The forces of Grand Cathay have been bringing their particular style to Warhammer: The Old World battlefields for a few months now. With more reinforcements revealed, we caught up with members of the Warhammer Studio who’ve been building forces serving the Cathayan Dragons, with a particular look at the core of any Grand Cathay army: the indomitable Jade Warriors.
Dave: When I excitedly got my hands on my Jade Warriors, I wanted to ground them in the wider narrative of the Old World, so I decided to have them hail from Fu-Hung, capital of the Southern Provinces, ruled over by Li Dao, the Fire Dragon. Envious of his sister claiming glory in a far-off land, I like to imagine that Li Dao sends a fleet of his own to accompany the Storm Dragon's. Eager to jump into battle, these ships land prematurely on the shores of Couronne, dazzling the impressionable peasantry of Bretonnia while focusing on the inland threats of Orcs and Beastmen – all of which offers me a convenient excuse to ally my Bretonnian army with a new Cathayan one!
I wanted to make my army visually distinct from the Northern Province armies that the 'Eavy Metal team painted, so I based my colours off Li Dao's banner, seen in Arcane Journal: Armies of Grand Cathay. I used Word Bearers Red, Berserker Bloodshade, and Wazdakka Red highlights for a rich red colour, paired with a warm gold made from Skullcrusher Brass, shaded with Seraphim Sepia and finished with Liberator Gold highlights. Contrasting green gems represent the 'jade' aspect.
These were the first miniatures I painted for an ever-growing army, to which I’ve since added Grand Cannons, Jade Lancers, a Granite Sentinel, and even Miao Ying herself, storming into the fray to lend aid to her brother's force in his absence (to the awkward gratitude of the Fire Dragon's generals, no doubt).
Jay: When putting together my Grand Cathay army, I wanted to explore a different region to those currently focused on in the various Arcane Journals. So, instead, I have painted my Jade Warriors to be from eastern Cathay, and in particular the great city of Fu-Chow – the seat of power of Yin-Yin, the Sea Dragon. A sprawling coastal city, Fu-Chow boasts exceptional trade routes to the Old World and sits at the mouth of the Jade River.
Because of the connection to the Sea Dragon, and the Jade Sea itself, I felt that a vivid blue was the natural choice for the main colour of the army. The cloth, shields, and heraldry are predominantly painted with Talassar Blue, and even the silver armour has a blue undertone to it achieved by painting it with Ironbreaker before applying Talassar Blue over it and highlighting it with more Ironbreaker.
As these are Jade Warriors, I have kept the iconic jade-coloured plumes and sashes that denote the status of these revered regiments. These were done with Aeldari Emerald, highlighted with Sybarite Green.
These are just the first models I have painted up, and there are plenty more in the pipeline. In fact, I aim to have a full army in this colour scheme in the very near future!
Connor: I also chose my scheme to represent the eastern provinces of Grand Cathay, and the city of Fu-Chow.
I chose to use a metallic blue scheme to represent the Sea Dragon’s forces. The effect is achieved by washing Contrast blues over Stormhost Silver, which I then accented with shining gold trim. The regiment’s basing is to represent the local mires and swamps in the regions surrounding the Jade River.
I really enjoyed painting the unit’s standard. I used the transfer sheet to create my design, and the variety of shapes and icons allowed me to choose exactly what I wanted!
These models are part of a wider Cathayan fleet-based army I am working on, with a focus on the Sentinels placed along the bay to protect the region. My next planned additions are a further thirty Jade Warriors and a Sky Lantern.
Lewis: I decided to do something different and paint a unit of terracotta Jade Warriors to match my Cathayan Sentinel. They were painted mainly with drybrushes, which I intentionally left quite dusty and textured to give the illusion of the hard terracotta. This was followed by washes to provide some deeper shadows, then static grass and foliage were added to give them an ancient feel, as if they've just been awoken in Grand Cathay's time of need.
This is a great way to get a unit painted quickly. I even contemplated painting a whole army in this style, but I prefer the idea of having a unit or two done like this, given context by the surrounding army of living, breathing warriors.
Rob: My Jade Warriors are painted in a variant Northern Provinces colour scheme, contrasting a rich, terracotta red-brown with a bright turquoise-blue which I used on elements of the leather armour as well as for the shield designs and plumes. I used mostly Contrast paints over a Leadbelcher undercoat, so the scheme was relatively quick to achieve but looks striking on the battlefield.
I imagine these warriors protecting the trade caravans plying the Terracotta Road, in the shadow of the Great Bastion, so I gave their bases an arid, well-trodden look. The terracotta colour is also echoed on the unit’s standard, behind an icon honouring their province’s ruler – Miao Ying, the Storm Dragon.
Thanks to all our contributors. If you’ve been inspired to start your own Grand Cathay collection, the Battalion is a great place to start, with loads of Jade Warriors to practise your own colour scheme on.
