Free Peoples of the Mortal Realms: Duardin

 So, I've gone down this Age of Sigmar rabbit hole and been busy reorganizing and rebasing old Warhammer Fantasy figures for reuse in the Mortal Realms. In some cases, I've even been repainting - or simply painting anew (figures I've had in storage forever and never got around to painting before!). Mostly looking for low-hanging fruit here - stuff that can be turned into a Warcry Warband - so we can get playing right away! Or, at least, sooner, rather than later... 

Some forces I have enough that I might actually be able to play full games of Age of Sigmar - at least a smaller meeting engagement of 1000 points... Definitely the Skaven, Hedonites of Slaanesh, and possibly the daughters of Khaine and Blades of Khorne - though all will require some significant amounts of painting - and I might need to pick up a unit or two for the latter two to make 1000 points. Others I might be able to put together a force for Age of Sigmar Skirmish. 

For Warcry I definitely have Slaanesh and Khorne Daemon Warbands and enough Skaven for at least two ready to go. I have a few more organized, but need some painting - Ogors, Orrucks, MORE Free Peoples (Darklings, possibly Wanderers), and maybe some sort of Undead mish-mash... (I have Vampires and Ghouls - which are, technically, part of different factions - Legions of Nagash and Flesheater Courts, but might be able to work together as allies...?) 

For now, however, here are the Duardin of the Free Peoples I've cobbled together... 

THE DUARDIN

The Duardin (Dwarves) seem to be in three main factions; Disposesed/Free Peoples, Fyreslayers, and Kharadron. The Fyreslayers are like the old Troll/Giantslayers of old - muscled, unarmoured manias with axes. The Kharadron are like dirigible-riding steampunk dwarves. The Duardin of the Free Peoples, the Disposesed, are more like the Dwarves of the Old Warhammer Fantasy world and live among the Humans and Aelves in the Cities of Sigmar, so thats what I'll be using these as. 

Four Longbeards and twelve Irondrakes (old Thunderers). The current Irondrake models seem to be a bit more heavily armoured than the old Thunderers... but... whatevs... 

I don't really have a figure that I'm calling their leader just yet. Ideally, I'd like to find an old metal Dwarf Lord or Runesmith or Cogsmith or at least some sort of old unit champion to lead them... 

Four Longbeards with Ancestral Weapons and Gromril Sheilds. 

These were all rebased from washers I'd had them on and two of the shields were replaced - so they could all be of the same type. The ones I replaced were flat and had handpainted runes that just didn't look as nice as the embossed symbols - and also I happened to HAVE two extra embossed shields, so that's what they got! 

One I did a little differently - did gold embossing (though it looks like in my haste to get these done, I forgot to go back in and highlight the gold after doing a wash!?). This is so, in a pinch, I might be able to use him as the leader of the warband - calling my an Old Guard with Ancestral Weapon and Gromril Shield. 

Irondrakes!

If using all four Longbeards, I really only need five of these for a Warcry Warband. 

Because I had so many Thunderers, I put one of them on a larger base - to identify it as a Leader, of some sort - but then realized it wouldn't really work as a leader... It doesn't really look like a Cogsmith, and The Irondrake leaders are armed with GRUDGEHAMMER TORPEDOs... that don't look much like a Torpedo he's holding... I guess I could always say it's a super powerful and accurate gun that is as powerful as a Grudgehammer Torpedo...? I don't know. I like the idea of a leader of Dwarves being a WARRIOR that's cool with getting into it hand-to-hand... 

Maybe I should go in and touch up some of the gun with some brass - to look fancier than the rest of the gunners guns... and maybe remember to paint those eyes!? 

I do need to decide which city they're from. That, rather than race, determines which abilities can be used. 

OTHER FREE PEOPLES

Now, the Duardin Free Peoples are all part of the Cities of Sigmar list and, technically, any of them can all be put into the same warband together... So, also technically, I COULD have a Human or an Aelf leading them!? I'm not sure Duardin would be entirely cool with that... unless it was some very RICH and powerful Human (or ever RICHER Aelf) that hired them as mercenaries to accompany on them for a personal quest of some sort...? 

Here are a few of the others I have ready for battle. 

Old Empire Hero... He's got a flail and a great big book strapped to his back... I was thinking of calling him a Prophet - leader of flagellants (of which I DO have a few that could be painted up). Maybe the Duardin are serious converts to Sigmar and have been radicalized and follow this most devoted of his prophets... not so radicalized to have given up their axes or gun in favour of flails and bare chests, though. 

Or I could just call him a Freeguild Sergeant. 

Regardless, it's occurring to me I could re-rebase this guy onto a 32mm base to make him stand out as a leader. Not required, but I like the idea of leaders that immediately stand out from the rest of the warband. 

A pair of Shadow Warriors. 

These guys definitely saw action in Mordheim. Shadow Warriors are still a thing... unfortunately I only have the two of them... so... not enough for a Warband of their own. Maybe with some other Azyrite Aelves.

Aelves of the Scourge Privateers or Darkling Covens?.

They used to be called Dark Elf Marauders. Darkling Coven Bleakswords? 

I do have a fair few other Aelves (Wanderers, Darklings, and others) and Humans to put together into Cities of Sigmar warbands. 

I could probably put together two just of Aelves from the Darkling Coven. One of old assorted metal minis - like the Marauder/Bleakswords above - including some with halberds that could be passed off as Black Guard. Another could be made up entirely of plastic Darkshards (crossbow-armed Dark Elves). 

I have a few old Imperial types that can be used as Freeguilders and Flagellants. Again, I probably have enough for two! One could be entirely Freeguilders - a mix of Handgunners and Greatswords, led by a Sergeant of General - or a Battlemage! The other could be mostly Flagellants - with the Prophet above and a bunch of old metal Flagellants I'd originally picked up to convert for use with my Red Redemptionists in  Necromunda!? Together they'd make a nice small force for Age of Sigmar! 

I have an assortment of other Wood Elves and High Elves... but I'm not what to call them in Age of Sigmar... I have PILES of Lothern Sea Guard, for example, which don't seem to be a thing anymore... I'm sure I'll figure it out when I get around to painting them.  

Other Stuff

The state of the workbench. I've acquired Warhammer Underworlds: Direchasm and have been working on the warbands within - hoping to maybe get those finished today or tomorrow, so I can get in a few games over the weekend! They might also be expanded into Warcry warbands at some point....? Stay tuned for those!