The mech-cities of Khandar might, at first glance, seem like a steampunk paradise, but they have a dark side. I mentioned "technological orthodoxy" in my post about Garshif a few days ago, after all. The punishments for those who defy this orthodoxy vary wildly, but exile is among the most common for repeat and/or severe transgressions. Exiles typically live their lives as scroungers:
This emaciated druorn is dressed in rags and carrying whatever scraps he can find to help him survive the wastelands. Given the harsh life in the wastelands, scroungers can be quite dangerous, and explorers from the mech-cities tend to avoid them for that reason.
As befitting the name, the scrounger model is asymmetric, with the most random and scrappy of bits that Hero Forge has to offer.
The corroded copper texture is a nice touch. It's called "lost city of brass," which is rather fitting. Much as I would like to string a belt or bandolier of random machine parts round the scrounger's body, that's not an option - yet. Hero Forge recently added neck adornments; you may have noticed the chain round the scrounger's neck, and there is another example later on in this post.
Before I move on to the next model, I should probably mention my main inspiration for this particular design. Given who my followers are, you may have seen this already, but for the rest of you, enjoy some of Alfabusa's nonsense. Kitbashing FTW!
A far more dangerous type of outcast is the crystal witch, an individual who became enchanted with the powers of the great green crystal called neticine. Neticine is extremely common on Khandar, and while the majority of it is found in massive crystal caves that are declared off-limits and guarded by sartorius troopers (whose steam power armour I'm currently working on), small crystals can be found in random locations and occasionally make it into the mech-cities. Unlike the scroungers, crystal witches tend to leave the mech-cities of their own volition, making their dwellings in isolated areas, usually in close proximity to secret entrances to the crystal caves.
Crystals, electrically conductive crystals everywhere! The right frequency sent through them can not only get them to glow, thus distinguishing them from other green crystals, but can also get them to release other forms of energy, which is what the flute is for. Such power comes at cost, though. I mentioned in a post from early this year some of the side-effects of prolonged neticine exposure, and here's another:
Obsession with the crystals yields quite the insights, and the rewarded curiosity breeds more obsession - and glowing green eyes, along with many debilitating afflictions that are consistent with radiation poisoning (think "if Marie Curie was a sorceress").
The model above is one I created today, but it's just an adaptation from one that I had made shortly after the black dwarves. When the chuyinka arrived on (or rather, returned to) Khandar, they gathered many of the outcasts together, and crystal witches were among them. So valuable was the knowledge they possessed that they were all inducted into the inner circle, i.e. the secret society known as the Chaotic Summoners. They wore the summoner's robes, and gained access to all sorts of equipment necessary to continue their experiments.
There was quite a bit of tension, and the various outcasts didn't always get along. Furthermore, the witches, being druorns, typically didn't get along with the black dwarf commanders, the most senior of which were also Chaotic Summoners, as I had mentioned when I first showed them off. Still, the discontent was of little consequence, as the witches rarely had much contact with the black dwarves.
Sometime later this month, on my WordPress blog, I'll have additional articles going into greater detail about the mech-cities, neticine lore, and the Chaotic Summoners (not necessarily in that order). Finishing the sartorius armour comes first, however.