[OL - FB] Roar of the Hydra

[Khorne]

The military clash with Lotii forces on El Oleonda brought with it the encounter with alien strategies and mystic weapons, one of them being primitive rockets based on fireworks but repurposed for deadly usage. The Essians, always industrious and keen for novelties on the battlefield, decided to ship some of the plundered rockets to their home city and offer them to the workshops of Karsten Metalwerke, one of the largest and most infamous mining, smelting, forging and arms manufacturing conglomerates of Essen. There, they passionately studied the Lotii technology and made their own variant of the weapon. Bigger, louder and more aggressive, they dryly named their novelty Raketenwerfer 20. 'Rocket Launcher, year 620'; matter-of-factly as the Carnites tend to be.

It perfectly suited the Essian's preferred combat doctrine: an aggressive and offensive weapon which hellish screams unleashed by the ignited rockets struck fear and terror in the hearts and minds of the enemy. The flight of the rockets was hard to control, in fact all you could do was make them fly forward and hope they'd land on the right spot. But that didn't matter: IF they hit, it was brutal and if they didn't hit, then there was at least the demoralizing aspect. Plus, the weapon once again put Essen on the (inter)national map as a prime center of metallurgy skills, arms production and scientific interest in things ordnance-related.

Mercantile as most Carnites are, the Essians shipped some examples of the Raketenwerfer to Fort Arltrees the newly reopened port of Jiangkai to put up a show for the Oleonders there; hoping to sell some and get further return on the small contingent of soldiers stationed there. After all: what better place to demonstrate this technological marvel than the closest thing to "home" the rockets have in the New World?

The Oleonders were intrigued by the machine and decided to buy some off their Carnite compatriots. The name would have to go, though, as it was neigh incomprehensible to most Oleonders. Taking in account the loud noise of the machine and the serpent-shaped decorations typical of Karsten products, the Raketenwerfer quickly earned the nickname 'Roaring Hydra' amongst Oleonese ranks. Perhaps some might serve their purpose in the Liberation of Terraversa...

Some shots without scenery:

Spoiler

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Obviously, this is based on Warhammer's Helstorm Battery model. My version is somewhat bigger compared to a person than the original, but it was about as compact as I could make it.

IRL, Congreve Rockets mixed with the Hwacha are probably the things that come closest. I know it's not super historically accurate, but that's why I linked the weapon mostly to Essen (which in my mind has a real knack and interest for these kinds of things), which is like a minor city of a minor nation; so the weapons won't be made on a large scale. Also, rockets before the 20th century are really hit-and-miss anyway. Not really a reliable weapon and most likely super expensive to make, so I hope it's okay for BoBS.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2021 by Khorne
Updated the location

[Fraunces]

Wow that's a beauty! Lovely design.

[NOD]

The rocket launcher looks great! Really very well built.

[CapOnBOBS]

Beautifully built and captures the true power of one of histories first best psychological warfare weapons. I love your fierce black clad Essians. Fun side note, my daughter picks favorite books based on how wide the spines are and whether the shelf is low enough for her to see them. Based on this, one of her favs is "The Arms of Krupp" and so...

Me: kiddo, who made all the cannons?

Kiddo (almost 3): Krupp! Krupp!

[Bodi]

Very nice rocket launchers, a well thought and executed build. That's a great addition to OL's arsenal.

[Khorne]

15 hours ago, Fraunces said:

Wow that's a beauty! Lovely design.

Thanks! I can only partially claim credit for the design, since it's mostly based upon a "real" miniature/model from Warhammer.

15 hours ago, NOD said:

The rocket launcher looks great! Really very well built.

Thanks!

13 hours ago, CapOnBOBS said:

Beautifully built and captures the true power of one of histories first best psychological warfare weapons. I love your fierce black clad Essians. Fun side note, my daughter picks favorite books based on how wide the spines are and whether the shelf is low enough for her to see them. Based on this, one of her favs is "The Arms of Krupp" and so...

Me: kiddo, who made all the cannons?

Kiddo (almost 3): Krupp! Krupp!

Thanks! I like working with the soldiers from Essen, too.

That's a really smart kid you've got there! I'm pretty sure I wasn't on that level when I was 3 years old . The Krupp dynasty is definitely an influence for the background of the Karsten family of Essen I keep in the back of my mind.

3 hours ago, Bodi said:

Very nice rocket launchers, a well thought and executed build. That's a great addition to OL's arsenal.

Thank you, Bodi! Let's hope we can do some damage with it .

[Kai NRG]

That's quite the weapon!  Looks quite cool, especially the snake heads.

[Khorne]

On 1/4/2021 at 2:23 PM, Kai NRG said:

That's quite the weapon!  Looks quite cool, especially the snake heads.

I like the snake ornaments as well. They are great pieces which are easy to implement and that add a nice touch.