[Click for a
monstrous picture.]Undead pirate:
The Unsleeping Reaver
30 Oct 06
[Click for a
monstrous picture.]
A heavy, supernatural fog spilled down the rotting gangplank and over Stipple and Erodon. When the mist cleared, it seemed to the pair as though Death himself stood in front of them.
"Avast!" said the horrific figure, its voice boiling up from some nether plane. "Who dares come calling at the Port of the Damned."
"Oh, wow," said Stipple. Erodon, his eyes struggling with what they seemed to be seeing, turned to face the halfling.
"You're the Unsleeping Reaver, right?" the halfling continued.
The figure paused. He seemed a little nonplussed, inasmuch as a fleshless face and eyes that are pits of infinite depth from which no light escapes can register confusion.
"Your hat carries the insignia of the Eldritch Navy, from your days as the commander there. Oh, and your sword was forged for you by a demigod, and you lost your leg battling a giant starfish."
"Er. . . aye," said the Unsleeping Reaver. "'Tis nice to meet a fan."
"And there's your sash, given to you by the only woman who ever tamed your wild heart, but whose love was forever lost to you as a result of a tragedy you accidentally set into motion."
"Aye," said the Unsleeping Reaver, ". . . aye. Me origin story is a bit. . . trite."
"Not at all," said Stipple. "It's not trite if it's happening to you."
The Unsleeping Reaver seemed cheered by this. "I'd never thought of it by that tack," he said.
"Permission to come aboard and tour the ship, Cap'n?"
"Granted!" said the Reaver. "Yarr."
Stipple scampered up the gangplank, which groaned like lost souls under even the halfling's small frame. Erodon stood behind him, shivered a little in the night air, his eyes showing clearly that he was still working on processing what had just happened.
[The story continues on the undead parrot page. . . .]
[Click
for a monstrous picture.]
This week's work is a Reaper miniature: Kazig, undead pirate, sculpted by Bob Olley. Once again, I haven't converted him, though I knew he had to have some sort of companion.
I decided on a royal sort of scheme, partly to set off his raggedy appearance. I settled on a red for his coat. I started with a brown base, and worked up to one of the dark Vallejo reds. My Games Workshop red paints had long since ossified in their pots, so I had to mix a bit to work up to a faded shade. (I've since replaced my GW reds and purple -- I just haven't found colors as intense, and I hope the new bottle style keeps them fresh for a bit longer than the last batch.)
Jaunty yellow pants go with a red coat, right? I hope so. The main challenge was keeping it fairly distinct from the bone color.
The metals were all done in a modified NMM using metallics (so it's MMM). Finally, the plans were done up in a worn and ghostly color, and the Reaper broccoli base was painted up like churning ocean. I'd seen someone do this before and thought the effect was sort of cool.
(He's on CMON, and goes up for eBay auction before long.)
When he was done, it was time to work on the undead parrot:
