Playing Saga: Ride of the valkyries

Fat Helga inspects her personal bodyguard of elite hearthguard shieldmaidens. Roland, comte de Frontenac, her sworn enemy vowed that he would destroy the pagan settlement of Jomsborg. But Helga is not about to let that happen. She's pleased to see that all her battle sisters are thirsty for battle. Many French knights will die today. That thought made her smile.

"Move forward knights of Christ!". Rain pours down from the skies. The plains around Jomsborg are transformed into swamps. "Destroy all pagans and deliverance will be yours!". Warrior priest Otto von Jungingen's loud voice is heard all along the French battle line. "Follow the light of the lord, follow the holy cross and you will not falter!". Otto  readies himself for the imminent clash. His two warhammers thirst for pagan blood.

The French foot knights form the first wave of attack. Cautiously, they enter the small town.

The rain causes low visibility. All of a sudden, dozens of shieldmaidens and Jomsvikings appear from their hidden positions. The foot knights brace for the impact of the Viking attack.

Hand to hand combat erupts. Knights and Vikings are cut down in equal numbers.

 Helga directs another wave of Jomsvikings. Their numbers are few but they are a tough nut to crack!

"Brace for impact! Kill all pagans in sight!"

The ferocious Viking attack manages to push the knights out of the town. Casualies on both sides are horrendous.

Roland decides to join battle. The muddy ground hampers the knights but they bravely push on. The countercharge manages to stabilise the French lines.

Not to be outdone, Helga also enters the combat. Her Valkyries cut down the knights by the dozens.

The French knights decide that enough is enough. No glory is to be won here, only death. Roland gives the signal to retreat from the town. Hundreds of dead and wounded knights stay behind. The Vikings emerge as the victors. 

One warrior is not satisfied tough. Björn wanted to earn his place at Valhalla but he could not find a glorious death on the battlefield. 

Playing Saga: Hunnic invasion!

It's a cold morning when Ulric hears the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds. The towering blacksmith reaches for his warhammer and goes outside to have a look.

A band of Hunnic tribesmen, intend on looting , advances at a rapid pace towards the small village. 

Suddenly a deafening war cry erupts from the woods around the village. "Deus vult! Montjoie Saint Denis!!" A contignent of valiant French knights and mercenary crossbowmen confronts the Hunns. 

Hunnic archers enter the outskirts of the village and lay down a barrage of arrows.

The Hunnic commander sends his swift horsemen into the fray. Their mission is to harass the knights so they won't be able to launch a combined charge.

But the swift horsemen are easily repelled by a volley of crossbowfire.

Bloody combat erupts all around the village. 

Another wave of savage Hunns descends upon the French lines. French knights counter charge and cut down the horsemen.

Casualties start to mount on both sides of the battlefield. Who will prevail?

The French cavalry charges at the center of the Hunnic lines. After a short but brutal melee, the Hunnic chieftain is cut down by Guy D'Artois, the French commander. The village is saved and the barbarians are driven off. But at what cost? A lot of French knights have sacrificed their lives to defend the homeland from the invaders. And a lot of French noblewomen are left behind alone...

A Box full of Mierce: Part II

In today's post I'll be reviewing some of the latest Mierce miniatures that I've purchased. I decided to start yet another new Darklands faction, the Fomoraic. The Gabrax models caught my intention, I really like how they look so dark, vicious and brutal. They perfectly embody the Darklands setting that I came to love.

First up is Daachuch The Broken, Gabrax skull bearer/warrior Daachuch:

Assembled:

I decided to buy both Daachuch the banner bearer and the Daachuch warrior alternative with the axe in his other hand. Both the resin and the metal miniatures are incredibly detailed and there is only minor flash to clean up. A great sculpt with a lot of character, can't wait to paint him!

Next up is armoured Brunchaath, a Gabrax warchief. There is not a lot to say about this guy, the sculpt is very detailed and it was very easy to assemble him. 

And last but not least we have Chaagmuth the jaw-taker. This Gabrax warlord rides his trusty toracx mount. Some minor flash had to be cleaned up around the teeth and he was ready to assemble.

Another great looking miniature, the level of detail on Mierce models are truly stunning!