The Lost Glade News

I don't have the fluff written yet but to make a long story short:

Chiana is a Tilean lady who have wedded a Bretonnian count. They were visited by a band of merchants and adventurers from the East. In the company of those traveled a certain Lady of Ind called Bharavti who was part of an inscrutable Vampire Bloodline called the Ashura*. Bharavti granted Chiana the Blood Kiss but was later defeated and now Chiana roames the Old World in search of a way to rewake her beloved.



*Derived from the Sanskrit word Asura meaning demon. [geek warning]Also related to Ancient Persian Ahura meaning god (as in the Zoroastrian deity Ahura Mazda), and Scandinavian Aesir (as in the Norse gods).[/geek warning]


Anyway, list:



Special Rules:

Ashura

Sometimes known as the Chosen of Kshaga, an Eastern line of vampires, probably hailing from the Seventh Vampire who travelled towards Cathay. They are sworn to the Ind Goddess of Death, Destruction and rebirth Kshaga, and her lover Shara, and as such they scorn the use of Necromancy which disrupts the cycle of rebirth.

Aura of the Goddess: No one can stand up to the sheer awe and beauty that the Chosen of Kshaga possess. Everyone in base contact with an Ashura suffer a -1 to their Ld.
Blessing of the Devas: The Chosen of Kshaga have 5+ Ward Save.
Entrancement: What creature would dare attack the servant of a deity that predates time itself? At the beginning of the Close Combat phase select one model in base contact with the Ashura. The selected model must take a leadership test. If the test is failed, the model cannot attack the Ashura in that Close Combat phase. Models which are immune to psychology are immune to the effects of Entrancement.

Devotion

When Kshaga commands, her subjects obey, and the same is true of her Chosen. Few mortals can stay near Ashuras for long without falling to hopeless love and veneration.

The General: Devoted mortals slowly lose their minds to their idols, and if the subjects of their desires would fall so would they start falling catatonic in despair. At the end of the phase when the General is killed, and at the beginning of their every turn there after each Devoted unit must take a leadership test. If the test is failed, the unit takes as many wounds as they failed the test by.
Break Tests: The devoted are driven mindless by their desire and veneration and will stop to nothing to please their Mistress. If the tide of battle ever turns against them though, they will break down in agony or even kill themselves rather than face their Mistress’ displeasure. For every point a devoted unit loses battle by they will lose an additional wound.
Battle Standard: The Icon of their Mistress fills the hearts of the devoted with courage and power. If they are within 12” of the Battle Standard they lose one wound less than normal as a result of Combat Resolution.
Immune to Psychology: Driven mad by devotion the devoted are immune to psychology.
Charge Reactions: Who could ever fail the Mistress? Devoted will always hold their ground.
Marching: Only the will of their Mistress drives the devoted. They can only march if the General is within 12”.
Cause Fear: Maybe it’s the fanatical gleam in their eyes, maybe it is their touch of divine (or Daemonic as some would say) fury, regardless all devoted cause fear.

Disorganized

The Peasant Levy is driven forward by the sheer terror of their liege alone. They skirmish and can not be joined by characters.

Enchanted Blades

The worthiest servants of the Ashura are rewarded with blades that are Enchanted by the Goddess. Enchanted Blades have the Killing Blow rule.

Martial Arts

The Guardians of Kshaga are disciplined fighters that train all of their lives in monasteries all over Ind. They learn incredible speed and reflexes, and are proficient with a wide variety of swords, shields, staffs, maces and even the infamous flexible longswords of Ind. In combat they fight as one whirling mass of bodies and steel. They fight in four ranks except on the charge. In addition they always strike first (even against chargers) and against cavalry they get a +1 strength bonus if they are charged. Their grace and skill with swords and shields also give them a 5+ armour save.

Poisoned Hand Weapons

The masses of peasants raised to fight for the Ashura stop at nothing to gain the notice of their liege and gladly use every oriental drug and poison that they can find to further their prowess on the field of battle. Peasant Levy have poisoned attacks.

Lords:

Vampire Lady – 305

The greatest and most terrible fiends. The only known Ashura Lady of the Old World lies torpid in her Nocturnal Carriage.

M6 / WS7 / BS6 / S5 / T5 / W4 / I10 / A5 / Ld10

Weapons: Hand Weapon

Magic: A Vampire Lady is a level 2 Wizard. She may only use the Lore of Death.

Options:

- May be upgraded to a level 3 Wizard for +50 pts.
- May ride a Nightmare (+12 pts), which may have barding (+4 pts).
- May choose a mix of magic items from the common or Vampire Counts list and vampiric powers from the Lahmia list, with a maximum value of 60 pts.

Special Rules:

Undead, Ashura

Vampire Countess – 245

Stunning in their beauty, terrible in their wrath; a rare few mortals face a Vampire Countess and live to tell the tale.

M6 / WS6 / BS5 / S5 / T5 / W3 / I9 / A4 / Ld9

Weapons: Hand Weapon

Magic: A Vampire Countess is a level 1 Wizard. She may only use the Lore of Death.

Options:

- May be upgraded to a level 2 Wizard for +35 pts.
- May ride a Nightmare (+12 pts), which may have barding (+4 pts).
- May choose a mix of magic items from the common or Vampire Counts list and vampiric powers from the Lahmia list, with a maximum value of 60 pts.

Special Rules:

Undead, Ashura

Heroes:

Vampire Thrall – 120

Poor misled heroes who have been gifted with the Blood Kiss by their beloved Mistress. They gladly lead her armies through death and beyond.

M6 / WS5 / BS4 / S5 / T4 / W2 / I8 / A3 / Ld7

Weapons: Hand Weapon

Options:

- May ride a Nightmare (+8 pts), which may have barding (+4 pts).
- May choose magic items from the common or Vampire Counts list with a maximum value of 10 pts.

Special Rules:

Undead, Ashura

Devoted of Kshaga – 60

The greatest of the mortal followers of the Ashura can grow to terrible power and fanaticism.

M4 / WS4 / BS4 / S4 / T4 / W2 / I4 / A3 / Ld9

Weapons: Hand Weapon

Options:

- May choose either a Great Weapon (+4 pts); a halberd (+4 pts); or a lance (+4 pts).
- May wear light armour (+2 pts); or heavy armour (+4 pts); and may also carry a shield (+2 pts).
- May ride a Nightmare (+8 pts), which can have barding (+4 pts).
- May choose magic items from the common or Vampire Counts list with a maximum value of 50 pts.

Special Rules:

Enchanted Blades, Devotion

Wraith – 90

The twisted souls of those too strong and too frightened to die. Forever they linger in a twilit realm between life and death, hating all living things.

M6 / WS3 / BS0 / S3 / T3 / W2 / I2 / A2 / Ld7

Weapons: Great Weapon

Options:

- May ride an Ethereal Nightmare (+8 pts), which can have barding (+4 pts).
- May choose magic items from the common or Vampire Counts list with a maximum value of 50 pts.

Special Rules:

Ethereal, Terror, Undead

Core:

Dire Lions – 10

The chosen mount of Kshaga. All lions listen to her call and a rare few even leave their kin behind to serve her. They grow feral and savage and will stop at nothing to please the Goddess. Where the Chosen of Kshaga go the Dire Lions follow.

Dire Lion M9 / WS3 / BS0 / S3 / T3 / W1 / I3 / A1 / Ld6
Fell Lion M9 / WS3 / BS0 / S3 / T3 / W1 / I3 / A2 / Ld6

Unit Size: 5-20
Weapons & Armour: None

Options:

- Promote one Dire Lion to a Fell Lion for +10 pts.

Special Rules:

Devotion, Slavering Charge, Fast Cavalry

Peasant Levy – 8
The terrified subjects of the Ashura. Hardened through hardships and battles they have grown closer akin to the wild barbarians of the Chaos Wastes, and as such they are reviled and despised by most.

Peasant M4 / WS3 / BS0 / S3 / T4 / W1 / I2 / A2 / Ld6
Sergeant M4 / WS3 / BS0 / S3 / T4 / W1 / I2 / A3 / Ld6

Unit Size: 5-20
Weapons & Armour: Poisoned Hand Weapons

Options:

- Promote one Peasant to a Sergeant for +10 pts.

Special Rules:

Disorganized, Poisoned Hand Weapons, Fear

Special:

Guardians of Kshaga – 8

Guardians of the temples and monasteries devoted to Kshaga. The Guardians are disciplined fighters who train all of their lives to serve their Goddess.

Guardian M4 / WS4 / BS3 / S3 / T3 / W1 / I3 / A1 / Ld7
Mistress M4 / WS5 / BS3 / S4 / T4 / W2 / I5 / A3 / Ld8

Unit Size: 10+
Weapons & Armour: Martial Arts Weapons

Options:

- Upgrade one Guardian into a Musician for +6 pts.
- Upgrade one Guardian into a Standard Bearer for +12 pts.
- You must promote one Monk to a Master for +54 pts.

Special Rules:

Martial Arts

Knights – 25

Rash and brave young knighs who have fallen in love with the Ashura. They stop at nothing to please their Mistress.

Knight M4 / WS3 / BS3 / S4 / T4 / W1 / I3 / A1 / Ld8
Exalted M4 / WS3 / BS3 / S4 / T4 / W1 / I3 / A2 / Ld8
Nightmare M8 / WS2 / BS0 / S3 / T3 / W1 / I2 / A1 / Ld5

Unit Size: 5-20
Weapons & Armour: Hand Weapon, Lance, Heavy Armour, Shield
Mounts: Barded Nightmares

Options:

- Upgrade one Knight into a Musician for +8 pts.
- Upgrade one Knight into a Standard Bearer for +16 pts.
- Promote one Knight to an Entranced for +16 pts.

Special Rules:

Enchanted Blades, Devotion

0-1 Spirit Host – 65

Restless souls who are trapped in an accursed state of neither life nor death, lost from the cycle of rebirth.

Spirit Host M6 / WS2 / BS0 / S3 / T3 / W4 / I1 / A4 / Ld6

Unit Size: 1-5 bases
Weapons & Armour: None

Special Rules:

Ethereal, Swarm

Rare:

0-1 Nocturnal Carriage – 200

The terrible vessel of the fallen Lady Bharavti of the Ashura.

Carriage M0 / WS0 / BS0 / S5 / T6 / W5 / I0 / A0 / Ld9
Wraith M0 / WS3 / BS0 / S3 / T0 / W0 / I2 / A2 / Ld0
Nightmares M8 / WS2 / BS0 / S3 / T0 / W0 / I2 / A1 / Ld0

Unit Size: 1
Crew: 1 Wraith
Drawn by: 2 Nightmares
Weapons & Armour: The Wraith is armed with a Great Weapon

Special Rules:

Ward Save 5+, Chariot, Unit Strength 5, Terror, Large Target, Evocation of Death





What do you think?

This post has been edited by Nelyafinwë on Jul 14 2007, 09:22 AM

I don't know the absolute values for the Toughness of Chaos Marauders and the like (it's probably T3 or T4), but if Chaos Marauders have a Toughness Characteristic of 3, then having a Peasant Levy with a Toughness Characteristic of 4 would make them seem a little uber. Furthermore, even being subject to countless cruelties would not bring a peasant to the level of Toughness of a Chaos Marauder, who literally select themselves by the "survival of the fittest" mentality. It could be equally argued that being downtrodden that they are, the peasants receive malnourishment and insufficient sustenance to be able to maintain anything above a T3 Characteristic. Also examining the same characteristic comparatively, one will find that the Peasant Levy's T4 is on par with the Knight's T4 and the Devoted of Kshaga's T4; considering 1) the difference in socio-economic background, 2) the difference in training and skill and 3) that a Peasant Levy implies that it is drawn from a relatively stable region (ie non-nomadic), the peasants themselves would be less exposed to the elements and more so to debilitating labour which would in equal likelihood decrease the Toughness Characteristic just as it would be increased from being exposed. One must also remember that peasants have normal lives too, and it would take constant exposure to hardship and the elements across many generations to result in a Toughness Characteristic of 4 for such a downtrodden collection of individuals.

Also, I've never heard of a Bretonnian Count; aren't Count relatedtitles to the Imperial system of titles? Also, the Tilean lady would actually be regarded as a peasant under the system and it would probably be only under the most extreme circumstances that a noble would marry a peasant.

Yes, the peasants need to fixed in some way. The reason for the traits is that I used the ghoul traits... but they do need some fluffing up as you noted.. any ideas? ;)

Oh, didn't know that.. I'll change the Count to Baron then..

But isn't there a Tilean nobility..? I don't see why there shouldn't be... but if it's altogether impossible I guess I'll make her Bretonnian instead..

I am definitely sure that it is impossible for the Tilean lady to be regarded as noble. Anything outside the Bretonnian system is regarded as (by the system itself) inferior. Being a Count-turned-Baron, and as such a holder of land, and wedded to a peasant at the same time would mean that there could not be a heir produced that would be able to succeed the Baron and would probably be viewed as pointless (unless she is taken as a mistress 'on the side').

Well, if the Toughness Characteristic of the Peasant Levy is 3, then I suppose it would be pretty easy to just say that 'the peasants are downtrodden'. Otherwise, you could introduce the Peasant Levy as normal peasants (T3) and you could create a new unit called Ghouls (T4) which could then be viewed as those outcasts from society that do not support the community in anyway (and therefore not being subjected to labour and probably less downtrodden whilst being subjected to the elements).

To me that seems really weird. To make a comparison with medieval Europe nobles would still be nobles from whatever country they came from. Marriages were great way to forge alliances... I don't see why Bretonnians shouldn't marry people from The Empire, Tilea or Estalia for example to secure their positions.

That's a problem with the system though, not with the general mentality. As with most Bretonnian creations, the system itself is rather archaic for the times. It's also doubtful whether a Bretonnian lady (or any female) would be allowed to rule in its stead

It's not like you would tell the Vampire what she can or can't do though...

Generally speaking, if the whole of Bretonnia found out she was a vampire, I think I can tell who's going to win in a stand-off. That is, of course, unless her domain resides within Mousillon, in which cause being a vampire would be a bonus. :D