that merited any rank or prestige were willing to risk the beatings and eventual torturous death if it meant gaining just a small amount of power and stature.

    Gothi Fyri - 
    It is said in Suneater tribes that no Ogor has ever held the rank of Priest to the Suneater, they claim that their deep and booming voices are too like the sounds of volcanoes erupting for the mighty god to distinguish them from the volatile realm of Aqshy and hear their pleas, meanwhile it is the shrill and piercing cries of the Grots that are unlike any other within the realm, able to pierce through the seismic rumbling and volcanic eruptions to irritate the god enough to earn his attention. It has been this way since the very beginnings of the tribe, those grots of particularly loud, shrill or annoying voices picked out from the crowd at a young age and thrown out into the wastelands to earn the attention of their God.
    Each is forced to live in exile until they return with a convincing token of their gods favour, though what is considered convincing is often left open to interpretation, some hunt the great phoenixes of the realm to try and carry off a cloak of flaming feathers as the warm (and burning) embrace of the suneater. Others climb to mountains top to pluck a shard of the great salamanders burning rocks from the very lip of a volcanoes edge. Of course many more simply band together in a conniving mob and wait for a more competent grot to complete such a heroic feat, then as their soon-to-be victim heads back to camp the mob descend on them in a flurry of rocks and fists to savagely beat them to death and steal their prize. Such acts often amuse the Suneater enough to let pass... and in doing so he loses but a single priest and gains a handful more as their victims trophy gets divided up between them.
    In battle the Gothi Fyri cut small figures, often able to hide behind the ranks of Suneaters that they might search for favour and blessing from the great god, it is this cowardice and cunning that makes them particularly adept at their jobs, often finding the resolve to channel the gods will when it benefits them most. Aside from their divine talents the Gothi Fyri act as mouth pieces for the great chosen ones of the Suneater, barking out their orders in a shrill and piercing cry to the rest of the tribe, though such cries often boil down to the annoying and hardly helpful “He's right you know”
     
    Gothi Heralds -
     
    Some Gothi priests can be seen riding to battle atop a weedy scavenger dragon known to feast on the corpses left in the wake of the suneater tribes known as the Scorch. The Carrion Drake is a lesser dragon in the realms, lacking in the brute strength of its greater kin and unable to produce volatile breath to drench its foes it instead finds its feasts in the wake of greater creatures, using its acidic maw to burn through cloth, armour and stone to feast on what meats the other predators could not reach. Its cry mimicks that of the deathwails of its victims, known for capriciously toying with its food before it feasts, often if it can seperate a weakened mortal from their people it will strike and retreat, leaving rents gouged in their flesh and relishing the scent of their blood spilling into the dirt as they try and make good an escape.
    Time and time again it will claw at its victims until eventually sweeping from on high to feast. It is said the first Gothi to ride a carrion drake subdued it quite by accident, when scavenging weapons and armour from the corpses left in the Scorch the grot opted for an impromptu break to consume mushrooms to sait a growing appetite (and due to immense laziness), cracking open the breastplate of a fallen human soldier he packed it full of mushrooms before starting a blaze beneath the corpse, relishing the scent of fresh meat blending with the narcotic smokes of the mushrooms. Alerted from his mushroom induced stuppour by the cry of a carrion drake above the little grot scuttled across the ground, secreting his small form in a crevice between two rocks and uttering a shocking array of curses as he was left to watch the serpentine dragon feast on his meal. However as the acidic maw sunk into the crumpled breastplate the vicious liquids merged with the mushrooms, the two combining into a heady haze of madcap madness which was quickly followed by the resounding thud of the now unconcious drake landing on the ground beside it.
    The Gothi saw he opportunity, this new beast would raise him high above the other grots, its guaranteed status, respect (for a grot atleast) and most of all meant he'd be a good distance further away from getting stabbed, shot, sat on, fallen on or generally crushed on the field of battle
    Gothi Heralds fly ahead of the great hosts of Suneaters, where their lesser kin are the spark that will burn down all in their path it is the Heralds task to break the will of the people ahead of the host, they are masters of the long hunt, scratching and screaching at their foes until huge trains of refugees march for the safety and refuge of the mighty fortresses of Order. The Heralds ensure that every human, duardin or Aelf in their path cluster together to hide within their stone walls so that when the main host arrives all of the meat is in one place, in this way they ensure that when the Suneater consumes the souls of the fallen he is now fed meagre scraps but a banquet fit for a God of his magnitude.   Prayers -  1)       Wrath of the Blackened Wyrm – A priest channels his will into the thick black smoke billowing from the pyres, coiling it like a serpent to obscure the Suneaters from their foes. Pick one TERRAIN feature within 15 inches of this priest and roll a D6, on a roll of 4 or more enemy models may no longer draw line of sight through or over that terrain feature.

     
    2)       Judgement of the Suneater – The best blades are formed in the hottest of flames, pick a friendly unit within 12 inches and roll a D6, on a 4 or more that unit immediately heals D3 wounds. On a roll of 1 however they are found unworthy and instead the target unit suffers D3 mortal wounds.

     
    3)       Volcanic Blows – Pick a friendly unit within 3 inches and roll a D6, on a 5 or more that units weapons are charged with the force of a volcanic eruption. Until your next hero phase whenever your target unit rolls of a 6 or more to hit resolve their attacks at a rend of -2.

     
    4)       Under the heel of Gork – Select an enemy unit within 18 inches and roll a D6, on a roll of 5 or more that unit counts its SAVE as its movement value until your next hero phase (A unit with a save of 3+ now has a move of 3) as they feel the weight of Gorks mighty foot pushing down upon them.

     
    5)       Burning Blood – Select a friendly unit within 3 inches and roll a D6, on a roll of 4 or more  that unit is enchanted. Until your next hero phase, if at the end of any combat phase that unit has lost wounds in close combat their attacker suffers D3 mortal wounds as their foes blood burns at their skin.

     
    6)       Burn it all – Select a friendly INFERNO MARKER and roll a D6, on a roll of 5 or more your prayer has been successful. Roll a dice for every ENEMY model within 6 inches of that marker, on a roll of 6 or more that model suffers a mortal wound as the pyres flame suddenly erupts outwards.
      Tactics -  Gothi Fyri are a staple of the Suneater tribes force, their unique prayer is one of the most reliable ways of ensuring the factions Pyres are lit turn after turn to progress through the rewards table for offerings to their gods. Their small size coupled with the "Cunning not Brave" rule make them hard for your enemies to take off the board aslong as you keep them away from close combat. This means you can tailor their second prayer to benefit your force, either healing your mighty warbeasts from a distance to keep them in the fight or giving volcanic blows to large mobs of Ashen Grots to rend through even the toughest of armour. If you opt to take the Draken mount you lose a degree of resilience gifted by their small stature but now gain the speed to keep up with the advance of cavalry and beasts from your list, ensuring that by the time your monsters reach the enemy lines they are still within their first wound bracket and more importantly lighting pyres to boost your army much further down the field.   Gothi Heralds serve a different function, they are faster than almost anything else within the Suneater tribes giving you a massively mobile model to deliver your boosts as and when you need it. Their bravery debuff aura coupled with their unique Spark of Despair spell lets you weaken the resolve of even the toughest of foes, whilst their ability to pick off specific models in units you fly over and help pickout unit leaders or banners that would otherwise have lived through your onslaught. If you are running a large number of Grots within your list then the Herald makes an ideal pick for General, his unique command ability lures grots out of hiding to pick off weakened foes on the battlefield allowing you too keep your units in the fight longer, and if gifted with the Volcanic Shield relic will always strike before his enemies in close combat allowing you a far better chance to get off your Strike and Circle ability without taking any attacks back from your victims.      
  22. Melcavuk
    Good Evening!
     
    So many people (I hope) will of seen my work in progress on a shiny new destruction faction for Age of Sigmar:
     
    THE SUNEATER TRIBES
     
    The Suneater tribes are comprised of fanatical Ogors and Grots who worship the Suneater aspect of Gorkamorka, following the teachings of his Great Prophet they seek to tear down all civilization that seeks to steal the realms away from the Wilds and to feed the souls of their victim to the Great God. It is the Suneaters belief that all that is built must be torn down and rendered to ash, and that by feeding the souls of their victims to the Suneater he will one day swell in size until he can read the very Sun itself and rip it from the skies above them. 
     
    They are a fire centric faction with a unique allegiance trait centred around setting terrain features ablaze in great Pyres to the glory of the Suneater, it is through these pyres and their priests that they can earn the attention of their volatile god and rain havoc down on the battlefield. 
     
    As I progress, shape, test and reshape the faction in terms of models, rules and background they will likely pass through many incarnations until I reach such a stage as i am happy with them. But for now here are those I have completed thus far!
     

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