OWAC VI - Wild Card Month - The Leftovers
June
Wild card month! Full of all that crazy stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else? Well, not really - this time around, wild card month is mainly the things I didn't own at the start of the project, or wasn't sure I'd get around to.
But let's start by righting a wrong!
Remember this lass? The first Dark Elf I painted, as a test of the colour scheme? She currently doesn't have a place in the army! Just for fun, let's include her as something else missing from the army - an Assassin.
While we're filling gaps with things that are just sat there in the army list, here's a unit from the Rank and File section:
Just five Dark Riders. I really wanted to include some "proper" Dark Elf cavalry in this force, and as I own a large selection of pre-slotta Citadel horses (chiefly from the very old Fantasy Adventurers Cavalry range) I was confident I could identify some good fits. However, once I brought a rider to the horses, it was rapidly clear that due to scale creep (yes, it's always been a thing) and the odd semi-kneeling pose of the Dark Elf Cold One riders, there was only ONE horse that really worked. I scoured ebay to assemble this 5 and left it there.
Drawing on the Drow inspiration, it makes sense that this mostly subterranean dwelling force has a limited number of "surface" critters, like these horses and the Giant Eagle, at its disposal. Maybe I should have gone for some polar bear riders instead? Anyway, cavalry - all Citadel, all pre-slotta - achieved.
Also in the "rank and file" section is a War Altar, as depicted in this classic line art:
Could I, I wondered, make something like this using the Witch Elf models? The poses available don't best fit, but it might have been possible with cutting off some arms and resculpting them. Not really my strength and also quite a lot of vandalism.
On the other hand, I had some Cold Ones left over from Dark Riders project, so maybe something pulled by those? Or carried by those? After much deliberation and some mucking around, this is what happened:
Yes, it's a little more elaborate than I originally envisaged! It just grew as new components suggested themselves! Once I'd decided to carry it across the two cold ones, that set the approximate dimensions. I hit upon the throne (from FS5 "Old Wizard on Throne reading Book on Lectern") as one of the few suitable pieces of pre-slotta furniture that would look the part - it's enormous, and to my horror is effectively unfinished on the back. Hence the addition of the bulky back piece. But I rather like the wonky lines of the throne, which put me in mind of the early AD&D artstyle as drawn by the great Erol Otus.
The purple slab itself is made from foam sheet with a skin of Miliput - the foam allowed me to push it down over the saddles of the Cold Ones rather than file them off. The painting is meant to mimic the appearance of the purple-red rock porphyry, which was used for decorative architecture across the ancient world. I probably made mine more blue-purple than is usually seen in nature, to fit the army theme.
It doesn't really show in the pictures, but the slab is actually an inverted squard stepped pyramid with three layers - as is depicted on the icon painted on the altar cloth. Why? Because (in D&D) the inverted ziggurat with the eye is one of the symbols of the Elder Elemental Eye, to which the rebel drow of the great city of Erelhei-Cinlu turned from their worship of the spider-goddess Lolth. Which in turn explains why my Drow-themed Dark Elf army has NO SPIDERS in it! Sometimes it's almost like I've planned things!
I have to admit the candles are resin or plastic from some kit or other, but the two cauldrons full of blood are classic Citadel pieces (from FS33 "Witch's Items" I think). They are a nod towards future Dark Elf models of the Cauldron of Blood. We then have five more Witch Elves as altar guards, of course.
And although there is NO REASON and NO RULES to do so, I of course made a space on the slab to stand a Wizard:
So, as you can see, it all became A Bit Unnecessary, but I'm rather fond of it.
Now, let's introduce some really wild stuff. With all the wildlife in the Rank and File list, I've turned to another section for some more teeth and claws; Hosts.
A quick glance at the options shows that the fun choice is a Chaotic Host, which includes some Dark Elf favourite critters. But (thematicaly at least) you should have a Chaos Wizard to bind your Chaos Beasties, so here's yet another Wizard:
This is the second time I've converted this oft-broken miniature, there's another example in my Vampire Counts army. This time I've added a mass of tentacles in place of the broken staff, in reference to the Tentacled Rod magic item used by the AD&D Drow. Suitably chaotic I hope.
Now here come the bound Chaos critters:
Six FF8-2 Harpies. Got to have Harpies in a Dark Elf army. Now you see exactly why the Harpy Eagle became the inspiration for my Giant Eagle.
Something else you also have to have is a Hydra:
And some less traditional choices - brace yourselves for the terrifying FF61-1 Giant Wyvern!
Yes that's a 50mm base. This was a big model back in 1981, honest! You can see why he was replaced by the Black Dragon though... if you think that's smol, please spare a thought for his colleague, the deadly C27 Chimera!
Cute eh? I spared him the indignity of trying to mount a character on his back.
And finally, I think, that embodiment of Chaos, the Jabberwock. Inspired by Thomas' glorious bright red model, I unleashed the full range of those purples that I bought for the project, and painted him in Lipstick Pink:
I still gave him "eyes of flame" though.
Army List Additions:
Scores for June: 1472 points 23 models
1 x Assassin (level 10) (Light Armour, Repeating Crossbow) 94 points
5 x Dark Riders (Light Armour, Shield, Repeating Crossbow) 150 points
1 x War Altar with 5 Guards 100 points
1 x Wizard (level 15) 208 points
6 x Harpies 90 points
1 x Hydra 200 points
1 x Wyvern 180 points
1 x Chimera 250 points
1 x Jabberwock 200 points
Running (Final?) Total: 7243 points 211 models
Next Time
Will be the final wrap up post