September - Darkness & Fury (Patreon)

As we continue along The Forge Ahead roadmap, September takes us into considerably darker territory with Darkness & Fury.

Next month will see the arrival of two very different additions to the Evil Dwarf range:

The Lamassu

Furnace Cults: Crimson Grail

Both are still firmly in the design phase, so what follows isn't set in stone. This is a look at what's currently scribbled across the sketchpad before I start connecting vector to vector and, as always, a chance for the Forge to throw some ideas into the mix.

The Lamassu

The Lamassu is almost synonymous with Evil Dwarfs across their many incarnations and game systems.

Looking back even further to mythology, the Lamassu was a Mesopotamian protective deity depicted as a hybrid creature with a human head, the body of a bull or lion and the wings of a bird.

In fantasy lore, things became considerably stranger: a mutated beast with an Evil Dwarf-like head, wings and sometimes even a scorpion tail. More importantly, it was a creature of sorcery, intelligence and manipulation rather than simply brute strength.

So how do we MeshyMesh-ify it?

My current thinking is to really lean into that last part.

Wings

I'm thinking bat-like wings, perhaps somewhere between a traditional bat and smaller dragon wings.

I want them to feel quite different from the enormous wings of the Burning Idol while still giving the Lamassu a suitably imposing silhouette.

The Head

The Evil Dwarf head stays.

I've already started with the same underlying facial structure used throughout the Evil Dwarf range and begun twisting it into something much older and stranger.

I'm imagining:

A powerful, menacing expression

Small mutated horns

Oversized fangs

Pointed ears

An aged, wizened face

The important part?

It must not look goofy. :P

I'm also designing the head connection around the existing modular system, so the Lamassu heads should be compatible with the Burning Idol, and vice versa.

Because why wouldn't someone eventually build something completely ridiculous with them?

The Body

We've already got our raging bull-like monster, so I'm deliberately heading in the other direction here.

Lion.

But not a huge muscular lion.

The Lamassu isn't about brute strength. I want it relatively lean, even gaunt, to emphasize that its real danger comes from intelligence and sorcery rather than physical power.

The legs will continue the hybrid theme, mixing feline anatomy with more eagle-like lower legs and talons.

And there's a reason for those talons.

In my head, Lamassus are much more expressive creatures than Burning Idols. They chant spells, whisper into the minds of those around them and manipulate through silvered words.

I want them gesturing as they cast.

That also influenced the overall pose. We've already got a raging beast launching itself into battle.

The Lamassu should be seated (fitting on a 50x75mm base too).

Majestic.

Wings unfurled.

Almost looking down upon everyone around it.

The Tail

I'm currently planning two options:

Traditional lion tail

Scorpion tail

Again, I'm aiming for compatibility with the Burning Idol, so those tails should open up even more possibilities across the existing kits.

The Rider

Another Fellsmith for your collection!

The Lamassu will have a seated rider, but I'm designing it to remain compatible with the platform system from the Burning Idol.

There's also a little story I want the rider to tell.

Rather than looking commanding, this Fellsmith will have a slightly dazed expression, with his hand mimicking the gesture of the Lamassu beneath him.

Because in this relationship...

the Fellsmith isn't necessarily the one in command.

Furnace Cults: Crimson Grail

The second Furnace Cult also arrives in September.

From The Forge Ahead:

These fanatical warriors draw upon distilled divine power, embracing a brutal, berserk way of war that is as dangerous to themselves as it is to their enemies.

The Crimson Grail represents a very different direction for the Evil Dwarf range.

These warriors distil the powers of gods; major and minor, gods of blood, fury and slaughter and consume that divine essence before battle.

Once unleashed, there's very little left resembling discipline.

Just rage.

The Berserkers

Visually, these need to immediately stand apart from the heavily armoured warriors we've been building.

I'm currently thinking:

Bare upper bodies

Bare feet

Minimal armour

Heavy armoured belts forming the modular torso connection

Chains wrapped around limbs

Chains incorporated into weapons

Talismans carrying the iconography of the Crimson Grail

The chains are particularly important to me.

These warriors are restrained before battle and only released when they're needed. The broken chains they carry aren't simply decoration; they're remnants of what was required to keep them under control.

I'm also keen to experiment with partially armoured arms and legs.

Apart from adding visual variety, that creates some really useful light-armour components for different game systems and, because they'll remain compatible with the wider Evil Dwarf range, potentially some very interesting units of your own creation.

Fitting Weapons

The weapons should be brutal to match their weilders.

I'm currently imagining broad, squared-off axes with heavy teeth along their edges and chains incorporated into their construction.

The initial focus will be:

Hand weapons

Great weapons

That covers the main Berserker options I'm looking at while also adding another completely different family of weapons to the modular library.

Over to the Forge

So that's where September currently stands.

Some of these ideas will survive exactly as described. Some will undoubtedly change once sculpting begins. And there will probably be something I haven't even thought of yet that ends up becoming one of my favourite parts of the kits.

That's part of why I like sharing these posts with Forge members before everything is locked down.

You've already seen suggestions from the community turn into new components, additions to existing kits and ideas sitting on the scratchpad for future releases.

So...

What do you think?

What would make the Lamassu feel suitably ancient, intelligent and sinister?

And what would you want to see from a band of Evil Dwarfs so consumed by distilled rage that they have to be chained up before battle?

Throw your ideas into the forge.

MM