Options, Options...

Hello again.

As I strive to work my way through my Oathsworn Miniatures lead pimple, in lieu of enlarging the pimple in due course to more of a boil or carbuncle with yet more acquisitions, I am still very much in the realms of those figures who have so far not fitted quite in to existing projects. One such figure is the fellow highlighted here.

Now, for me, this is a great figure, full of purpose, experienced in his art and. judging by his eye patch, has suffered for that art too. Looking at him, I would say the word "Veteran" was most appropriate. He painted up well as do all the Oathsworn range and could have been done far more simply with just fur and armour (brown and metal as it were), but I had to enhance it further for my own tastes.

He is obviously a warrior, quite possibly a knight, but he is not sporting the lily of the Lavender Order, nor is he a woodland dweller, so is hardly likely to feature in the newly-founded Nutkin Wood Neighbourhood Watch. He certainly has no Dickensian qualities about him, so the Dickens Street Runners will not be using him, even if he wanted to be associated with a bunch of backstreet criminals. The Witch Hunters could use him, but exactly why they would when the Lavender Order knights are allied to the witch hunter cadre, being two arms of the same order, is open to debate. And pirate he most certainly ain't any more than he is Strath Clotan highlander!

So, what is he? He could be the head or a member of a new military order, perhaps a foreign one, whose emblem is the golden chalice as depicted on his armour. He could be a simple knight leading a disparate group of followers against marauding bands of one sort or another. He could be the leader of a mercenary band, perhaps the second son in a world of primogeniture, who eschewed the church for the life of a mercenary a la Medieval Italy, Sir John Hawkwood sort of character. I quite like this latter idea, as that would give me a good excuse to paint up the Landsknecht-inspired otter, hedgehog and mouse figures I have had undercoated for a while! Give them a border keep to garrison and they can be mercenaries as well as defending the locals from raids! The ideas keep forming, which, as I have said before in various posts, is one of the best things about "Burrows & Badgers" and its associated miniatures from Oathsworn. What I name him will ultimately depend on where he is from and what role I give him. Matthias von Hase is first choice for a foreign mercenary given the likely Landsknecht feel of his band ("Hase" being the German word for "hare", you see, if my memory serves me correctly), but he could become a member of the De Leveret family like Sir Robert, who featured in these posts earlier this year as a member of the Lavender Order. Options indeed!

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The addition of some colour to his armour adds that extra something to what could have been quite a plain figure, in my opinion. Displaying his colours and badge in this way already starts to create a backstory for him, which interests me. Depicting the armour with a few dents and other damage, as I have tried to, also enhances his veteran status I feel. This guy does NOT stay at home polishing his armour, but wears it and wears it with purpose!

As "Burrows & Badgers" is a points based game, having that sword as either a one- or two-hander gives me some flexibility in how I construct his associates. I prefer a two-hander for him, especially given his heavy armour, as they rock in melee! I also think there is something a little bit Samurai about his armour, specifically the shoulder plates on this right shoulder. Perhaps he has been abroad and perhaps even dabbled with some oriental magic or other darker art...

I love this face! Again, I have tried to depict him as a little more advanced in years than some of my other figures, which not only enhances the experience levels I feel he has, but also plays strongly to the backstory and to his authority as a figure and a likely leader of others.