Elves of Arel Tor

[Carlosk7]

Latest update - some Swordmasters:

[Averlorn]

I especially like your Mage. Did you use any washes?

[Carlosk7]

Sorry for the late reply. I use a base of kabalite green over a white undercoat. Then I do a heavy wash with Athenian camoshade. After that I build up from dark to light starting with caliban green mixed with kabalite and gradually adding flash glitz yellow until I'm happy with the amount of highlighting.

[Carlosk7]

I've made a start on a few champions for my army. The images below show roughly how I do the greens on my models. I took the pics using my iPad and for some reason it wouldn't focus properly for the first one but it still shows the colours:



There's still work to be done on the skin, leather and hair but she's not far from being done.

[Carlosk7]

My elf champion's still a work in progress but I have finished a standard bearer for my Swordmasters:

[Carlosk7]

Finished my elf champion - Lady Dahlia Elisari.



I'm quite pleased with her face.



I'm not sure how well the gems came out though. I tried to follow to use the technique from one of Oasis Rising's YouTube tutorials but they look a bit dark.

[Carlosk7]

My mage Terim Elspeare finally saw battle yesterday in a heroes Vs heroes Vs Nagash game at the local GW store but did pitifully dying after 3 turns in a piece of shocking elf-on-elf violence. A lord on a griffin slaughtered him easily.

[Elessehta of Yvresse]

Dude, you gave her twin tails? That's so cool~

[Carlosk7]

Thanks, it's an eldar head.

[Carlosk7]

Been meaning to post some new stuff up for a few days. I've painted up my general Lord Taryk Deseil and a standard for my Swordmasters:

[Galharen]

Wings?

[Carlosk7]

The lords of Arel Torl like highly impractical armour (but not helmets). These wings were done using the silly silver helm champions helmet decoration.

[Carlosk7]

My first attempt at a green stuff banner:



I think it came out ok. The most difficult bit was the straps at the top because one tore when I wrapped it around the pole.

[Carlosk7]

Post repeated itself for some reason

[Carlosk7]

I've decided to use the dark elf sorceress as my archmage general. I think it's a better model than Alarielle. I think it still fits in with the rest of the army.





I've finally got a few games in. I haven't got any pictures but I've turned it into a bit of a story:

Shaylah Malith fought the decidedly un-ladylike impulse to hold her nose as the stench of the opposing Skaven wafted across the battlefield. Despite the unpleasant conditions the highborn elf’s spirits were high as she sent out her orders to the force she had been entrusted with by her mother. The elves of Arel Tor were finally making their move in the Hatherton region after initial skirmishes on the killing fields of the Old quare. They had started poorly with the death of one of the city’s archmages and the brutal albeit heroic fall of Captain Grayl as he held off the forces of Negash. In their first battle the elves had seen off a small chaos dwarf contingent when their opponent’s general had been assassinated by a perfect bolt thrower shot.

With the sound of a poorly tuned trumpet the vile rat men advanced. Their forces split in two and scurried around the building in the centre of the battle field. Shaylah ordered her forces to hold their position except for the small company of Reavers. They had disgraced themselves during the previous battle and she was inclined to offer them a chance at redemption. With a nod the bolt throwers unleashed a volley of shots that bit deeply into the ratmen’s right flank but did little on the left. The archer unit where she had taken up position and a group of Sisters had similar modest success with their bow attacks.

Suddenly there was a flash to her right as the Skaven unleashed a missile. The projectile struck the Reavers killing four of the fools and sending the remainder into retreat. She spat a curse and turned her attention to the right as a pack of rat ogres tore into her contingent of spearmen. Again the contest went poorly and the spearman fled from their powerful opponents. There was better news as the Rat’s canon failed to connect with her bolt throwers. Despite these worries the arch mage smiled as the Skaven’s most powerful unit strayed into the path of the Lords’ Guard ( Phoenix Guard). She quickly cast a spell to toughen her already formidable unit and ordered the charge. The Guard tore through the vile ratmen spraying blood across the battlefield but frustratingly they held. Shaylah’s artillery fired again picking off a few more Skaven.

Then disaster struck. The Skaven mage unleashed a plague spell with uncontrollable force. The retreating spearman screamed and died as the sickness took hold. Next it spread to the Swordmasters of House Deseil and peeled off the back rank before killing several of the Sisters of House Tileii.

There was no time to dwell on the losses as the Skaven poured forward on her right. The archmage commanded her still formidable Swordmasters to cut them off. The unit lead by her standard bearer didn’t fail her, shredding the ratmen who only held by virtue of their greater numbers. Meanwhile the Lord’s Guard finally broke the elite rat unit sending them scurrying away in a panic.

Elsewhere the Skaven had greater success as the rat ogre’s made short work of the sisters and the remaining bolt throwers. Once more the Skaven mage stepped forward to cast a plague enchantment but this time Shaylah was ready with a dispel scroll and stopped him in time.

The Lord’s Guard pursued their quarry, easily running them down and showing no mercy as they massacred the rat’s and their champions. So fearsome was the sight that the unit of lowly Skaven slaves fled to a far corner of the field. Now it was her archers’ turn to enter the fray as they smashed into the flank of the Skaven in combat with the Swordmasters. Caught between the two bands of elves, the Skaven and their Warplock Engineer crumpled and were killed to the last rat but not before the remainder of the Swordmasters were slain.

When the dust and bloodlust faded Shaylah surveyed the battlefield. To her frustration the rat men had sounded the retreat, their final large block of infantry having rallied. The rat ogres and those manning their mortars and cannon had also survived to fight another day. The elves had taken heavy losses and of those who had taken the field only her archers and the Lord’s Guard remained but the Skaven losses were equally terrible and the bodies of their leaders were rotting on the battlefield. By her estimation the contest had been a draw, a respectable result against such overwhelming numbers.

[John Rainbow]

Banner looks good. I have an amazing tutorial for if you do a new one though on how to do it super simple. Its from Johnny Hastings (Point Hammer PodCast):

http://www.youmagnificentbastards.com/2 ... nners.html

[Carlosk7]

Thanks

[Carlosk7]

New mage:


I got the body from a bits seller then half way through painting realised it wouldn't rank up with anything so it's a bit useless but I finished it anyway.

[Caledfwlch]

I love the mage: it has a very dynamic look! I'm impressed by the way you painted the shades/highlights on the cloaks of both the mage and other units. How many layers did you use approximately? Cheers!

[Carlosk7]

Thanks. Not sure exactly how many layers because it depends on how much I water down the paint which isn't the same each model. I'd say after I've done the wash there's maybe 5 layers each with gradually more yellow to lighten (no white). Plus if the blending doesn't smooth out very well first time as was the case with the mages collar I sometimes go back and blur the edges with a darker shade. Probably why they all take so long.

[Carlosk7]

I'm fed up of playing with undercoated models and too slow to get them done properly so I've decided to just do the metallics and base colours for now then finish them off later. First up the archers I made from left over bits:

[ArcaneSnow]

o man! just saw some of your work. I love your lady elf champion. Those pig tails look really nice. Also, that's a really smart way to convert her wings. They're from the we archer's kit right? looks great.

[Carlosk7]

Thanks. I'm not completely sure because it came in a box of bits but I think it's a tree sprite from the wood elf archers that I cut the wings off.

[Carlosk7]

Latest update on my BSB. Again this is still a work in progress. I'm quite pleased so far but not sure if the dragon wings at the top work:

[Carlosk7]

Another work-in progress. This time it's a metal bolt thrower:

[Gandalf_82]

Looking good. I like your colour scheme and the freehand on that banner is excellent. I would have those dragon wings on the banner going horizontal off the top vertical bit personally but it does kind of work as it is.

With the mage you could try elevating it on the base on a rock/plinth or something so ranking him up is a bit more feasible? Love the model and paint job though.

[NexS]

I'm really liking that banner! Nice work there!

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure about the teal on the bolt thrower, it looks mint on your army's clothing, but the bolt thrower feels like it should have a more mineral look (woodgrain/bone/etc). Just my opinion though

[Carlosk7]

I think the bolt thrower would look better with a wood effect too but I couldn't get my head around how to do it. I've got another 2 to paint so I might have a go with one of them. As for the mage I was particularly stupid and should have realised it would be a problem. If I find a suitable plinth as you suggest I might try cutting him off the base.

[Carlosk7]

I've made a start on some old style white lions but I can't decide on what colour to do the axe handle. The pics of the new ones on the GW site look like an off-white which I'm not keen on. I've tried purple but I don't think it looks any better:



Using various bits I had left over and some green stuff I've built my own shadow warriors. Before and after undercoating:






Finally I've started playing in an End Times campaign so I've settled on a backstory for my army which is slightly different from before. It'll probably have to change post-9th but that's ok:

The elves are still from the city state of Arel Tor. Arel Tor is a former colony of Ulthuan who chose independence and were never involved in the dark elves versus high elves wars having refused to return when called upon. The city is situated on a small Island off the West coast of the Old World roughly on the border between Brittonia and Estalia. By choosing to isolate themselves from the conflicts of the Old World and building numerous trade relationships Arel Tor has prospered and grown over the centuries.

Arel Tor is ruled by a Senior Council made up of a representative of the three founding Houses and three heads of the second tier families elected by the General council. The city's High Lord has the deciding vote in any tied votes both within the General and Senior Councils. The High Lord is elected by the Senior council and remains in the role for life. The current high lord is Loel Veltaine.

The three ruling families are:

The House of Veltaine (dencendents of Caledor)
The House of Tileii (decendents of Avelorn)
The House of (decendents of dark Nagarythe)

The three second tier are:
The House of Deseil (descendants of Saphery)
The House of Calios (descendants of Chrace)
The House of Elshari (descendants of Lothern)

However, a side effect of this is the cities population and wealth have increased to the point where they are close to outgrowing their island, causing internal strain as families struggle for the available territory and political influence.

To overcome this Lord Veltaine has taken advantage of the events of the End Times to send an expeditionary force of volunteers to the Old World to fill the void left by the disastrous effects on Brettonia and elsewhere.

With the only prior problems being the occasional pirate attack Arel Tor's armed forces have little experience of warfare although it retains a standing army to protect the island.

The Expeditionary force has participated in small conflicts so far but as they explore deeper into the Old World the threats will grow. At the moment their forces are commanded by Daela Veltaine, the niece of Lord Veltaine and a talented mage.

[gilterien]

Carlosk, may I start by saying how much I admire your green cloth! It looks very well blended and blending up to yellow was clever.

You've also got pretty cool bitswaps going on.

Would you mind telling me how you do the swords on your swordmasters? I can't find a way to paint blades and I admire yours