The Relief of Plavigorica - Mark's Araby contingent - June Wildcard month

This is the true history of the relief of Plavigorica. I, ibn Gudruk, write this freely. My family has not been threatened should I fail to discard any previous account that may have been erroneously made. 

We revel in the inspiration of the noble Grand Vizier who led us from the first, and delivered our victory, adding credit to the storied name of our munificent Sultan who we are grateful was spared this danger.  It was the noble Vizier who led us safely through the mirages, after all, at the Urmi wonder wall. He fought the great scorpion, and defied the Chomped Lug'ole goblins as we crossed Al-Mamalik Al-Hududiya, which the men of the Old World call "the Badlands".  The Vizier encouraged us to fortitude when we learned that much of the vitals and coin from our caravan had vanished although under his personal supervision. And surely it was he who led us against the Skaven siege lines, and after our late Emir was bested in battle, did then inspire us to prevail before the very walls.  

I wish only to return to my kin and to live quietly. Now that I have seen such heroism I shall write no more - for what other word is there to tell?

__

Postscript - Alas! Snorri ibn Gudruk tumbled into a ravine on our return journey. Alack! This tome fell with him. It was, for the main part, recovered.  Yet, as can be seen, several pages were torn out by its fall, and, despite our efforts, could not be retrieved.  This ill news I bear with sadness. Your loyal servant, Al'ad.

-----

Alkadi Nazreen's Grand Vizier, Iznobettur the Notorious, is his reluctant envoy to Plavigorica.  The Vizier's real desire is to be Sultan instead of the Sultan.  Here he rests upon a flying carpet that would have been his means of escape if the Arabyan forces had been defeated outside the city walls. He is attended by his faithful servant Wat Al'ad.  Both are Midlam miniatures.

 The Grand Vizier remains fully focused on the task at hand

Indeed, I'm imperfectly imitating the infinitely irascible Inzogoud the Infamous, (Isn't it irritating?) 

Iznogoud is another classic (if prejudiced) 20th Century source for high fantasy Araby.  In the the story, the faithful manservant is called Wat Al'af and they are constantly plotting to take over from the Caliph in Baghdad. Fortunately his schemes never prevail. 

To end on a less cynical note, I painted a part of the baggage train or camel caravan, one of my favourite things to paint in this challenge.  The slightly converted handler and left camel are from Midlam Miniatures, while the right camel is from the Perrys' Mahdist war range, with some green stuff baggage attached. 

 The hardest part was detaching the handler from the miliput base I'd put him on because he is pretty small. Unfortunately the excellent Midlam Arabian Nights range doesn't scale so well with the other figures I've used. He was going to be in the Araby Corsairs, but I'm glad I found a better place for him.

In the end just under half of this force is from Citadel (excluding animals and the wee 6mm ones for the forced perspective scene):  

Other collectors have gone a more purely Citadel route (such as Kim's excellent Araby army*) - so it can be done - but I reckon this was a more affordable way to do it.  I'm guilty of pushing the minimum limits with just 42 miniatures plus snakes. Sorry! That plus forming a list around what I gathered, are two ways I've strayed from the OWAC ideal.

I've really enjoyed assembling this force and developing the stories to go with it. These six months have flown by, like a magic carpet. Thank you for all the encouragement month by month.  See you for the wrap up in July!  

Salam.

---

Links to earlier months:

January -spears

February -bows

March - scimitars

April - carpets

May - camels

*Kim has a whole unit of Talisman Saracens! and some fantastic conversions of non-Araby miniatures in there, which definitely inspired some of my efforts.

The Relief of Plavigorica - Mark's Araby Allied Contingent - May Leader month

 Forgive my handwriting, for I write in pain but also gratitude.  Today we moved against the besiegers, emboldened by hashish, desiring to drive a wedge before the gate, to bolster the defenders and share the provisions we have.  From our Sultan’s munificence our camels were laden with dates, sherbet, flour and honey, while we ate from the land. 

Yet just before dawn, the Skaven catapults brought down part of the west wall.  Therefore, our noble Emir diverted our spearhead to defend the breach.  He met Chief Vilethrottle in single combat amid the rubble, and slew him. Alas, our Emir’s wounds are grave and may be beyond the assistance of the magi.

Our corsairs fought an immense rat ogre who towered above them. Fierce stormvermin pushed back our spears. Evil fire throwers tore holes in our ranks. Our carpets - including my own - were brought down by their jezails.  And yet, at the point of defeat, with a great shout, the starving and desperate people of Plavigorica led by Vojvod Milos, surged out, sparking panic in the Skaven ranks.  With Vilethrottle slain, their captains could not stop a rout.  

Now we rest in safety and are thankful.  Our brave Emir lies in the Vojvod's own bedchamber.  Our alchemists and the local physicians have worked through the night but he does not rally.  He said "Let it be known, my wish was again to look upon the Old World, so beloved of my youth. I am at peace".   And I, Snorri, say this now: Although we have prevailed, surely there are no victors in these wars we wage.

---

This month, I am painting the contingent’s leaders – the commander, a contingent standard bearer, and a sorcerer.

I managed to get hold of a copy of Suliman the Saracen on eBay in late 2024.  I bought a Footsore warhorse, to which I added some tassels in hope of a slightly more arabesque look. 

But the opportunity for a camel was too tempting. I think the best camels are from Perry Miniatures’ Mahdist war range. 

To get another camel through the OWAC needle, I converted a standard bearer from a Gripping Beast Arab spearman. I’d painted myself into a corner in terms of banner size, with both the archers and corsairs having pretty big flags, and I didn’t want to make this one even bigger despite it being an army standard.  So, the hastily constructed backstory is it is the personal banner of the Sultan.  Although making the journey in person would be beneath him, sending his standard shows his endorsement, and serves as an inspiring rallying point for the troops (without being too large!)

A camel's profile is similar to a horse with a lower speed but higher toughness and willpower.

• In melee, riders have a +2 save from being slightly higher up, except when facing opponents with spears or polearms, when it is the normal +1 for being mounted.
• Camels repel horses.  A horse mounted unit must make a Cl test* to charge camels. 

For my story, this contingent is sent by Alkadi Nazreen, the Sultan depicted in Brian Craig’s Orfeo trilogy**.   The Emir is his military leader. The political leader, the Grand Vizier, will be painted in June.  He is really just a well-appointed member of the baggage train, who’d rather not be sent on this trip but needs must.  

Another important leader, and one of the Magi, is the sorcerer and astronomer Al-Nrikman. He is a level 20 Magus with the ability to summon a djinn.

 

The Citadel sorcerer is the foot version of the flying carpet rider painted last month.  Byron kindly offered to send me one all the way from Tacoma, but I managed to find one in the UK, on the Demon’s Lair website.  The djinn is from Ral Partha Europe, and is the equivalent of a level 6 air elemental. 

Al-Nrikman also has an imp familiar, N’tonik, who (as far as can be told) has the worst profile in all Warhammer:

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The contingent so far:                              

January:  10 Arabyan Guard + Hashishin: 165pts

February: 10 Desert Archers:110 pts

March: 10 Araby Corsairs:198 pts

April: 2 Flying carpets ridden by fakirs and a Snake charmer: 325 pts

May:  Contingent commander: Level 20 hero on camel:109pts

Contingent standard bearer: Level 5 hero on camel with magic standard: 83pts

Sorcerer: Level 15 wizard: 155pts

Djinn: 600pts

Imp: 1pt

Total:947pts

Next month is the wildcard, which for me will be the baggage train.  More camels!

*Rider's Cool is the stat used to test for control of horses in WFB 3rd Edition - when they are spooked by fire.

**Nazreen is a convert from Estalia.  In some ways this makes him more interesting, (how did he become Sultan?), but I think a truly Arabyan character might have been better (just as Stands with A Fist from Dances with Wolves, should have been Sioux). 

The Relief of Plavigorica - Mark's Araby Allied Contingent April Rank & File-ish

We meet the dusk with sorrow.  At dawn we moved expediently toward the siege lines, the Emir urging us forward, our carpets protecting our flanks.  We routed the Skaven reserves and pursued them to their fetid engines; the air was thick with the smell of braziers. 

We did not sense the trap until we were caught between their jezails. Many martyrs fell as we faced a mass of clan rats, Chief Vile-Throttle's totem hoisted to the fore. We broke their lines but with bitter losses.  

We have yet enough strength to reach the walls of Plavigorica tomorrow.  We must.  There is no longer any choice. 

----

This month I have painted two flying carpets.  I picked up the first at the flea market at the Claymore wargames convention in Edinburgh, so I don't know the manufacturer.

This OWAC asks us to make a homage to Oldhammer artwork. I have tried to copy the Talisman  Saracen character card, and the Dwarf Lords of Legend box art, but my main art reference is this illustration from 1989's Empire in Flames, (the final instalment of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay's Enemy Within campaign). 

 

Those pages were my introduction to Warhammer's Araby.  Re-reading it in 2026, it's harder to overlook the xenophobia. The Arabyan character is called "Ali Hand' El Bar ben ibn ben Khazi". While I still quite like the "Hand' El Bar" part, his name seems pretty ignorant.  'Ibn' and 'ben', for example, have pretty much the same meaning, ('son of') and I don't think GW looked that up. 

Instead of Ali's herbalist companion, Roberto from Estalia, (a pastiche of Fawlty Towers' waiter, Manuel), I have substituted a Ral Partha dwarf scribe, Snorri Ibn Gudruk, who is in fact, the narrator of the story of the relief of Plavigorica. The human rider is Citadel, and the first miniature I bought when I decided to take on OWAC 9.

                                                                    Carpet diem!

The second flying carpet is a doll house book cover, which had seen some rough handling by my children. The rider is from Ral Partha. His original wee carpet was more like a flying beach towel.  I think this miniature has an Oldhammer cartoonish quality.

Flying carpets are controlled by Arabyan magicians through secret words of command, and cannot be animated by any other models.  They present a fast moving platform for these magic users to scout and attack the enemy from height (e.g. with fireball spells).  

Carpet bombing - riders may alternatively drop one grenade per turn on a target under the flight path. This follows the normal deviation rules for dropped objects.  Grenades should not be dropped from attack (or ground!) level as this will also hit the carpet rider.  A D20 roll of 20 indicates it has exploded before being dropped or very shortly afterwards, and the carpet and rider take the blast.  

----

Earlier in Snorri's account of the fateful journey to the Border Princes, is this passage: 

Among our camp followers is a purveyor of snake oil named Don Al-Drumf.  With an orangey pallor, the unkind speculate there is some hobgoblin in his ancestry.  Avoiding service in the Arabyan Guard due to "bone spurs", he remains a harmless (if annoying) presence in the caravan.  However, when the whim takes him, Al-Drumf can unleash deadly serpents, spreading fear and poison.  

                        

Don Al-Drumpf: snake oil salesman                                        Hegssssseff!! Venomous danger unleashed

Snake charmers allow an Araby force to field a swarm of serpents without the costly investment of magic points that arguably make 3rd edition swarms pretty much unviable.  The snake charmer works like an animal handler with the snakes otherwise following the swarm rules, and points cost.  Serpents inflict +1 strength hits (S2) against enemies without immunity to poison. Initially attacks = 7, but as the swarm incurs wounds, its number of attacks declines proportionately.  The charmer model is from Midlam, and the basket carrier is a slightly converted Gripping Beast plastic Arab spearman. The snakes are from Ral Partha.

Finally, as this is officially another rank & file month, (despite my promise in March), I have painted some extra miniatures (albeit very small ones).  This scene depicts the Arabyan vanguard being spotted by jezailachis as they approach Plavigorica.  This is a poor attempt at forced perspective using 6mm Arab figures from Irregular Miniatures, I've had since the '90s, and two photos edited together so both parts are in focus.   (The Skaven were painted before this challenge).

The Allied Contingent so far:

January:  10 Arabyan Guard + Hashishin: 165pts

February: 10 Desert Archers:110 pts

March: 10 Araby Corsairs:198 pts

April: 2 Flying Carpets with level 5 Fakir magicians: 140 pts

          Snake Charmer and Swarm of serpents: 185 pts

Total: 798 pts

I think that really is it for rank & file.  Next month: leaders.

The Relief of Plavigorica - Mark's Araby Contingent - Rank & File month 3

Four days ago it began: The first rain of our long journey. It started soon after we crossed into Al-Mamalik Al-Hududiya, which in the Old World they call the "Border Princes". 

Strange to say, we smelt it first, the acrid smoke, even before we discerned the black plumes on the horizon.

Soon we saw slain livestock amid the burned out smallholdings, then human fallen lying among the vermin dead.  None of us spoke as we picked our way along those desolate roads.  Even our camels were silent.  At Donji Most we fell upon a Skaven waggon train. We slew them to the last. For their wretched slaves, it was a mercy.  

Our astronomers' al jebra determines that in five more days we will reach the marches of Plavigorica, and the outer leaguers of the besieging ratmen.  We long to burn their engines and put the crews to the sword.  Our minds are set.  

The ash-flecked rain has stopped. That too is a mercy.  

-----------

This month I have painted some characterful old arabesque miniatures as a unit of Araby Corsairs. 

This unit includes a couple of dwarves who I imagine are almost as common in Araby, as in the Empire. The leader is Lastro Lupintal from the Dwarf Lords of Legend. I've tried to paint him like the box art. 

The front rank also has a Gripping Beast Moor standard bearer, whose banner is meant to read "Courage", a Pan Tang warrior from the Eternal Champion range with writing on his shield that says "Order", a Ral Partha gypsy, and an '80s Citadel Lord of the Rings Corsair of Umbar.  His original carved scimitar had long ago broken off (one of the thickest lead swords from the old days)- now replaced with a slimmer one from the Skeleton Horde.  

The second rank has a converted 1987 Dogs of War (Dwyer), a guard from the Midlam Arabian Nights range, a member of Mullah Aklan'd's Death Commandos (essential for any Araby force) - a caravan guard from Ral Partha, and finally, a slightly converted Norse dwarf (don't ask how he can fit his scimitar into that scabbard!). His shield is supposed to echo an Islamic crescent but this time with two moons to reflect the lunar situation of the Warhammer World.

The Death Commandos 

I thought the name "Araby Corsairs" resonated a little with the historical "Barbary Corsairs".

I know readers mostly look at this page to follow the desertification of Dundee United's pitch:

Finally, I upgraded one of last month's archers with a head swap from a Gripping Beast Arab Spearmen & Archers sprue.

The Contingent so far:

January - Arabyan Guard with spears, shields, and a hashishin 165 pts

February - Desert Archers with standard & musician and commander 110 pts 

March: 9 Araby Corsairs with standard & musician 110 pts

Led by a level 10 dwarf hero 88pts

Total so far: 473pts

Right, that's it for rank & file - next month, something a bit different! 

The Relief of Plavigorica - Mark's Araby Contingent - February Rank & File Month 2

 A hard coming we had of it. For twenty days, we trekked north across the Badlands, finding water where we could; our astronomers guiding us by night.  On the ninth day, a great scorpion rose from the  scrub before our caravan, standing higher than a man. Emir Suleiman himself slew it with his scimitar.  In the days after, six of our brothers fell to the crude arrows of the Chomped Lug'ole goblins, whose wolf riders clashed incessantly with our brave vanguard.  We buried our martyrs before the sundown in accordance with our customs.  

We were not rid of the greenskin dogs until we crossed a great ravine and the first fast running water we had seen since Al-waha al-kubra.  Now the air is cooling and the grass thickening.  We press on to the Border Princes. It is our ardent hope that we reach Plavigorica and break the siege lines of the hated Skaven before it is too late.  This is our pledge. We cannot return to Araby before it is fulfilled. 

This month I've been painting a bow unit, the Rumah-Al-Sahra or "desert archers". These are converted 1996 Bretonnian plastic longbowmen.  The standard bearer (also plastic) is from the Perry's Mahdist war range, while the commander and musician are metal Gripping Beast Moors. 

The banner is supposed to read: "Arrows of the Wind". I replaced the standard bearer's straight sword with a Skeleton Horde scimitar, aiming to make him a little less historical and more fantastical.

Infidel origins - those crenulated hoods were tricky!

Front rank

Rear rank

  Baggy trousers and curves to the knives were the main additions.

In each unit, there's a little orange for Dundee United FC, known as "the Arabs" for their sandy pitch (sports field).

                                      

 

The Contingent so far:

January - Arabyan Guard with spears, shields, and a hashishin 165 pts link

February:

• 9 Desert Archers with standard and musician: 77 pts
• Level 5 commander with light armour and bow: 33pts

     ----

See you in March. More light, more days, what could go wrong?

The Relief of Plavigorica - Araby Contingent - January Rank & File

 I, Snorri Ibn Gudruk, scribe to the house of the mighty and beneficent Alkadi Nasreen, Sultan of All He Surveys, and Scimitar of the Great Caliph, am tasked with making  account of our expedition to break the siege of Plavigorica in the Border Princes, in the far North. 

On the command of our great Sultan, our caravan was led by Emir Suleiman, who alone of our company had once set foot upon the Old World.  There in his youth, he rode horses* with the chevaliers of Bretonnia until a debt of honour was repaid.

For nine days we followed our familiar paths, skirting the edge of the Sea of Sands. From Erachti a guide led us on the northward route between oases. Nolg Al-Akar led us twelve days – alert to the stirrings of the undead and the dread mirages. Without him we would surely have succumbed, after all, to the wonder wall at Urmi.  Onwards we trekked, following the north star, shielding our faces against the sandstorms, until we sighted the first shrubs, cacti and rough grasses: the edge of the Badlands.  Here we leave behind everything most of us have ever known. We press forwards for honour, hoping to return.

*Indeed, it is often the manner of the people of the Old World to favour horses over camels even for their most noble lords.

Well here we go! This month I started with a core unit: 10 Arabyan Guard.  These were some of the first miniatures I picked up for this effort - mostly Perry Muslim Militia Spearmen.

Two very minor conversions: to create a standard bearer, and to give Chauncey from the Dogs of War range more suitably baggy trousers. He's a little Ottoman in comparison to his comrades but Warhammer's a pastiche, and he was one of the first miniatures I identified for this force.  The badly painted freehand Arabic on the shields and banner is supposed to be words like "truth", "honour", "hope" etc. Any readers of Arabic will see how mangled it is...  Those words remind me of the old Law slogans that used to be on the Arcane Armorial shield transfers that were widely used in the photos in the 3rd ed rule book.  

From left: Gripping Beast Moorish command musician,  Citadel Dogs of War, Citadel Talisman Saracen, Perry Muslim Militia, Midlam Arabian Nights Adventurer.

All Perry Muslim Militia. 

Every unit has a little orange in it (for "the Arabs": mid-table strugglers Dundee United FC)

One model that took me a while to get at a decent price, was the Talisman Saracen.  I was keen to buy one as a suitably armed leader for this spear unit, and to illustrate how Araby characters have been depicted over the years.  The original Talisman character card for the Saracen (Talisman Dungeon 1987) depicts him as an evil slaver, (with red eyes by the looks of it), while the 2016 digital edition upgrades him to neutral with a more politely phrased ability to “recruit” supporters to his cause… I’m normally squarely for the Oldhammer way, but maybe not this time.  Still, I tried to give mine the classic colour scheme:

1987

2016

Meanwhile, hidden in the ranks is a deadly hashishin:

 This one is from Citadel's C04 Thieves range, which has several classic if stereotyped Arabyan models (no doubt an Alibaba reference). 

Assassins are interesting in 3rd ed - with a flat 25 point supplementary cost, they become more cost effective the higher the level of hero - but I opted for a level 5 hero so as not to outshine the unit leader. 

My take on the Border Princes is they are the Warhammer equivalent of the Balkans. I don't think that's universally accepted. "Plavigorica" is an amalgam of the Montenegrin capital Podgorica and town of Plav, and means 'small blue mountain'.

Finally a tribute to the Spear of All Araby, Jaako the Magnificent. 

This fellow, Tom Thyksson from Bugman's Rangers is on his way to Finland, all being well.

Jings, the lack of painting daylight in January in Scotland is brutal!  See you in February!

The contingent so far:

9 Arabyan Guard with spears, shields, musician and standard bearer, led by level 5 hero 109 pts

Level 5 hashishin with throwing knives  56 pts

Total: 165 pts.

The Relief of Plavigorica - Mark's Araby Allied Contingent Introductory Post

 

As the mist cleared, Miloš walked to the parapet, dreading to see smoke on the horizon. It was only a matter of time.

Weeks before, while the roads were still open, riders were dispatched with entreaties. His fellow voivods of the Border Princes were beleaguered and could do nothing. From Karak Azul he received silence, from Parravon platitudes, from Averheim ridicule: "You write of ‘ratmen’. The Elector cannot divert his strength in pursuit of such fantastical imaginings".

In the distance, a hawk circled, like the Skaven he knew were slowly tightening a noose around Plavigorica. Not for the first time, Miloš envied a bird’s careless freedom. It wheeled closer, as if to taunt him, then flew directly towards the walls. Miloš shouted for his falconer. 

In desperation, an appeal had even been sent to his ancestral foe, the Sultan of Arjijil. Miloš had closed his message with a defiant question: “None will aid us. Will you also answer our pleas with passivity?”.  Tightly wrapped round the falcon’s leg was a parchment with six words: “We will not.  We are coming”.

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I'm Mark and this is my first OWAC, having being a fan for years. I will be painting a 3^rd edition WFB Araby allied contingent.  Araby was included in the first edition lists as 'Men of the East', but not in Ravening Hordes nor Warhammer Armies.  More recently, Games Workshop revived Araby for Warmaster and the Warhammer Total War computer game.  My gaming experience only extends to about 1993, so I am using those older and newer sources, including an unofficial later WFB edition list written by Matthias Eliasson, to imagine what an Araby list might have been like, had it featured in 1988's Warhammer Armies.

Here are the forces I have gathered over the last 18 months - and I've needed the whole of that time! It's a mix of Citadel, Ral Partha, Footsore, Midlam, and Perry miniatures – all metal except for the archers,  a mix of fantasy and historical, hopefully keeping an old school vibe.

Art inspiration

I struggled a little with this but have landed on this picture from Empire in Flames, the final part of the WFRP Enemy Within campaign.   It’s not a major spoiler to say that this is a chance encounter in the wilderness with a travelling Arabyan wizard and his Estalian friend.  The depictions are clunky stereotypes, but he was the first Arabyan character I came across and he struck my interest.  My army will feature a pair on a carpet somewhat inspired by these two.  One of them will be the narrator of the short narrative blurb I’ll try to add in each month’s update.

Why Araby?

• I have been listening to the Orfeo stories on the fantastic Oldhammer Fiction Podcast.  
• Araby was not explored much as a faction back in the day, so I hadn’t seen many old-school armies.  I now know there have been some really fantastic Araby forces put together recently by Yong-Duke Kim and others. I think mine is the first one for OWAC.
• Araby is a classic Warhammer pastiche of evocative real world fantasy tropes from djinns to flying carpets, from Sinbad and the Arabian Nights to Iznogoud and the Prince of Persia.
• In these troubled political times in the real world, I think there is a much needed journey to be taken from an '80s stereotype that depicted the Arabyans as villains and implacable foes of the Old World, fought in a series of "Crusades", (with Araby characters sometimes given an evil alignment), towards a depiction where all human factions are allied against the many common enemies.
• The long-suffering football (soccer) team I support, Dundee United, have the nickname “the Arabs” – largely because back in the '60s they had to use a lot of sand on their pitch.

My contingent includes:

• 10 Arabyan Guard with spears, shields, standard & musician, concealing a Hashishin (assassin) 165 pts.
• 10 Desert Archers with standard and musician 109 pts.  1 still to recruit.
• 10 Corsairs with shields, standard and musician 209 pts.
• 2 Flying Carpets with Fakir magicians  210 pts.
• A Snake Charmer and swarm of serpents  185 pts.
• An Emir as contingent commander  91 pts.
• A Magus sorcerer  155 pts with useless familiar 1 pt. 
• A Djinn (air elemental)  ?* pts.
• Camel caravan and vizier's tent (baggage) - still being mustered... 0 pts.

Total - 1,116 pts +

* the points for an elemental range from 100 to 1,000. A 100 point elemental is one of the least cost effective things you can field, while a 1,000 point one would be practically unbeatable.

Yosef's Estalians/Araby (286pts)

Ok so here is the beginning of the army, as I did not have so much time to paint this month, mostly due to reorganize all my hobby space...( and they were a lot of miniatures...) I went for the arabic/estalian part of the army.

So first we have 6 estalian caballeros with standard, musician and a hero lvl 5. They are all equipped with just shield. This comes to 110 for the 5 guys, an extra 44 for musicians and 39 for a  hero lvl 5    ( the sheik) so to a total of 193. For that unit i used the al muktar's riders. i enjoyed a lot painting the raiders with inks, but did not enjoyed or liked the final results on the horses, there are a bit of bland models...