Hagen has been creating some of my favourite Age of Sigmar conversions ever since the launch of the Mortal Realms: carving out his own niche in the unexplored areas and defining the new fantasy landscape on his own terms. Hagen’s models seemed like a natural fit for AoS28: afterall ‘grimdark’ does not necessarily refer to gory, gritty paint schemes: with Hagen’s models the darkness and realism is present in the background stories and attention to detail. The Alluminarchate have a particularly sinister appearance, emphasised by the clinical paint scheme. I am pleased to get a chance to showcase some of his miniatures here.

Over to Hagen:


When I first heard about AoS28 I already started developing an interest in this new fantasy setting and exploring it in a way that suited my approach to miniature painting and storytelling.

My main issue with AoS main narrative is that all the action is focused on huge god-like battles and everything seems to be completely over the top as if the setting lacked some human scale. This is exactly what I enjoy about AoS28: the intention to take a deeper look at the Mortal Realms and the possibility to give an answer to questions regarding the fate of their inhabitants during the long centuries of apocalyptic Chaos dominion, a very dark and hopeless time indeed.

On the other hand though AoS is all about hope, the fragile dawn of a new era, the whispered promise of vengeance that crosses the multiverse on the wings of Sigmar’s war. In this it differs strongly from the grim darkness of 40k, where humanity is crumbling under the weight of its own ignorance and fear. If an historic comparison can be be made, 40k reminds me of a prolonged Dark Age that followed the doom of a once great empire, while AoS is more akin to the late Middle Ages, a time of rebirth and discoveries where war is still a constant presence but people have good reasons to fight other than survival and bigotry.

This aspect is represented in the setting by an interesting and both innovative and nostalgic hint to High Fantasy that ties the setting together with the first incarnations of Warhammer, when high and dark fantasy elements used to co-exist in the same lore.
These were the two aspects that I had in mind to represent when I set up to take part in this great project: both the grim and the fantastic, the realistic and the unimaginable… and a lot of hints to the past of this great hobby and many years of RPG in the Old World.

The Ghurian tribes of the Sons of Or


The first project that I embarked on, way before AoS28 was conceived, focused around the idea of five primitive tribes of hunters that survived the Age of Chaos keeping their faith in Father Or (Sigmar) and his Great Promise of vengeance. Their prophet is Orar, the Wanderer King, a Stormcast lord cast back through time and space by the spiteful will of the Chaos Gods and unable to find his way back to Azyrheim.

He is guiding the tribes to a great war to reconquer the lost knowledge of their forefathers and free themselves from the fear of the Dark Gods. His hope is to unite all the tribes of the plains and gather them to fight at the dawn of the imminent Age of Sigmar, when the Great Promise will finally be fulfilled and the God King will return to reclaim his faithful sons.

I have great plans for this warband, including the Brides of Orar, hunting wolf packs and possibly a mighty enslaved beast of the plains.

The Alluminarchate of Anaryn


When AoS28 hit the web I decided it was time for me to start a new project, something that could combine my love for the Old World and its lore and the new fantastical setting of the Mortal Realms.

The Chaos Gods of Law belong to the distant past of warhammer fantasy roleplay and even back then they were never really developed. The new setting though seemed a perfect opportunity for me to resurrect them and work on a group of worshippers of Alluminas, god of Protection and Enlightenment.

The Alluminarchate is an order of warrior-sorcerers that protects the Abbey of Anaryn in the Realm of Hysh. They survived the Age of Chaos thanks to their fate in their patron deity and their task was to preserve the knowledge from the Age of Myth which might have gone completely lost during the tumultuous times of Chaos ascendant. They are a sinister order of fanatical warlocks who believe in relentless self-discipline and despise progress and change as the work of the Dark Powers.

Should their god ever triumph the Realms would be rendered to a static and unchanged dominion of the Law, where Chaos has no power whatsoever but the life of its inhabitants would be doomed to an eternal reiteration of the same actions and roles without joy nor sadness and ultimately would prove as inimical to existence as the violent and disruptive energies of Chaos.


See more of Hagen’s miniatures on his site: www.hagenpinxit.blogspot.co.uk

4 Comments on “The Dark Age of Sigmar: Sons of Or and The Alluminarchate

  1. Wow, so many awesome stuff in one post !”The Ghurian tribes of the Sons of Or” are very original ! I love the native american concept (wich wasn’t ever done as far as I can renember). Both paintjob and modelling works are so nice ! BUT “The Alluminarchate of Anaryn” is a pure proof of genious. I can’t say anything but this is the way Games Workshop should done the stormcast. I’ll really follow your work with a great attention .

  2. Thanks Jake, it’s a great pleasure for me to have my work showcased alongside yours on your website. As you know I am an absolute fan of AoS28 and I would go as far as to say that this is the most interesting hobby project that I embarked on in a very long time! The sense of community and common purpose is a huge motivator and I love what other people have produced so far, your swamp aelves above all!
    I hope my work can be of inspiration to somebody and that it can motivate other people to join this amazing initiative as I have been inspired by you and other great artists from around the web.

    Hagen

  3. How on earth did you achieve that marble look, its mind blowing!

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