[Lazy Orang]

“Pay heed to the tales of old wives. It may well be that they alone keep in memory what it was once needful for the wise to know.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

I haven't updated this thread for a while now... Well, it turns out there was a reason for that. I wanted to save my thirteenth update for something fitting... namely, this seasonal set. For nine days, beginning now and culminating, obviously, on the 31st, I would like to unveil a unit a day, a couple of which have been shown on the site before, but the rest have not. So, without further ado, let's get started with:

Custom Set Thirteen: Fiends of Folklore

Let's start with a

Penanggalan

Penanggalan

- because I don't know about you, but I feel that Heroscape may be lacking in Malaysian influence. These are terrifying, vampiric creatures from Southeast Asian folklore, and once I'd found the Pathfinder figure for one and discovered what they were, I knew I'd love to see one in the game - and here she is:


Card by @mac122

Bio.

Spoiler Alert!

Bio - Nicholas Essenwein parted the drapes of flayed skin that made up the opening of the tent, and walked inside. The light was dying in the east, the sun beginning to set.Within the confines of the tent, the smell of vinegar was overpowering, a large vat of it resting on a table to one side. A woman with raven hair stood with her back to him. Her dress was ornate, black with an elegant gold trim. She turned to him, handing him a goblet, while holding one for herself. Both contained blood. She smiled, her cruel yet beautiful features twisting unnaturally.
‘Drink,’ she said. He took the goblet, as she raised her own to her lips. Her lips parted, but she did not place the vessel against them - instead, the crimson fluid seemed to jolt into her mouth, moved by some invisible tongue.
‘You wished to speak to me,’ she said. ‘Out with it, man, before the night comes again.’
The vampire drank deeply, shifting his head uncomfortably. ‘I saw you on the battle last night,’ he began. ‘How-...
‘Am I what I am?’ Her malicious countenance twisted inhumanly again. She chuckled... it sounded dry, lifeless. ‘Oh, that’s a long story. Still, we should just have time...’
She leaned against the table.
‘I lived on Grymwold before your General invited me to this... feast for the senses.’ More of the still-warm blood flowed into her mouth. ‘I was once a priestess of Hanternos, the Great Mantis, revered by my people as a local God of the Hunt - I believe you are familiar with him?’
‘I have some experience,’ the Essenwein replied, coldly, shuddering inwardly at the memory.
‘Over the years I clawed my way to the top... politics, intrigue, murder, all to the end of becoming the High Priestess, most faithful and devoted servant of the Mantis God,’ her voice dripped with sarcasm, ‘and more than that, the most powerful person in my village.’
‘Your ruthlessness does you credit, Dahsyat,’ responded Nicholas. Though it was no lie, the woman was beginning to repel even him - she felt unnatural and intimidating.
‘I relish the opportunity to speak with someone who understands, Essenwein,’ she responded, her words laced with venom. ‘Enough in my own town did not. They called me a pretender, a murderer... such a disrespectful way to refer to your betters.’
‘So you had them killed?’
‘What? Oh, no...’ She smiled again... it didn’t become any less disconcerting with repetition. ‘Well, not so simply, anyway. That would be too quick, to merciful, and nowhere near creative enough. In my position of High Priestess, I turned their punishment into a game of sorts, a ritual. In honour of the Midnight Hunter, the faithful of the village chased my enenies through the forest in the dead of night, and brought them to me. I fashioned a device to make particular examples of them. It latched onto their head, made a few incisions and then, with a simple twist and pull, ripped their head clean off, their heart and their whole digestive tract coming with it. A horrible way to die, and, I claimed, a fitting tribute to Hanternos. Some disagreed, saying that a God of the Hunt was no god of needless cruelty, but when their stomachs were put on display the others swiftly fell into line.’
‘Is that how you-...
‘I will tell this story in my own fashion, vampire.’ Her eyes flashed with cold fire, but it faded as quickly as it came. ‘I was in my late thirties when I finally had all I desired, but after a decade or so, my youth began to fade. The first wrinkle, the first grey hair, spelled out to me not only that I would one day lose my beauty, but my life. I’d never thought of it before; I, who had sent so many whimpering to their deaths, could hardly comprehend my own. For weeks I searched in my scrying bowl for an answer, and in the end it came. From another dimension, another plane or somewhere else in my own, I care not, but a greater, deeper, darker god than Hanternos spoke to me. It offered a bargain; my soul, my worship, for endless life and youth. How could I refuse?’
‘You could not.’
‘Precisely. At first I hid my new allegiance, but eventually my patron grew tired of such games. He said to spread his worship to my charges. They did not take kindly - those who I had guided for so long rebelled at the idea of worshipping someone other than Hanternos, despite my entreaties. Ingrates! They stormed the temple, strapped me to the altar, and used the device on me!
‘Fortunately, my patron’s promises of endless life were far from empty; they were greater than I could ever have imagined. My detatched head floated above the ground, my organs trailing beneath. While my assailants were still in shock, they were easy prey.
‘Without my charges, I was free, but also aimless. I began to roam the world. It seemed that my new found immortality came with a taste and a need for blood. I would search for it in the night - women in childbirth were a particular favourite. The blood nourishes me - it strengthens me.’
‘And the vinegar?’
‘When I vacate my body at night, my organs bloat - I have to shrink them in vinegar to return to my body in the morning. You should see how they react to the smell!’
The woman finished her drink. ‘Now, be going. The sun has almost set, and if you don’t leave now, you may find what you see to be... disquieting, to say the least.’

~Lazy Orang, making a start, and also making acknowledgement to @Soundwarp SG-1 for the Homeworld, which is Grymwold - everyone in this set is from Grymwold. Also making acknowledgement to @Scytale for the species of Horror - I don't have any of his Horrors yet, but I hope to someday, and it seemed the most fitting species here.