Jwar Tales part 6

Mizuki Ito cursed the Prefecture fools again, rearing up on her powerful coils, she watched as the Dragon clan deployed for battle.  Why her would be allies had decided to betray her she could only guess.  The alliance would have allowed them to take the fight to the Jung pirates that had plagued the Islands over the last few months and put an end to their raids. It made no sense to her why the ruling clan would not want to put an end to the pirates? Regardless they had decided to not only dishonour the treatise, but to attack her retinue. The betrayal was doubly offensive and could only be repaid in blood.

Looking left to right, she watched her kin deploy with grim determination. The giant Hebi samurai - Taisei, with his No-Dachi would protect the smaller Hebi archer - Kaihime, her poisoned arrows would be vital in keeping the foe at bay. On the other flank, Yuui, the last of the Hebi samurai in her retinue and armed with twin swords, slithered around the base of the ancient statue and took up her position.  Either side of her stood the only bipedal members of her warband. Ji, the Temple Asp stood close by his priestess, the tight grip on his katana the only sign of nerves showing, his devout faith in her and Orachi would ensure his bravery in the coming fight.  Lastly, the mysterious Hebimiman - Akimoto the Red stood stock still, his glittering cobra eyes fixed on the approaching enemy. 

Arrayed before her, the Dragon clan retinue spread out.  The young lord Hiro Takashi led the delegation, flanked by the ward of the court - Iiju Makoto.  Two minor members of the Takashi family lurked in or around the two lords, clearly there to provide a bodyguard for the nobles. More astonishingly, the rumours were true - one of the legendary dragons had risen from their slumber to aid the Takashi family in consolidating their hold on the Prefecture, although Mizuchi was young by dragon standards, he still counted his age in centuries.

Under the watchful eyes of the colourful statue of the great wyrm Sui Riu, the Prefecture fools marched toward the Mother and her kin.

"My family, let us show these treacherous creatures Orachi's disfavour, let my husband's poison run through their veins and show them we are not to be betrayed!" she shrieked.

Kahime the archer bowed her head and slithered quickly forward, raising her bow and loosing a shaft in one quick motion.  The arrow flew true and lodged in the elbow guard of the male retainer's armour, with a yelp the man withdrew his arm and tugged at the willow shaft until it dropped free, a tiny drop of blood on it's point.  Grimly he marched on, heading toward the centre of the small garden where the two clans fought.

Taisei raised his huge No-Dachi and rushed forward to cover the more vulnerable Kahime from the melee orientated Prefecture, his massive presence a comfort to the smaller hebi as she forced the enemy to find cover from her arrows.  Akimoto the Red, focused on the steady advance of his prey, sprang forward and spat a length of bile green poison at the approaching Dragon clan.  Iiju Makoto, ward of the court and scion of the Hare clan ducked the deadly stream and continued his approach, breaking into a swift run just before crashing into the hebimiman with his armoured form.  The slighter, unarmoured Akimoto was bowled over by the young samurai, who followed up the attack with a slash from his two handed sword.  The heavy weapon tore through the thick neck of the snake man, decapitating the monstrous beast with a single blow.

Mizuki shrieked with dismay as she saw a loyal warrior fall to the big human.  Fixing Iiju with her burning gaze, she drew on her considerable Ki, transfixing the young man like a mouse under the control of a striking viper.  Dreamily, the ward lowered his weapon and slumped his shoulders as the Bride of Orachi sapped his will and implanted suggestions into his now receptive mind.

Unaware of this uneven battle of wills, the female retainer Bachiko Takashi strode up behind the transfixed young man, urging him to advance on the nearby Ito Bushi.  With a snarl, the ward spun on his heel and swung his sword one-handed at the slight female.  Taken by surprise, Bachiko barely had the wherewithal to parry the massive blade and narrowly avoided a grievous wound.  A series of attacks followed, pushing the retainer to the very edge of her skills in an effort to defend herself.  The glazed look in Makoto's eyes enough for her to consider him bewitched, she painstakingly avoided any retaliation.

Ji the Ito Temple Bushi, took advantage of the distracted samurai and lept into combat with the male Takashi guard.  Screaming prayers to his god, the acolyte of Orachi delivered a withering series of slashes and blows in an effort to get past the darting point of the guards yari, to no avail as the two combatants fought to a stalemate.

On the left flank Mizuchi the dragon launched himself into the air and darted over the towering form of Taisei, landing in between the two hebi-samurai.  With lightning flicks of his muscular tail, the great beast delivered stunning blows to the snake warriors.

On the other flank, Hiro charged forward, his katana held high above his right shoulder ready to deliver a killing blow to Yuui, the female hebi warrior.  With precision he swept the blade down and wide only to feel the clash of steel on steel as the snake woman parried the strike with her left hand blade. Drawing his own sword back he launched a series of swift strikes that kept the Ito warrior on the defensive, ringing her twin blades with a speed that belied his single weapon.  However, Yuui was able to deflect all of the blows with only minor scrapes to show for his effort.  With the speed of a striking serpent, the hebi samurai uncoiled her muscular body and wrapped her strong tail around the human, pinning one of his arms to his side while hacking with her blades.  Hiro struggled to keep up with the lightning fast attacks and only his heavy armour kept him from receiving a major injury.

Strategically placed between the two snake samurai, Mizuchi the dragon launched itself at the unguarded back of the archer, sinking it's dagger sized talons into her back and piercing her heart.  With a sigh, the archer slumped lifelessly to the floor.

Mizuki, the bride of Orachi once again exerted her will on the ward of the Ryu court in an attempt to keep up the attack on the female retainer. With a trembling hand, Iiju Makato reached for a fetish tied onto his armour with a red sash. The Ki laced parchment flashed a bright silvery light, before crumbling into dust.  However the insidious hold on the scion of the Hare clan was broken and he turned on the spot to face down the oncoming Temple Asp.  The Ito Bushi grimly drew his katana and fought bravely, if not well, but eventually he succumbed to a well placed thrust of Iiju's sword.

The ward turned to the others, raising his blade in victory only to see the grey/green pallor of the male retainer.  "Han, what is it?" the ward barely had time to ask before the soldier dropped his yari from fingers that no longer had the strength to hold it. The retainer looked confused as he bent over to vomit a stream of green tinged bile onto the floor, then crashed to the ground in a heap.  Iiju, confused by the turn of events rushed to Han's side when he spotted the putrifying flesh wound at the soldier's elbow... poison!

Mizuki, the young dragon whipped his tail again and again at the enraged Taisei, desperate to keep the giant snake samurai at bay.  Time and again though, the hebi met the tail with his giant No-Dachi, the blade glistening with acid green poison.  Small nicks covered the length of the adolescent creatures scaly form and the dragon began to visibly slow as each cut penetrated his natural armour.

Hiro, slashed and stabbed with his katana, desperate to break the tenuous hold of the snake-woman's grasp.  However, the hebi samurai refused to let go and eventually more and more of her coils wrapped around the young lord, squeezing his torso until his armour plates began to buckle.

Poison coursed through the veins of the young dragon, the neuro toxin slowing his reactions and weakening his blows. In response the giant hebi samurai gripped his No-Dachi in both hands and lifting his upper body high on his snake-like lower half he drove the massive blade clean through the beast.

Mizuchi, screeched in delight as she watched the symbol of the Takashi clan fall to the floor in two separate pieces.  Gathering her Ki, she once again settled her gaze on Iiju and with an effort of will forced the ward to flee the battlefield, his cheeks flaming red with the shame.  Flushed with success, she nearly missed the quiet approach of the Takashi female, barely managing to deflect the swift strikes of the retainer's katana.

Desperately, the bride of Orachi parried the blows from the fearsome female, slowly but surely being driven backward toward the struggling Hiro.  As she fought for her very life, her concentration slipped and the control that she exerted over the ward Iiju wavered allowing the ward to break her hold over him.

Desperate to regain his honour, he broke into a trot and ran back toward the engagement, a grim smile on his face as he pictured his revenge.

From beneath a low bush on the edges of the battleground, a soft black nose pushed out of the foliage, followed by the orange brown snout of a fox.  With glittering eyes the creature watched as the two retinues continued to spend their strength in futile combat. Finally, the crafty beast had seen enough and withdrew silently into the surrounding woods, slinking away.  It's mission had been a resounding success, the treaty would never be and the Balance was safe.....for now.

hope you enjoy
dGG

Jwar Tales part 5

Slowly, the green clad bushi made his way across the bare rock floor of the dank, gloomy cave.  Weak light from a flickering brazier, barely illuminated the path toward the stone dais and Ji, a third level Temple Asp, picked his steps carefully through the sacred serpents that littered the floor.  To step on one of Orochi's favoured creatures would invite Ji's instant sacrifice to the Snake Kami.

Reaching the first step that led to the rough hewn altar, Ji drew a shaky breath.  His news was grave and he was terrified that the Mother would react poorly to his report. Before he could calm his nerves however, he heard a soft slithering that marked the presence of one of the Hebi.  Ji dropped into a submissive bow, shuddering as he was instantly eye level with dozens of deadly vipers. Still, he pressed his forehead to the cold, moist floor, eyes averted from the majesty of the Mother as she entered the chamber.

"Report..." a soft, seductive voice tinged with a sibilant hissing whispered from the darkness.

Clearing his throat, Ji croaked a barely audible prayer to Orachi for his blessing.  Before he could continue, the voice grew harder and tinged with power, lashing at the petrified Asp like a snake's flickering tongue.

"Do not implore my husband for his protection!" the voice snapped "It is I who will decide your fate.  Now begin your report!" Ki laced the command, driving through the bushi's terror clogged mind and forcing the words through lips stiffened with fear.  Ji felt his head come up from the submissive stance and behold the glorious fury of the Mother.

Mizuki Ito, once famed for her beauty and courted by dozens of samurai across the Jwar Isles, was now transformed into a bride of Orachi.  Her human half still retained the classic lines of nobility that had drawn the attention of her many suitors, albeit her hair replaced by a nest of vipers that writhed and spat as if separate from her head. Her lower half resembled that of an enormous snake, glistening red scales glinting in the pale light and coiled underneath her.

"The Prefecture, Mother.  The Prefecture are coming..." babbled Ji in a panic.

"This I know fool! we seek alliance with them." The Shugenja shrieked.

Ji threw himself back into the submissive pose, trembling in such great fear that his whole body shook.

"No Mother you are mistaken, they are arrayed for war.  They seek a fight!"

 

Jwar Tales part 2

Akari, Master Monk of the Temple of Ro-Kan, held up a furry paw and chittered softly in the secret Tanuki tongue into the wind.  The whispered plea, buoyed by a thread of the master’s spirit energy -Ki, spread out among the ancient boughs of his forest sanctuary. Akari rested back into a meditation pose, cross legged on the gnarled tree stump that had been moulded to his diminutive frame. Moments later, a pair of tiny birds, their bright plumage flashing in the weak light of the glade, flitted over to his outstretched arm and came to rest. Solemnly, the ancient Master addressed his avian messengers.

“Little ones” he began, once again reinforcing his words with gentle whispers of his Ki, to settle the nervous nature of the wild creatures.

“Fear not, we face a challenge to the Balance and you must carry my words to the others in my stead. We have little time and I must determine the truest path for us to follow. Gather the younglings, bring them to me, the children of Ro-Kan and their companions will be our instrument, their innocence will counter the conniving political wrangling of the Prefecture and will restore the Balance.”

The birds, their feathery breasts puffed out with the importance of their mission, bowed their heads and spreading their wings darted off into the forests surrounding the Temple grounds.

Akari nodded his satisfaction and returned to his prayer pose. Opening his mind to the shining streams of Ki, he gently pushed his spirit out once more, hoping to determine the best course of action to prevent the pride of the Prefecture from pushing them closer to the darkness that threatened to overwhelm the Jwar Isles.

Following the tiny thread of probability that he had discovered, he attempted to unknot the twisted skein of possible events that led to the upsetting of the Balance.  Satisfied that he had found the right thread he tracked back toward the nexus point – the crucial moment that tipped the Balance. 

“There!” he muttered to himself

“that point there”.

In his mind, he saw a powerful samurai clad in full battle armour surrounded by a small band of Ryu retainers.  The samurai, clearly a member of the ruling house – Takashi, handed an important looking scroll, dripping with seals and ribbons, to a human female and bade her to guard it with her very life. 

The retainer bowed deeply to her lord, clearly pleased with the honour of bearing such a prestigious document.  Placing the scroll into a leather bag and slinging it across her shoulder, she adjusted the large katana at her waist. With that, the retinue moved off setting a fast pace, clearly at haste to deliver the message.

Akari, with a quick focus of Ki, moved along the thread a little further, tracking the party across the cultivated lands of the Ryu clan and into the foothills that marked the border with Ro-Kan.  Here in the southern reaches of Akari’s adopted homeland the samurai drew his party to a halt.  A gentle nudge of Ki and the timeline edged forward a few hours to the point where a small group of green clad humans approached the Takashi lordling. 

“Ito Clan” the Tanuki chittered

“what brings the Snake to parley with the Dragon?”

Whatever it was, it signified a shift in the Balance and that needed to be addressed.  Akari reached for his Ki and shifted the timeline back to the arrival of the samurai and his band. Drawing on his spirit energy he created a replica of himself and his companions and inserted the band of monks into the probability thread.  With that done, he drew back on his view until he could watch the events unfold.

Unbeknown to the ancient Tanuki, a small flash of red fur streaked across the unfolding conflict, ducking in between the twisted trunks of the woodlands and peered out from the thick undergrowth. 

Taisei

Hi all

It's time for some serious melee power for my snakes!! Time to welcome to da Grotto my latest recruit - Taisei.

Deep in the cold, moist temples to Orochi where the greatest nightmares lurk, Taisei waits, conserving his energy only for the bidding of the one true Kami. His physical prowess making him an impressive specimen of the Hebi, his great strength allowing him to wield the no-dachi with frightening agility, fearsome power or crushing an enemy beneath muscled coils, immobilised and helpless to the mercy of the merciless. 

Taisei is my big hitter, armed with a giant sword giving him a damage of +2 combine that with his "Hack" Ki feat - adding a further +3 dam he is gonna crunch some bones! "Grapple" can reduce dice advantage for those pesky samurai by immobilising them.

Swift of "foot" as it were, the boy-snake can move and is impossible to prone or throw  due to his inherent snakiness. "Blood of Orochi" means that he fits my favorite theme "The Blessed" and he contributes to the poison pool.

Not much more to say about his paint job, that hasn't been said in previous posts.  He fits in the theme, he looks fab and he slithers into the warband!

hope you enjoy

dGG

Mizuki Ito

Hi all

Continuing on with the deadly women of the Ito clan, we have the Queen of the hebi - bride of the great kami Orochi.  Here is her blurb on GCT's website....

Another daughter of the Ito clan succumbed to the temptation of Orochi’s Blessing. Once a beautiful child of the Ito, with many a samurai lord interested in claiming her hand for a son. That was all before she started the visions that led her to her one and only partner, for now she is wed to Orochi. The Blessing awakening a deep power within her, granting her the power to grant minor gifts to fellow believers to conduct Orochi’s bidding.

This awesome model is a hefty investment in points at 12 rice but in my opinion worth the cost (although in a recent game she fluffed her lines).  She is a pure support model, with a poor melee profile so I lined her up with a Temple Asp as a bodyguard, if she does get in melee she does pack a bit of poison that can puts the hurt on her opponents and her "Fear (5)" can cause them to pause for thought.  However she does offer some unique skills that can either buff her friends or hinder her foes, Her Ki feats are excellent - "Blessing of Orochi" buffs her followers with a plethora of skills to choose from. "Paralyze" is really useful at causing enemy combatants in melee to lose dice with "held" and become "slow" meaning they strike last.  My fave though has to be "Obey", the chance to take control of one of my opponent's models even for a single activation can change the turn on its head and if she fires it off twice....

Paint wise, I obviously stuck with my theme colours and ensuring that the nest of vipers that make up her hair follow the red viper concept.

At the end of the day, she is an amazing model and fits beautifully into my warband, despite her shocker in a recent game I think she will be a stalwart of my Ito.

hope you enjoy
dGG

Kahime Ito

Hi all

yet another of my emerging Ito Clan for your pleasure ;-P

This time with have Kahime Ito....

Orochi found Kaihime a worthy recipient of her gifts and bestowed upon this deadly samurai archer the means to carry out her will. Her keen eye and swift arm sew dead across the battlefield. Her arrows find their way through even the toughest Minimoto armour and if the cold Ito steel doesn’t finish her unlucky targets, Orochi’s blood soon devourers them from inside, leaving those praying for a swift end.

At a hefty 9 rice, she's quite expensive but totally worth it, even following the nerfing of ranged rules in Bushido. With boostable 3MS and 3RS she can fight or fire, although she shines at range. Being hebi she comes with the extra speed and "light footed" traits as well as "steady" and very importantly "blood of orochi" - poisoned arrows anyone?  With "Quick load" and "precision strike" she can whip out a volley of armour piercing poisoned arrows to boot!  To top it off she has armour (2), 8 wounds and "martial prowess" allowing her to reroll and attack or defence dice in melee.  she really has got lots to offer for that price tag.  She definitely becomes an auto-include.  The recent errata means that multiple shots in Bushido attract negative penalties following the first shot, making the quick reload less viable but I still think its totally worth it and Kahime will be my go to ranged fighter in this faction.

paint wise, I found her face a little difficult to get right but I've stuck to my theme colours and the colouration of her "hebi-portions" so I won't reiterate them here.  Needless to say I'm pleased with the results.  Added to that another lovely base from "Debris of War's" broken flagstone range and job is a good'un.

hope you enjoy

dGG

Yuui Ito

Hi all

More offerings from my newest Bushido faction - Clan Ito.  This time let me introduce you to Yuui Ito, one of the awesome Hebi...

Another daughter of Orochi, a ferocious warrior gifted with great prowess in battle and the honour of Orochi’s snake form body. She slithers across the battlefield seeking out the cowards in the shadows and dispatching them in Orochi’s name. Although not of the Ito bloodline Yuui has risen amongst the ranks of the followers of Orochi, a rise that has not gone unnoticed by many Ito, who by birth should outrank her. 

Yuui is a cracking model and nice addition to the faction, for just 7 rice you get a 3MS model with all the benefits of being part snake! She has better than average speed at 5, is "light footed" meaning she ignores movement penalties for crossing terrain and is "steady" meaning she cannot be made prone by special attacks.  With her armour (1) and 8 wounds she can take a bit of punishment in combat, even better she can use her Ki feat "grapple" and immobilise her opponent setting them up for a beating by her kin.  With her hebi trait "blood of orochi" I can use her in the "Blessed" Theme and she contributes to the poison pool that allows me to grant poisoned weapons to some of my fighters!  Finally her ki feat "detect" allows her to sniff out those pesky ninjas!  All in all 7 rice well spent....

So the painting of Yuui followed my general theme, with green clothing and lots of gold ringlets around her tail and stuff. I gave her the trademark yellow viper eyes and repeated the colour on her underbelly.  The upper side of her tail I made a dark red to fit my "viper" theme and its not easy to tell from these photos but there is a subtle red pattern mixed in to break up the block colour.  Once again I went for the bases from "Debris of War" this time going with the flagstones to represent the inner temples of the God-Kami - Orochi.

Hope you enjoy
dGG

Year of the Snake!

hi all

Ok it's not actually the year of the snake, its the rooster to be precise but....

It's time to introduce my newest faction for Bushido - Clan Ito.  This is the official blurb from the GCT Studios -

The Ito have long been the laughing stock of the ruling clans. Never quite able to understand that it is their own flaws which hold their greater ambitions back. Being untrustworthy is synonymous with the Ito in the Jwar Isles; their support of the Shiho’s rise to power followed by their treacherous role in the Dragon Wars against the very same clan, highlights their fickle nature. Now though the Ito on the island of Izu have gone through a transformation, their alliance with an age old and powerful Kami has imbued them with a new found strength. If it was the Kami that caused the snake like changes or whether it has simply exaggerated the Ito’s natural affinity is unknown. What is sure is that the Ito finally have the power to rise against the other clans and avenge the mockery and mistreatment they have suffered. Will this venomous clan prove to be one dose of poison too much for the Jwar Isles?

So we have a human clan that have spent too long in the jungles of Izu, found a snake like deity/kami to worship and have returned with a shed load of snakey goodness, why oh why has it taken me this long to get stuck into this faction.  Well the simple truth is I bought them for Rich last year, but as he has made no move to paint them and GCT keep releasing the coolest models I cracked and splurged at Salute! this year. Over the next few weeks you will be seeing some of the amazing Hebi I've bought to supplement my faction but I'm gonna start, quite aptly with the "starter set".

Sadly I didn't get these quick enough to participate in the "Starter Set Wars" knockout comp between Damon and I but it will feature in the next time round.  One last thing before I delve in to the set, at Broadside I saw the most amazing resin bases made by a chap who has set up a local company - Debris of War.  Now, for my Bushido models I have made all of the bases and really enjoyed the process but this time I couldn't resist.  I know they aren't jungle bases but even the snake clan live indoors, so I've purchased the Japanese wooden flooring bases as they were just so pretty. Anyway to the set then....

We'll start with a scion of Clan Ito - Itsunagi Ito, here is his blurb...

Ito Itsunagi is the eldest of the heirs to the Ito clan. His training has been second to none and his skill at arms is quite astounding. A brutal and coldblooded killer, his only downfall is his arrogance, mocking opponents with his lack of armour.

One of my favourite models of the faction Itsunagi is simply a killer in melee.  His speed is phenomenal, with "Cobra Strike" ki feat he can attack first and reroll a low dice with his "Martial Prowess". "Do Kote" and "Umbrella Block" makes him hard to hit in return.  His 4 dice in melee give you loads of options whether to go on the offensive or tie up an opponent by going defensive, especially as he has "Indomitable" meaning he doesn't easily get outnumbered.  This guy ticks loads of boxes - unfortunately that means he comes with the price tag to match at 13 rice (ouch).  Still he certainly stands out and offers a lot of toys for a warband to play with.  

Paint wise, I moved away from the official paint job as always and offered up a slightly different theme for my warband.  Firstly I used theme colours that run through all of the minis in the set and they will feature through all of the faction.  The first being that I'm not going to go with the traditional green snake skin look.  All of my sneaky snakes will be deadly vipers, which can mean only one colour - RED!!!  I also wanted all of my minis to have been effected by the worship of the kami Orachi, which means all of them will have at least yellow serpent eyes.  Green will be the main clothing colour definitely, offset by yellow.  Any snake skin will be in the red as stated and the main samurai and shisai will have res serpent scales somewhere on their body - in Itsunagi's case his back and shoulders.  Lastly the bases will have a different "Line of Sight" markings which I'm really pleased with and is the only snake skin not in red, I did it in python browns as they are more neutral colours. Finally I gave the lips of the bases a coat of gloss varnish as it gives it that shiny look that makes snakes look slimy even when they aren't.

WiP

I thought I would try patterning on his kimono and snake skin down his torso

and snake skin down his spine and over his shoulders

i also added a green tinge to his blades to represent poison

Next we have the Hebimiman - Akimoto, here's what GCT say about him...

How the transformation will take hold no one can be sure, Akimoto is taking on the very image of Orochi. In the heat of the battle his allies claim he transforms further, this claim is supported by the opponents that flee in terror in the face of his onslaught. 

This dude sums up the set for me - half man/half snake, Akimoto is a great looking model despite the weird left arm position.  Armed with Tanbo or short sticks he looks like he's playing the drums, in fact my buddy Matt from "Sarcophagi" has converted him to playing a drum which looks fantastic.  Akimoto is a "Fear" causing dude making it difficult for enemies to charge him or causing them to lose activations and dropping dice in melee.  Which is a good thing as he has only limited combat potential.  Still he can gang up on an opponent with another more melee suited friend and really change the game.  Not only that but with his "Blood of Orachi" trait he can poison the weapons of friendly models at the beginning of each turn!

Painting for him then had to be red viper skin, just had to be! in fact he was the first model I painted in the faction and was the reason I chose the paint scheme.

base colours

highlights

Next we have Sakura, a Shisai or priestess of the cult of Orachi....

A priestess of Orochi, she has dedicated her life to the snake kami and has been favoured by beginning the transformation. With the merest of looks Sakura can corrupt a man, turning the blood running through his veins into poison.

Sakura offers up some much needed support for the clan, with her "Blood of Orochi" she adds to Akimoto's poison pool.  It's her ki feats where she shines though with "Pyschic Venom" poisoning enemies at distance and "Protect the Mother" poisoning them in melee - Love it!  she is weak in melee so best to use her in the back of the field protected by one of the last two of the band....

Painting wise, she follows the theme colours and has started to develop scales so she was subject to the red viper treatment.  She also is covered in little vipers so they also were painted red.

Wip

you can just make out the red scales down her spine and across her back and buttocks

The last two models are Chiyo and the Temple Bushi, both fairly standard "grunts" in that they are low cost basic characters.  Chiyo is slightly upgraded model with "Leap" and "Jump Up" increasing her cost by one rice.  the Temple Bushi can be upgraded with the introduction of the card pack and it's worth taking, but in the standard starter set his best role is to bodyguard Sakura.  Chiyo is useful enough in taking objectives and can run with Itsunagi or Akimoto taking out low level minis.

Chiyo has distinguished herself further from her fellow Temple Bushi, she quickly mastered the art of the Asp Strike and her spirit and determination to return to the fray when knocked down has been noted by her superiors.

The Temple Bushi are chosen from the ranks of the Ito’s ashigaru for skill and prowess shown on the battlefield. Only the best are selected to guard the temple of Orochi and it is considered a great honour to be chosen.

Painting, I have kept with the standard themes.  Each of them has a snake skin wrap around their torso and pattern on their kimono, just to provide a little relief to the block colours and give the miniature some personality. 

WiP

WiP

So that's the start of a very interesting and beautiful looking faction, next up will be the very gorgeous looking "Hebi" miniatures and you'll soon see why I 'm so excited by this faction!

hope you enjoy

dGG