The Invocation E-Zine is a quarterly published E-zine produced by

VampireCounts.net. and its members.

Editor:
Disciple of Nagash

Contributors:
Disciple of Nagash
Swissdictator
MasterSpark
Dark Sheep
Arion
Danceman
The Pale Lady
Count Flapula

Front Cover and Artwork:

Ophidicus

Layout:
Disciple of Nagash and MasterSpark

All models in this issue are from members of Carpe Noctem as noted by the username under the relevant picture.

This E-zine is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited.
The Chaos devices, the Chaos logo, Citadel, Citadel Device, the Double-Headed/Imperial Eagle device, ‘Eavy Metal,
Forge World, Games Workshop, Games Workshop logo, Golden Demon, Great Unclean One, the Hammer of Sigmar
logo, Horned Rat logo, Keeper of Secrets, Khemri, Khorne, Lord of Change, Nurgle, Skaven, the Skaven symbol
devices, Slaanesh, Tomb Kings, Trio of Warriors, Twin Tailed Comet Logo, Tzeentch, Warhammer, Warhammer
Online, Warhammer World logo, White Dwarf, the White Dwarf logo, and all associated marks, names, races, race
insignia, characters, vehicles, locations, units, illustrations and images from the Warhammer world are either ®, TM
and/or © Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2008, variably registered in the UK and other countrie

2
 Contents

Greetings from the Perverted One Editorial 4

Grave News 5

To War! Basic Tactica – Artefacts of Death Part 1 7

Themed Army List – Von Carstein 14

Army Showcase 18

Dark Art – Zombie Painting Guide 33

Golden Bat Competition Results 41

User Projects 47

Special Character Design Rules Advanced 55

A Fitting End Graphic Novel by Ophidicus 63

To War! Advanced Tactica – Combat Orientated Army Lists 68

Fixing Vampire Counts: Necromancy Spells 80

Battle Report 83

The Children of Maat Story 97

What’s in the Next Issue 121

3
 Greetings from the perverted one
Editorial

A warm and bloody greeting to issue #2 of the Invocation…..

Well first I want to thank all those that gave feedback on the first issue. We received many praises which
made all the effort put in seem worth while, but just as importantly we received some constructive
criticism, and we have listened to it.

So this issue should be improved on the first with a huge battle report complete with some pictures and
diagrams, improved layout and formatting for the entire magazine, and few other things that should
hopefully make reading the Invocation all that more enjoyable. However if you see anything that you
think we can improve on then make sure you tell us!

It is also a bittersweet issue, in that as well as the various amounts of good news we have in the continued
success of the user projects and competitions, we also have a piece of news which I’m sure many of the
members of Carpe Noctem will be saddened by. However I will leave it up to the person themselves to say,
which you can read in the news section.

As for the rest of the issue, well all I can say is wow. The various contributors have again surpassed
themselves with some helpful and informative articles, as well as some brand new artwork by Ophidicus.
On that note I should mention that we welcome anyone who wants to contribute to the Invocation. So if
you have artistic flair, have an idea for an article or some other suggestion then please feel free to contact
me on Carpe Noctem.

Carnal blessings to you all.

Disciple of Nagash

4
 Grave news
The Latest News on Carpe Noctem by Disciple of Nagash

Master Vampire Parts with Carpe Noctem

Yes unfortunately the title is true. The founder and creator of Carpe Noctem is leaving but rather than
me, here is his goodbye in his own words.........

“Hi all,

I've seen Carpe Noctem grow and grow. It has been a child to me. It was my idea in the first place. Its
first name was Castle Sylvania... which wasn't a very good title. The forum eventually died but I swore
to the members that I'd make a new one. CN MK II was born. It was a free forum based on Invisionfree.
We didn't have our own address in the way we now have. And again we started from scratch. It was the
time that the Blood Keep still was a big forum. I've never felt any competition with them, because I
found that both forums had a different member base and attitude towards the community.

It has been a dream to have a forum as big as the Blood Keep. CN still (un)lives on, next to the Blood
Keep. I'm happy with what it has become. I've reached the point where I have fulfilled my goal: to
make a big VC forum made by me. It makes me proud.

Alas, since the goal has been fulfilled, I became aware how much I was actually doing with the hobby
itself. It's a big fat zilch nowadays. I've outgrown the hobby, I guess. From one side, it's sad because it's
a part of my youth. From the other side, it's time to head into adulthood. It's not that Warhammer
cannot be combined with adulthood but through my own experience, I’ve found that good memories
should be left alone.

I've had that with old video games. In my memory, they rock the block. But when I install them on my
PC and play them again, I seem to find bugs and irregularities which make the game not any fun at all.
It has disrupted my view of the game.

Hence, I will leave Warhammer as it is. I've got some good memories with Warhammer. I really liked
thinking about it. How it would be to live in such a world and not in the reality we’ve got now. Maybe
that was the way how I escaped reality. In that sense, it has played an important role in forming myself.

What I'm trying to tell you all, is that I have to part ways with CN, the members and the hobby itself.
Although I have been away before for some time, I feel now that I won't come back. Of course, I will
peek around the corner from time to time but I won't be active anymore. I haven't been active for over a
year or so, I've mainly been trying to fix forum issues and moving it over to the new host.

I would like to conclude my departure by thanking all who make up this wonderful community. Thanks
to the new Admin, Disciple of Nagash, who will now run the forum. Thanks to MasterSpark, Skaramak
von Carstein, Voltaire, The Dark Sheep and Vekarin The Dark Bladed for their Mod-duties. Thanks also
to all who have been moderators or in any way helpful to make CN a better place.

Cheers and have fun on CN!

~MV”
5
New Moderators
Since the last issue of The Invocation we have Golden Bat Summer 2009 Competition
had some changes in the moderator team at
The GB was a great success, and you can see the
Carpe Noctem.
results of the competition elsewhere in the issue.
I am sad to say we have lost Ergo-Sum as our A big thanks to all those that made the effort (a
To War! (tactics) moderator. However we have special mention to The Dark Sheep for dragging
found a more than suitable replacement in those extra entrants in!), and a reminder that
MasterSpark. Regulars will already know the next competition will be starting on late
MasterSpark thanks to his swift replies and in- December 2009, just in time for all those new
depth posts, and with the two tactical articles in models you got for Christmas!
this issue written by him, you can easily see he
has some great advice to give. Medals

Another moderator to step down was The Dark Another apology is in order as the medal system
Arts (Painting & Modelling) moderator Josef. has yet to be implemented. The transition of the
However he nominated someone who has more host and the recent down time has added to this,
than risen to the challenge – The Dark Sheep. A however I am now in a position to fix this. The
superb painter (damn him!) whose article in the medals can be back dated so once they are
first Invocation was form favourite and looks implemented, anyone thinking they are missing
set to continue that trend in this issue. out can contact me.

Finally we have a man who really needs no Bloodline Armies Play Testers Needed!!
introduction to the long term members of Carpe
That’s right! The work and effort put in on the
Noctem – Voltaire. After a respite he has
Bloodline Armies mean it has progressed to the
returned to Carpe Noctem as our Chronicles of
point where we are ready to start play testing
Death (Background and Stories) moderator, and
the rules, and this is where we need your help.
if his writing in the Vampire Council role-play is
anything to go by, he have some great Play testing is very simple. The new rules fit
experience to share in that area. with the current Vampire Counts army list and
composition, and as such you shouldn’t have to
Email Notification
change your favourite army list. The only thing
First I would like to apologise to all our that changes is that you choose your bloodline
members. As you all know we had problems powers for your vampires from the rules
with our host limiting the amount of outgoing provided and also amend their stats as per their
emails, meaning that the notification function bloodline.
stopped working. However we have taken steps
We even have a list for necromancers if you’re
to rectify this, and as such we have now moved
one of those that miss them from the 6th edition.
to our brand new host. The problem should be
If you are interested then please click on this
fixed by the end of September, and by then
link: Click Here
everyone should start receiving emails to
subscribed topics or personal messages again. If
for any reason you do not please send me a PM
on Carpe Noctem.

6
 The Teachings of Abhorash – Basics
The Artefacts of Death – An Overview by MasterSpark
The Vampire Counts have at their disposal a lost general if he perishes in his attempts at
large number of potent and useful magical items “Frostblading” things.
that they can bring to the tabletop but
sometimes it can be a hassle to decide which
one/ones will work better with your intended Next up is the Dreadlance, this one also
plan and strategy. Therefore we’ll provide you exclusive to Vampire Lords and then only
with an overview of the available items with mounted ones. At a cost of just above half of
comments about their general usefulness and what the Frostblade will run you, the
how they stack up with each other. Every Dreadlance still packs an awesome punch if
section will be dealt with from the most you’re able to get the charge. It also combines
expensive option to the cheapest one. In this very well with certain Vampire Powers such as
first issue we will look through the magical Beguile (lets you re-roll the failed wounds from
Weapons, Armour and Talismans. your automatic hits) and Red Fury (since you’re
likely to be putting the hurt on your enemies on
Weapons
a roll of 2+ or more with each attack, this has
Chief amongst these Artefacts of Death is the some real potential for mayhem). The downside
Frostblade. Exclusive to Vampire Lords, this is a to this weapon is, like the Frostblade, its points
weapon of immense power. The Frostblade will cost. You’ll still have some points left over to
automatically destroy any one model as long as provide you with some decent protection but in
you can score a single unsaved wound on it. This the way of ward saves you’ll have to risk
makes it a terrific weapon to deal with enemy stupidity with the Crown of the Damned which
monsters such as Dragons and Greater Daemons will also take up the remaining points for
(beware of the magic-weapon-negating Obsidian magical items. Also beware that if riding a
Armour though) but also any multi-wound units monstrous mount, the Vampire Lord will no
such as Ogres and Trolls. When combined with longer be able to his this expensive weapon if his
Red Fury, the Frostblade will let you hew steed is destroyed and he himself is left on foot.
through an entire unit of monstrous infantry in However, the verdict stands that this weapon is
a single turn! However, the weapon’s indeed worthwhile.
substantial points cost means that it’ll be the
The Black Axe of Krell is a weapon that must be
only magic item that the Lord will be entitled
wielded by a Wight King. As a great weapon
to. Thankfully you will still have access to some
that caused D3 wounds and also forces the
basic defensive measures through Avatar of
survivors to pass a toughness test in subsequent
Death or Dread Knight but if this Vampire Lord
turns to avoid losing more wounds, it will grant
is your general, a 2+ armour save is rather
the bearer decent offensive prowess.
meagre indeed. Also, it keeps the Vampire Lord
Unfortunately it will limit the defence of your
at his base Strength 5 which might limit him
Wight King as it will take up his entire magic
when fighting some enemy characters and
item allowance. As a great weapon it will deny
monsters. The Beguile power goes a long way to
him use of his shield, leaving him with only his
remedy this, luckily. Anyway, the most efficient
heavy armour. This will make him quite
way to use this weapon would be to have a
vulnerable to enemy monsters, which are the
secondary Lord choice carry it in a larger game.
thing that the weapon itself is especially
That way your army won’t suffer the effects of a
7
effective at hurting. Alternatively you could the hands of a flying Vampire who can swoop in
also mount him on a barded steed, giving him a behind enemy lines and force the enemy to take
3+ armour save. This will hurt his strength a multiple terror tests. The thing to note here is
little bit though, as you will only get +1 to your that the Supernatural Horror power would leave
Strength value from great weapons when the Vampire unable to also purchase Flying
mounted. All in all, there are more efficient Horror and would instead be forced to ride a
ways to equip your Wight King and achieve more compromising Hellsteed, whereas
better results. Skabscrath will allow the wielder the safety of
moving along with a unit. It is basically an
The Blood Drinker is a very useful tool for both
alternative way to cause terror for those who do
Vampire Lords and Heroes. With each
not wish to spend points from their Vampiric
successfully caused wound you’ll be able to
Powers allowance.
regain one earlier lost wound from either the
wielder him/herself or the wielder’s unit. This is The Sword of Kings is a Vampire Counts classic
exceptionally useful when the wielder leads a and in this seventh edition of Warhammer it has
unit of tough and expensive troops such as returned as a very powerful weapon indeed. It
Grave Guard, Black Knights or Blood Knights can either be given to a Vampire to lend them
(especially these last ones) and will take some the Killing Blow special rule, something that is
pressure off of your magic, giving you an never without use (except perhaps against the
opportunity to instead use it elsewhere. Ogre Kingdoms), or it could instead be granted
Remember also that newly resurrected models to a Wight King. This is where it gets
will get to fight in the very same combat phase interesting for in the hands of a Wight King it
that they were brought back in, provided that will boost the potency of the Wight’s Killing
they’re placed in the front rank. Its downside is Blows by 50%, causing them on 5+ instead of
that it will keep the wielder at the base Strength on a 6 only. This makes it a phenomenal weapon
5 which will make it more difficult to crack the against both enemy cavalry and characters and
harder foes out there such as cavalry and enemy well worth the points cost. If a downside would
characters. The Blood Drinker is better suited to have to be mentioned, it’d be that the wielder
battle the enemy infantry where the Vampire’s would be left at his base Strength and that no
default strength will let it carve bloody paths amount of killing blows in the world will help
through them, raising his fallen minions as he him against creatures that are immune to it.
goes. The Powers Red Fury, Infinite Hatred and
The Tomb Blade is a cool little device that lets
Beguile will all boost the efficiency of the Blood
the wielder raise a previously lost Skeleton
Drinker but at an additional points cost
Warrior for every successful wound that he
(obviously). Like the Tomb Blade, the power of
causes on the enemy. However, unless in the
the Blood Drinker cannot be increased by any of
hands of a Vampire Lord with the appropriately
the master powers or the presence of an Unholy
combat-boosting Vampire Powers (and he really
Loadstone.
could be doing more than be stuck re-raising his
The sword Skabscrath (or “Skabskrath” as it fallen skeleton minions), you’re likely to find
was called in “Dark Omen”) is one of the more that the base offense of a Vampire won’t make
seldom used magical items. This is mainly due to the weapon’s effects as impressive as it could be.
the fact that the same effect is available through If you’d instead purchase a weapon that boosted
the Vampire Powers for cheaper, but also the wielder’s offensive prowess you’d be able to
because the Vampire Counts have access to no more readily kill opponents which would also
less than three Terror-causing unit entries in the lead to fewer losses in close combat. The Tomb
rare category. However it can still find its use in Blade is certainly not without its uses but there
8
are better options out there. Also to note is that your character up with the rest of what you’ve
the Games Workshop FAQ for the Vampire wanted, and you’re not already toting a lance or
Counts has ruled that neither the Lord of the other such weapon, adding the Biting Blade is
Dead power nor a nearby Unholy Lodestone will never a poor choice. Reducing the enemy’s
boost the Tomb Blade’s effect in any way, armour save and granting you magical attacks
unfortunately. for a one-digit cost is good but chances are that
you’ve already filled the offensive spot with
Next we reach the three common magic
something else.
weapons, the Swords of Striking, Battle and
Might. Each of these weapons is a worthwhile
buy for their low price and will all boost the
wielder’s close combat efficiency in one way or
another. The Sword of Striking will allow you to
hit with greater ease (can work well with Red
Fury), Battle will grant you an additional
Attack (always useful) and Might will increase
your Strength (making it easier to wound and
punch through the enemy’s armour save).
These are all good buys and will enable some
Model by Markof
pretty nifty combinations with other magical
items due to their economic cost. Overall, the Armour
Sword of Might is often the most effective choice
as it will help you in two phases when it comes Highest up on the list of magical armours is
to hurting your enemy, instead of just one like Walach’s Bloody Hauberk. This is a very useful
the others. piece of protection which will serve its wearer
well in all circumstances, providing you with the
For its very modest cost, The Balefire Spike is a only ward save available outside of the
cheap and easy way to get a source of flaming stupefying Crown of the Damned (and the
attacks into your army. As a lance it can work Talisman of Protection..). It’s points cost is the
as a (much!) cheaper alternative to the only true downside to this armour. For this
Dreadlance, allowing the wielder to purchase a reason is it best used on Vampire Lords where
fair few more magical items to boost him in it’s not expensive enough to negate the
other ways. Remember that the character will character the use of other nifty items.
have to be mounted to make use of this weapon.
The only true downside to The Balefire Spike is The Accursed Armour is an interesting artefact.
that, as it gives you flaming attacks, it can be On one side will make the wearer tougher but on
ignored and negated by certain units and the other it’ll rob him off some weapon skill and
abilities that render the opponent immune to initiative. The Games Workshop FAQ has also
flaming attacks. Foremost among these are the ruled that if the wearer also uses the Helm of
High Elves and their Dragon Armour. If you Commandment, the weapon skill that is passed
expect to fight against the High Elves, then this on will still be affected by this armour.
weapon might be best to leave at home. However, if the wearer is affected by the Helm
of Commandment from another source, the
Last on the list of magical weapons is the negative effects of this armour will not apply.
humble Biting Blade. At such a low price you Therefore if you can keep this support up, you’ll
really cannot complain about what it gives you. only notice the positive points of The Accursed
If you have the points left over after loading Armour. It tends to be the most useful on a
9
Wight King, making the wearer truly tough and armour which will often reduce your total
resilient. If he’s a unit with the Banner of the combined armour save. This is indeed offset by
Barrows, the negative sides to this armour will the advantages that it confers though. Also,
be further reduced. The downside to this armour even though it is explicitly permitted, the
is that it forces you into taking these sorts of Nightshroud will not do much good for
precautionary steps which may or may not be Necromancers. Although if you are so inclined,
convenient depending on your list and opponent placing the Nightshroud-wearing Necromancer
at any given time. At the end of the day right next to a Wight King with the Sword of
however, the additional toughness makes it Kings will let the Wight King take a whack at
worthwhile in most situations. whatever attempts to hit the Necromancer
before they got to swing. This, however, is not
The Flayed Hauberk is an item that you will
the most effective use that you can get out of
always be able to find some use for. It is a very
the points spent. Really.
convenient and easy way to grant one of your
characters an effective armour save without Killing blows are bountiful in the Warhammer
compromising the ability to create certain world of today but luckily we have the
combinations with other items and powers. The Cadaverous Cuirass to counteract them. At a
only possible downside to this item is that cheap points cost it will render the wearer
there’s only one of them to go around! immune to the additional effects of killing blows
and poisoned attacks. This is a very good buy
The Armour of Night will certainly help to keep
for your general if you intend for him to partake
one of your characters safe from ranged missile
in any close combat situation. There are really
attacks that need to roll to hit, provided that
no downsides worthy of mentioning – it is a
he/she’s on foot. This is especially helpful on
good buy!
Vampire characters that are running or flying
around on their own, although the missiles that The Enchanted Shield. Old Reliable. At the same
do hit won’t have much armour to go through. points cost as the Cadaverous Cuirass, the
If combined with the Wristbands of Black Gold Enchanted Shield will also rarely disappoint
the effects of this armour will be that much you. It works very well with the Avatar of
greater, although the points cost will Death power as it will grant you a 2+ armour
unfortunately follow suit. save in close combat, provided that you choose
the shield option and that you’re not using a
An artefact of great potential, the Nightshroud
magical weapon to deny you the armour boost
is deserving of consideration whenever you’re
you get from using a hand weapon and shield.
creating an army list. By essentially giving any
It’ll also do you good if you’re a Dread Knight,
who strikes the wearer the “Always Strike Last”
boosting your already serviceable 2+ save to a
special rule (even though it does not officially
1+ while still leaving plenty of points open for
exist), this will let the wearer attack and
other items.
hopefully dispose of any would-be attackers.
This is especially useful when given to a Wight
King with the Sword of Kings but it is also a
valuable tool for keeping any Vampire safe from
Assassins and the like. A Vampire Lord with
this piece of armour will likely be able to whack
that dastardly Assassin before he gets a chance
to do anything! Anyway, the one downside to
the Nightshroud is that it is only a suit of light

10
 Talismans Cuirass. For the points it is a good buy but you
should beware the risks of stupidity. It will most
Exclusive to Vampire Lords, The Carstein Ring
often be worth the while but every now and
is a powerful trinket that’ll let your Lord come
then it will strike at you with terrible
back to unlife on the roll of 2 or more after he or
consequences, potentially losing you the entire
she has been destroyed once. The prerequisite
game.
for this is that there must be a unit which the
Vampire Lord can join, so you should not When it comes to defending a character from
choose a flying mount in addition to this ring ranged attacks you’ll need to look no further
lest the wearer will be removed as a casualty. than the Wristbands of Black Gold. These will
Anyway, while The Carstein Ring is certainly a give the wearer an admirable protective measure
good thing to have around if your Lord is killed, against any and all ranged attacks for an
the points spent on it could instead go towards economic cost in points. Unfortunately, this
making sure that it won’t come to that situation effect does not extend to the character’s mount
in the first place. Making use of it means that nor the unit he is with, which makes it less than
your Lord (who will likely be your general) will generally useful. The downsides to choosing this
have to get him/herself killed which is not a piece of equipment is essentially that it’ll not
healthy approach to the game. It could protect the wearer at all in close combat and
theoretically be used as a diversion where you that it takes up the Talisman slot which could
lure a portion of your enemy’s army into a trap otherwise be used for other ward saves. It could
with your Lord and then have him teleported be combined with Walach’s Bloody Hauberk to
away when he falls but it is still a plan full of defend the wearer in all possible circumstances
risk. The possibilities are there but the but that’d eat away at your points allowance in
alternative ways to go about it are there also! a rather steep fashion. A good buy for the right
user, this is.
The Crown of the Damned is a peculiar item. At
an affordable cost it provides the wearer with The Gem of Blood is another useful item for
the very best ward save available to the consideration. This will give the wearer a once-
Vampire Counts, at the cost of suffering the per-battle solid chance at quick retribution
effects of stupidity. The only character choice against whichever enemy that manages to land
that would truly benefit from this is a Vampire the first wounding hit of the day at a not too
Lord, whose Leadership value is high enough to prohibitive points cost. Unfortunately, this little
mitigate most of the stupidity tests you’ll get to device can backfire on the wielder, making no
take, whereas a hero Vampire will suffer from it use of itself at all while causing an additional
roughly half the time on average. A Wight King wound to the wearer, this time without any
is also a candidate but he should not be in need armour saves allowed. This item should not be
of a ward save, they’re not that vitally put on any character model with less than three
important. Anyway, the downside to this item is wounds as it could spell their immediate demise
painfully obvious – stupidity! While a if you roll poorly. There’s also the risk that the
Leadership value of 10 will not suffer from it first wounding hit that lands on the wearer will
that often, losing control of your very army be one from a lowly foot soldier, where the
general at any given time could be disastrous. rebounding wound won’t make much of a
However, there’s not much to do about it if difference (or could potentially harm the
you’re looking at fielding a combat Lord and wearer!). All in all, there will often be an out-
also fancy having some additional protection and-out more efficient use for the points that
against certain dangerous things such as Killing this item will cost you but it is still not without
Blows through the use of the Cadaverous use. Shaving off an additional wound from an
11
enemy character or monsters could prove very
important at times!

Last in this section comes the Talisman of

Protection. While it comes at a more than
reasonable cost, a 6+ ward save will often fail to
perform when you need it the most. If you have
the points to spare and haven’t given your
character any other form of ward save (and
can’t afford a better one), then this one could be
of use. You never know when you’ll roll those
strings of sixes. The Talisman of Protection is
never useless but unfortunately, it is never
reliable either.

…and that is all that we’ll bring you for this

issue. In the next one we will look into the other
sections that make up the Artefacts of Death.
Stay tuned!

Model by Sama3l

12
13
 Legions of the dammed
Creating a Themed Vampire Counts Army by Swissdictator

Building a Themed Vampire Counts Army Carsteins often rule kingdoms with many of the
living still tilling their fields, and providing the
This is the first in a series of articles that I Vampires their much needed blood. They may
intend to write on how to build armies themed often be found in the various Empire courts so it
to either specific blood lines, or events, in the is in their interest to maintain a pleasant mask.
Warhammer world. These articles are intended Konrad may come with Infinite Hatred, but he
as guides within the rules of the current army is also very atypical for the Von Carstein blood
book, so that you can use these freely without line as he is quite insane!
concern for legality or asking opponents
permission. They may also include modelling The Arkayne powers are sometimes used by the
suggestions in order to better convey the theme Von Carsteins to maintain control over a
in appearance as well. powerful undead force with which they may use
to achieve their ancient ambitions. A Vampire
How this works, is I will outline restrictions on Lord may take Master of the Black Arts or
powers and/or items as appropriate for the Forbidden lore, but not both. Any Vampire may
theme. This may be simply prohibiting certain take Dark Acolyte.
items, or restricting the use of certain items to
certain characters. Vampires under “The Martialle” can be fitting
for a vampire of the Von Carstein line. Avatar of
The first of these guides is for an army out of Death is available as these Vampires might seek
Sylvania, under the banner of a Von Carstein to sate their thirst and lead the battle in the
Vampire. These armies are by far perhaps the front lines, so the option of having armour or
most infamous due to their proximity to the other weapons is befitting for a Vampire with
Empire and the Von Carstein wars. It is also such an approach to battle. Some Vampires may
requires little to no conversion, depending on intend to lead heavy cavalry into the enemy to
how you want your skeletons to work. They also enjoy in the fear and terror that such a dread
offer the most background material to work charge that the Dread Knight brings, thus the
with, making it very easy to find inspiration or power is available as well.
even something to represent with your army.
For example, my army will largely be based on Vampire powers under “The Courtly” are all
the Vampire that worked with Gotrek and Felix available to the Vampires in such an army.
in “Vampireslayer”. While they equally fit Vampires of the Lahmian
line, the Von Carsteins also are experts in
The Vampire powers should reflect the nature of statecraft and thus have become quite adept at
the Von Carsteins, they are a sort of happy manipulating their victims. Intimidation as well
median of the Vampires. They have some as seduction both are useful traits in politics,
military skill as well as arcane, and tend not to and the ability to terrorize your opponents or
over specialize in either with perhaps the render them vulnerable are also both valued
notable exception of Konrad Von Carstein. They skills on the field of battle as well.
are also socially adept, their courtly manner
giving an eerie presence to them. The Von Carsteins are likely to be skilled at
summoning the undead that tends to fill their
Army List Restrictions ranks, so they make take “Summon Creatures of
the Night” as they often call upon Dire Wolves
None of the Vampire powers from “The or Bats to harass and chase down softer enemies.
Severed” and “The Bestial” may be taken, as They may also take “Lord of Dead” as many
these are very much the opposite of what it legions of skeletal troops are often seen flying
means to be a Von Carstein Vampire. The Von the banner of a Von Carstein. They may not
14
take “Summon Ghouls” however, as they tend damned. Hellsteeds also seem somewhat odd for
to look with distaste towards these foul the Von Carsteins, as they are typically shown
creatures. amongst their hordes of troops be it infantry or
cavalry, and a Hellsteed would make this image
When it comes to unholy artefacts they may impossible.
never take the Flag of the Blood Keep as that
banner is Blood Dragon in nature, nor may they
take the Royal Standard of Strigos as that is a
symbol of the wretched line known as Strigoi.
The Helm of Commandment may only be taken
by a Wight King, for they might be ancient
commanders who once led the troops of Lahmia
where the Helm originates from. The Cursed
Pennant of Mousillon is also prohibited as the
cursed city is far enough from the lands of
Sylvania.

As for units, the Varghulf is prohibited, for it is

far too bestial to be fitting for the ranks of the
Von Carsteins. The Blood Knights are of a
different bloodline entirely, and may not be
fielded either. Ghouls are largely limited as they
tend to come in very small groups to perhaps
feast on the corpses of the victims of the Von
Carsteins battles, only 10 may be taken for
every full 1,000 points available. For example,
in a 2250 game you may field 20 ghouls. The
Ghouls also do not count for minimum core
requirements in this guide. So you must still
field Zombies and/or Skeletons!

Wights are often chosen as the bodyguard for

the Vampires of this blood line, be it the ranks
of Grave Guard providing great security and an
intimidating foe to face should one seek the
Vampire in battle. They may prefer the
thundering charge of Black Knights, to roll the
flanks of their enemies. You may take a unit of Model by Bonegnasher
Wights (Grave Guard or Black Knights) per
Vampire Lord and Wight King you have in the Making Themed Models
army.
Modelling suggestions are also important as they
You must field at least one skeleton unit per can also help sell the theme even more than the
Vampire Lord. While Zombies may be a large army roster itself but when these two are
part of the armies of the Von Carsteins, combined they can make for an army that has a
Skeletons are not an uncommon sight as well. solid theme that is conveyed strikingly well on
You may, of course, field more units if you so the tabletop.It would be wise to use Empire bits
desire. in the army. For example, while the Zombies are
fairly Sylvanian already, mixing in Empire
Zombie Dragons and Hellsteeds may not be militia pieces might add to the variety of poses
fielded. The Zombie Dragons require great allowing for a less uniform and more hordish
magical prowess to control and does not seem to look that is befitting zombies.
be seen amongst the ranks of Sylvania's
15
Skeletons, if you can green stuff some tattered Characters
uniforms on them of Empire state troops, or
give them appropriate head gear this can help. Vampire Lord
Alternately you can give them Imperial banners ~Level 3 Wizard Upgrade
that are faded/torn. Giving them a more ~Blood Drinker, The Flayed Hauberk, Crown of
uniform colour scheme in what clothes and the Damned
armour they have can help sell it too. These ~Aura of Dark Majesty, Lord of the Dead,
should be slightly uniform, but not quite Walking Death
completely. For example one might have say red
trim and black as the main colour, another Wight King (BSB)
might have those two switched around. Purple ~Sword of Kings, Nightshroud
is actually one of the main colours for a
Sylvanian livery, so it may be advised to use Vampire
purple. ~Walach’s Bloody Hauberk
~Dark Acolyte, Lord of the Dead
Wights should be very uniform in appearance,
despite the ancient armour that they wear. They Vampire
should still look ancient, but they should seem ~Tomb Blade, Dispel Scroll
as having been uniform before time decayed ~Avatar of Death (Shield), Lord of the Dead,
them. Summon Creatures of the Night

Spirit Host could be any number of choices. In

the 6th edition Vampire Counts book there was Core
an undead Empire themed Vampire Counts
army, and it used (older) Flagellants for spirit 24 Skeletons
host. This could certainly look disturbing, but ~Full Command
you could use any number of other infantry ~Warbanner
figures from the Empire line if painted to appear
as ghosts. 24 Skeletons
~Full Command
Finally the Black Coach, it is highly
recommended you field one as it really goes for 20 Zombies
the more classical Vampire Counts look and is ~Musician, Standard Bearer
very fitting for the Von Carsteins. Take care to
paint this figure nicely, as it stands out in and of 5 Dire Wolves
itself. Therefore a high quality paint job can go
a long way towards making the army look high 5 Dire Wolves
quality.

For Vampires, I'd recommend trying to acquire Special

the older Vampire figures of the Von Carstein
bloodline for use as characters. The other option 23 Grave Guard
is to use the current Von Carstein family as well. ~Full Command, Hand Weapons/Shield
~Banner of the Barrows
Included to the right is a list made using the
guide in this article. The list may not be 4 Fell Bats
optimal, but it is certainly competitive. It is a
list which will require some strategy and
thought, but it is still very forgiving. The list Rare
was made with a 2250 points game in mind.
Black Coach

16
The General and his Wight King bodyguard are
deployed with the Grave Guard, making for a
very solid block for the general to fight from.
The Wight King can take challenges from
particularly nasty opponents, and shoot for a
killing blow as most nasty challenges will be
toughness 5 as it is, and therefore require a 5+
to wound already. This allows the general to
remain safe for longer and deal more damage.
Between his armour and ward, the Lord will be
otherwise very resilient and with Blood Drinker
in his hands he can easily keep the Wight King
at full ‘undeath’. The unit will also be able to
fight with their exceptional armour and
toughness, thus making it harder for opponents
to simply try to slaughter the unit and hope
that the ensuing crumbling takes out the
general.

An opponent could avoid this unit, but would

likely have to face skeleton blocks which will be
hard to destroy with all of the casters having
Lord of the Dead. Plus with the points invested
in the Grave Guard unit, he’d be denying
himself a lot of potential victory points.

With the ability to bulk up the Wolves or Bats

as well, these fairly cheap units will be even
more of a menace when they become larger. The
cheap investment in the Summon Creatures of
the Night will quickly be paid off with as little
as one or two successful casts of Invocation on
these units. Model by Crimson

The list is fairly strong in magic, albeit not as

strong as some Vampire Counts lists seen these
days. However, with the Master Powers, magic
is still very effective.

17
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo
Regulars on Carpe Noctem will be very familiar with Devo and his various works. With a weird and wonderful
imagination, and a skill for converting and painting , Devo’s armies have always been a fantastic sight. However
there is one army that I think stands out above all the rest and that is the superb Carnivale Dio de los Muerto.

A vampire army with a Mardi Gras -slash- Dio de los Muerto theme, every single model has been converted and
painted in rich and vibrant colours. It really does look amazing, but enough of me telling you what it looks like,
I’ll let Devo’s own words and pictures speak from themselves……….

Disciple of Nagash

18
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo

Vampire Lord

“You can see now why I chose to paint him white. He stands out fairly well, I think. That's important to me, as I don't
want to "deceive" my opponent by hiding my vampires”

19
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo

Standard Bearers

“My BSB is standing on the corner of Bourbon St. and Lost Way.”

20
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo

Drunken “Zombie” Revellers

“So, my zombie unit is headed up by someone selling "Dead Man's Ale". The rest of the mob is a mix of rowdy
drunkards, some poor victims of the poisoned brew, and a few zombified celebrants. They're all green-ish of skin and red-
rimmed eyes after getting sick on the Dead Man's Ale -- and they all have pink noses and cheeks.”

21
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo

Skeleton Krew

“So these are my skeletons. More specifically, people in skeleton costumes. You know those cheesy skeleton costumes you
see at Halloween? Yeah, those.”

22
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo

Ghoul Clowns

“The ‘fairy’ clowns are my champions, as I needed something that looked the same in both units, but were distinct.
Actually, the best part about painting these was imagining the guy who had to train the ghouls to act like clowns”

23
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo

Corpse Cart

“The necromancer -- The Puppet Master -- is drawing in and mesmerising the children. Why be evil if you can't start
them young? This one shows the story the puppets are playing out fairly well. The human bowing before her new undead
master. Here, she's addressing the crowd, bemoaning that she ever fought against such a powerful master. On the back
you can see the Puppet Master's ‘Special Drawer’”

24
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo

Bat Swarms

“The first idea for these guys came from Raindog on another forum -- a fact that I appreciate, as I was sort of stumped
on how to put these in my army. To work these into my theme, then, I have peddlers selling evil puppets, evil kites, and
evil balloons. I wanted to add a little "danger" to the scene, though, so I've got a couple of balloons carrying a baby off.
Oh, those evil balloons.”

25
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo

Grave Guard

“The Masquerade. My "fancy ball" party-goers. The sole requirement for getting into the Masquerade was having a
mask or a fancy ball gown. Some have both!”

26
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo

Black Knights

The Humans
If you look carefully, you'll see a foot on a pedal beneath the saddle of these models. This is the "knights" real foot. The
other leg is part of his costume. It works just a little better in person.

The ‘Pumpkinhead’ Cairn Wraith (Hell Knight)

The wraith is not disguised, per se, but his horse is -- disguised as a bicycle. It didn't turn out quite as well as I think it
could have, but I'm a bit short on wheels, and I was trying to take a shortcut by using only one. It works well enough,
however.

27
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo

Fell Bats

“
“She's green! Stay tuned for the yellow one, the purple one, and the mixed-colour bat.”

28
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo

Spirit Hosts

“I can't say that this is a novel idea, but it fits so well into the theme that I had to do it. And I like how it turned out.
Strangely, this fits into the army visibly worse than any other single piece, but it fits the background better than any other
piece. (The Carnivale, if you remember, is a celebration honouring the fallen dead.)”

29
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo

Varghulf

“I suppose the idea that fits best is some giant, killer clown. Varghulfs cause terror, you know.”

30
 Unholy masterpieces
Carnivale de los Muerto by Devo

Black Coach

“I love this guy. He makes me giggle every time I see him. There's just something about Sophet Drahas throwing candy
out to the little children that makes me laugh I'm not sure why, but I've wanted to dub this mini the "King of Fools"
since the beginning, so I put that label above his head, there. I guess I watched the Disney Hunchback of Notre Dame
one too many times”

31
32
 The dark art
Zombie Painting Guide by The Dark Sheep

Models by Karez

Wherever an undead army marches, death will always follow in its wake. Innocent civilians and
experienced soldiers alike, they all suffer the same fate. While some corpses are picked clean of flesh by
the scavenging ghouls, most will be resurrected to fight again as zombies.

Models by Karez

33
 The Skin
You will need the following paints: Dheneb Stone, Devlan Mud, Thraka Green, Skull White.

Step 1

Dheneb Stone was painted as a basecoat over a Chaos Black undercoat. When painting skin it is
important to keep in mind that the paint should make a smooth layer of colour that covers well. In
order to achieve this, it is necessary to use quite a bit of water. When using thinned down paints, not
even the use of foundation paint is enough to get the wanted effect, so you might need to apply two
layers to get a good coverage.

Step 2

A mix of Devlan Mud and Thraka Green in a 3:2 ratio was used to tint the bright base colour into a
greenish brown. Again it’s important to work with smooth layers when painting skin, so take extra care
when applying the wash, and make sure that the paint does not pool up in unwanted places.
Zombies tend to be in different states of decay, something which can make one zombie’s skin vary
greatly from another’s. This can easily be represented by making small changes to the original mix of
washes. This could be as simple as to add or deduct one part Thraka Green, or you could even try
experimenting with different colours.

34
 Step 3

To get the skin back to its pale self, the skin was highlighted with pure Dheneb Stone. By choosing the
same colour for the highlight as you do for the basecoat, the skin will get an overall harmony that will
be practically impossible to obtain in any other way.
This model was repeatedly dry brushed very lightly with a stiff, short bristled brush in order to get the
appearance of old skin that has started decomposing. If this approach is taken it is important to be
careful or else you will end up obscuring the shading, gained from the wash.

Step 4

A final highlight was applied over the skin area to increase the contrast between the dark, sunken
crevasses and the pale, stretched skin. This highlight consisted of a 1:1 mix of Dheneb Stone and Skull
White and was carefully painted along the various edges and raised features of the model. Places such as
the face and around the wounds might need some extra attention in order to stand out more on the
model. These places are after all places of interest and by making them just a little bit brighter, the
model will be that much more appealing.

35
 Details

You will need the following paints: Mechrite Red, Baal Red, Badab Black, Leviathan Purple,
Bleached Bone, Gryphonne Sepia

Every zombie with a bit of self respect will be covered in various grotesque details. Be it open wounds
with exposed innards, maggot-ridden patches of skin or just the occasional boil it will be necessary to
know how to treat them.

Open Wounds

I started out by applying a coat of Mechrite Red. This was shaded with a mix of Baal Red, Badab Black
and Leviathan Purple in a 3:3:1 ratio. This wash was mostly distributed in the recesses, but I allowed it
to flow out towards the edges of the wounds in order to create definition.
The next step is to highlight the raised areas with a mix of Mechrite Red and Bleached Bone. What you
want is a nice, pink colour, so mix in a lot of Bleached Bone. Use this to highlight raised areas or to
paint fine lines on exposed muscles.

Maggot Holes

To give the sickly appearance of juices running from these little holes I washed them with Gryphonne
Sepia twice. By applying large drops of wash to each individual hole, they will naturally overflow, and
you’ll get the effect of puss spilling from the wounds. Make sure that the wash runs downwards instead
of in every direction as this will look more natural

36
 Boils

The boil was done in much the same way as the maggot holes. It was soaked in several layers of
Gryphonne Sepia and while the paint was still wet, I made sure that most of it was left around the base
of the boil.
The thing about Gryphonne sepia that makes it well suited for this is that a thick layer will dry up dark
orange, while a thin one will look yellow (as opposed to Thraka Green or Asurmen Blue which only dries
up in different shades of the same colour). Thus make sure that you use quite a bit.

The Face

Unlike the skeleton from the last issue, the zombie has facial features that need a bit more attention.
The eyes and teeth are the most noticeable of these.
Personally I think that bright, white eyes looks great on undead models in general, but by tinting them
a little bit with a wash you can really make them pop. This was easily done by dotting out the eye ball
with white, wash it with the preferred colour (I used a very dark green) and then dot them out again
with the same white.
Clean, white teeth will look out of place on a model ridden with decay, so I wanted the feel of yellowed,
rotten teeth. I achieved this by first picking out each individual tooth with skull white and then
washing them with Gryphonne Sepia.

Exposed Bone

Some Zombies have exposed bone sticking out of wounds etc., and this is a good opportunity to tie your
zombies together with your skeletons. Simply paint the bone in the same way as you do your normal
skeletons (check out the previous article to find out how I did mine).

37
 Finishing off the zombie

You will need the following paints: Chaos Black, Skull White, Calthan Brown, Badab Black,
Devlan Mud, Khemri Brown, Boltgun Metal, Gryphonne Sepia, Mithril Silver, Scorched Brown.

A zombie model also consists of areas that are not flesh and here I will touch upon how to paint things
like clothes, leather wrappings, wood and rust. This part of the article should be treated more as a
guideline though, as most people have their own techniques and colour schemes.

Clothes

I decided that the clothes on this particular model should be dark grey, so I started with a basecoat of
Chaos Black. This was then highlighted with brighter greys.
When working with black and dark grey it is always a good idea to mix your own colours. This is
because the premixed colours often contain a hint of blue. By adding Skull white to the Chaos Black you
can easily control the outcome of the colour.

Leather

To get a dry and old effect on the leather areas I base coated both the belt and the wrappings with
Calthan Brown. This was then washed with a 1:1 mix of Badab Black and Devlan Mud. Finally a 1:1
mix of Khemri Brown and Calthan Brown was carefully dry brushed over the leather. If you are not
comfortable with controlled dry brushing, an alternative is of course to use the layering technique.

38
 Wood

To keep in theme with the leather, I decided that the wood should be dry and old as well.
Scorched Brown was used as a basecoat on the wooden supports. Then a mix of Scorched Brown and
Khemri Brown mix was carefully painted in thin lines over the basecoat. This was slowly worked up to
pure Khemri Brown.

Rusted Metal

Both the scythe and the chain mail was base coated with a thin layer of Boltgun Metal. Then I applied
large drops of Boltgun metal to the scythe and allowed them to dry for a while. As soon as the small
drops of paint were covered in a thin film of dried paint, I burst the bubbles and smeared the thick paint
around. This was repeated several times until the scythe blade had a nice, rough texture. Then I gave
both the scythe and the chain mail a heavy wash of a 1:1:2 mix of Devlan Mud, Badab Black and
Gryphonne Sepia. To bring back the appearance of metal, an extreme highlight of Mithril Silver was
applied to strategic areas.

39
 Other Skin Tones

Even though green is the way many choose to go when they paint zombie skin, it doesn’t necessarily
mean that it is the only way to paint dead flesh. On the following models I have used the exact same
technique when it comes to the skin, but I have replaced the Thraka green with other washes.

For this model I used Leviathan Purple For this model I used Asurmen Blue

For this model I used Gryphonne Sepia

40
Golden bat painting competition summer 2009
Winner - Fester d'Archelioux by The Dark Sheep

41
Golden bat painting competition summer 2009

2nd Place – Blood Dragon on Foot by Yahoo

Well, as you can see by these superb pictures, our Golden Bat Competition Summer 2009 was a huge success. We
had 21 entries and I could not help but include all of them in this issue as the effort put in was simply astounding.
You can see the other lovely models on the following pages.

The rest of the forum joined in as well, casting a total of 76 votes to choose the top two models, and I can say they
chose very well.

The Dark Sheep’s entry Fester d'Archelioux was a wonderful example of well executed highlighting and
shading, as well as paying attention to small details. The result was a model with a realistic pale skin
tone and weathered armour that is fantastic.

The second place was won by the domineering Blood Dragon model as shown on the banner below. It
sports some of the best lacquered armour ever seen on Carpe Noctem, and it was a close battle between
this and The Dark Sheep’s entry. It was also some of the nice additions that made this model stand out
just a tad more, such as the freehand on the blade and the glowing eyes of the pet dragon.

So I present my congratulations to both, as their models now form the new banner for Carpe Noctem!

Disciple of Nagash

42
Golden bat painting competition summer 2009

The Entrants

Azazel Capt Rubber Ducky Cpjiardina Cpt_Fluffy

Dreadlord Fallen Angel Fosere Goggalor

43
Golden bat painting competition summer 2009

The Entrants

Hosko Josef Midean Oronare

Someguy Subber45 Timmy MWD

44
Golden bat painting competition summer 2009

The Entrants

Lambobolt Malchus Von Carstein

Ophidicus Sibbechai

45
Carpe Noctem

Join us in undeath at:

www.vampirecounts.net

46
 USER PROJECTS
The Vampire Council Roleplay

Well it seems that the first report of The Chapter 17 - The Beginning of the End
Vampire Council captured some of your
imaginations, as we have had quite a bit of Milosh receives a message from Arkhan, telling
interest since then. him to go to a location on his own or Lesa will
die. He eventually finds his wife tied and bound,
In that time the Council has continued with its suffering mutilating tortures. The Dread Lord
adventures, and the overall story keeps on then proceeds to torture the pair, using their
growing and growing, until the point where it feelings for each other against them to try and
truly feels like an epic. make them reveal the Claw's location.
The pair manages to resist but eventually
As before, we still gladly welcome new members, Arkhan delivers an ultimatum - tell him or Lesa
especially if you are a dedicated poster. So if you dies.
would like to join (and you don’t have to be a
vampire to do so), then please visit us by
clinking on the following link: Click Here Chapter 18 - The Kingdom of Sand

As I promised in the last issue, here are the After Milosh's disappearance Vekarin and other
summaries of The Vampire Council chapters up members of the Council decide to attempt a
to chapter 29. rescue of Lesa. Sammael provides them the
Black Tower's location, as they believe this is
where Lesa would be held. The assault on the
Chapter 16 - Allies and Enemies Black Tower is far from easy, as the formidable
defenses manage to hold back the vampires.
As the force from Karak Eight Peaks arrives Eventually some of the Council mange to break
back at Nexeternus it is attacked by a surprise through, breaching the lower levels only to find
assault from Merovich and Magneqrox. The first Arkhan, Milosh and Lesa are not there. The
push is devastating to Nexeternus, decimating sudden appearance of a Tomb Kings army, hell
Simon's forces and damaging his fortress. It bent of vengeance against Arkhan, forces the
looks dire until the rest of the council return vampires to retreat, however not before
from hell and lends their power. Merovich, after Sammael, Rowhaine, Reshorn and Katie are
being bested by Mircea, bites and turns Mouse. mysteriously teleported to Quatar.
Her enraged grandfather attempts to kill him
but he manages to flee the battle on the back of
his Wyvern. In the midst of battle Arkhan Chapter 19 - The Land of Chill
suddenly appears and kidnaps Mistress Lesa.
Meanwhile Simon is crippled by a collapsing Valda makes a reappearance in Naggaroth,
wall whilst Milosh battles and eventually seeking to meet with an old Dark Elf ally. The
defeats Magneqrox, with the help of a new Witch King learns of the vampire’s presence and
vampire Anya, who disappears as quickly as she has him captured. After learning of Nagash's
appeared. The council eventually prevail but at possible return he is released, to work with the
a horrific cost. After learning of his wife’s Witch King's forces to stop the Dark Lord's
capture Milosh sets off after her. A new arrival return. He is gifted with a new arm, and works
in the form of the skaven Sammael offers his closely with Lady Darkmane.
assistance in locating the Black Tower of
Arkhan, in the hope of rescuing Lesa. Simon and
Mircea however decided to instead head off in
search of the fabled Carstein Ring.

47
(Following summaries thanks to Sweeney Todd)

Chapter 20 – The Hunt for the Ring Chapter 24: Desert Diplomacy

Simon and Mircea prepare to set off to claim the Waking up in the city of Qautar, Sammael,
fabled Carstein Ring and are joined by Reshorn, Rowhaine and Katie are tasked with
Vyacheslav, a fellow Von Carstein and Cerberus, uniting the Tomb Kings due to a prior debt
a mysterious stranger who is barely accepted as owed by Sammael. First they are forced to
an ally. The Carsteins (without Cerberus) set off travel to Lybaras where an unknown faction has
to claim the Ring but after doing so are overthrown the Liche Priests and is seeking to
attacked by the witch hunter Franz von destroy Queen Khalida. In the following battles
Malksing and his warband. In the ensuing battle Rowhaine is forced to confront the beast within
the witch hunter and his allies are eventually him, and after besting a champion of Ptra has
driven off but Simon is slain and Mircea seizes his vampiric curse lifted and is gifted with the
the Von Carstein Ring. gods’ blessing to become his new champion.

Chapter 21 – The Red Duke Chapter 25 – The Battle for Sylvania

The Red Duke dispatches Merovich to summon The coalition of the Red Duke and Mannfred,
Dragos, another of his gets. Emissaries of wielding the Crown of Nagash, clashes with the
Mannfred von Carstein meet with the Duke and amassed forces of the Vampire Council in an epic
an alliance is forged. battle for control of Sylvania. Valda joins the
battle on neither side, aiming to seize the Crown
of Nagash for himself. The coalition has the
Chapter 22 – Lord of the Dead, Lord of the upper hand but the sudden intervention of
Earth Rask, with the stolen dwarven artifact, turns
the tables. The artifact negates Mannfred's
Mircea returns with the Von Carstein Ring to magic, forcing him to flee from the attentions of
Nexeternus as the von Carsteins begin to Rask's Skaven horde. Without Mannfred, the
increase their territories in the Border Princes. A Red Duke and his knights are likewise forced to
Dwarven host marches to oppose them and quit the battle in the face of the combined might
make camp in a mysterious abandoned city in of the entire Council. Lesa pursues Mannfred
preparation for battle. An undead army led by and spots him together with Arkhan. Consumed
Mircea lays siege to the city and wipe out the by hatred she attempts to destroy Arkhan but
dwarves with the aid of Beleera, a black cat he escapes and Mannfred is obliterated by a
with powers of the mind. magical blast that spirals out of control into
apocalyptic proportions. She survives only
through the sacrifice of her attendant daemon.
Chapter 23 – The Dark Lord Awakes….. Vekarin returns to the Violet Citadel while the
rest of the council heads to Drakenhof.
Milosh returns the Claw of Nagash to its rightful
owner in exchange for his and Lesa's freedom
but he is seized for experimentation by Nagash's Chapter 26 - Drakenhof
minions. Arkhan the Black sets off to reclaim
his master's crown while the spirit of Simon von The Council enters Drakenhof and meets Simon
Carstein accompanies Milosh in captivity for a once again, who now possesses the true Carstein
while before disappearing. Ring. New allies join and plans are made. The
Council sets off in an attempt to infiltrate
Nagashizzar to rescue Milosh.

48
Chapter 27 – The Chase for the Crown

Valda and his retinue give chase to Arkhan as he

escapes with the Crown of Nagash. He is
eventually caught and brought to battle. Lesa
watches overhead as Valda and Arkhan duel.
Arkhan is triumphant in the end and the arrival
of the other Dread Lords force the rest to flee.

Chapter 28 – Sneaking Mission

The Council attempts to stealthily enter

Nagashizzar from underground to rescue Milosh,
and as they begin they meet Erick von Strauss,
a vampire noble opposed to Nagash. He joins
the Council as they penetrate further into
Nagashizzar. Along the way they encounter
Malachi, a captive Necrarch who tells the
Council of the secret of Nagash’s power. The
Council splits into two, one group following
Malachi to the mysterious secret, while the
other continues on the original mission. The two
groups are confronted by several Dread Lords
who slay Malachi and are forced to regroup and
flee.

Chapter 29 - Siege

Several Dread Lords of Nagash lead a legion of

their undead in a surprise attack on the Violet
Citadel. With the advantage of surprise they
manage to completely bypass the outer wall
where fighting ensues. The rest of the Council
rushes to reinforce the Violet Citadel but despite
their efforts the Citadel is destroyed, and its
master Vekarin is slain in single combat with
the Executioner, one of the Dread Lords. The
unexpected intervention of the Red Duke and
his forces allow the Council members to escape
once again.

49
50
 USER PROJECTS
The Legion of Nagash

In the last three months this project has really Possession - Cast on 4+
come on in leaps and bounds, only thanks the
hard work that a lot of members have put in. Through the eyes of his servants the Lord sees all
We are now over three quarters complete in and punishes those who defy his rightful might.
designing the rules, and I can see in the From the first book of the Cult of Nagash,
upcoming future the time when it will be ready Chapter 16, verses 11-12
for play testing.
This spell can be cast on any undead model
So what are we working on at the moment? Well within 18". For the remainder of this magic
after finally finishing and having the hero level phase the caster counts as standing at the
characters voted through the main ongoing targets position for casting any additional spells.
threads are creating the mounts for the Legion, If the caster suffers a miscast the target suffers
and also working on the special characters, the the effects as if were the caster with the
Nine Dreadlords of Nagash. As we have already exception that if the result is to lose a magic
created the rules for Arkhan the Black that level or spell, the caster looses that as normal.
leave us just the eight to design. We have
decided to use the backgrounds created for the
Dreadlords Carpe Noctem’s other user project, Whispering Spirits - Cast on 5+
The Vampire Council. If you want to join in Remains in Play
and help design the rest of the rules, or if you
want to start play testing, visit the Legion of At His command the power of our Lord commands
Nagash at this link: Click Here His immortal spirits, and they fill the thoughts of
his foes with words fear and undermining. All who
As usual, here is a taste of the rules we have stand in their path are rendered powerless, such is
been creating: the might of our Lord.
From the second book of the Cult of Nagash,
The Lore of Nagash Chapter 12, verses 4-6

To randomly generate a spell from the Lore of Target one of the enemy units within 18". When
Nagash, roll a D6 and consult the chart below. successfully cast, this spell
If you roll the same spell twice for the same removes all psychological effects with the
Wizard, roll again. A Wizard may automatically exception of stupidity, even if caused by magic
substitute one spell for Whispering Spirits if he items. This includes the army specific rules such
does not generate it randomly. All wizards in the as Cold Blooded. The unit must also use its stat
Legion of Nagash automatically base Ld for all Ld tests and may not benefit
know Possession in addition to their normal from the Battle Standard. Undead / Daemon
number of spells. units affected by this spell will break instead of
their normal rules. Once this spell is stopped /
D6 Spell Casting Value dispelled, Undead / daemon units automatically
rally.
0 Possession 4+
1 Whispering Spirits 5+
2 Visions of Doom 6+
3 Land of the Dead 7+
4 The True Gaze of Nagash 9+
5 Curse of Reanimation 10+
6 The Great Awakening 12+

51
Visions of Doom - Cast on 6+ Curse of Reanimation - Cast on 10+
Pity the fool who comes against our Lord, for their
The Lord of the Dead stretched out His hand souls are forfeit and their lives His for the taking.
towards His foes, and gifted them a vision of their From the third book of the Cult of Nagash,
demise. All who saw it quaked and fled, and the Chapter 3, verses 12-14
Lord was pleased.
From the second book of the Cult of Nagash, The Curse of Reanimation may be cast on any
Chapter 5, verses 17-18 one unengaged enemy unit within 24".
If successfully cast, it causes D6+4 Strength 4
This spell can be cast on any point within 24" hits, with no armour saves allowed. Any models
that is within the wizard's line of sight. Once killed by this spell are immediately raised as
cast, all units within D6" of that point must zombies and placed in BtB in front of the
take an immediate (unmodified) leadership test affected unit. They are ranked up as per the
or flee away from the spot. normal BRB. In the following combat phase
they count as charging, and any Ld or break
tests the affected unit has to take for the
Land of the Dead - Cast on 7+ remainder of this turn are at -1Ld. (Due to the
unnerving nature of their comrades attacking
Who dares stand against Him, when the spirits of them).
the land conspire to keep His foe at bay?
From the first book of the Cult of Nagash, From this point on the zombies are classed as a
Chapter 8, verses 9-10 normal unit worth 25VP.

Target one enemy unit within 24". Once cast,

the enemy unit halves any movement it makes The Great Awakening - Casting Value - 12+
(including flying movement or fleeing) until the At His command the dead will rise. Those thought
start of the casting player's next turn. broken will be whole and even those who fought
Him in life will be welcomed in death.
From the fifth book of the Cult of Nagash,
The True Gaze of Nagash - Cast on 9+ Chapter 7, verses 7-9
Magic Missile
Once this spell is cast, every undead unit you
His gaze fell upon them, and He judged them. control automatically regains the following
Dammed in His sight, their flesh abandoned them, number of wounds:
and they became dust. Core - D6+3
From the fifth book of the Cult of Nagash, Special - D6
Chapter 9, verses 6-8 Rare - D3
Characters (not in units) - D3
This is a magic missile with a range of 24", If
successfully cast, the Gaze of Nagash hits its In the case of core units, this can create
target and causes 2D6 Strength 5 hits. additional models above the number the unit
started with, whereas in the case of another
units it can only bring the unit back to full
strength. This can also heal undead characters
as noted above, though it will not work if they
are specifically within a unit unless there are
excess 'healed wounds' to be passed on, in which
case they can only a maximum of 3 wounds may
be passed on. In the case of mounts, roll D3 each
for the character and the mount.

52
 USER PROJECTS
Bloodline Armies

The Bloodline Armies project is perhaps the one Necromancer Familiars

where most people have got involved, perhaps
due to the nature of the project. After all it is Lacking the innate powers of the powerful
about the vampires! vampires, Necromancers are forced to resort to
other measures to control the dead. Many
Since the last report this project has made the summon attendant spirits or daemons which
most progress with all the bloodline powers now support their foul masters as commanded
successfully voted through.

After consideration we also decided to create a Entrancing familiar - 60pts

similar option for the much missed This familiar weaves a thread of flickering lights
Necromancers, to myself and many others they around the necromancer, which entrances his
were just as interesting and important. It did enemies in a web of confusion.
require a little out of the box thinking, and some At the start of the enemies turn nominate one
designs from scratch, however considering many enemy unit. This unit must take a leadership
of us also work on the Legion designing brand test following the normal rules & modifiers. If
new rules was something we knew all about. passed this has no effect. If failed the unit must
make a compulsory movement (following the
So in the end we decided to create a lord level normal movement rules) in a direction decided
Master Necromancer, along with a full range of by the Necromancer player. This may include a
powers known as Familiars. The idea was to charge into an enemy unit that is within the
make it so a full Necromancer army could be unit’s Line of Sight. This power does not affect
taken that was feasible and wouldn’t result in a units which are Immune to Psychology.
useless army, and I think we did it.

We still have much to do, such as created Master Familiar - 50pts

Bloodline tailored army lists, and Bloodline The ghosts that walk the land speak not only of
special characters, so if you want to join in, then times past, but also of the world of the dead. An
follow this link: astute Necromancer can use this knowledge to
increase his control over his minions.
Playtesting The Necromancer may raise Skeletons, Ghouls,
Dire Wolves and Fell Bats past their starting
As noted above, now we have finished designing number, and also gain +1 to casting rolls when
the powers, we need them playtesting. We need casting Invocation of Nehek on them.
you!! See the news section for further details.

53
Warrior Familiar - 50pts Control Familiar - 25pts
Weak and wizened Necromancers may be, but they The familiar constantly coughs up warpstone dust
are far from stupid. Many have created protectors, filling the air with Dark Magic. As it falls towards
constructs bound with warrior spirits to protect the ground it resonates against undead flesh like a
them in battle. bats shriek bounces off a moth in the night.
The warrior familiar has the following profile: The Necromancer may re-roll any failed
Leadership tests when rolling from the Strength
M WS BS S T W I A Ld of Will special rule. Subject to normal rules
- 4 - 4 4 2 5 3 - regarding rerolls.

Save - 5+ Ward Save

Special Rules - Killing Blow Spirit Familiar - 20pts
Some Necromancers spend so long communing
The familiar does not have a base of its own, with those who have passed over, it becomes almost
however as long as it is still "alive" the second nature to summon and heal these creatures.
Necromancer cannot be hurt in combat in The Necromancer gains +1 to when casting
anyway. All attacks that would normally hit the Invocation of Nehek on ethereals and heals 2
Necromancer must be resolved at the Warrior wounds instead of one.
Familiar. Once the Familiar is killed attacks will
then be allocated against the Necromancer.

Knowledge Familiar - 45pts

Many wraiths do not have the power to remain
substantial, yet they still help their living brethren
by whispering them secrets of their long dead
knowledge.
The Necromancer may roll for an additional 4
spells from one lore from the Rulebook or the
Lore of Vampires. In the case of the Master
Necromancer it is automatically assumed they
know the 4 remaining spells from the Lore of
Vampires if they choose that lore.

Power Familiar - 30pts

Souls of dead necromancers crowd around their
living brethren, attracting the winds of magic to
them. This can be both a Boon and a curse though,
as the spirits seek revenge for their demise.
The Necromancer may take a leadership test at
the start of the his own magic phase, if he passes
he benefits from Irresistible force on any roll of
a double apart from double 1. But if he fails he
suffers a miscast on any roll of a double.

54
 The Necrarch workshop
Special Character Design Rules Advanced by Arion

Welcome to the second section of Special to fit with the fluff, that is the point after all.
Level one rules detail basic modifications, more
Character Design Rules. Here we examine magic
suited to heroes, level two rules are more in-
item creation, mounts, followers and body
depth, level three rules allow extreme levels of
guards as well as level two and three abilities.
immersion, from madness, to vampirism to
The following two steps are reiterated for ease of
almost monstrous abilities or legendary
use.
strategical ability, more suited to lords. If your
character already has one of the special rules,
Revisions to Basic Rules:
you may subtract for advantages or add for
1. Extra power dice do not accumulate and can
disadvantages to get rid of the rule. You add/
only be used by the character in question, this is
subtract the given points value. So you could -
the same with the dispel dice.
10 points (-power dice) to show a bad mage, or a
stupid one, or one that focused on dispelling.
Part Two Step One: Work out any additions to
you characters stats, Stats with an asterisk can
only be upgraded once. Those with a double
asterisk may only be upgraded twice. Those Level 2 Advantages
with a triple asterisk can only be upgraded three
times. The max amount of upgrades from here a Magic resistance (2) (Does not accumulate)
hero may take is 85pts worth; the max amount (+30pts)
for lords is 140pts worth. To take away statistics
simply subtract the points costs below, but Hard to Kill: The model is immune to killing
there is no limit to how much you can take blow and poison. (+15pts)
away. However, a hero choice may not go below
35 points, and a lord, 75pts. You may continue Unbreakable (+20pts)
taking away stats after that, but it will have no
effect on the points cost. Frenzy (+15pts)

*M +15pts for upgrade (10pts for heroes) (30 Superb General: Generals radius is increased to
points for dwarves) 18” (+20pts)
Ws +10pts per upgrade
Bs+ 5pts per upgrade Level one magician (does not accumulate)
**Str: + 16pts for upgrade (+40pts)
*T : + 35pts for upgrade (25pts for heroes) (45
points for elves). Undying love: Choose one of your other
W: +45pts for upgrade (35pts for heroes) characters, if this character dies then the
***I: +5pts per upgrade character gets frenzy and hatred for the rest of
**A: +17 pts per upgrade (12pts for heroes) the game. (+20pts)
*LD: + 10pts per upgrade, may not go above
10LD (15pts for heroes) (25 points for all Stubborn: confers to unit (+25pts)
Skaven)
Part Two Step Two: Special rules must be Dodge Level 1: 5+ Ward Save (+30pts)
chosen from the table below, If you get a level 1
advantage you must get a level 1 disadvantage Killing blow: (25pts)
or pay the points cost noted, If you get a level 1
disadvantage then you either get a free level 1 Spell Knowledge: The model knows one extra
advantage or the minus points. It is the same spell from the lore. (+15pts)
process for level 2 and level 3 special rules. Try
55
Elemental Storm/ Disease cloud etc: All enemy Drained: -1 power or dispel dice to the pool or
units in base to base contact at the start of a character (-15pts)
combat phase suffer 1 str4 hit with no armour
saves (wards and regeneration are allowed) and - Fear of (insert army): may be taken for multiple
1 to hit. (+ 25pts) armies, confers the fear onto his mount and/or
unit. Fear of causes the enemy to cause fear
Hidden: The model gains the Scout Rules. You against him, and his mount and/or unit. (-10pts)
may also hide the character in a friendly
infantry unit (except for flying infantry). While Hated: One enemy army hates this model and
hidden the model may not be attacked in any the models unit, they gain all bonuses
way and does not confer any bonuses to the associated. This may be taken for multiple
army or unit. The only way to kill a hidden armies but the point cost is only subtracted
character is to completely destroy the unit, in once. (-5pts, cannot balance out an Advantage)
which case the model is removed from the table.
The character may be revealed at any point Mad: Roll a dice at the start of the turn.
during yours or the opponents turn. He/she 1-2: The character immediately charges and
displaces one model from the front rank and fights the closest unit even if it is friendly, if the
may immediately take action, for example if character is in a unit he/she fights the unit for
revealed in the combat phase the model may one turn, holding it up. The character can do
attack. For the turn the model is revealed the nothing but fight the unit.
model counts as charging. The model may be 3-4: The character stays put, dribbling, he/she
mounted, but may not hide in units if this is the will fight in CC if needed, but otherwise stays
case. (+25pts) put and does nothing, if there is a unit with the
character then the unit either abandons the
5+ Scaly Skin Save: (Does not accumulate.) character or stays put.
(+10pts) 5-6: All is well (for the mean time).
(-25pts)
Remiss: Every wound the character causes
counts as two upon the model. This has no effect Poor General: General radius is reduced by 6” (-
on single wound models apart from overkill in 20pts)
challenges. (+20pts)
Level Two Anti-magic Resistance: Enemy gets
Riposte: For every attack that fails to wound +2 power dice for the spell if it is cast on his unit
the character, roll a dice, on a 5 or 6, the or him. (-30pts)
opponent suffers one wound at the characters
strength, all saves allowed. (+20pts) Poor Pupil: -1 magic level: (-40pts)

Always strikes First: Follows the rules in the Uncoordinated: Always strikes last.
Main Rule Book. (+20pts) (-15pts)

Mad General: At the start of the movement

Level 2 Disadvantages phase one randomly determined unit in the
army moves its full march distance in a
Pride: The model must always be the general, direction indicated by a scatter dice, if it makes
even if another model has higher leadership, if contact with an enemy unit it charges, if it
two models have this rule you must choose makes contact with a friendly unit they both
between them, you cannot have both. Their stall and can do nothing until the next turn
pride also blinds him/her to danger this results except fight in combat but without rank
in the character being unbreakable, and if the bonuses. This counts as the units movement,
unit flees, the character must pass a leadership units in combat are out of the determining. (-
test at -2 or stay in combat.. 30pts)
(-20pts)

56
 Technique Three: Flowing defence: For every
successful attack on the model, roll to hit with
the character, if you hit the attack is discounted
and your attack gets through. If two characters
are using this technique against each other there
is the possibility of the attacks being blocked
and exploited again and again.

Killing Blow on 5+ (35pts)

Vampire: The character gains the undead rule,

+1 str, toughness and attacks and is a level one
Model by Riddler wizard. (+ 65pts, this has to be paid for, you
cannot get a disadvantage to balance it).

Level 3 Advantages Unusual Army Composition: The character may

take one type of core unit from another army,
Brilliant General: You may redeploy one unit this does not count towards core minimum. (+
after both sides deployment. (+35pts) 30pts)

Flying Unit: The model may ‘fly’. (+35pts) Regeneration (+ 40pts)

Dual Wield: The Character may use two magic Causes Terror (+50pts)
weapons or a magic and mundane weapon at the
same time, gaining +1 attack. Allocate the Level 2 magician (Does not accumulate)
effects of each to the attacks. For example if the (+60pts)
model has four attacks, you could use two
attacks with one sword, and the other two with Level 3 magic Resistance (Does not accumulate)
the other sword. (+20pts) (+50pts)

Close Quarters Combat: The model may choose Power Source: +2 Power Dice (+50pts)
one of three techniques to use during the each
combat phase. The model may not use the same Dodge Level Two: 4 + Ward Save
one in two combat phases.
Thick Scaly Skin: 4+ save: (20pts)
Technique One: Disarm: If the character
successfully wounds an opponent, the character
may instead Disarm them. If this option is Paladin of the Light / Lord of Death etc:
chosen then the opponent loses the weapon for Bound Spell Power Level 4
the rest of the game. Allows D6 infantry models or wounds to be
revived from a unit/ character within 6” of the
Technique Two: Chokehold: If the model Special character. Cavalry units, monsters and
successfully kills a man sized opponent, he may characters may only have D3 models/ wounds
use the model as a body shield. The character revived (50pts)
has his attacks characteristic decreased by one,
however any successful wounds directed against Unearthly Beauty/Handsomeness: One enemy
the character are automatically directed against model in base to base contact must take a LD
the body shield, using the body shield original test at -2, if they fail they may not attack the
wounds and toughness and protection (armour character.. (30pts)
save/ward save/regeneration) Once the body
shield is dead, all additional wounds which were
directed against the body shield are lost.

57
 desert / crumble. These models are taken away
as if killed. Special choices lose one model on a
4+, and rare choices do not ever lose a model,
nor do unbreakable units (not undead though!)
(-50pts)

Limited army: You may only choose up to 6

different types of unit from your army, includes
character types. (-35pts)

Level 3 Anti Magic-resistance: Enemy gets +3

power dice for the spell if it is are cast on his
unit or him. (-40pts)

The Great Forge:

Mundane Equipment:
For reference below, and if you don’t want a
Model by Vash1313 magic weapon for your character:
You may buy any of the following for the listed
Level 3 Disadvantages costs:

Weak : Each wound does 2 wounds. Close Combat:

(-20pts) Additional Hand weapon +6pts.
Great Weapon +6pts
Deathwish: Model must always charge, and is Spear +4pts
unbreakable but may not wear any mundane or Flail +4pts
magical armour, confers to unit if the model has Morning Star +3pts
the highest leadership in the unit. (-25pts) Halberd +6pts
Lance +6pts
Old Battle Wound: Roll at the start of each turn, Scourge (HW, -1 to AS) +4pts
on a Rapier (HW, +1 to I) +3pts
Sword Breaker (HW,-1 to enemy Str)...
1: The model loses a wound but can continue as +5pts
normally
Ranged Weapons:
2: The model collapses in pain and does nothing Shortbow +3pts
until the start of the next turn Bow +4pts
Longbow +6pts
3-4: The model suffers -3 Initiative until the Crossbow +6pts
start of the next turn Repeater Crossbow +10pts
Repeater Handbow (RXB, 8”)....
5: The model -1 A until the start of the next +8pts
turn Pair of Repeater Handbows +16pts
Sling +8pts
6: ‘I Can fight on’( all is well for the mean time) . Javelin +5pts
Throwing knives +4pts
(-20pts) Throwing Axe +3pts
Handgun +10pts
Lost Grip on the Army: 1D6 units per turn are Hochland Long Rifle (30”, pick out
affected (chosen by you not your opponent) roll characters)... +15pts
a d3 for each of these units, that is how many Repeater Handgun (3xshots)
+15pts
58
Pistol +5pts may merge in an item you create (later on), this
Pair of Pistols +10pts costs an additional 15pts.
Warplock Pistols (Str5) +10pts
Pair of Warplock Pistols +20pts Use existing item:
Elven longbow (Str4 at 15”) +10pts. You may pick an item from any army book as
per normal. Getting items from other armies
Armour: costs +10pts.
Light Armour +3pts
Heavy Armour +6pts Modify items:
Fullplate Armour +10pts Use the stat table above to modify items, e.g
Shield +3pts buy a stat bonus or minus on the wielder for the
Seadragon Cloak (+1AS, +2 Shooting AS) weapon.
+6pts.
Helm (+1 to AS) +5pts Create an Item:
Start off with Blank Item. Blank Item may be
Magical Equipment: from any of the items, e.g weapon, arcane,
You have four options here, create an item from armour etc. Blank Item costs 5 pts. Creating
scratch, use an existing item, modify an item or each blank item is different e.g there is a
merge existing items). You may do all on one different process for each type.
item, for example creating an item from scratch,
modifying it and merge it with an existing item.
Again, exercise reason. Magic Weapons:
You now have blank weapon, choose a mundane
weapon to base it on.

Once you have your mundane weapon, the first

step is to decide whether the weapon will give
any statistic increases or decreases to the user
using the stat table above (ranged weapons will
of course use the stat modifications as their
strength, and not add to the user). The weapon
cannot go into minus points and CC weapons
may not –BS, Ranged weapons may not -WS.
The weapon is a magical weapon.

The second step is to decide whether it will give

any special effects, from here or from the special
rules tables.

Effect 1: Poison/ Stat decrease upon enemy: The

Model by Mousekiller weapon causes -1 a particular stat (chosen) if the
enemy model fails the test for that stat. This
Merge Existing Items. cannot be used on wounds. If the weapon affects
You may merge up to 3 items into one. Pick WS,BS or I, the statistic goes down by 2. May
your three items, these may be from any army be taken multiple times for different stats.
book. To merge an item with another item from (+20pts)
your armoury or common list you must pay +5
points. To merge an item with an item from Effect 2: Does D3 Wounds per hit.
another list, you must pay +10pts. If you wish (+40pts)
to merge a third item onto an item of two, and
any of the three is an item from another AB Effect 3: Killing blow.
then you must pay +15pts. These are all in (+25pts)
addition to the points costs of the items. You
59
 Effect 2: Regeneration.
(+40pts)
Effect 4: Soul Stealer.
Instead of rolling to wound, both you and the Effect 3: Resistant
enemy roll a dice and add you leadership, add The armour increases the wearer’s toughness to
one to your score for every hit scored. The one more than the strength of the attacks of one
lowest score loses, and is immediately removed specifically chosen model, to a maximum of T6.
from the table. However if the model is attacked by any other
(+70pts) opponents his toughness is reduced by 1.
(+30pts)
Effect 6: Ignores Armour Saves.
(+50pts)
Enchanted Items: (Bound items, yay!)
Effect 6: Gives D3 Extra attacks.
Roll at the start of the combat To create the item, choose a medium, you may
(+35pts) choose a piece of armour, a weapon or a trinket.
The weapons and/or armour count as one and
Effect 7: Blinding Light. take up an arm etc, they may be of any type.
For every successful wound the model causes all
enemy models in base to base suffer -1 to hit, To create the magic item pick a spell from any
cumulative. lore, spells from other Army Book lores incur an
(+20pts) extra 10pts cost, this does not happen for the 8
main lores. You then attach this spell to the
Effect 8: -1 to Enemy Armour Save. item.
(+5pts)
Follow this table:
Effect 9: Bolt Thrower. NB: Invocation of Nehek is a level 6 spell, so is
The weapon is now a ranged weapon, that Dispel Magic, and other automatically known
operates as a Bolt thrower as per the main spells.
Rulebook.
(+30pts) Level 1 Spell: Power level 3 (+15pts)
Level 2 Spell: Power level 3 (+20pts)
Effect 10: Impale Level 3 Spell: Power level 3 (+30pts)
If the character has a spear, he gets +3 Str on Level 4 Spell: Power level 4 (+35pts)
the charge. Level 5 Spell: Power level 4 (+40pts)
(+20pts) Level 6 Spell: Power level 5 (+55pts)

Magic Armour: Start with Blank armour, choose Arcane Items and Talismans:
whether is armour, shield or helm.
Modify existing. They cover all bases.
Step 1: Use the stat table above if you want stat
bonuses or decreases.

Step 2: +Armour save. For every 5 pts you get

an extra armour save point.

Step 3: Choose special effects for your armour:

Effect 1: (Helms only) Hawkeye.

+12” to range of ranged weapons, +2 to BS.
(+15pts)
60
 The Monster gains +1 to its AS, so does the
rider.
(+10pts)

Rule Five: Breath Attack.

The Mount gains one of the following breath
attacks.

Fire: Flame Template, Str 4, Flaming. (+15pts)

Ice: Flame Template, Str 4, -1 to enemy

movement and initiative until your next
shooting phase. (+15pts)
Stone: Use rules for cannonballs. But at Str 6,
maximum range 36”. A misfire results in on a 1-
3, no shooting for this turn, 4-6, no shooting for
Model by Vash1313 this or the next turn. (+50pts)

Electric: Shooting Attack, Str 6, 24”, no armour

Mounts: saves. If it kills one model in the unit it is aimed
You may mount your character on any kind of at, then all models in base to base contact with
mount from any army, paying the appropriate the dead model suffers a Str 5 attack, if they die,
points cost. Mounts may also be given statistic then all models in base to base with them suffer
changes and Special rules from the Appropriate a Str 4 attack, so on and so forth. A model
Tables as well as Mount Specific Rules below: cannot be electrocuted twice. (+40pts)
Mount Specific Rules:
Poisons:
Rule One: Undying Loyalty. The following poison may be applied to the
The monster does not test on the monster characters weapons, and confer their effects to
reaction table, instead acting as a lone monster the weapon. The attacks do not count as
would. Since the monster takes the riders body poisoned in the normal rule sense (i.e on a 6 to
with it, the enemy gets no victory points unless hit it auto wounds). You may not combine
both are killed. If the mount is not a monster, multiple poisons on the same weapon.
and the rider is on one wound as a result of
combat, and there is no friendly unit in the Essence of Nightshade:
combat then take a LD test using the riders LD. Each successful wound causes 2 wounds. (+
If failed the rider and character immediately flee 20pts)
3D6’’ then rally. The enemy may pursue. If
passed then the player may choose to stay or Manbane:
flee.(+25pts) Characters attacks are counted as being one
higher in strength than the opponents
Rule Two: Independent Mount. Toughness, up to Str 6. (+25pts)
If the mount is not a monster, then it remains
in play even if the rider dies. Terrorcap:
(+15pts) If the character causes a successful wound
against a model, the character is subject to the
Rule Three: Spikes / Horns / Steel Shod Hooves. rules of terror for that model. In addition a
The mount gains +1 Str on the charge for the monster will automatically go Raaaaaargh! if
mount) affected by this poison without a rider. (+15pts)
(+10pts)

Rule Four: Monster Barding.

61
Hexweed: throughout the unit. You may buy the following
If a model is successfully wounded by a weapon familiars.
with this poison, the model suffers an additional
wound for every successive combat phase. Spell Familiar:
Gives the character an extra spell. May be
Twilight Frog Venom: placed at any point within 8” of the character,
Automatically wounds on a 5 to hit, not a 6. at the start of each turn and the character may
use its line of sight when casting spells as well as
Body Guards and Followers. that of the familiars own. (+25pts)
You may choose to have either a band of
followers, or a single body guard. Suicide Familiar: If an enemy unit is within 8”
at the start of the turn then the suicide familiar
Followers: may run at them. If he does so, the model is
Unit size 1-5. Each Follower is chosen from any immediately removed, but the opposing unit
unit choice from any army. You must pay the suffers 2D6 Str 4 hits.
appropriate points cost for each model. So, a (+30pts)
band could be made up of a Wardancer, a
Wraith, a Grave Guard, a Black Guard and an Body Shield Familiar: The first successful wound
Ogre lead Belcher. against the character is discounted and the BSF
One may be upgraded to Champion at +16pts, removed. (+25pts)
this confers an extra attack.
One may be upgraded to a Standard Bearer at Body Guards:
+16pts. Choose one champion of any unit from any
One may be upgrade to a Musician at +8pts. army. Add 30pts to the cost of this champion
If the character is mounted, then the followers but add an extra wound. The model may use
must be mounted on the basic steed of your any of the special rules from the appropriate
army, if your army does not include a steed, use table. The character and Bodyguard form a
the Following Skirmishing unit that may join any unit,
rules: (+10 points per model) replacing two models of the front rank. The
Bodyguard also follows the rules of having to
M WS BS S T W I A Ld buy one of the above mount to match the
8 3 0 4 - - 3 2 - character. The bodyguard also has the following
Special Rules:
If your character is flying, then all followers Principal above Life:
must be mounted on the basic flying mount For every wound the character takes, before
(Pegasi, Warhawks, Hellsteeds) of your army, if saves, roll a d6, on a 2+ the wound is transferred
there is none use the following rules. to the bodyguard. He may take his armour
saves/ward saves.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
8 4 0 4 - - 3 2 - Parry:
The bodyguard may sacrifice his attacks. For
Special Rule: every attack sacrificed, on enemy model in base
Fly. to base loses an attack.
The ‘band’ (character and followers) follows all
the rules for a unit and move as skirmishers , And there you have it, how to make and point
however they may (if not flying) join any other your own special character, for use in home
unit, replacing the front rank. games.

Alternatively, the character may have familiars

as followers if they are a magician. These models
automatically move at the same pace as your
character, and can be placed as you see fit

62
63
64
65
66
67
 The Teachings of Abhorash – advanced
Combat Orientated Army Lists by MasterSpark

It is more or less a common fact today that the What can You do to Prevent this from Happening?
current edition of the Vampire Counts in
Warhammer Fantasy Battles has become one of the Luckily, there is an easy way to stop a vicious circle
very most powerful armies in the entire game. The like this from appearing. As was mentioned earlier,
Army Book features a range of fearsome unit types, the Undead troops are perfectly able to handle any
special rules and also an extraordinarily useful opponent that faces them if they’re used in a sound
exclusive lore of magic. The Undead troops are
and thoughtful way, even without the aid of magic.
already competent in and of themselves but when
you factor in the effects of the magic, they become By consciously lowering the output of magic that
something entirely else. With the ability to revive your army possesses, and with it the army’s inherent
the fallen en masse and even increase the size of reliance on said magic, you’ll find yourself on a more
units beyond their starting size practically free of level playing field with the other races while still
charge, the Vampire Counts can basically forego the commanding an army that can perform with
spending of points on their compulsory core units excellence when it is played well. By making your
and still end up with reliable fighting blocks after a
army more orientated towards combat in this way
turn or two. With the possibility to move units up
to twice per turn, they are able to execute otherwise you’ll find that the amount of viable strategies and
impossible manoeuvres and also get themselves out army build will increase for both yourself and your
of ill-favoured situations. Not only do the Vampire opponent. This will undoubtedly lead to a richer and
Counts have this kind of influential spells at their deeper gaming experience for everyone involved.
disposal, they also have easy access to a large
amount of casting dice to use with these powerful The aim of this article is to help you get comfortable
spells along with a smattering of affordable bound with the idea of playing a combat-orientated
spells to bolster an already vicious magic phase. Last Vampire Counts army with guidelines both for
but certainly not least is the “Necromancy”
building your army lists as well as playing this type
attribute that the basic (which arguably happens to
be the very best ones) spells of the lore has, which of army.
enables all Wizards to cast them repeatedly in the
same magic phase. With all of these potential
advantages that a heavy investment in magic brings,
it isn’t hard to understand why this approach to the
Vampire Counts army is a popular one!
From the opposition’s point of view, an army of the
Vampire Counts brimming with power dice and
bound spells can appear as an insurmountable
opponent unless they’ve brought the necessary
means to defend themselves against the magical
onslaught. Unfortunately, not all of the armies in
Warhammer can and the ones that actually do are
often forced into using a certain kind of army build
to even stand a chance of defeating the Undead.
Finding yourself in a situation like this can easily Model by Markof
make the game appear increasingly more stale and
uninteresting.

68
Getting Started Characters

For starters, let’s clarify what exactly defines a The character choices that you’ll make in a Vampire
combat Vampire Counts army. It’s obviously not an Counts army will be an important part of your lists.
army that relies on magic to do the heavy lifting for They’re literally the very driving force of your army and
you and it is also not necessarily an army that their influence will boost your army in several ways.
eschews magic completely in favour of fast-moving
shock troops and thunderous cavalry charges (which Let’s start with the chief Vampire Lord of the
can just as readily unbalance the game as an overly army. A Vampire Lord can be geared up to be a very
extensive magic phase, albeit in a different way). No, powerful warrior, capable of leading his minions
a combat army can be one where there’s a balance through most infernos and come out of it in one
between the army itself and the magic that’s piece. In the way of weapons, a lance (the rightfully
available to it. The magic will be but one of the tools expensive Dreadlance, the more economic Balefire
that you’ll use to achieve victory instead of it being Spike or a mundane one obtained through
the one sole tool. Your magic will still have a role to purchasing the Dread Knight bloodline power) can
play in your battles but your entire army will not boost the fighting prowess of your Lord if you can
hinge upon the success of your casting dice. manage to sound off a charge. The humble Sword of
Might does also deserve a mention in this
To put things in perspective, an army of between department. Additionally there’s the Blood Drinker
2000-2250 points (the usual suspects) will often which will allow your Lord to revive his bodyguard
contain a Vampire Lord along with an additional unit or himself with every wound he causes to the
hero Vampire or two. This will put you at a rough enemy. This can be a very valuable asset in an army
base value of 5-6 power dice and 4-5 dispel dice. By where the healing magic might not be able to cover
adding a few select upgrades and choices you can all fronts!
comfortably reach the area of 7-8 power dice and a
bound spell or two which is a balanced amount In the way of defence there is some potential for
where you’ll be able to outdo your opponent’s variation depending on who your opponent is.
dispelling prowess (in the vast majority of cases, at Walach’s Bloody Hauberk is a good piece of
least) but it’ll still not be a game-breaking factor. equipment for any Lord and will yield a respectable
After this is taken care of you’ll be free to gear your 1+ armour save if combined with the Dread Knight
characters up to be powerful warriors in addition to power, along with the Hauberk’s 5+ ward save. If
adept casters. The presence of these fighters will you do not wish to spend any of your Bloodline
enable even your individually mediocre units to points allowance on getting an armour save, The
grapple with most enemies and come out on top. Flayed Hauberk will provide you with an instant 2+
armour save which will suffice in many situations.
With the preliminary introduction taken care of, Some armies can bring an unsightly amount of
let’s delve into the unit entries that the Army Book killing blows to the table and to ward those away
holds! you’d need the Cadaverous Cuirass. The negative
sides to choosing these two latter pieces of armour is
that you’ll be left with a single other choice for a
worthwhile ward save and that is the Crown of the
Damned. While taking stupidity tests on a
Leadership value of 10 might not make for much
difference over the course of a game, it can really
screw with your strategy when it does strike. An
alternative way to combat the threat of killing blows
is the Nightshroud. This handy little object will let
you strike before the vast majority of attackers in
the game, giving your Lord a chance to dispose of
Model by DV8
any would-be killers before they get to make their
move. While certainly not fail-safe, this could be a

69
way around the most immediate threats without these threats. He will obviously suffer from the
taking your chances with stupidity. Additional effects of stupidity but the risk will rather surely be
trinkets which can also help protect your Lord are outweighed by the advantages.
the Cursed Book which will temporarily hamper one
chosen enemy and the Gem of Blood which can
negate the first wound suffered. Vampire Lord – Dread Knight, Beguile, Walking
Lastly comes the Vampiric Bloodline powers, many Death, Infinite Hatred, Walach’s Bloody Hauberk,
of which can further boost the power of a Vampire Gem of Blood, The Cursed Book, The Balefire Spike –
Lord. For defence, both Avatar of War and Dread 405
Knight will provide you with an armour save at a
reasonable cost, especially so the Dread Knight
(remember that a model mounted on a steed can still This Lord takes a different approach to battle. When
join a unit of infantry!). Offensively speaking, the charging he will strike with impressive Strength 7
Infinite Hatred power is hugely helpful as it allows flaming attacks, again with the re-rolling of his
you the benefit of Hatred but in every single combat misses and possibly his to-wound rolls as well. He
phase. The downside to this is that you’ll have to sports a 1+ armour save in combination with a 5+
pursue any defeated enemy which might sometimes ward save, all without any inherent disadvantages.
work against your strategic wishes but this usually The Cursed Book allows him to substantially reduce
pales in the face of the power’s advantages. Other the potency of any one enemy attacker once per
than this, the Red Fury will increase the Lord’s game, while the Gem of Blood will likely ward away
potential for mayhem by quite a margin, but also at the first wounding hit suffered. Hopefully that’ll be
a substantial price. Beguile is another item that a dangerous one! But not only this, he will also
deserves consideration. This power works well with increase his unit’s static combat resolution, making
the Blood Drinker especially, since it will allow the him quite useful to have around in all situations.
Lord to circumvent the disadvantages of being at his
base Strength 5 to a degree, if the power’s effect is An alternative approach to a combat Lord is to
successful. Other than this there are certainly other mount him on a flying Hellsteed or through the
useful powers to consider, such as Supernatural Flying Horror power. This will allow the Lord to
Horror, Walking Death and Aura of Dark Majesty. quickly move about the battlefield and lend his
All of these will improve upon the influence of your strength where you need it the most. However, do
Lord but there’s only enough room for a select few! take care not to leave him in a position where your
opponent can draw a bead on him!
To put theory into practice, here’s three example
builds of a fighting Vampire Lord.
Vampire Lord – Hellsteed, Red Fury, Walking Death,
Avatar of Death, Dreadlance, Wristbands of Black
Vampire Lord – Red Fury, Beguile, Infinite Hatred, Gold – 420
Blood Drinker, The Flayed Hauberk, Crown of the
Damned – 405
With an armour save of 3+ and a strong ward
against any and all ranged attacks, this Lord can
This fellow would be an ideal leader for a contingent move about the battlefield with impunity. He will
of Grave Guard. He is able to ruthlessly lay into the absolutely destroy any smaller unit he might target
enemy’s rank and file soldiers, cutting them to but due to his relative vulnerability in close combat
ribbons which in turn will sustain both himself and you should strive to stay away from the more
his bodyguards. He will be vulnerable to killing offensively powerful opponents.
blows (although he will still have a 4+ ward save
against them) but smart use of a unit champion can As an added note, it is certainly an option for all of
go a long way to keep him out of harm’s way of the above builds to purchase the additional magic
level if you deem it useful.
70
Finally, while it is indeed a valid choice, mounting Vampire – Dread Knight, Walking Death, Enchanted
your Vampire Lord on top of a monstrous mount Shield – 165
will not be discussed here. The usage of a Dragon
Rider requires enough alterations that it could Well protected and with a good Strength value, this chap
warrant an article on its own! will boost the static combat resolution for the unit he is
attached to. Economic and effective!

If you feel the need to include just a few more

magical casting dice in your army, gearing a
Vampire up to work as both a fighter and a wizard is
both easy and effective. For example,

Vampire – Dark Acolyte, Lord of the Dead, The Flayed

Hauberk, Sword of Might/Battle – 185

A lvl 2 wizard with a 2+ armour save and offensively

strong enough to duff up most other hero level characters,
this Vampire would make a good leader for a unit of
Skeleton Warriors. The Swords of Might and Battle are
both more efficient against certain foes (Might against
armour, Battle against numbers), you can tailor this to
whichever opponent you’ll be fighting at the moment.

Additionally, Vampires can be made horrifyingly

Model by CurseofBeers
mobile with the use of either Flying Horror or the
Talisman of the Lycni. A Vampire with either of
these items can hide inside a friendly unit until the
After the Lord choices we reach the Heroes and first time is right, after which they will fly out of their
up on this list is the Vampire entry. Vampires can nest with great speed, nestling themselves among the
be tooled up to perform a wide variety of roles in enemy lines to march block or to attack smaller
your army. To fit in well with this kind of army, units. Here are two example builds of this kind of
Vampires work wonderfully as physical enforcers for mobile Vampire, one with Flying Horror and the
your units, capable of turning even the core infantry other with the Talisman.
units into admirable combat blocks. Their options
for bloodline powers and magical items are basically
the same as for the Vampire Lord but on a smaller
Vampire – Flying Horror, Avatar of Death (Great
scale (remember that they’ll have to share the magic
Weapon), Dispel Scroll, Enchanted Shield– 190
item list with the Lord though). As Vampires boast
an impressive offensive statline per default, focusing This character moves with unprecedented speed due to
on their defence is often the most effective route. An flying and will sport some very useful Strength 7
example build of a good hero-level Vampire fighter attacks. This means that he’ll be able to smash apart
would be this, Chariots of all kinds with ease! The Enchanted Shield
will boost his armour save against missiles (and also in
close combat if he chooses to use his hand weapon) while
his Scroll can be used to stop a particularly dangerous
spell from getting cast.

71
Vampire – Walking Death, Supernatural Horror, The Wight Kings are solid fighters, substantially harder
Flayed Hauberk, Sword of Battle, Talisman of the to bring down in comparison to even Vampires.
Lycni – 200 Therefore they are the perfect candidate for being
the one to bear the army Battle Standard. You’ll
This set up is the most expensive one shown so far but definitely want to have this piece of equipment in
he is truly a recipe for carnage. With his high rate of your army as it will increase your combat resolution
movement he can get himself into positions where his as well as reducing the amount of wounds lost
Terror can cause great disturbance. He sports a 2+ through crumbling if you should find yourself on the
armour save and four Strength 5 attacks, along with a losing side after a round of combat.
static combat resolution of 1, even on his own. In fact,
he is just as good a leader for a unit of infantry as he is With an unlimited points allowance in regards to
a fast-moving assassin! magical banners, a Wight King Battle Standard
Bearer is free to choose any banner in the list, with
While hero-level Vampires can indeed be given the the most expensive being exclusive to said Battle
honour of carrying the army Battle Standard, it is Standard. The two most expensive banners will both
generally better placed in the hands of a sturdy work towards keeping your soldiers on the table. The
Wight King. The use of these will be covered below. Drakenhof Banner is the more powerful of these two
Finally, for games below 2000 points a fighting and will give the bearer and his unit a great boost in
Vampire can still fit your needs for a general, survivability through regeneration (remember that
although they are remarkably less resilient than a you may make a regeneration save against wounds
Lord. Loading up on the protection is preferable suffered from crumbling!) but with an unsightly
here, with Walach’s Bloody Hauberk being a fine price tag. What’s more, the regeneration which it
choice. For instance, bestows can be ignored by both flaming attacks and
killing blow. Some armies sport more of these than
Vampire – Dread Knight, Walking Death, Walach’s others, which make this banner an option that is
Bloody Hauberk – 195 better against some than others. For example,
Daemons of Chaos can produce a large amount of
With a 1+ armour save and a 5+ ward save he won’t be both flaming attacks and killing blow while Dark
easy for most enemies to crack. You’ll still want to Elves can bless any single unit with killing blows
watch out how what you get him entangled with though, through their Cauldron of Blood. Also remember
his two wounds atT4 will leave him vulnerable. that if the Wight King himself is felled the
regeneration will be lost instantly. This can
potentially leave the remaining unit in a very rough
spot where the regeneration that carried them
through is now suddenly lost. The Flag of Blood
Keep is another useful banner almost half the cost of
The Drakenhof Banner and will protect against any
and all ranged attacks. The downside to this one is,
obviously, that it will not bring you any advantages
while in close combat. Aside from these two
expensive gadgets, a Wight King can choose a
standard which will increase his unit’s efficiency in
other ways, such as the Warbanner and Banner of
the Endless Nightmare. If placed with certain units, a
battle standard can produce some very effective
Model by Vash1313
combinations such as the Banner of the Barrows and
the Royal Standard of Strigos together in a unit of
Grave Guard or Black Knights, greatly enhancing
the unit’s offensive punch.

72
Aside from toting a magical banner, Wight Kings favour but they do sport some major differences to
can also be turned into fearsome fighters and very one another. Skeletons generally fare better against
able bodyguards for other important characters, an enemy that throws a large amount of moderately
such as your Lord. The Sword of Kings is a strong attacks at you, such as Elves. The Skeletons
phenomenally potent weapon against man-sized will be fairly well protected by their armour save
characters as it allows your Wight King to land a and their static combat resolution gained from
killing blow on a roll of 5+ instead of just a 6. ranks, outnumbering and a (potentially magical!)
Combined with the Nightshroud, this powerful standard. While Skeletons are this kind of passively
duellist can spell the death of many characters offensive, Ghouls take a more actively offensive
before they get a chance to react! A Wight King is approach with a higher weapon skill and a large
also a very useful leader for a unit of Black Knights, amount of poisoned attacks. Ghouls excel against all
since he will not impair their inherent ethereal sorts of enemies that rely on their toughness to keep
mobility. them safe and will also have a decent protection
from ranged attacks with their Toughness 4.
Last on the list of available hero choices is the Additionally, Crypt Ghouls can also be a basis for a
Necromancer. While these fellows are a bit against very fast-moving army if you’ve got the Ghoulkin
the spirit of this kind of army, they can still be bloodline power in your army, allowing these units
useful as carriers of Dispel Scrolls and other things to keep pace with your cavalry. The kind of enemy
for magical defence. that both of these core units perform poorly against
is the highly armoured variety, such as various kinds
of Knights and Chaos Warriors. These enemies often
pack enough strength to punch your Skeletons into
dust while the poisoned attacks of your Ghouls will
leave mere scratch-marks in their armour. The
assistance of your Vampires and Wight Kings will be
needed here if you wish for success!

Zombie Hordes are the third available choice for

your required core units and, while they certainly do
have their uses as a block unit, they require a finesse
of use rather unlike what their brain dead nature
would suggest. They’ve universally poor statistics
and most enemies will hew through them without
much effort. What they can achieve for you however
is to hold an enemy unit up for a few turns or to
Models by SeldoM hold/contest table quarters. Be wary of using a unit
of Zombies as part of your battle line as the enemy
Infantry Units
might well be able to summon enough force to punch
Now that we’ve gone over the available character choices through them in one go, leaving a gaping hole in
it is time to focus more on how to build the very army your formation. Using them in the aforementioned
itself. Properly tooled and used Undead infantry can be tar-pitting way also requires some expenditure of
a very solid and reliable force able to duke it out with magic to keep them in the fight, something which
most things sent against them. The trick with them in a might not always be a possibility for you when faced
more balanced army is to start them out nice and large, with greater priorities.
thereby putting less pressure on your pool of casting dice
to raise and keep them up to combat strength. A unit
size of 20 models is often the best starting point while
also not too expensive to accommodate.

As your compulsory core units, both Skeleton

Warriors and Crypt Ghouls are vying for your
73
Where Skeletons and Ghouls fail to combat their makes them rightly feared. If used in either of these
enemy with efficiency, the elite Grave Guard have more minor roles I would usually choose to leave
the necessary tools to do battle against all foes. They their barding at home. Especially when you’re
are a very solid unit with great defences and their duelling against opposing cavalry, having those two
offensive abilities are made fearsome thanks to additional inches of range can be a very deciding
Killing Blow. Like the other infantry units, each factor. Alternatively, a slightly larger unit (about 7-
successful casting of Invocation of Nehek will bring a 8) of Black Knights will also make a good unit for a
full D6 worth of models back to life and this in mounted Wight King to lead. As the Wight King
conjunction with their original hardiness makes the himself can also choose a Skeletal Steed as his
Grave Guard a good choice when you put together mount, he will not remove their special movement
an army. By removing their shields and giving them attributes, whereas a mounted Vampire
great weapons they will become tremendously hard- unfortunately would. A unit of 8 Black Knights with
hitting but also a lot more vulnerable. Great a Wight King in tow with either the Banner of the
weapon-wielding Grave Guard can work very well as Barrows or The Royal Standard of Strigos (both
a smaller support unit though, slamming into the useful for improving their offence) can easily be a
flanks of an engaged enemy with great destructive powerful yet quite manoeuvrable fighting force.
force where they’ll be safe from the attentions of any
enemy characters in said enemy unit. As the final unit of available Undead cavalry, the
fearsome Blood Knights hold the final word in
Cavalry Units sheer hitting-power. A successful charge with these
will see you throw a handful of highly powerful
The Undead infantry is rather limited in the way of attacks at your enemy, easily enough to obliterate
manoeuvrability thanks to being Movement 4 but most things on average. The brutal efficiency of their
luckily, the Vampire Counts have at their disposal a onslaught is countered by their high points cost and
large amount of creatures that can remedy this, and then the strategic downsides to being frenzied. They will
some! need the attention of smaller support units such as
The humble Dire Wolves can fulfil many roles in Dire Wolves and/or Fell Bats to ensure that the
your army, and at a very reasonable price. With a enemy cannot have their way with your expensive
high Movement 9 and also being Fast Cavalry, super-heavy cavalry and their eagerness to get to
they’re able to scoot about the battlefield with great grips with the foe.
speed. Hunting war machines and other small
support units or positioning them for flanking
charges once combat has been joined, a minimally
sized unit of 5 Wolves will rarely prove to be a poor
choice when building your army. Additionally, a
unit of 7 Wolves, with one of them being a Doom
Wolf, is also able to stall any character-ridden
monster for an entire turn sequence. This was
mentioned and expanded on in the first issue of The
Invocation.

Like their footslogging cousins the Grave Guard,

Black Knights are also a resilient unit with
respectable hitting power. What’s more, their
Skeletal Steeds enable them to pass through terrain
without penalties when on the move, giving them
access to virtually the entire battlefield. Smaller
Models by Vash1313
units of these riders (say 5-6) can be used to great
effect as support units to help out your engaged
units. They can also be used against the enemy’s
own cavalry head-on, where their Killing Blow
74
Auxiliary Support Units able to remove an opponent’s rank bonus if they
manage to engage a unit from the sides or the rear
The Vampire Counts have access to a large number of and once they’re there, the opponent will find them
units that will enhance the overall capabilities of your quite hard to get rid off! Notable enemy armies that
army in one way or another. hold a large amount of magical attacks to threaten
The Corpse Cart is an investment to consider. It these units with are Dwarfs (runic war machines
holds a very helpful bound spell and can also (and count as magical), Wood Elves (magical arrows for
should be, for the relatively low cost of the upgrades) their characters along with tree-spirits), Daemons of
be modified to either aid you in your summoning Chaos (they’ve got magical attacks, every last one of
endeavours or to make casting magic harder for your them!) and other Vampire Counts (Grave Guard,
opponent. You can also choose to mount a Black Knights and other ethereals) .
Necromancer on top of one and thus have it join one Last in the army list, but certainly not the least,
of your infantry units. In this way you can greatly come the terrifying Varghulf and Black Coach.
increase your units rank bonus as the Cart takes up The Varghulf is a very useful creature to have
enough space to cover about 10 infantry models! around since it combines survivability with both
However, this turns the Necromancer into somewhat mobility and offensive prowess. It is an excellent
of a sitting duck in combat and you should be deterrent against the fast-moving support troops of
prepared to lose him rather quickly. your opponent and also an adept war machine
In the way of flying units you’ve both the Bat hunter as it’ll tear through any crew with speed and
Swarms and Fell Bats at your disposal. The former ease. The Black Coach, as most other Chariots, can
is made more or less redundant by the latter rarely be relied upon to take an enemy on by its
however, with their only positive side being that Bat lonesome. In a support charge it can wreak great
Swarms do not take up a special choice in your damage however, and as long as you can manage to
army. Fell Bats can be used for a variety of things, keep it away from anything with a Strength of 7 and
be it hunting war machines or other isolated above, you’ll find that it is also exceedingly resilient
individuals, to screen another unit from the enemy’s with a high Toughness, its good armour save and
sight or to catch fleeing enemies that have managed ward save. If you’re able to let your Coach absorb
to escape your wrath in close combat. magical power dice (remember to roll for your
opponent’s base pool dice as well, even if none of his
Something that is largely unique to the Vampire wizards are in range) it’ll gradually become more and
Counts is the presence of ethereal units. Immune to more powerful but you don’t need to hold it back to
mundane attacks from both a distance and in close let this happen, it is strong enough to damage
combat, both Spirit Hosts and Cairn Wraiths are anything in its original state already. Both of these
a valuable addition to your army. While both entries choices also have the Vampire special rule which will
cost a substantial amount of points there’s always an allow non-vampires around them to march which
important role for these to fill. Placed in front of can certainly be useful when they’re operating out
your other units they can be used as a nearly on a flank. They also cause Terror which is a useful
impenetrable shield against ranged attacks, keeping weapon against the majority of armies out there.
the covered units almost completely safe while you
approach the enemy. They’re also excellent at
intercepting enemy monsters (provided that there’s
not a character toting a magical weapon riding
them) and enemy cavalry. Aside from causing Terror
instead of Fear, Wraiths have a purely offensive
advantage over Spirit Hosts and can also upgrade
one of their numbers to a Tomb Banshee who holds a
potentially devastating short-ranged attack, while
also sporting a higher manoeuvrability due to being
skirmishers. This is where the Spirit Hosts hold their
own advantage though, as non-skirmishers they’re
75
Using a Combat Army on the Tabletop Black Knights (for example) without you being able
to do much about it!
Many of the guidelines in this section can also be
applied to Vampire Counts armies of most other Thirdly, and this ties in with the paragraph above,
varieties and some will treat things that are really rather the very process of redirecting an enemy will require
general. However, for the sake of completeness this part a different approach than armies that aren’t entirely
will deal with things that’d be good to keep in mind immune to psychology. Where the living can choose
when playing a Vampire Counts army more geared to (attempt to, at least) escape an enemy charge and
towards combat. leave their attackers stumbling forward in a failed
charge, the Vampire Counts will have to factor in
First off we’ll establish the underlying disposition the very likely destruction of the baiting unit as well
for using the army. Even though you’re going to be as a potential overrun move from their enemy. Since
doing the vast majority of your damage in close this will be wholly determined by dice, make sure to
combat you should not feel obliged to rush into give yourself a good margin of error when
battle the very first opportunity you get. While attempting to trap an enemy through re-direction,
Vampires and other assorted Undead creatures are or else you might find that they’ve overrun right out
certainly powerful combatants, the fact is that there of the arc of your counter charge. Units that are
are indeed armies out there that will pretty reliably useful for these kind of sacrificial tasks are fast
destroy anything we can throw at them in an moving and relatively cheap ones such as Dire
individual scrap. The Warriors and Daemons of Wolves and Fell Bats. You can also use the spell
Chaos along with Dark Elves are examples of such Raise Dead to summon a line of Zombies and angle
offensively powerful opponents. The Undead them in such a way that if the enemy charges them,
infantry generally rely on weight of numbers and they’ll end up looking in a direction more favourable
static combat resolution to defeat their enemies and for yourself. This obviously requires that you’ve a
you should always strive to play to these strengths. Vampire with the spell in a good position to use it
Keep your blocks supported either with more and that you’ll get it through in the first place,
infantry or with other, more fast-moving units to hardly fail-safe!
combat the enemy’s own support. Meet your
opponent head-on and catch him in the flanks or The Fourth guideline to give you revolves around
rear with something else to remove his own static using the many available choices that the Vampire
combat resolution and you’ll soon be triumphant. Counts have for disruption. Dire Wolves and Fell
Your Vampires and Wight Kings will play an Bats are both highly manoeuvrable unit-types, able
important part here as your infantry will need their to nestle themselves behind enemy lines after a turn
killing power in order to keep the combat resolution or two to begin march-blocking your enemy, as well
moving as far in your favour as possible and also to as attacking vulnerable missile units and war
counter the enemy’s own characters. machines. If you can deprive your enemy of the
added speed that marching brings he’ll be less able to
Secondly, while it is without doubt a great boon to react to your own movement. The army list also has
be immune to psychology it does also bring with it a a variety of options when it comes to mobile Terror-
rather severe drawback – you’re not allowed to elect causing creatures, such as the Varghulf and Cairn
“Flee” as a charge response but must instead stand Wraiths. You can also equip a hero-level Vampire to
firm and receive the attack. This can lead to some be a fast-moving Terror-causer with which you can
very painful situations if you’re not careful with disrupt your opponent. If you’re able to disrupt your
your movement as you will be forced to stand and opponent in a fashion such as this (though you
receive any charges upon you unless you can manage should be wary that the opponent just might be
to divert/redirect the enemy in due time. Therefore trying to do the very same to you!) you’ll force him
you should be careful with your movements, to deal with these nuisances instead of focusing
especially when it comes to your cavalry and even entirely on the advance of the rest of your army.
more especially so when there’s enemy cavalry afoot. This will undoubtedly make it easier to fight the
An inch too far could lead to the destruction of your enemy on your terms!

76
Fifthly, something that you should definitely Knights fit the bill rather well here) you could find
consider (practically all of the Warhammer armies yourself in a position where your total amount of
could benefit from this) is to make some combat resolution will be outdone by the amount of
rudimentary plans for hunting the enemy Wizards. Zombies killed by the enemy, leading to the
Wizards are typically quite squishy and also often untimely destruction of both your Zombies and their
cost quite a bit of points, making them viable targets would-be rescuers, all in one fell swoop. In situations
for pretty much anything in your army. By like these it is often better to plan ahead and create a
removing enemy Wizards from the table you’ll not scheme that revolves around catching the enemy
only weaken your opponent’s magic phase but you’ll right after they’ve disposed of the Zombies. By going
also strengthen your own due to facing less dispel with estimates and averages you should be able to
dice. This makes it easy to see why hunting mages is determine when your Zombies will be destroyed and
a good idea. If your opponent fields his Wizards raise more Zombies as needed (dice gods willing). If
alone or in smaller, lighter units (such as missile you’re able to make it happen during the opponent’s
troops), a group of Fell Bats or Dire Wolves could turn, you’ll be free to react immediately thereafter!
well get the job done (just beware of Stand and
Shoot!). Alternatively, if you’re able to get a unit of
Black Knights into position they’re quite apt at
whacking mages who are hiding in units. If you
employ a unit of Black Knights to be used in this
way you should not pay the points to upgrade one of
them to a champion. If you’re opponent is clever in
his placement he can use the champion’s character
status to his advantage by locking him in a
challenge, denying him the ability to strike at the
Wizard. For this same reason is a Vampire character
not the best choice when it comes to hunting mages,
although they’re far from poor at it. The Varghulf is
a terrific mage hunter, as he is able to focus all of his
attacks on a single model in base contact. Wraiths
could also be used in this role but by chasing after
Wizards you’re actively hunting one of the few
things that can actually harm your pricy ethereals.

Now, if a Wizard has taken to hiding himself in a

large and powerful unit, or is in fact a powerful
fighter/caster hybrid such as a Vampire, you’ll likely
have to commit a more sizeable part of your own
army to get rid of the pesky Wizard. Alternatively
you could take your chances and move in with a Models by CurseofBeers
Varghulf or some Black Knights but do know that
this will likely end in the loss of your mage hunter,
even if they succeed in their task or not.

Lastly, the Sixth piece of advice to keep in mind is

to be wary of committing anything to a combat in which
Zombies are already in. Zombies really are poor
combatants and if you’re fighting some of the more
offensively powerful opponents, a few were
mentioned earlier, you’re likely to be losing Zombies
by the handful. Unless your reinforcements are very
powerful close combatants themselves (Blood
77
Constructing an Army List This army totals 2248/2250 points and has got 7
Power Dice, 5 Dispel Dice and the Book of Arkhan.
The final section of this article will show you a pair
of example army lists using the guidelines given This army has a very good coverage of the Vampire
earlier along with some brief commentaries of usage special rule, which means that the army will able to
and deployment. march at any given point. It also has a fair amount of
fast-moving units such as the Dire Wolves, Fell Bats
and Varghulfs, all of them able to cause disruption in
Let us begin with an army list of 2250 points. the enemy ranks and hunt mages. These can also be
deployed in a more loose fashion than you could do with
infantry, as they’re more readily able to re-deploy once
the battle has started. Unless your enemy has included a
Vampire Lord – Red Fury, Dread Knight, Dreadlance,
similar amount of these “throwaway” deployment units
Nightshroud, Cursed Book – 380
you’ll be able to create more favourable match-ups on the
Vampire 1 – Nightmare, Dark Acolyte, Avatar of battle field. You’ll note that I haven’t assigned
Death (Shield), Book of Arkhan, Enchanted Shield – Vampire 2 to a specific unit and that is because he’ll
208 join whichever unit will provide him with the best
opportunity to use his great speed. With 4 attacks,
Vampire 2 – Infinite Hatred, The Flayed Hauberk, hatred and a 2+ armour save he will target the enemy’s
Sword of Battle, Talisman of the Lycni – 175 more vulnerable points, such as missile units and war
machines. The real meat of the list lies in the Grave
Wight King – Battle Standard, Barded Skeletal Steed,
Guard and Skeleton Warrior units. These two will work
Sword of Kings – 145
together and cover each others’ flanks. The Black
Knights will either go after a suitable target such as
enemy heavy cavalry or hang back and await a good
20 Skeleton Warriors – Full Command, Warbanner – time to launch a charge to support the infantry. Lastly,
205 * Vampire 1 join these * if the enemy army contains a ridden monster of any
kind, the Dire Wolves will be on duty to attempt to lock
18 Crypt Ghouls – Crypt Ghast – 152
it down for a turn through a challenge.
20 Zombies – Musician – 84

7 Dire Wolves – Doom Wolf – 66

15 Grave Guard – Full Command, Banner of the

Barrows – 255 * Vampire Lord and Wight King
join these *

5 Black Knights – Musician – 128

5 Fell Bats – 100

Varghulf – 175

Varghulf – 175 Model by BrushMistress

78
Next up is a list at the 1500 points level, Anyway, I hope that I haven’t bored you with the
content of this article and I also hope that I’ve
gotten the mechanics of fielding an army such as this
Vampire 1 – Dread Knight, Ghoulkin, Book of across. If you and/or your opponent are beginning to
Arkhan, Enchanted Shield – 200 * General * feel bored with the Vampire Counts and you haven’t
tried it already, fielding a combat force could well
Vampire 2 – Dark Acolyte, Summon Ghouls, The revive your interest in the Undead. Remember,
Flayed Hauberk, Sword of Might – 185 balance is the key to most things.

Wight King – Battle Standard, Barded Skeletal Steed, Have fun!

Lance, Warbanner – 157

20 Crypt Ghouls – Crypt Ghast – 168 * General join

these *

19 Crypt Ghouls – Crypt Ghast – 160 * Vampire 2

join these *

5 Dire Wolves – 40

5 Dire Wolves - 40

7 Black Knights – Barding, Full Command, Royal

Standard of Strigos – 271 * Wight King join these *

5 Fell Bats – 100

Varghulf – 175

This list total 1496/1500 points and has got 5 Power

Dice, 4 Dispel Dice and the Book of Arkhan.

This list will work in a rather direct approach, being a

rather fast-moving force able to cross the table by turn 3.
Like the larger list above, this one also contains a
number of fast-moving units that can be deployed first
in order to lure out the enemy’s major pieces, letting you
deploy accordingly. Both Ghouls units will have a Model by CurseofBeers
decent chance at defeating any given enemy thanks to
the Vampires that lead them but the greater hammer is
obviously the unit of Black Knights. Staying close to the
Varghulf will let them march until they’ve reached a
position from where they can strike.

For an additional example of a combat Vampire

Counts army list, do take a look at Swissdictator’s
article on how to field a themed Von Carstein army.

79
 Fixing vampire counts

Necromancy Spells by Danceman

I am only going back one book this time. Back Necromancy spells;
to the book where we still had to choose our
vampires from Bloodlines and, indeed, it had an Invocation of Nehek:
impact on the rest of your choices. What is so
special about this book and why do I bring it up The problem with these spells are very into the
in this article? To understand the recent outrage face, namely, the ability to cast them over and
over the latest book you need to know about the over until your power dice runs out. I believe it
book which preceded our current one. wouldn’t have been nearly as bad if it weren’t
for three factors: low casting value, vampire
The first difference is that the general was even powers and the Skull Staff. This allows us VC
more important than it is the current players to reliably cast this spell on a single dice.
instalment. Why, you might ask? It was the If you have the appropriate summoning powers
only character which had a “marching aura”. and the Skull Staff you are casting our innate
There were no hero Vampires pushing your spell Invocation of Nehek on 3+. Even if you
army forwards, no Varghulf or Blood Knights. just roll a 3 when casting IoN it goes through as
Another very significant difference was there casting value of 5, and if you roll a 6 it goes
was no such thing as necromancy spells, all our through on a casting value of 8. This often
spells were treated like any other spell. Our means your opponent will need to expend 2
Invocation of Nehek (commonly shortened to dispel dice to “reliably” stop it. This wouldn’t
IoN), which to many is a trademark spell for have been such a problem if it was a normal
VC, could only be cast once. The difference, spell but now you can cast this spell a great deal
however, was that casting levels which in of times in a single magic phase. Let’s assume
relation to the amount of models raised or we're using the standard caster Lord with Skull
wounds healed increased by the “power level” Staff, Master of the Black Arts, Forbidden
you wanted from the spell. The second Lore/Dark Acolyte and the basic level 3 wizard
significant difference in this spell was that you upgrade. He generates 5 or 6 dice on his own
couldn’t heal all your units like you can today. and can use 2 dice from the basic pool. That is 7
Another spell, which may be our most powerful IoNs per turn, 8 if you go for Dark Acolyte
one, is the Vanhel’s Danse Macabre. There is a instead. Imagine standing up to that kind of
big difference in this spell as well. In the old magic phase, a magic phase that will never
book the spell we have in the current book was miscast and can heal up the VC army with
in fact two different spells in the previous book. terrifying efficiency.
There was the movement spell and there was the
combat spell. Vanhel’s Danse Macabre:

I am going to ignore our spell Raise Dead here Ah, the spell that wins games. Not only it is a
as it is not the spell that is up for discussion and good spell but we can cast it as many times as
not the spell which is causing the outrage we can. As said, this spell is a game winner,
against VC. hands down. We VC players can pull off
manoeuvres other armies only can dream of
(bar Tomb Kings) and we can do it in a barrage
of spells. We have another tool which makes us
even more dangerous, namely, the Book of
Arkhan which is a bound item with VDM. Now
we got a relatively low cast movement spell and
a bound item with the very same spell. And of
course we can charge in this manner as well,
which makes it even worse.
80
The synergy effect:

These two spells together can be used with

horrific efficiency.

● Raise up a new unit and VDM into position

(a charge, redirector etc etc).
● Bring a new unit into combat more quickly
while the opponent already fighting of your
own units.
This usually means you'll outnumber and break
ranks.

”The Fix”:

This is where the debate starts to get heated but

I have distinguished them as best I could
into different categories:

● IoN functions exactly like Gut magic, i.e.

increases in casting value each time cast.
First is cast with 4+ then 8+ then 16+,
or something to that effect.
● IoN adding +2 to cast for every time you
cast IoN per wizard. The effect does not
stack up, so you can still cast it on the
normal value on each wizard but for each
Model by Vash1313
time the wizard attempt to cast IoN
again increase it by +2.
● IoN taken straight from the old book.

For VDM there has only been one suggestion

that makes sense for the sake of balance. It is
simply to make it a normal spell. No recasts,
just a normal spell like everyone else got. A very
simple and effective solution which deals with
the biggest issues.

So in conclusion it would seem that there are

two fairly simple solutions to IoN. Either treat
it as Gut Magic or increase the casting value by
+2 for each attempt (not successful cast). For
VDM, just treat it as a normal spell.

You may not feel the necromancy spells needs

fixing in which case you can ignore this article
and go on with your business as usual, or have
other ideas but these are the ideas that works
the best with the current game mechanic
without complicating things too much.
81
82
 To War!
A Battle Report by Count Flapula
Hello and welcome to my Tides of Chaos faced a second Lizardmen army with an
tournament report! Oldblood on Carnosaur- what are the chances?!

This tournament took place in the south of Vampire Lord

Britain in the height of summer, a well- ~Zombie Dragon
respected event that brings scores of players. As ~Level 3
I have done for the last couple of years, I took ~Aura of Dark Majesty
my trusty Vampire Counts to compete with the ~Infinite Hatred
best of 'em. However whilst usually I've brought ~Walking Death
a Vampire Lord on foot, who slogs it across the ~Balefire Spike
battlefield and tries to do as much damage on ~Book of Arkhan
the way, I decided for a far more direct army ~Flayed Hauberk
this time as show by the army opposite.
Vampire
Yes, a Zombie Dragon supported by two ~Hellsteed
underlings riding their own Hellsteeds! As this ~Infinite Hatred
event was comped (Where a panel of judges rate ~Nightshroud
your army and allocate you a score that affects ~Dispel Scroll
who you play first, and can change the score of a ~Biting Blade
game), I didn't want to use any of the cookie-
cutter builds, not that I do anyway! But this Vampire Battle Standard Bearer
time I decided to try out Aura of Dark Majesty ~Hellsteed
on my Vampire Lord, which is a bit different ~Avatar of Death (HA + Shield)
from the usual effective Red Fury builds. He ~Wristbands of Black Gold
would require a bit more finesses to reap the ~Black Periapt
rewards! Also of note is his only save is 2+ from
his magic armour- with no ward saves, if he 23 Skeleton Warriors
takes a bad hit, he's probably going down. ~Full Command
~War Banner
His army is built to support him, with the
infantry steadily advancing as the Dragon and 20 Zombies
Hellsteeds surround the enemy and force them ~Standard
to engage (Not always so easy!). The Fell Bats ~Musician
can go after war machines or weak enemies, or
simply get in the way, whilst the Varghulf is an 10 Crypt Ghouls
excellent hunter as we all know by now.
2 x 3 Fell Bats
My army was rated zero for comp, which means
it was neither too nasty, nor too soft- exactly as 6 Black Knights
I'd aimed! However Vampire Counts, being a ~Barding
top army suffered a bit, so I'd be taking a little ~Full Command
hit in some games- but only against really weak ~Royal Banner of Strigos
armies. All fine by me! The first battle report
has been posted on Carpe Noctem, so you can go 3 Wraiths
there to examine how I scored against a ~Banshee
Lizardmen army lead by an Oldblood on
Carnosaur... or you can read on for now, as I Varghulf

83
Game 2 vs Lizardmen

Oldblood
~Light Armour
~Shield
~Blade of Realities
~Carnosaur

Scar-Veteran
~Light Armour
~Shield
~Burning Blade of Chotec
~Glyph Necklace

Skink Chief The Wraiths made a nuisance of themselves on

~War-spear the left, but an overrun against a Salamander
~Ancient Stegadon went too far and they were charged by a block
of Saurus, the Scar-Veteran in them doing a fair
2 x 15 Saurus, amount of damage with his magic blade. The
Full Command Spirit Hosts tried to help out as well but they
were just fodder and were vaporised easily
2 x 10 Skinks enough. My Lord risked charging the Ancient
Stegadon, which stood and shot off several
2 x 10 Skink skirmishers wounds from my Dragon- this was a risk I was
happy to take, however, as the wounds were
2 x 3 Kroxigor easily healed back. The Stegadon was
annihilated and my Lord flew into the second
Ancient Stegadon Saurus block, which also died very easily.
Meanwhile the Lizardmen tried to
Salamander counterattack, but the Carnosaur was blocked in
by my Black Knights, who charged some
A very similar army compared to my first game, Skinks, killed them and overran into the big
but with added Kroxigor this time... and no dino. The Oldblood only had two wounds left
magic defence! The Lizardmen set up with the thanks to the Wind of Undeath, but the
Kroxigor and Carnosaur Lord on the right, Knights' attacks could not finish him off, and
Saurus mostly central and Skinks all over the they were destroyed utterly by the Blade of
place. I went for a very simple deployment with Realities.
my fliers central, flanked on either side by my
infantry and Knights on the right. The Kroxigor tried to join in the Lord's fight,
but the Fell Bats flew in front of them. Another
The enemy's two main characters deployed next unit of Skinks charged them first to help point
to other units, and I thought my opponent was the Kroxigor in the right direction, but this
being smart so as to avoid any Wind of Undeath meant fewer Kroxigor were in contact, and the
nastiness. However, he assured me they weren't Bats survived a turn, long enough for the
in the units, and so on turn 1, a mighty casting Ghouls to flank the Skinks and easily slaughter
saw two full Spirit Host bases arise in full view them, the lone Fell Bat survivor running down
of the Lizardmen army, march blocking and the Kroxigor who broke due to overwhelming
generally getting in the way! With zero magic combat resolution- this was obviously too much
defence, there was nothing they could do about for their comrades, who panicked as well!
it this time.
The two Fell Bat units then scoured the back
lines, charging stragglers and running down
fleeing units. Some brave Skinks tried to flank
84
and destroy my Zombies, but the Varghulf Game 3 vs Vampire Counts
saved the day- I didn't want to lose any more
points! Ah, some good old Vamp on Vamp action! My
opponent seemed fairly new to the army, but
had clearly been doing well. One of the first
things he did was to hand over a copy of his
army list, written out in full, with magic items
and bloodlines included. This, as with most
tournaments, was a "closed list" affair, so this
was not at all expected, however I responded
similarly and let him go over my army.
The enemy Vampire army was rather balanced,
and contained:

Vampire Lord
~Helm of Commandment
~Walach's Bloody Hauberk
~Power Stone
~Summon Ghouls
Meanwhile my Lord killed the second Stegadon, ~Forbidden Lore
and put a mighty Curse of Years onto the Scar- ~Ghoulkin
Veteran's Saurus. Not many died to the effects
of the spell, but the Scar-Veteran - who must Vampire
have been centuries older than his brethren - ~Avatar of Death (Great weapon)
died within two magic phases! It was not ~Talisman of Lycni
especially important however, as my Zombie
Dragon then smashed them in the rear and Vampire
wiped them out. ~Avatar of Death (Great weapon)

Thanks to the sacrifice of the Black Knights, the Wight King BSB
Skeletons were able to charge the Oldblood, ~Barded Skeletal Steed
taking several casualties a turn from the beast ~Lance
and rider, but all it would take was one lucky
turn... just as the Ghouls were about to charge 2 x 14 Crypt Ghouls
in the flank and add more static combat ~Crypt Ghasts
resolution to the fight, the Oldblood lost combat
and fled- and boy did he flee, going 16", right off 20 Crypt Ghouls
the table! ~Crypt Ghasts

With all the enemy characters dead it was all a 10 Dire Wolves
matter of cleaning up the last few survivors,
who did not put up much of a fight. With a 2 Corpse Carts with Balefire
massive win, this gave me a 10-0 victory, and a
leg up to table 3 for game 3! 20 Grave Guard
~Full Command
2749 - 566 to the Vampire Counts.
8 Black Knights
~Barding
~Full Command
~Banner of the Barrows

4 Wraiths

85
So although I describe it as balanced, it had Spike to ensure that the entire unit would be
some nasty elements, like the massive Grave crumbled by CR, and not even impeded for a
Guard unit and Helm of Command, with twin- turn. Nice.
linked Corpse Carts. But there were also some
rather curious choices, like the massive Dire I added to the enemy's problems by charging
Wolf unit! The deployment surprised me some, my Knights into another unit of Ghouls with a
as the Lord and Grave Guard went behind the Vampire- although they had ASF, I banked on
Ghoul units, the flanking units each with a the Vampire not doing enough damage. And
Vampire. The enemy's fast elements went on my sure enough I got lucky, he only killed one,
left, whilst the Wraiths went on my right. whilst a Killing Blow in return ended his
existence, and the Knights began to see off his
retinue.

However the ASF on everything and the -1 to

cast was still proving very helpful, so I decided
that the Corpse Carts had to die, and next my
Varghulf charged one whilst my Lord charged
the other. Thanks to the flaming lance my Lord
cleared up with ease, although the Varghulf
didn't quite manage to destroy his until the
enemy's turn.

The enemy Knights hammered into the Skeleton

block and began to slowly cripple them with the
Dire Wolves eventually joining in on the flank
I matched the Wraiths with my Black Knights to help destroy them quicker. But while that
and two Vampires by a square set of obstacles, was happening, the Varghulf smashed into the
whilst my infantry went across the line with flank of the enemy Vampire Lord's Grave
Wraiths for back-up and the Varghulf towards Guard. He began tearing at them and survived
the left. The Ghouls bundled forwards and the undamaged, but the Grave Guard won combat
enemy got the first turn. He was tempted to and turned to face their enemy, the Vampire
send his fast Vampire into my Black Knights, Lord managing to kill the Varghulf outright in
but wisely decided against it. His inexperience his turn!
showed as his Dire Wolves were well out of
range of his Vampires for marching- although However the Vampires were encircling their
they could still get out of the Black Knights prey and desperate attempts at casting Van
way, this meant they would cause me no Hel’s Danse Macabre were unsuccessful. The
problems for a while. Zombie Dragon with Vampire Lord, 4 surviving
Black Knights and the Battle Standard on
His magic was not especially powerful, but Hellsteed all smashed into the Grave Guard's
neither was mine, nearly all spell casting rear, with the Nightshroud Vampire nipping
attempts of mine in the first two turns failed by around the flank and being Dansed in herself.
just the amount that the two Corpse Carts After the dust had settled from the massive
affected them by! combat, all the Grave Guard had been
terminated, and the Vampire Lord had 5 ward
My army started to try and get round the saves to take... he'd have to be lucky to pass
enemy, with the Dragon eager for blood and three and survive...
bones. My opponent thought I had made a
couple of mistakes, and charged Ghouls into But he didn't, the Lord was dead and the rest of
Wraiths hoping to crumble them, and his his army began to crumble, including a 6-6
Wraiths into my Dragon. But with the Cloud of rolled for the Black Knights (Although that
Flies, they could barely hit, and my Lord would only crumble two thanks to the presence
casually did enough wounds with his Balefire of the BSB).
86
I could have just sat back and enjoyed ripping Game 4 vs Lizardmen
the fangs from the interloper's mouth plus a
large victory at this point, but wanted total More Lizardmen! This time there was no
victory. My Lord flew round the flank of the Carnosaur but still no Slann or Terradons either,
Black Knights, and Dansed himself in, killing I was leading a charmed campaign! However,
some of the Knights. Meanwhile my there were two Engines of the Gods...
Nightshroud Vampire parked herself in front of
a small unit of Ghouls with the other enemy Skink Priest
Vampire in it, and dared them to charge. They ~Engine of the Gods
did, and she coolly killed her enemy before my ~2 Scrolls
reinforcements arrived to relieve her.
Skink Priest
Next turn, the enemy Hell Knight moved over ~Engine of the Gods
to challenge my Vampire Lord. When my Lord ~Rod of the Storm
failed to kill the unit champion, we both knew
what was going to happen next. Two attacks Scar-Veteran
needing 5+ to hit... two hits... ~Cold One
Killing Blow on 6... there we go, my Vampire ~Light Armour
Lord, dead! ~Shield
~Sword of Battle
My army's crumbling was not too terrible,
however, with 600 points of Vampires and my 5 x 10 Skinks
own BSB nearby to mitigate it. The Dragon
managed to kill the impudent Hell Knight 6 Saurus Cavalry
several times over, and the Vampires kept him ~Full Command
healed. My Zombies, Bats, Wraiths and Ghouls ~Huanchi's Blessed Totem
all crumbled by the end of the battle but a single
Black Knight survived to retain points for his 2 x 3 Kroxigor
unit and a captured standard and the Dragon ~Ancient
finished the game on 3 wounds, after killing all
of the Knights and crumbling the Wight King, 6 Chameleon Skinks
so gave up no points. Despite the turn 5 flub
which saw my Lord die, I still had it in the bag, 3 Salamanders
for a nice 7-3 win.
Wouldn't want to be on table 1 now, would I? ;)
The enemy placed their Engines slap-bang in
2588 - 1618 to the Vampire Counts (My ones, the middle, flanked by Kroxigor and Saurus
that is!) Cavalry. I was on the same table as the previous
game, with the same hedge for protection, so
deployed similarly. The Lizardmen took first
turn, and didn't move too much. The magic
phase saw a small Lightning Bolt cast on my
Nightshroud Vampire, who used her scroll to
prevent it. The next lightning Bolt spell went on
my BSB, but I rolled a 1-1 in my 3 dice dispel
attempt. 3 wounds were caused, and I failed two
of my 3+ ward save rolls, so that was my BSB
dead straight out. To heap further insult upon
the injuries already suffered, yet another
lightning bolt spell was cast, this time on my
Varghulf, dealing three wounds to it, all
unsaved!!
87
After an appalling first turn, I aggressively sent leaving the Stegadon alive and kicking! The
my army forwards, the Banshee just managing Dragon was on three wounds left, but by all
to reach screaming range of the Chameleons, rights should be fine.
and killing enough to panic them off the table.
Magic saw me burning scrolls but still healing Magic phase: Burning Alignment: 6 hits, 3 hit
my Varghulf a little, as he and my other Dragon, all 3 wound and kill the Dragon. 3 hit
Vampire held back for fear of poison darts. the Vampire Lord and do 2 wounds. The only
hope left was that the combat phase would go a
The enemy responded by getting into position bit better, and my Lord killed the Priest with
for more damage, the Salamanders roasting some handy overkill... only to be stepped on and
numerous Zombies with their flaming attacks. killed by the Ancient Stegadon. Oh dear.
At least his magic did no damage this time.
Next turn it was on, as my Dragon smashed The Wraiths had been in perfect position to
straight into one of the Engines, killing the charge some Kroxigor, and my Hellsteed
Stegadon and running down the Skink Priest. Vampire and Varghulf were also in good
As the picture shows this was really quite risky, position for some tasty counter charges. The
as if I'd failed to do enough damage, I'd be army crumbled rapidly and left me with just the
getting a Stegadon in the flank and a Burning two Vampires, both facing the Stegadon that
Alignment (or two!). had done so much damage. The two crashed into
the Stegadon, hoping to rip it to pieces and
avenge my Lord.

The Fell Bats also started getting in the way of

the enemy and charged some Skinks but did not
break them. The Zombie Dragon had pursued 8 attacks with hatred and S5 later, the Stegadon
off the table and so was safe from the Engine's was untouched, and he stepped on my Hellsteed
Burning Alignment, which melted some Vampire and killed her, too. It was looking like
Zombies but left a wound on the Fell Bats- any game over with Saurus Cavalry about to flank
more than that, and the Skinks fighting them the Varghulf (not that it really has a flank), but
would have been free to shoot their blowpipes! they failed Stupidity and so would not get to
The remaining Skink Priest made a little join the fight! Calling on its inhuman strength,
mistake in his casting and ended up wounding the Varghulf finally killed the Ancient
himself instead, which was nice. Our cavalry Stegadon, before eyeing up its next target: a
engaged each other, but the Lizardmen came little unit of Skinks seeking to claim a table
out on top thanks to their Scar-Veteran leading quarter. The vicious Vampire charged them, so
the fight. terrified that they fled, but not far enough, and
the game ended with only the Varghulf left, but
The Wraiths continued their reign of terror, and he'd still claimed a fearsome toll on the enemy.
started butchering the Salamanders, eventually The Lizardmen won 7-3.
running them off the table. The Dragon came
back on and charged the other Engine through 1471 - 2474 to the Lizardmen.
Vanhel’s Danse...but didn't do so well this time,
88
Game 5 vs Daemons The Daemons took first turn, and the infantry
headed forwards, almost giving my Dragon a
Me and my previous opponent both went on to perfect flank charge on the Daemonettes, but no
fight against Daemons in our next game, only he such luck! The cavalry on the right rushed the
got the really nasty army with a Bloodthirster, flank, the others a bit more wary.
and I got the merely nasty list!
In my first turn, the Herald Sirened in my
Herald of Nurgle Dragon Lord who began to work on the
~BSB chomping. The Fell Bats flew up onto the left
~Standard of Sundering hill, within range of the Furies. My Lord used
Vanhel’s Danse to charge the Fell Bats into the
Herald of Slaanesh Furies, who beat their opponents and wiped
~Steed of Slaanesh them out, hurrah! My Lord slaughtered the
~Siren Song Alluress but insane courage meant the
Daemonettes took no extra damage.
10 Daemonettes
~Champion Of course, the Plaguebearer unit flanked my
~Standard Dragon, adding the flank and BSB bonus- the
BSB himself was out of the combat. The
10 Daemonettes Flamers peeked out of the forest, but had no
good targets yet. The 10 Horrors on the hill
2 x 10 Horrors thought about charging my Fell Bats but
decided not to.
10 Plaguebearers
~Standard The Herald of Slaanesh was killed comfortably
by the Dragon, who took a wound in return and
2 x 5 Furies crumbled a tiny bit more.

2 x 6 Flesh Hounds In my turn the Varghulf tried to get into

position to charge the intact Daemonette unit,
5 Flesh Hounds but my second unit of Fell Bats had to flap
along his flank to block him from the scary
5 Seekers of Slaanesh Flamers, whilst a screen of Zombies also had to
~Siren Standard be raised to stop them! The left Fell Bats went
into the Horrors whilst my Nightshroud
2 x 6 Flamers Vampire nipped around their flank. Magic also
saw the Zombie Dragon healed up to full
The main Daemonic infantry went central with wounds, easy without the Standard of
Heralds, a unit of Horrors went on each flank, Sundering affecting the Invocation of Nehek.
and the cavalry mostly went on my right flank,
with some for the other side of the table. All the The big fight continued, with several
Flamers hovered around a forest in the enemy Daemonettes killed and the Dragon harmed
deployment zone - they wouldn't come out again, and a win for the Vampires this time! The
unless I made them! I knew in this game my Wraiths started getting into annoying positions
flying Vampires would be the most important, for the enemy and killed two Flesh Hounds
the Hellsteed Vampires hid behind troops not thanks to my Lord's Aura of Dark Majesty. A
wanting to be Siren Song-ed but the Dragon couple more Daemonettes dissolved but the
wouldn't mind. One unit of Skeletons protected Plaguebearers remained resolute. The Fell Bats
my right flank along with the Varghulf, and the and Horrors fought to a standstill with no
Wraiths stayed left, where forests would allow wounds caused but the Bats crumbled a little.
them to duck out of danger.

89
All in all, it wasn't looking too bad but the finished off the disgusting Herald! With victory
cavalry was starting to get around the flanks in sight, the Plaguebearers crumbled some
and the remaining 5 Furies rear-charged my more...
Lord to add additional combat resolution. This
worked well for the Daemons, as my Lord kept ...but then more enemies arrived, in the form of
killing Daemonettes but the Dragon abjectly the Daemonettes who had killed my Varghulf!
failed to harm the Furies, leaving the Daemons My Lord charged them, clipping the Flamers
with much greater static combat resolution- and and bringing them into the fight. Again my
the Dragon crumbled to just one wound left! Dragon nearly died but he killed them all... all
The Flamers matched their efforts and easily but one, leaving the remaining Flamers unable
annihilated the Zombies screening my Varghulf, to target my Lord with their shooting- though
and reduced him to one wound remaining. they finally claimed my BSB. My Lord flew
over and Dansed into the 6 surviving Flamers,
Of course, the Dragon was healed up and kept whilst my Nightshroud Vamp flew to the corner
munching Daemonic ass, whilst the Varghulf to raise precious quarter-claiming Zombies.
was not so lucky- although he charged the
Daemonettes, he only killed 1 and crumbled in The last turn saw my Lord fly to the flank of the
return. My two Vampires joined the fight, the Flesh Hounds that had claimed my Skeletons'
Nightshroud Vamp aiding the Fell Bats in banner, kill them to reclaim it, leaving not much
killing the Horrors, and my BSB hitting the left. Although I'd done a lot of damage, I'd
Furies in the rear. Although he did kill one, a taken a lot as well. Because of the comp
Fury managed to wound him in return, and difference, I essentially gained +300VPs- but
after a shaky round of combat, the undead lost either way, it was a minor victory to
by 1, but the BSB's presence stopped him from me: 6-4 win! Would have been 7-3 if I hadn't
crumbling. The Banshee again did a stellar job, remembered my killed raised Zombies at the last
killing a Flesh Hound to leave just two left in second...
the unit.
2017 - 1413 to the Vampire Counts.
The massive mêlée continued, the two Flesh
Hounds turning to join in. The Furies finally
died, as did the Daemonettes, leaving my
Dragon in a fine position, turning to face the
enemy. All 12 Flamers got into firing range of
the BSB who was now stranded out of combat
(albeit healed again), and unleashed a massive
barrage- nearly 60 shots in total! The first set
got one through his thick armour and powerful
ward save, then the next set saw him suffer 5
wounds, 4 saved by his armour. With just one
3+ ward save to take, I got ready to remove
him... but passed it!

Next turn it was time for revenge, as the last of

the Horrors crumbled, leaving my Nightshroud
Vampire free to flank the two Flesh Hounds,
killing them comfortably. My BSB could see the
Plaguebearers from his position, so charged
them too with only one thing in mind - bring the
enemy BSB into combat! If he refused my
Lord's challenge he would no longer provide
regeneration to the unit, so he took up the
challenge... my Lord managed only one wound
even with his flaming lance, but the Dragon
90
Game 6 vs High Elves
14 Swordmasters
By game six of a two-day tournament, most ~Musician
players can be separated into one of two ~Blademaster
categories: those just getting started, and those ~Talisman of Loec
who are knackered. My opponent for this game
had already played against three other Vampire Great Eagle
Count armies, but was eager to kick some more
undead ass. I on the other hand, was tired, the 2 Repeater Bolt Throwers
dim light of the hall and muggy summer heat
making me a bit light in the head. I still The Archmage took the Lore of High Magic,
recorded the game in detail however, for a full- giving him Drain Magic, Curse of Arrow
sized battle report. Attraction, Fury of Khaine, Flames of the
Phoenix and Vaul's Unmaking. The Dragon
However, I usually see High Elves as a Mage rolled Fireball, Fiery Blast and
relatively easy opponent, as long as you know Conflagration of Doom, giving him a fair load of
what you're doing and dictate the game on your firepower. Meanwhile my Lord got Raise
own terms. With a relatively magic-heavy army Zombies, Wind of Undeath and Summon
facing me, this shouldn't be too difficult, as Undead Horde, my Battle Standard Bearer got
combat is where the game would be won or Raise Zombies and Vanhel’s Danse Macabre,
lost...eventually. and the Nightshroud Vampire got Gaze of
Nagash.
Archmage
~Level 4 Deployment
~Seerstaff
~Loremaster's Cloak The armies deployed as in the diagram, the
~Dispel Scroll Elven infantry staring down the Undead, with
~Great Eagle my Zombie Dragon hiding behind a forest to
avoid being peppered with shots for one turn.
Dragon Mage The High Elves won the roll for first turn,
~Level 2 decided to leave it and just as I was considering
~Silver Wand my first turn's moves changed their mind and
~Ring of Fury decided to go first after all. Game on!

Noble Battle Standard

Bearer
~Sword of Might
~Helm of Fortune
~Dragon Armour
~Shield
~Barded Elven Steed

15 Spearmen
~Full Command
~War Banner

10 Archers

5 Dragon Princes

5 Dragon Princes

5 Dragon Princes
91
 so that they would charge and she would start
Turn 1 slicing and dicing. Alas, it was not to be. The
army instead sought to envelop the Asur, the
Dragon boldly exposing his flank to the right
Dragon Princes- especially bold seeing as my
Lord could not actually harm the noble Elves
due to their Dragon Armour! To stop them my
Lord raised a new unit of Zombies to divert the
Dragon Princes, with other magic attempts
being dispelled.

Turn 2

The High Elves advanced with determination,

two units of Dragon Princes each looking to get
round both of my flanks and the Elven Mages
flying into range to magic my troops. The first
turn's magic saw a Fury of Khaine let through
on the right-hand unit of Fell Bats,
unexpectedly killing them all with a couple of
wounds to spare! My dice had been saved for the
final spell of the turn, which turned out to be
Curse of Arrow Attraction on the Nightshroud The Elves continued their advance, the
Vampire who was now in the firing line for the Swordmasters boldly placing themselves in front
two Bolt Throwers. A miscast made me think I of my Skeletons and Vampire Lord, their
would get away with this one, until the miscast Champion moving to the flank in case the
made the spell irresistible instead, with the Vampire Lord would charge. The right Dragon
Archmage forgetting it. In the shooting phase Princes smashed into and destroyed the raised
the Bolt Throwers multishot and made good use Zombies easily but they were now out of
of the Curse to kill my little Vampire outright, position. The High Elves magic continued to
with the second one hoping to get my Battle batter the Undead with the Dragon Mage
Standard Bearer as well- but failing to wound. blasting a couple of wounds off of the Varghulf.
In addition the Archmage got Vaul's Unmaking
through on the Vampire Lord, his armour
becoming useless. The Repeater Bolt Throwers
had few decent targets at this point, but one of
them shot at my Lord, dealing two wounds to
both the Dragon and the Lord- I was speechless!
At least, I was for a couple of minutes, then I
got down to table-level and noticed that the
Bolt Thrower couldn't possibly see my Dragon
through the forest... plus we remembered that
the Bolt Thrower had actually moved that turn
as well due to lack of targets. With relief I
removed the wound tokens by my Lord!

The death of my Nightshroud Vampire was a

great blow to my army, as I had intended to
plonk her straight in front of the Swordmasters,

92
I decided it was time to take the fight to the Picking a new model out for my Vampire Lord,
High Elves and my Lord and Skeletons both I was faced with many choices. Perhaps the old
charged the Swordmasters. The Swordmasters B-movie style Carstein, to represent his weak
managed to fail both their terror test AND their status? Or Vlad to represent his Majesty? Nah, I
fear test, fleeing away from the Skeletons, and went and got out my Konrad model, and played
easily caught and slaughtered by my Lord who him accordingly- charging him right into the
excitedly revelled in the carnage. That is, until I flank of the Spearmen who failed their fear test.
realized that this meant he was now right in The Black Knights charged into and through
front of two bolt throwers, and we'd already had the not-so-Great Eagle, whilst the Skeletons
a premonition about how nasty they could be... lined up in front of the Dragon Princes, ready to
take the charge and tarpit the Knights. The
Magic saw the Varghulf slightly healed, and a Wraiths poked their noses out of the forest,
massive Wind of Undeath dealing several although once again the Banshee scream was
wounds to the Elves, the Loremaster's Cloak ineffective. The Varghulf tasted blood and hit
protecting the Archmage from the damage, but the Archers - whilst they couldn't stand and
not able to stop several ghosts from popping up shoot, it was fortunate that I had healed him
in front of the Dragon Princes with the Noble. (And my Battle Standard) of a wound in the
The Banshee was close enough to scream at one magic phase, as their Speed of Asuryan allowed
unit of Dragon Princes but that didn't harm the them to strike first and knock him back down to
brave Elves. one wound before he killed a few, the survivors
breaking and being run down. The Fell Bats also
went in for the kill, taking out a Bolt Thrower
Turn 3 though they were reduced to one model in the
process.

My Lord happily killed several Spearmen but

the resolute militia held on and won the combat
thanks to their musician. Although my Lord
didn't lose a wound thanks to the presence of my
BSB nearby, they did turn on the spot to get
more attacks in on my Lord for the next turn.

Turn 4

The Asur continued to exert their authority this

turn with Dragon Princes charging through and
destroying the Ghouls - plus the Battle
Standard Bearer using his Sword of Might to
easily dispatch several ghosts and overrun close
to the Skeletons. The magic continued to cripple
my forces, harming the Dragon, wounding the
BSB on his Hellsteed and reducing the Varghulf
to one wound. Then in the shooting phase the Was it all over? The central Dragon Princes
Bolt Throwers let rip, their 12 bolts killing the charged the Skeletons whilst their comrades
Dragon and leaving my Vampire lord on just repositioned themselves. The Archmage put
one wound. It wasn't looking good! himself out of sight of the Black Knights who
were advancing through the forest.
93
This turn finally saw the Varghulf roasted to The Dragon was still under the effects of the
death but the rest of the firepower could not Vampire Lord's Aura, and fled the battlefield.
destroy the Fell Bats. The Dragon Princes The Noble and his Princes charged the Zombies
smashed apart many of the Skeletons, but not and set to killing them, overruning far, far
enough to demolish the entire unit. The away. The Archmage managed to drain the
Vampire Lord won combat by one against the magical power from the battlefield, but could
Spearmen, who failed their break test thanks to not shift the Fell Bat he was fighting against. As
his Aura of Dark Majesty. He ran down the the Wraiths finished off the Dragon Princes, it
Elves, slaughtering them all, and eyed his next became clear that things had gone drastically
target... wrong for the High Elves.

The Dragon Mage was in his sights and he went

in to drain his blood whilst the Battle Standard
charged the remaining Bolt Thrower and the
lone Fell Bat on one wound charged into the
Archmage who had been left just in charge
range. This allowed the Black Knights to move
to the edge of the forest with the Archmage in
sight - as long as the Fell Bat survived the turn,
the Archmage would be caught next turn. The
magic phase saw one Invocation get through
onto the Fell Bats, a decent roll would seal the
Archmage's fate for good... but it healed only And so the Black Knights charged the
one wound to the unit! Meanwhile the Wraiths Archmage, the Hell Knight issuing a challenge,
flanked one of the cavalry units, the scream and landing a killing blow on the weak Elf
failing to kill any once again but the Wraiths before his steed was run down, whilst the
did kill a couple in combat. The Vampire BSB Wraiths moved back to the forest to be in range
easily killed the Bolt Thrower crew while the to have wounds healed back by the Vampire
Dragon Princes finished off the Skeletons. But Lord who healed himself handily as well while
the big fight was my Lord who healed himself he was at it.
for once wound, leapt onto the sinuous neck of
the Dragon and impaled the Dragon Mage. The
Dragon snapped back, wounding the powerful Turn 6
Vampire, but with Walking Death it was a win
for the Vampire Lord- and combined with Aura
of Dark Majesty, the Dragon broke!

Turn 5

With the northern cavalry having little to do, it

was death or glory for the Battle Standard and
his Dragon Princes. They charged into the
Wraiths but two of their number died to the
first successful scream of the game. The Banshee
was killed in a challenge but after the Vampiric

94
Battle Standard had raised some quarter- to fly around - but miss precisely how
claiming Zombies, the Vampire Lord read from vulnerable this makes them, with each Vampire
the Book of Arkhan (Which ran out, not so hero dying early on in at least one game. The
annoyingly) to bring him close enough to re- power of a dragon is unmistakable though - yes,
raise the screamer - and also affect the Dragon he may only be toughness 5 and only have a 5+
Princes with his Aura of Dark Majesty to boot. armour save but you can usually avoid the
nastiest enemy firepower, and it's not like T6
With a quick blow on the dice from a friend and a 3+ armour save would matter against a
from my club to charm them, I rolled a 6-5 for Great Cannon anyway!
the Banshee's scream on the Dragon Princes,
killing them and their Battle Standard Bearer. I think my army was rated perhaps a little too
And that was game- and a 7-3 win! softly by the comp system but clearly the
weaknesses I'd built in to my army were
2262 - 1264 to the Vampire Counts!. recognised by the powers that be. Having no
Ward Save on my Vampire Lord meant that
Well, what a game, and what a great way to end against most armies, which usually have a fair
a great tournament. bit of shooting, I really had to be careful with
my Lord - I couldn't just throw him in front of
This game started off extremely tough with the enemy army without serious risk, which
both my opponent and myself quite sure it was means playing as best as I can. My last
going to be a big win for the High Elves early opponent even commented how crazy it would
on. However my Vampire Lord's actions be to not put the Wristbands on my Vampire
mirrored my own, as in the face of great Lord for that 3+ ward save but that's the kind
adversity we both decided we weren't going to of craziness that makes the army fun, as
lay down and die - holding on and refusing to opposed to a cookie-cutter point-and-click game
lose to High Elf Spearmen. The rest of the High winner.
Elf army either spent the game hacking through
core troops - not unimportant but not crucial - The tournament winner was a Tomb King
whilst my heavy hitters got into position to player (The fella who charmed the last dice roll
claim the game. The final scream of the game of the tournament of mine, the one that wiped
not only saved my Wraiths, but also let me out the High Elf nobility), who struggled
claim that quarter and recover my lost standard through against a Daemon player in the final
bearers- on top of the points from the Elven game - losing slightly, but with scores adjusted
elites. due to the comp, ending up victorious overall
with the Daemon player close behind.
Still, nice to have some good luck - and the
game was mine by that point anyway. Lizardmen and Empire armies claimed the third
and fourth spots (No prizes for guessing their
armies), with my Vampires claiming a nice fifth
Tournament Wrap-up place. The end score was somewhat amusing as I
claimed the second highest amount of victory
This was another powerful performance by my points overall and went 5-1, with the third place
Vampire Counts, however the army style of the chap only getting 3 wins and 2 draws- but the
"flying circus" was different to any of my fact that I happily sacrificed much of my army
Vampires I'd taken to previous tournaments. and had my opponents all get a fair amount of
VPs themselves meant my wins were not
I don't think anyone else has tried using an massive one-sided massacres as often happens
army full of flying characters in this manner with the top-placed players. So all in all, a great
before and they worked pretty well but mostly tournament, and the Vampires will return to re-
just as support for the real powers of the army claim their seat (just below the top table)!
to work. Many comp systems just look at armies
with flying characters and just assume they
must be especially nasty because of the ability
95
96
 The Children of Maat
Written by The Pale Lady

Book 1: A Law Unto Her Own.

Prologue: To Walk Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death.
IC -1204

Ushoran snarled, his lips curling back to reveal a set of sharp fangs. They glinted menacingly in the erratic torchlight.

“They could not help themselves! They killed a handful at best - worthless, meaningless mortals, nothing but cattle in the
grand scale of things. Why should they suffer so?” He slammed a bejewelled fist onto the ornate table, the twelve goblets
jumping.

“They have broken my laws!” Maatmeses heard herself say. “I did not create them at some idle whim. There is a very real
reason for their establishment, Lord of Masks.” She looked into the vampire’s icy gaze, a contest of wills between two
undying monsters. He gritted his teeth and stood with a whirl, his back to the table.

“I reiterate, their actions were innocuous. Their victims were nobodies. No one has so much as noticed their absence! The
lives of street urchins, and blind beggars, they are expendable - and as numerous as grains of sand in our great desert!” he
added pointedly.

“That is far from the point. Had my guards not overheard their conversation, their illegalities would have gone unnoticed.
They would have slunk back to Lybaras and continued in their bloodshed unabated.” The High Judge licked her dry lips, the
moisture soothing. “Who knows what could have happened then? Street urchins and beggars are numerous enough, yes, but
what of city guard? Nobility?” She paused. “Grand Vizier, how sit the city’s coffers?” Harakhte’s gazed flicked skyward as
his lips mouthed silent calculation.

“They are up sixty eight percent since my last books,” he answered eventually.

“And can we afford war?” said Maatmeses. Harakhte spluttered at the word.

“War? Who is speaking of war?”

“I speak of war, should Lord Ushoran’s offspring continue to feast in the kingdoms of the priest kings! They are
aggravating an already sore wound. The Nehekharans grow suspicious of us and our practices. They hear whispers of the
cult that thrives here, and still, his children,” she nodded toward Ushoran, “feed from Lybaras, and Mahrak!”

The Lord of Masks growled, a sound at odds with his otherwise refined appearance. He span around, a retaliation on his
tongue, but another voice spoke out first.

“You will sit, Ushoran.”

He checked himself, chest rising and falling slowly. An element of composure returned to his eyes. Bowing, he sank back into
his seat, like a whipped dog.

“Of course, my most glorious Queen.” The vampire lord coughed, hand before his mouth, the picture of etiquette.

Queen Neferata smiled from atop her throne, her gaze running luxuriously over each of the members of her court. It was a
silken gaze that slipped into the soul, subtly penetrating the darkest veils of their minds. From beside her, King Vashanesh
sat quietly, back straight, left hand resting atop that of his queen’s. When she spoke, her voice rang rich and certain.

“Maatmeses speaks the truth when she says the Nehekharans grow wary. They hear rumours, whispers of our dark lord and
unseemly sacrifices carrying the length of the desert to reach their ears. My informants in their courts tell me this, and I hear

97
the same story, whether from the court of Mahrak, of Lybaras, or of Khemri itself.” She paused, her tongue slipping out to
lick the corner of her top lip. “They hear the name Nagash, and they grow afraid.” There was something sensuous about the
way she said the Great Necromancer’s name, as though it brought her physical pleasure.

“You do not know that they would have returned, Maatmeses,” snapped the Lord of Masks, pointlessly reversing the
direction of the conversation. “Lybaras is a great distance to travel, and the other kingdoms even further still. My children
have everything they need to slake their thirst here, in our city. In this very temple alone, for Nagash’s sake!”

“And yet, something drew them there in the first place. Something lead them into foreign lands, against my explicit rules.
For this digression, they need to be reprimanded. It is the law, Lord Ushoran. We cannot be seen to waver it for the
nobility.”

“None are exempt in the eyes of the law,” added Captain Abhorash, from beside their dark queen. The table nodded their
agreement, bar one. Ushoran’s temper raged unchecked

“Don’t be so ridiculous. We are exempt. Of course we are! We wrote the laws! We are above them, as we are above
mortals.” Maatmeses struggled to contain herself in the face of such idiocy. Could he not see the potential consequences of
what he was saying? The tension across the table was palpable. It tasted sour.

“Listen to yourself. Law requires all to obey it, else it fails, it unravels, and loses its integrity. You are not so mighty that
you can do as you please without consequence, my lord.” A voice sounded from across the table, seductive and majestic. The
High Judge felt ancient eyes settle on her.

“Am I not above the law, Maatmeses?” She licked her lips again, and smiled falsely. It was an unattractive expression on an
unattractive woman. She looked both sly and awkward under the scrutiny.

“You are exempt all laws, my Queen Neferata. You are as a goddess, even to us. You come and go as you please about the
city, no earthly law could seek to restrain you.” Neferata pursed her bronzed lips and nodded once, clearly pleased by what
she heard. Ushoran grinned.

“That does not apply to you, however, and especially not your offspring!” snapped Maatmeses, quicker than she would have
liked. She needed to trap the arrogant bastard, to turn his own words against him, before the meeting ran its course.

“And why not? Why should our glorious queen in death, Neferata herself, be free of the law and yet the rest of us assembled
here be denied by it?” A couple of heads nodded in agreement, as though his words were causing them to reconsider. The
High Judge knew Ushoran was slippery. His words could be sweet as honey, or like venom on his barbed tongue.

“Let his children feed where they please,” muttered W’soran, half to himself, half to the other masters. “They will be found
out, and Nehekhara will march against us as one. It is not as though they have so much as a chance of victory against the
likes of us.”

“You have seen this?” said Neferata curiously.

“We have seen it before, in Khemri, when our dark lord rose above the masses and sought to wrest control. It will be the
same, only the outcome will be different.”

“Go on.”

“They can not hope to compete with the might of Nagash and Lahmia together! If Nehekhara united against us, he would
come to our aid. He is our god! He will fight to protect his disciples, as much as to claim revenge over the men and women
that prevented him from attaining the throne of Khemri. These facts are indisputable. His magics will wreak a devastation
unseen in all the world yet!”

“We do not know for certain that he would directly interfere, even to save us.”

“Have faith in the Great Necromancer, he is both cunning and patient. No plot unfolds without his knowledge. Think of all
he has achieved already…”
98
Maatmeses interjected, seeing the turn of the conversation. At the references to Nagash, an air of anticipation had settled
over the assembled vampires, as though they were on the edge of their seats. The Great Necromancer had such an effect on
their kind. She could not explain it, but she did not like the influence his name seemed to hold over its vampiric worshippers.

“We cannot simply throw our laws aside, and bank on the dark lord Nagash to save us when Lahmia is assaulted. Better to
maintain an attitude of discretion, and avoid war altogether!” This was the fate of Lahmia they were talking about! Could
they not see that? Had they become so self-absorbed that nothing was sanctified anymore, even their own city?

“We are all here of the same blood, all equal. If our Queen Neferata is fit to disregard the hand of the law, why should we
curtail our behaviour?”

Maatmeses grabbed at the opportunity revealed by the vampire scholar, before anyone else could interject. It occurred to her,
as she began to speak, that W’soran was antagonising the situation with his attitude. He is well aware that the queen was
above them all, and had rights that they did not. Why was he siding with Ushoran’s views? Did he want war? The thought
was unsettling.

“But we are not all equal! Our Queen,” she paused, adding influence to the title, “surpasses us all in rank, power and
divinity. We are gods and goddesses amongst men, yes, but within our own number, Queen Neferata alone has the power
necessary to disregard - even rewrite - the laws as she sees fit. You dispute this?”

“This is preposterous!” snapped Ushoran.

A hush settled over the vampires, as quiet as the lifeless deserts of the east. Then, from the head of the table:

“You dispute this, little brother?”

For a moment, Maatmeses thought he might. He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it.

“I do not, my Queen.”

“Good. Then it is settled. The seven offending vampires will be punished for their crimes. Such wanton feeding is not to be
encouraged beyond our city walls. What are they subject to, High Justice? I forget such things.”

“A year’s isolation in the Catacombs, my Queen,” spoke Maatmeses with a hint of pride. It did not go unnoticed on
Ushoran, who grimaced and, leaping to his feet, strode out of the chamber. Shadow rippled across his bronzed torso as he
quit their company. “I will see to it that a regiment from the city guard collect them and accompany them to the temple, for
the administration of their sentence.” The High Justice could feel the knots in her muscles, her neck in particular aching. She
had been tense, more so than usual, but she could not help it. The flaunting of her laws was unacceptable in the best of
circumstances, but the laws broken in this instance… She was most passionate that they must not be ignored.

They existed for a reason!

“That is everything?” said Ahmose with detectable finality. He cracked the knuckles of his ham-fists. “The docks do not run
themselves. I have six barques arriving in less than an hour that need officiating.”

“We are all busy,” muttered W’soran. “So busy, so much to arrange! Have you seen the Great Library recently? A wealth of
information, fit for a god! But such a pain to categorise. Immortality such as ours in a necessity, merely to document the
endless collection accumulated there.”

“That is all I wished concluded,” nodded Maatmeses, “though had Lord Ushoran not contested my arrests so virulently, I
would still have called assembly, in light of these most disturbing turns of events.” The remaining masters turned her way.
“I cannot stress how important it is that you limit your children to the city’s boundaries. Rumours have reached my ears that
others too have been slipping through the city walls, for what purpose I can only begin to imagine. Do not allow your
offspring to feed in foreign lands.”

“You have made your point, High Judge, most…incessantly. This meeting is adjourned.” Something about Queen Neferata’s
99
languid tone smarted Maatmeses. Let them continue to frequent the city walls then, she thought with bitterness. She had
the entirety of the city guard at her disposal. The secrets of their comings and goings would not remain clouded for long.

Chapter 1: A Ruby Shattered.

IC -1200

Dark magic crackled through the air, a hundred bolts of black lightning arcing from the library’s entrance into the maelstrom
of combat below. Where each bolt struck a man withered and died, his flesh stripped clean from his bones.

The charnel reek of spoiled blood hung heavy on the air, the stench so strong it was palpable. To the desperate soldiers that
fought below, it was a bitter taste on their tongues, a reminder of the thousands who had died already, their bodies
despoiled. To the dark denizens of the city, the defenders of ancient Lahmia, the smell was a promise, an unspoken promise
of the feast that was to come should they win. It stirred their eternal appetites, bringing out the beast within each one of
them. Lahmia was a city of vengeful monsters.

The air was saturated with the nauseating stench; it pervaded every corner of the great city. There was no escaping it. The
vampires bathed in the rich, intoxicating scent, even as they murdered the invaders of their precious city with their fangs
and blades.

More lightning flickered forth from the entrance of the Great Library, the chanting of a coven of vampire priests bringing it
to bear on the encroaching soldiers. Scores fell beneath the arcane bolts, their bones collapsing to the cracked flagstones.
Gleaming skulls stared vacantly up, their jaws locked in eternal screams.

Still the fighting edged nearer.

For every Nehekharan felled by the sorcery, two more rounded the street corner and threw themselves into the fray. Time lost
all meaning, the battle dragging on for what seemed like an eternity. With the sun concealed from view behind dark storm
clouds, night and day ran into one another. The clouds rumbled angrily overhead, venting their fury at the bloodshed
unfolding below, constantly threatening a storm but never quite relenting.

The vampires of Lahmia revelled in the dark shadows cast by the thick black storm clouds, knowing full well the effect it
was having on their enemies. They could smell it, the stench of the mortals’ fear. The shadows filled their hearts with
despair. Their sun god, Ptra himself, was powerless over this cursed city. How could they possibly hope to triumph? That
they still fought on was a testament to the strength of their revulsion toward the vampires and their fell ilk.

The first of the soldiers broke from the bitter fight, charging over the gutted corpse of a Lahmian guard and taking a step up
the long flight of steps that lead to the entrance of the Great Library. His heart hammered in his chest. Sweat clung to his
flesh in an oily sheen but still he charged. The vampires could not be allowed to live. The servants of Nagash were cruel,
greedy and unnatural, and they had no place in the world. They were a pestilent blight upon the fair desert kingdoms!

He made two more steps before a beam of purple light punched through his face.

Mouthless, he died silently.

The perpetrator stepped from out of the ranks of the priestly vampires, his hands upraised. Even as two more soldiers
mounted the stairs his hands cast them back, ribbons of obsidian-black light blasting from his fingertips. The light
continued, scything through the wizard’s enemies, dissecting three whole ranks of warriors through their waists with a neat
slash.

There was nothing neat about the chorus of screams that erupted from their mouths, or the contents of their bodies that
spilled, ruined, over the library steps. It was no way to die.

The vampire wizard laughed, his voice echoing across the plaza. It was the laugh of the damned. Here was a monster who
took true delight in the murder wreaked by his magics.

“Come!” he shrieked, his voice hoarse with the shouting of his incantations. “Come, and die! Feel the touch of my sorcery as
100
it burns your flesh away and devours your organs! Do you not know who I am? You stand before W’soran, high priest of all
Lahmia and devoted servant of the dark lord Nagash! Tremble, tremble and die!” His cacophonous voice rang across the
plaza, planting terror in the hearts of all who heard it.

Still more soldiers came.

A hundred similar pictures unfolded the length and breadth of Lahmia. Every street, every clearing, every garden, every
building, the armies of Nehekhara fought fiercely against the forces of undeath. They were united; warriors from every
corner of the desert realm come together to lend their strength and overthrow the taint of evil that seeped from cursed
Lahmia into the desert sands around it. Lahmia, once fair and noble a city, had become infected; a cesspit of vampires, and
undead, and evil. Nagash worshippers! It had to be cleansed.

Teeth gritted in determination, the woman brought her curved blades down on the neck of a Khemrian. Bone parted as
easily as flesh beneath her unholy strength and the warrior’s head flew from his shoulders, a fountain of hot blood spurting
from the savage wound. She snarled and kicked his body aside, to join the countless number of dead that lay, festering,
around her.

She was a pillar of strength, an embodiment of bitterness. While she stood tall, the clearing would not fall. It would not!

Her chest rising and falling heavily, blood racing through her ancient veins, Maatmeses, high judge of all Lahmia, surveyed
her surroundings. Over a hundred corpses covered the cold sand, their blood already congealing into a blanket of sticky red.
For a second, the heady scent distracted her, but only for a second. She squashed the feelings of hunger easily aside. If
Maatmeses was anything, it was disciplined. She would not surrender to the bloodlust like the bestial gets of her brethren.

Vampires fought on every street corner, their fangs bared, faces transformed into feral visages of beasts. Lion-muzzled
vampires snarled their fury as they tore the throats out of their enemies in gluttonous sprays of blood. Others, captains of
the city guard, retained their human guise, instead turning their vampiric talents toward dismembering their opponents limb
from limb. The Nehekharan warriors, mere mortals, could not hope to challenge the vampires in skill in combat. Their gutted
corpses were a morbid testament to the fact.

Maatmeses watched as one vampire, his brow knotted, jaw dislocated like some obscene serpent, sprang from a low rooftop
onto an unsuspecting soldier below. The man’s screams as the vampire bit his face clean off were drowned by the wet sounds
as it fed voraciously. Its teeth savaged his ruined face, eager to reveal as much hot blood as possible. The High Justice spat
with revulsion. It was such careless feeding, such wanton bloodshed, that had landed them all in this nightmare! The
gluttonous habits of a few had damned their entire city to destruction!

Those careless, ignorant greedy offspring of her compatriots, the spawn of Vashanesh, of Ushoran and of cursed Neferata,
were to blame! It was they who had turned their insatiable appetites on the other kingdoms. They had stalked the streets of
Numas, Quatar, Lybaras and Mahrak by night, the bloody remains of their dark hunger rousing the first the attention, and
then the ire, of the kings there. Their actions were just the spark needed to ignite decades of tension between Lahmia and the
other kingdoms. There were other factors, of course. She could not help but be fair when pointing the finger of guilt. It was
in her nature, every bit as much as the blood thirst was.

W’soran and his careless actions were as much to blame. He had long been in contact with Nagash, and it had only been a
matter of time before one of his emissaries had become waylaid, and captured by the mortals.

Vampires are easy to interrogate, if you only know how, she thought knowingly.

The priest kings had quickly learned from their captives of the undying nobles, and the Cult of Nagash that had established
itself in distant Lahmia, and they had grown violent. They hated Nagash, and anything connected to him. His memory was
a blight on their lands, a stain on Nehekhara’s records. Their fury was at boiling point, and the expansion of the vampires’
hunting grounds into their own realms had tipped them over the edge.

The vampire cast back its head, gore smeared about its lips, and tossed the empty carcass aside. Its eyes shone yellow in the
relative darkness, and Maatmeses was reminded suddenly of a cat, a capricious, self-absorbed creature, that stalks its prey
with malicious intent before killing and feeding off of it with ruthless efficiency. She was not surprised to watch as the
vampire murdered another soldier and promptly buried its face in his neck. They were little better than beasts, the youngest
101
gets, she thought contemptuously, and her fair Lahmia, gemstone of the deserts, was burning for it!

As High Justice, she was more than familiar with vengeance. It was a part of her, it made her who she was. An eye for an
eye, a tooth for a tooth. That was the way of the world. Her thoughtless kind had brought misery, sorrow and terror to the
lands of men, and now the short-lived mortals were bringing their retribution.

Their retribution, she had quickly decided, was far from just. The deaths of a few did not equate to the sacking of Lahmia!
This was her city! Her laws had kept it secure and safe and fair, for so long, and now it was crashing down around her and
there was nothing her ancient legislature could do to prevent it. It had never failed her before, but against the swords and
spears of the Nehekharans, her laws were useless. The beast within her raged at its shackles. Her fists clenched tight.

A cloud of arrows descended from the grey sky toward her. In a matter of seconds, the clearing she stood in would become a
killing field. Her few remaining gets and she would become pincushions under the endless flight of arrows that flew true
toward them.

Maatmeses’ nails lengthened. Her eyes grew dark, and her lips pulled back into a snarl. Words flew from her quick tongue,
and the sands at her feet exploded into action. They responded to her will, stirring up into a momentous swirl of movement.

“Rise sands, rise, and conceal us from harm in your storm!” she cried, and the sands did as she commanded, in seconds
becoming a vicious sandstorm. It plucked the arrows from the sky and tossed them harmlessly aside, splintered matchwood
in the face of Maatmeses’ ire.

Across the clearing, the archers snatched more arrows from their satchels and took aim on the vampires once more.

The High Justice of Lahmia concentrated her hatred. She concentrated on the feelings of vengeance, on the unjust nature of
the situation. She saw Lahmia burning in her mind’s eye, she smelled the ashes, and blood, and fear, and she dwelled on the
screams and cries of agony that battered her senses.

She looked at the bodies of her gets, her offspring, her children, those who had been overwhelmed and slain.

No, not slain. Murdered.

She saw the wounds dealt them, the blades that pierced their hearts, each a palace guard, or a judge, one who had not only
obeyed her laws but enforced them throughout the city. That had been their role, the duty of her children, and through the
actions of others, they had paid the ultimate price. She saw nothing but their broken, battered bodies and Maatmeses,
master vampire and high judge of Lahmia, knew a vengeance unlike any she had felt before.

It was not just!

A horrifying roar tore itself from her lips and her undeniable fury bore its way into the weak minds of the archers who had
shot at her. They were mortal. Soft. Weak. Their minds crumbled beneath her vampiric fury, the dark gift racing through her
tainted blood even as the archers fell screaming to the ground, their minds consumed by nightmarish visions of death and
evil. They died with looks of abject horror on their faces.

Maatmeses had never been an attractive woman, even before she had joined the ranks of undeath. Her life had been filled
with trials, and it had been a constant struggle rising through the ranks to high judge of the city. It had taken its toll on her
figure. Wrinkles festered in the corners of her eyes, and around her mouth. Not even the stark black makeup that traced her
eyes, or the bronze touch to her lips could hide it. The angles of her face were off too, making her appear harsh and stern by
default. That she had seen much hardship was evident merely from looking at the woman.

Yet in that instant she looked monstrous. As she rent apart the pathetic minds of those who sought to harm her, retribution
filling her entire essence, she was visible for the beast that she was. Her lips pulled back to reveal row upon row of razor-
sharp fangs, and her face creased under her terrible ire into a mass of wrinkles, brow and cheekbones, but it was her eyes
that were most changed. To look into them, in that moment, was to witness a thousand miseries, a thousand wrongs, a
thousand pictures of pain and agony and injustice.

The city she had policed and judged and maintained for longer than she cared to remember was falling, and not even the
102
might of it vampire lords could save it.

A sound like thunder rocked the earth, the very ground shaking with tremors. Maatmeses swung her blade around in a
vicious swipe, burying it deep into the chest of a soldier who had strayed too close, before turning her gaze in the direction of
the ominous rumbling. Anxiety and disbelief swarmed inside of her. It filled her every muscle.

“It cannot be!” she breathed and, with a glance at her five remaining vampires, raced off toward the source of the sound. If
the terrible tremors had come from what she suspected, then all was lost. It was over. The ancient vampire gasped in
exasperation.

The root of the blame lay with Neferata. Her and that accursed priest W’soran! The blatant injustice exhibited by the
Nehekharans aside, everything stemmed back to the queen and her pet sorcerer. If they had not brought the Cult of Nagash
into the court of Lahmia, if they had not infected the fair city with the taint of vampirism, it would still be standing.
Before, it had been the jewel of Nehekhara. Its beauty and glory was unparalleled. Kings had travelled the length of the
desert, braving the relentless heat of the sun and the multitude of other pitfalls concealed beneath the sands, to witness it.
To walk the streets of Lahmia had been a breath-taking experience.

And those two power-hungry daemons had ruined everything. They had unleashed the curse of undeath over the city. They
had turned its nobles and high ranking members into their own kind. The vampires’ disobedient, worthless gets had fed
indiscriminately, venturing into the domains of other kings, and inciting their fury. The Queen and her wretch of a priest
should be made to pay for the crimes they had committed.

It was only fair!

They should be made to pay, and yet instead, her Lahmia burns!

Vengeance coursed through the master vampire like a wicked poison. It consumed her, hatred fuelling her feelings of
injustice, which in turn fed the hatred she felt, an endless circle of pain. Maatmeses knew she was looking for blame. She
was scouring the depths of her memory, of events both recent and long passed, looking for any who might be in some way
responsible for the burning buildings around her. She succumbed wholly to the virulent vengeance that flourished within her
still, dead heart.

Flames exploded around her as Maatmeses neared the end of the street. Blistering heat washed over her like dragon’s breath.
The Nehekharans had employed the use of their war machinery, catapults hurling flaming oils and massive boulders into the
city.

More missiles crashed into the street, tearing down the house to her left in an eruption of rubble and sand. She hissed and
turned, almost running into two soldiers as she did so.

Without breaking stride she thrust her blade out, gutting the first and stepping through his innards even as her free hand
snaked out to break the neck of the second. He fell like a puppet with its strings cut.

She barely registered the flicker as their lives died out, or their blood as it spilled wet and hot from their mortal wounds. She
had only thoughts for one thing. Please, let it not be, she prayed silently, please. Please. It was the centre of their existence,
and had been for decades. Lahmia revolved around it, and the rites they performed there, in the name of Nagash. They
consecrated him even as they drank in his name, to slake their dark thirsts.

Reaching the end of the following street, the high judge rounded the corner and froze. In that moment her undead heart
broke, and something of the vampire’s mind was lost forever.
The Temple of Blood lay in ruins. Nehekharans swarmed over it like ants on a decaying corpse. The ground was strewn the
dead, hundreds if not thousands of them, a thick carpet of twitching, bloodied bodies, and in their midst stood Abhorash.

The Lord of Blood fought valiantly, his blade a blur, the last of the temple’s guard in a tight regiment around him. He was
every inch the commander of Lahmia’s armies, but for all of his efforts, it was pointless. They were wasted. For all his
limitless strength, his tireless vigour and unmatched skill in combat, he was beaten. Overcome. Droves of Nehekharan
warriors stormed past him into the temple proper, even as he slew their comrades. She empathised with the warrior in a way
no mortal could ever understand.
103
Screams and flames alike rose out from the belly of the ancient structure, both soaring high into the sky and signalling the
destruction of the vampires’ centre of worship. Where was their vengeful god now, she heard herself think. His devoted
servants were dead or dying, his temple desecrated by flame and sword and burning oil, and he did nothing. Where once
there had been respect and support, she felt only bitter hatred and disappointment toward their god. The Cult of Nagash had
flourished to new heights within Lahmia, bearing the city with it, and now, as its vampiric devotees died or fled, Lahmia
followed suit.

Tears of blood trickled from Maatmeses’ eyes. Her spirit was broken, just as her laws had been, and her city was.

For the first time since she could remember, the master vampire, high judge of Lahmia and head of the city guard, felt
powerless. She was a broken woman.

Overhead, the storm clouds broke. Fat jewels of rain poured down over the raging fires and screaming combatants. Vampire
battled mortal. Blood ran slick across the cold stone paving. Maatmeses watched all this, unfolding slowly before her, but
she did not see it. Her gaze froze, unfocussed.

Her city had fallen. Her city had fallen, and those responsible had long since fled, to save their own monstrous hides. The
scholarly guardians of the Great Library lay either dead or dying, centuries of literature and lore little but kindling for the
hungry fires that devoured them. The docks were aflame, Ahmose, master vampire and lord of the Lahmian fleet, impaled on
a scimitar. A handful of ships fled the city, bearing his few helpless gets. The rest lay still about the docks, fires claiming
their unclean bodies. The Lord of Masks and their bitch of a Queen had long since abandoned the city, their own pathetic
lives of more import than sacred Lahmia. Even the undead warriors, the skeletons and zombies that had risen at W‘soran’s
word, collapsed under the constant assault of the Nehekharans.

Lahmia was in ruins, a lifeless, blood-encrusted husk of its former self, and there was nothing she could do about it. She had
tried her best, and it had not been enough.

Her screams rose over the roaring thunder and carried far across the city.

Chapter 2: A Mind in Turmoil

IC: -1200

“Maatmeses…”

She was going mad.

The vampire stood at the entrance to the cavern in which she and her five offspring were sheltering. Outside the sun shone
fiercely, driving the vampires underground, into the cool, dark mouth of a cave. They had taken to resting during the day,
hiding in any shelter they could find, and fleeing across the endless desert by night. It was the most sensible way to travel,
Maatmeses had quickly reasoned. Daylight was not their friend; it revealed their location to all who cared to look, and the
blistering heat was relentless. It baked the very sands beneath their feet, so that the simple task of walking became a
torture, the unprotected soles of their feet searing and burning with each step.

Night concealed them. Night hid them from their pursuers. Night offered respite from the boiling sun, and the wicked
mirages. The darkness was their only ally, now that all they knew and loved was destroyed.

She heard them sometimes, during the day, when her children slept. They raced across the sands, steeds snorting, whips
cracking like lightning. Their pursuit was as relentless as the sun’s heat, and equally as intense. Their cries, their laughter,
their voices as they chased each other through the shifting deserts, stung at Maatmeses. These were the men who had sacked
her homeland. They were directly responsible for the ruination of her city. Their hands dripped red with the blood of her kin.

104
Their voices mocked her.

It seemed to the High Justice that they haunted her on her arduous trek through the desert. Never quite catching up, but
never stopping in their pursuit. They served as a living reminder of the death of her city, and all the pain and suffering that
had come hand-in-hand with it. They were the living embodiment of her nightmares. Every time she heard them, a distant
shout, their voices muffled by the desert winds and towering dunes, she was brought screaming back to Lahmia. Its burning
streets stretched far into her mind. She could see the ruins, the desecrated temples, the ravaged libraries, in her mind’s eye.
The images of destruction had been burned there for eternity, and all it took was the slightest of reminders to see her reliving
the events first-hand.

There was no escaping them.

In her sleep, the nightmares came alive. They crept through her brain, taking the shape of those she had loved and lost, her
children who had not survived the onslaught. Vampires she had known for decades - some for centuries - rose from the
blood-soaked sands to plead with her. They begged her for vengeance, for retribution. They screamed at her to avenge their
deaths.

“You are High Justice!” they would cry, and she knew what they would say, for they haunted her every night. “You of all
know the value of retribution! It is a need! A necessity! They owe us their lives for the crimes they committed! An eye for an
eye, a tooth for a tooth, High Justice. Mother.”

And always, at the back of her mind, that insidious voice, whispering, whispering, whispering.

“Maatmeses…”

She would wake, rivulets of blood trickling from her eyes, sweat glistening on her brow. Every night. Every night. No
escape.

The woman turned to watch her surviving offspring as they slumbered. They lay, still as corpses, in the cold, concealing
dark. A grey tinge had begun to settle over their olive flesh, an outward sign of the excruciating hunger they all felt, but had
not once complained about. She had taught them well. Without law, there was chaos. And without discipline, there was no
law. That was the way of things.

Her nightmares were right, of course. The Nehekharans had a blood debt to pay. They had sacked Lahmia simply because of
their beliefs. They had heard of the rising of the Cult of Nagash, and they had taken offence.

Violent offence. The evidence was there for all to see; the hollow, burned-out shells of the homes and palaces, the despoiled
temples and smashed fountains. Lahmia was a ruby shattered.

The Cult of Nagash, she thought, self-loathing eating away at her insides like a ravenous scarab. They - she - had dedicated
decades to his worship. She had not been the most devout of Lahmians, cursed W’soran and his followers had claimed that
title, but she had accorded respect to the Great Necromancer. She had felt a kinship of sorts, based on the similar nature of
their dark selves.

Yet he had done nothing to save them. Nothing. Not a single act in the defence of his loyal servants. She felt sick at the
thought of him, of the hours wasted in his worship. The vampire could feel her fangs growing, her eyes darkening, at the
mere mention of his name. Then that whisper, again, like a forked tongue in her ear.

“Maatmeses…Come.”

105
She shifted uncomfortably, as though to shrug of the subtle insinuation, and returned to her previous thoughts.

She owed it to the dead of Lahmia to exact the blood toll herself, and she would make sure not to disappoint them. They had
died defending Lahmia, their Lahmia, the city upheld through their laws and their justice.

Their deaths would be avenged, and it would not be pleasant. Far from it. A grin split her face. There was something
distinctly reptilian about the expression. Yes, there would be vengeance. It was what she did best. It was what she was
born to do, her mortal and her undying births both cumulating in her maintenance of law.

She would have her revenge!

With a last, considerate glance toward her offspring, the vampire stepped out from the soothing shadows of the cave into
the sand and sun, her dirtied white robes trailing behind her. She blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the intense light. It
was brighter than she remembered, dizzying spots flaring in her vision. She shook her head, clearing it of the nauseating
brightness, then set off.

There were others deserving of vengeance. Perhaps more-so than the Nehekharans, she thought, ire already festering inside of
her. The vampires were as much to blame for Lahmia’s destruction as those who had made it a reality. They might as well
have desecrated it themselves, for all their unlawful hunting, their gluttonous, thoughtless feasting.

No, they had desecrated it themselves. They had broken her laws! They had knowingly flaunted the strict guidelines she had
so carefully laid out for their kind. They too would have to be punished! The poisonous hatred seeped through Maatmeses,
saturating her, twisting her thoughts in dark and violent directions even as her list of deserving victims grew.

She moved quickly across the desert sand, a lonely shadow in a world of light. Where before the vampires had wandered
aimlessly, desperately seeking some new shelter to hide them from their pursuers the following day, now the High Justice
moved with a purpose. Her nostrils flared and her keen eyes, sore from the sun but sharp as diamond nevertheless, scanned
the horizon for sign of her quarry. To the west, the shadows of the mountains loomed.

Her offspring were weak and thirsty. Their stomachs growled to be fed and nourished. The beasts inside needed sating. She
knew the consequences of denial. She had seen what happened to those who did not feed, and it was not becoming. The
irony of the situation was not lost on the master vampire; blood denial had been a punishment in ancient Lahmia, a means
of deterrent, one of the few punishments still feasible on her immortal kind. Those that had broken the most severe of her
laws, whether they had personally affronted that soulless queen, or murdered beyond their means, had been locked away in
ancient stone sarcophagi, trapped for months, years, sometimes decades, denied the touch of blood to their lips until their
undead frames could not take it anymore. Denied the taste of warm, fresh blood on their tongues, and its revitalising energy,
their mortal shells had withered and atrophied and their skin had turned ashen, until they had resembled little more than
dried out husks. Such was the punishment for disobeying her laws.

And now, if she and her children did not feed soon, they would suffer similar consequences. They, lawful to the end, justice
their very motive for existence, falling victim to the same fate she had used to reprimand criminals and murderers. It was a
stark truth to the severity of their situation. Maatmeses was at her wit’s end, but she would not give up. She would see to it
that her children’s hunger did not consume them. They would feed tonight.

Her nostrils flared again, the fresh scent of some desert beast carrying on the ghost of a breeze. Eyes narrowing, Maatmeses
picked up her pace. She would nourish herself on the blood of the living this night. They all would. They needed to be strong,
if they were to ever have their vengeance on those who had torn their world apart.

106
As she stalked her prey across the desert sands, it came again, sifting through her mind like some distant memory, or
remembered dream. Even the glaring sun it seemed could not banish its chill presence.

“Maatmeses…”

Dusk came rapidly. One moment the sun reigned supreme, bathing the desert in her golden light, the next instant she had
guttered and died. Within minutes, her radiance had turned a fiery orange, and then a blood red. It was an ominous sight;
the eternal dunes rolling out across the horizon, swamped in crimson light as the sun spluttered her last.

Within the sanctity of their cave, the Maatmesin fed. Their High Justice had been there when they had woken, stirred from
their sleep by the pull of the rising moons and the cooling of the air. The temperature did not bother them; nothing but the
most severe of cold could harm their undead forms, and while the chill became noticeable at night, in contrast to the
insufferable heat of day, it was far from uncomfortable.

The vampires gorged themselves on the carcass of an old camel, their fangs sinking hungrily into the dead animal as they
sought out every ounce of blood within the beast. Maatmeses could see the desperation in their eyes as they drank, the
flickers of relief that waxed and waned as the fresh, rejuvenating blood ran down their throats. It brought her some
comfort, to see them feeding so eagerly on the food she had brought them. Ordinarily, they would have catered for her, golden
goblets filled to the brim with the blood of criminals - for she would not drink from the innocent. Only those deserving of
death, or punishment, or those few who gave themselves willingly, were worthy of draining. She had but to say the word,
and an endless supply of blood was hers to enjoy. Thick, thin, sweet, sour, and all of it hot and fresh.

But these were far from ordinary times.

The camel’s corpse quivered and shook as the five of them nuzzled their jaws into the hairy flesh. They had been reduced to
feeding off beasts, Maatmeses realised with a sinking stomach. The nobility of Lahmia, judges and palace guards, forced to
slake their dark hungers on the animals of the wild.

It was fitting, she thought with a flicker of irony. The beast lurked within each and every one of them. A monster, eager to
be freed, to run amok and murder and slay and drink until it could not move, it had become so bloated and intoxicated on
the lifeblood of the living. It was not that she hated herself. To deny that her vampire nature was a gift would be a lie. She
loved the strength it gave her, the speed, the power. She had had all eternity to refine her laws, and see to it that they were
adhered to.

And punish those who broke them, she thought bitterly, and it was a genuine loathing of the disobedient, the unruly, the
criminal, that weighed constantly on her mind.

Only now she was the chief magistrate of an empty city. Ransacked. Its lifeblood spent, drained away by the ruthless men of
Nehekhara.

She was a lost soul, in a world that despised her, simply for what she was.

The other vampires were not so disciplined in their morals, she thought ruefully. Their ‘queen’ had drank at leisure from only
the most beautiful and handsome of her subjects. Such narcissistic criteria were flawed. Neferata cared not for her subjects’
innocence, or their willingness. That meant nothing to her. The daemoness had but to turn her will toward her intended
victims, and they would fall, idolatrous, to their knees, slaves of the flesh.

They would beg her to tear their throats, and sup of their blood. They would lay, smiling, at her feet, even as they died, their
blood drained into goblets and passed around.

107
Hundreds perished to sustain the fountains of blood that Neferata took such beauty from. Some had been criminals, their
souls black and twisted as their hearts, but others were as free of sin as their counterparts were evil. She made no
discrimination, and therein laid the wrong. The pang of injustice stabbed Maatmeses’ heart.

“High Justice, you must feed, to recuperate your strength,” uttered Issa, his mouth bloodied. The master vampire smiled at
her son-in-blood, the expression at odds with the hard look of vengeance that had taken up permanent residence in her eyes.

“I have drank my fill already, Issa.” She indicated the second camel, a withered sack of bones and flesh that lingered near
the cave entrance. Not a drop remained within the now skeletal beast, such had been her prodigious appetite. It had not
tasted good.

“Where are we headed?” It was a simple enough question, but Maatmeses was unsure of how to answer. In truth, she was
unsure of what the answer actually was. Uncertainty was not something she was familiar with; she suspected that was one
of the reasons she had been attracted to law-keeping in the first place, all those decades ago. With the law, you were either
right, or you were wrong. There was no middle ground, no grey area.

Her other gets raised their heads at the question, the camel momentarily forgotten.

“North. We keep travelling north. We keep to the spine of the mountains. They offer us plentiful shelter, enough that we
can travel the desert by night, and retreat to caves during daylight, to hide out our pursuers, and sleep.” Ptoleme piped up,
his voice articulate and refined. It soothed Maatmeses a little, to hear it.

“But where are we headed? What is our final destination, High Justice? We cannot live off the blood of desert beasts
forever.” The judge was right, she knew. The past week had been hellish. It was barely an existence, scratching a living from
wandering beasts and fleeing like criminals from the light of day, in case they were seen or followed. They were all six of
them forsaken, with nowhere and no-one to turn to.

The thought was like a slow poison, weakening her once indomitable resolve, destroying any certainty of hope. She stood
from the rock on which she had perched, turning to watch the ruby-red sun disappear over the horizon. It lit her face,
washing over the sun-kissed flesh, the crow’s feet at her eyes and the faint remnants of make-up there, that over the weeks
had faded from black to near-nothingness.

“Maatmeses…Come.”

“When we reach the desert’s end, we will enter into the shadow of the World’s Edge Mountains. They are tall, and dark,
and deep, and between their towering peaks we will find shelter, and respite, for a time at least.” Never had she been so
uncertain. She felt naked, stripped of her robes, her pendant, her authority. Routine was nonexistent, and she was
struggling to cope.

In truth, she was not sure why they even travelled north. She felt a…compulsion. A pull of sorts, leading her away from
Lahmia’s sun-baked corpse and into the cold, grey of the mountains. It came and went in strength, but she could feel it
always, a taint, something inside of her, leading her, guiding her.

And despite her wariness, her voice of caution, she had surrendered to it. She was exhausted, and starving, and her world
had been wrenched from beneath her feet. Everything was different now. Her allies had abandoned her. The pangs of pain
that had wracked her body at the deaths of her gets still stabbed at her in her sleep. Nightmares followed her into the sun,
playing out ceaselessly behind her eyes.

108
She welcomed the tug on her soul that drew her north, because it gave her a direction. That, and vengeance, were all she had
now.

Behind her, all was silent. She had the full attention of her children, each digesting the information she had just revealed
and turning it over in his or her head. After a moment, a solitary voice spoke up, giving words to the thoughts that occupied
each and every vampire present’s minds. Maatmeses flushed with pride at the cold truth of what she heard.

“We will need our vengeance, High Justice. Too many have wronged us, and our people.”

“And our homes,” said Ptoleme.

“And our honour,” added Odji.

Maatmeses turned to face her children, her children of justice and retribution, and she saw it reflected in each of their eyes,
in the turn of their lips, the shine of their cheeks and the fresh blood on their teeth.

“We will have our vengeance, my children. We will have our vengeance for Lahmia, that I promise you.”

As her gets returned to their feeding, the master vampire heard it again, the faintest of whispers at the back of her mind.

“Maatmeses…You are so close.” The words slithered into her consciousness, this time accompanied by the shadowy image of
a man. He flickered before her eyes, faster than a lizard‘s tongue, but she recognised him instantly, for she had seen him
depicted before, a thousand times over.

As the sun spat its last before surrendering to night, Maatmeses smiled, and never had a smile said more.

Chapter 3: Blessed Basth

IC: -1200

The husky purr of a dozen cats filled the chamber, pleasure resonating from wall to wall. The animals lounged on silken
divans while a pair of acolytes placated them with pieces of perch, freshly caught that morning from the River Vitae. The
reek of fish was overpowering, but the two men made no sign of noticing it. They had performed this duty countless times
before, and would do so for many years to come. Eternity no less, such was the role that the liche priests fulfilled. They
would enter this shrine every morning and maintain its sanctity, and that of its feline guardians, until their skin was like
sandpaper, and their living corpses withered husks of their former selves. This was the fate of the liche priests.

The cats’ throats rumbled with contentment.

The large golden doors to the chamber swung open, and a third figure strode in. He approached the two priests, treading
carefully around a trio of cats that had skittered over to rub against his legs. He smiled, enjoying the obvious blessing of
Basth. The goddess’ favour was prevalent amongst the priests of her temple. She watched over them all and protected them,
shrouding them from the attentions of evil.

Gently ushering the attentive animals aside, he came to a stop behind the two acolytes. Their ceremonial robes matched his
own, except that they lacked the multitude of golden adornments that hung from his wrists and delicately around his neck.
The bracelets and necklaces glittered gold in the warmth of the temple sconces, cat faces emblazoned on the small circlets. It
was clear just from comparing the newcomer’s attire to those of the two priests that he was their superior. As though to
reinforce the thought, they turned and bowed reverentially.
109
“Greetings Enkhil, Adhe.”

“Greetings, Nebankh. What brings you to our sanctum this morning?” The liche priest smiled.

“I come only to immerse myself in the presence of the favoured creations of our most beneficiary and beautiful of goddesses,”
he intoned, indicating the small army of cats that lounged about the chamber. Their musky scent mingled with the sweet-
smelling incenses that smouldered in silver bowls on the temple floor. “I seek her guidance.”

“Something troubles you?” It was a rather ignorant question, thought Nebankh, considering the recent troubles that had
accosted all of Nehekhara. The plague of undeath had resurfaced, and it had taken the combined might of all the kingdoms
to quell it. They had triumphed, of course, as had been foretold by the goddess Basth. The vile abominations had burned as
readily as papyrus, their magics unable to contest with the arcane protection offered by their goddess. Those that had not
died had fled like the beasts they were, scattering into the desert to die a slow and painful death, baked under the intolerable
heat of Ptra’s sun chariot.

If they were not caught and killed first.

Despite their overwhelming victory over the repugnant cultists of Nagash, he remained uneasy. There had been no respite
from the horror of ancient Lahmia, for no sooner had he and his contingent of priests quit the place, to return to the tending
of their most sacred temple here, Basth had visited him in his dreams.

“No, no, nothing of the sort. I only seek to saturate my body with the blessed aura of our goddess, and attain inner calm. I
have not been sleeping well, and am tired. Basth will restore me.” The acolytes nodded knowingly.

“Of course. Basth will heal your ailments. She rejuvenates all things worthy of her touch.” Nebankh smiled reassuringly.
The goddess had appeared to him while he slept, a cloud-grey Mau, noble and surpassing any cat he had seen before in health
and beauty. It was a radiant creature, whiskers near invisible, golden eyes flecked with bronze and green. They had peered
languidly into his soul, as though idly seeking her disciple’s understanding. Mau-Basth had not been disappointed.

He saw the images she had eased into his mind. Rank upon rank of walking dead, armies of creaking bone, rusted armour
and humourless grins The grin of the long-dead. Then had come storm clouds, thick, tumultuous waves of them, turning day
into night and hope to despair. His thoughts had writhed with confusions. How was this possible? The cursed blood-
drinkers were dead, or else fleeing and lost. Easy prey for the chariots and horsemen that pursued them. The Mau’s eyes
flashed in answer, a single, solitary image searing into his mind with corruptible force. His flesh had crawled as he had
understood what he was seeing, as though trying to escape the vicinity of the vision.

Nagashizzar, he had heard in his ears. Nagash.

“I would be alone with the servants of Basth for some time, if you would let me,” said Nebankh, his voice ringing with
politeness. The priests had no right to deny him, but it did not hurt to ask. They bowed, before turning to leave.

“Indeed. We have finished out duties here; the cats of Bash are satisfied. I hope you reach the peace you seek, Priest
Nebankh.” He bowed as they left, waiting for the ornate gold doors to thud shut before stepping over and sitting beside one
of the cats on the nearest divan. It was unbelievably comfortable, made of the finest silk in all Nehekhara. The other
sanctums of the Temple of Basth were similarly furnished; the cat goddess deserved no less luxury.

He had taken his vision to their High Priestess the second he had woken. There was little the revered woman could do, so far
from their temple home, but she had needed to know the stark truth revealed in Basth’s dream. Their goddess had blessed

110
him, Nebankh, with this foresight, and he would not disrespect her by keeping it from his colleagues.

Istnofret was the epitome of their goddess. Majestic, reserved, contemplative, and insightful, she alone was worthy of
Basth’s undivided favour.

It helped that she was the most beautiful woman Nebankh had ever seen.

He ran a hand down the spine of the cat to his left, the creature rolling in response to his warm touch. It looked up at him
through amber eyes, knowing, curious. There was a mystery that surrounded cats, he thought, as he stared into those pools of
honey. He marvelled how capricious they were; they could slip from a lightly dozing beast into a quick and savage killer in a
matter of moments. The odd desert rat that ventured stupidly into their temple was brutal evidence of this.

Their goddess was no different. To those she loved and cared for, she was an emphatic, nurturing force, who sought only to
protect them from their enemies. To those same enemies however, she was ruthless and cold and deadly. He tickled the cat
once more, then shifted, his elbows on his knees, head resting in his hands.

Of course, the High Priestess had known of the vision already. He had been fool to believe Basth would grant him a vision,
but not Istnofret, her own high priestess. She had been as troubled as he by the grotesque revelation. Lahmia had been
purged, but the vein of undeath apparently ran deeper. Nagash it seemed not only lived, somewhere in the ancient bones of
the mountains, but thrived there, growing stronger. It would not be long before their nightmares were realised once more.
The fell grip of the undead would spread, as was its nature, claiming the lives of everything it touched and turning them
against those they loved and had fought to protect. That was the ultimate horror of the undead armies, it was from that
aspect that they drew their strength, their power. That, and the very concept of the walking dead, which was so abhorrent
to the men and women of Nehekhara.

He had been there, when cursed Lahmia had fallen. The Legion of Basth had strode the streets of the now ruined city
alongside the priest king of Mahrak and his own bodyguard. The resolute warriors of that noble city had cut down the
undead and their servants with golden scimitars, even as Istnofret and her acolytes - Nebankh included - invoked the
blessings of Basth and shielded them from the corrosive magics that the fell monsters employed.

He could remember it all as clearly as if it was yesterday. The poisonous quality of the air, the bitter taste on his tongue, the
clash as blade met blade and the wet smack of butchered flesh. He did not think that he would ever be able to forget it.

The priest shuddered.

They had swept through the city, entering in the second wave because of the resilient nature of their dual forces. There was
little resistance. All those that they encountered died, or fled, victims to the cold weaponry of the king of Mahrak’s
bodyguard. They had systematically burned the bodies of the dead as they advanced through the city, be they the crumbling
corpses of the blood-drinkers, or the broken bodies of their own men. The fires cleansed their flesh and freed their souls, and
ensured there was nothing left to respond to the devilish magic of their priests.

Some of the Lahmians had fought back. Every few streets they would encounter pockets of resistance, small bands of the
blood-drinkers, their chins bloody with feasting, ensorcelled blades in their dead hands. There had been lots around the first
two plazas, and a great retinue of the Nagash-worshippers had guarded the library. A smaller group had sought to defend
the Lahmians’ centre of law, and nearly every shrine to their dark, treasonous god had also been protected.

None had withstood the combined might of Basth and Mahrak, their unclean bodies purged with fire and blade, and it had
only been a matter of time before they had reached the vampires’ unholy temple.

111
It had burned, just like any other temple. Blasphemy, it seemed, was most flammable.

Something rubbed against his back, soft and warm and smooth, and Nebankh turned in time to see one of the cats slip
through the gap by his elbow and onto his lap. It curled up there, depositing itself comfortably under his watchful gaze. In
seconds the creature was asleep.

Istnofret had dispatched her fastest, most loyal priests to Khemri, bringing news of the terrible tidings that had filled her
dreams. They had done what they could to spread word of the imminent threat. Basth did not lie, and her vision had been as
clear as a Nehekharan day. The undead were coming. Maybe now, maybe in a year, maybe in ten. But they were coming, and
by all the gods of Nehekhara, by blessed Basth herself, they will want their revenge.

The fortress loomed over Maatmeses, foreboding, its gates carved out of the very rock of the mountains themselves. Towers
jutted claw-like from its rigid heights, their shadow reaching out as though to grasp the lands of men and crush them. The
stench was repugnant, even to hers; a mixture of rotten flesh, riddled with plague, and the bitter tang of something acidic.
She could feel it corroding her spirit, gnawing away at it bit by bit, a malevolent hunger about the very air itself. The erratic
screams that stabbed the gloom outside did little to diminish the feeling.

Then she was flying, soaring over the landscape as though running a thousand times her fastest pace. Gargoyles reared up
before her, giant monstrosities of bone, rock and metal that guarded the fortress gates. Their fanged jaws locked in eternal
grimace, the stone daemons roared as she passed. The ferocious sound shook Maatmeses to her core. Never had she seen such
terrible constructs before. They reminded her of the old temple Ushabti that used to guard the palace in Lahmia, but these
gargantuan beasts made them look like fragile puppets in comparison. It was impossible to imagine the damage they could
wreak were they brought to life, animated by the dark magics that gathered here. They were living stone vessels of
destruction, and their eyes shone with malevolence, dormant - but only just.

Then she was passed them, gone, descended into a winding warren of horror and madness. Undead creatures loped through
roughly-hewn corridors, blood fresh at their rubbery lips. Others shambled painstakingly in their wake, the dead flesh of
their feet scuffing the ground, or stood propped up at doorways, their loose skin green with infection. Hollow eye sockets
flared with witch-flame and grievous moans escaped their crumbling windpipes as she swept passed, faster and faster, the
labyrinthine maze of tunnels and passages winding their way through her consciousness. The haunting nightmares of
ghastly spirits sank their chill claws into her mind. These were the servants of the master of the fortress: the zombies and
ghouls and spectres that served him, bound to his unimaginable will as hounds on a leash.

Suddenly she stopped. Nausea welled up inside of her, and the vampire felt the overwhelming urge to vomit her latest meal
onto the cold hard of the ground. Her gorge rose dangerously and she gagged.

He sat atop his throne, ancient and calculating as only a god can be. Balefires flickered in his gaze, unblinking, unflinching,
an omniscient grin spread over his withered face. She felt herself tremble in the Great Necromancer’s presence. Whether it
was the wicked eyes of the monstrous god, or the crackling of the death blade by his side, she could not tell. She felt
immobilised by the cloying aura of death that enveloped the dark lord. It was like standing in a pool of tar. This was what
true terror felt like, she realised.

“Maatmeses…My Maatmeses. You have been my loyal servant for many, many decades.” She felt herself nod. She could not
fight it, his voice was like velvet. Old, dusty velvet, cob-webbed with disuse, but smooth all the same. “Your beloved city has
fallen, and you are a broken woman. I can feel it in your veins, in your mind, in your very essence. You are changed from the
Maatmeses that I watched as she ruled the courts of Lahmia. But I can help you.” Here was one who could end her life at
the slightest of whims. Maybe the only being in all Nehekhara with the strength to do so, so strong were she and her fellow
master vampires. She struggled to concentrate, the Great Necromancer’s figure swaying in and out of focus.

112
“I know you lust for vengeance against the Nehekharans. They are pathetic. Ignorant, weak, mortal. Their ignorance bred
fear, and that fear bred action, and now you are homeless and alone.” Her heart swelled painfully even as she felt herself
falling. “But you are not so alone as you think, Maatmeses. You have me.”

Beams of sunlight blasted through Nagash, his throne, and the thick shadows that clung like bats to his overbearing form.
The vampire’s jaw gaped with shock, her ivory fangs exposed. Other figures began to appear, hazy and insubstantial. One
seemed to step through Nagash himself as it approached her. It reached out to touch her, even as her lord spoke again.

“Come, Maatmeses, my servant. I bid you come and as my servant, my lieutenant, you and your brethren can claim back
ruined Lahmia, and the deserts will be thick with the corpses of the Nehekharans!”

“High Justice? Maatmeses, are you alright?” Issa stood in front of her, a hand on her shoulder. It was icy, his grip hard as
stone, and he looked at her through eyes laced with concern. She shook her head, regaining her surroundings. Overhead the
desert sun shone fiercely down.

“I am fine, Issa.” Then, with more certainty: “We will all be fine. I know now where we must go, and what we must do.”
He gave her a puzzled look. The man must think she had gone insane.

“Our dark lord has not forgotten us. He is waiting, in the bowels of Nagashizzar, for our arrival. In his hands I place our
lives, for the Great Necromancer knows all things. He will know what is best for us, and where our future lies.” At the
mention of the cult’s undead god, Issa gasped, his eyes clouding with a mixture of fear and respect. Doubtless he could feel
his touch too. They all could, although all but the wisest would not recognise it for what it was. Nagash was a part of each
of them, guiding them, encouraging them, nurturing them. He was with them always, she realised that now. The revelation
seemed so obvious to her, as though she had always known it.

Maatmeses did not know why she placed such trust in the Great Necromancer. Nagash had forsaken them when Lahmia
fell. His most devoted servants, his priestly disciples and immortal cultists, had been cursed and burned and slain and still he
had been nowhere to be found. She fought to understand the conflict of opinion that waged inside of her. Something quelled
her bitterness, drowning it out under a wave of subservience. Perhaps it was fear, or awe, or the belief that with Nagash’s
aid Lahmia could once more shine, restored, the gem of the desert. A sly grin split her features in two.

They were going home

Chapter 4: Bloodied Sands, Bloodied Hands

IC: -1200

The charioteers had tracked them to the ruins of an ancient temple. The vampires heard them long before they saw them,
their shouts of triumph like death knells in their ears. Maatmeses sprang atop a collapsed ruin, her aged appearance belying
the lithe grace that flooded her limbs. Gold glinted on the horizon as the rising sun winked treacherously at her from the
adornments and framework of the approaching chariots. The High Justice wore an expression of solemnity, but inside her
emotions raged. Here was her chance for justice. Here it began. She would wreak a terrible reckoning for the damages that
were owed her and her children! Blood would stain the warming sands this morning, and it would not be hers.

The blood debt would be paid!

The old Maatmeses might have kept her dignity. Her discipline was enough that she might have kept her wits about her. She
knew that vengeance was about to be waged, and that would have been enough to placate her tainted soul.

Instead, she raised her head, eyes glaring up at the sun, and screamed her fury at the clear blue sky. Her voice broke, the
113
sound becoming as much a howl as it was a human shout. Something in Maatmeses had died with Lahmia. Some piece of
her had fractured off, lost forever. She had been irrevocably damaged, her mind as ruined as the Temple of Blood, as
unbroken as her laws that had been so carelessly flaunted.

Her face, whether from malnourishment, or something deeper and darker, had never looked more angular. Her brow, her
cheekbones, her jaw, they were all slightly askew. Like some monstrous crocodile, she bared a grin and vented her undeniable
anger at the encroaching enemy.

All she knew was vengeance.

Below her, dotted around the crumbling ruins of the nameless temple, her children mirrored their mother’s stance. It was as
though her primal roar had unlocked something in each of them. They felt her pain. Their minds filled with images of
injustice and wrongs, the wrongs that had befallen each of them. They saw their friends and family, lying murdered in the
streets of Lahmia. The pain of wounds long healed resurfaced, flaring up inside their bones and stabbing at their organs.
Their eyes radiated agony as they remembered crimes long since passed and drew on them, their sense of justice bringing out
the furious fight in each.

The Maatmesin drew wickedly curved blades from their robes and took up positions, Odji scrabbling lizard-like atop a pillar
in the manner of the High Justice herself, the other four fanning out into the ruins. The chariots could not reach them here.
The uneven ruins would tear their frames to kindling if they dared to enter the rocky terrain, meaning the Nehekharans
would have to dismount and bring the fight on foot. The vampires could not have hoped for better surroundings in which to
defend themselves.

Maatmeses watched as the chariots raced nearer. She could make out individual figures now, noticing immediately the
heraldry of Khemri. It fuelled the furnace of her hatred. Her hands clenched and unclenched as the beast within threatened
to spill out in all its deadly glory. Overhead, grey wisps of cloud began to coagulate. They were nothing; a pale smear in a
sea of blue, but they were there nonetheless.

“They destroyed our Lahmia!” she chanted, her children attentive. “They burned our homes, and trampled our scriptures! Our
courtroom they ravaged with their war machines, its hollow, burned out remains all that is left of our centre of law!” The
Maatmesin frowned, then snarled, hatred edging progressively over their expressions. The disciplined vampires were working
themselves up, every wrong, every affront to their sense of justice inciting their anger, their bloodlust, their power.

“Yes, Maatmeses, yes…Remember.”

“They dismembered Eshe as she fought to guard our office. They torched our scrolls, flames licking at the papyrus
commandments even as their blades removed her arms.” Her voice began to break again. “They made her watch - watch - as
her life’s work went up in fire!” A calm had settled over the Maatmesin. The vampires seemed entranced, their eyes glazed, a
cold hatred enveloping them as Maatmeses projected images of their sister’s torturous death into their minds.

“Gehb died protecting the Fountain of Basth. They came with spears and priests, cursing him, wracking his muscles with
agonising pain and paralysing him so that he could not evade the spear points of the soldiers. His heart was spit like that of
some wild beast, before they ransacked the ancient monument he had guarded.” She went on, listing the names of every one
of her children lost in the fall of Lahmia and each of the fell circumstances surrounding their demises. She commemorated
their deaths even as she drew strength from them.

Anger.

“Hatred…” She could barely distinguish between his thoughts and her own anymore. He had become a part of her, she

114
realised. She hated them. He hated them. Together, their hatred was doubled.

Dark grey smudges flourished in the dawn sky.

The chariots were within bowshot. There were nine of them, rolling three in a row over the last mighty dune before careering
down toward the ruins. They were typical of Nehekharan design; the wood used for the yoke and chassis ensured the
finished construct was as light as possible, and two slight desert steeds pulled each. The insignia of Khemri was stamped
clearly on them, marking them out as property of the capital: golden strips adorned the sides, and their banners, bearing the
heraldry of The Living City, fluttered and snapped in the wind.

The High Justice finished her rites and scooped a handful of rubble from the cracked pillar on which she crouched. Lifting
her hand to her lips, she locked gazes with one of the charioteers and, eyes flashing lizard-like, breathed vampiric breath over
the rocky dust.

“I have witnessed my own nightmares firsthand,” she said, her voice like stone. “I have seen them and I have felt their pain.
I have watched my beloved homeland fall. Now feel your own nightmares, mortal, as they engulf you.”

Almost immediately the man at the reins screamed and clutched at his face. The soldier who rode with him shouted out and
clutched frantically at the reins, desperate to keep control of the charging horses as they raced down the dune. His bewitched
comrade saw nothing but the thousands of bloated plague flies as they swarmed around him, nipping, biting, stinging,
infecting his flesh with sickness and malignant disease. He screamed again, his eyes rolling back into his head, and tore at
his clothes and armour.

Maatmeses watched, her ancient eyes proud. Deserving.

His clothes removed, the man did not stop. Swatting desperately at the imaginary flies, he continued to pull and rip, fingers
digging into his own flesh in an effort to tear off the infected skin. It came away in thick, fatty strips.

Bloodied and hysterical he toppled from the chariot, dragging his passenger with him.

The High Justice felt something welling up inside of her and before she could stop herself a course laugh burst from her
throat. This was justice. This was vengeance! She felt the same kind of satisfaction that she had done in her court, when
condemning those who had broken her laws. It was a strange feeling, but one she was long accustomed to. A pleasant
sensation, of right being enforced, but mixed with a macabre glee, some part of her relishing the look of the condemned as
they learned of their fate. It had been there ever since she could remember, lurking, a darkness to her soul that fed off the
misery and despair of criminals, and her enemies.

She watched the mortal, not fifty feet from her, as he convulsed in the sand and ripped at handfuls of his skin, overwhelmed
by visions of his darkest nightmares.

He had got what he deserved.

The remaining eight chariots turned and slowed, cutting a semi-circle around the deserted temple, before disgorging their
Nehekharan drivers onto the gritty sand. The master vampire watched them as the sixteen Khemrian spearmen advanced on
the ruins and their undead quarry. Their faces were grim. Hard. She knew what they were thinking, for she had heard it said
a thousand times before. The vampires were unnatural. They should be long dead, buried beneath the sands, or better still
burned to ashes and scattered to the capricious desert winds, bones and all. They would murder her children, if they could,
and reduce them to dust. Their weapons glinted maliciously in the fading light, silently promising pain to her last few gets.

115
But they had underestimated their prey. That much was obvious from the meagre handful of soldiers sent to dispatch them.
These were not the mindless beasts that had bloodied the streets of Lahmia, or hunted thoughtlessly in their cities. These
were her strongest. Her first. Her fastest, most disciplined and deadly. Her own blood pumped thick and powerful in their
veins.

The mortals had made a grave mistake in coming here.

The desert light seemed to waver as the soldiers entered the ruins. The stench of undeath hung about the air like a thick
cloud, clinging to the broken pillars and cracked stone stairways. It was revolting, the soldiers’ faces twisting into grimaces.
The vile taint was more than a smell. It was a sickness, that seemed to infiltrate their very bones, and unsettle their
stomachs.

Calm descended over the ruins as the spearmen quietly advanced on the stationary vampires. In seconds they would be upon
them, spears stabbing, blood spilling, screams sounding.

Then they sprang.

The five gets leapt into action. They span and ducked, dodging hasty spear thrusts and emerging easily within the
spearmen’s reach. They had lost the advantage their long weapons had at distance. The spears were of little use in such close
quarters.

The first vampire, Ptoleme, snarled and lashed out, his palms crashing on either side of a soldier’s head. The man tried to
duck, to avoid the killing blow, but he was much too slow. His head burst like a ripe fruit under Ptoleme’s unholy strength,
shards of bone piercing the vampire’s hands. He licked his lips, the rich aroma of blood threatening to drown him. It had
been so long since had tasted the blood of men!

Maatmeses’ firstborn fed like a beast at a watering hole, drinking deep and fast, eyes locked warily on the other soldiers.
Camels and desert rats were no comparison to the sweet, succulent blood that filled his mouth now. He shuddered bodily.

Beside him Issa swept forward , his mouth bristling with long, sharp fangs. Mortal in appearance, his vampiric essence
betrayed itself through his gnashing teeth and snake-like eyes. He dodged a clumsy spear stab and leapt onto the culprit,
knocking him tumbling to the sand. The man struggled, but it was futile. The vampire’s strength far outmatched his own.
Ancient eyes bored deep into those of the mortal. They hinted at an anguish and suffering far beyond the man’s years.

“For Eshe,” he hissed vehemently, “for Lahmia!” Teeth flashed, flesh parted, and hot blood spurted violently out from where
moments before the man’s jugular had been. His screams rose to a high crescendo then abruptly stopped.

Maatmeses watched as below her children exacted a vicious toll on the spearmen. They were taking what was theirs by
right. The spearmen’s lives were forfeit, that was the way of the world. They belonged to her. They belonged to her children.
They belong to the dead that filled the streets of once glorious Lahmia.

“Kill them!” she screamed, all decorum lost in the wild and the heat and the endless dunes of the desert. “Kill them all, it is
no less than they deserve!” Her visage monstrous, Maatmeses herself descended into the bloody fray.

Cold fear settled over the mortals. She could smell it, rising like the heat. They knew they were dead. She felt no sympathy
for them. They were men, there was no way they could hope to stand against the preternatural strength and speed of her
children and she, especially roused and vengeful as they were. Justice glittered in each of the vampires’ eyes. They were
fulfilling a duty, to Lahmia and to Maatmeses herself, as much as they were fighting for survival.

116
Shadows festered in the hidden corners of the ruins, lengthening and spreading a clammy chill about the air. It touched the
hearts of the few surviving men, quelling any hope and feeding the dark terror that took root there. They knew their dooms
were at most minutes away. In a matter of heartbeats, their souls would be in the shadowy realm of Usirian, his alone to
judge. Maatmeses ensured they all knew this, focusing her will, impressing it on the weak minds of the mortals. She clouded
them with images of their eternal souls trapped in a hellish underworld, Usirian’s monstrous servants forever devouring
them, even as her golden khopesh slipped through the air. The sickles tore through skin, muscle and bone indiscriminately.

She was rewarded in her efforts by a chorus of despondent groans, rising ghost-like from the swirling melee.

Thunder rumbled angrily through the now thick storm clouds, the elements themselves demanding payment for the fall of
Lahmia.

In minutes it was all over. The soldiers had been no match for the vampires, their brittle bones and soft flesh were no contest
against the righteous strength of the undead monsters, with their steely grips and iron-hard claws.

Blood covered the ground in crimson puddles, staining the ancient temple stone, slick and shiny. Maatmeses marvelled at the
ruined bodies left in their wake, as though seeing far more than the still warm corpses on the sand. She looked at the blood
spilled, smelled the iron tang as it enveloped her, saw the broken necks, the dismembered limbs and headless corpses and one
word sang in her head, drowned out her ears and sat, delicious, on her tongue, more nourishing than any blood.

Vengeance.

“It embodies you.”

“Feed, my children, drain their corpses until there their veins run dry. Their blood is owed us!” Her ravenous gets needed
little encouragement, collapsing on the ruined bodies of the Nehekharans, their claws busy as they plucked at hearts and
sundered flesh.

The skirmish marked the start of her retribution, and the retribution of her children. The few slain here were a landmark, the
very start of her feud. More wandered the desert sands, and cowered in their cities, deserving of justice. Their black hearts
festered with guilt and responsibility.

She would make it her duty to exact their toll. In time, they would be hers.

The overcast weather followed the vampires as they headed north, although in truth it had more to do with the encroaching
mountains than any supernatural influence. Days rolled into weeks, with nothing but night and day to separate them out.
It was an inane journey. The monotony of the desert dunes threatened to drive the vampires insane, and they took to
commemorating the dead, to renew their memories, and to pass the time. These elegies were not the fury-filled incantations
that Maatmeses had used at the ruins to incite her brethren into bloodthirsty righteousness, but sorrowful accounts of their
lost colleagues’ lives. They praised the dedication of the Maatmesin, who had all held positions within the Lahmian court of
law, or captained over garrisons in the city guard. They had been loyal unto the end, fighting with their dying breath to
defend that which they had fought to uphold in life, and they had been undeserving of the ravaging torches of the
Nehekharans.

It was with heavy hearts that the Maatmesin made their way through the last stretch of desert and into the mountain
passes that bordered the Straits of Stars.

The sun had seemed slow to rise this morning, although Maatmeses knew that it was no more than a trickery of the
mountains. They stood imposingly off to the vampires’ west, and ensured the passes that wormed their way in their midst

117
were trapped in a constant cool that, even long after night had passed, never quite faded. Maatmeses welcomed the colder
air, relishing the change it made from the insufferable heat of the desert. Every day that they progressed into the mountains
was a day’s escape from the damned place. She had seen enough hardships in that desert, both physical and mental, to last
her a lifetime, and was glad to be free of its torment, at least until she could return under better circumstances.

A savage caw shattered the otherwise calm and the ancient vampire raised her eyes. She quickly spied the source of the
sound: a lonely bird circled high overhead, tracing a large, slow circle above their heads. It was doubtless some raven,
vulture or other carrion bird, that had decided they were not long for this world. She smirked at the thought. If it intended
to wait until they dropped dead in this desolation, it was going to be most disappointed. The last place they were going was
Usirian’s shadowy Underworld. She had been freed from that fate the instant she touched Neferata’s elixir to her lips, and
the gift of immortality ran ripe in the blood of her offspring. Her blood. The blood of the Maatmesin.

It would take more than the desert to end her existence now. So much more.

Maatmeses grunted, a hand darting instinctively to her heart. She could feel the pull inside of her growing stronger with
every passing day, luring her deeper and deeper into the mountains, away from the desolate deserts of the east. It could not
be long before they arrived at Nagashizzar.

She did not think that she could resist the Great Necromancer’s call anymore, even if she tried. It was inconsequential, of
course. She wanted to follow. She wanted to reach Nagashizzar and be welcomed by their dark lord into his fortress. There
she and her children would be safe! They could rest, and regain their strength and stature.

From within the confines of those insurmountable walls, they could plot their vengeance on the pathetic Nehekharans.

And Nagash would help them.

With the Great Necromancer by their side, retribution was assured. The priest kings could barely rid themselves of him when
he had been but a renegade priest. Now, within the sanctity of his fortress, he was untouchable. His deathly magics, the
likes of which could strip flesh from bone at but a word, would slay all before him. None would be able to resist. He was as
a god! With Nagash guiding them, helping them, aiding them in their vengeance, they could not fail! Hope flared like a dark
star in her heart, filling her limbs with renewed vigour.

There would be others too, she realised, as she stared absent-mindedly along the gravely path they trod. Bits of stone and
sand mingled together, proof if any that they were leaving the deserts and transgressing into the World’s Edge Mountains.

They could not have been the only vampires to escape the fall of Lahmia. Her curiosity piqued by the sudden realisation,
Maatmeses scoured her memory for any indication of who else could have survived. It was not hard; the memories were still
raw in her mind. She doubted she would ever forget the last fateful days of the siege.

Ahmose. Strong, mighty Ahmose. He had been slain, she was sure of it. The Dockmaster had been killed by a regiment from
Zandri. She could remember the shout go up as clearly as if she heard it now. The master vampire had epitomised everything
that it was to be a man; he had been muscular, and tireless, and his eyes had radiated courage the likes of which even the
bravest mortal could not hope to match. The watery blood that filled their veins was dilute with generations of cowardice.

The Dockmaster had also been arrogant, brawly, crude and chauvinistic, resenting the queen for the grip she had over the
city, and their cult. He had held no place in Maatmeses’ heart.

Then there was Abhorash. He had been there when the Temple of Blood itself had fallen. Maatmeses reached across and
pulled at her once white robe, slipping it securely over her shoulder. The warrior had earned her respect; they had held similar

118
values in life, values that had only been reinforced by their ascension into the ranks of the undead, and unlike brutish
Ahmose, they had seen a lot of each other. He, supreme commander of the Lahmian armies, and she, High Justice and
captain of the city guard, their business about the city had often intertwined. Together, they had shed crimson tears when
the Temple of Blood had fallen.

Abhorash had defended it as best he could, the centre of their cult, just like he had sworn to do, but the Nehekharans were
too many. His martial prowess had been drowned in a sea of mindless mortals. Demoralised and forlorn, he must have
slipped away after its destruction. She hoped he had slipped away after its destruction. Maatmeses had been focused
entirely on the ruins of the temple at the time, and while she was loathe to believe one of Abhorash’s nobility and strength
might have been slain by the Nehekharans, she could not be sure.

Then there was cursed Neferata. Her handmaidens and she had fled long ago, before the armies of the Land of the Great
River had even reached Lahmia’s gates. Maatmeses fought the urge to spit her contempt for the vile woman. This had been
her fault, and yet she had washed her hands completely of the sacking of her city. It was pathetic, a disgrace worthy of the
mortals. That fool W’soran had not stayed long either. Once his precious library had fallen, he had made his escape. She had
seen him and a small retinue of priests as they fought their way clear, his magic slaying all who stood against them.

Of the others, she was not sure.

The bird cawed again, the harsh sound breaking the woman from her reverie. Her vampires had come to a stop up ahead.
They looked like she felt, she thought with a stab of regret. These were her children. She had brought them into the world of
undeath and now they were starving, homeless and stripped of their duties. It was no way to live. A few weeds and hardy
scrubs clung to a measly existence in the gritty, rocky sand, but they looked much the worse for wear. Plants were supposed
to be green, not grey. Even the desert rats seemed to avoid the place. Their musky smell had petered out as quickly as the
gurgles of the Straits of Stars had come into earshot. The great river itself seemed polluted, and sick with poison.

They were truly in the land of the dead now.

An itch settled over her tongue, a slight burning sensation that made the ancient vampire frown. She scratched it against the
roof of her mouth until the feeling subsided. The air here was polluted. She could smell the acrid tang of magic, feel it
becoming stronger and more saturated the further north they went. It was a tickle against her flesh, an itch beneath her
skin. This place was far flung from the opulent palaces of Lahmia, with its lush gardens and ancient houses of literature
and law. It was fast becoming a barren wasteland, and it would only get worse the closer they came to Nagashizzar. It
stood to reason.

This was the price to pay for the redemption offered by the Great Necromancer.

Stood apart from the other vampires was Issa. The Lahmian judge stared empty-eyed over the fast-flowing Straits of Stars,
his mind off in some far-away place. It did not take a great deal of thought for Maatmeses to realise where it lay. Eshe, his
Eshe, had not survived the sacking of Lahmia. The Nehekharans had murdered her as she fought to protect the courtrooms
that had been at the centre of their existence. The High Justice saw the sorrow in his face as much as she felt it in his blood.
The two had been devoted to each other, madly in love, from what she had been able to tell, and that was a rare thing,
especially in such turbulent times.

A part of her rotted with guilt for her role in Eshe’s demise, the putrid emotion worming its way into her insides. The courts
had needed defending. It went against everything she stood for to leave the ancient centre of law and justice unprotected
against the ravages of the ignorant Nehekharans, and Eshe had been amongst those designated to guard them. Her vampire
son must have known she would not be coming back, thought Maatmeses, as she watched Issa remove something small from
the strap at his waist. He must have realised that she would fight to the death to uphold the sanctity of the courts. He must

119
have known, when she turned from him for the last time and stalked off towards the courts, that he would never see her
again.

Maatmeses admired such devotion, she realised with a twist in her gut. Envied it. Such immortal love was unheard of.

Dark memories swarmed up from the recesses of her mind, snatching at the opportunity to inflict more pain upon the ancient
vampire. Men like Issa were all too few. She knew better than most the polygamous nature of man. They were fuelled by
their insatiable lusts, easily the equal of even the most gluttonous vampire’s blood-thirst. Once sacred, treasured even, by the
High Justice, circumstance had marred the concept of marriage, scarring it, transforming it into cold, hard law in the eyes of
the woman, and like all laws, when its sanctity was broken, the only answer was punishment. Her lips curled with a
mixture of satisfaction and revulsion.

Law had always been her friend and ally. It was irrefutable in its truth, holding everything together from justice, to
criminals, to punishment and crime. It had been the skeleton of Lahmia, the bones that had held the city together, just as it
held marriage, property, authority and military might in check. Law encompassed justice, and vengeance.

Nothing was so important. Nothing.

Issa turned, slipping whatever it was he had been toying with back into his belt and rejoining his fellow vampires. It was
time to move on, realised Maatmeses, stepping level with her offspring. The sooner they reached Nagashizzar, the better.

Far, far overhead, the lonely raven fell. It plummeted from the heavens, a dead weight, the noxious air having filled its
lungs and stopped its heart. Such was the fate of all who breathed too long the vapours from the Straits of Stars. It was a
fell omen, should any have chanced to look up and see it. They did not.

120
 The Next Issue

Released Friday 11nd December 2009

Part Two of the Artefacts of Death

Unit Design Rules

Vampire Painting Guide

The continuation of the Children of Maat

And much much more.......

I hope you have enjoyed this issue as much as we have enjoyed producing it. The legions of
undead are always recruiting, so why not drop by Carpe Noctem and help plot the
destruction of those who draw breath?

Link: www.vampirecounts.net

See you next time!

Disciple of Nagash
121