Hello chaps, carrying on my humble efforts on the Rogue Quest project that Asslessman and Axiom kicked off, I would like to present my second entry. As a reminder, the brief is to build a six-strong adventuring party for Rogue Trader/Confrontation, where each member portrays one of the classic dungeon crawler tropes:

• Barbarian
• Bard
• Cleric
• Fighter
• Magic user
• Paladin
• Ranger
• Rogue/thief

For my second effort I decided to go for a magic user, and I admit that I was really torn on which way to go… I have a number of old RT psyker models to choose from, and I even have the entire Marauder Psyker Gang for Confrontation on the lead pile, but I really want to use this project as an excuse to paint the more unusual models in my collection… In the end I went for the excellent Slann model from the Colony 87 range (funnily enough, from a Kickstarter by Jon/Axiom!).

When I first saw the model, I immediately thought of him as a merchant or trader of some kind, but I started to look at him in a different light following a bit of light reading. In RT, Space-Slann are a thing… they are the Old Ones – former rulers of the galaxy, probable creators of many of the main species, and all-round mysterious & powerful doods. In Rogue Trader, they basically comprise of the ‘proper’ Slann that have withdrawn to an area ‘north of the galactic pole’ with all their mystical jizz-jazz, and the primitive remnants of their once-mighty empire in the galaxy ‘proper’. The ‘primitives’ had models back in the day, but I don’t believe that this was the case for the more civilised kind, (what with them being all reclusive and aloof…). The Colony 87 sculpt doesn’t look like a primitive to me, so the thought of him being a powerful mage from the more civilised and powerful Slann popped into my head… Ometeotl the Mage is the result:

I didn’t feel the need to modify the model in any way (nice job Jon!), so really this was a straight forward base & paint. I went for fairly muted blue body suit and a rich red cloak, and had a play with inks and metallics for the various mystical bits & bobs that he’s carrying. I thought long and hard about the flesh tone, but ended up settling on a really bright yellow & black spotted motif, followed by a good coat of gloss. There is mention of brightly coloured Slann as being ‘often extrovert, talented or especially noteworthy in some way’. I wanted to play with that idea, using the skin tone to suggest that Ometeotl is a frog with a great destiny…  Here’s the fluff:

“Ometeotl is young by the standards of his race, scarcely more than 3000 years old by human reckoning, yet for all his youth, Ometeotl possesses great power and foresight. His early centuries were spent meditating and practicing his skills in metaphysical manipulation in the vast temples of his people, safe and secure in the self-imposed isolation of the Slann. Yet, while most of his race were intent on looking outwards to new galaxies and dimensions, or forwards through time itself, Ometeotl always felt drawn to observe the galaxy that his ancient race had helped to create and mould. At some point, he decided that his mystical observations were no longer satisfactory, and he petitioned the temple elders for permission to live amongst the short-lived creatures below, for he sensed a critical turning point was approaching the galaxy as a whole. To his surprise, he was granted this permission almost immediately – in fact, the priests had long known that Ometeotl had a destiny to fulfil beyond their temple-world, and had been waiting for him to realise it himself. Their only problem was how to contain and limit the awesome power that Ometeotl possessed, for the galaxy was in no way ready to be reintroduced to the god-like ability of the Slann. Ometeotl suggested that he might have his powers artificially limited to reasonable levels through the use of arcane technology, and so a limiter was fashioned and incorporated into his flesh. Reassured, the priesthood agreed to Ometeotl’s request, and he was projected through unknown dimensions to re-emerge almost instantaneously in another part of the galaxy.

And so, Ometeotl found himself on a frontier hive world known as Jarman’s Folly, at the edge of the Imperium of Man. Almost immediately, the innate suspicion and xenophobia of the local denizens made life difficult for Ometeotl – humans were a fearful, greedy species, and many attempts to relieve him of property and life were made. With regret, Ometeotl was forced to use his powers to defend himself on several occasions, and although his powers were limited, they were still vast by human standards. He soon learned to stick to the more cosmopolitan areas of the hive, such as the spaceports, where exotic races were less remarked upon, but unfortunately, news of the strange xeno and his magic was soon spreading among the hive gangs. It wasn’t long before a notorious witch-hunter gang came looking for Ometeotl, intent on killing the alien as an abomination against the Emperor. Ometeotl managed to evade the hunters for many weeks, but was eventually cornered in a busy part of the port. With heavy heart, Ometeotl drew on his powers once again, and used them to destroy the humans utterly, all the time aware that such a public display would undoubtedly draw more unwanted attention. He went into hiding again, but sure enough, local authorities and Imperial agents were soon scouring the port for any sign of Ometeotl.

Fortunately, a young human ‘Rogue Trader’ called Arturo Lamina managed to find Ometeotl first, and convinced the Slann that he could help him to escape the planet in exchange for a few ‘favours’. Left with little choice, Ometeotl agreed, and followed Arturo to his landing craft. The Imperial authority carried by the Rogue Trader allowed them to leave without incident, and they soon docked with Arturo’s voidship and were underway. Ometeotl thanked Arturo, and in return Arturo asked the Slann to examine an exotic object that he had retrieved from the underhive on Jarman’s Folly. The moment that he held the object – a green crystalline cube covered in ancient Slann script, Ometeotl knew that his fate and that of Arturo were intertwined. Ometeotl agreed to study the artefact, on the condition that he could join Arturo’s crew. Arturo agreed – he had heard about how effective the Slann had been in dispatching his puritanical hunters in the space port, and ever the pragmatist, he knew that the mage’s powers would be a huge benefit to his ambitions. At the same time, Arturo also felt the call of destiny…”

So, there we have it – another Rogue Quest adventurer completed, and another cool member of my Rogue Trader crew in hand. Hope you like him folks, I might do a human next ;-)

Hello chaps, I’m delighted to present my first effort for the Rogue Quest project that JB (Leadplague) and Jon (Magpieandoldlead) kicked off – I shamelessly crashed the party, (thanks guys!), so by Christmas we’re looking to build a six-strong adventuring party that portrays six of the classic dungeon crawler tropes… the trick is that they need to draw on Rogue Trader/confrontation inspiration and influences, and fit in with the RT universe. We get to choose from the following list:

• Barbarian
• Bard
• Cleric
• Fighter
• Magic user
• Paladin
• Ranger
• Rogue/thief

Now, I got really excited about this concept – it’s the sort of thing that forces you to look at the lead pile a little differently, and to maybe consider picking up models that you might not otherwise be looking to paint. I certainly found that to be the case for my first submission – a Rogue Quest Thief. The model comes from the Spacelords ‘Personalities and Civilians’ range (set 3706, available on Moonraker Miniatures) – a lovely little range that Jon brought to my attention. I must be honest, I completely overlooked this range at the first pass, but I just kept coming back to one particular miniature… he manages to look shifty, and also strangely innocent to me, and he has a pet cyber-monkey that no doubt allows him to access areas that are strictly off-limits! I decided to give him a go, and added a Scion dagger to at least have something of the 40k universe on his person.

Once he was based and undercoated, I took a good look at his face – he’s got a bit of a monkey-like look to him, or at least something not quite human… I started mulling over different flesh colours, and decided to go with the dark red you see here. The tail got added as an afterthought, just to make it clear that he isn’t human and to tie him in more with his pet. It’s the first time I’ve converted something that was already being painted, but I’m glad I did it because I think it gives him a slight resemblance to Nightcrawler, (a firm favorite of mine!).

Anyway, enough chit chat, here are some pictures:

And here’s his background:

‘Veela hails from the forest moon of Scorpio 4 – an unremarkable little world of no strategic or material value, the Scorpio system has been practically ignored by the wider galaxy. Veela’s people have existed for thousands of years in a state of technological primitivism – not through lack of intelligence or skill, but simply because there was no imperative to develop beyond a simple level of civilisation – they had all that they wanted or needed. They were a peaceful arboreal species who trod lightly upon their world, but sadly, this peaceful existence was shattered when a detached tendril of a passing Tyranid hive fleet happened to touch upon their world – the voracious creatures began to devour the forests and all life within them. There was no defence against the tide and extinction was almost assured, though Veela was far removed from the initial outbreak and was unaware of the danger.

Meanwhile, Rogue Trader Arturo Lamina received a lucrative contract to escort a prominent xeno-biologist to Scorpio 4 so that he could study and document the early stages of a Tyranid incursion. The contract was mostly focused on orbital observation, but a couple of field trips to areas far ahead of the Tyranid swarm were judged worthwhile. It was on one of these trips that Arturo and his crew were ambushed by a Tyranid biomorph that was ranging far ahead of the main body of the swarm. Shots were fired and lives were lost before Arturo and the survivors could get back to their lander and get off-world to the safety of their ship… In the confusion, they also managed to pick up a stowaway!

Veela was always a curious young man, and couldn’t help himself when one day, the peace of the forest was shattered by the scream of a vast metal bird as it settled in a clearing near to his home nest – his lifelong pet Chicho the monkey tagged along, and the pair went to investigate this strange happening. He discovered the metal bird settled in a clearing, strange peoples coming and going from the beast’s belly. Veela wanted a closer look, and waited for an opportune moment to venture down to the beast to take a look inside. Soon, the strange people had ventured away and the coast was clear! He crept down to the metal bird, and carefully ascertained that it was asleep before sneaking inside to have a good look around. Veela was just investigating a particularly interesting storage locker and the clothes that it contained, when he heard shouting, banging and screaming from outside. Footsteps pounded up into the beast, and Veela was forced to hide as the bird began to roar into wakefulness. With growing alarm, Veela realised that the bird was taking flight with him and Chicho inside! In panic, he tried to escape, but it was too late… the way was blocked by the strange people, and they soon had him cornered. Veela was certain that he was going to be killed – the strangers did not seem pleased to see him, and they shouted in a language he did not understand while pointed shiny metallic sticks at him as the bird shook and began to fly. After a few minutes a large individual is a suit of metal arrived and appeared to take charge of the situation. The metal man removed his head-shell, and offered Veela water and comfort. He looked sad, Veela thought.

Shortly, the metal bird arrived at what Veela assumed was its nest – a huge metal cave where all the strangers lived together, along with many more of their kind. Veela was given a nesting box of his own, and saw many strange and frightening things in those first few months, but as time went by he grew less afraid and even began to learn a little of the speech used by the strangers. It was during this time Arturo, the man who had first offered him comfort, began to visit him regularly. From these visits Veela learned of the existence of the wider galaxy, and of the many dangers that is contained. The culture shock would have broken most people, but Veela was resilient and curious. Arturo also asked may questions of Veela, and seemed to delight in the tricks of balance, agility and stealth that came so naturally to Veela. As time went by, Veela grew to worship Arturo. One day, Arturo came to him, and led him to a part of the nest he called ‘the bridge’. Veela was stunned to see a holographical representation of a barren rocky orb in the vastness of space. He asked what it was, and with great sadness, Arturo explained that it was Veela’s home. By now, the Tyranid invasion had stripped the moon of all biological life, and Arturo had the awful task of explaining this – Veela and Chicho were the last living creatures to survive from Scorpio 4. Veela wept as a vast explosion consumed his now-dead world, for Arturo had summoned the Imperial Navy to deliver the blessing of Exterminatus to the moon.

Veela recognised that Arturo had saved him, and swore to serve the Rogue Trader to his last breath. Arturo accepted Veela into his service, explaining that his and Chicho’s stealth and cunning were valuable gifts. Veela sealed the pact with the offer of two sacred feathers that he had been carrying when he first stowed away, and Arturo still wears these on his armour with pride. For his part, Arturo has gifted Veela and Chico with several advanced cybernetic implants that allow Veela to link more closely with his pet – seeing what Chicho sees, hearing what he hears. The natural stealth and agility of the pair make them ideally suited to espionage and theft – skills which are always welcomed and valued in any Rogue Trader’s retinue.’

Arturo and some hired henchmen create a distraction while Veela and Chicho prepare to embark on some skulduggery!

So there we go! Hopefully Veela meets the criteria for the Rogue Quest project, and as a bonus, he doubles up as a pretty cool companion for my Rogue Trader! :-)