THE CHAMBERS OF CHALLENGE!
After last year’s perilous trek across Challenge Island, culminating in the arduous ascent to Snow Lord’s Peak, our doughty band of adventurers have discovered a map describing a strange dungeon beneath the mountain. What treasures and arcane mysteries could be hidden in this strange labyrinth? What untold fame, what unimaginable glory, what peril awaits those who dare to uncover the Altar of the Snow Lord? Indeed, what could possibly go wrong?
Welcome to the Chambers of Challenge!
Here are the rules for exploring the multitude of mysteries of this maze of magnificent malice (ahem).
Each chamber has a hobby task associated with it (see below). You must fulfil the task and post your work before continuing on to the next chamber;
Each successfully completed chamber awards you 20 bonus points;
In order to descend a level, at least four chambers have to be completed on the level you are presently exploring;
There are three ways you can move between levels: by stairs, by the aquifer, or by being teleported by a witch (see below);
When you complete the ritual at the Altar of the Snow Lord you will receive a prize figure from one of your fellow Challengers!
Sarah the Sorceress
Along the left side of the “Chambers of Challenge XI” map are three dungeon denizens. Imagine them as being three witches, three graces or three dungeon sorceresses, if you prefer. Each of these three witches has the power to enable a Challenger to relocate from one room to another other room on the same level - and at the (very reasonable) cost of you painting one single female figure, per relocation, in tribute to the Snow Fiend’s fiendish companion, Lady Sarah. 20 bonus points will be awarded for these teleportations (with any bonus points to be added by Sarah). At the end of the Challenge, Lady Sarah shall judge all the female figures painted during the Challenge - including those painted to facilitate Challengers’ relocations in the Challenge dungeon - and award the winning Challenger a special prize.
Level 1
Hall of Traps: A figure or unit which is trapped, stuck in a trap, snared, or lying in wait. Watch your step, Challengers!
The Pit of the Pendulum: Paint something torturous, terrifying - or just something with a slowly descending pendulum-blade… swoosh… swoooooshhhh….. arrrghhhh!!
The Golem’s Haunt: “..IT WALKS…!!” Paint something re-animated, stitched-together, bolted-together, re-created from steel, clay, earth, etc.
The Chamber of Darkness: For this chamber challenge, you’ll need to paint a model in luxurious greyscale. Quick, buy some more Vallejo “Neutral Grey”, dear Challengers!
The Aquifer: Anything with a nautical, or waterbound, theme.
The Larder: A figure or vignette themed around food, drink, meals, patisserie, cooking, cordon bleu and culinary over-indulgence. Bonus points for vignettes of halfling chefs or French sommeliers.
Level 2
The Hatchery: In this chamber, your model or terrain will need an avian theme, or could depict anything hatching - ideally, out of an egg .
The Armoury: Paint a figure, a vignette or unit which is armoured - plate, steel, iron, ceramic, chain-mail - the choice is yours.
The Gallery of Ancestors: Paint a figure, unit or model with an ancestral theme - an ancestor of yours, or a connection to your own family’s history, or maybe just the ancestors of the last unit you painted. Revel in a glorious past… even if it’s an imagined ancestry for your tabletop heroes!
The Guardroom: This chamber-challenge is to paint some donut-munching, soundly-sleeping, or professionally competent guards. Bonus points for painting things they might be guarding, as well.
The Orcs’ Pit: In this scruffy, dirty and unpleasant chamber, you need to paint one or more orcs, kobolds, goblins, or troll-kin of any kind!
Adventurers’ Landing: A chance to paint a landing on a home or foreign shore to collect some points. Try not to get your feet wet...
Shrine: Dearly beloved Challengers, let us bow our heads, and create … a religious-themed entry in this chamber. A model which is worshipping, praying, genuflecting, preaching, pilgrimaging, scourging, crusading, venerating … or maybe just visiting parishioners for tea. Clerics welcome!
Oubliette: Your challenge in this chamber is to paint something forgotten, or lost. A figure you thought you’d sold years ago. Or a model from a long-forgotten project. Resurrect what excited you, long ago, with a flourish from your brushes.
The Tomb: Paint a tomb, a burial-mound, a barrow or a henge. Bonus points for any ghostly guardian which lives, entombed, within...
Level 3
Knights Solar: A chamber for painting Knights of all kinds, and their knightly deeds, loves, pastimes and quests.
The Hall of Heroes: A location for heroes and the heroic things they do.
Graveyard Beach: Spooky, ghostly, undead and undying things arrive, or resurrect, here under Challenge Mountain. Bonus points if combined with a watery or nautical theme.
The Laboratory: From bubbling glass jars to smoking bunsen-burners, from Dr Frankenstein’s experimentation chamber to a alchemist’s study - laboratories and scientific figures, terrain and vignettes are the things created in this Challenge Chamber.
The Snow Lord’s Treasury: Your challenge in this Chamber is to paint a figure, unit or vignette featuring treasure of any kind. Go crazy with figures carrying gold, jewels, silver bullion, priceless artefacts, Elven-rings or strong-boxes with bundles of Confederate dollars!
Lair of the Great Beast: Yes, we know the map says ‘ Lair of the Spider’, but the spider was forced out by several things which are monstrous and nightmarish, terrifying and humongous. Shhhh…. If you’re very quiet, they may not notice we’re here… Do up a figure describing one of these great beasties.
Level 4
The Altar of the Snow Lord: In this final chamber our very own Snow Fiend will select a challenge for you, as a tribute to the painting Gods.
