CXV. The Cult of Vvolos: Undead Footknights and Barbarian

These three were first made some time ago, with no particular purpose in mind. I had a few old chaos minis lying around and the conversions just sort of happened. Late 2016 I started seriously considering making an undead-ish dark fantasy warband with an old-school look and feel to it. Not tied to any particular setting, just a bunch of cool-looking gaming pieces that are aesthetically coherent. The most obvious inspiration for this was the art of John Blanche and Ian Miller. Old one-piece metal minis have this two-dimensional quality. I perceive a similar two-dimensionality in the phenomenal work of Blanche and Miller. This is what I had in mind when I made the background scenery they are posing on in the above photo, and this is what I'll try to stick to with each new addition to the warband. For that reason most of the base models for conversions will be oldies. I have acquired enough material and started making the warband I imagined.

Then, quite recently, AoS28 happened. In the vein of INQ28, the movement aims to explore the world of the new Warhammer with the same approach. AoS28 is still in its early days, so in time we shall see in what direction it goes. This new project of mine fits in there perfectly, I think. Regarding the rules - nobody around me plays AoS in any form, but rules are not what defines the movement anyway. Cult of Vvolos will see the battlefield as a Frostgrave warband. Frostgrave is a campaign skirmish game akin to Mordheim, where each warband is led by a wizard. The core rules are simple, there are not many special rules and soldier types are very generic. All of this allows for tremendous creative freedom in choice of miniatures. There is an official line by North Star, but people are encouraged to use whatever they wish/have at hand. I find that immensely appealing.  

The minis came first, but I'm gradually developing context for them.

Where they come from people live in numerous small feudal kingdoms - many of them just a fortified town surrounded with villages that feed it. The rest is forests and hills and bogs, with monsters and barbaric, wild peoples roaming about. The kingdoms often fight amongst themselves. Some kingdoms are ruled by necromancers. The Cult of Vvolos comes from one such kingdom. They worship a mysterious demonic prince who calls himself Vvolos. The Cult's core is a council of necromancers.   

Sir Bosc Machen, a death knight (Templar).

Sir Cain de la Mare, a death knight (Knight).

Gorostas, an undead barbarian. (Barbarian)

Can you identify the bits I used?

Now that I look at them I feel the trio's paintjobs could be better. I guess I'll go back to them at some point. But first the warband needs to be expanded with more evil dead.

Material for future warband members. Two robed figures (necromancer cultists: Wizard and Apprentice), a bunch of skeletons (Archers, Xbowmen, Men-at-Arms, Infantrymen), a couple more chaos champions which will be converted to undead knights...