Mordheim Warband - Part II

In Part I we looked at the Mordheim Warband, I was conceptualising and deciding just which bunch of desperadoes to pick.  Having decided on Undead, I set about painting my Vampire model, and deciding on a name and some fluff.

Part II

The Vampire

Those of you who read the last update will remember the model I picked was from Reaper Miniatures.  I have nothing but good things to say about their figures, there's a great range and the service was excellent.  I set about painting my lovely vampiress...

This was one of those models that was delightfully simple to paint - a quick white undercoat and she was ready.  I used Chaos Black for the hair and a Scab Red basecoat, Blood Red highlight for her dress (what else...).  Blood Red can be quite blotchy, so it took about three coats to get rid of that and get a really smooth colour.  I deliberately kept the harshness of the creases and shading, to make it more appreciable at a distance.

The skin was Pallid White Flesh, followed by a Drucci Violet Wash, and re-highlighted with the White Flesh.  This was the same tone I used on my Imperial Guard Psykers and my old Chaos Renegades - it gives a lovely, unnatural, deathly tone that still has a splash of colour in it.  Comparing the photos, I think the Psykers had a light follow-up wash of Violet as well.

Not to make excuses about my photography but the model's ... ahem ... chest, has caught the light rather badly.  It looks a bit shinier than in real life.

The only 'converting' I did was to accentuate a seam at the elbows, using Liquid Green Stuff, to give a change of level that would make it look as if she's wearing those lovely arm-length gloves.  Perfect!  That cup in her hands is ideal, as one of my opponents is making some Grail-questing Bretonnians...

Her Ladyship, Marie d'Alscon, le Comtesse de Fontenac

The terrified peasants of Fontenac have known Marie d'Alscon simply as 'the Countess' for as long as anyone can remember.  The Grand Veranda inside the Hôtel de Ville bears portraits of all the previous Counts and Countesses.  Marie d'Alscon's is the most recent - despite it having hung there for nearly two hundred years.  Dark rumours persist about her longevity and unearthly beauty, but the villagers know all too well to keep their mouths shut.  

They are largely left alone, living a communal existence free of the usual interference a Bretonnian noble might inflict on his vassals.  Notably, they have never been called upon to bear arms for their mistress.  She seems to find her soldiers from ... alternative sources ... whether or not this is linked to the Countess' strange insistence that the dead are surrendered to her, for burial in her private graveyard in the grounds of the chateau, is anyone's guess.

Of course, such eccentric behaviour has attracted the attention of the Bretonnian authorities.  Henri de Natiers, a noble Questing Knight, was outraged at the peasants' lack of deference when he sought sustenance in Fontenac.  Seething with rage, he set off for the chateau - what transpired there, no-one knows ... but suffice to say de Natiers abruptly abandoned his quest and his title, swearing loyalty to the Countess.  When next seen in public, his honoured family crest was tarnished with a bend sable, cruelly painted over the lion of his family's proud name.

A suitable villain for our Mordheim games!  I know I promised you zombies in Part II but they've been held up in the post.  I promise Part III will have the full story!

But...

Lovely though this model is, I'm starting to have second thoughts about its suitability for Mordheim games.  If we did some kind of RPG inside the chateau, perfect, but climbing up walls and diving across gaps (even as a Vampire), I think I'd prefer something with a cloak.  And I like the idea of a master swordswoman as well.  So I had a hunt on Ebay, I'm trying to find an old Isabella von Carstein model to use as a battle stand-in.  Just a thought...

Thanks for reading!

Ed