Quote:Vlad's Impalers

Benito's Impalers were once one of the many mercenary regiments hired to wage war upon Vlad von Carstein during his rule over Sylvania, and, unfortunately for them, one of the more successful ones. Benito was possessed with great cunning and had the plan to replace the tips of their pikes with blessed stakes, then draw Vlad out into combat by attacking the outlying villages in Sylvania until he had no choice but to respond in person.

The plan almost worked - in their final battle, Vlad sent his personal retinue of Grave Guard into a charge against the Impalers. Many pikes found their mark, piercing through the ranks of the Grave Guard - however the Impalers had not counted on Vlad's foresight. Having learned of their plan, Vlad had his Necromancers weave a protective spell around his retinue, to reverse the effects of the blessing. Instead of being destroyed by the stakes, the pike acted as a conduit, drawing the soul of its wielder into their enemy’s body. Almost the entire regiment was turned in a moment, and the survivors doomed.

Vlad decided to reward Benito for his cunning. Instead of simply killing him and raising him as a shambling zombie, Vlad conducted an arcane ritual to strip the flesh from his bones and fusing him with the captain of his retinue. Their weapons returned and infused with an eldritch glow, the regiment, now named Vlad's Impalers after their new master, joined his army and were a terrifying force on the battlefield.

When Vlad eventually met his demise at the Siege of Altdorf, a spark of Benito's old will returned and he set about his old mercenary ways. It is said that with the appropriate sacrifice of gold on a starless night, the Impalers can be summoned to lend aid in times of great need.

THE REGIMENT

Captain: Benito Valente

Battle-cry: Though the Impalers themselves are silent, the regiment is accompanied by an eerie howling wind and the scent of the grave.

For Hire: Vlad's Impalers are a Rare choice in a Dogs of War army. They may also be hired as a Rare choice in any Warhammer army other than Brettonians, Lizardmen, High Elves or Wood Elves.

Points: Benito Valente and 9 Impalers, including a standard bearer and musician, may be hired for a total of 375 points. The size of the regiment may be increased at the cost of 15 points per model.

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
Benito Valente 4 4 0 4 5 3 4 3 9
Impaler 4 3 0 4 4 1 3 2 5

Unit Size: 10+

Unit Type: Infantry

Equipment: Benito is equipped with heavy armour, a shield, the Sword of Souls and the Eternal Talisman. The Impalers are equipped with hand weapons, pikes and heavy armour. The standard bearer carries the Standard of Ceaseless Unrest.

Special Rules: Fear, Unbreakable, Unstable

Wight Blades: The weapons carried by the Impalers are infused with an eerie green glow, severing souls from bodies as easily as they part flesh. All attacks made by the Impalers (including Benito) are Magical and have the Killing Blow rule.

Independent: Vlad's Impalers are a completely independently acting unit. Benito and the Impalers will never use the Leadership of the General, even if it is better than his own. Additionally, the Impalers cannot be joined by any characters.

Soulbound: The curse inflicted on the impalers fused their souls to their bodies. Unlike other units of Undead, the Impalers never need to take Crumble tests.

Pikes: Pikes require two hands and fight in 3 Extra Ranks.
A unit of pikemen strikes first in the initial round of close combat, even before chariot impact hits and models with Always Strikes First.
Models armed with pikes receive a +1 Strength bonus in the Close Combat phase of the turn they are charged by anything except infantry and swarms. Note that this bonus only applies to attacks directed against the above charging units, not against other units.
All of these special rules cannot be used against enemy units fighting to the Pikemen's flank or rear.
[NOTE: This to be updated to whatever the rules for Pikes are in the latest Dogs of War Army book]

Magic Items

The Sword of Souls (Magic Weapon)
The Sword of Souls unerringly seeks the threads linking body and soul - once parted, the unholy energy stokes the winds of magic into a fury.
Benito may reroll failed to hit rolls. Whenever Benito kills an enemy model, you gain one additional power dice in your next magic phase (e.g. if Benito kills 1 model in your combat phase and 2 in your opponent's combat phase, you would gain 3 power dice in your next magic phase).

The Eternal Talisman (Enchanted Item)
Necromantic magic suffuses this ancient talisman shaped in the form of the Ouroborous, the eternal snake. The arcane power animating the Impalers loops back and fuels the talisman, just as it sustains the unholy unlife of its owner.
The Eternal Talisman grants Benito a 6+ Ward Save. This save is improved by the Impalers current rank bonus (e.g. if the Impalers have 3 ranks, they have a +2 rank bonus and therefore this save is increased to 4+).
In addition, Benito can never lose wounds as a result of the Unstable rule.

Standard of Ceaseless Unrest (Magic Banner)
This grim banner is crafted from the tattered uniforms of the foes slain by the Impalers, and saturated in dark magic. It compels the Impalers to continue with their mission, calling them back from the grave whenever they fall.

The Standard of Ceaseless Unrest contains a Bound Spell with a power level of 7+. This is an Augment spell which may only be cast on the Impalers. When cast, it restores D6 wounds to the Impalers. First, if Benito is still present, restore any wounds he has lost. Then, replace the musician if he has been slain. If the unit only consists of one rank, you must then increase the frontage of the unit to at least 5 models. Any remaining models are raised to fill out the rear ranks.

Quote:The Red Redemption was born during the bitter religious wars fought between the Men of the West and the swarthy Arabians. Amongst the countless factions of crusading warriors, those known only as the Brotherhood were surely the most feared and the most powerful.

As with all protracted wars, there were long periods of inactivity, whilst supplies were organised, spies sent out or paltry scouting missions undertaken. Such lulls were anathema to the more zealous of the warrior-priests of the Brotherhood . They hated sitting around whilst they knew the Arabians were out there being, well, downright Arabian.

Eroneus Balbadron was one such frustrated fanatic. Eroneus fell into a black mood whenever the fighting got held up. Each stoppage caused his moods to become even blacker; indeed, legend has it that his skin and hair turned completely black during this time. His frustration turned easily to anger, and the anger grew inside him until it was almost a palpable thing. He sought solace in the holy books of the Brotherhood, but to no avail. His anger grew and grew until he became crazed and twisted with it. His hatred of Arabians became a hatred for all.

Presently, a very strange thing happened that was to change the course of Eroneus's life, and the lives of countless others also. It was a dark evening, and the Brotherhood had just captured the ruins of an ancient temple from a group of Arabians. The enemy had hardly put up any resistance, and the fight had been a most disappointing affair. It was as he searched the ruins for any signs of the enemy that Eroneus saw a curious book, its cover barely visible as it lay on the floor. Eroneus compulsively picked it up and sought secrecy in the ruined remains of a sunken room.

Eroneus placed his torch in a bracket by the wall, and feverishly spread the book in front of him. Kneeling before it he began to read. To say that what he read was a bombshell would understate the impact that the volume had on him. In truth his crazed mind could not at first believe that it was possible: this aged book contained the truth. Eroneus was overwhelmed by a feeling of physical, spiritual and mental Redemption. The book was a sacred scripture dedicated to and revering the Chaos God of Khorne. Khorne the black God of Battle, the dark Lord of Slaughter, the thirsting God of Blood!

At once Eroneus felt his links with the Brotherhood, and with humanity, permanently broken. In a fever of ecstasy he pounded his face against the chamber walls until all that remained was ... well, little enough remained to betray the fact that he had once been human. Only then did he see the black robes and iron masks that hung upon the chamber walls. The iron mask was unnaturally hot and seared his face as he put it on. The black robes soaked the blood from his armour. Eroneus had become the first and greatest of the Redemptionists, the Master of the Redemption, and his cry was, 'Be redeemed through blood, saved through slaughter.'

Quickly slaying his former comrades in a chaotic commando-style exercise of carnage, Eroneus fled into the world at large. His objectives were unclear, but he was certain that people of the right persuasion would be sure to welcome enlightenment. He was right.

Only a few years after the incident of the Brother-slaying, the cult of the Red Redemption had become established throughout the Old World. In the secret temples of the cult, initiates were introduced to the vile and bloody ways of the mighty God Khorne The skin was ritually flayed from the face and torso of each initiate. Glowing hot iron face masks and cuirasses formed a now and tougher skin. At last they were permitted to wear the black robes of Khorne. Of course, this resulted in all of the Disciples of the Red Redemption suffering from total and irrevocable madness, but that really didn't bother them too much. (They were more concerned in shedding the blood of heretics, as members of the countless groups of Disciples then spreading the ways of Khorne in the world.)

One such group is Darkhoth's Disciples of the Red Redemption. Darkhoth is said to have been initiated by the Master of the Redemption himself, a great honour indeed. His power is such that he can command a group of up to 40 Disciples. The key to this power is the large black book that he always carries - the Darkhold. This is a transcript of the original scriptive book discovered by Eroneus. It is a very powerful magic item, although its uses are confined to cult practices. Merely looking at the pages of this book would drive any living being insane. The Disciples are immune to this by dint of them already having achieved this particular state of mind. Darkhoth is able to read passages from this book, and herein lies his power. A passage read from the book gives Darkhoth absolute power over any Disciples who hear him. During the initiation ceremony, Darkhoth reads a special passage from the book which so assaults the mind of the initiate that his personality is forever shattered. Darkhoth assesses the suitability of the initiate for cult membership by his reaction. If the initiate reacts with extreme violence, this is judged to be good, and he is prepared for flaying and encasement in glowing iron. If the initiate fails to react with sufficient violence, he is given up as a sacrifice to Khorne.

EQUIPMENT Flail, shield and mail armour. Rather than a shield Darkhoth carries an additional hand weapon, allowing him to fight double handed.
Mordrid the Champion carries no shield or flail, but has a double-handed flail instead.

BATTLECRY Be redeemed through blood
DEEDS Spreading the ways of Khorne through the Old World by means of slaughter, destruction, arson, murder and the propagation of insanity.
SHIELD The shield, banners and the robes of the Disciples all carry the symbols of the God Khorne.
UNIFORMS The robes of the Disciples are black, edged in red. All equipment tends to be black, or dark colours.

PROFILES - 2nd edition

M WS BS S T W I A Ld Int Cl WP POINTS
Darkhoth
Warrior-Priest of the Red Redemption (73.5 points) M-4 WS-6 BS-5 S-4 T-5 W-2 I-4 A-2 LD-10 (And the older editionextra stats Int-6 Cl-10 WP10)
Mordrid the Manic
Champion of the Redemption (12 Points) M-4 WS-5 BS-4 S-4 T-4 W-1 I-3 A-1 LD-10 (Other stuff 5 10 10)
Disciple of the Red Redemption (9.5 Points) M-4 WS-4 BS-3 S-3 T-4 W-1 I-2 A-1 LD-10 (other stuff 5 10 10)
Standard = 45
Horn = 19