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I recognized that reference, and sometimes those are pretty danged esoteric BobtheInquisitor.

I'd never heard that about Tolkein's Dwarfs and Hebrew. Thanks for making me waste the last 30 minutes of ending up in a Wikipedia rabbit hole.

On topic I've always liked dwarfs that look hard and dangerous.

Maybe these'll be the ground pounders I'd wanted to hang with my Kharadron instead of the old fashioned GW viking midgets!

Never knew that Tolkiens dwarves were inspired Hebrew texts. Every days a school day, eh?

So units confirmed for Dweghom atm.

Clan warriors (pictured in artwork above)
Lesser Enslaved Dragon (with a cannon on it)... (foot.seen in render but I've see the beast myself)
Ranged infantry (seen in render over page)
Flame berzerkers (fanatics of the Ardent subfaction)
Flame automata (no idea but maybe a fire elemental/construct of The Tempered?)


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Oh, and one of the team have painted an ogre...

The way he's done the half-mask eye slots as lenses, it almost has a post apocalyptic look XD that pose and club definitely brought walking dead to mind, haha.

The heads come in 2 parts (from and back) so armoured heads are an option.




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And things are looking exceptional for the Display board for Spiel Essen next month. This is very nearly finished.

It looks like the Dweghom will be getting a lot of attention for this expo








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It's bigger than the last 2 have it credit for

Not gonna lie, that Ogre looks like he could come from Mad Max or Shadowrun.
Its not bad, but not what I was expecting.
That Dwarf (yes, I know what they are really called) hold looks nice. I like the lava effect.

That's exactly what I thought XD I think that this face is suposed to slot into the armoured head option and I dont think the eye holes were intended to be painted to have glass lenses XD both very subtle things that make it look post apocalyptic, hehe.

The one I'm painting up certainly will try to be as historically accurate as an Ogre can be O_o haha!

The armour, ergo the half-face round helms (some with chain mail skirts)






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for comparrisson (I think that face is for this head)

Having built too many Soviet tank kits, what I want to know is if the Ogre has explosive reactive armour on as those rectangular plates remind me of it so much

What a Humungous Lord that ogre is.

I see some runic ciphers on the dwarf terrain. You will, of course, include in the dwarf book a key to transliterating those ciphers and a brief lexicon, yes? Not necessarily the Dammaz Kron, but nothing too elgram either, I hope.


(That's Khazalid this time.)

The Dweghom are really interesting.

And the 3rd short story rounding off the first foray into The Last Argument of Kings narrative.......

https://www.para-bellum.com/what-is-new/nepenthe-the-last-arguement/




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Author's Note:

"The third and final part of ‘Nepenthe’ seals the series and our introduction to the world of Conquest. Titled “The Last Argument’ (such meta!), the finale attempts to establish the context of our game narrative at launch, offering a versatile enough background for players to imagine their own scenarios and play their own battles. To put it bluntly, in the aftermath of ‘Nepenthe’, the world’s a cluster, err, of potential violence, with plenty of reasons to go around for people to slaughter each other by rolling d6s. Don’t forget to be gentlemanly and a good sport about it

I am eager to revisit the characters introduced in it at some point and you can be sure we will. Unill then, I hope you enjoy and a big thank you for all the feedback so far. But for now, I'll paraphrase the POEt: ‘respite – respite from Nepenthe!’ I think it’s time for a break, maybe a change of scenery. I have just the group in mind. They're a bit closed but they're always a blast when they go out and it's been a while.
Yeah. I think they really do need to get out more..."

- K.O.

Parts one and two of Nepenthe can be found on the blog along with other bits and bobs. The armybuilder preview is on there too aswelm as an incite into magic of Éä.

Right here: https://www.para-bellum.com/what-is-new

A little birdy tells me that the release date will be announced at Messe Essen this month.


Making an appearance in Demo games around Hampshire (uk) soon.

If you're in the Hampshire area and would like to arrange demos or a club visit, send me a PM and we can sort something out

...now, to set the scene.

Abominations loom several man heights over the head of even the tallest mortal. Their gore slicked limbs spider out from its bulbous, distended abdomen and thorax. They are instruments of pure mayhem on the battlefield, scuttling forwards and reaping a bloody toll with their scythe like appendages, leaving only bloody ruin behind them. Survivors speak of a keening whine, just on the verge of hearing that pervades their memories, a sound that registers deeper than the cries of their fallen comrades. This is the only sound an Abomination can make, the only sound it is allowed to make: a keening howl to convey the depth of their misery and torment.

Abominations were not originally intended to serve as organic war engines. They were an advanced and cruel form of punishment, devised on a whim by the Sovereign. Ensconced deep within an Abomination lies the body of an Exile who has betrayed his trust or breached the most sacrosanct of Spire laws. Despite significant effort, even the Sovereign’s most ardent opponents have not been able to come up with a more cruel punishment and have adopted this cruel torture for their worst enemies.

Invasive cerebral procedures impairs the cognitive function of the condemned, as chemical and hormonal treatments are applied to make them lose control of their Life-Binding gifts and forcibly bond them to a lower organism. Multiple organisms were proposed and tried but the humble ant was ultimately preferred. While more gruesome examples could be made, it was found that those Abominations bonded to other species were too intractable or self-destructive. The ant’s instinctive hierarchical physiology somehow makes it more susceptible to Pheromonic command, forcing the body to respond to orders while allowing compromised psyche trapped within the hellish amalgam only enough control to wail its anguish even while enacting the will of its tormentors.

Abominations also look like they have a butt on their head. Or a pair of breasts.

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:
Abominations also look like they have a butt on their head. Or a pair of breasts.

Since its genetics are taken from ants, I assumed it's head boobies are it's actual eyes. The face is just a masque of it's owners face that's been embedded in it's head.

But now they will forever be called, "head boobs" XD

Well yeah, I can see where they are coming from and it looks vaguely ant-like, but ants still don't actually look like that. It looks more like an insect-like, upside down torso than an ant's head. It would look a lot better if it looked more like an ant's head, was a bit lower and if the mask/face was on top of it.

I'm just not sold on it. I don't really like the Spire all that much, really, except for the mutant archer dudes and the pheromancer. The Hundred Kingdoms and the dweghom look a lot better.
The ogre also looks nice, but I can't help thinking that he belongs to Shadowrun. I think its the goggles and the armor he's wearing. Looks more punk than fantasy.

For what it is worth, I think the abomination has a great design and execution.

I do agree that the goggles on the ogre are really off-putting.

Hey all.

I have been given feedback feedback.

The ogre with the "goggles" has been modified. The face plate has been retained as an option (The heads come in 2 parts, essentially head and face seperately), however the design has been altered to have eye slots which are more reflective of traditional Norse armour.

The ogre shown above has been 3d printed and as such has lost detail in certain areas due to the printing process. The 3D masters don't suffer from this issue, I am assured.

PB pass on there regards and thanks for the honest feedback.


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Also, bonus factoids.

Some off the Nords have been experimented on by the spires.

As a result some have odd elements. Like unnatural size and spinal plugs from the growing vats....

Off not all Nords will be like so but it's certainly has given them more than an axe to grind against the spires.

Excellent news!

And really cool that they're open to, listening to, and reacting on feedback - at least, where appropriate and where it makes 'sense'.

Sometimes a group can be too close to a project and miss out on some things (like the goggles thing) - so this is a good sign.

And as always, thanks for being our 'inside man'!

The team are ramping up for Essen....





And yet they can't stop dicking around! XD

Dweghom subfaction anyone?

Ardent

The Tempered would claim the Ardent were born at the foot of War’s Throne, where they broke the chains that bound them to their Draconic masters and doomed the Dweghom race to eternal War. The Ardent, however, claim they were born millennia before; the first time a Dweghom refused to bow before a Dragon and found he could not. In War they saw a promise of freedom, a force so powerful even their master could not control, merely contain.

Driven by their cold pride and thirst for freedom, they were the first to fall upon the bound Primordial, shattering and devouring what they could. In doing so, they broke their masters’ chains and took the gift that had been offered to them. No longer would their struggle be a mere rebellion, the conflict of an inferior against a superior, but a contest of equals, a War that would grow to consume the world and finally release the fallen Primordial.

The Ardent ride the violent currents of War with pride, equating any sort of craft aside from this with their millennial slavery to the Dragons. Their initiates are trained from induction in martial craft, tested to their very limits and beyond in preparation for the Dheukorro, the Descent, a pilgrimage following their ancestors path to the Throne of War through the deepest bowels of Eä. In each Dweghom hold there is a pit that plunges so deep into the bowels of the earth that it scratches the surface of Destruction’s prison. Here one can almost hear the beating of Destruction’s savage heart, the power of his rage bleeding through the miles-thick wall of his eternal prison and setting the very earth afire. Nestled deep within these hellish tunnels rests the breached chamber that once imprisoned War itself and fueled the emancipation of the Dweghom.

It is the sacred duty of every member of the Ardent to descend through these tunnels to pay homage to the sacrifice and fortitude of their ancestors. The deeper one descends, the closer he comes to those paragons of old and the greater the initiate’s worth; but the greater the danger as well. Deep within the bowels of the earth, the blood of Destruction has changed many of the subterranean denizens into raging monstrosities that prowl the deepest tunnels. Those initiates that survive these encounters emerge as Exemplars, embodiments of War like none other. The fate of the Gifted who undertake the Dheukorro, the Flame Berzerkers and the Stone Sentinels, are part of the price the Ardent pay for their freedom, for nothing can contain their will, not even the limits of own bodies.

To this day, the Ardent defend their decision, embracing the simple truth that life is a struggle and War a way of life. Their militarism is not the blind adoration of the faithful to a savior, but rather the most exalted manifestation of their own freedom. To any who oppose them, the distinction bears little significance, for, of all the Dweghom, none revel in War more than the Ardent; they are its fiercest proponents, ever eager to prove their faith on the field of battle.

I'm really liking that piece of artwork and the accompanying lore... but the renders just aren't doing it for me.

Maybe it's the pose. They remind me of the plastic GW ogres and their compact and static poses, whereas the artwork looks a lot more dynamic.

Plus their armor and flames remind me of Dark Age's Flame Caste, which is an apt comparison. The art style looks quite similar to CMON's current art style for the Dragyri.

I guess I'll wait until I see you work your magic on them Davidian before I pass judgement!

I think they're pretty exciting, but maybe because I think carrying your axes in from the car is right up there as the seventh or eighth most exciting part of combat.



It does bring up the age old question of historical gamers who sculpt fantasy minis: "Should I pose this terrifying abomination as if he is standing around waiting for orders, or walking to the place where he will stand and wait for orders?"

The art for those fire guys look like the fire caste from darkage.

This is all I see.

 highlord tamburlaine wrote:
I'm really liking that piece of artwork and the accompanying lore... but the renders just aren't doing it for me.

Maybe it's the pose. They remind me of the plastic GW ogres and their compact and static poses, whereas the artwork looks a lot more dynamic.

Well, they do need to rank up, just like the Ogres did back in ye olden days.

highlord tamburlaine wrote:

Plus their armor and flames remind me of Dark Age's Flame Caste, which is an apt comparison. The art style looks quite similar to CMON's current art style for the Dragyri.

nagash42 wrote:The art for those fire guys look like the fire caste from darkage.

Really?

highlord tamburlaine wrote:I'm really liking that piece of artwork and the accompanying lore... but the renders just aren't doing it for me.

Maybe it's the pose. They remind me of the plastic GW ogres and their compact and static poses, whereas the artwork looks a lot more dynamic.

Same here - not really liking the minis (so far - we'll see once they arrive in reality), but the lore and art is great as is usually the case.

 His Master's Voice wrote:

 highlord tamburlaine wrote:
I'm really liking that piece of artwork and the accompanying lore... but the renders just aren't doing it for me.

Maybe it's the pose. They remind me of the plastic GW ogres and their compact and static poses, whereas the artwork looks a lot more dynamic.

Well, they do need to rank up, just like the Ogres did back in ye olden days.

Why? Why not give them a tray like the CMON ASOIAF minis or LOTR minis? Why handicap the most important aspect of the product range (the minis) in service of some vestigial quality of last generation's gaming paradigm?

Yeah, isn't the point of having those nice round bases and the slotty trays so they can be dynamic and rankable?
These guys aren't doing it for me, so it might just be the render. Maybe the models look much better.

I don't want to dogpile here, but neither the art nor the renders are appealing to me. I don't really like any dwarves, so I'm not the one to judge the appeal of them, but they look too sci-fi, and not practical enough.

I usually don't like dwarves, but I really like that art. The renders not so much, think the legs make them look a little stuntier and disproportioned than the art. These are the closest so far to an army I might want to play instead of just army's I would'nt mind fighting against.

Quick one from the PB team...

I mentioned the poses and (apparants lack of) potential dynamism.

"This is pose one and pair of hands number one .
(3d) Sculptors are not great in posing models "


I can't wait to see them in the flesh. There will be more variety and pose options I am told. Hopefully ball or rotating flat-joint shoulders.

Think I'm more interested in the Tempered and Clans than the Ardent but I've never gelled with fanatic factions (or subfaction in this case)

Ooof not a fan of ball joints. Necrons have those and trying to get them to behave is a bitch. Damned limbs keep drooping.