Mortreich's Black Guard

This mighty legion of skeletal warriors clad in dark, full plate armor represents the personal guard of Mortreich von Todtstein. His warrior legion also known as the “Black Host” or "Der Nachtguard" consist of the elite fighters gathered through many centuries, from all around the old world. Some of them where enrolled by being killed and resurrected afterwards, others dug out from their tombs and summoned along the way, and some joined Mortreich by their own free will, while they still lived, granting them upon their deaths the ultimate gift from their supreme commander, that of the un-death and service under his banner for all eternity! Highly efficient, remorseless, cruel as grave and bound to the mighty “Nightfang”, they obey every single word and command from their master.

They march to war caring the magical “Blood Moon” standard, allowing them to move at rapid speed. On it, a dark chalice is being filled with a drop of blood, representing the human blood that is being shed in the name of Mortreich. The “Blood Moon” is yet another symbol of the “New Night Order” and the blood sacrifices that shall be done in order to achieve their terrible goal. This blood symbol also represents the blood that forever “lives” on the infamous Mortreich's blade, the "Nightfang", and his vampiric lust for human blood that fuels his dead heart, making the unhuman black blood flow cold trough his veins for all eternity.

Der Nachtguard is here to destroy the world of the living, and the only thing that is faster than the speed of light is the silence of the cursed night by which they travel! The Night and its creatures are one, and eventually they will absorb everything! Fear them, the Black Host has been unleashed! 

I have finally finished this massive unit of 50 Armored Skeletons! I've been in the hobby for more then 20 years and this is the largest unit I have put together so far. It was starting to be a bit exhausting by the end but totally worth the effort. I really think they are a sight to behold. :) Also, it was quite expensive collecting these 90's OOP miniatures from different sellers on eBay. In my opinion, the 90's are golden years when it comes to Games Workshop miniatures. Since there are originally only five different skeletons I decided to convert a fair amount of them in order to make the unit look more varied. By simply swapping heads with those from the old plastic skeletons kit, adding horns and other decorations to their helmets, or even using Bretonnian and Empire helmets, I made the unit much more interesting. Originally I used Bretonian flag for the banner but later replaced it with one from the Grave Guard sprue because I wasn't quite happy with it. I wanted to make my banner resemble to those old school banners that where photocopied from the book and then cut out and painted. :) All in all, I'm very pleased with this unit and looking forward to moving on with my legions. 

If you are interested in how I made the unique shields for the Black Guard check out this tutorial.