Gian's Mini Madness

These guys came from Andrew Mays amazing Necropolis range which have been featured on the weekender a few times. When I first saw these guys they just screamed John Blanche style paint job to me, so this is something I’ve tried to incorporate into the minis paint job.

As with all great minis an appropriate back story was needed. So here they are, some of the members of Van Helstug’s mercenary caravan

Cabin Boy James and Sister Josephine 

James can often be heard telling the rest of the group about his time serving on the flagship of Admiral Von Hopfberg of the imperial navy and how he was there the day they defeated the infamous axe wielding pirate Lord Barnabus on the silver straits north of Marienburg. Although Herr Dokter Freiburg who served his time in the milita of Marienburg insists that James bares a striking resemblance to the wanted posters of a certain pirate lord.

Sister Josephine was in a former life a noviciate in an order of the Sisters of Sigmar, a life she had not chosen for herself. Following an attack on her sects hold by a band of Beastmen she used the following confusion to escape into the wider world.

Herr Dokter and Widow Bertha

The Herr Dokter as mentioned previously has plied his trade far and wide across the empire. Having served in everything from the Marienburg militia to the royal colleges of Altdorf. He has recently found himself on the run from a particularly vindictive watch guard from Ostenmark following an incident over a barrel of Bugmans XXXXXX. 

Widow Bertha joined the caravan 10 years previous, her husband had marched to war as part of the grand army of the empire against the vile hordes from the north. Everyday she applied her makeup as she waited for her husband to return home from the war. As time went on and Bertha saw other husbands limp home she decided that it was time to go and find her beloved. She joined the caravan to travel the empire and ask at each village if anyone and seen her husband who marched to war all those years ago. 

Grober and Cookie

Grober was once a promising trainee in the halls of the Greatsword regiments of Ostermark. Following a drunken incident with an angry mule he was left aesthetically mutilated and was banished from the regiments barracks for it. He has ever since toured the Empire fighting in its name even if unofficially.

Cookie is the longest serving member of the caravan having been there longer than any other member, she can be found nightly around the campfire cooking a meal for the rest. Talk  has at times moved towards her tendency to disappear following a battle but this usually stop when she reappears with fresh meat for the pot.

Antrec and Farm Boy Thomact

Antrec has been with the caravan ever since boyhood ever since he was found in the ruins of an ambushed trade convoy, Cookie took him in raised him as the caravans own. His face remains covered at most times due to injuries received as a boy in the ambush, no one has ever told him that Van Helstug’s group were actually employed to protect the convoy but were late to the meet up point.

Farm boy Thomact has a sad story indeed, a farm hand in a village in northern Hochland he was well known in the surrounding area for his blonde hair and blue eyes. One day when trying to impress the blacksmiths daughter he snuck into the den of hermit wizard in the old forest, unfortunately for Thomact the Jade wizard did not take kindly to this intrusion and cursed him for his pig headedness. Upon seeing the reaction his new visage provoked he ran away from his village never to return and so paranoid is he by his looks that he won’t allow even his sword to maintain a shine lest he sees his own reflection. Unbeknownst to him if he had only staid in his village the night the Jade wizard returned looking for the boy to reverse the spell.