Countess Abigail's Black Coach

When Mortreich was roaming the lands of the old world in search of a magical blade “Nightfang", he never expected to find a partner in his un-life. In one of the temples of Lahmia he encountered Abigail and was instantly stricken by her beauty and charm. Abigail was a Lahmian Vampire and she felt immediate infatuation towards him. Thus Mortreich returned to Sylvania not only with an ancient relic of great power but also an eternal companion. Soon after his return, they became a famous couple, inseparable. Abigail was Mortreich’s most valued confidante, and the only vampire whose advice he trusted. For decades they fought side by side until the fateful day when in the battle at the gates of Wolfenburg, Grandmaster Boris Von Raukow of Ostland decapitated Abigail. Seeing this happen, Mortreich’s eyes became bloodshot and sudden deafness engulfed him. After few moments of disbelief he went into a frenzy, piercing Von Raukow’s full plate with his fist and ripping his heart out. After letting out a terrifying shriek, he ate the Grandmaster’s heart and stomped his head to a pulp. On that day Mortreich swore to kill every member of the Raukow family. Abigail’s loyal Dregs collected the remains of their bellowed mistress and retrieved them to Sylvania. Mortreich ordered the best carpenters in the province to build a magnificent Black Coach which will hold her remains inside the ornamented casket. The Black Coach will serve to transport the remains of Abigail into places of slaughter, for a Vampire can never truly die and can still be resurrected should all his remains be placed in a casket and sent to places saturated with Death Magic. In order to transport Abigail's rejuvenating form to places of slaughter, Black Coach is always present when Mortreich’s Legion marches to war. Driven forward by a pair of Nightmares and a scythe-wielding Wraith, the Black Coach soaks up the dark energies slowly revivifying Countess Abigail.

For me this is one of iconic Warhammer miniatures. The classic Black Coach is just perfect. I decided that my coach will be predominantly made of wood, so I carved the wood grain in the plain surfaces. At one point I was thinking about replacing the skeletal steeds with black horses covered in black cloth, but in the end I decided to keep the original Nightmares. I ditched the impaled skeleton which originally goes behind the wraith. It seamed somehow out of place to me. Overall I am very happy with the result.