Jaakko and Rugluk - Wild card month

Keeping watch over a lonely crossroads, The Owl has stood for longer than any village record can account for. Some claim it used to be a watch-post during wars against beastmen. Others insist it began life as a small monastery before ale barrels replaced prayer books.

Its sign creaks in the wind: a wide-eyed owl painted on a fading blue board.

The Owl has earned a reputation as a safe refuge on dangerous roads. Merchants, bounty hunters, pilgrims, mercenaries, and even the less reputable folk are all welcome.

There is also a rival inn farther down the road: The Weasel. Once the two inns were owned by brothers who quarreled bitterly over things long forgotten. The rivalry became a feud passed from father to son. Coachmen swear one stablemaster sabotages the other’s horseshoes. Fights are common during market season and customers argue over which inn serves better ale.

Still, when winter storms close the roads and the howling begins in the woods the hatchet is buried. Because whatever feud exists between Owl and Weasel, both know there is something worse waiting in the dark.

-------

A large dwarf camp sat beside the old roadside inn. Lanterns glowed warmly in the windows, and the smell of roasted meat drifted across the fields. Dwarfs crowded the yard, drinking from tankards, their armour stacked nearby in piles. Laughter rumbled beneath their thick beards.

From the trees above the road, Rugluk and his scouts watched in silence.

An orc beside him grunted, “We hittin’ ’em tonight, boss?”

Rugluk stared at the camp. Warm firelight. Full barrels. Fat dwarfs laughing.

”Yeah,” he muttered.

”An’ I want sum ale.”

Hello! I saved the wild card month for May in order to have a bit of a change of pace before the final push in June and July. The theme of this year’s wildcard month was determined when Graeme very kindly sent me a copy of White Dwarf 143. The issue includes instructions to build the Coaching Inn and stables, and I simply couldn’t resist having a go at it. This is the biggest single terrain piece I’ve done, and it ended up taking a large part of my hobby time this month, so no miniatures this month. Anyway, here are more photos:

Tom is actually also making a Coaching Inn and stables as his wild card. We thought it was a really fun coincidence and decided to name them as a pair after the Owl and Weasel. So, here’s The Owl-you’ll meet The Weasel a bit later.

I tried to be faithful to the original in most parts, but I did move the walls a bit so there wouldn’t be a gap between them and the inn, and I forgot a window. I also opted to make a gate that doesn’t open. I figured it would be a bit more sturdy this way.

I did some googling to see other people's versions of the build. The Lost and Very Damned blog (link) had a really nice version of the smithy and I copied some details from there while adding some further items. I might add a similar removable wall to the build later too.

A close-up of the stables. I rather like the look of the plastered walls and might make more buildings in this style in the future.

I like the inn part a lot, and I’m pretty sure it will be used on its own quite often.

I actually built a slightly modified version of the Fantasy Barn from WD 140 first as a test. I built one as a kid too, and I think it’s too tall. That's why this one is adjusted to fit the size of old cardboard houses.

I’m also working on a field and some fences to tie this one into it's surroundings, but I ran out of time. I’ll hopefully add them in later posts, along with some roadside signs.

Here are some WIP pictures. I’ll try to keep the explanations short, but feel free to ask if anything comes to mind.

The shape was first made from cardboard and foam core (after feeding the kids with things that come in cardboard boxes).

I followed my brother’s advice and covered the foam core parts and seams with paper. It’s supposed to make the structure tougher, but I later found out that it also helps a lot with the plastering.

Then some sticks, bits of XPS foam, and lots and lots and lots of small bits of cardboard.

Next, the walls were plastered with a mix of Polyfilla, fine sand, and water.

I happened to run into an ancient box of Polyfilla in December while emptying an apartment full of a literal ton of stuff. As far as I know, the last Rake hardware store closed in ’87, so the Polyfilla was clearly era-appropriate for an Oldhammer build. I had no choice but to save it and use it for the plastering.

And here's a final picture of the painted coaching inn and stables:

See you next month with a leader (or some leaders)!