The Old Graveyard

A half day's march on the South Road from Dertflinghan will lead a brave traveller to the abandoned hills which house the Old Graveyard. Throughout the medieval and renaissance periods the nobility, as well as most upstanding merchants and artisans, buried their dead in this sacred place.


Although many of the graves and monuments have been over-taken by weeds and brambles over the centuries, some still protrude from the mist-covered undergrowth. The locals avoid this place at all costs, and if they must travel on the South Road, they always leave at first light to be sure they make it well-past the Old Graveyard by nightfall.


Entering the Graveyard:

The road from Dertflinghan eventually runs parallel along a rustic fence. It was, no doubt, constructed by a later generation in order to discourage the curious from disturbing the occupants within.


Dark sentinels watch over the entrance.



Graves & Monuments:

Although there are countless graves and markers strewn about this area, only the sturdiest and tallest still stand straight, proudly announcing the noble countenances that lie under their eternal watch.


Doubtless, once a great monument to some long-dead prince, only the bare outline of this festering pool still remains in the center of the mud-worn walk.



Mausoleums:

The richest and highest born citizens of once-mighty Dertflinghan would have never allowed their corpses to be thrown into the ground and covered in dirt like a handful of turnip seeds. Nay, the greatest men and their families would have wanted to make their mark on the land, even in death.

Always ready for the day of heavenly judgement, they believed that their piety would see them cast aside the heavy doors and walk with God incarnate during His second coming, no doubt assisting him to cast vengeful judgement on the godless sinners of the world.



The Restless Dead:

At night, the dead who refuse to quit this world often make their presence known, especially when there are mortals nearby on whom to exercise their torments. Locals claim that an angry spirit can send out dark thoughts like whispering mists that are capable of stopping a man's heart and imprisoning his spirit.


Regardless of the exact history of the Old Dertflinghan Graveyard or its occupants, one thing is sure. Only absolute desperation would bring travellers to this desolate place in daylight, and only sheer madness under the cover of the Carpathian night.

Modelled and Painted By: Jason (aka JET)

Thoughts & Commentary:

Where to begin! This project has become very addictive and satisfying. As much as I love the Old West (and I do love it), the dark and sinister (and let's not forget fantastical) environment of eastern Europe during this period is completely inspiring for me.

Continuing on in my theme of making specific table layouts or "sets," I decided that a Graveyard would be the very next logical step in the Dertflinghan environment. I started with a blister pack of grave stones from Westwind, and as I experimented with making some graves, things got out of hand. The original plan was to make a dozen graves or so, throw a fence around it, and call it a cemetery. However, as I plotted the layout of the table, I decided that I wanted a graveyard that resembled the large sprawling, tree-infested affairs made famous in classic horror movies.

I should briefly explain the ghost model. Although Chaos in Carpathia doesn't have any actual "spirit" or "ghost" units, one of the random scenario events is called ghostly voices. When I first looked at the model I knew that I wanted to paint it as a ghost. It was only recently, however, that I had an idea of how to use it. Whenever we play a scenario with the ghostly voices event I will place this model on the table near any models that lose their nerve and succumb to the ghostly presence.

I think the table will be playable, and in addition to affording players many hiding places for their models, this set offers many possibilities for scenario objectives and will certainly help to inspire us as we move the story forward.

Thanks for reading,
JET