Warhammer Underworlds - Direchasm warbands

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Checkout my Warhammer Underworlds - Contents Page for more articles.

Season 4 of Warhammer Underworld saw our warbands continue to explore the Beastgrave. As the story moved on some of the warbands entered the setting with a quest to seal the mountain. By the end of season 4 most factions for Age of Sigmar now had a warband in Underworlds. Direchasm was a notable season for me as it was released during the first year of the Covid pandemic. The release schedule of the warbands was punishing and I fell behind with my painting. I moved away a little from Warhammer Underworlds and did not really come back until Gnarlwood. As such I have painted some but not all the warbands. This season continues to be a work in progress.

Kainan's Reapers

Grand Alliance: Death (Ossiarch Bonereapers)

Number of fighters: 6 (Total of 17 wounds)

Access to magic: One level 1 wizard

Top Cards

  • Objectives:
    • Gruesome Certainty 
    • Pride of the Emissarian Caste
    • Created for War
  • Gambits:
    • Exceptional Efficiency
    • Methodical Assault
    • F
  • Upgrades:
    • Empowered Nadarite
    • Unerving Synchrony
    • Unstoppable Juggernaut

Play Style: Aggro (Horde)

Kainan's Reapers are a group of Ossiarch Bonereapers. They are one of my favourite warbands. I really enjoyed painting the different bone colours for the armour and the actual skeletons. This warband was also the one on which I tried to learn how to blend to create the shiny effect on the weapons. 


Khagra's Ravagers

Grand Alliance: Chaos (Slaves to Darkness)

Number of fighters: 4 (Total of 15 wounds)

Access to magic: One level 2 wizard

Top Cards

  • Objectives:
    • A
    • B
    • C
  • Gambits:
    • D
    • E
    • F
  • Upgrades:
    • G
    • H
    • I

Play Style: 


Khagra's Ravagers are a group of Chaos Warriors. I painted this warband up to have dark metal armour. I wanted to avoid the 'traditional' black plate that GW uses and go for a more realistic metal. I also attempted some object source lighting on the wizard. 


Starblood Stalkers

Grand Alliance: Order (Seraphon)

Number of fighters: 6 (Total of 15 wounds)

Access to magic: No wizard

Top Cards

  • Objectives:
    • A
    • B
    • C
  • Gambits:
    • D
    • E
    • F
  • Upgrades:
    • G
    • H
    • I
Play Style: Flex (Hold)

The Starblood Stalker are a group of Seraphon. The unit is mainly made up of Skinks but also includes a Saurus Warrior. I want to paint my Seraphon with a green flesh tone rather than the standard blue. I used my How I Paint Seraphon flesh guide.


Myari's Purifiers

Grand Alliance: Order (Lumineth Realm Lords)

Number of fighters: 4 (Total of 12 wounds)

Access to magic: One level 2 wizard

Top Cards

  • Objectives:
    • Elemental Blessing
    • Purifying Light
    • Pursuit of Excellence
  • Gambits:
    • Channel the River
    • Channel the Wind
    • Dazzling Light
  • Upgrades:
    • Hearthstone Amulet
    • Heightened Senses
    • Heightened Reflexes

Play Style: Flex

Myari's Purifiers feels like an updated version of Ylthari's Guardians. The warband has fighters that can attack at a range of Ranges. They have good accuracy and deal a reasonable quantity of damage. As Aelves, they are fragile having only 3 wounds each and two of the fighters only have 1 defence before inspiring. The Aelves all inspire with a dice roll which contains only successes. Upon inspiration, the fighters all gain improvements to their attacks and 2 fighters improve to 2 defence. Myari's Purifiers are not a 'beatdown' warband and as such you should not be engaging in war of attrition in most circumstances. The aim with this warband should be to play to your objective cards and attack enemy fighters without leaving you fighters exposed.

When painting my Purifiers, I really wanted to get a bright white, which almost glows with the light of Hysh. These were a challenge to paint, but I think they came out well. I used my How I Paint Lumienth guide for this warband.


The Dread Pageant

Grand Alliance: Chaos (Hedonites of Slaanesh)

Number of fighters: 4 

Access to magic: No wizard

Top Cards

  • Objectives:
    • A
    • B
    • C
  • Gambits:
    • D
    • E
    • F
  • Upgrades:
    • G
    • H
    • I

Play Style: Flex


The Dread Pageant are a group of Slaaneshi Hedonites. As I have been playing Warhammer games for a long time now (30+ years) I remember the late 1980s early 1990s when Slaanshi troops wore pastel colours. I want to paint my Pageant in these colours, soft silks in soft colours. I think this warband is the strangest looking I have completed so far.


Hedkrakka's Mad Mob

Grand Alliance: Destruction (Bonesplitter Savage Orruks)

Number of fighters: 4

Access to magic: One level 2 wizard

Top Cards

  • Objectives:
    • A
    • B
    • C
  • Gambits:
    • D
    • E
    • F
  • Upgrades:
    • G
    • H
    • I
Play Style: Aggro

The Mad Mob are a group of Bonesplitter Savage Orruks. I wanted the Boyz to have a fairly neutral palette of browns for their clothing. The colour was added in the form of blue and red. The defining feature of the warband were the white faces. I liked the idea of the orruk 'skull' faces coming out of the dark of the Direchasm. 




Elathain's Soulraid 

Grand Alliance: Order (Idoneth)

Number of fighters: 5 (Total of 14 wounds, including Spinefin)

Access to magic: No wizard

Top Cards

  • Objectives:
    • Merciless Raiders
    • Surging Tides
    • Smothered Memories
  • Gambits:
    • Cloud of Midnight
    • Spinefin Toxin
  • Upgrades:
    • Armour of the Cythai
    • Born from Agony
    • Sanguine Pearl

Play Style: Aggro (Cautious)

Elathain's Soulraid are Aelves. As such, they are reasonably fast, have good accuracy and hit for mostly 2 damage. They can be a fragile with only 3 wounds on most fighters and poor defence before inspiring. The all inspire automatically in the second round before uninspiring in the third round. Upon inspiration their attack accuracy improves further and they gain more defence dice (Elathain is the exception). With this warband, you want to carefully pick off enemy fighters. Use Tammael to do some early damage backed up by Duinclaw, avoid risking Elathain. Use Spinefin carefully, as once deployed I cannot be moved and it can make it impossible to achieve a 'charged out' status on your remain fighters. In additon, if Spinefin is not deploy it counts as being out of action, which can help both you and your opponent score objectives and inspire.

I painted my Soulraid using my How I Paint Idoneth guide.

Elathain's Soulraid


The Crimson Court

Grand Alliance: Death (Soulblight Gravelords)

Number of fighters: 4 (Total of 16 wounds)

Access to magic: Two level 1 wizards

Top Cards

  • Objectives:
    • A
    • B
    • C
  • Gambits:
    • D
    • E
    • F
  • Upgrades:
    • G
    • H
    • I

Play Style: 


The Crimson Court are a group of Soulblight Vampires.





Dreeper's Wraithcreepers

Grand Alliance: Death (Nighthaunt)

Number of fighters: 4

Access to magic: No wizards

Top Cards

  • Objectives:
    • A
    • B
    • C
  • Gambits:
    • D
    • E
    • F
  • Upgrades:
    • G
    • H
    • I

Play Style: 


Dreeper's Wraithcreepers are another Nighthaunt warband. This warband was released in the starter set towards the end of the season 4. I painted this warband using my How I paint Nighthaunts guide.


The Storm of Celestus

Grand Alliance: Order (Stormcast Eternals)

Number of fighters: 4 

Access to magic: No wizard

Top Cards

  • Objectives:
    • A
    • B
    • C
  • Gambits:
    • D
    • E
    • F
  • Upgrades:
    • G
    • H
    • I

Play Style: 

The other warband from the starter set are the Storm of Celestus another Stormcast warband. I have not finished this warband yet. I enjoyed painting the Gryph-hound and used my How I paint Gryph-hounds guide for this miniature. The Stormcast were painted using my How I Paint Stormcast - Hallowed Knights guide.





The next season would see Warhammer Underworlds leave the Realm of Beasts and head into Harrowdeep. A labyrinth below the Shadow Sea in Ulgu, the Realm of Shadows.

Check out my warbands from other seasons of Warhammer Underworlds:


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