No_Quarter_63

® Model Preview Swamp Gobber Chef A History of Dragons A Timeline of Dragon Events on Caen Forces of Distinction XX Madrak’s Winter Kin Using Gargantuans in Iron Kingdoms RPGs Featuring the Wold Wrath And Even more Content For: ® ®

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Become a fan of No Quarter on Facebook! Credits President: Sherry Yeary Chief Creative Officer: Matthew D. Wilson Publications Director: Michael G. Ryan Creative Director: Ed Bourelle Director of Business Development: Will Shick Director of Operations: Jason Martin Art Director: Mike Vaillancourt Lead Developer: Jason Soles RPG Producer: Matt Goetz Playtest Coordination: Jack Coleman Graphic Design Director: Laine Garrett Studio Director: Ron Kruzie Hobby Manager: Stuart Spengler Marketing Manager: JR Godwin Editorial Manager: Darla Kennerud • • • Editor-in-Chief: Lyle Lowery Editing: Lyle Lowery, Michael G. Ryan, Kelsey Fox Proofreading: Charles Agel, David “DC” Carl, Matt Goetz, William Hungerford, Michael Plummer, William “Oz” Schoonover, William Shick Continuity Editors: Douglas Seacat, Jason Soles Graphic Design: Laine Garrett, Jessy Stetson, Ainsley Yeager Photography: Charles Agel, Matt Ferbrache, Rob Hawkins, Dallas Kemp, Jaromir Skirmutt, Jessy Stetson Studio Miniatures Painting: Matt DiPietro, Geordie Hicks, Ron Kruzie • • • Contributors Charles Agel, Simon Berman, David “DC” Carl, Kelsey Fox, Matt Goetz, Orrin Grey, Rob Hawkins, Miles Holmes, William Hungerford, Chris Jackson, Dallas Kemp, Lyle Lowery, Michael G. Ryan, Aeryn Rudel, Douglas Seacat, William Shick, William “Oz” Schoonover • • • Illustrations Arthur Bozonnet, Carlos Cabrera, Oscar Cafaro, Mauriuz Gandzel, Johan Grenier, David Kuo, Daryl Mandrak, Marcel Mercado, Néstor Ossandón, Karl Richardson, Daniel Rudnicki, Andrea Uderzo, Chris Walton All content copyright 2001–2015 Privateer Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privateer Press®, Iron Kingdoms®, The Witchfire Trilogy, Monsternomicon, Five Fingers: Port of Deceit, Full Metal Fantasy, Immoren, Unleashed, WARMACHINE®, Forces of WARMACHINE, WARMACHINE High Command, Steam-Powered Miniatures Combat, WARMACHINE: Tactics, Convergence of Cyriss®, Convergence, Cryx, Cygnar, Khador, Protectorate of Menoth, Protectorate, Retribution of Scyrah, Retribution, warcaster®, warjack®, HORDES®, Forces of HORDES, HORDES High Command, Monstrous Miniatures Combat, Circle Orboros, Circle, Legion of Everblight, Legion, Skorne, Trollbloods, Trollblood, warbeast, Orgoth, cephalyx, War Room, Lock & Load, Steamroller, Hardcore, Iron Gauntlet, No Quarter, Formula P3, Formula P3 Hobby Series, Bodgers, Heap, Infernal Contraption, Infernal Contraption 2: Sabotage!, Scrappers, Zombies Keep Out, Grind, Skull Island eXpeditions, SIX, Dogs of War, Exiles in Arms, Called to Battle, The Warlock Sagas, The Warcaster Chronicles, Privateer Pins, and all associated logos and slogans are trademark property of Privateer Press, Inc. All other trademarks appearing are property of their respective owners. First printing Vol. 10, Issue 63: November 2015. Printed in the USA. This magazine contains works of fiction, any resemblance to actual people, organizations, places, or events in those works of fiction are purely coincidental. Duplicating any portion of the materials herein unless specifically addressed within the work or by written permission from Privateer Press is strictly prohibited. In the event that permissions are granted such duplications shall be intended solely for personal, noncommercial use and must maintain all copyrights, trademarks, or other notices contained therein or preserve all marks associated thereof. LEVEL 7 is a registered trademark of Matthew D. Wilson, Individual. Used with permission. On the Cover Glacier King by Néstor Ossandón Having arrived in one of the oldest cities in Poland, our Juggernaut appreciates how the Khadoran way of spelling is popular here. Kaszanka, anyone? —Photo by Jaromir Skirmuntt Juggernaut’s Journey: OLD City, Main Square—Kraków, Poland

2 Table Of Contents New Releases 4 Editorial; Letters to the Editor 10 News from the Front 11 Model Preview: Swamp Gobber Chef 14 Guts & Gears: Meat Thresher 16 Deeper Into The Undercity 29 Modeling & Painting: Seasons of the Wolf 32 Forces of Distinction XX 38 The Gavyn Kyle Files: Doomshaper 42 Privateer Pins: Pinter is Coming 50 Table of contents Modeling & Painting Seasons of the Wolf Forces of Distinction XX Model Preview Swamp Gobber Chef Guts & Gears Meat Thresher 32 38 14 16

Table Of Contents 3 Cold Steel: Part Five 52 Tournament Triple Threat: Minions 61 Iron Kingdom Archives: Dragons of Caen 68 Battle Report: How the Grymch Stole Giving Day 72 Modeling & Painting: Festive Wurmwood 89 Scoundrels & Sell-Swords: Ghostmaker 91 Unleashed: Heavy Hitters 94 Unleashed: Chasing the Dragon, Part Four 100 Player Gallery 109 No Quarter Painting Challenge 112 Cold Steel Part Five Tournament Triple Threat Minions 61 Unleashed: Chasing the Dragon, Part Four 52 Iron Kingdoms Archives Dragons of Caen 68 100

Blighted Nyss Archers/Swordsmen (Plastic) game: hordes/legion of everblight sculptor: michael jenkins painter: matt dipietro (archers), geordie hicks (swordsmen) release: november • pip 73086 • $49.99 New releases 4 NEW RELEASES

Glacier King (Resin/Metal) game: hordes/trollbloods sculptor: brian dugas painter: matt dipietro release: november • pip 71094 • $134.99 NEW RELEASES 5

Hoarluk Doomshaper, Dire Prophet (Resin/Metal) game: hordes/trollbloods sculptor: brian dugas painter: matt dipietro release: november pip 71090 • $34.99 Pyg Bushwhacker Officer & Mortar (Metal) game: hordes/trollbloods sculptor: brian dugas painter: matt dipietro release: november • pip 71093 • $19.99 The Death Wolves (Metal) game: hordes/circle orboros sculptor: jose roig painter: matt dipietro release: december • pip 72083 • $39.99 New releases 6 NEW RELEASES

Meat Thresher (Plastic) game: hordes/minions sculptor: ben misenar painter: matt dipietro release: november • pip 75055 • $69.99 Ace (Resin/Metal) game: warmachine/cygnar sculptor: dave kidd painter: geordie hicks release: november • pip 31108 • $24.99 NEW RELEASES 7

Hand of Judgment (Resin/Metal) game: warmachine/protectorate of menoth sculptor: ben misenar painter: matt dipietro release: december • pip 32107 • $59.99 Barathrum (Resin/Metal) game: warmachine/cryx sculptor: dave kidd painter: dallas kemp release: december • pip 34115 • $59.99 House Vyre Electromancers (Metal) sculptor: carlos castaño painter: matt dipietro release: december • PIP 35066 • $29.99 New releases 8 NEW RELEASES

Classic WARMACHINE and HORDES Models Now Available in a Full-Size Unit Praetorian Ferox (Metal) game: hordes/skorne release: november • PIP 74080 • $84.99 Soulhunters (Metal) game: warmachine/cryx release: december • PIP 34121 • $64.99 Iron Kingdoms Unleashed Game Master Tool Kit release: december PIP 425 • $27.99 Iron Kingdoms Unleashed Catacomb Tiles release: december • PIP 423 • $24.99 NEW RELEASES 9

10 editorial; ‘Tis the season Sometimes inspiration comes from surprising places. While I was planning this issue, the holiday-themed Wurmwood, Christmas Tree of Fate pin from Privateer Pins line caught a co-worker’s eye. He decided to convert a tabletop model based on that pin, and I loved it. As ideas started flowing, it inspired a Modeling & Painting tutorial, a Battle Report, and a WARMACHINE/HORDES scenario. Thoughts of winter then spurred the idea for paint color schemes based on the seasons, and even a legendary tale of Madrak’s battle with the Winter Witch— complete with accompanying Theme Force. There’s even an Undercity scenario to save Giving Day. The themes of winter and the holiday season inspired a good portion of the magazine, but there’s much more content in this issue I’m very excited about. How about a collected chronicle of dragon activity on Caen written by Doug Seacat? Or an in-depth look at the creation of the meat thresher in Guts & Gears, with the requisite tactics tips and painting guide? A Gavyn Kyle Files on the enigmatic Doomshaper? This issue also has the thrilling conclusion of Miles Holmes’ Cold Steel serial. And on the Iron Kingdoms RPG front, we have advice on incorporating gargantuans like the woldwrath into your adventures, another installment of Legion of Everblight rules content, and a Scoundrels & Sell-Swords featuring a character from the Skull Island eXpeditions novella Blood & Iron. Last issue, I asked you to send me your letters with questions and comments about No Quarter, Privateer Press, and our games. I am grateful you obliged. Here are a couple of letters from the mailbag. Keep them coming! Email your letters to [email protected], tweet @privateerpress using the hashtag #NQLetters, or send us a message on the No Quarter Facebook page. Lyle Lowery Editor-in-Chief No Quarter I’ve always liked the idea of Theme Forces in WARMACHINE, and as a Cryx player who likes atypical lists (particularly ones with lots of ’jacks), my absolute favorite Theme Force is the “Machine Mind” list for the Witch Coven. I was wondering—what is the design process like when creating a new Theme Force, and what would the masters at Privateer Press suggest for a 50–point “Machine Mind” list? Thanks! Steve Jones St. Louis, MO Thanks for the letter, Steve! That’s a great question, and since David “DC” Carl has designed so many Theme Forces for the rulebooks and the magazine, I asked him to field this one. Here’s what he has to say: Well, Steve, the Theme Force design process is as varied as Theme Forces themselves. Book-release Theme Forces are designed to introduce the themes of new warcasters or warlocks, but the No Quarter Theme Forces come from all manner of sources. Some of them feature aesthetically beautiful and thematic armies; others grow out of short stories we wanted to tell; and still others focus on an alternate way to play particular models. I’m a big fan of swarm-y Cryx armies, so my “Machine Mind” list includes heaping piles of thralls and Helldivers. Happy Hunting, —DC Lyle, I love the WARMACHINE fluff, but when I talk about it to my wife, she just looks at me funny. Is there any way you can write a trashy romance novel set in Immoren? Not that I would read it (wink, wink), but I suggest Vlad and Sorscha. Thanks, Jason Tate Nicholasville, KY You know, Jason, a few years ago we revealed this tantalizing cover. . . Okay, so that was just for April Fools’ Day. If Skull Island eXpeditions ever actually branches out into romance novels, you’ll be the first to know. Just don’t hold your breath.

For two days in mid-October, the Wargarage team opened up the Avila Hall in the Hotel Altamira in Caracas, Venezuela, for fellow hobbyists and wargamers. The event was capped with a gut-wrenching and gear-grinding 35-point Steamroller tournament. Combat was fast and furious with mixed levels of experience. Regulo Carillo and his Absylonia list took first place and all the kudos that came with it. Right behind Carillo, Juan Rodríguez took his Mortenebra-led Cryx army to second place, and Hendrik Medina seized third place with a ’jack-heavy Karchev list. Best Rookie was given to the scrappy up-and-comer Jean Rasec—who almost won first place—with his wonderful Kaelyssa Retribution list. The Sportsmanship Award was given to Dany Rodríguez for his impeccable behavior, befitting the most senior Protectorate player in the group. And for the painting competition, Artur Lourenco was awarded first place for his Warwitch Deneghra, and Freddy Moya’s Lord of the Feast was runner-up. News from the Front Up until now, Venezuela hadn’t had a convention for its WARMACHINE and HORDES players. But Wargarage, a Spanish-language website for gaming news, set out to fix that and bolster the local WARMACHINE and HORDES community by holding the country’s first-ever gaming convention on October 17–18. WARMACHINE was the game that brought the staff of Wargarage together. So when they decided to hold the country’s first two-day event dedicated to miniature and tabletop gaming, the obvious choice for the convention’s main attraction was to center on WARMACHINE and HORDES. Wargarage Editor-in-Chief, Rodrigo Guerrero, explained, “There were a ton of things we weren’t certain of, but one thing was clear to all the event organizers—we wanted in a spotlight the game that brought us together. We wanted to showcase the versatility and depth as well as the incredible modeling quality that we had found in the products of Privateer Press.” Several weeks before the event, the dedicated Wargarage team went to work creating top-quality terrain for the tournament. Trees, ponds, ruins, and gaming mats were all painstakingly painted to perfection. Driven by the goal to give their fellow players a unique competitive experience, the Wargarage team put everything they had into making sure no detail went unnoticed. The centerpiece of the event was a massive eight-foot-long diorama that featured a steamship, a guard turret, a Cygnaran cobbled town, a swamp, and a wrecked riverboat filled with gatormen. WARMACHINE & HORDES Take Center Stage in Venezuela’s First-Ever Gaming Convention NEWS FROM THE FRONT 11

Lady Luck, Meet Lord Skill Get ready to storm the desert February 5th–7th at the Las Vegas Open (LVO) at Bally’s Casino and Hotel on the Strip. The upcoming event belongs on your radar—you could qualify for Iron Gauntlet and WARMACHINE Weekend and go home with some serious loot. LVO will also include a wide variety of tournament formats with product prizes and trophies. Additionally, there will be a random raffle for even more opportunities to take home prizes. The Privateer Press crew will be there ready to play in scrambles and open gaming, so be sure to swing by our booth. For more information, contact tournament organizer and Privateer Press Ganger Tyson Koch (PG_Menelker) (Tyson@ figurepainters.com) or go to www.frontlinegaming.org and click the LVO 2016 link to see the event schedule. In the end, the event surpassed everyone’s expectations— the halls were filled with people well before the event fully opened and stayed full throughout the entire weekend. While the Wargarage team had only planned for about 100 visitors, they ended up counting more than 170 attendees. Rodrigo Guerrero said, “Venezuela is not known for gaming, but Privateer Press has always gone the extra mile to remind us that we are part of their community, no matter how small or far away we are. Thank you, Privateer Press, for taking this bunch of Venezuelans seriously, thank you for continuing to support us regardless [of] the distance and language barriers, but most of all, thank you for allowing us to spend so much time amongst cool people doing cool stuff just for kicks. We are already thinking about how to pull off another event like this next year—the crowd demanded it.” 12 News from the front

There Can Be Only One... This past September marked the 10th UK National Masters event in Stockport, England. This open-style Masters event was one of the toughest tournaments of the year—all 128 players battled their way through seven rounds of 50–point games until one undefeated player remained. 2015 was another great year for the event with exceptional players traveling from all across Europe to the UK in order to prove their skill. The final game pitted Phil Shaw against Alasdair Johnstone. During the match, Shaw’s Butcher 3 killed both of Johnstone’s Stormclads despite Haley 2’s feat and successfully secured a commanding position. Haley 2, however, still had a few tricks available. By spending most of Haley’s focus on Telekinesis, Johnstone was able to maneuver his force to land a few unlikely shots on the Butcher and make the assassination. In the end, Alasdair Johnstone was crowned UK Champion with Phil Shaw placing second and Wout Maerschalck taking third. We would also like to congratulate Lee Dowbekin for his valiant effort in the tournament and wish him luck with his new Khador army. Despite placing last, he never gave up the good fight. Wham, Bam, Thank You Ram The Ram Brewery in downtown Indianapolis had yet another full house for the Game Preserve’s 9th Slam at the Ram event. This year’s winner went to relative-newcomer Jeff Mullen. He picked up WARMACHINE last year and took a real shine to it. Going 4–0 may seem fairly easy, but there are veteran players who have been playing since the beginning who have yet to hoist The Hammer in victory. Jeff defeated Andrew Hartley’s Barnabas list with his Cryx build. Funny enough, the student had become the master, for Andrew had introduced Jeff to WARMACHINE and HORDES. Hammers were also awarded for Best Painted, Best Sportsman, Largest VP Spread, and Quickest ’Caster Kill. The Game Preserve has been in business for 35 years now, all thanks to their loyal customer base. After nine successful Slams, they can’t wait to see what 2016 will bring for Slam 10. For more pictures of the event, go to www. gamepreservestores.com. You can also follow the store on Twitter @gamepreserve_fm. News from the Front brings you recaps and advance information about WARMACHINE and HORDES-related events, as well as updates on products and people in the community. Is there a cool event taking place in your area? Tell us about it at: [email protected] NEWS FROM THE FRONT 13

14 By David “DC” Carl Art by Johan Grenier Swamp Gobber Chef Gobbers are nothing if not resourceful, and those who sell their services as chefs are often an indispensible addition to roving warbands with a stable of warbeasts to feed. When employed on the battlefield, it is the duty of these chefs to sate the warbeasts’ hunger, using whatever meat can be pilfered or scavenged. Warriors fighting alongside the warbeasts don’t always hold the gobbers’ resourcefulness in such high regard, however, and often give the chefs a wide berth. It isn’t uncommon for an ambitious gobber to butcher the closest thing he can sneak up on—it’s all meat to the beasts. Model Preview ®

15 Swamp Gobber Chef Minion Solo Using Swamp Gobber Chefs “Fury management” is a term you hear quite a bit in the HORDES community. Abilities like Condition and Consume Fury allow players to force their warbeasts far more frequently while minimizing (or even neutralizing) the risk of frenzy. Ultimately, this allows players to maximize their warbeasts’ efficiency or to run more warbeasts than they could otherwise. Some factions have access to more fury management than others, and the Blindwater Congregation and Thornfall Alliance Minion pacts have extremely limited tools for managing their fury… Until now. Swamp Gobber Chef Minion – This model will work for Circle, Legion, Skorne, Trollbloods, and the Blindwater Congregation and Thornfall Alliance Minion pacts. CHEF Opportunist – While this model is completely within the back arc of an enemy model, this model gains an additional die on its attack and damage rolls against that enemy model. Stew’s On – While in this model’s command range, friendly warrior models gain Comfort Food. (If a model with Comfort Food is within 1˝ of a friendly Faction warbeast at the beginning of your Control Phase, before leeching you can remove the model with Comfort Food from play to remove any number of fury points from the warbeast.) chef POW P+S Cleaver 4 8 SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD Damage 5 Field Allowance 2 Point Cost 1 Small Base 6 4 5 3 14 12 7 The Swamp Gobber Chef is, first and foremost, a fury management solo. This crazed cook is willing to throw just about anything in his pot, and hungry warbeasts are all too eager for a taste. Ground-up farrow bone grinders and bog trog swamp shambler gumbo will allow farrow and gatorman warbeasts to avoid the risk of frenzy and stay focused on the fight. For warbeast-heavy Minion armies, the Swamp Gobber Chef gives players a means to extend beyond the normal fury limitations of their warlock, promoting more aggressive beast-centric strategies. Swamp Gobber Chefs are not just for Minion players, however. A chef or two can turn any HORDES army’s cheaper warrior models into fury management tools to keep their beasts ready for battle. In a pinch, Swamp Gobber Chefs can also cut down lightly armored enemies. Though their base MAT and P+S are not particularly high, the Swamp Gobber Chefs’ Opportunist ability means a cleaver to the back of the head will take out most infantry models quite handily.

GUTS & GEARS By Simon Berman • Art by Mauriuz Gandzel, Marcel mercado, Néstor Ossandón & andrea uderzo Mechaniks and engineers across the Iron Kingdoms are united in appreciation of the “can-do” spirit of industry that fuels so much innovation, and nowhere is that spirit more alive—and perversely twisted—than among the farrow inventors. No other group on Caen is more willing to risk life and limb to attempt the seemingly impossible in pursuit of new ways to maim and kill. The meat thresher is one of the pinnacles of an arms race fueled by overcompensation, fear, and a willingness to weaponize garbage. 16 Guts & Gears

A History of Violence and Borrowed Innovation Since their early history, farrow tribes have sought advantage over one another. The first tools used by the farrow were rocks and sticks, crude weapons with which they sought domination. While the farrow are more sophisticated in current times, what technological innovation occurs among them is the result of their ruthless drive to conquer and survive and is generally supplemented by the use of captured non-farrow technology. Farrow usually seem content to let others do the inventing and then to steal and modify those new tools. Only rarely has this pattern been broken to give rise to something entirely unexpected and new. After the firearm was invented and began to see wider use by humans, bands of farrow began to accumulate these weapons in scattered raids, a trend that only increased after the establishment of the Iron Kingdoms. Farrow were deeply impressed by the destructive power of these weapons but did not comprehend their inner workings. Farrow who captured rifles and pistols did not understand how to reload or maintain them, and they quickly reverted to being wielded as clubs or displayed as trophies. It was only after encounters over several generations that some farrow began to understand the manner in which ammunition and firearm interacted. The fabrication of blasting powder remained beyond them, but farrow learned to make use of plundered powder to improvise their own ammunition, as well as to modify firearms to better suit their physiology. Other human technologies also impressed the farrow, especially the steam engine—responsible for powering warjacks, trains, and paddle-wheeled river ships. Farrow picking over the remains of broken engines found they made little sense, but eventually they worked out some of the logic behind the coal-fed burners and pressure chambers. Adapting such machines for their own use largely evaded the farrow, though this did not discourage them from trying, sometimes with disastrous results as over-pressurized steam engines exploded. Farrow “engineers” across several tribes began a series of generally ill-conceived experiments to find new ways to utilize captured steam engines, firearms, and the combination of the two. Countless aspiring farrow inventors blew themselves up in the course of these experiments, slowing the march of progress, but over time they acquired a basic understanding of external combustion engines. Steam engines were most often used for practical purposes, such as running cranes by which farrow villages could be better fortified. In one notable incident, a farrow tribe in the Gnarls captured a Cygnaran heavy cannon and jury-rigged a steam engine to power an apparatus to automatically reload the weapon. They intended to use this fixed emplacement to bombard a neighboring trollkin kriel. The actual loading apparatus was ingeniously designed, and the tribe’s plans might well have worked had they not made the mistake of piling up their supply of blasting powder and cannonballs so close to the engine’s furnace. The blazing engine was knocked over by an unattended herd of razor boars rooting for scraps, resulting in a small fire that quickly spread. The resulting explosion wiped the farrow’s village from existence, leaving a crater that is still a notable terrain feature to this day. Despite incidents like these, some farrow did enjoy success in using simple technological features to augment their weapons of war. The gun boar was a lasting accomplishment in farrow warfare, but some farrow inventors were not satisfied to simply strap a weapon to a beast and teach it to pull a rope to fire on command. After observing the Khadoran gun carriage in action along the Cygnaran border, a number of farrow inventors were motivated to attempt building similar conveyances. Teams of razor boars or even larger beasts were assembled to pull wheeled vehicles bearing armed farrow into battle. Few of these contraptions were of much use, given the intractable nature of the boars. In some cases the only real benefit gained by the farrow deploying such things was that, once crashed, the vehicle provided some of the advantages of a defensive emplacement in the midst of a battlefield. In general, though, they provided easy targets for rival farrow that retained the mobility of their usual tactics. Guts & Gears 17

Over time, however, the farrow of the Thornwood made certain advances. The protracted fighting in the region left many battlefields strewn with weapons and salvageable steel and machinery. Perhaps as a result of constant exposure to the technology deployed in this region, the farrow of the area gained a better understanding of its use. In the early 6th century AR, a particularly crafty farrow warlord and self-styled inventor, Wrexx the Unhinged, was instrumental in elevating the use of farrow engines of war. Having gained control of her tribe through the usual application of violence, she began observing the ongoing siege between Cygnaran and Khadoran forces near Ravensgard. At one point, while leading a raiding party to capture supplies, Wrexx witnessed a herd of razor boars upturn several barrels of oil that were subsequently lit ablaze by incoming Cygnaran fire. She saw the terrified manner in which the boars fled from the flames, and an idea was born. The First Threshers Wrexx and her subordinates constructed the first meat thresher within weeks of the incident near Ravensgard. A massive drum was fabricated from scrap metal and studded with barbed wire salvaged from nearby battlefields. Within this drum a crude iron stove was installed, with a tremendous box to hold coal, wood, and any other flammable materials at hand. The drum was connected to a simple chariot built from scrap iron. The entire contraption was stabilized with a pair of wheels and a steering lever by which the driver could maneuver to a limited degree. The key concept of Wrexx’s innovative design was the notion of using the boars themselves as an integral part of the engine, motivated by a fear of heat and fire to run as quickly as possible. They would run within the drum, finding no escape, while the movement of the drum pulled the conveyance onward. As an added benefit, when the boars gave out they would be cooked to delicious perfection. The vehicle was constructed in a matter of weeks, just long enough for a herd of razor boars to be fattened significantly for its maiden voyage. Loaded with boars and carrying three farrow armed with muskets, the first meat thresher was deployed against a rival farrow tribe living on the edge of a meadow not far from the western shore of the Black River. Initial results seemed in doubt, as even with a fully stoked chamber full of squealing, cooking pigs, the vehicle was unable to gain the necessary forward momentum to move under its own power. Wrexx herself and several subordinates succeeded in getting it under way by shoving it hard, and the thresher began to roll toward the enemy. The opposing farrow at first jeered at the vehicle as it tottered slowly across the field, but after cresting a small rise, gravity took its course and the thresher careened into the heart of the enemy force with surprising speed. The gunners did little damage with their muskets, finding aiming all but impossible, and the driver was essentially unable to steer the thresher in a meaningful fashion. By luck, however, its wild course plowed into the enemy warlord’s retinue, crushing him and his bodyguards into the mud. The thresher came to rest after crashing into a large tree due to the plumes of smoke obscuring the driver’s vision. The thresher, tree, and crew were all burned, but Wrexx saw this as an unmitigated success. The victory feast for the survivors after the battle made efficient use of the cooked boars. Wrexx put her farrow to work to re-create and improve the meat thresher. Even as her second engine of war was being built, tales of the first model spread among the tribes. Survivors recounted the tale to the farrow that took them in, and soon every nearby tribe desired a meat thresher of its own. Wrexx’s second model was a significant improvement on the first, and her tribe was soon on its way to dominating all the farrow of the region. Most of the machines built by imitators were unworkable disasters, based on unreliable descriptions and even more dubious engineering. A handful of these war engines, however, were built well enough to become viable weapons. In several cases, these machines served primarily as display pieces for the chieftain, used to impress and intimidate 18 Guts & Gears

smaller tribes without ever actually being tested in battle. Sometimes these machines even lacked the boar-impelled mechanism created by Wrexx and were instead pushed into position by farrow, their useless engines doing little more than pouring out black smoke. In one notable engagement, two rival farrow tribes agreed to settle their disputes over hunting grounds by combat between meat threshers. The Sog Axe tribe’s design was far superior to that of its rival, the Bloody Fists, and a quick and total victory in the thresher-on-thresher duel seemed to have settled the matter. The Bloody Fists were unsatisfied with the outcome, however, and a general melee broke out in which the Sog Axes were roundly defeated by overwhelming force. As time went on, few farrow tribes could be considered dominant without boasting at least one meat thresher among their forces, and the displayed readiness of several could alone be sufficient for lesser tribes to surrender and swear their allegiance. The rise of Lord Carver’s Thornfall Alliance has seen a consolidation of meat threshers and an increase in their engineered reliability and consistency. While outsiders might erroneously credit this to the presence of the human Dr. Arkadius, that warlock has shown little interest in such purely mechanical weaponry. Instead, farrow with engineering know-how have found a valued niche in Thornfall and have been given more liberty to develop these skills. The need go toe-to-toe against the mechanized Iron Kingdoms has encouraged the Alliance’s farrow to learn new methods to fabricate higher quality weapons. This combines with the Thornfall’s greater access to plundered resources such as better grade metals, ordnance to be disassembled, and ample supplies of blasting powder. For these reasons, the most reliable and advanced meat thresher firing platforms, those displaying the “hailer” cannon, are most commonly employed by warbands allied to the Thornfall Alliance. Maintenance and Alternative Fuel Sources The basic form of the meat thresher has not changed since its first inception, but individual threshers vary wildly in materials used in fabrication as well as in their final shape, both of which are often reliant on the salvage at hand. Threshers of the current day utilize minor design modifications and typically have a pair of flues to vent smoke away from the driver’s face, though pork-scented ash is unavoidable around a functioning thresher. Meat threshers can be potent weapons, but they bring with them a host of obstacles for a farrow warband. First and foremost among these logistical problems is fuel. While successful farrow tribes might be overrun with herds of razor boars, others do not have enough to spare to support Guts & Gears 19

the frequent operation of such a machine. In times of famine, when hogs are slaughtered for consumption, this may leave the meat thresher without a source of motive power. Some tribes have experimented with alternate fuel sources with limited success. One warband outside Ternon Crag did better than most by substituting captured pygmy trolls for razor boars. In fact, pygs are superior in many ways, since their natural resilience means they last longer in the flames before succumbing, and in some cases may survive long enough to be utilized in multiple battles. Their smaller mass and less efficient running, however, also resulted in a slower top speed. Additionally, it was discovered that the postbattle victory feast suffered greatly due to stringy, tough troll meat. Armament The most effective threshers are those outfitted with “hailer” cannons—typically heavily converted machine guns appropriated from Cygnaran or Khadoran military forces. Hailers are, at a glance, impressive firearms capable of firing a withering fusillade to decimate even an entrenched squad of soldiers. In an extended firefight, however, hailers reveal certain flaws, as they are extremely unreliable and prone to malfunction. Most hailers will only have a few minutes of smooth operation before suffering from a critical malfunction requiring immediate repair. Hailers are most often “improved” by farrow with more enthusiasm than knowledge of gunsmithing. Salvaged parts may not always match and are also of varying durability and integrity. Farrow may seek to fire larger ammunition than should be utilized for these weapons or try to find ways to increase their rate of fire without considering any larger impact. Hailers have been augmented with sometimes-ingenious devices to speed the delivery of ammunition into the weapons. Unfortunately, these devices tend to be made of whatever junk or scrap is at hand and fall apart easily, resulting in overheating and jams. In extreme cases a hailer that is run too long without being checked might rattle itself apart, disintegrating into a pile of useless metal. A clogged barrel can be especially dangerous if the operator keeps firing, and can result in an explosive burst of shrapnel. Still, for most farrow, the hailer is an afterthought. To them, the real point of the meat thresher is its main armament, the crusher. Backed by an impressive firebox that employs a pair of bellows to deliver heat directly into the massive armored and spiked cylinder, the crusher provides the thresher’s main motive force and is also its greatest weapon. It is capable of reducing an entire armored phalanx to red jelly, and is called a host of names by the various farrow tribes. “Squisher,” “Cruncher,” “Squelcher,” “Big Red,” “Ol’ Spikey,” and “the dinner bell” are just a few of the names given to meat thresher crushers. In some cases, a tribe will work hard to preserve a crusher that’s considered lucky. Some may be passed down from generation to generation in a warband. Traditions: Since Lord Carver gained a stranglehold over the Thornfall Alliance, some farrow have taken a dubious view of the “progress” wrought by Dr. Arkadius. These farrow mistrust the strange and frankly frightening advances employed by this person, especially when they’re applied to the farrow themselves. Such individuals prefer to rely on their own traditions and their time-tested weapons and methods, employing trial and error to create innovation. Many of these traditionalists look to the meat thresher as the pinnacle of farrow ingenuity and encourage other farrow to focus on crafting more of these weapons, downplaying the need for individual warlords to rely on heavily modified warbeasts. Such individuals watch with pride as these great machines surge forward amid plumes of smoke and fire to crash into enemy lines, leaving nothing but charred and tenderized meat in the trough of their passage. 20 Guts & Gears

By david “dc” carl MEAT THRESHER Tactics The Thornfall Alliance is known for their unconventional weaponry and warbeast modifications, but nothing in the arsenal quite compares to the bizarre and deadly Meat Threshers. These massive constructs rumble onto the battlefield to crush the Alliance’s foes beneath their deadly grinding wheels. Butcher’s Bill A powerful battle engine is much more than a big mobile ball of damage boxes. It needs to chew through enemy models as well. The Meat Thresher’s Hailer cannon gets things started with 2–6 shots every turn, perfect for mulching enemy trooper models with mid-range DEF and ARM values. Its P+S 16 Crusher melee attack is the real killer, however, attacking every model in the melee range of this 120 mm base when it attacks. It gains an additional die on any of those attack rolls that are against small-based models thanks to Grinding Wheel, it knocks down any target hit, and it gains an additional die on its damage rolls against knocked down models. So unless your targets are immune to knockdown, the Meat Thresher is essentially a P+S 16 Weapon Master, a familiar and frightening stat to anyone who’s played with or against Orsus Zoktavir and his axe, Lola. ® Heavy Metal The Meat Thresher has the highest ARM and largest base size of any model available to the Thornfall Alliance Minion pact. Its 22 damage boxes ensure that it will be a difficult target for any opponent to remove, and its prodigious size can easily block line of sight to more vulnerable members of the Alliance such as the infamous Dr. Arkadius. Due to the battle engine rules, it’s also immune to enemy control effects such as slam, knockdown, and stationary. With its higher base SPD than the vast majority of Thornfall Alliance models, this massive machine is also more maneuverable than some might expect. It can charge into danger with its Hailer cannon blazing thanks to the Weapon Platform rule, or it can move more cautiously, firing the Hailer at any point during its movement with a ride-by attack. It can even use its movement to manipulate the position of enemy models with Bulldoze, pushing those enemies closer to the army’s War Hogs or Slaughterhousers. Guts & Gears 21

Makin’ Bacon The farrow battle engine does not require the aid of support spells and abilities to take down its fair share of enemy meat, but every little bit helps. It can complement any Thornfall Alliance army list, but it works particularly well with Lord Carver and Helga the Conqueror. • Carver’s Quagmire spell enhances the Meat Thresher’s accuracy to the point that it hits dodgy solos like Eiryss reliably and can even hit Iron Fleshed Kayazy Assassins more often than not. That’s something few models in all of HORDES can claim. His Hog Heaven feat also grants an additional die on melee damage rolls, meaning a whopping P+S 16 with five dice of damage against the Meat Thresher’s charge target and with four dice against everything else. • Where Carver enhances the Meat Thresher’s raw attack and damage potential, Helga has a subtler hand. Her Defender’s Ward spell can take the battle engine up to an impressive ARM 21, and her Grand Finale feat turns every one of the Meat Thresher’s melee attacks into slam attacks for one turn. Use a bit of Bulldoze if necessary to get into a perfect position, and then start bowling for bad guys. • Always be mindful of which spells and abilities can affect the Meat Thresher in your Trollblood or Skorne army list when stepping outside the Thornfall Alliance for Minion work. The Impaler’s Far Strike animus and the Mortitheurge Willbreaker’s Puppet Master special action are a couple of exemplary Meat Thresher support abilities. On the other hand, the Dire Troll Mauler’s Rage animus and Extoller Soulward’s Guidance special action cannot be used with the Meat Thresher since they are restricted to faction models. 22 Guts & Gears

Painting the meat thresher By dallas kemp The might of the farrow is exemplified in the devastating Meat Threshers that have been used to crush any who oppose the Thornfall Alliance. For this article, I wanted to paint up one of these savage battle engines to create a beaten and battered weapon of destruction! Step 1 – Preparation Step 2 – WOOD Prime your models with Formula P3 Black Primer. Keep the riders and the bletcher separate by using brass rods to mount the scouts on corks. Go ahead and drill holes in the mount for the riders to fit into later on, then drill a hole to pin the shooter’s arm. This will make assembly much easier. COLORS USED Battlefield Brown Bloodstone Bloodtracker Brown Brown Ink Coal Black Cold Steel Cryx Bane Base Ember Orange Exile Blue Gun Corps Brown Heartfire Idrian Flesh Ironhull Grey Khador Red Base Khador Red Highlight Menoth White Base Midlund Flesh Molten Bronze Morrow White Pig Iron Quick Silver Rucksack Tan Skorne Red Thamar Black Umbral Umber Yellow Ink 2a) Basecoat the wood areas with Gun Corps Brown. Use several thin coats for a smooth, even surface. 2b) Paint thin lines of Menoth White Base along the upper surfaces to create wood grain. 2c) Glaze the area with a mix of equal parts Bloodstone, Brown Ink, and Yellow Ink. 2d) Add a drop of Coal Black to the previous mix. Blend this from the edge of the wood toward the center. A B C D Guts & Gears 23

Step 3 – BELLOWS Step 4 – Metal Step 5 – Brass 3a) Basecoat the bellows with Idrian Flesh. Paint the top folds of the bellows with a 1:1 mix of Idrian Flesh and Menoth White Base. 3b) Add small lines of Menoth White Base to the edges of the bellows. 3c) Mix Idrian Flesh with a drop of Brown Ink. Wash the bellows, letting the mix fill the recesses. Add a drop of Coal Black for a final wash. A A C D A B C B B C 4a) Basecoat the metal areas with Pig Iron. 4b) Add a drop of Brown Ink and a touch of Molten Bronze to the Pig Iron, and apply this mix as an initial shade. 4c) Deepen the shadow with a 1:1 mix of Exile Blue and Thamar Black. 4d) Highlight the metal with Cold Steel. To create a more extreme highlight, add Quick Silver to the edges. 5a) Basecoat the brass areas with Molten Bronze. Several coats may be necessary to achieve a smooth finish. 5b) Shade the area with a 2:1 mix of Battlefield Brown and Cryx Bane Base. 5c) Add a drop of Thamar Black and a drop of Coal Black to the previous mix for a final shade. Paint each individual hole in the exhaust. 24 Guts & Gears

Step 6 – Black Step 7 – Coal A D A B E C F B C 6a) Blend a 1:1 mix of Ironhull Grey and Thamar Black along the edges. 6b) Paint irregular lines of Ironhull Grey along the edges to create a chipped pattern. 6c) Follow the lines from the previous step with Cold Steel. Leave just a bit of Ironhull Grey showing. 7a) Paint the recesses of the coal with Morrow White. 7b) Blend Skorne Red from the outer edges to the center. Be sure to leave the white in the center showing. 7c) Blend Ember Orange from the center out. 7d) Add Heartfire to the center, leaving some of the Ember Orange showing. 7e) Mix Morrow White and Heartfire and blend it into the very center of the fire. 7f) Carefully drybrush Thamar Black over the coals, followed by a lighter drybrush of Ironhull Grey. Guts & Gears 25

Step 8 – roller boars Step 9 – roller A A B C B C D E F 8a) Basecoat the boars with Umbral Umber. 8b) Highlight with Bloodstone. 8c) Shade the recesses with Thamar Black. 8d) Paint the snouts with Midlund Flesh and the tusks with Menoth White Base. 8e) Blend a thin layer of Skorne Red over the edges of the boars. Be sure to leave some of the original color showing through. 8f) Edge everything with small lines of Heartfire. 9a) Paint the roller with the same techniques covered in the metal and brass sections. Attach the roller to the chassis. 9b) Paint the edges of the wheel interiors and the inside edge of the chassis by blending Skorne Red along them. Keep your paint thin to allow the original colors to show through. 9c) Edge the wheel and chassis with thin lines of Heartfire. 26 Guts & Gears

Step 10 – base and dust 11 Graffiti 12 Finishing Touches A B C A B C 10a) Paint the base with Umbral Umber. Stipple this up onto the lower sections of the chassis. 10b) Drybrush a 1:1 mix of Bloodtracker Brown and Rucksack Tan over the base. Once again, stipple this onto the chassis while leaving some of the Umbral Umber showing through. 10c) For a final layer, drybrush Menoth White Base over the base and stipple it onto the very edges of the chassis. 11a) Using Skorne Red, sketch out your design of choice onto various armor plates. 11b) Highlight the design with Khador Red Base. 11c) Add final highlights with Khador Red Highlight. Go back and tidy up the design with Thamar Black Paint your farrow crew according to the techniques found in Forces of Hordes: Minions. Finally, attach the turret to the chassis. Guts & Gears 27

Conclusion Ready for battle! Using the instructions in this guide you should end up with a gritty, dirty battle engine to run your opposition into the ground. Until next time, keep on painting! 28 Guts & Gears

deeper into Deeper into the undercity 29 Goal The Humbug gang wants to ruin everyone’s Giving Day. Ambrose has asked you to deal with them before the holiday is wrecked, and he has promised to reward you for your efforts. To help further their goals, the Humbugs have made an alliance with a powerful grymkin. They’ve done so by convincing the creature that you are the ones that want to ruin Giving Day. Gameplay This one-shot chapter is not part of any campaign. After choosing heroes, each player chooses how many Ability cards to use with his hero. For example, Gardek’s player may choose to use no cards while Canice’s player chooses to use eight cards. After choosing cards, record the amount of XP used by each hero; this will affect Krampus’ attacks during gameplay. The Treasury is not used in this chapter. When a hero damages a villain, the hero gains a number of XP tokens equal to the damage the villain suffered. A hero can carry a maximum of 6 XP. If a hero with 6 XP damages a villain, the excess XP tokens are placed in the villain’s space. If a hero passes out, all XP tokens and Loot cards he was carrying are placed in the space from which he was removed. Once during his turn, a hero in a space with XP tokens or Loot cards can pick up as many of the XP tokens as he can carry or one Loot card. Once during his turn, a hero can give one Loot card he is carrying to another hero in his space. Ambrose and Loot Ambrose has set up a shop to sell gifts for the upcoming holiday. Once during his turn, a hero in the Ambrose space can return 3 XP to the bank to draw a card from the Loot deck. Any One-shot CHAPTER: Giving Day By William “Oz” Schoonover text requiring challenge rolls is ignored. If a Pile of Coins card is drawn, it is placed in front of the character who purchased it and discarded at the beginning of that player’s next turn. While a Pile of Coins card is in play, all heroes gain 1 bonus XP each time they damage a villain. If a hero passes out, a battle-ready hero in the Ambrose space can return 5 XP to the bank to return the passed out hero to the board. The returned hero is placed in the Ambrose space and regains any lost wound tokens, with all tokens red side up. Impending Doom When an Impending Doom card is drawn, roll a die. Flip the Villain Stat card in the reserves that matches the die roll to the epic side. If that card has already been flipped to epic, replace the card and any associated figures remaining in the reserves with the standard Drudge card and figures. Krampus Krampus is a significant villain and a boss. He activates at Initiative 1 and when an Impending Doom card is drawn. If Krampus must choose between multiple targets, he attacks the target that has the most XP tokens before following the preference on a Villain Action card. When Krampus is incapacitated, place any Loot cards he is carrying in the space he is removed from. If Krampus is not in play when he would activate, spawn him at a random passage and activate him. No Quarter presents a special one-shot scenario for The Undercity that celebrates the Iron Kingdoms holiday of Giving Day. This holiday was inspired by the actions of Woldred the Diligent around 269 AR. The Cygnaran king had an annual habit of going among the common folk of Caspia with gifts for the children and coins for the adults. But for some, Giving Day is an opportunity to spread discord and despair. In this scenario, the heroes must save Giving Day from a gang of thugs who are set to ruin the holiday for everyone.

30 deeper into the undercity Deeper into The Undercity Terrain Pit Characters cannot move into a pit space. If a character is placed in a pit space, that character is incapacitated. Characters incapacitated by pit spaces generate XP normally. Any XP placed in a pit space is returned to the bank. A pit space is counted normally when determining range. Event Deck: Cards 1, 3, 6, 7, 15–20 VILLAIN ACTION Deck: Cards 1–4, 11, 12, 14, 16, and 29–34. SIDE QUEST DECK: Only the Loot cards are used for this chapter. Shuffle them to create a Loot deck. Villain Reserves 2 4 5 3 6 1 5b 3B 4B 14b 8b 7b 12b 13A 15B pit 14B pit 9B 10B vit str def arm 1 5 12 12 sWord thuG sWord ACC POW 4 8 vit str def arm CrossboW thuG CrossboW RNG 2 4 8 ACC POW 1 5 12 12 VIT STR DEF ARM 10 10 12 16 KRAMPUS WICKED CLAW LASHING TONGUE ACC POW 5 8 RNG 1 5 7 ACC POW PUNISH THE GREEDY THE SACK RELENTLESS PULL vit str def arm drudGe prosthetiCs guIded – This character gains +1 ACC while within two spaces of a cephalyx. resILIent fLesh – While not knocked down, if this character takes normal damage it is knocked down; if it takes super damage it becomes incapacitated and the party gains 2 XP. If this character takes damage while knocked down, it is incapacitated and the party gains 1 XP. 5 12 ACC POW 1 11 15 8 Setup Victory or Defeat The chapter ends and the party loses if every hero is either incapacitated or passed out. The party wins if all of the Side Quest cards are purchased at the end of a round. vit str def arm Gobber Cutthroat knives tIny – When making a free strike hazard roll, this character is damaged only on a roll of 6. A character making a free strike hazard roll from leaving this character’s space is damaged only on a roll of 6. This character can charge when moving into or out of a fi ssure space. When this character leaves a fi ssure space, the fi ssure does not collapse. 5 7 ACC POW 1 4 14 11

Deeper into the undercity 31 VIT STR DEF ARM 10 10 12 16 KRAMPUS WICKED CLAW LASHING TONGUE ACC POW 5 8 RNG 1 5 7 ACC POW PUNISH THE GREEDY THE SACK RELENTLESS PULL KRAMPUS PUNISH THE GREEDY – When Krampus attacks a hero, he gains a +1 attack and damage bonus for every full 10 XP of ability cards that hero has. THE SACK – If Krampus is ever in the same space as an incapacitated hero, that hero immediately passes out. RELENTLESS – This character cannot be placed and ignores the rough terrain rule. PULL – When this character hits another character with an attack, the target character is placed in this character’s space. krampus Stat Cards and token permission to photocopy for personal use only. http://privateerpress.com/no-quarter/web-extras/no-quarter-63 FRONT ARC krampus

While each faction is best known for the iconic colors of its Formula P3 Studio paint scheme, the warriors of Immoren go to battle in a great variety of uniforms, regimental color schemes, camouflage types, ceremonial colors, and more. This series presents just a few alternate color schemes that adorn the armies of WARMACHINE and HORDES. Follow these simple guides to recreate one of these forces, or use them as inspiration to create your own! The Circle Orboros is innately tied to nature, as is apparent in its mastery of storm, stone, and wildlife. The men and women of the Wolves of Orboros have survived in the wild for centuries, thriving in every environment. As the forests undergo their seasonal changes, so too do many Wolves of Orboros adapt their clothing and equipment to match their surroundings. Surprise is a powerful weapon, and remaining hidden is essential for any ambushing force. Whether under lush foliage, amidst falling autumn leaves, in blinding snow, or under the cover of night, the Wolves of Orboros often mimick the colors of the environment to strike without warning and then vanish into the wilderness. In this article, we’ll show you how to paint different-colored Wolves of Orboros, themed for each of the four seasons as well as night. We will also discuss basing techniques that will help convey the aesthetic of a force fighting in different seasonal environments. by Rob Hawkins war paint: 32 Modeling & Painting

Highlighting Use a small drybrush and carefully brush some highlights across the fur with a mix of Gun Corps Brown and Bastion Grey. Blend the highlights on the cloak using Khador Red Highlight and paint the stitches with Rucksack Tan. Bring up the mid tone on the clothing with Gun Corps Brown and add some brighter highlights with Rucksack Tan. Paint the metal trim on the armor with Rhulic Gold and highlight the highest points and corners with Solid Gold. Basecoat Begin by making a 50/50 mix of Bloodstone and Khador Red Highlight and basecoat the cloak with this. Then, paint the fur trim and the clothing with Gun Corps Brown. Next, paint the belts and straps on the model’s torso with Battlefield Brown. Finally, basecoat the armor plates with Bloodstone. Save the weapon until the very final stages so you don’t need to worry about hitting it with your brush when painting parts of the model behind it. When the season of the harvest comes, the forests of Cygnar, Llael, and Ord transform into varied hues of yellow, red, and orange. To blend in with the fallen leaves that blanket the forest floors, many tribes in the area don cloaks of vibrant, warm colors. Wolves of Autumn Colors Used Armor Wash Bastion Grey Battlefield Brown Bloodstone Brown Ink Cold Steel Gun Corps Brown Heartfire Khador Red Highlight Menoth White Base Pig Iron Quick Silver Rhulic Gold Rucksack Tan Skorne Red Solid Gold Thamar Black Shading Shade the clothing and fur with a mix of Brown Ink and Battlefield Brown. Shade the cloak and armor with a mix of Bloodstone and Brown Ink, adding more Brown Ink into the mix for the deepest recesses of the cloak. Use a fine brush to paint the darkest shade color along the seams in the cloak and around the stitching. Weapon, Cloak Pattern, and Basing Basecoat the weapon with Pig Iron and shade it with Armor Wash. Then, drybrush the metal with Cold Steel and highlight the edges of the blades with Quick Silver. You can leave the cloak as a plain orange robe, or add a lattice pattern with Heartfire and Skorne Red. Use a fine brush and paint crisscrossing lightning bolts to design a unique style of autumn camouflage that is still evocative of the Circle Orboros aesthetic. Glue some sand on the base, paint it with thinned Battlefield Brown, and then drybrush with Gun Corps Brown and Menoth White Base. Finish the rim of the base with a layer of Thamar Black. When adding static grass or basing material, use a material appropriate for the season—dead grass or leaf litter. Modeling & Painting 33

Weapon and Basing Basecoat the weapon with Pig Iron and shade it with Armor Wash. Then, drybrush the metal with Cold Steel and highlight the blade edges with Quick Silver. Glue some sand on the base of the miniature and paint it with thinned Battlefield Brown, then drybrush with Gun Corps Brown and Menoth White Base. If you want to make a wintry mix on the ground without using snow flock or sculpted snow on the base, get a dab of Morrow White on a small drybrush, then dip the brush into your paint water. Touch the mix to the base and it will create a milky white blotch that will spread out into the sand, creating a frosty tone. If it appears too white, you can blot up some of the moisture with a dry brush. Dab more white into the wet areas to create whiter snowy patches. When you are satisfied with the color and it has dried, paint the rim of the base with Thamar Black. Apply some burnt-colored static grass and drybrush the top of the grass tufts with Morrow White. Shading Shade the recesses of the cloak with a mix of Underbelly Blue. Paint Greatcoat Grey around the edges and behind all of the armor plates. Paint the belts with Greatcoat Grey as well, and add a little Underbelly Blue to brighten their color. Finally, shade the fur with a mix of Greatcoat Grey and Battlefield Brown, and use a fine brush to paint the seams and stitching on the cloak. Highlighting Using a small drybrush, carefully brush some highlights across the fur with a mix of Bastion Grey and Menoth White Highlight. Highlight the cloak using Morrow White and paint the stitching with Menoth White Highlight. Carefully paint the metal trim on the armor with Pig Iron and highlight it with Quick Silver. Basecoat Undercoat the model with Formula P3 White Primer. Once it has dried, basecoat the clothing with Menoth White Highlight. Paint the armor plates using Morrow White with a touch of Underbelly Blue added. Use the same mix to basecoat the cloak, but add a little more Underbelly Blue. Lighten Bastion Grey with some Morrow White and paint all the fur. Winter blizzards are an ideal time for the Circle Orboros to strike. During winter, men huddle away inside their homes and sentries stay close to the fires, not wanting to wander from their warmth. Fur-trimmed white cloaks and the rush of battle provide the Wolves of Orboros all the warmth they need. Wolves of winter Colors Used Armor Wash Bastion Grey Battlefield Brown Cold Steel Greatcoat Grey Gun Corps Brown Menoth White Base Menoth White Highlight Morrow White Pig Iron Quick Silver Thamar Black Underbelly Blue 34 Modeling & Painting

Shading Shade the clothing and leather with a wash of Battlefield Brown and Brown Ink. Darken some Brown Ink with a little Armor Wash to shade the fur. Mix a thin wash of Iosan Green and Necrotite Green and paint it over the armor. This will add a greenish hue to the gold trim, and the wash will pool in the recessed areas of the armor plates. Finally, shade the cloak with a mix of Ordic Olive and Gnarls Green, using straight Gnarls Green to paint the seam and around the stitching. Highlighting Touch up the clothing with Rucksack Tan and blend in just a touch of Cygnus Yellow to the brightest highlights. Highlight the edges of the armor with Cold Steel and Solid Gold with a touch of Heartfire added to it. Mix equal parts Ordic Olive and Necrotite Green to highlight the cloak, and paint the stitching with Rucksack Tan. Brush some highlights on the fur with Bastion Grey lightened with a little ’Jack Bone. Basecoat Basecoat the clothing with Rucksack Tan, and the gloves, boots, and belts with Gun Corps Brown. To paint the cloak, mix equal parts Rucksack Tan and Ordic Olive, and then add a touch of Iosan Green. Basecoat the armor with a 50/50 mix of Cold Steel and Solid Gold. Finally, paint the fur with Bastion Grey. As winter ends, spring brings new lifeblood to Immoren. In spring, many young Wolves of Orboros first take up the cleft spear in service to the Blackclads. Wearing vibrant greens, these ambitious young warriors strike at the enemies of Orboros and vanish into the young underbrush that once again blankets the land. Wolves of spring Colors Used Armor Wash Bastion Grey Battlefield Brown Brown Ink Cold Steel Cygnus Yellow Gnarls Green Gun Corps Brown Heartfire Iosan Green ’Jack Bone Necrotite Green Ordic Olive Pig Iron Quick Silver Rucksack Tan Solid Gold Thornwood Green Weapon, Cloak Pattern, and Basing Basecoat the weapon with Pig Iron and shade it with Armor Wash. Then, drybrush the metal with Cold Steel and highlight the edges of the blades with Quick Silver. Using a fine brush, paint a series of lightning bolt stripes on the cloak with Thornwood Green. To enhance the camouflage pattern, paint a few star shapes and checks on the cloak with a mix of Necrotite Green and Heartfire. Add some sand to the base and paint it. Then apply static grass and some clump foliage bushes. A flowery spring theme can be achieved by adding dabs of Heartfire to the bushes. This will resemble flowers budding in the shrubbery and complement the camouflage pattern on the model. Modeling & Painting 35

Weapon, Cloak Pattern, and Basing Use a fine brush to paint the lattice pattern on the cloak with Battledress Green. Basecoat the weapon with Pig Iron and shade it with Armor Wash. Then, drybrush the metal with Cold Steel and highlight the edges of the blade with Quick Silver. Glue sand on the base and paint it with thinned Battlefield Brown, then drybrush with Gun Corps Brown and Menoth White Base. Finish the rim of the base with a layer of Thamar Black and add some green static grass. Highlighting Drybrush the highlights on the fur with Bastion Grey and ’Jack Bone. Blend up the color of the cloak from the base of Gnarls Green, adding Traitor Green and Ordic Olive to lighten the color. Highlight the highest points with straight Ordic Olive. Highlight the leather gloves, boots, belts, and stitching with Gun Corps Brown. Finally, touch up the metal trim on the armor with Solid Gold tinted with a little bit of Iosan Green and Cold Steel. Shading Shade all of the clothing, including the leather boots and gloves, with Thornwood Green. Then, adding some Brown Ink, create a wash and paint this into the deepest recesses and along the edges of the armor plates. Mix a wash of Iosan Green and Traitor Green and paint it over the armor so it shades the gold and pools in the recesses of the armor plates. Shade the cloak with a mix of Thornwood Green and Brown Ink and shade the fur trim with straight Brown Ink. Basecoat Basecoat the clothing with Traitor Green and the gloves and boots with Gun Corps Brown. Paint the armor with Rhulic Gold and drybrush a little Solid Gold over the raised areas. Then basecoat the cloak with Gnarls Green and the fur with Bastion Grey. Summertime in the dense forests of western Immoren are cast in deep shadow by the canopy overhead, broken sparsely with dappled spots of sunlight. To blend into the darker mature foliage and shadows of summer forests, the Wolves of Orboros don jade-hued cloaks. Wolves of Summer Colors Used Armor Wash Bastion Grey Battledress Green Battlefield Brown Brown Ink Cold Steel Gnarls Green Gun Corps Brown Iosan Green ’Jack Bone Ordic Olive Pig Iron Quick Silver Rhulic Gold Solid Gold Thornwood Green Traitor Green 36 Modeling & Painting

Shading Use Armor Wash to shade the armor, fur, and the recesses of the cloak. Shade the face and hands with Khardic Flesh and a little Brown Ink. Shade the hair with a mix of Bloodstone and Brown Ink. Highlighting Use a controlled drybrush of Greatcoat Grey mixed with a little Underbelly Blue to highlight the armor. Use a similar technique to highlight the fur with Bastion Grey and ’Jack Bone. Highlight the hair with Khador Red Highlight and Heartfire. Touch up the highlights on the face with Midlund Flesh and a mix of Midlund Flesh and Bloodstone for the lips. Paint the belt buckles and metal areas of the crossbow with Pig Iron and shade them with Armor Wash. The intention is to keep the overall model from getting too bright, so the metal should be kept dull and dark rather than highlighting it with Cold Steel or Quick Silver. Basecoat Over a black undercoat, drybrush the model’s clothing, cloak, and crossbow with Battlefield Brown and then a mix of Battlefield Brown and Gun Corps Brown. Basecoat the fur with Bastion Grey and the armor with Greatcoat Grey. Paint the model’s skin with Midlund Flesh and the hair with a mix of Bloodstone and Khador Red Highlight. Nocturnal strikes are a longstanding tradition among the Wolves of Orboros. Darkness prevents the defenders of a civilized settlement from discovering the Wolves before it is time for them to strike. Some tribes dye their cloaks in dark shades to blend in with the darkness and dull the metal of their weapons and armor with natural patina and dyes. Wolves of Night Colors Used Armor Wash Bastion Grey Battlefield Brown Bloodstone Brown Ink Cold Steel Greatcoat Grey Gun Corps Brown Heartfire ’Jack Bone Khador Red Highlight Khardic Flesh Midlund Flesh Pig Iron Quick Silver Thamar Black Underbelly Blue Conclusion These color schemes will work just as well for other forces as they do for the Wolves of Orboros. Imagine a unit of Winter Guard Kommandos painted for a night-ops raid or a force of Cygnar Trenchers painted in winter colors for their operations in the Khadoran north. The winter basing techniques would be very appropriate for both Khador and Legion of Everblight forces. An autumn camouflage pattern could be the unifying element in otherwise disparate Mercenary or Minion units. You are only limited by your imagination! Cloak Pattern and Basing Add a few stripes on the cloak with Thamar Black. Glue some brown ballast to the base and shade it with Armor Wash for dark blue-brown earth. Once the wash has dried, drybrush the ground with Bastion Grey and ’Jack Bone. Then, paint the rim with Thamar Black. Use a darker green color of static grass to maintain the dark “night” theme. Modeling & Painting 37

Story by William Shick • Theme Force by David “DC” Carl Forces of DistinctionXX Outside, the winter wind whipped against the stalwart walls of the sturdy trollkin hut. Kargess listened to the sounds of the storm as she tended to the flickering hearthfire. Her thoughts strayed, as they often did, to where her mate Madrak, so far away from hearth and home, might be. The sounds of rustling from a small wooden crib a few feet to her left drew her mind away from thoughts of Madrak. Smiling, she left the fire and made her way to the crib where the round face and big saucer eyes of her son stared up at her. Kargess cooed softly to Dag as she reached down to fix his blankets and furs. The tiny trollkin’s arms fought their way free from his swaddling furs, and his miniature hand gripped her finger tightly. 38 Forces of Distinction

He has your strength, my love. She thought to herself. If only you could see him. If only you were home. Kargess looked up and off into the distance, as if trying to penetrate the hundreds of miles that separated Madrak from her. The noise of the wind outside grew in intensity, sounding like the wails of some terrible beast come searching for a late-night meal. From his crib, Dag began to softly cry. “There, there, little one,” Kargess said, turning her face back toward him. “There is nothing to fear from this weather. For your father bested the Winter Witch long ago.” At the word “father” Dag’s cries stopped and his eyes looked intently at her. Kargess smiled. “So you want to hear the story of Madrak and the Winter Witch?” she asked. Dag burbled happily in reply. “Long ago,” Kargess began, “when our kriel still lived in the Thornwood, a strange group of trollkin came to our kriel seeking an audience with the great chieftain Madrak Ironhide. “These strangers brought tales of great woe from their home among the Wyrmwall mountains. They were rural and simple folk who had managed to carve out a hard yet peaceful life among the rugged peaks they called home. Recently, however, it seemed they had become cursed. . . set upon by a powerful and wicked spirit whom they called the Winter Witch. “Little was known about this dangerous creature beyond the few myths that were told to frighten unruly children. Some among the visitors claimed she was just a powerful sorceress who had taken on the legend of the witch to further her own reputation. Others swore they were indeed beset by the real Winter Witch of legends, a powerful and vengeful elemental spirit who hated the warmth of the living with all her being. “Regardless of which account was true, there was no denying the Winter Witch’s wrath was terrible and had brought much suffering to the poor Wyrmwall kriels. The Winter Witch had unleashed a season of unending winter upon them, and not a day went by that their people were not whipped by frozen winds or their villages and crops were not blanketed in freezing snows. The few brave warriors among them who had set out to end the threat of the Winter Witch always met the same fate. They would be found frozen solid upon the edges of their kriels, their hands outstretched and bodies hunched as if trying to ward off some powerful force. “After hearing the visitors’ story, your father sought out Uroal Stonechin, the oldest and wisest of the runebearers among the Thornwood. From his decades of study, Uroal knew of an ancient legend concerning a very powerful and very temperamental winter spirit that had once plagued the Wyrmwalls before being locked away by a band of powerful Dhunian priests. He was sure the accounts told to your father were no acts of some imposter but proof that the real Winter Witch had returned. “When Madrak heard this, he knew he had to take action. Not willing to let your father go alone, Uroal summoned his seven sons, who were all trained in the stone scribing arts. Together, Uroal and his sons would accompany their chieftain on his quest. “When word spread that Madrak planned to set out and face down the Winter Witch, several of the greatest heroes among the kriel also pledged to march with him and swore oaths to keep Madrak from harm until their dying breath. Two brothers, who were trappers and hunters by trade and had spent much time wandering the highest peaks of the Wyrmwalls in their youth, also pledged to march with your father. “Thus your father, along with his faithful troll companions Bron and Jor and his group of doughty warriors, set out to confront the Winter Witch and free the Wyrmwalls from her frozen touch. “Knowing that they would need even greater aid if they were to stand against the hoary cold of the witch, Uroal directed your father to a tribe of winter trolls who lived in the western peaks of the Wyrmwalls. After hearing your father’s plea, the winter trolls agreed to help him, if he could complete three trials to prove his strength and cunning. “In the first trial, Madrak was tasked with overcoming the strongest of the tribe in a test of physical strength. In the second, Madrak had to catch the youngest and quickest of the tribe, who was fast as the winter wind. In the third, he faced the eldest of the winter trolls, whose mind was as indomitable as the mountain, in a battle of wills. Each time, Madrak was able to overcome his foe and prove his worthiness. Once Madrak passed their tests, the winter troll elder gave Madrak the aid of the tribe’s strongest and quickest trolls, the very same trolls who had stood against Madrak in his trials. “Now bolstered by his new allies, Madrak and his band went to confront the Winter Witch, who made her home upon the highest and coldest peaks of the Wyrmwalls. Ten days they marched through howling winds and freezing snow. Each day, the storms around them seemed to rage all the greater as they made their way closer to the rumored lair of the Winter Witch. Forces o Forces off Distinction Distinction 39

“Thanks to the powers of the winter trolls, your father and his warriors felt neither the bite of the witch’s touch nor the sting of her freezing gaze as they made their way to the precarious ledge upon the highest peak where her lair was said to be. “There upon that snow and ice-covered ledge did your father and his warriors meet the terrible spirit that was the Winter Witch. Her hair hung as icicles across her sharp angular face, and her pale blue skin was draped in a dress made of fine, white snow that swirled like a blizzard about her. “With a shriek, she attacked the brave band of warriors. At her summons rose silent warriors of ice and snow. Though their flesh was protected from the witch’s icy touch, Uroal and his sons invoked powerful wards around their fellow warriors to protect them from the blows of the witch’s minions. The ledge upon which they battled was precarious, and the witch used her powers to send many a brave trollkin hurtling to their end on the rocks below. “Despite the Winter Witch’s fury, your father and his warriors fought bravely. As the witch’s powers began to weaken, your father charged forth and shattered her form with his axe. “The Winter Witch was no living creature, however. Your father’s blow only served to banish her back into her foul lair, where she would slowly regain her physical form once more. No, despite his great strength it was Uroal and his sons who locked the Winter Witch away once more. They etched powerful containment runes upon great stone slabs, and your father’s powerful trolls placed them in the entrance of the cave to seal it shut. There the Winter Witch would remain, alone and imprisoned forever.” Kargess allowed herself a moment of satisfaction as she looked down on the now peacefully sleeping face of her son. Behind her, the fire popped and crackled, and she felt a chill as its heat was momentarily interrupted. Pulling her furs tight about her once more her she looked into the face of her sleeping child before n odding off to dream of the day she would see Madrak again. 40 Forces of Distinction

Theme Forces offer players the opportunity to play thematic armies that spotlight particular aspects of a warcaster or warlock’s character or history. From time to time, Privateer Press will introduce new Theme Forces in the pages of No Quarter. These Theme Forces are “fair game” upon publication and usable in our organized play events. Permission to photocopy for personal use only Forces of Distinction 41 Madrak Ironhide, Thornwood Chieftain Winter Kin Warbeasts: Trollblood non-character warbeasts Units: Krielstone Bearer & Stone Scribes, Northkin units, Trollkin Scouts, Trollkin Warders Solos: Stone Scribe Chronicler, Trollkin Runebearer, Trollkin Sorcerer, Trollkin Skinners Tier 1 Requirements: The army can include only the models listed above. Benefit: Trollkin Skinners in the army gain Immunity: Cold and their Skinning Knives gain Beacon. (Replace the Trollkin Skinners card with the Theme Force Trollkin Skinners card found in this article.) Tier 2 Requirements: The army includes three or more models/ units with Pathfinder . Benefit: Models in the army have concealment during the first round of the game. Tier 3 Requirements: The army includes a Stone Scribe Elder. Benefit: Friendly models/units can begin the game affected by Madrak’s upkeep spells. These spells and their targets must be declared before either player sets up models. Madrak does not pay fury to upkeep these spells during your first turn. Tier 4 Requirements: Madrak’s battlegroup includes a Troll Axer and two or more other warbeasts. Benefit: Add a Troll Impaler to Madrak’s battlegroup free of cost. by David “DC” Carl SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM CMD 6 6 7 3 13 14 8 SKINNER FA 2 TROLLKIN SKINNER TROLLBLOOD SOLO PC 2 SKINNING KNIFE POW P+S 2 8DAMAGE There’s more’n one way to skin a cat. Or a gorax. —Herg Tornjaw Illus. by Jeff Axer © Privateer Press, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All faction names, logos, warjack, warcaster & warbeast are TM of Privateer Press, Inc. DISMEMBER – SKINNER When this model hits a warbeast with a melee attack, DUCK – roll an additional damage die. This model gains +4 DEF against melee and ranged attack HUNTER – free strikes. rolls made by warbeasts. Warbeasts cannot target this model with This model ignores forests, concealment, and cover when PROWL – determining LOS or making a ranged attack. This model gains Stealth while within terrain that provides BEACON – SKINNING KNIFE AOE of a cloud effect. concealment, the AOE of a spell that provides concealment, or the Friendly models can charge or make a slam power attack weapon gains +2 spending focus. A friendly model charging an enemy model hit by this against an enemy model hit by this weapon without being forced or ˝ of movement. Beacon lasts for one turn. TROLLKIN SKINNER

42

Hoarluk Doomshaper By Aeryn Rudel and Douglas Seacat • Art by Daryl Mandrak & Andrea Uderzo Take a look inside the files of Gavyn Kyle, the Iron Kingdoms’ premier spy. Gathered at great expense and risk, these dossiers give a behind-the-scenes look at the histories and motivations of important characters in WARMACHINE and HORDES. Your request for information on the infamous trollkin shaman known as Hoarluk Doomshaper is, I think, long overdue. I had to get creative in gathering information on his history and motives, seeking those within his insular community. This required a greater commitment of my time, which will be reflected in my fee. As I see it, there are two related questions that must be answered to assess the threat Hoarluk Doomshaper represents to the human nations of western Immoren. One: What was Doomshaper’s role in the creation of the heavily armed trollkin affiliation known as the United Kriels, and how much clout does he have with them now? Two: How does Doomshaper’s hatred of humanity influence the actions of the United Kriels? I shall endeavor to answer these questions and provide you a threat assessment. —GK Hoarluk Doomshaper Summary 498 AR: Estimated birth year for Hoarluk, born to the Golmfar Kriel in the Gnarls. Little is known of his youth or family, though he took up the mantle of shaman early. 520–550 AR: Having absorbed all he could in his kriel, Hoarluk wanders in search of ancient trollkin lore. He visits kriels in the southern Wyrmwall Mountains, the Thornwood, the Scarsfell, and Scarleforth Lake, leaving no site unexamined that might have been settled by trollkin. Several violent encounters are attributed to his travels during this time. 550–580 AR: Hoarluk returns to the Gnarls and becomes active in politics between the kriels, especially after he is recognized as an elder of Golmfar. He begins attending the Council of Stone, advocating reclaiming lands taken by outsiders. His epithet “Doomshaper” is earned during this time as a result of his violent rhetoric. 580–600 AR: Doomshaper gains sufficient support to gather warbands of his own to launch attacks against those he considers interlopers in the Gnarls. His influence over the Circle of Stone increases, primarily through intimidating and threatening his rivals. 603 AR: Doomshaper finds the mighty dire troll Mulg the Ancient, earns the creature’s respect, and forges a lasting bond between dire trolls and trollkin. 606 AR: Doomshaper thwarts a blackclad assassination attempt against Madrak Ironhide, a powerful chieftain who had previously united the Thornwood kriels. This is the first recorded instance of multiple dire trolls fighting alongside trollkin. The act unites trollkin of the Gnarls and Thornwood and is the foundation for the United Kriels. 607 AR: After trollkin led by Madrak Ironhide seize lands in Crael Valley, Doomshaper leads an Gavyn Kyle 43

of the woods, confident as you please, and tells us we have to leave. He spoke good Cygnaran, so I tried talking with him. We’ve dealt with these savages before, and many times you can buy them off with weapons or food. Not this one. He said the stones in the area around the site were sacred—a bunch of old rocks with worn carvings—and gave us one day to clear out. We didn’t think much of it. We were all armed, plus we had the two laborjacks. I figured it was an idle threat, so I had the boys keep digging. He hit us in the middle of the night while the ’jacks were powered down. He wasn’t alone, either. He came with three full-blood trolls, big hungry brutes that smashed the laborjacks to pieces and then came for us. Dillan was grabbed, and his head was torn clean off, bitten into like a ripe apple. We got off a few shots, but without the ’jacks, there wasn’t any hope. We ran, and he let us go. I’ve spoken with the garrison at Fort Bolton, and they’re going to send a squad in to recover the bodies. I’ll update you once I know more. —Withrow My guess is the “sacred stones” were krielstones of special significance to Doomshaper. This event is important because it is the first recorded instance I can find depicting Hoarluk’s violent contact with humanity, and it demonstrates his desire to accumulate ancient trollkin knowledge, something for which he has become well known. Clearly he was already experienced at controlling trolls and putting them to violent use. There seems to have been very little effort to negotiate or persuade these miners to leave prior to resorting to violence. *** Hoarluk’s collecting of trollkin lore fueled his rise to prominence among the elders of the Gnarls. The knowledge he gained added to his rhetoric of trolls and trollkin being “united by blood” and to his push for violence against humanity. His message became quite popular with younger and more aggressive trollkin warriors. While some elders and chieftains agreed with Hoarluk or might have admired his goals of uniting their people, many others found his rhetoric to be dangerous and too aggressive. He became known as a rabble-rouser. I believe it was this reputation that eventually led to him earning the name Doomshaper—he was prone to dire predictions about the fate of the Gnarls should they let any trespass go unanswered. Written accounts of Doomshaper’s politicking are nonexistent. I turned to alternate sources, including the following interview with a trollkin elder and one-time rival of Doomshaper’s. I found Jorok Hammerstone in Corvis, having given up life among the kriels. He agreed to talk after I supplied him with enough rum to drown Five Fingers. —GK attack against a Cygnaran rail line, derailing a train and wrecking it. Worse, a railcar containing wounded soldiers is dragged away and many of the wreck’s survivors are devoured on the scene by trolls. This violent act creates panic and fear across northern Cygnar and prompts calls for violent reprisals. 607 AR: A group of trollkin elders from both the Gnarls and the Thornwood conspire with Cygnaran officials to remove Doomshaper. They provide information that leads to Doomshaper’s capture and imprisonment at Fort Harrow, a military outpost on the Gnarlwood Trail. The fort is subsequently attacked and destroyed by dire trolls, freeing Doomshaper in the process. In the aftermath of these events, Cygnar’s 4th Army commits to a costly assault on Crael Valley, eventually driving the trollkin there out. Late 608 AR: Massive “troll kings” appear in eastern Cygnar and attack a rail line in the area. Although Madrak Ironhide commanded these huge trolls, sources suggest Doomshaper found and awoke them from ancient slumber. Early 609 AR: The Khadoran town of Daliskov is destroyed by trollkin. Survivors describe an ancient trollkin shaman leading the attack, a description matching Doomshaper. Huge “glacier trolls” are blamed for much of the destruction. *** As near as I can trace it, Hoarluk was born in the Gnarls to the Golmfar Kriel around the turn of the last century. Details on his early life are scant, but secondhand sources suggest he decided to become a Dhunian shaman early in his life and committed himself to that course. Hoarluk spent less time helping his village than searching far and wide for obscure trollkin lore, usually found inscribed in runes covering the surfaces of large krielstones. We do have record of at least one violent encounter related to this quest. The following document from a now-defunct mining company details a survey team’s encounter. —GK Date: Solesh 12th, 538 AR To: Director Derrigan Tull From: Lead Surveyor Victor Withrow We are pulling out of the Gnarls. We found a site that looked to provide a good yield—initial digs uncovered rich veins of silver—but we can’t get to it. There’s no easy way to tell you this, but Hanover, Dillan, and Grekov are dead, along with three of our diggers. The two laborjacks we had were also destroyed. Two days into the dig, this blueskin comes out 44 Gavyn Kyle

Gavyn Kyle: Tell me about your kriel in the Gnarls. Jorok: What is there to tell? It no longer exists. GK: I understand, but how did this come to be? Jorok: Hoarluk Doomshaper is how it came to be. He is the reason my kriel was destroyed. Why would a human care about such things? GK: I am a scholar from Corvis University. Trollkin and their history are my area of expertise. Jorok: A human studying trollkin. For what? So you get better at killing us? GK: Well, if you’ve had enough rum, I’ll be on my way. Jorok: No, no. Sit down. I’ll tell you what I know. I was a shaman in the Stonestrike Kriel, a respected elder. We lived in the eastern edge of the Gnarls, and my chieftain and I had worked out an arrangement with the neighboring humans. We left them alone, and they left us alone. It worked for decades—until Doomshaper. GK: How did you know him? Jorok: Every kin in the Gnarls knew him. He traveled from kriel to kriel, spouting nonsense about ancient secrets and reclaiming trollkin power. He hated humans—still does—and blamed a lot of the kins' problems on them. Look, I don’t like you lot any more than he does, but only a fool could fail to see that’s a fight we can’t win. GK: Did Doomshaper come to your kriel? Jorok: He did, with the same poison he’d been spreading everywhere else. But he had something special in mind for us. There was a human logging camp nearby; they didn’t bother us, and we didn’t bother them. Doomshaper said these humans were defacing a place where an ancient kriel of Molgur once lived. Krielstones were buried there, and he wanted them. He said they held the key to unlocking blood ties between trollkin and trolls— knowledge to help the trollkin expel humans from our lands forever. GK: What did your chieftain say? Jorok: He believed it, the fool, along with most of the warriors. Doomshaper had some trolls with him, and they impressed the young kin. He whipped them into a frenzy, had them eager to spill human blood. I tried to stop them, to warn them what would happen, but no one was listening, least of all Doomshaper. He went with our warriors, and they killed a lot of humans. Doomshaper had them dig up the stones he wanted. He took them and left. GK: What happened after that? Jorok: Soldiers came with warjacks and retaliated. We didn’t have a chance. Those who escaped the humans’ wrath had nothing to go back to, no home, no kriel. Where was Doomshaper then? He was gone; he had what he wanted, and the rest be damned. This was not an isolated incident, and there are tales of other kriels suffering after Doomshaper’s involvement in their affairs. *** Over the years, Doomshaper’s stance toward humanity has only grown more extreme. Doomshaper seems to have appointed himself as cleanser of the Gnarls in an effort to reclaim trollkin lands from interlopers. Humans weren’t the only ones to feel his wrath, as the following report from the Cygnaran garrison at Fort Bolton attests. —GK Date: Octesh 17th, 585 AR To: Captain Jann Torrance From: Lieutenant Everet Fields Captain, The bogrin tribe south of Serpent Gorge is no longer a problem. As per your order, I sent a platoon to deal with the creatures and end their raiding along the eastern road. But someone beat us to it. We found the bogrin village where we thought it would be, but there weren’t any there, unless you count the corpses. Every one of the blighters had been killed. We examined a number of the corpses, and all of them died from cleaving or crushing wounds, not gunfire. Axes, hammers, swords. Trollkin weapons. We’d heard the bogrin were attacking local trollkin kriels, but the scope of this slaughter is beyond anything we’ve seen in the area. Sergeant Pillar, who is part of a unit conducting regular patrols in the region, believes a trollkin shaman with the name of Doomshaper is responsible. That name was attached to an attack on a logging camp south of Fort Harrow a few years ago, I believe. If that’s true, we may have a larger problem. —Lt. Fields Gavyn Kyle 45

Between 580 and 600 AR, it seems Doomshaper was quite active in the Gnarls. Bogrin, humans, and even accounts of attacks on tharn became commonplace. Many of these attacks correlate with areas of significance to the trollkin, sites of ancient kriels and legendary battles. Doomshaper may have been eradicating enemies of his people not only to take back lands but also to recover forgotten relics. *** Perhaps no achievement defines Hoarluk Doomshaper’s use of troll lore to cement his influence over the United Kriels more than the appearance of the fearsome dire trolls in their warbands, something that has only become common in the last couple years. No trollkin will deny that it was Doomshaper, and Doomshaper alone, who secured the allegiance of these terrible creatures. Dire trolls are notoriously cantankerous and violent and will eat anything, man or beast, that comes within reach. Even the most fearsome wilderness kriels have considered these creatures untamable and unapproachable. How did Doomshaper convince these creatures to serve him? There are no written accounts of this event, so I turned to friend and colleague Professor Viktor Pendrake, who has studied trollkin and trolls extensively. Pendrake put me in touch with one of his own sources—a grizzled trollkin elder from the Bloodsmeath Marsh named Torfal Breakblade. What follows are his words. —GK For years, Doomshaper had been brooding over the dire trolls, pondering the ways they had to be related to our people, though no one wanted to admit it. The connection between regular trolls and trollkin, even the pygmy trolls and us, was easy to see. But the dire trolls had been set apart. Doomshaper believed the bond was there, awaiting the right person to bring it out. He felt—no, he knew—he could reach the dire trolls if he could make them listen, make them respect and understand him. He ventured alone into the wilds to seek them out, to study them, and to learn their ways, their words. He told his kin he might never return, such was the danger of his quest. As he climbed up into the Wyrmwall Mountains, he began to hear tales and legends of a dire troll mightier than all others—a creature so fierce and strong that it was called “a walking piece of the mountain.” He knew then what he had to do. He had to find this creature—Mulg the Ancient—and earn its trust, its respect. The problem was the way dire trolls show respect would kill just about anyone else. Most dire trolls keep to themselves, but when one has to enter another’s territory, they square off and get ready to fight. If the intruder isn’t looking for a scrap, he must withstand a blow from the other troll without flinching. It’s the lack of retaliation that proves deference. This is what Doomshaper had to do: survive a punch from a dire troll as large as a mountain and with a fist like a solid boulder. So, Doomshaper went deep into the Wyrmwall looking for the ancient brute. Word of his presence and his quest spread among both trolls and dire trolls who followed after, wanting to watch this crazy trollkin who seemed to be searching for his own death. Soon enough, Doomshaper came upon Mulg and presented himself in the traditional dire troll fashion. He invited Mulg to punch him in the chest. Mulg complied. The blow hurled him across a clearing and through a tree. By all rights, it should have killed him stone-dead on the spot. But Doomshaper is a tough old bastard, and Dhunia had blessed him. He survived the blow but barely, and he lay there for a while, drawing on his strength until he could stand again. He rose and returned to Mulg, showing not a hint of fear or unsteadiness though half his bones had been broken. The great dire troll was impressed that such a tiny creature could withstand his might since no one had ever done that before. So were the other trolls and dire trolls who had gathered to watch. It was enough to convince Mulg to speak to this kin. Doomshaper spent days talking with Mulg, learning his stories and reading the runes inscribed on his craggy back. Eventually an accord was struck, and the legend says Doomshaper sealed the deal by letting Mulg eat his right hand, so a part of the shaman would forever be a part of Mulg. Doomshaper grew the hand back, but they say Mulg can still feel its double inside his belly, squeezing his innards. It was after this that Mulg named Doomshaper “Krol,” a word that spread far and wide among the dire trolls, spoken with reverence wherever the shaman steps. It can best be translated as “not food.” This is an important distinction to dire trolls, who consider everything food. It is the highest mark of respect. The honor that Mulg bestowed on Doomshaper carried much weight with the dire trolls, and it won the shaman their lasting obedience. While the story contains many fanciful and unlikely elements, I do not dismiss it entirely. Trollkin can endure a beating that would kill a human, and I know their limbs do regrow over time. Regardless of the veracity of the details, the fact that so many trollkin believe this story has its own power. Trollkin will be telling this story for generations. *** I have demonstrated Doomshaper’s extreme agenda with regards to uniting the trollkin against what he sees as enemies. All trollkin leaders do not share 46 Gavyn Kyle

this viewpoint, and one of their most important war chiefs, Madrak Ironhide, has often been at odds with Doomshaper. Madrak hails from Tolok Kriel in the Thornwood, a kriel with a long and storied history that produced legendary trollkin such as Grindar, one of the generals of the Rebellion. Madrak has periodically sought to avoid conflicts between humans and trollkin—he apparently befriended King Leto in their youth, when Leto was a prince and Madrak was not yet a chief. After Ironhide’s kriels were displaced by war, the king promised Madrak lands within Cygnar’s borders, a promise he would come to regret. Leto succumbed to pressure from his nobles and was unable to fulfill that promise, resulting in an end to the friendship and opening the door to subsequent violence in Cygnar’s interior. Numerous interviews with trollkin elders confirm that before Leto’s arrangement with Madrak fell through, he and the elders of the Thornwood had denounced many of Doomshaper’s actions. This distance between Doomshaper and Madrak changed drastically recently. The root of this change of heart lies in a treacherous plot by powerful blackclads who sought to have Madrak assassinated, enlisting kriels from the Gnarls and even members of Madrak’s inner circle into their plot. To obtain more details, I spoke with a trollkin champion loyal to Madrak. My guise as a humble historian from Corvis University served me again to secure this interview. —GK Horthol: You’ve got balls coming here, human. I can respect that. What do you want to know? GK: I’m seeking information about an attack on Madrak Ironhide that took place on his return from Caspia to the Glimmerwood. I understand you were there. Can you tell me what happened? Horthol: Huh, you know about that, do you? GK: It was a pivotal event in the formation of the United Kriels. This is my area of expertise. Horthol: A human expert on the kin. That may be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Well, expert, that son of a gorax Pokrul turned on us, told the blackclads where we were, then tried to kill us. The treacherous bastard might have got his wish if Doomshaper hadn’t arrived. GK: Was Doomshaper alone? Horthol: Hardly. He had two dire trolls with him. It was the first time any of us had seen them fighting for kin rather than trying to eat them. Doomshaper’s crusty and mean, and he stirs up trouble, but Dhunia love him, he brought us the dire trolls. One of them grabbed Pokrul and ripped him in half—too clean a death, if you ask me—then Doomshaper and Madrak turned on the blackclad ringleader and the tharn he’d brought. GK: Obviously you prevailed, but what of the blackclad? Horthol: Wasn’t just any blackclad but one of their highest-up ballbreakers. Someone we’d heard was unkillable. Madrak proved that wrong. Near cut him in half with Rathrok. No one can stand against that axe. GK: This cemented an alliance between Doomshaper and Madrak? Horthol: I think I’ve told you enough, human. You should be on your way. Details on the actions of the blackclads are always difficult to find, but my few sources on the matter identify this “ringleader” as someone with the grandiose title of Omnipotent Ergonus. Apparently he was as highly placed in the blackclad hierarchy as anyone could be. There are many rumors of blackclads interfering in tribal politics among wilderness peoples. It sounds as though Ergonus sought to replace Madrak with someone more to his liking. Clearly a mistake. Despite past disagreements, Doomshaper saved Madrak’s life, cementing their relationship and providing the foundation for the United Kriels. My research suggests the blackclads were on good terms with the Gnarls trollkin before this event but not after. This underscores the stakes Doomshaper was willing to put on the line for trollkin unity, even to the point of making enemies of longstanding allies. *** When Madrak seized Crael Valley after King Leto failed to live up to his promises, the chieftain took pains to do so without spilling human blood. The former inhabitants of Crael Valley were terrified by the trolls and trollkin warriors and described them as horrifying, but I have found no reports of human casualties or atrocities from this so-called “uprising.” As a result, once the trollkin had seized Crael Valley, King Leto kept the Cygnaran military from intervening, enduring political fallout in the process. Attempts to reclaim this region were led by Duke Ebonhart of the Northern Midlunds, apparently acting on his own initiative. Doomshaper’s reaction to these attacks is not surprising, though shocking nonetheless. It is clear he had hoped terror would serve in the place of diplomacy. Below is a document from the garrison in Bainsmarket that describes the most infamous event from this period. —GK Gavyn Kyle 47

Date: Tempen 3rd, 607 AR To: Colonel Eddrik Banner From: Captain Marten Swift Colonel, I have grave news. Trolls have attacked a train carrying critically wounded soldiers between Bainsmarket and Fharin. Reports are confused and conflicting, but witnesses reported seeing trollkin during the attack, and I feel certain the perpetrators are connected to the uprising that claimed Crael Valley. There were very few survivors, but those questioned afterward describe as many as a dozen trolls ranging from nine to twenty feet in height, and given the destruction, I think this is no exaggeration. They attacked the train and derailed it, killing both soldiers and civilians in the process. Worse, I have it on good authority that many of our helpless soldiers were not just killed. . . they were eaten by trolls, and worse yet, some of them were still alive through it all. It turns my stomach to put these words to page. I urge you to send word to Caspia regarding this latest atrocity. These savages must be expelled from our borders or utterly wiped out. I strongly recommend the latter. —Cpt. Swift While this report does not identify Doomshaper by name, I have spoken to trollkin who say the shaman did not hide his involvement. He went so far as to have one of these railcars dragged before a gathering where he was advocating additional violence. It is my understanding that many trollkin also believed the attack on the wounded soldiers to be unnecessary and barbaric, which led many of the elders in Crael Valley to lay the blame for the escalating hostilities with Cygnar at Doomshaper’s feet. The document below from Major Liam Boylan to Duke Mayhew Dergeral, Lord Mayor of Ceryl, details a clandestine meeting between the major and a group of trollkin elders. Major Boylan believed peace might be achieved in Crael Valley—at a price. —GK Date: Tempen 24th, 607 AR To: His Grace Duke Mayhew Dergeral, Lord Mayor of Ceryl From: Major Liam Boylan Your Grace, I thank you for considering my proposal regarding the trollkin in Crael Valley. I know there is much outrage regarding the recent attack on the rail line, especially the atrocity committed upon the wounded soldiers in the hospital car. I, too, am disgusted by this act of barbarism; however, I know the blame for this attack does not rightly belong to all the trollkin in the valley. In fact, it can be laid at the feet of a single trollkin leader, a powerful shaman named Hoarluk Doomshaper. It was he who led the attack on the rail line without sanction from the other trollkin leaders. In truth, many of the trollkin elders are disgusted by Doomshaper’s actions—though savage, I have not known trollkin to be needlessly cruel—and they understand his actions may have dire consequences. I have secretly contacted one of these elders, with whom I have had previous dealings, and expressed a desire for a peaceful resolution. Elder Namorg understands the danger to his people and believes the other elders would agree to hand over Doomshaper to us. If we could take this Doomshaper alive, his capture and execution would serve as justice for our dead and should satisfy many of the nobles irate at King Leto’s lack of response to these uprisings. With your approval, I will attempt to secure a meeting with Namorg and other influential trollkin elders. —Major Boylan Duke Dergeral allowed Major Boylan to conduct his meeting. Additional documents show it was a success, and the major convinced the assembled trollkin elders it would be in the best interests of their people to give up Doomshaper. Although the trollkin did not truly “hand over” the shaman, they made it possible for a group of Cygnaran soldiers to ambush Doomshaper and take him alive. Although Major Boylan’s plan to remove Doomshaper was well intentioned, it was ultimately short sighted and only served to further unite the trollkin against a common enemy. It also led to further violence almost immediately with the destruction of the Cygnaran fort where Doomshaper was being held. Vengeful dire trolls destroyed the fort, and Doomshaper was 48 Gavyn Kyle