Iybraesil Farseer

Well, I finished my Farseer, and I have to say I’m really stoked at how well she came out.  I want my Iybraesil Eldar to look a bit different to most Eldar armies – more weathered and ancient-looking.  I also wanted to get across the organic nature of Eldar technology.  I think I managed it.

I also wanted to make the Farseer herself look eldritch and freaky, so I used bold and less realistic colours in places.  I was going to paint bloody runes on her body but the blood-smeared hair and the scar on her leg came out so nicely that I decided not to push my luck!  Sometimes I reckon you just have to abandon your plan if it no longer seems right.

I tried to mask the canopy with vegemite so I could do the freehand, but because I was using a lot of washes the vegemite just melted and uh . . . ended up being incorporated into the weathering.  I really wanted the wraithbone to look like ancient, pitted bone.  Basically it took a million washes in tan, brown and blue, and then at the end I dabbed little drops of very watery brown paint and blew on them so they ran backwards from the nose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last thing I did was grab a rough grade sand paper and just scrape it over the finished canopy.  It was a bit nerve-wracking scraping sandpaper over something you just spent three hours painting but it was worth it I think.

You might also notice that the photos are a lot better than usual.  That’s because I didn’t take them!  They’re by Rhebeka Stangret.

Iybraesil Farseer Ready for Painting

I’ve been working on my Iybraesil Eldar a bit lately.  Here is my Farseer on her jetbike, undercoated with grey primer, a blue-black wash with windex and a quick spray of white undercoat to create the highlights.  I’ll be using the same watery technique as I did on my Rangers.  I’m really looking forward to painting the bloody warpaint and an image of Morai-Heg the blind crone goddess on the canopy.  Apologies for the rough photos, I lack patience.

I was originally going to use this Reaper devil lady I had lying around, with the scythe from the Empire wizard kit, but encountered several problems.

The scythe was too gothic (much better suited to Sisters of Battle), the model’s metal head was extremely difficult to remove without damaging the really thin arms, and I didn’t like her boots.  Overall it just didn’t look right.

So I green-stuffed the new Dark Elf Sorceress to some jetbike legs and shaved the thighs down. Now she’s completely under-equipped for battle in her armoured boots and bikini top, in the time-honoured tradition of fantasy heroines.

Meh.  Who needs pants when you have psychically attuned warpaint eh?

Iybraesil Rangers ready for battle

I’ve finally finished off my last three Iybraesil Rangers.  They came out pretty well I think.

I read in some Rogue Trader-era background that Eldar warriors wear warpaint under their armour as part of their whole adopting the warrior aspect thing, so I thought I’d try painting the ranger’s rune in blood on one of the elf’s foreheads.  I think it looks neat, plus it’ll be good practice for my Farseer and warlocks whose rune-armour is going to be body-paint.

The completed squad.

Now to build the jetbikes.  But first . . . I have to finish painting Lord General Drake, my counts-as Straken.  I can’t have him still undercoated in the final apocalyptic battle of the campaign.  Plus my Infinity guys will be arriving soon too.

So many projects, so little hobby time.

Heroes of Iybraesil

Farseer by Jes Goodwin, Rogue Trader era.

+++++

Balora rose from her spirit-trance and floated softly from the Wave Serpent, towards the tiny knot of Eldar warriors gathered below.  

The Seers of the other peoples wove delicate rune-lattices from wraithbone to bear the protective wards that they wore in battle.  But the Ancient Mothers of Iybraesil knew that the most primal and eldritch of ways were ways of blood and sacrifice.  Balora’s slim body had been marked by the handmaidens with runes of blood, wept from the living branches of the Tree of Woe that sulked in the heart of Iybraesil.  These were her Runes of Witnessing and Warding, turning aside weapons and evil intent with equal efficacy.  Her staff was wound with dark blossoms from the same tree.  Her cruel witchblade lurked in it’s charm-shackled sheath on her back.

To one of the brute races the Farseer and the Autarch would have looked much the same – both slender, ethereal waifs, quick and terrifying.  To Skaia’s eyes though the Ancient Mother was old, her movements almost imperceptibly slower and more syrupy than the young warrior’s own.  She watched as Balora removed the pitted wraithbone ghosthelm that held the spirits of many Ancient Mothers of legend.  Tangled snakes of white hair tumbled over the old Eldar’s shoulders, glued with divinatory blood at the tips.  The Farseer turned her yellow eyes on Skaia, and the Autarch bowed her head, unwilling to look into the primeaval past within.  Balora’s voice coalesced in her mind.

*Autarch.  The Ancient Mothers have revealed to me the true name of this world.  The oldest among us has been here . . . before.  You will open your mind to the pathfinder Illia-Khai, and he will guide you.  There will be death, and I will follow in it’s wake, to claim what is ours from the corrupted ones.*

Skaia dropped to one knee and bowed, smiling to herself.  Her dagger hummed at her side, resonating with her own desire for war.  Her ancient scorpion armour shivered on her skin, as though coming to life.  It was only narrowly that Skaia had avoided the fate of the Exarch.

“Control yourself Autarch.”  The Farseer admonished gently, using her own thin voice for emphasis.  “Your Path is first to bring us to victory, not to bring the enemy to peace.”

*Yes, Ancient Mother.*  Skaia silently returned.  She would not forget her Path.  The will of the Goddess would be done. 

+++++

I wrote this little bit to get myself in the mood for painting the first of my Eldar.  I’m really busy with everyday life at the moment (I’m trying to prepare a paper for my first academic conference in three weeks), and I’ve been spending a little more time than I’d like thinking and posting serious thoughts about the games industry, meta-gaming, etc.  Really, the actual hobby is the thing, so it’s time to get refocussed on that.

I guess I’m an RPGamer at heart, so I like to start with a character or two to get the inspiration going.  This story introduces the Farseer and Autarch of my Iybraesil Warhost.