Across the Nine Realms the beacon light of Sigendil is lost in the night sky, eclipsed by a dread black moon. Even the march of the Stormcast falters for a heartbeat as the Mortal Realms fall into shadow. Prophets and sages cast bones and consult their oracles, but any fool can see it for what it is: an ill omen, the touch of the diabolic. Darkness gathers. Heroes are needed now more than ever.

Crops wither, animals are stillborn and disease and madness grow in their place. Monsters walk in the darkness unopposed. The earth trembles with the laughter of mad gods and the flicker of hope that Sigmar’s lightning brought to the Free Cities begins to fade.

The astronomancers of Azyrheim have determined that the penumbral twilight will last for two months. In this period many will hide in their homes or retreat behind the walls of their fortresses. But others answer the call: the witch hunters.

The Competition

The Eclipse is the first event of The Dark Age of Sigmar. It is a competition to create a witch hunter to lead your Hinterlands warband, to use in Warhammer Quest or for any other purpose. You will need to make a single figure – a witch hunter – following the usual AoS28 guidelines.

The model can be of any race or any character so long as they fit the rough concept of a witch hunter. The model should have a name and a bit of background. You could enter a model that is already built, but it would be better to make a new one.

A witch hunter does not need to be a human, and does not need to wear a buckled hat. In the Age of Sigmar a witch hunter can refer to someone who fights against Chaos, monsters or the beasts of the Realms.

Although there is no real prize, winning entries will be featured in a gallery on Ex Profundis and may be invited to participate in a special game of Warhammer Quest using your hero.

Post your entries to the Facebook group or anywhere else you like, just let me know in the comments.

The competition runs for two months: until the 16th of May.

Witch Hunting Ideas

Witch hunters in the Age of Sigmar often work on the authority of Sigmar himself, to hunt down and destroy Chaos wherever they find it. They seek out heretics, apostates, abominations and betrayers and bring the light of Sigmar’s wrath to those that would hide in the shadows.

But not all witch hunters follow this template – every faction includes has fought against Chaos and every faction includes those who specialise in rooting out corruption, or destroying the beasts of the Dark Gods. Some fight at the head of armies while others skulk in the shadows. Some use subtle methods to draw out a hidden foe, while others use brute strength to fight monsters no-one else is able to.

There are many types of witch hunter, from the Death Eater headhunters of the Ogor – who eat the raw stuff of Chaos in order to better understand their enemy – to the paradoxical Special Purposes assassins of Clan Eshin: a group dedicated to the murder of Chaos in order to strengthen the Horned Rat’s position among the Pantheon.

Rumours speak of a Deathlord that hunts his own vampiric kind, guided by a parasitic daemon sword, and an Orruk brute, branded with sacred sigils of Order and capable of crushing the skulls of witches in his bare hands. Then there are the fanatical followers of the Gods of Law, whose fiery zealotry would see the world purged of Chaos even at the expense of all other life or the hulking mechanical Witchbreaker suits of steam-armour employed by Duardin operatives capable of going toe-to-toe with the greatest lords of daemonkind.

Witch Hunter illustration by @Paintagram

31 Comments on “The Eclipse: an AoS28 Competition

  1. Yes!! I started on my Alluminarch yesterday, he is going to join the competition very soon!
    Cannot wait to see what other people come up with! Will you participate as well Jake?

    Hagen

    • I have a miniature underway, something a bit different. Although as ever I have a whole bunch of ideas – I kinda want to make a Witchbreaker suit of armour now.

      • Looks like those new Duardin releases they teased yesterday would fit perfectly! :)

  2. Might be worth me clarifying: you can make a Puritan style witch hunter, similar to the classic Old World style, if you like. But ‘witch’ in this context is more like anything unnatural or born of Chaos, so there are lots of different types of hunters.

    You could have a Witcher style character who fights monsters on behalf of villagers, or a Hellboy analogue – a daemon that fights other daemons. There are a million examples in film and media: Blade, Skyrim, all sorts. And of course a witch Hunter is really just the fantasy equivalent of a 40k Inquisitor, so there are plenty of ideas to be borrowers from Inq28 warbands as well.

  3. Excellent idea, I’ve been working on a Sister of Sigmar hunter that is perfect.

    What’s the timeframe for entries out of interest?

    • That’s totally fine, however it’s easiest for you. Looks like a fantastic model

  4. This was a great competition, and the fact that I could create my own fluff spurred me on to finish the project! Verdion the Witch Hunter, banished by his people for his curiosity in the dark arts.

  5. There is some seriously great work! I’m not sure I’ll have time to get a witch hunter ready! Too many ideas to chose from…

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