Dwarven Halls - Raven Watch

The Raven Watch

The Raven Watch of Zarkûnbund

After the success of last weeks blog this week we elaborate the story of my Dwarfs of Ras Morthil. The short story follows at the end of page, but essentially I am now adding Zarkunbund, or Tor Craban in elvish. A massive pinnacle of isolated rock stack in the sea.

There are two units to the Watch. Archers and Warriors all using old Lord of the Rings models from Games Workshop. First above is the Archers led by Fin and Far models.

The units again reuse the same flag stone bases as the Dawn Guard. This is a better view of the cork with green stuff on top. I have hand shaped the flagstones and painted them all in muted greys.

The backdrops here are all from John Hodgson backdrop book, so thank you to him go buy his work. 

Moving onto the Warriors below these are all plastics from GW again, nice champion model with ginger beard that has come out well.

As for painting the models themselves I literally have knocked them out asap. It’s not my best ever work but at the moment I am trying to just get stuff painted as I have neglected a whole stack while trying to get both the Empire and Woodelves looking as perfect as I could get them.

In the main these were all undercoated Matt black with a GW spray. Two layers of blue, dark and flat blue from Vallejo. Dwarven flesh for the skin with basic skin tone highlights on nose and cheeks. Various browns for anything leather, I used whatever was closest, with a little agrax all browns take a nice leather look. Metallics are all natural steel or gold, again all Vallejo, no more effort than that really.

 

Many thanks to everyone for reading my blog, your support does help motivate me to keep posting. This weeks short story:

Beyond the sheer cliffs of the mainland, rising from the churning foam like a jagged obsidian finger, stands Tor Craban the Tower of Ravens. A massive pinnacle of natural rock, scoured smooth by eons of salt-heavy gales, and massive ocean waves. Zarkunbund serves as the highest vantage point of the hold. The Raven Watch, an elite, far-sighted caste of Bruni’s kin reside in the tower, access to which is only possible via the mountain-mastery of the ‘Sea Bridge’; a series of massive, iron-linked chains interwoven into a flexible bridge suspended hundreds of feet above the thrashing surf. 

The relationship between the Raven Watch and the Dawn Guard is one of silent, symbiotic necessity. While the Dawn Guard guards the entrances to the holds, the Raven Watch serves as their eyes upon the furthest horizon. They communicate not through shouts, which are swallowed by the roar of the Sundering Seas, but through the flight of trained mountain ravens. It is said that no ripple moves upon the western waters without the Raven Watch seeing it, and no foot falls upon the salt-slicked rocks of the shore without the Dawn Guard’s permission.