Tor Sír, capital of Sirfaldris in the Spiteful Peaks

The Farstriders of Ghrond seldom find themselves in their ancestral homelands; more often they are raiding abroad, spreading their dominion over others and consolidating the base of their power. Deep within the Spiteful Peaks, however, lays a dark paradise. Nestled in a series of three valleys, left temperate and fertile by the warm descending winds off the Serpent’s Spine, lies Sirfaldris. As if to mirror the spiritual balance of the light and dark sides of the elven psyche, Sirfaldris often enjoys a respite from the typical harshness of Naggaroth’s weather. Balancing the forces of nature, truly this is a place of purity, dedicated to the cruel, natural laws of Kurnous. 


Nestled at the base of the central valley, is a mighty inland lake, fed by a central underway spring and empyting out into three strong rivers that cascade down out of the Peaks. Built on and around the shores of the lake lies Tor Sír. Built in the time just following the Black Arks and founded as a testament to the glories of Nagarythe of old, Tor Sír has grown in leaps and bounds despite its remote locale. Fueled by the more pleasant weather and bountiful natural resources from local mines and waterways, combined with the spoils of raids abroad, the city is a force to be reckoned with. Here Esakh and Enlil rule without question, holding court with their family, and celebrating the ebb and flow of the winds of fate.


Tor Sír is a natural citadel, surrounding on all sides by difficult terrain – the roads and waterways into and out of the city are easily-defended, natural chokepoints. The center of the city is dominated by tremendous twin spires, which serve as palace, home, and court of the Dreadlord and Lady. Dwarven slaves erected the megalithic structure through painstaking labor, gathering materials from the ample mines of the Spiteful Peaks. Smaller than any other druchii city, size is not everything, and House Sirfalas endeavors to keep beneath the notice of the Witch King by remaining steadfastly loyal to their oaths as Naggarothi while remaining frugal in their growth and exercise of power. 

A Conflicted Psyche: House Sirfalas, Nostromo, & Alith Anar

Not all Druchii dedicate themselves to the worship of Khaine and his bloody pursuits. As the pleasure cults of Ulthuan were once the undoing of the High Elves, leading to the civil war that was the foundation of Druchii society, so too do some few of the Naggarothi belong to cults dedicated to the more virtuous, though no less terrible, elven gods of old. Kurnous the Wolf, the god of the hunt, holds special, if staunchly secret, significance to House Sirfalas. The Rootseers dance a delicate waltz with the other dreadlords of Ghrond and Naggaroth beyond. Unlike their ancestors of old, the Sirfalases do not seek open rebellion or even a rejection of the Cytharai, like their Ulthuanii cousins. Rather, Esakh and Enlil would prefer balance between the light and dark sides of the elven psyche. This heresy would see their small empire destroyed, the foundation of their power swept away, were it to ever be known to those outside the family. This balance is the key to the family’s approach to all dealings with the broader world – fair negotiations, brutal honesty, and staunchly-preserved honor, rather than treachery, hedonism, and blood-thirstiness. There is a time for brutality, a time for forthrightness, and a time for pleasure – all are measured, balanced, and executed decisively whenever the exegeses of war and peace call for them. 


Though willing to enlist the services of Khainites, none of that god’s chosen serve as inner members of the Farstrider leadership, save one – the master assassin, Nostromo. Having sworn sacred oaths to House Sirfalas in generations past, Nostromo has stood by the family for millennia, to a time before the Sundering, and his duty is to Clan first, god second. Though even he is not completely trusted, especially by the children of Esakh and Enlil. When they arise to lead the Household, Nostromo’s role may change or be eliminated; for now, he serves his Dreadlord and Mistress with unswerving loyalty. To do otherwise, would invite decisive retribution and simple removal – from the family and from this plane of existence. 


The saying goes: “Never mistake Sirfalas prudence for weakness” – for they are seldom kind and always careful, but brutal in their effectiveness. Their network of spies and informants stretches to every corner of Naggaroth, and even to their ancestral home of Nagarythe. It is here that the Shades and Dark Riders of the Farstriders of Ghrond make contact with their ancestral counterparts – the Shadow Warriors, and their Shadow King, Alith Anar. Tensions between these hated foes are held in check by shared ancient oaths under the auspices of the god Kurnous. In his deepest dreams, Esakh longs for a time when the elves may reunite – but for now, the network of spies and the tense peace House Sirfalas enjoys with the armies of the Shadow King serve both parties well as the world moves ever closer towards Chaos. 

The Druchii are massing...

...brave warriors from across Nagarythe converge under the banner of House Sirfalas, the Rootseers, the Farstriders of Ghrond...

While not painted, I'm still proud of the fact that I was able to finalize assembly on my 103 Dark Elf spearmen. They were not easy, given that 75% of them came to me through a deal and were poorly assembled and somewhat painted. They needed often to be torn down to their base components, rebased, reassembled with new bits (mostly heads, arms, and shield emblems) and then primed.

And here's a close up of my favorite standard bearer. Thought I'd do something a little different... SKULLS!

I think now I can finally start playing some games... ironically, in reading the Sundering books by Gav Thorpe, I'm beginning to empathize more with the High Elves than the Dark Elves. Even considering building a Malekith of Nagarythe High Elf army (basically cavalry, spears, White Lions, and a Prince kitted out in a way reminiscent of Malekith in the books - magic sword, spell-casting, maybe a Crown of Command). 

Stay tuned for more!