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Hi!

Double post today!

We’ve finally managed to have access to our 3D printer and produce a full squadron of Nadvidian Storm Barges.

We have chosen this model for its relative simplicity (we are still learning to master 3D printing) and must say we are very satisfied with the results (the minis may need a bit of final polishing).

Next in pipe is the mighty Glacier Fortress, a big piece that due to its size will probably be a bit of a challenge.

Stay tuned!!

Hi!

another warship joins the Neghorrethian fleet .

Besides having learned to harness lightning energy to their means, the Necralchemists are the supreme manipulators of matter, capable of creating concoctions and poisonous gasses employed as lethal weapons by one of the most dreaded vessel of their fleet.

Until next time!

The Bringers hosts under their bridges alchemical mills for the creation of the Miasma Orbs, glassy spheres in which Neghorrethian sorcerers entrap lethal fumes produced burning in infernal distillers strange mixtures of mystical components which may incorporate tiny shards of rare and powerful Ambergis.

The front mortar cannon of the Bringer can lob the Orbs at great distance suffocating enemy vessels with the lethal fumes released on impact by the spheres.

Working their arts directly under the deck of the vessel, the Necralchemists can mix the concoctions used to distil the vapours enshrined in the Orbs in the most diverse ways, creating projectile with distinctive effects and tactical capabilities keeping with the impending necessities of the battle.

The intrinsic unpredictability of the magic used to create the miasmas may lead to the creation of ineffective Orbs, and a fatal mistake during their production may lead to destructive consequences on the Bringer itself.

Fired Orbs missing their targets may remain unbroken floating on the surface of the sea as a lethal hazard for any ship unfortunate enough to collide with them.

A large iris hatch opening from the bow of the Barge can release lethal Orbs on the wake of the warship plaguing the seascape with a chain of deadly obstacles to stave off enemies vessels.

The cargo bays of the Barge can store scarce quantities of the alchemical components needed to distil Orb fumes due to the bulkiness of the trappings needed for their production limiting the number of Miasma Orbs available in battle.

Hi!

In the wake of the mighty Great Operator a new lethal warship joins the Necralchemist war fleet.

Stay tuned until next time !

The backbone of the Necralchemists fleet, the Bolt Barge is a floating energy accumulator capable of discharging devastating leashes of lightning energy.

Nearly the whole body of this long flat-bottomed vessel is occupied by a gigantic metal rod directly connected by an intricacy of thick cables to the alchemical battery carried in its hold.

Under the control of a Necralchemist the energy released by the Barge can manifest itself as single bolts of searing power, forked lightning bolts or burning balls of white plasma, depending on the power released by the accumulator and on the arcane abilities of the Sorcerer.

A Great Operator navigating in proximity of a Barge can recharge its battery reaching with a lightning arc from its mechanical appendages the antenna rising from its dome, extending or boosting the vessel offensive capabilities.

When the commanding sorcerer is lost in battle leaving the crew unable to man the lighting weapon, the energy trapped into the accumulator is left without any controlling power eventually discharging onto nearby ships or directly on the barge itself.

Hi!

Even if all the warships of the Nadividian Fleet (the Frozen Dead) has been sculpted we are unable, due to the current Covid situation, to make some 3D prints of the models and verify is modifications are needed in view of a future series production and a new Kickstarter.

As mentioned in our last post work has continued on the wargame rules and the design of new fleets based on the developing GRAVETIDES background.

Once the new fleets concepts will be completed we will put them on vote here and on Facebook to designate the next one to be sculpted.

This post introduces a new Realm detailing the Admiral warship of its fleet, giving some glimpses of the catastrophic event that changed forever the face and the nature of the GRAVETIDES world.

Hope you’ll like it.

THE ALCHEMICAL NECROREGES
(The Necralchemists of Neghorreth)

Before the Arrival of the Defiler the isle of Neghorreth was an autonomous and anarchic free zone where sorcerers from all realms gathered to practice and experiment forms of magic considered immoral or forbidden in their realms of origin.

The two major cities of the isle were home to formal and clandestine sorcerer guilds more then often at odds with each other and only united in temporary alliances when common advantage could be obtained.

The Alchemist, supreme manipulators of substances and energy, hosted their workshops in the summits of the high towers that even today spot the landscape of the abandoned places that once were the towns of Neghorreth.

For centuries, through intricate apparatuses and the aid of magic, Alchemists have learned to produce the very same lighting energy of the storms, trapping its essence in mystical recipients from which it is extracted to propel complex machines, give life to alchemical construct or energize spellcasting.

Ancient chronicles narrate that the Defiler entered the world of Gravetides in Neghorreth through a crack in reality caused by the backfire of a forbidden ritual performed by an occult cabal of sorcerer.

The all-devouring parasite manifested at first through The Blight, an horrific plague that spread through all Neghorreth, later relentlessly tainting every aspect of the isle natural life.

Only a few sorcerers realized since the first days of the Arrival that a permanent change in the flows of magical energies had occurred, dramatically altering spell casting and changing forever the face of the world of Gravetides.

Following the spread of The Blight the population of Neghorreth was pushed out of the isle to the nearest mainland territories where the new settlements grew in a few years into a sprawling city state.

After a brief period of struggles the sorcerers guild of the Alchemists ascended to become the dominant caste taking the newly funded realm, named Neghorreth as their former home, into their own hands.

Expeditions led by reckless mercenaries and rogue sorcerers where sent back by the Alchemists to the plagued isle to retrieve mystical tomes or magical objects left behind in the wake of the exodus.

The ones that that returned brought back stories of perverted landscapes, corrupted animals and unnatural and twisted phenomena far beyond the ones witnessed during the plague.

The Alchemist rulers of the new Neghorreth were thus the first to grasp the true essence of The Blight and its implications, realizing the impending doom poised to overwhelm their realm and the whole world of Gravetides.

While manifestations of the presence of the Defiler grew more threatening the sorcerers of Neghorreth took the ultimate path turning themselves into undead abominations, casting the impossibly powerful spell that transformed their dominion into the first of the Necrorealms.

For the liche caste now dominating Neghorreth the essence of life is separated from conscience and can be replicated manipulating and catalyzing lightning matters of different nature.

The undeath of the Necralchemists is sustained by periodically injecting their lifeless husks with obscure concoctions that interact with the mystical power hoarded into metal or glassy containers strapped to their bodies.

Being capable of reanimating even single parts of a corpse the creations and servants of the Necralchemists, like the aberrant Simulacra, are monstrous merges of limbs and body parts surgically attached to arcane contraptions moved by the same mystical canisters that keep the Necralchemist liches from being elaborately embellished carcasses.

Reflecting the nature of the Necralchemists, the warships of the Neghorrethian fleet are complex mechanical feats propelled by lightning energy and alchemical mixtures, also employed to power the deadly weapons of its vessels.

While the lethal discharge of these offensive means can raze enemy ships and decimate their crews while their flows of deadly energies must be continuously kept under control by the Necralchemist on board of the warships preventing erratic interactions with nearby vessels or their path deviation towards unwanted directions.

THE GREAT OPERATOR
(Neghorrethian Admiral Ship)

The Necralchemists have modeled the Admiral Ship of the Neghorrethian fleet after the arcane machinery employed in the creation of their undead servants.

Elongated appendages bearing devices of destruction sprout from the sides of its monumental body animated by lighting bolts cast from intricate metallic towers rising from its bridge.

A gigantic lightning generator fueled by alchemical magic hosted in its aft castle propels the vessel engines energizing the coils that gives life to the lethal extremities that form the vessel main armament.

This massive machine is so powerful that is can cast waves of lightning energy to other warships of the Necralchemists fleet recharging their engines or boosting their weapons power.

Despite requiring additional focusing from the on board sorcerers, the flow of lightning can be concentrated on single appendages making their lighting to strike enemy ship from a long distance with violent bolts of energy.

In the event of the destruction or incapacitation of the sorcerers manning the generator and controlling the Operator weapons they may go haywire turning into a threat for the Necralchemist fleet itself when the lightning energy is violently discharged through them without any form of restrain.

To round its offensive power the Great Operator carries the Thunder Mortar, a huge artillery piece powered by a volatile explosive mixture capable of projecting spiked metal spheres containing a lightning accumulator that releases violently its energy on its targets flooding the area of impact with wild lighting energy that burns through the air destroying everything in its surroundings.

Due to the complexity of its fabrication Thunder Mortar ammunition is very scarce forcing the Operator commander to take every tactical factor in consideration before using this devastating weapon.

Mortar spheres fired into open sea areas due to ballistic miscalculations may unleash bolts of uncontrolled energy in every directions striking nearby vessels without distinguishing allies from foes.

The Great Operator is one of the most powerful Admiral ships in the GRAVETIDES world with the tight dependency on its Necralchemists officers capability to control the vessel energy flows being its only true weakness.

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Hi!

The last of the Nadividian fleet warship, the deadly Frozen Galley, is finally ready, thus completing the war fleet of the Frost Necroreges of Gravetides.

Here it is a virtual shot of the Frost Necroreges fleet as a whole, where a couple of Frozen Galleys is accompanied by a Strombarge and a Hailstone Mortar squadron, all lead into battle by their Admiral Flagship, the mighty Glacier Fortress.

And now…what’s next ?

The completion of the Nadividian fleet is an important milestone for the Gravetides project, that required the investment of all the earnings of our first undead fleet Kickstarter (that were spent on a digital sculpting course and to partially finance the purchase of a digital tablet) and a sizeable commitment of our free time.

When the stars will be right (at present time we cannot commit to any real plan) our general idea is to make another Kickstarter for this fleet, but we remain open to other suggestions and possibilities.

While the sculpting progressed we worked in parallel at the development of the Gravetides wargaming rule set and the background of the same-named fantasy world in which our fleets wage battle.

The details of more than half-dozen of other fleets have been already written (a couple of them, the Vampires and the Fire Necroreges, have already been published on this site and on Facebook) and their visuals, that in turn influences their initial description and characteristic, are being sketched.

The general Gravetides background, that revolves around the ancient invasion of a parasitic ecosystem from another reality known as ‘The Defiler’ and its consequences on the work of magic, has been laid out and will be further developed as new fleets (and thus races and realms) are added to it.

As already done in the past, the next fleet to be sculpted will be chosen by a new ‘survey’ on our site and on Facebook, whose result will decide the ‘winning’ fleet.

The main body of the rule set, that has seen a lot of changes and second thoughts, is ready and has been partially play tested even if not as much as we would have liked (the current virus situation does not help).

Anyway, we think is now time to cease waiting and modify the rules publishing as soon as our free time permits a PDF of their core to give a feel of the game and to collect feedback and impressions that will help its further developments.

If you like what you have seen an read continue to follow us here and on our Facebook page.

Comments and suggestions are more than welcomed !

Stay tuned!

– Res In Aere

Hi!

Despite the horrible situation that has overwhelmed us all, work have continued on the Nadvidian Fleet with the last warship, the Frozen Galley, being currently worked on.

The long shape of the Frozen Galley, moved by oars and by strangely shaped sails, is interrupted by two high ice lanterns rising from its bow and stern radiating from the inside with a pale blue light.

Imbued by Frost Sorcerer with magical energy, the lanterns can project a short range cold ray that can inflict devastating losses to enemy crews as the galley ram shatters their vessel’s hull.

Aiming the light of the lanterns directly to the surface of sea waters creates ice masses that can be pushed by the same cold rays to crash against enemy warships or used as obstacles that intefere with their manuevers.

Stay tuned for the finished model.

In the meantime, wash your hands and stay safe!

Hi!

The Hailstone Mortar, the third warship of the Nadvidian fleet is finally ready.

It took a bit more then usual but this is the most complex model we’ve tackled so far and we must say that we are rather satisfied with the result.

Additionally a good amount of our free time has been dedicated to the set up of our 3D printing gear, a marvelous Elegoo Mars Pro we’ve been lucky enough to acquire, that have already been put to good use printing the classic Rook model (the ‘Hello World’ of 3D printing).

As usual, stay tuned!

Hi!

Another quick update to show some renderings of the progress of the Hailstone Mortar sculpting.

A lot has yet to be done but the warship is finally taking its final shape.

Stay tuned !

Hi!

A few very very WIP photos of the Hailstone Mortar warship.

A lot of sculpting is yet to be done as the sails are mostly incomplete, the hull is just sketched out (oar rows are missing among other things) and overall details are yet to be added.

The shape of this small ship is dominated by a huge gun propelled by magic devised to fire at long distances clusters of frozen ice chunks that raining on enemy vessels can cause extensive damage reaping casualties among their crews.

This powerful artillery warship was devised by the Frost Necromages to remedy to the short range of the magical weapons of the Nadvidian fleet even if its effectiveness is only second to its unpredictability as its projectiles often deviate from their intended target despite the efforts of the sorcerer operating the weapon.

Stay tuned as always.

Hi!

We have finally managed to put together all the pieces of the Glacier Fortress that due to some geometry problems had to be printed in two separate sessions.

This first printing has highlighted both the need of some tweaking for a better joining of the walls to the iceberg and that it could be better to scale the model up to 8 cm in diameter (now it is 6 cm) to better represent the mightiness of the Fortress.

Sculpting of the Hail Mortar is in progress – stay tuned as always!