Arkadian Poleis First Draft

Quick Disclaimer

This page is about 90% work in progress. I’m writing it solo between my full-time, cursed bills (sigh) and a vanishing social life. But ideas never stop coming, piling up in my head day after day, sometimes good, sometimes bad…you decide. Progress is slow, but this is the part of the hobby I truly love and the project keeps growing, one piece at a time.

That said, instead of leaving everything empty and outdated, what follows is a first early draft: the homebrew starting point meant to show the direction of this page and, hopefully, one day become a fully playable army with a kitbashed miniature collection.

Let me introduce you to the Arkadian Poleis!

First Draft

Am I the only one who feels that setting up miniatures should begin with a Homeric prologue? “Sing, Muse, the wrathful song of Umberogean Sigmar, that brought countless ills upon the Greenskins.” Honestly, before rolling any dice, I’d like the gods on my side.

Prostagma?! Playing the Definitive Edition of Age of Mythology again…and again…and again, I found myself wondering: how is it possible that there isn’t a Greek-themed faction in Warhammer? I cannot ignore this Olympian Omission.

After sketching out the Roman Halflings roaming the fields of Tilea, the Hellenic path was pretty much inevitable. But where can we place a civilization of Gods & Demigods, Heroes & Monsters, worshipped by democratic warrior-philosophers living in City-States?

Technically, the Peloponnesian region around Mallus is already occupied by the Border Princes and the Badlands. Ohhh those regions are pure orichalcum veins for homebrew lore! The archipelagos of the Dragon Isles, east of the Southlands and south of the Mountains of Mourn, could be the Golden Fleece of this whole project. They’re barely explored in the official lore and geographically ideal for islands and peninsulas of Ancient Greek: Crete, Mycenae, Rhodes…you get the idea. Ahhh spears and bronze helms, oracles and white temples, triremes and wooden horses. Kalòs!

Maybe this will slowly grow into a sort of Warhammer: New Realms, where all my Dionysian ideas can finally find a place. Let’s call it a middle ground between Warhammer Fantasy and Age of Sigmar. The narrative trick of the Mortal Realms and the Winds of Magic solves many problems when you have to unleash your creativity.

Anyway, back to the point! Warhammer is missing an Ancient Greek-style army. An ancient Greek-style army where divine and demonic (ehmmm mythological) influences are absolutely everywhere. Imagine immortal champions like Achilles and Heracles, inspiring ranks of hoplites and phalangites with Minotaurs and Centaurs as heavy troops. EPIC IN THE PUREST SENSE OF THE WORD. I mean, Grand Cathay can have Celestial Dragons commanding Jade Warriors, Ogres (basically Cyclopes with two eyes) and Terracotta Sentinels…come on. Did I mention that one of the mount options is a Pegasus?

The pantheon is not a new collection of gods. Instead, they are the physical manifestations of the Winds of Magic: the Anemoi. Hysh takes the role of Zeus, the Allfather, while Chamon naturally becomes a divine smith akin to Hephaestus. The Anemoi of Aqshy burns within the hearts of their 300 Spartan Cults, Azyr guides navigators through sea storms, while Ghyran breathes life into vineyards and olive groves. Each Anemoi embodies one of the eight Winds and worshipping one unlocks unique special rules and special units. If you want a Chimera, pray to Ghur!

In the City-States, or Poleis, there are no simply humans. These are mortals who have lived alongside divinities for countless generations. Which brings me to another titanic twist: this civilization is made up of Half-Elves. Pureblood Elves are fully integrated into society and are (quite obviously) the masters of seafaring. Let’s call them the Phoenicians of this setting. Besides “Phoenician” sounds suspiciously close to “Phoenix” and this should be enough to please any pointy ears. The Asurian legacy lives on in the blood of human/elves nobles, commoners and slaves alike. The inspiration comes from Atlantis and Tolkien’s Númenóreans: men and women capable of feats far beyond those of the average Bretonnian peasant. They are born to become the heroes of poems like the Iliad and the Odyssey, always chasing the favor of the Anemoi.

Chaos exists here too. Some see the Dark Gods as defeated Titans imprisoned long ago by the Anemoi. Others view them simply as part of the pantheon with only positive aspects: Khorne is the god of courage, martial prowess and athletic excellence (THIS-IS-KHOOORNE); Slaanesh as Aphrodite and Eros, goddess and god of love; Nurgle with the magic sickle is the old keeper of time, seasons and agriculture; Tzeentch serves as the patron of divination…well, nothing new there. Same gods, different stories. This also gives me exactly twelve major deities: the Eight Winds of Magic and the Four Great Gods of Chaos, just like the Olympians. The Greeks approve. Orthos!

I’m starting to put together a rough unit roster just to give a very vague idea of where this project is heading. For now, thanks for reading, and allow me to introduce the Arkadian Poleis (name absolutely temporary, but honestly not terrible).

I present the Arkadian Poleis (name absolutely temporary, but honestly not terrible), where Elves and Humans-plus strive for glory beneath the gaze of the Anemoi. After all, bronze is the strongest alloy in the Old World or the Magic Realms, when your only weak spot is a heel…

Arkadian Units

LORDS

– Strategos
– Navarch
– Sybiloracle
– Draunaweaver
– Demianemoi

HEROES

– Lochagos
– Trierarch
– Sybilmaiden
– Draunasinger
– Seyaristeroi
– Alphataur
– Brontosmith

CHARACTER MOUNTS

– Aegean Warhorse
– Pegasus of Nikaia
– White Sealions
– Diometross Great Eagle
– Proteo-Nereydos
– Manteion of Whispers

CORE UNITS

– Phalangites
– Marinauts
– Toxotai
– Peltastai
– Sarissan Cavalry
– Helotes
– Cyclops
– Satygors

SPECIAL UNITS

– Hoplites
– Gastraphetes
– Seaspears of Phenixia
– Hippikon Hegemony
– Oxybeles
– Blazing Mirrors
– Synorian Chariots
– Sons of Asteron
– Sons of Kheiron

RARE UNITS

– Hypaspistes
– Bronze Ascendants
– Athalassian Archers
– Pegasus Princes
– Mothax Poliscions
– Kheiron-Kataphracts
– Storm-Titans
– Talossus
– Katapolis Horse
– Forge of Thunderbolts
– Pharos of Alexandria

Yeah, I know. Some of these names probably look like completely random Greek words. I’ll slowly explain every unit name over time (inspiration + reference + lore) just as I did with the Roman Halflings and the Norse Dwarfs.

Armored Company Ferrea Mole Ferreo Cuore 3th

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