Jon Grant Miniatures

The Thorns of the Briar Queen: A Warhammer Underworlds Warband Review Introduction The Thorns of the Briar Queen had wandered through countless realms and haunted pathways of the underworlds, bound by the sorcerous malice of Nagash to their crowned mistress. From the silent depths of Shyish they were summoned once more, for the God of Death had turned his pitiless gaze upon the Spitewood of Ghyran. Something within that forest defied his dominion, and such defiance could not be permitted to endure. Mist thickened and curled as the Briar Queen slipped from the veil between worlds, her thorn-crowned form gliding above the fertile loam. At her side drifted Varclav the Cruel, once a gaoler and murderer, now a wraith shackled eternally to his crimes. Where a head should have been there hung a rusted iron cage within the folds of his hood. In his hand, he held a solitary, guttering gravecandle, its ghostly light flickering softly in an aetheric breeze. That baleful flame was the anchor of th...

The first army I truly collected for Age of Sigmar was the Nighthaunt. I now have quite a large force, all painted in a ghostly white scheme. As part of my 2026 hobby goals, I wanted to learn how to use Contrast paints properly. To that end, I decided to paint another set of The Thorns of the Briar Queen , this time in the colours of the Emerald Host, inspired by the baleful green glow of the cursed city of Dolorum. After completing the warband, I continued to practise and refine the scheme. What follows is the same approach applied to a Glaivewraith Stalker. Paints Used Grey Seer (Primer) Striking Scorpion Green (Contrast) Dark Angel Green (Contrast) Wyldwood (Contrast) Contrast Medium  Lahmian Medium Poxwalker Nuln Oil Agrax Earthshade Iron Hands Steel Runelord Brass Ironbreaker Brass Scorpion Warboss Green Skarsnik Green Nurgling Green Deepkin Flesh Gorthor Brown Karak Stone Screaming Skull Abaddon Black Contrast Plus Method The miniature was primed with Grey...

I started playing Games Workshop’s Warhammer Fantasy Battle (WFB) way back in 1990. Over the years, I’ve collected a variety of armies: the Undead, the Empire, Ogre Kingdoms, Chaos Warriors, and Daemons. When Age of Sigmar (AoS) arrived, I initially gravitated toward the Maggotkin of Nurgle—primarily as a daemon-based force that could also be used in Warhammer 40K . Eventually, I found myself drawn to the Nighthaunt gheists. Throughout my WFB days, I mostly played Undead forces. So, when the Nighthaunt emerged in AoS, they naturally became my chosen faction. I didn’t care how powerful they were on the tabletop; I was far more interested in them as a collection of miniatures to paint. How I Paint Nighthaunts On the gaming side, I’ve been hooked on Warhammer Underworlds since the release of Nightvault , the game’s second season. This was also when the Thorns of the Briar Queen were introduced—the first warband I ever played. My Thorns After several years and many warbands, I discover...

  The Wielder of the Blade [1], armed with the necromantic blade Terminus, leads the ghostly procession of the Headman’s Curse as they enter the fiery mines of Embergard. Terminus, an ancient weapon infused with dark magic, radiates an aura of death, its edge honed not just to sever flesh but to cleave the very souls of the condemned. The Bearer of the Block [2] follows closely, his spectral arms hauling a phantom chopping block, ready to receive the heads of those who’ve escaped death’s rightful claim. The Scriptor of the Sentence [3] moves with solemn purpose, inscribing the names of the doomed in ghostly ink to seal their fate by Nagash’s command, while the Sharpener of the Blade [4] trails behind, sharpening Terminus with each pass of his ghostly whetstone, amplifying the blade’s deadly chill. Together, they descend into the Emberstone-lit caverns, a harbinger of cold and final justice, even in the fiery heart of Aqshy. The Wielder’s gaze is unyielding, for with each swing of T...