By Crom! The Barbarian Clans Gather

The call blew through the frozen wastes on the north wind, carried along with the sleet and snow. ‘Gather’ it said, ‘for promises must be kept and pacts must be honoured…’

Through the mountain passes they came, streaming over barely trodden paths through valleys and ravines until they arrived at the Great Meeting Place. Surrounded by ancient totems and tattered prayer flags, this low depression among the snowy peaks had been a neutral gathering spot since time immemorial: a place for warring clans to negotiate peace, for dynastic claims to be settled and for disparate tribes to gather for invasion.

And it was for the latter that they now came, for the Hallowed was calling...

First came the warriors. Softer, more ‘civilised’ folk may have denigrated them as thugs, but in their own hearts these barbarian fighters knew themselves as the mainstay of their tribes: the rank and file, if such things existed in their savage battle tactics. They came first, eager to show off their prowess and perhaps gain the patronage of a powerful lord through valour in battle.

Next a smaller group slunk down the slopes. Faster and more agile than their kin, these thieves and treasure hunters had had time to scout around the meeting place before revealing themselves. Clever and cunning: if they had chanced to pounce upon the stragglers and relieve them of a knickknack or two, then where was the harm in that?

I’ve made a start on the plastic barbarian models from the Northstar box set (give or take the odd piece from my other kits) and lovely miniatures they are too. This first lot are thugs, thieves and treasure hunters.

As per my Gnolls, I started off by looking at the scenarios and barbarian encounter table in the Forgotten Pacts supplement, and worked out the minimum requirement (assuming two players) as follows:-

2 treasure hunters

4 thugs

1 infantryman

1 thief

2 men at arms

2 knights

2 templars

Approx 7 berserkers (this is to cover the 'Enemies Without Number' scenario, where I intend to make up the numbers with infantrymen and templars as berserker stand-ins).

I already have a couple of wizard miniatures that will do for Balkren, the barbarian summoner, so that just leaves Kornovik the outcast. Northstar are releasing a lovely miniature for him (and his rhino), but it will remain to be seen if I can afford it!