The next unit for the Fimir... the Bansidheia

The Fimir have new (although unpainted) allies. Introducing the Bansidheia:

Among the Atrebodil tribe there are some women who volunteer themselves to the Fimir. These are treated with great respect and privilege, available only to proven Fimm, Flaiths and Flaithmor, however the cyclopsian creatures are not undemanding of the qualities of these volunteers. In order to produce a strong breed of fine warriors only the toughest women are chosen, warriors in their own right. Candidates put themselves forwards once a year at a great midwinter ceremony, they become known as the Bansidheia and leave their settlements to join the Fimir, tasked with undertaking raids on their behalf, slaughtering and enslaving villages. Those who prove themselves over the course of the year are admitted into the harem of the clan Flaithmor. Occasionally a Bansidhe proves herself such a mighty warrior she is dubbed Icchareia and given oversight of the new Bansidheia.

Bansidheia

Women who volunteer themselves to a Fimir clan; sometimes of their free will, more often to avoid the shame of being taken captive against their will and to gain the benefits awarded to those who go freely, are asked to prove their worth in combat. This is not without risk, since those who fail are either killed or taken to join those captured in Fimir raids. As a result, the Bansidheia are a determined fighting force, often sent out as an advance party to a main Fimir raid.

                        M   WS  BS  S   T  W   I   A  Ld  Type

Bansidhe         5     5     2    3    4   1   6   2   7    Inf

Banllebe          5     5     2    3    4   1   6   3   8    Inf

Icchareia

The Icchareia is a warrior-woman of great ferocity and might who has fought through the ranks of the Bansidheia to be awarded a position equal to the clan Flaithmor. Icchareia sometimes accompany the Flaithmor onto the battlefield, or take their places if the Flaithmor are detained. They command the full respect of the Fimm.

                                   M   WS  BS  S   T  W   I   A  Ld  Type

Icchareia                     5     5     3    3    4   2   7   3   8    Inf

 Iccharan pipes: The Icchareia’s role within the courts of the Fimm nobles includes the creation of music to please their consorts. Chiefly they employ the fabled Iccharan pipes, these magical instruments are charmed to affect the mood of the listener. In battle the Iccharan pipes can be played to drive the listeners into a fighting frenzy or calm them in the heat of battle. Each turn a unit contains an Icchareia and begins its turn not in combat the unit may receive either Always Strikes First or Stubborn. If the unit enters combat the ability remains until the end of the turn and is then lost, the Icchareia is too busy to play!

I've been collecting Celtos figures for the Bansidheia for a while now, but what I've really been after are the Rackham Confrontation Fiannas, sadly out of production and going for a pretty penny! A couple of weeks ago I managed to get my hands on four of these little ladies... only to find they're a little less little than I thought and make the Celtos ladies look even more teen. Ah well, spread throughout the unit they don't look too out of place, especially with the other brands of figures mixed in. I'm going to use the fianna musician as the Icchareia so it makes sense she might be a bit larger, especially if the rumours about the Antrebodil's chaos connections are true!

The difference in scale between the Celtos and Rackham figures:

With the Reaper and other types of figures, the scale range is a bit less pronounced:

Some duplicates in the unit. The first is a huntress from Reaper. Originally bought to be chained to a monolith she has been liberated and given a big Fimmy axe to provide a bit of a difference!

Another weapon swap:

A bit of bending just to change the line of the figure:

It'll be a while before the ladies join the army proper. I'm planning to paint each individually to match a painting from the Sword and Dragon Song series.

The next unit for the Fimir... the Bansidheia