Denizens of Azor: Man-Apes and more Man-Apes!

[Alxbates]

Looks like Jabba's little friend, Salacious B. Crumb

Hmmm... maybe that was a bit of unintentional inspiration!

I was thinking more like Blofeld's cat, or Drax's dogs, but, sure, Salacious Crumb works!

Here's the concept art:

[d phipps]

Great news, Alex! Well done! 

[Alxbates]

Brian Roe put together this graphic of all the purchasable add-ons in one place!

[Alxbates]

And we're on the home stretch - the last 48 hours of the Kickstarter are here!

The final stretch goal freebie has been revealed, too - a leaping boar treasure piece, being sculpted by Dave Cauley.



Here's a very early peek at the rough outline of the sculpt - it's about 15mm.



The Skull Pigs of Azor (known as Entelodonts to modern paleontologists) are belligerent and dangerous animals, but they are popular in local art as symbols of strength and power.  This statue is one such representation, and should make for a nice terrain accent, treasure item, or objective counter on the table

This statue will be included FREE with every pledge at the $21 level ("The Merchant and the Alert Sentries") on up.

If you want additional Leaping Boar statues, they are available as an add-on for $2 each.

This means that, at the $45 "Full Set" pledge level, you'll get one each of the Merchant, the two Alert Sentries, the four Sleepy Sentries, two shields, the merchant's pet lizard, and this boar statue.



I have used my wizardly skills with MS Paint to put everything together - the add-on items are not *quite* exactly to scale, but this should be close enough to get the general idea across.

I also want to say thank you to everyone who posted about the campaign, who pledged, and who shared and liked it on social media.  This thing has exceeded my expectations, and I know that it wouldn't have been nearly as successful as it is without all the support and help I've gotten from the gaming community.

[Argonor]

So many minis, so little time 

[Alxbates]

Holy crap.

9 hours left in the Kickstarter, and I just broke $8000.

That's amazing.

[Alxbates]

Things are progressing well with the Kickstarter - everything is on track to be delivered on time.

And, while that is going on, I've got a few other things in the pipeline.

Like, this Cyclops sculpt by David Soderquist!





These are not the mythical creatures of old - in Azor, the Cyclopes are tragic individuals, almost always doomed to short and miserable lives.  Whether it's some quirk of genetics specific to the population of Azor, the legacy of meddling from an ancient non-human race, or the whim of some cruel and capricious god, the poor cyclopes always have a similar profile.  Once or twice a generation, a baby is born with an extreme & specific set of deformities - their eye sockets never differentiated, nearly blind, their limbs long and twisted.  Despite that, they are usually quite strong and often reach seven feet in height. Their minds remain childlike and impulsive their whole lives, until they get too tall and their hearts give out in their 25th year (at the latest! They often die in their teens).

The best case scenario a Cyclops can hope for is to be given (or sold) to a temple or nobleman's menagerie immediately after birth.  They'll be fed and clothed & treated as unfortunate but semi-sacred beings - they are said to have been touched by the sun, changed by it in ways beyond their control.  

It's much more likely that they will be destroyed at birth, or left exposed out in the jungle.  The mother (and occasionally the father!) may be killed, too, thought to be cursed.

Even that is a relatively kind fate compared to the cyclopes that end up in the arena.  Tormented, chained, made to fight, they are treated as monsters and featured in the grand summer spectacle.

Adventurers who end up in Azor may encounter these poor beings - perhaps the ape-men found one that had been exposed in the jungle, and are raising it as a member of the tribe.  Perhaps the heroes want to rescue one that's been consigned to the arena.  Maybe a merchant is keeping one as a curiosity and a guardian... a screaming, weeping, inarticulate seven-foot tall person makes for a memorable encounter no matter the circumstance!

[von Lucky]

Lovely composition and back story. I particularly like the feet turned in on each other and the rib cage.

[d phipps]

Excellent work and a good backstory. 

[manic _miner]

 Very nice work from David.A nice addition to your range Alex.You are starting to flesh the World out a bit now.

[Alxbates]

And in non-Kickstarter related news, after a false start and a delay, the Pterro-Sphinx and the Doom Serpent idol are now headed to the caster.

I should have them in stock just before Christmas.  Probably not in time to deliver before the holiday, but I expect they'll be for sale by then.

[Alxbates]

A brief heads-up - I'll be locking the surveys down on Monday (about 24 hours from the time of this writing). So if you've gotten your Kickstarter survey & haven't filled it out yet, please do so ASAP.

If you don't need any rewards (that's most of the $1 pledges), or if you've already worked things out with me via email or message, then feel free to disregard this note.

-Alex

[LeadAsbestos]

"I like tough, badass women, I like Pulp art, I like Minoan Crete and ancient Greece and ancient Egypt, and I like boobs.  I don't think that those interests are mutually exclusive."

Well said. 

Order incoming...

[Alxbates]

I've got a little Shrine of the Cyclops set coming out soon, too - it'll include an armored version of the cyclops I posted earlier:





Also an actual shrine, complete with a rune-decorated 'cyclops' skull:

(rough sketch by me)




Sculpt in progress by Dave Cauley!





The shrine put together by Dave, nearly finished:



The set will also include a priest and a couple of guards.  I'm not sure exactly when it'll be released, probably early next year.  Maybe January or February.

[orc]

  :oGorgerous Alex!!!! I trully like your range of minis,!! Congratulations!!