Age of Sigmar: Ruination Chamber Opens To Reveal The New Reclusians
The Reclusians are being hailed as the “most battle-hardened Stormcast Eternals” in the game. Now it’s time for a first look at their models!
From the lore and the trailer for the new edition we know that the Stormcasts have been slowing changing overtime. The re-forging process, while granting effective immortality to the Stormcast Eternal, strips away bits and pieces of the soul. Eventually, what’s left is still a Stormcast Eternal but one that’s a bit more of a “shadow” or “husk” without any of their former humanity left. That leads us to the Ruination Chamber and the first of their kind to enter the game: The Reclusians.
“No more than a handful of reforgings away from losing themselves completely, the Reclusians had been sequestered in quiet contemplation – but the need is too great, the hour too dire for these stalwarts to remain at peace. They are unflinching in battle, striding into the most inhospitable battlefields, their lightning-scoured souls shrugging off the corrupting influence of Chaos.”
Stormcast Eternal Reclusians
So far, so good — they at least look the part of a veteran warrior as they are covered in extras. The extra little details are nice like the scrolls and chains. Also note their badge is different as well. It’s an ominous skull that you can also see on the shield, too.
What exactly is going on with these Stormcasts Eternals anyhow? Well, GW puts it like this:
“After countless reforgings over centuries of service to the God-king, the gift of immortality becomes a curse, and these Stormcasts’ humanity has slowly eroded away. They may have forgotten their old friends and blood relations, their place of origin, or even their own battle-scarred histories. Some may have strange supernatural phenomena manifesting around them, speak with voices of thunder, or have lost their ability to dream of a better life.”
Clearly the reforging process has had some unintended consequences. Did Sigmar know this would eventually happen? Did he just not care? That’s what the whole campaign of “Sigmar Lied” was all about — and it wasn’t some chaos cult spreading those ideas.
Does this reframe Sigmar in a different light? Maybe he’s not the benevolent liberator he’s been portrayed as afterall. I’ll let you sort that out for yourselves in the comments. The good news is we’re getting some new models for the Reclusians beyond the one picture above.
If you’re wondering who the other miniature is (the mortal next to them) that is a Memorian. This is a mortal priest who accompanies the Reclusians. What’s neat is that often these are the mortal descendants of the Stormcast Eternal they are traveling with. They serve as a reminder and anchor for the Reclusian to help them maintain what’s left of their humanity. I have a feeling that if they are slain in combat that the Reclusian might go a little haywire…
What do you think of these new Stormcast Eternals as models and as tragic heroes for Sigmar?
