It occurred to me yesterday that I had themes for both of my Chaos Space Marine projects but not the Tomb Kings. Now, I want the army to be balanced and rather general but at the very least I need a colour scheme. So I cracked open the Tomb Kings book and started to read. On page 36 a small box-out entitled “Amanhotp the Intolerant” really caught my eye:
“During the time of the Desertblood Crusades, a regiment of Bretonnian Knights returned from Nehekhara with the remains of what they believed to be Duke Cheldric, a hero whose daring quest into the Land of the Dead was the stuff of legend. However, the Knights had actually returned to the Old World with the mummified body of King Amanhotep the Intolerant, who awakened after unknowingly being paraded up and down the length of Bretonnia and carried across a score of battlefields by zealous Battle Pilgrims. Amanhotep's wrath was great indeed, and he singlehandedly slaughtered the inhabitants of dozens of towns before returning to his sarcophagus in Zandri.”
The moment I read that I knew I had my army general. I do sort of imagine an undead Victor Meldrew grumbling his way across Bretonnia as he casually slaughters the knights and peasants “selfishly getting in his way”. I used to have a Bretonnian army so I'll be raiding my bits box to furnish my characters with trophies of past victories. I might even be able to find a Bretonnian player and have a grudge match series with them.
There isn't much background for Zandri. Its identified on the map as “the Fleetport of Terror” though that doesn't suggest any particular theme for the army. Of more help is a brief mention on page 17 under Legions of Legend to “the Zandri Blackshields”.
So now I have a general, a name for the army and a unifying colour element. Black is the one colour I feel can still be relied upon and it'll give me an ideal chance to practice highlighting. It should also look nice and stark against the legion of bone warriors, especially if I give the shields a gloss varnish.
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