With the work I have done on the roof the house is starting to get the final shape. I also started to build a stone chimney and added details to the left side of the house. Soon I will be adding plaster to the walls, rivets to the beams and planks, and shingles to the roof. I also plan to add some windows to the roof but I didn't came up with satisfying design yet.
Necromancer and master of dark arts known only as Arachtian was infamous throughout the old world. His frequent appearances within the cities of the Empire made him one of the most wanted man. Elector counts employed the toughest witch hunters to hunt him down. Rewards on his head were spiraling. He was never seen in one place for too long. He was constantly on the move escaping various holy groups, mercenaries and witch hunters.
Upon his arrival to Sylvania, his path crossed with one of the most vicious vampires known to man, vampire Kain. This hateful vampire lord saw a great potential in this corrupted and foul man, who already had a great knowledge of dark magic. Kain realized immediately that he would be of great assistance to the New Night Order since his abilities to rapidly raise big groups of undead servants were unparalleled. His nomadic lifestyle had a specific purpose. Everywhere he traveled, he was in search of potent artifacts and forbidden books. Most valuable items in his collection were ancient artefacts and tomes from the deserts of the old. These unholy scripts gave him unique insights into arcane dark science which was long gone and forgotten. In one of his experiments and rituals he apparently succeeded in creating a levitating dead host, a living corpse like zombie only faster and stronger. This of course is yet to be confirmed on the battlefield but it is no wonder that commander Kain wants him by his side.
The news of his involvement with Kain spread throughout the Empire and caused fear and concern among men. The word is that he is working day and night on raising the new breed of undead warriors that shall serve the New Night Order. If this turns out to be more than a tavern rumor, may Sigmar help us!
The model I have used for Arachtian character is a Necromancer miniature from Scibor Miniatures. This is the first non GW character in my collection. I really love this model and it fits perfectly with GamesWorkshop miniatures. The size is spot on. To read more about this mini and for some WIP pictures follow the link to this post.
Continuing the work on the house. I moved to the upper floor now. Apart form the basic construction, I'm doing mainly timber at the moment. Afterwards I will be adding stone and plaster to the walls. Everything is going as planed so far.
First I constructed the wooden floor which is supported by the beams bellow.
Then I added additional wooden beams to support the floor, especially the balcony.
Then I started to raise walls and work on the balcony. I deconstructed the balcony of the Tabletop World Townhouse II model and with a bit of reconstruction and tweaking I made a new, smaller one which fits perfectly with the new house.
Then I moved on with construction and started to add some details, mostly timber.
And this is where I'm currently at. I did a second entrance in the back of the house which will also have a crane and serve as a little storage room.
This is where I'm at with my unit of Black Knights. Currently I have finished four of them out of twenty-four planed. They are basically Mortreich's Black Guard only mounted. I am painting them in the same color scheme and I gave them the same shields. I think they will look fantastic next to each other once I finish the whole unit. Big blocks of infantry and cavalry led by mighty Mortreich will be a terrifying sight to see on the battlefield for any opponent!
But first I want to finish the Midgard townhouse. Can't wait to get back to my Undead! 💀
More work has been done on the house! First I finished the stone work on the other side of the house, apart from the section bellow the stairs which needed to be completely remodeled.
I finally found some time to continue work on my Townhouse. I did some stonework and added wooden beams to the walls. I also added two windows. When deciding were to put windows and other openings I always take in consideration both the esthetics and the gameplay.
I really like how this project is developing.
I also started to work on a big Cavalry unit based on the 90s OOP Black Knights miniatures. The unit will compose of 24-27 knights and will represent Mortreich's Black Knights. I started by doing the skeletal steeds for the first rank.
Back to my Altburg Townhouse project! I decided to completely change the design of the original Merchant House model. I have lowered the floor so that the interior is a bit higher and can fit the minis more easily. I also replaced original wood planks with flagstone. I removed the front wall and extended the whole floor for about 2cm, again to have more space inside. The original doors were fixed, so I decided to replace them with the hinged version. Now the doors are fully functional. I removed all the textures and details in interior as well as on the exterior because I plan to completely redesign them.
The part that I was most excited about doing is the puke running down his belly. For this I used Woodland Scenics Fine Turf mixed with water and PVA glue to give it some texture. I think it turned out pretty well (disgusting) :D. Also I wanted his clothes and feet to be very dirty and his skin full of scabs and lesions from falling down and lack of hygiene. Scenery is from Tabletop World.
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.
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.
