The Forlorn Legion & The Order of the Blood Lion (Test Model)

Hey guys! I hope your all doing well and are as excited by the End Times and Nagash as I am!

I have been having a think and as our gaming group does not have an undead player and the new books are amazing I’m going to switch up my empire and do an Undead Empire army! Going to write a short story for the back ground of my army to help with the narrative side of things. Really don’t want to miss out on this expansion, I genuinely think it is the best product and concept GW have released to my memory!

An empire army sent out into the Kislev wastes to help relieve the kislevites from the chaotic onslaught. Only a few years prior the Kislevites had raided their garrison town taking their stores of food and killing many villagers. The nobles of both sides settled the matter amicably and no vengeance was enacted much to the anger and disgust of the common soldiery. The local empire general and elector count were too cowardly to fight themselves and lead the troops so they hired the “Order of the Blood Lion” and their Grandmaster Wilhelm Von Kurst to lead the army.

On the march toward kislev the army is ambushed by a chaotic host and are badly depleted but not defeated and they receive dire news that their home town and garrison have been sacked. All of their families and friends put to the sword by the marauding norsemen. In need of shelter the army makes way to the nearest kislev town. The kislevites demand gold to enter, paying for the scarce food and accommodation that they will have to supply. Grandmaster Wilhelm realises the dire situation and nobly donates his Order’s hire payment. Upon opening the chest gifted to them by the empire nobles he finds that it has transmuted to common iron, a vile alchemical trick! Betrayed and abandoned the army is forced to march and camp in the freezing storm that has been blowing for days.

Days turn weeks, weeks to months and the storm does not let up. Supplies and men dwindle until morale is broken, desertion and anarchy reigns. In the depths of midnight the darkness somehow grew darker, the storm fiercer and the chill colder. Out of the swirling maelstrom of the blizzard a tall and impossibly evil figure approached Grandmaster Wilhelm and offers him and his lieutenants a choice:

"Die fighting and serve me for eternity as slaves or die willingly and wreak vengeance forever on your betrayers".

Months of bitter thoughts and cursing to the midnight wind made the decision easy, Grandmaster Wilhelm accepts his fate and to prove his loyalty puts his unwilling men to death and gifted his followers with the vampric kiss. That day "The Forlon Legion" was born and it's relentless march to revenge began.....

So as you will see I have painted a test model as I was so excited using a high elf as a base. I will be using empire models going forward with a mix of conversions and vampiric models (hexwraiths, varghiests, terrorghiest, ghouls and the new Mortarchs etc). The infantry will all be ghost like as shown above as well as all the mounts (to represent the common soldiery and beasts of burden being put to the sword) and the elite knights and characters have been given the vampiric kiss in exchange for their desertion to the ranks of the unliving. This is a newly dead army so there will not be as much degradation in the armour or appearance of the “Forlorn Legion” contingent but the rest will be more standard in undead appearance.

So just now I am looking for comments on the colour scheme (I know not technically my best paint job but please comment on the colour mix and balance). I am not sure if the infantry will look to ghostly and bland in isolation? Do they need another colour? More armour? Darker weapons? Bear in mind that there will be other units balancing the army out with the basing being consistent and the beasts/infantry all ethereal?

Input would be greatly appreciated!