Frank's Great Work Continued - A Daemonic Legion of Slaanesh - Rank & File - March

Chaos and mayhem is the theme of my Daemonic Legion project, but alas it is also the theme of recent months in the real world. As a result, once again only modest progress was made. However modest, it is still progress though. I shall begin my report with a curious tale...

Tzeentch's Changeling was once abroad in the world and had recently departed a prosperous market town, having succeeded in great mischief and needing to be away ere his presence was noted. He was passing a farm on the edge of the forest and saw a pair of great hounds chasing a hare through a field. The hounds were betwixt the hare and the woods and the rodent was sorely pressed. Only moments ahead of the hounds, the hare darted into a fallen log and looked to be about to be trapped by the hounds. At that moment perhaps the changeling took pity on the hare, seeing perhaps something of his own recent escapades in the hare's trails, or maybe instead he concieved a great jape to add just a bit more mischief and madness to the world. Regardless of his motive a spell of transfiguration was cast, and the Changeling went on his way. The Hounds arrived at the ends of the log only moments after the hare nipped within it. There they paused, catching their breath and pacing hurridly at each end, knowning their prey was cornered. Then the log shook and this caused the hounds much excitment. One of the hounds, the smaller of the two, forced his head into his end of the log trying to flush out the hare he knew to be within, his comrade waiting alertly at the opposite end. instead of the hare emerging, there was a great roar and thrash, followed by yelps from the hound. The smaller hound backed out of the log, its face now a mess of torn meat. The log heaved again and split revealing the hare much grown since it had entered the log. Its forelegs were now tipped in talons and it was gleefully licking blood from its new claws. The larger hound was stunned, and its fellow completely bewildered, by this turn of events. The hare however, was delighted both by its immediate change of situation and the new tastes it had discovered. It realized that it was also rather hungry, and a different hunt entirely got underway.

Changes continued as the hare fed its new appetites. He rapidly grew both in size and viciousness. It was a creature that seemed to revel in the hunt and rapidly grew to be among the most dangerous of monsters haunting the forests thereabouts. Tales of the wounds it would inflict on its prey were retold in hushed tones by those who had seen. The legend of the "Hare Who Hunts Huntsmen", spread steadily over the next few years. Eventually, the tales of "Rippity Rabbity", were common gossip in every tavern in the province, and over time the knights and heroes who came to make their reputations by slaying the beast were not easily counted. One such hero was a Champions of Chaos. Great Tzeentch had set him the task of collecting the beast, which rightfully belonged to the Changer of the Way, and bringing it North to aid His plots in some unfathomable way. As Tzeentch's Champion understood things, there was a real chance that the creature's bloodlust would attract the Blood God's servants at some point, and the Changer had decreed that Khorne would not benfit from his Changeling's handiwork. The Champion searched long for the "Hare Who Hunts", and upon finding him cast a spell to allow him into its small mind in order to guide and influence it. However, upon contacting the beast, he made an awful discovery. The once-rabbit wasn't grateful and it felt no fealty to its creator. Rather, it simply loved the hunt and the joy it felt when it caught prey. Rather than rage that drove it, its motivation was obsession. The terrible wounds it inflicted on it's victims were expressions of creativity for pleasure rather than bloodlust. Tzeentch's Champion had this demonstrated for him moments later. In the following weeks, the beast was seen in the company of pale beastment, always headed northwards...

Rippity Rabbity was a great model to convert and paint. The base model is a resin cast were-rabbit by Fenris games. I made some minor adjustments to this by adding vestigial wings on his back from a Reaper imp. Then I gave him some proper talons on his left hand, but not on all his fingers. I didn't want him to look too natural. Then I used an extra plastic daemonette claw to give him a serious right-talon. After all this, I made some minor additions to his genetalia, and with a suitable paint job, he was suitably horrifying. I am particularly pleased with his eyes, yellow and bloodshot. When serving in the legion, he is a flexible addition. Taken from the Chaos Creatures allowance, I could buy him as a Jabberwock, or a manticore. I probably wouldn't treat the wings as actually flight-worthy, but I suppose they could be if I needed to blow 50 points. I imagine them flapping maddly like a humming bird to lift such a beast. He could also be included as a simple chaos spawn. He certainly looks the part. And, lastly, he could be bought as an Independent Daemon. I think what I most prefer is the Manticore (without wings) profile. His altered genitalia can stand in for the scorpion tail, and otherwise he looks suitably aggressive and dangerous.

My other addition this month is a unit of a dozen more skeletons for the Unending Revellers unit. The tale of the Revellers was laid out in my January blog entry, and these fellows are cut from the same cloth. As before these models are from Crooked Dice. Their role in the legion is still one of charge absorbing cannon fodder, but their use is a bit different. The melee armed unit are given the task of providing a meat (bone) shield for other units in the legion by moving along in front of them. The archers, on the other hand, will form a static barrier but pelt the enemy with their longbows. Interestingly, Realm of Chaos Slaves to Darkness (page 181) allows a Daemonic Legion to include any missile weapons desired, so long as the models are actually carrying them, at no cost.

This generous price is likely because the vast majority of models on a daemonic battlefield are quite immune to normal arrow fire. However, one can also issue magical ammunition to any model desired. In the case of units they must be armed identically. I will therefore be equipping the Unending Revellers Archers with 'Seeking arrows" as standard. This means the archers will never miss. Mind you, a volley of Strength 3 shots with no armor modifier is not very impressive on a daemonic battlefield, but they will do the odd wound here or there. And, despite the arrows costing just as much as the archers, they are still a comically cheap unit, which will not cause one tear to be shed when they die over and over preventing a charge or soaking up gunfire on an actual unit of my lesser daemons.

Those together are March done for me. A 'grand' total of 15 models completed, presuming, as I am, that Rippity Rabbity counts as '2' for his size. The total point value here is dependant of the profile attached to the "Hare Who Hunts". He ranges from a mere 100 as a Spawn all the way to 810 as an Independant Daemon. I will count him at 200, as this is what a wingless Manticore costs, and that is the most likely profile I will use for him. The Skeletons are much simpler. Each Skeleton is 10 points. I painted 13 of them, 12 of which have magic bows. Together they wiegh in at 250 points. Therefore my total points for March are 450. I am far behind my intended painted count from what I had hoped, but I have avoided the field of bones again none-the-less. Till next time.