The Last Dawn

The mists clung low over the Bylands, pale tendrils curling around broken spears and blood-wet grass. Dawn was a faint blush on the horizon when Prince Elarael gave the order to fall back. The ships waited in the opposite direction from the Gate, their white sails catching the first light. Behind him, the air trembled with the warcries of the pursuing Orc warhost.

At the narrow vale of Harthen's Hollow, the ground rose in a shallow ridge. There, beneath the tattered banner of House Hirél-Naureth, the Dawn Blades took their stand. Fifteen warriors, the last who had sailed to secure the Gate, arrayed themselves in perfect silence. Their commander, Kaelir Hirél-Naureth, drew his curved silversteel blade and held it before his chest, the reflection of the growing dawn running like fire along its edge.

"Prince Elarael must reach the ships," he said simply. "We are the edge of dawn's light, swift, sharp, and eternal."

The Orcs came like a storm. Drums thundered, wolves howled, and the valley shook beneath their charge. But when they struck, they met a wall of whirling brilliance. The Dawn Blades moved as one, arcs of silver tracing the air, each stroke precise, every motion born of centuries of discipline. Arrows hissed down from the ridges, but the elves turned them aside in glittering cascades of parries and deflections. For every Dawn Blade who fell, ten Orcs lay broken at their feet.

Hour by hour, the light grew stronger. The first rays of true morning spilt over the ridge and struck the elven line, painting their armour in gold. Kaelir raised his sword high, its blade blazing in the sunrise, and the Dawn Blades gave their final cry, a single voice, bright and clear, that rose above the din of battle.

Then the tide consumed them. The Orcs surged over their position, burying silver beneath black iron and blood. When at last Prince Elarael looked back from the shore, he saw the valley aflame with the dawn. No banner of the Dawn Blades remained, only the gleam of their fallen swords catching the morning light, like a field of stars scattered across the earth.

The elven host reached their ships and sailed into the rising sun. None spoke for a long time. But as the shores of Byland faded into mist, Elarael bowed his head and whispered,
"Swift, sharp, and eternal."

New Release: The Dawn Blades Rise — Our First Retail Miniature Release for Warhost

We're thrilled to announce that the Elf Dawn Blades will be the first new miniature release to go straight to retail. These elegant, silver-bladed warriors have quickly become a firm favourite of ours since Paul sculpted them, and now, they finally take their place on tabletops across the realms.

To mark this milestone, we're celebrating with an astounding new piece of artwork by Marco Capparoni, capturing the Dawn Blades in their final, defiant moment during the Last Stand at Harthen's Hollow. In the painting, the Dawn Blades form a shimmering wall of silversteel as they are ambushed by the Orc warhost while escorting Prince Elarael's retreat from the Gate. The elven ships are ready to leave Byland, their sails catching the morning light, and it is here, on that blood-red dawn, that the Dawn Blades earn their immortality.

Marco's brushwork brings to life everything that defines the Dawn Blades' unyielding courage. The miniatures are available now — a fitting addition for the world of Warhost.

The Dawn Blades of House Hirél-Naureth

The Dawn Blades are the pride of House Hirél-Naureth, an elite cadre of elven warriors devoted to the perfection of the Kaerithal, a flowing martial style centred on the great curved blades of silversteel. To bear one of these weapons is to inherit a lineage of discipline stretching back to the First Light.

In battle, the Dawn Blades fight in dazzling arcs of steel, their whirling forms both beautiful and terrifying. Their techniques are so refined that they can cut arrows from the air, creating a shimmering wall of steel to shield their comrades. Whether in duels or open war, the Dawn Blades stand as the purest expression of Hirél-Naureth’s creed: "We are the edge of dawn’s light — swift, sharp, and eternal."

Recruit the Dawn Blades now from our website