Of all the Stormhosts created by the God-King, the Hammers of Sigmar are most often held up as the defining image of what it means to be a Stormcast Eternal. Legendary warriors such as Vandus Hammerhand, Neave Blacktalon, and Aventis Firestrike fill their ranks, and such is their might that the one who commands them all must be an exceptionally cool guy. As it turns out, he is, and his name is Bastian Carthalos.
This stunning miniature is available to pre-order from Saturday, so it seemed like the perfect time to learn more about him.
Known as the Thunderborn, Bastian was not the first of his Stormhost to be forged, yet he has stood at Sigmar’s side longer than perhaps any other living Stormcast. As a mortal man, he led his tribe against Archaon himself in the Battle of Burning Skies,* and when the tide of battle turned it was Carthalos who covered Sigmar’s retreat at great cost.
As typically happens to people who stand up to Archaon, Bastian was savaged by the Everchosen’s monstrous steed Dorghar and covered in grievous injuries. Nevertheless, he stoically held the rearguard and was the last to cross the Gates of Azyr before they were sealed shut.**
For his valour, Sigmar used one of the mythical Great Bolts to reforge Carthalos into a Stormcast Eternal and tasked him with giving the beastmen and monsters of Azyr a proper good wallop.
And wallop them he did. After being named Lord-Commander of the Hammers of Sigmar for his victory, Bastian spent much of his time directing war efforts from Azyr. Alas, with the Era of the Beast dawning, he now finds himself leading his Stormhost on the battlefield more and more.
Speaking with a thunderous voice of authority second to only Sigmar himself, his commands ring out across the din of battle and are obeyed without a moment’s hesitation.
His ability to issue commands to his Stormcast Eternals no matter where they are on the battlefield is especially useful given how much you’ll want to charge him into combat.
You see, as well as being a peerless general, Carthalos is a tremendous warrior in his own right, and with the mighty hammer Uskavar in his hand*** few can weather the storm of his assault.
This meteoric grandhammer is everything you’d want in a weapon – plenty of attacks, decent range, and awesome killing power. Compared to his brilliant strategic mind it’s blunt and direct, which is just how Bastian likes it.
Even as a mortal, his resilience was the stuff of legends, and now Bastian has the power of the ninth Great Bolt bound inside a suit of immensely powerful thunderstrike armour crafted by the duardin god Grungni. Coursing with the same energies as the anvil on which Stormcasts' souls are forged, his battle-plate fortifies his spirit and can knit all but the most lethal of injuries back together.
Will you be leading your Hammers of Sigmar into battle with Sigmar’s finest general? Make sure you pre-order Bastian Carthalos this Saturday, along with a whole war host of Stormcast Eternal allies, including a new multi-part kit for the mighty Annihilators we saw first in the Dominion boxed set.
* The climactic battle that saw Sigmar defeated by Archaon, and ushered in the Age of Chaos.
** A fact that has Sigmar sometimes jokingly refer to his general as ‘Bastian the Late’.
*** Or hands – the model includes options for both one-handed and two-handed poses.