The Relief of Plavigorica - Mark's Araby Allied Contingent Introductory Post

 

As the mist cleared, Miloš walked to the parapet, dreading to see smoke on the horizon. It was only a matter of time.

Weeks before, while the roads were still open, riders were dispatched with entreaties. His fellow voivods of the Border Princes were beleaguered and could do nothing. From Karak Azul he received silence, from Parravon platitudes, from Averheim ridicule: "You write of ‘ratmen’. The Elector cannot divert his strength in pursuit of such fantastical imaginings".

In the distance, a hawk circled, like the Skaven he knew were slowly tightening a noose around Plavigorica. Not for the first time, Miloš envied a bird’s careless freedom. It wheeled closer, as if to taunt him, then flew directly towards the walls. Miloš shouted for his falconer. 

In desperation, an appeal had even been sent to his ancestral foe, the Sultan of Arjijil. Miloš had closed his message with a defiant question: “None will aid us. Will you also answer our pleas with passivity?”.  Tightly wrapped round the falcon’s leg was a parchment with six words: “We will not.  We are coming”.

-----

I'm Mark and this is my first OWAC, having being a fan for years. I will be painting a 3^rd edition WFB Araby allied contingent.  Araby was included in the first edition lists as 'Men of the East', but not in Ravening Hordes nor Warhammer Armies.  More recently, Games Workshop revived Araby for Warmaster and the Warhammer Total War computer game.  My gaming experience only extends to about 1993, so I am using those older and newer sources, including an unofficial later WFB edition list written by Matthias Eliasson, to imagine what an Araby list might have been like, had it featured in 1988's Warhammer Armies.

Here are the forces I have gathered over the last 18 months - and I've needed the whole of that time! It's a mix of Citadel, Ral Partha, Footsore, Midlam, and Perry miniatures – all metal except for the archers,  a mix of fantasy and historical, hopefully keeping an old school vibe.

Art inspiration

I struggled a little with this but have landed on this picture from Empire in Flames, the final part of the WFRP Enemy Within campaign.   It’s not a major spoiler to say that this is a chance encounter in the wilderness with a travelling Arabyan wizard and his Estalian friend.  The depictions are clunky stereotypes, but he was the first Arabyan character I came across and he struck my interest.  My army will feature a pair on a carpet somewhat inspired by these two.  One of them will be the narrator of the short narrative blurb I’ll try to add in each month’s update.

Why Araby?

• I have been listening to the Orfeo stories on the fantastic Oldhammer Fiction Podcast.  
• Araby was not explored much as a faction back in the day, so I hadn’t seen many old-school armies.  I now know there have been some really fantastic Araby forces put together recently by Yong-Duke Kim and others. I think mine is the first one for OWAC.
• Araby is a classic Warhammer pastiche of evocative real world fantasy tropes from djinns to flying carpets, from Sinbad and the Arabian Nights to Iznogoud and the Prince of Persia.
• In these troubled political times in the real world, I think there is a much needed journey to be taken from an '80s stereotype that depicted the Arabyans as villains and implacable foes of the Old World, fought in a series of "Crusades", (with Araby characters sometimes given an evil alignment), towards a depiction where all human factions are allied against the many common enemies.
• The long-suffering football (soccer) team I support, Dundee United, have the nickname “the Arabs” – largely because back in the '60s they had to use a lot of sand on their pitch.

My contingent includes:

• 10 Arabyan Guard with spears, shields, standard & musician, concealing a Hashishin (assassin) 165 pts.
• 10 Desert Archers with standard and musician 109 pts.  1 still to recruit.
• 10 Corsairs with shields, standard and musician 209 pts.
• 2 Flying Carpets with Fakir magicians  210 pts.
• A Snake Charmer and swarm of serpents  185 pts.
• An Emir as contingent commander  91 pts.
• A Magus sorcerer  155 pts with useless familiar 1 pt. 
• A Djinn (air elemental)  ?* pts.
• Camel caravan and vizier's tent (baggage) - still being mustered... 0 pts.

Total - 1,116 pts +

* the points for an elemental range from 100 to 1,000. A 100 point elemental is one of the least cost effective things you can field, while a 1,000 point one would be practically unbeatable.