Kings of War: Vanguard – The Northern Alliance Gathers Hide a Secret Power
The scouting parties of the Vanguard are tasked with taking down enemy camps, stealing their supplies, and gathering information. The fighters of the Northern Alliance scour the countryside of Mantica in search of food, weapons, and fuel for their forces. They’re in preparing for something mysterious, and powerful.
The Winterlands are a nearly forgotten part if the realm that’s ravaged by freezing winds. It’s rumored that the men, elves, and other creatures that live there are led by an exiled eleven prince named Talannar Icekin. He rules from a city with shimmering ice towers – called Chill – that he created with his powerful magic.
The rumors also say that Talannar has found a great power, but it’s not known if he’s keeping it for himself, or possibly trying to keep it from reaching the lands south of the Winterlands. Maybe it’s another Abyss or a portal to the Ways, or maybe it’s the body of an ancient god or Celestian. Whatever it is, the residents of the frozen land are will to sacrifice themselves to keep it a secret. Even with this rumored power in hand, the people of the north are short on resources after their fight with the Abyss and the Green Lady. So, they venture south in raiding parties gathering what they need and preparing for the great power to be unleashed.
Before we jump in to some of the units you’ll be able to add to your Abyssal warband – you can check out the rules for free here, and you can order the rulebook and warbands here.
Huscarls
The warriors of Talannar’s force is made up from the hardy Northmen of Mantica. Clad in thick furs, they can be exiles from the Kingdom of Men, former Varangur warriors who have fallen out of favour with Korgaan and, increasingly, members of the fragmented Brotherhood looking for a new cause. No matter where they come from, once in the Winterlands they fight with a fury that would rival even the most hardened Ogre.
These are one of the warrior options for the Northern Alliance and are decent all-rounders. They’ve got 5+ in melee and shooting (rolling 3D8 and 1D8, respectively). However, Crushing Strength (1) gives them an extra boost in close combat.
Half-Elf Berserkers
Huscarls are not the fiercest fighters under Talannar’s rule. That mantel belongs to the deadly Half-Elf Berserkers that roam the wastes after being shunned by their own kind. The Elves are normally an implacable race but the freezing wind brings out a kind of fury in them, driving them to greater feats of incredible violence. In battle they become a freezing whirlwind of destruction and their shrill cries echo across the battlefield.
The Berserkers are a unit to be feared in the Northern Alliance list. With a melee stat of 4+ and 3D8 in combat, they’re going to cause some damage. What’s more, they have the Frenzy ability, which means they get extra dice when Retaliating.
Ice Naiad
Another common sight among the Northern Alliance are the Ice Naiads. After spending so much time in the chilly waters of the Winterlands, their very skin resembles hardened ice and they fight with spears tipped with crystals. Some claim the Ice Naiads fled the Trident Realm after refusing to kneel to their High King. They hoped to set up their Kingdom – far away from the influence of their homeland – but instead swore fealty to Talannar.
Another great Warrior option for the Northern Alliance, the Ice Naiad is armed with a Frost Trident that pins the target. This is great for locking enemy units into position while you pick them off with the Ice Kin Hunter or send in one of your heavy hitters.
Snow Troll
It’s not just humans and Elves that have flocked to Talannar’s banner. Somehow he has managed to tame the monstrous Snow Trolls. These lumbering beasts were once the scourge of wandering travellers but now fight for the Northern Alliance – perhaps the chill of North makes them more docile? In combat they’re clad in glittering armour but even without the protection, their thick grey fur is equally difficult to penetrate.
Thanks to the Northern Alliance’s warband ability, Talannar’s Pack, the Northern Alliance are currently one of the few warbands that can can add more than one Large model to their warband. This means it’s possible to run two Snow Trolls or a mixture of a Snow Troll and the upcoming Ice Elemental. The Snow Troll is going to be a tough unit to take out, thanks to 4+ armour saves and its ability to Regenerate. So, plant the Snow Troll on an objective and watch as your opponent tries to move it out the way.
What’s more, there’s even a command option for the Snow Troll called the Snow Troll Prime. With the Prime as your Commander, that means you could run a warband with THREE Large models in. Even the hardiest foe is going to tremble when they see three trolls charging towards them.
Try Vanguard for free – download the rules here!
