Hot off the heels of my King on Chariot I moved on to another character for my army, my Hierophant. I had said that I was going to paint easier models for awhile, but the allure of working on a character model was to much to ignore.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
GALLERY: Tomb Kings Hierophant
Hot off the heels of my King on Chariot I moved on to another character for my army, my Hierophant. I had said that I was going to paint easier models for awhile, but the allure of working on a character model was to much to ignore.
GALLERY: Tomb King Army Showcase
My Tomb Kings have been in the works since I started the army back in 2011, and with Adepticon approaching I finally had a concrete date to get them finished by. With everything done and ready for the tournament here's a look over my Tomb King army finished to date.
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Last but not least, here is my
assembled Adepticon force, ready to wage war in the Mortal Realms of
Chicago. That's my own display board, with a photoshopped background. I
made it two years ago for Armies on Parade and took silver at my local
store. You can read about how I built the display here.
Not one to do something only half
way I also put together a special 28 page "army list" for Adepticon. I
created a warscroll for each unit I am taking and tried my hardest to
make it look like the official thing. I also took this as an opportunity
to write a but of background for my army and the area of Shyish that
they occupy, the Endless Deserts. My favorite part is the little short
story on the last page of the lore. All of the unit pictures above were
taken for this project as well and it has really helped me push my
photography skills. All in all I am really happy with how it turned out.
The only way you can get a printed copy of this for yourself is to be
one of my opponents at the AoS tournament at Adepticon.
This was a really fun project and I am really proud of the outcome. This is just the beginning though, more of a test run for the real thing in the future. All of the fantastic illustrations are once again from Kenneth Erickson, and having seen previews of what he has in store for the future you guys are in for a treat.
Until next time,
Tyler M.
By Mengel Miniatures, www.mengelminiatures.com
March 30th, 2016
Monday, March 28, 2016
Game - Riddles of Egypt
Ancient Egypt, the Age of Pharaohs. Darkness threatens the land. The Order of Priests trick this evil energy and confine it deep underground, there to slumber in the eternal subterranean night...
Egypt 1932, a time of adventure. After 3000 years, the evil is awakened – now only you can stop it! Ancient puzzles guard the mighty Crystals of Power. Journey to the Port, Oasis, Temple, Pyramid and finally the Sphinx itself to collect the pieces needed to defeat the Darkness once and for all.
- Investigate 5 unique worlds – the Port, Oasis, Temple, Pyramid and Sphinx – and 19 distinct locations, each filled with deadly traps and mysterious secrets to discover
- Over 75 fiendishly clever puzzles and mini-games to solve, including tests of memory, logic, mathematics, arcade and Match-3 games, Sudoku and more
- Earn rewards for 17+ achievements, track your progress as you collect the awesomely mighty Crystals of Power
- Vivid graphics, gorgeous animations and a seductive soundtrack combine to induct you into a world of ancient Egyptian mystery
- Up to 5 hours of captivating puzzle play on your PC
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Tomb Kings fading at Games Workshop
The Tomb Kings Battalion contains four plastic regiments to start the core of your army - Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Archers, Skeleton Chariots and Skeleton Horsemen - which you can lead to victory over the lesser races. It is also a fantastic way to boost the size of an existing Tomb Kings army, by giving you more regiments to choose from or, alternatively, making your existing units larger.
This set contains 24 Skeleton Warriors, 16 Skeleton Archers, 8 Skeleton Horsemen and 3 Skeleton Chariots. These miniature are supplied unpainted and require assembly - we recommend using Citadel Plastic Glue and Citadel Paints.
For all the rules you need to field this miniature in games of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, download the free Warscrolls Compendium at the link below.
Click here for your free PDF download
Recently, in Age of Sigmar, as of February 2016, the entire Tomb Kings faction was squatted, with the entire model range being moved to the "Last Chance to Buy" section, including Settra. Tomb
Tomb King in Total War: Call of Warhammer MOD
Call of Warhammer Multiplayer FFA: Tomb Kings / Ogre Kingdoms/ Dwarfs (Total War Warhammer Mod)
Published on Mar 7, 2016
In this Call of Warhammer (Total War Warhammer mod) multiplayer free for all battle, the Tomb Kings, Ogre Kingdoms, and Dwarfs square off in a HUGE set piece battle with Tomb Scorpions, Ushabti, Leadbelchers, Mournfang Cavalry, Irondrakes, and Slayers taking to the field.
Tomb Kings
Tomb Kings are the ancient and long-dead rulers of the land of Nehekhara. There have been countless kings during the long history of that ancient land. Each city was ruled by a separate dynasty and these were ousted from power and replaced by others over the span of centuries. The Tomb Kings regularly waged war upon each other to spread their influence over the entire land of Nehekhara. Greatest of all the kings were those of Khemri, which was the largest and most proud of the ancient cities. It became established early on that whoever ruled in Khemri was the mightiest king in Nehekhara, to whom the other kings would pledge allegiance and offer tribute.
All the kings shared the same lust for worldly wealth and power, and the same ambition to defy death. To this end they founded the Mortuary Cult in order to reawaken them after death. They directed the building of great pyramids surrounded by extensive necopoli as strongholds for all eternity, and ordered that they be mummified and entombed within to preserve their physical bodies for all time. The Tomb Kings are mummified corpses awakened and inhabited by their undying spirits. Their skeletal bodies are dried husks, preserved with pitch and wrapped in bandages inscribed with magical incantations. Bedecked in gleaming crowns and the regalia of kingship, they retain all the majesty that they exuded while alive. Amulets and talismans of gold inset with precious stones hand around their necks, and they often wear the breastplate of a military commander strapped over their death-shroud wrappings. Entombed within the same deep chamber is their kingly chariot and steeds, ready for them to ride forth from the tomb shaft into the light of day.
Revived by the rituals of their priests, the Tomb Kings awake from their death-sleep possessing all the ambition and craving for power that they had in life and are bent on restoring their ancient realms. If this means the reconquest of former wide dominions then this shall be done, for the Tomb King's army, loyal even in death, rises from its rest at his call and is ready to march at his side once again. Tomb Princes are the sons of the Tomb Kings. Each of the kings of ancient Nehekhara kept extensive harems and so had many sons. Only one of these princes of the blood could succeed his father to the throne. As for the others, some died heroically in battle, and their bodies were brought home to be mummified and entombed in a place within the king's pyramid, as befitted captains of high rank.
There they await in the sleep of death, ready to recommence their military duties at the time of their awakening. Others lived on to serve their brother as officers and were thus entombed in his pyramid to continue to serve him after death. The Tomb Princes rest in their vaults beside the great tomb chamber of their sovereign in a eternal council of war, waiting for the moment of awakening when they shall resume command of their contingents. Those few who, through jealousy or intrigue, attempted to usurp the throne were denied the privilege of mummification and their bones were thrown to the carrion on the desert.
Liches Priests
In their desire to defy death, the kings of Nehekhara founded the Mortuary Cult and appointed the priesthood, of which the Liche Priests are all that remain. The priest were commanded to study the arts of mummification and communion with the gods. Steadily, over many centuries, the priests learned how to preserve a corpse from decay until the art of mummification had become very elaborate. They also devised a vast lore of incantations and rituals intended to enable the dead king, as well as his entire court and army, to be awakened from death. The first generations of priests, whose skills and knowledge were rudimentary, died after prolonging their own lives far beyond their natural span. They passed on their knowledge to the next generation of priests who exceeded them in wisdom and expertise.
In this way, their knowledge accumulated until the fifth generation of priests who did not die, through their bodies slowly withered away until they were little more than living corpses. Thus the entire priesthood became the Liche Priests, able to officiate the Mortuary Cult of their king in perpetuity, and they held great power in the land. Indeed, they were the only subjects of the king who could not be executed, since he depended on their knowledge and loyalty in order to live beyond his own death. In this way the priesthood became a formidable power behind the throne. Each necropolis with the pyramid of the Tomb King at its core, has a temple dedicated to the king's Mortuary Cult. Here resides the Liche High Priests served by many lesser priests. Only the High Priests have been initiated into the deepest secrets of the cult.
The priests have many duties to perform in the necropolis apart from the Ritual of Awakening, including such tasks as renewing the seals upon the portals of the tomb vaults, remaking inscriptions which have become eroded by wind blown sand, determining the moment of awakening and consulting the spirit of the Tomb King by means of oracles. They continue to perform these duties for centuries because they cannot die a natural death. Little more than long decayed corpses, their dry, wizened skin, resembling that of a mummy, is stretched like old parchment over their brittle skeleton.
Skeleton Soldiers
The mighty armies of the Tomb Kings, made up of regiment after regiment of valiant soldiers, swore an oath of loyalty before the gods to serve the king beyond death. Thus the bones of those soldiers who perished in battle were collected from the field of war and interred in the great tomb pits of the king's necropolis. Those who yet lived after their lord had died marches as if on a victory parade to the necropolis upon the day of the king's entombment. Here they stood in their regiments, ready for death. Arranged before the pyramid of their king in ranks, icons held proudly, they entombed alive. No soldier flinched as the great stones were heaved into position blocking out the light of the sun.
Bravely they stood to attention as the sand was poured into the tomb pits until the tops of their standard poles disappeared from sight. There they remain until the trumpet call of the Liche Priests awakens them and they once again heed the orders of their commanders. These skeletal soldiers fight in the same manner that they did when living. Highly disciplined in life, the foot soldiers of the Tomb Kings fight in highly organised ranks, turning and advancing in perfect unison. Archers unleash their arrows in great clouds that darken the sky, blessed by the Asp Goddess so that they seek out their foes with unerring accuracy. Mounted on the skeletal remains of their once proud steeds, regiments of cavalry race across the open plains to engage their foes, while other, more lightly armoured horsemen scout out the movements of the enemy, and harass their flanks. These soldiers of the Tomb Kings, loyal for all eternity, continue to practise their ways of war as they did in centuries long past.
Skeletal Chariots
The pride of a Tomb King's army are his charioteers. Nehekhara was the first great civilisation of Mankind, and the place where Men first used horse and chariot in battle. The ancient armies of Nehekhara included strong forces of swift, lightly built chariots usually drawn by a pair of horses. These fought in massed units and were considered the elite of the army, and only the nobility were permitted to fight as charioteers. This was considered a great accomplishment, for in ancient Nehekhara horses has only recently been bred as beasts of war. These elite chariot squadrons were entombed beside the pyramids to the Tomb Kings of Nehekhara, ready to serve their lords upon their awakening, and trample over their foes as they had done in his mortal reign. Admired and respected foes when they were alive, the skeletal charioteers of the Tomb Kings riding to battle strike fear in the hearts of all who oppose them.
Tomb Guard
The bravest and best soldiers serving the Tomb King acted as his personal bodyguards and palace guards during their lifetime. In respect of this role, they were honoured with the privilege of sharing his immortality and buried close to their king within the regal pyramid itself. Just as they guarded the palace in life, so now they guard the inner sanctum of the necropolis. The prospectof sharing in the immortality of their king and serving him for all time inspired these soldiers to heroic acts of bravery.
They would die where they stood rather than retreat, and would charge against the most hopeless odds. Time and again this would bring victory to the king's army and earn a place in his pyramid for the fallen. Tomb Guard were also honoured with partial mummification, through this was nowhere near as elaborate as the ceremonies of preparation which the Tomb Kings and Princes underwent. The Tomb Guard were entombed with the finest armour and weapons, as well as gold decorations proclaiming their bravery and devotion. They rest in their sarcophagi, standing upright around the royal tomb chamber. Here they stand to attention as palace guards until the time comes when they are again needed. If intruders violate the tomb, they will awaken and defend their lord. If the king awakens ready to go forth to conquer and trample the lands of the living beneath his chariot, they arise and form up at his side. Just as the Tomb Guard were once the elite warriors of the Tomb Kings, the Icon Bearer was his trusted of warriors was given the honour of carrying the king's personal icon to battle. The Icon Bearer was also the envoy and herald of the Tomb King, given the duty of bearing his lord's commands to distant parts of the realm and dispense justice in the king's name. Often disputes between Tomb Kings of different cities would be settled by a ritual duel between their nominated champions, and the Icon Bearer of then fulfilled this role.
Ushabti
Carved into the likeness of the many gods and goddesses of Nehekhara, the Ushabti stand as guardian statues around the perimeter of the great pyramids of the Tomb Kings. Standing three times the height of a man, they are imposing monuments, and all who pass beneath their shadows tremble. In times of need, the Liche Priests imbue the Ushabti with tremendous power through complex incantations and charms. As the chants are completed, the Ushabti step from their plinths and daises, silent and ready to be directed to war. In ancient times, the warriors of Nehekhara took great strength from the fact that the Ushabti fought with them, for who could not be inspired by the physical representations of the gods marching into battle by their sides!
Bone Giant
In ancient times, before the rise of the Mortuary Cult, many were the legends of mighty beings of immense stature walking the land and smiting all who stood in their path. As the knowledge and skill of the priesthood grew, they turned their talents towards recreating a being of the size and power that the legends spoke of, for who could face such a creation in battle? Thus the first Bone Giants were painstakingly crafted, formed from all manner of elements and held together by the powerful incantations of the Liche Priests. Made to resemble an immense warrior of Nehekhara, the Bone Giant is armed with traditional weapons and armour on a mighty scale. It is a rare thing to create a new Bone Giant, and most of those that are at times seen marching to battle alongside the Tomb King's armies have been in existence for thousands of years. If one of the constructs is destroyed, its sacred pieces are gathered up and used to recreate it. Outside the ancient cities of Nehekhara, Bone Giants stand as motionless sentinels, guarding important valley entrances and gateways. Such power is instilled in the Bone Giants that they do not need the incantations of the Liche Priests to prompt them into wakefulness, and will react immediately to the presence of unwelcome strangers, striding relentlessly towards them, smashing them into the sand with their heavy weapons. Bone Giants are massive, imposing creations, inspiring dread in the hearts of the enemy. A charging Bone Giant is a terrifying sight to behold, smashing into the enemy and sending them flying with powerful blows.
Sreaming Skull Catapult
It is said that Behedesh, King of Zandri, claimed to have invented this type of catapult and ordered them to be constructed. He used these in his many wars and had them mounted on this numerous war galleys, which gave him domination of the Great River Mortis during his mortal lifetime. When he had extended his rule along the western bank of the river, but had yet to subdue the kings and rebels encamped on the eastern bank, he gathered a great many catapults together and hurled over the skulls of his decapitated enemies who have been captured in earlier battles. This demoralised his opponents and caused their army to lose heart when the final onslaught came. The kings wished to repeat this tactic against other, more redoubtable enemies. Therefore he instructed the priest to devise a spell to be written on the skulls of decapitated rebels in hieroglyphic signs that would make the enemy tremble with fear. This the priest demonstrated to the king. They enchanted the skulls so that they screamed hideously as they were hurled through the air. It was a very death scream of the rebel at this moment of execution. The skulls were also daubed in resins that burst into eerie, ethereal flames as they flew. The king was indeed impressed and decreed that henceforth the heads of all rebels would be reserved for these catapults.When the king was approaching death, he gave instructions that the catapults should be entombed as an essential part of his necropolis army, since they had brought him more than one victory in life and he expected them to do so again beyond death. The successors of Behedesh followed his example. Centuries later, other kings who extended their rule over Zandri ransacked the necropolis and found the burial pits containing the catapults. These were looted and taken away for reburial in other necropoli, together with scrolls containing incantations of awakening and hieroglyphs of enchantment to be inscribed on the skulls.
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Thermal Scan of Egypt’s Pyramids Reveals Mysterious Hot Spots
Researchers using thermal cameras to scan the Egyptian pyramids have identified several intriguing anomalies, including one in the pyramid of Khufu, better known as the Great Pyramid of Giza.
In recent months, experts have been searching for hidden chambers located within the Egyptian pyramids, as well as for additional insight into how these amazing structures could have been built. Organized by the Faculty of Engineering of Cairo and the Paris-based Heritage Innovation Preservation Institute, the Operation Scan the Pyramids project aims to conduct in-depth examinations of the pyramids using non-invasive methods such as thermal imaging and muon radiography, a Japanese technique that has been used to peek inside active volcanoes as well as the nuclear reactors of Fukushima.
Last week, an initial infrared temperature scan of the famous tomb belonging to the pharaoh Tutankhamen, better known as King Tut, turned up promising results: a temperature difference in the tomb’s northern wall, which may indicate a hidden cavity behind the wall’s surface. Their work follows up on claims made earlier this year by Egyptologist Nicholas Reeve of the University of Arizona, who proposed that ultra high-resolution images of Tut’s tomb showed hidden doorways leading to previously unexplored burial chambers, possibly including the final resting place of the legendary Queen Nefertiti, who was married to Tut’s father.
Now, Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry has announced that a thermal scan of the three ancient pyramids built on the Giza plateau, some 20 km from Cairo, during the 4th dynasty (between 2613-2494 B.C.), has identified some intriguing anomalies. In particular, a scan of the largest of the three pyramids—known locally as Khufu and internationally as Cheops, but often referred to simply as the Great Pyramid—revealed higher temperatures in three of the stones at the bottom of the eastern wall. Though the authorities cannot say definitively what this anomaly means, they speculate that such differences in temperature could indicate empty areas inside the structure, internal air currents or the use of different building materials.
An international team—including scientists and architects from Egypt, Canada, Japan and France—conducted the thermal scanning at different times of the day and night. They focused particularly on sunrise, when the sun heats the limestone of the pyramids from the outside, and on sunset, when the structures were cooling down. In the case of the Khufu pyramid, they found that while much of the wall heats up and cools down uniformly (with a typical difference of only 0.1 to 0.5 degrees Celsius between adjacent stones), a three-stone spot on the eastern wall acted differently. When compared with surrounding stones, this area showed a difference in temperature of 11 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius), appearing as a bloom of red on the thermal scans.
By the time Operation Scan the Pyramids concludes, at the end of 2016, researchers will have scanned the Great Pyramid and the second-largest of the Giza pyramids, built for Khufu’s son Khafre, as well as the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, both built at Dahshur (about 15 km south of Saqqara) by Snefru, Khufu’s father and the founder of the 4th Dynasty. The goal of the scanning project is to find more anomalies, each of which will provide another clue for Egyptologists to investigate in their attempts to solve the enduring mysteries of the pyramids.
5 Great Mummy Discoveries
Ramesses II
Today, mummies are some of the most prized and highly valued artifacts of antiquity, but it might surprise you to know that prior to the 19th century, this wasn’t always the case.
Ginger
Nicknamed for its red hair, “Ginger” is the most famous of six naturally mummified bodies excavated in the late 19th century from shallow graves in the Egyptian desert. It went on display at the British Museum in 1901, becoming the first mummy to be exhibited in public, and has stayed there ever since. Ginger and the other bodies found with it are the oldest known mummies in existence, dating back to about 3400 B.C. Artificial mummification was not yet a common practice at the time of their deaths, but their bodies were naturally dried and preserved by the warm sand in which they were buried.
Hatshepsut
The most prominent female pharaoh, Hatshepsut reigned over Egypt for roughly two decades, undertaking ambitious building projects and establishing valuable new trade routes until her death in 1458 B.C. The archaeologist Howard Carter discovered her royal tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings in 1902. When he located her sarcophagus some years later, however, it was found to be empty.
Carter also unearthed a separate tomb, known as KV60, which contained two coffins: that of Hatshepsut’s wet nurse–identified as such by an inscription on its cover–and that of an unknown female. In 2006, a team led by Dr. Zahi Hawass set out to determine whether the anonymous woman in KV60 could be the missing queen herself. The vital piece of evidence was a molar tooth found in a wooden box bearing Hatshepsut’s name. When Hawass and his colleagues compared the tooth to a gap in the mummy’s upper jaw, it was a perfect fit, leading the researchers to conclude that the search for Hatshepsut was finally over.
King Tutankhamen
Ancient Egypt’s “boy king” became pharaoh at the age of nine and ruled for approximately 10 years (c. 1333-1324 B.C.). Relatively obscure during his lifetime, Tutankhamen–or “King Tut”–became a household name in 1922, when the archaeologist Howard Carter found his remarkable tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Despite several apparent grave robberies, the tomb was crammed with a wealth of ancient treasures, including jewelry, gilded shrines and a solid gold funerary mask. The discovery prompted a worldwide fascination with Egyptology in general and Tutankhamen in particular. Carter’s partner and financier, Lord Carnarvon, died of an infected mosquito bite several months after the pair opened the tomb. His death inspired the myth of the mummy’s curse, according to which anyone who dared intrude upon King Tut’s grave would suffer his wrath.
Ramesses II
Regarded by many historians as Egypt’s most powerful pharaoh, Ramesses II reigned for six decades (c. 1279-1213 B.C.), lived to be over 90 years old and is said to have fathered upwards of 100 children. His body was originally entombed in the Valley of the Kings, as was customary for a pharaoh, but ancient Egyptian priests later moved it to thwart rampant looters. In 1881, Ramesses II’s mummy was discovered in a secret royal cache at Deir el-Bahri, along with those of more than 50 other rulers and nobles. In 1974, archeologists noticed its deteriorating condition and flew it to Paris, where it was treated for a fungal infection. Before the journey, Ramesses II was issued an Egyptian passport, which listed his occupation as “King (deceased).”
Valley of the Golden Mummies
Located in Egypt’s Western Desert, the Bahariya Oasis was a major agricultural center during ancient times and is now home to several archaeological sites, including a Greek temple dedicated to Alexander the Great. In 1996, an antiquities guard was riding his donkey on the temple’s grounds. Suddenly, the donkey’s leg stumbled into a hole, revealing an opening in the desert floor and the edge of a tomb. A team of archaeologists led by Dr. Zahi Hawass began excavations of the site, known as the Valley of the Golden Mummies. The first few expeditions have uncovered several hundred mummies that date back to Egypt’s Greco-Roman period, as well as a treasure trove of artifacts. The diversity of the mummies’ adornments suggests that the site served as the final resting place for every level of society, including wealthy merchants, members of the middle class and poorer inhabitants. Archeologists believe that as many as 10,000 additional mummies may be lying under the sand.
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