# The Sun has already set... (Empire Army Painting)



## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

_In 2005 IC, the Empire was fast approaching a crossroads. The war of the three claimants to the Imperial Throne continued to rage on and the Empire was little more than a fractured group of waring states.

During this period only one realm truly prospered inside the Empire. One Elector Count rose above the others and his policies and projects made him an Elector of vision. Other Elector Counts looked on with envy and disbelief as this province continued to grow and prosper. Even now in 2552 IC modern Imperial Scholars are reluctant to note the vast improvements made in this province at the time.

It was this province that was well ordered and taxation flowed from the protected villages and towns being reinvested in roads and strong castles began to rise above, protecting them. The same Castles casting their long shadows of walls and turrets across their towns and villages. 

In this province units once again took up their old state colors with pride. Colors that had been shunned since the troubled times of 1111 IC. In this province law and order were enforced with the might of the Elector's standing forces and local militia. Stability that the population across the Empire craved was already well in place here. Towns began to fill with youth and yearly competitions were held so that only the most fit, most promising, the budding flowers of female beauty, men of intellect and passion were selected to serve the Elector directly....

It was a time that the people thought they had their time in the Sun. 1799 IC till 2010 IC..... little did they know the Sun had already set for Sylvania. _

I had always envisioned doing this army since about 3rd to 4th edition of Warhammer when I read about the Vampire Counts. My first army was the red box of skeleton army.... with horsies and awesome chariots!

There is so little known about the 200 year period between when Vlad married Isabella till he declared war and marched off to begin the Vampire Count legacy in the Warhammer world. This army is all about Sylvania and is based around the two centuries of Vlad's rule before the Vampire Wars began. I have kept it as fluffy as possible, and attempted to give it some sinister overtones as well that lead directly to the VC era as well. Storm of Magic was done at the right time as well... for pact reasons  Every unit I do I attempt to write some fluff for as well and give them some background. My intention is to eventually do enough to flesh out Sylvania quite well for the period concerned....

But onto the figures! I will keep this updated with units I add etc to the force. As always not all of it is my own work, some of it is and the terrain is certainly all my own stuff as are the designs and executions of movement trays and terrain etc. (Which is an aspect of GW hobby that is sadly lacking in development). I also do all my own unit fillers as well! 

The Town of Sumpfdorf



Map in relation to other areas of Sylvania. Note Castle Drakenhof, home of Vlad Von Carstein to the South. To the North is Ostermark, to the West is Stirland. To the West is the Mountains and the start of the Dwarf/Goblin and Orc/Ogre Realms.










THE SUMPFDORF ARCHERS













































The State Colors of Sylvania are Purple, Red, Bone and Black. This incorporates the original state colors of Purple and Black but also adds Red and Bone as per the new Empire Heraldry book. 

Enjoy! ​


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## arumichic (May 14, 2011)

They look good so far, but I think there's not much depth in the clothes and such. The brown doesn't look too bad, but the red and the purple need a touch more work IMHO. I like the idea behind them though! And keep up the work!~


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## Saulot (May 25, 2011)

That is one awesome army background! I can't wait to see how you execute it. I love how you gave your units a hometown, its very charming and just adds a ton of character.

Love the painting detail as well! You got the eyes down pat. (Tutorial, please??). Other details, like the colour scheme for example, are also well appreciated! 

Following this one closely.


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

Glad you liked....




























Vasalay Bresnev.... Former Kislev ironmonger turned Engineer.


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## Ratvan (Jun 20, 2011)

Hey I like your army background, at the moment I am desperately trying not to look at the shoddy paint jobs I have on my Averland State Troopers (roughtly 3k) so you're making me quite jealous, just don't have the time to paint everything again

Vasalay is cool, I like the variation in models.


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## alasdair (Jun 11, 2009)

Great army, great fluff, great painting! Overall awesome. Rep for you sir


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

Thanks for the comments so far guys...


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

The above are the start of my Flagellant section. Unsure of a title yet. However I am basing them off the idea of mad nutters who are becoming ghouls over time. I have 10 ghouls and another 10 Flags to get done. The premise is that they are that insane they worship Vampires and Vlad in all his glory.

The idea was to keep the colors different. So I went with red and green for these. The green flame is to remind of the Corpse Cart Affect while the red robes I thought made a good change based off the Browns and Tans of typical Empire stuff.


Next we have...




























The Wyrding Well.

This was my first real part of Warhammer terrain I have done. The idea revolving around a mysterious well dedicated to the schools of magic, as shown by the top of the dome. I have repeated the color choice on the floor of the well too. It was my first attempt using water effects as well so it served me as a good test part for my next unit... The Corpse Run Raiders...


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## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

This army is coming along very nicely. I will add my agreement that some of the colours need a bit more, mostly in the highlighting department. Even just some more edge highlights will make these models truly pop.


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

The story of Vlad's takeover of Sylvania is a puzzle for Imperial Scholars. The wealth of legend and myth that has sprung up over the last five centuries has obscured reality and like all historical accounts the victors tend to write the definitive accepted version of history.

For any scholar wishing to pursue what really happened in Sylvania the source material at best must be treated carefully, lest one comes away with some romantic notion of how Vampires really are. The prime text case example of this is the turning of Isabella Von Drak to become Countess Isabella Van Carstein. 

Although the legend is well known amongst the terrible myths of the Vampire Counts, Isabella Von Carstein was no romantic youth turned into a creature of the undead by a noble creature that loved her. 

It is after research and also study know possible to paint a different picture of Isabella. Cruel and politically minded she may have been beautiful, but even before Vlad embraced her, she was a evil creature. From a family of necromancers, madmen and power hungry lesser nobility she was already quite corrupted and vile before she took the name Von Carstein.














































One of the things I wanted to do with this army to keep theme was to include Vlad and Isabella as special characters that could be used. With the Storm of Magic it is quite acceptable for me now to do so in large battles... especially since Isabella is quite cheap points wise. However the original Isabella figure has aged, and I wanted to keep it a more modern force. So i picked the new female Vampire figure and just call her Isabella. When using her in an Empire Army... I either use her as

Death Mage Level 2 or a Empire Captain. Her abilties to support her chosen unit however sometimes have led me to experiment with using her as a Priest of Sigmar.. albeit with some changes to what speical rules are called. But for fun games, she is a great addition to the feel of a dark Sylvanian Late Pre-VC wars army.


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## Saulot (May 25, 2011)

Isabella looks good! Great job on that mini! I think it's your best one yet!

Btw, what is that terrain she's standing on? It looks pretty impressive up close. Wonder if we can see all of it?


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## Dagmire (Oct 9, 2008)

Loving it. The colours are so vivid. nice job A


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

Saulot said:


> Isabella looks good! Great job on that mini! I think it's your best one yet!
> 
> Btw, what is that terrain she's standing on? It looks pretty impressive up close. Wonder if we can see all of it?


The terrain that I use is a mixture of stuff. However this one is ESLO terrain. I have several of them and this one is their ruined cult site. 

They are rather expensive but its great stuff that I order from Germany.


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## Digg40k (Sep 7, 2008)

I love it when people post something like this with a full background and completed units. Have some rep for the effort.

As for the models I'll echo what most others have said in that the robes if highlighted will look even better but they still look solid without it.

Also I'd like to say you paint eyes really well, the whites are very clean and the pupils are perfectly placed.


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

Leicheburg Gunners


Primary Uniform Colors; Red and Purple with a Bone Plumage

Unit Size; 10 Handgunners (has been drilled as both stand alone and combat detachment)

Leader; Apprentice Engineer Volkani 1984-2021 IC

First Mustered 2009. Disbanded. Sometime after 2021.










When Vlad first took command of Sylvania's Military it had decayed to almost nothing. Most regiments were reserved or had not seen duty for decades. Those Regiments that were operational were little more than thugs and brigands formerly in Otto Von Draks employ or were without equipment and uniforms. With Vlad's ascension to the throne of Sylvania however things drastically changed. In 1990 an Engineer from Kislev who had trained at Nuln, in what would become the gunnery school, came to Sylvania and offered his services to Vlad in exchange for some land and a place to work in safety. Readily agreeing Vlad ordered the Engineer to start overseeing the updating of some troops to use handguns from traditional bows and crossbows. 










The Leicheberg Gunners were amongst the first to be equipped with the new black powder weapons and were established as a detachment for the Leicheberg Halberdiers. However by 2009 an Apprentice Engineer with a talent for lens manufacture had taken up residence in Leicheberg and was known to be a dead eye shot. He quickly took command of the unit and within 6 months it had grown to become a separate force from the Halberdiers entirely.










A swarthy young man, Volkani the Lens maker seemed to delight in being able to shoot officers and standard bearers of opposing forces, often picking them out and laying bets with his men on where he would shoot his victims, through the eye, the face, the right knee etc.Volkani spoke with a heavy Tilean accent and he was known to be a man of great emotions, showing almost jubilation when his shots come off perfectly and descending into a foul mood when he missed.










His pet Monkey Colombo was his constant companion, trained to pass paper cartridges to his master at the snap of his fingers. The tavern owner's daughter in Leicheberg, before her untimely disappearance in 2009, made a uniform for Colombo which the little Monkey wore with apparent pride. Volkani could often be found of an evening in tavern with his pet scurrying across his feet. Volkani was notorious for singing the songs of his homeland much to the delight of the local farmers daughters and to the chargin of the drinking farmers in the tavern. Colombo was welcomed but had an unfortunate habit of biting anyone apart from Volkani who came too close.











Footnote. In 2552, and Vlad now dust and the supposed threat of the Vampire Counts ended, the winter was particularly bitter, even for Sylvania, and it appeared that Leicheberg had become the target of a wolf that was targeting chicken pens and goats of the outlaying farms around the town. Leicheberg in 2552 is now a shadow of its pre Vampire Wars days and most of the town now subsists off the farms in the local area. The town Mayor Elanor Hurstgriten sent out an armed party to hunt the wolf and stop the killings. However on the third night of the hunt the armed party came across the lair of a small wizened creature, in the briar patches that surround the town. The creature was said to be no taller than a man's knee dressed in rags and remains of a tiny red and purple uniform. It was feasting on the remains of several goats, gorging itself on the blood and flesh of the farm animals. The creature managed to severely maul one of the hunters, costing a huntsmen his left eye, before it escaped into the darkness.


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

Small Update...

Extract of a letter to Dr. E. Vernest. Expedition Leader of the Imperial Archaeological and Historical Society.


_As for the end of the “Wizard War”, it has been suggested that many dark warlocks and sorcerer's escaped the Witch Hunter General and his followers fled East and South to the place inhabited by the so called Border Princes. Although the records are unclear it appears that many mutants and minor incursions of the dark gods began in that area in the following decades after 1991 IC. It was also at this time that Vlad Von Carstein, First of the Vampire Counts, took in several of these darker sorcerers and shamans and trained them in necromancy. If as you believe you have stumbled across the tower and ruins of one of Vlad’s pet necromancers or wizards I suggest extreme caution. These were the first of the human necromancers to be trained by Vlad himself, their power would have been great and the fact we know so little about them indicates they were able to hide their identities and fates from the Imperial Records and the many purges that happened after the end of the Vampire Wars. _


































My Wizard/Necromancer for the Army. I used some Empire Wizard parts, but attempted to give it a different feel with the head of an Empire Flagellant. I had never seen a black robed wizard with the staff and flame done as most are done as Pyro or Flame Wizards. The green balefire affect turned out quite well. He can also stand in as my Warrior Priest of Morr for the army as well.


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## elmir (Apr 14, 2011)

Looks very characterfull, nice addition to the army!


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## troybuckle (Nov 24, 2010)

Looking good, nice job on the skin tone and flaming skull!


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

Thanks for the comments, always appreciated guys.


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## Dagmire (Oct 9, 2008)

Can we seea close up of his face? It looks like he has scaring????


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

I can try Dagmire it is a tough one as I am limited to an Iphone camera at the moment but will see what I can do. There is scaring there yes, the affect is just a darker wash in the crevice more than anything but a lot of the Empire Flagellant faces have scars or eyes bound over etc. They are quite good for that insane look on a few things.

Anyway... next item...

The Tod Schrienen










Commissioned even before the Vampire Wars, this contraption was first recorded in use at the Battle of the Night Road near Nachthafen in 1985 IC. The Tod Schrienen was set up to block the road running out of Nachthafen and according to the historical account of the battle, caused severe casulaties to a rebel force that were attempting to outflank the Sylvanian Army led by Captain Dieter Fleischer. Although the histories do not record the reason for the rebel force or the battle, the surgeon's account of the wounds caused by the Volley Gun are gruesome reading. Over 30 amputations had to be performed on men who had limbs blown apart when the device spectacularly misfired and set off all of her remaining barrels.









Front View


The infernal contraption was eventually put out of action by a group of Stirlander Archers who managed, under the cover of darkness sometime in 2029 IC, to sneak upon the crew from behind and then set fire to several nearby powder kegs at the third battle of Egling Ford. The resulting explosion sent pieces of shrapnel to a distance of over 100ft and left a crater almost 15ft across in the middle of the field where the gun was stationed. To this day one of the fields outside of Egling often fills with muddy brown water after particularly heavy rains in the shape of a large circle showing where the device met its fate.



























Captian Dieter of the Volley Gun Tod Schrienen sometime in 1985 IC.


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## elmir (Apr 14, 2011)

Love it. Especially the base you made for this piece. A warmachine is seldom something that can blow you away... I mean, it's wood and metal, how exciting can you really paint it? Most common mistake I see is that people combine that with a boring and bland base too, but you didn't. 

I really like it, the crew is also nicely done, so it's a really good addition to the army.


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## troybuckle (Nov 24, 2010)

Very nice man, good work on the base and the colors are very defined!


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

Thanks guys...

The bases are part of a series I am doing for all my warmachines. It is not often that you find something worthwhile with them but I was lucky enough too, However they were rather plain so I did them up and added to them. I will post a full battery picture of the 5 I have when I have finished with them.

Appreciate the comments.


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

Huntsmen of Hel Fenn

When I started this army I wanted every unit to have a specific theme in mind while keeping the colors fairly intact. The purple color is throughout everything and the red is a close second. However for a group of Hunters I wanted something to show some form of wood or forestry type background. 

The Huntsmen are an upgrade unit for Archers for WHFB for Empire. I used Bretonian and Wood Elf heads mixed in with a few white wolf heads for affect and then added two minor characters to give it a darker seedier style. The leader is the hooded guy who I took some executioner style theme too with his halberd, the other is just a basic militia that I armed with a blunderbuss. In game they are all huntsmen. Isabella usually works with them, so I kept her with them for the pics etc.

Haven't fleshed out a background for them completely, but along the lines of a group of Woodsman who become executioners, self appointed judges style for the local area of Hel Fenn or bandits in the employ of the new Vampire Count.

C and C always welcomed.

Base is my own design, it has to do with keeping the graveyard theme/Sylvania theme.























































And with the Sumpfdorf Archers... who I gave the same base too.


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## troybuckle (Nov 24, 2010)

O wow that is very cool man! Adds so much character love it!! + Rep


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

Another addition to the growing Grand Army of Sylvania...

The Battle Standard on Foot.

Typical with no additions, the only thing I really swapped in was the sword which is meant to be the electors rune weapon, but I wanted something different for my various Vampire Lords.

As always comments are appreciated. My next unit will be the Milita men.... under the title of the Corpse Run Raiders...  The motley crew of punt boats that traverse and come up against the Stirland River Patrol. 














































There was little for me to change on this figure as the winged death played right into what I wanted as a Standard for the Sylvania Army... I kept the colours of Red and Purple flowing... which are the two prime colours that I have continued through the force. 

Lexi.


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## Saulot (May 25, 2011)

Wow! I'm so happy to see new pics on this thread! I love your Wizard / Necromancer! Black and silver plus the green balefire really compliments your theme! And your BSB is just beautiful! Great attention to detail (all your units are!) and excellent execution!


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## Red Corsairs (Jun 8, 2008)

I'm really liking this army. I've never been much of an Empire fan when it comes to Fantasy, but you're army is certainly beginning to change my mind. The faces, bases and metallics are great. The battle standard look great and I definitely second what Elmir said about your warmachine. +rep!


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Very consistent work throughout.

Your skill with feathers particularly stands out.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Just rolled through your thread here Lexi and I am most impressed with the attention you lavish on your models, both in the hobby aspect and the fluff aspect. I must say that I absolutely love your standard bearer! The whole piece is just wonderfully done. I look forward to seeing more.


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## Alexious (Apr 13, 2009)

Thankyou, as I paint now sparodically and due to bad arthritis and the shakes, it makes it difficult for me to complete a lot within a timely manner. I still do paint... and although I will be using some services of people like Midge from now on, I intend this to be a completed project by the end of 2012.

The remaining sections are;

Knights (There is an order just a name.... from the original WFRP1st edition circa 85) 

General.

Priest.

One more Wizard perhaps two.

The Militia forces. (almost now finished being done for me)

Some unit filler/diorahma work (Midge has kindly agreed to do this as a comission for me as part of some other work)

Grave Guard/Great Swords. (This will be the crown of the work... but I have spent a considerable ammount of money getting casting and greens made up of heads to match bodies for Hooded Medieval Executioner style great swords based off the bodies of Bretonian Men at Arms.)

1 more mortar and cannon.

Unit fillers galore.


10 figures of a kit bash special project that Midge will also undertake.

My final part will be the building of a custom game table... which I have now collected almost 30 to 40 resin specific cast parts for. (The design is modular in 300mm x 300mm x 24 sheets) so it all fits together. Finding a resin caster and saying hey man, I need you to cast me a mausoleum that is a foot wide x foot deep as a centre piece proved a challenge! But i found one!

Then there will be the display board which will be based off a lot of Ainsty Castings work... which is entitled "The Corpse Run".

Thankyou everyone for their kind words and praise. Although not responsible for all of it... I appreciate the inputs and the advice as slowly as i do paint now... it helps keep me motivated.

Lexi.


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