A lot of good ideas here. My first thought was also a brown or sickly yellow.
The wizard (holding the skull) and apprentice (with the staff), and the illithid treasure hunter with sword, are all reaper miniatures. The three thieves/thugs and the slave holding the book above his head for his master - the groveling subhuman cultists - are miniatures from Scibor Miniatures. The abberation with spear, my barbarian, is a D&D pre-painted plastic miniature that I rebased, started repainting and added a GW High Elf Seaguard spear to. I have a second one of these D&D miniatures that I am going to convert as well. Either I will give it another spear, or some other weapon... not sure.