The Farstrider Scout

I always seem to have issues when it comes to completing projects I start, especially if they’re personal projects and have no deadline.  The Loot Bag Goblins have gone untouched for the greater part of this week due to an exercise at work…  And when I did have time to paint, I turned my attentions to a Ziggurat of Doom that I’m building as a scenario to play eventually.

The top two tiers of the Ziggurat are cut, etched, weathered, and primered, and I purchased more paint and a larger brush to tackle the final two tiers, one 18″ wide and one 24″ wide. Lots of work to do there.

But, yet again, the train of thought switches tracks and I ended up painting, and finishing, one of the models from the Battle for Skull Pass box – a captive Dwarf Slayer. Eyes are a little googly, but wouldn’t yours be after getting clobbered and tied up by a bunch of goblins? He’ll probably be pretty pissed when he comes to his senses, and I’m sure my technique with eyes will improve with time.

Not really related to the main army I’m trying to put together, but the Battle for Skull Pass kit came with a Goblin army as well, which included a large number of Night Goblin Spearmen. Ten of these (the box came with 30 or so, despite the fact that it says it only has 20), have small bags on their hips… Which have now become LOOT BAGS!!!

In the end, I plan on having 3 white loot bags, 3 green, 2 blue, 1 gold, and the 1 purple I’ve already painted.  Perfect for your public quest!

Well, 16 has moved to twenty, and I’ve dropped the champion from the initial group. I may still make him, since the concept I had for him was pretty cool (I think), but as far as the actual game goes, while viable, would be a detriment to the army, I think. So shields and heavy armor for all!

In the meantime, I’ve done some digging and come up with a tentative 2500 point army list, as follows:

• Kerik Silvershield, Dwarf Lord, with Gromril armor and shield
  • Kerik will serve as the army’s General
  • Contemplating adding an 10 man Ironbreaker unit as a guard, but this will push the points over 2500.  May have to prune something else off to allow for it, as I highly doubt Kerik would be one to stay in the background, and being alone would make him vulnerable.
• Handri Grimtome, Runesmith, with Master Rune of Spellbinding and Rune of Warding.
• 1 unit of 20 Dwarf Warriors with Heavy Armor and Shields, Musician, and Standard Bearer
• 1 unit of 20 Dwarf Warriors with Heavy Armor and Shields, Musician, and Standard Bearer
• 1 unit of 20 Dwarf Longbeards with Musician and Standard Bearer
• 1 unit of 20 Dwarf Miners with Musician, Standard Bearer, and Champion
  • Planning on adding a Steam Drill but this was not listed in the book I have
• 1 unit of 10 Dwarf Thunderers with Musician and Standard Bearer
• 1 unit of 10 Dwarf Quarrelers with Ranger Upgrade, Shields, Musician, Standard Bearer
• 1 unit of 20 Ironbreakers with Musician, Standard Bearer, led by Thane Daengar Stonehammer with Gromril Armor and Shield
• Grudge Thrower
• Cannon, led by Engineer Rukar Stonefist, with a Rune of Reloading
• Organ Gun
• Gyrocopter

Unfortunately the army book I’m using is outdated, so point values and units will have to be tweaked once I get the updated book, but fortunately birthday money will help with that.

I’d also considered adding Brexar Handrisson as a Dragonslayer, but for two things.  First, given the point value of the army, I can’t have more than 4 characters in the army, so it ended up being a choice between the Runesmith and the Dragonslayer, and the utility the Runesmith provides won out.  Secondly, Brexar, being a Slayer isn’t likely to stick around once Kerik settles in at his new post, and will probably strike out with Arvelen.

It has begun! If you listen closely enough, you can hear the ring of hammers on steel at the dwarf forges of Barak Varr, as slowly but surely, an army begins to form… Starting with 16 stalwart dwarf warriors, first up are the standard bearer, musician, and champion, and the unit’s assorted weaponry and shields!

After several hours of searching, Brexar finally found Arvelen down at the Royal Stables, grooming his Ellyrian steed. “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you, and you’re down here tending to your… Food.” Brexar remarked with a toothy grin.

“Wind Dancer is not food, dwarf.” Arvelen bristled briefly, until he turned around and saw the young Slayer smiling. “But then, you wouldn’t know fine cuisine if it were sat in front of you, would you?” He shot back with a smirk.

“Haw! You got me there, elf.” Brexar guffawed.

“And what brings you in such an urgent search of me?” Arvelen turned back to the horse and continued grooming.

“Kerik’s leavin’. He just got word that their hold was overrun, and his father’s dead. He’s heading south to meet up with what’s left of his people and guide them to Barak Varr. Wants us to come with him.” Brexar leaned up against a post and pulled out a pipe before lighting it.

“Very well. My things are already packed. When do we leave.”

Brexar took a few puffs on the pipe, blowing smoke rings out into the air. “Tomorrow, before dawn. You know what this means, right?”

“Perhaps you should explain.” Arvelen turned and looked at the dwarf quizzically.

Brexar scowled. “The boy’s father’s dead. That makes him King. He won’t be joining us in battle again, not any time soon, and certainly not like it used to be. And when he does, he’ll have an army at his back.”

The warhawk sat, perched high above the ground, on a small outcropping of rock jutting out from the cliff face, surveying the land around it. It was a clear day, even for the ruined lands of Nagarythe, though dark storm clouds still threatened on the horizon, flickering with multicolored hues. Its eyes saw everything in that ruined landscape, catching every tiny movement, waiting for that moment, that perfect moment when it would spot something worth calling “prey” and swoop down upon it, tearing into it with beak and talons. It could take all day, but the hunter was patient. It would wait, unmoving as stone, until that perfect moment presented itself.

Far below it, perched in a sickly tree, sat another hunter. From his vantage point, Arvelen saw everything that the warhawk saw, caught every movement that the warhawk caught, but mostly had his attention focused on the warhawk itself. Unbeknownst to the warhawk, the Asur had given this particular one a name – Bloodtalon. While not nearly as large as its kin that resided in the forests of Athel Loren, it was no less majestic, a champion of its kind. A survivor of the wasteland.

In troubled times, Arvelen always sought refuge in the ruins of his homeland, coming out to the warhawk’s territory, to watch it hunt in solitude, and to think. As the war dragged on, Arvelen found himself visiting more and more, seeking solitude himself, answers from within…

A flicker of movement appeared in a patch of grass far out in the open, highlighted by the sunbeam that had appeared to kiss the ravaged landscape… And high above on the cliff face, Bloodtalon spread his wings and dove. There was a flurry of movement as the pray realized its position, but it was all too late. Moments later, the warhawk’s head could be seen above the grass, its beak dripping with fresh blood, ever the efficient hunter.

Oh, it’s on now!

2010.02.05 06:34:00

Victim: Dereth Renner
Corp: Geezer Gaming corp.
Alliance: NONE
Faction: NONE
Destroyed: Abaddon
System: Eglennaert
Security: 0.8
Damage Taken: 22219

Involved parties:

Name: takedoom (laid the final blow)
Security: 4.5
Corp: Goram Innovations
Alliance: NONE
Faction: NONE
Ship: Hyperion
Weapon: Electron Blaster Cannon II
Damage Done: 16249

Name: Snake Bliskan
Security: 3.9
Corp: Goram Innovations
Alliance: NONE
Faction: NONE
Ship: Ishkur
Weapon: Hobgoblin II
Damage Done: 5970

Destroyed items:

Adaptive Nano Plating II
Proton L, Qty: 65 (Cargo)
Heavy Capacitor Booster II
Large Capacitor Control Circuit I, Qty: 3
Multifrequency L, Qty: 5
Large Armor Repairer II
Reactor Control Unit II
Tachyon Modulated Energy Beam I, Qty: 2
Cap Booster 800, Qty: 5
Cap Recharger II, Qty: 2
Valkyrie I (Cargo)
Carbonized Lead L, Qty: 100 (Cargo)
1600mm Reinforced Crystalline Carbonide Plates I
Hammerhead I, Qty: 2 (Cargo)
Nuclear L, Qty: 100 (Cargo)

Dropped items:

Damage Control II
Hobgoblin I (Cargo)
LiF Fueled I Booster Rockets
Multifrequency L, Qty: 3
Reactor Control Unit II
Tachyon Modulated Energy Beam I, Qty: 6
Cap Booster 800, Qty: 16 (Cargo)
Valkyrie I, Qty: 3 (Cargo)
1600mm Reinforced Crystalline Carbonide Plates I
Hammerhead I (Cargo)