Lords of Wintervault Gallery and Lore (Patreon)

Every month BattleYak Miniatures will release a new Battle Pack, featuring 3D printable miniature files! The December Battle Pack is the Lords of Wintervault, an enigmatic band of magical beings who appear when their other-worldy realm touches upon the mortal plane in times of deepest winter! This pack includes modular weapons, tons of customization options, bonus figures, and more!

Become a Patron now and gain access to the Lords of Wintervault here! 

Enjoy this gallery of the Lords of Wintervault miniatures and a glimpse into the story behind the faction!

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You'd better watch out...

-Fragment of a children's song, "Ode to Father Wintervault"

The stories are the same in countless cultures and traditions, wherever the land grows colder and sees darker days and feels the icy string of the winter winds. Then the tales are told while huddling indoors near roaring fires, always ending with warnings given: Stay out of the woods at night. Don't follow the sound of children's laughter. Honor the old powers and do not trespass in their sacred places.

And if you hear the sound of hooves crunching on snow, the snorting of forest stags, and the gentle jingling of bells, run. The Lords of Wintervault on are the hunt, and you may just be their quarry.

The Lords of Wintervault are not mortal beings, but entities of an other-worldly realm, a fey dimension bound to the mystical aspects of nature, of the cold winter seasons, the times of frost and snow and biting winds. Some legends say they were mortal beings once, charged with an ancient duty that bound them forever to the season of winter. Others claim that they sprang forth from the elemental power of ice and wind, shaping themselves on the legends and myths of mortals through their own strange fancy. None know for certain of their true origins, for they are older than recorded history, as old as the eternal ice that blankets the most distant lands, and as unknowable as the winter wind.

Whatever the truth, the Lords are usually content to remain hidden away in their own mystical realm of Wintervault, and generations may pass without them ever crossing paths with any mortal being. But in certain times, when winter is particularly harsh, when the power of ice and frost waxes mighty, the veil realms grows thin, and some elements of Wintervault become manifest in the worlds of mortals. In such times, mortals may tread upon the lands of the Lords of Wintervault, whether unwittingly or through scheming malice to plunder that mysterious realm's ancient secrets. In either case, the fury of winter descends upon them, as merciless as the harshest killing cold.

The instrument of Wintervault's wrath is first and foremost the Banedeer Slayers, creatures seemingly part man and part beast of the forest, with the loping hoofed legs and antler-crowned heads of stags. They stride upright, with hands like men that bear mighty enchanted weapons etched with runes of killing power and elemental frost. When an intrusion is discovered upon lands claimed by Wintervault, these beast-men form Slaypacks at the behest of their masters and charge bleating and bellowing into the wood, hunting down the foe with lethal efficiency and slaughtering them without mercy. Those who earn a worthy kill are gifted with a slaybell, and accomplished Banedeer Slayers often jangle with the sound of many such trophies while on the hunt, heightening the apprehension of their chosen prey. The leaders of Slaypacks are annointed by their master with blood daubed upon their snout, marking them as Banedeer Red-Muzzles. They are then given one single, lethal command: "Guide my slay..."

There are many entities that make up the nobility of the Lords of Wintervault, elemental fey of sorcerous power and knowledge, called by many names in countless myths and legends. Foremost among their ranks is the being known by the name Father Wintervault, though it is not his true name, nor his oldest. Since before mortal memory it has been his will that has ruled the fey courts of the Wintervault, his command that has unleashed the great Slaypacks upon their enemies, his matchless arcane might that calls down the most ferocious and terrible of blizzards. In his hand he bears the Vault Key, a mystical instrument as ancient as the realm of Wintervault itself, said to be so-named for its power to unlock all the mysteries of that mysterious realm, and unleash all of its baleful power. It is his judgment that all the winter courts turn to, to hear his verdict on those who have transgressed against the realm, whether they be found fair or foul.

The lords and ladies of Wintervault are attended in their realm by innumerable fey entities, creatures of magic and elemental power that serve their every whim and wish. The most common of these beings are the Little Helpers. These tiny elfin beings scamper and caper to and fro throughout the frozen courts of Wintervault, always carrying out some task or errand for their masters while laughing merrily. Often they craft simple icons and effigies such as wooden animals or bundles of bells, and offer them to the Banedeer Slayer for luck and protection. The beastmen solemly and gladly accept such talismans, for the gifts of the Little Helpers are no mere toys, but truly carry a measure of mystical power with them.

Despite their small size and cheerful demeanor however, they can prove exceedingly dangerous to the unwary. The pranks and illusions of the Little Helpers can lead mortal victims into deadly traps, sending them plunging off cliffs, down into pits filled with jagged icicles, or plunging through thinly frozen surfaces into chilly waters. The strange toy-like tools the Little Helpers carry for use in their various chores for their masters are enchanted and just as effective as genuine tools, enabling them to crush skulls with toy mallets and cut off limbs with their childish wooden saws. When no other options present itself, the Little Helpers can open their jaws impossibly wide, biting through muscle and bone with immensely strong and sharp teeth. In countless ways the Little Helpers can leave their victims screaming in terror and agony, all while the fiendish little creatures giggle and dance merrily, amused beyond words by the carnage they have inflicted.

Certain fey of the courts of Wintervault who attain a degree of mastery over elemental sorceries may train to become Frost-Dancers. Their mystical powers allow them to summon spirits of winter and bind them into physical form, taking the shape of capering and ghoulish creatures made of living ice and snow. Such manifestations have entered into common mortal knowledge, and feared as entities in their own right, given names like 'Abominable Snow Man' or 'Jack o' the Frost'. Skilled Frost-Dancers can conjure forth entire armies of these spirits, sending them howling and shrieking towards the enemy like a living blizzard. Such creatures are fickle and chaotic beings however, and even the Frost-Dancers who summoned them are not safe when they are unbound and left to their own devices.

For all the dangers that come from dealing with the Lords of Wintervault, some mortals of scheming and greedy nature still seek out the places where the realm of Wintervault touches upon the mortal plane. For within the boundaries of that fey place are repositories of forbidden knowledge, sacred treasures of ages long lost, and ancient power. The courts of Wintervault are guardians of these hidden secrets, long locked away from the mortal world, and for some individuals such treasures are worth the risk of crossing even those fey wintry lords.

At the heart of the fey land lies the greatest and most terrible secret of all, the very namesake of that realm, the Vault of Winter itself. Frozen in a great jagged glacier lies a vast stone fortress, its gates bound by sigils and rune-carved chains of ancient potency. Lurking at the threshold are fearsome and monstrous guards like horned, black-furred devils, answerable only to Father Wintervault himself. For it is only he who bears the Vault Key, the only instrument that may open this mysterious repository, and he has not done so since the Vault was first constructed in a time beyond time. Rumors among the fey courts hold that the Vault is no treasure-store, but a prison, for sometimes the sound of rumbling like that of an avalanche can be heard within, and frigid winds pour out from it like a gale, rattling the chains and shaking the stones.

The oldest of the Lords who partake in such rumor-mongering whisper a name among themselves not heard in an age, the name of Djad Morozk, the Grandfather...

When the nights grow long and cold, remember the tales and the old songs. Stay out of the woods at night. Do not follow the sound of laughter. Honor the Lords of Wintervault, and do not trespass in their dark and frozen kingdom.

For Father Wintervault knows whether you have been foul or fair.

And he cares not either way.

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Enjoy the latest release from Battle Yak Miniatures! Have a happy and safe holiday season and see you all in the new year! Become a Patron for new miniature releases every month in 2021!