Dark_Puppeteer

:Sad_Puppet2:

I've always had this idea in the back of my mind, but it was only theory. It can be effective, but if your goal is to use her as a hit and run assassin, it may not always go your way. Z is a caster, her strength is in her spells. I find it best to use raven turn 1, and send her to an area where she can see all. Also, don't forget her Voodoo doll. He is a must if you want to really put some hurt out with her spells. However, in a pinch, she does make a good last minute killer.

Here we have my Teddy. Fully Painted and ready for summoning by my Weaver Widow. Sure is a happy chap isn't he?

Holy hell, I had no idea what so ever! Stupid american media and their lack of world news. While I certainly feel for any UK readers, this is just an odd coincidence. I used the name April because it evokes a certain sense of innocence. If I change the name, I'd be a hypocrite on my own part. I'm very much against censorship or editing works of fiction because of similarities to real world events or people. It's just a story, and that's all it is. I hope people will understand that.

I suppose it's also from my Military Police background that gets in the way of that. Reports were always tell, tell, tell. Describing things was not really an option. Thanks again for the feedback. I'll be sure to do my best to better describe things beyond just simple "is what it is" kind of writing.

So here we have a finished Lazarus. I really enjoyed working on this model. I painted over his translucent blue tubing, since I've never been a fan of those kind of effects on models. Necrons from 40k especially. And here we have the Mysterious Effigy. I like this little model. It's oddly cute for how creepy it is.

Helps it does indeed. Showing not telling is certainly an element I am told to work on often. Not sure why it's so hard for me to do. Maybe it comes from my tendency to talk like Rorschach? That aside, I appreciate the feedback. I had the day off and gave it my all. Zoraida seemed necessary to me, because there's not a whole lot of fluff that uses Collodi, so I can't really claim to know him well enough to write about he himself. Somehow I needed a reason to link Felix's crossing with Collodi. I know his feel, that creepy nursery kind of aura he gives off. It works well for a double cross kind of tale. Also, dark and disturbing stories are new to me. So I definitely left my comfort zone. I love stories that are creepy and erie, but I am always hesitant to write them. Not sure why. Collodi remains one of my favorite models and characters. I felt I had to include him in my first try. Thanks again!

Story is up. Can be found here. Mask of Blood.

The Iron Quill: In the Dark of the Knight – Mask of Blood A sea of Masks as far as one could see. A sight not common to anyone, save for that of a person in a Masquerade. Felix had no real clue as to whom the costumed party was for. He was a thief. What mattered was the score, not the specifics. He was told to find one of the gifts being handed off this evening; a beautiful soulstone necklace known as The Doll’s Heart. He assumed the celebration was for one of the short little brats scampering around, giggling nonstop. There was a time that Felix would have felt differently about children. Once upon a time he was a single parent, raising a beautiful daughter. April. He’d named the child after her mother, who had succumbed during birth. Felix had taken up work in the mines to support her, leaving April in the care of neighbors during his shifts. It was on one of those returns from a shift, that the worst possible news was given to him. April had gone with some friends to see a traveling puppet show, and she had never returned. Felix had been a thief before his life with April. Her disappearance heralded his return to his life of crime. Only this time, Felix was much more bitter in spirit. His once brighter, wittier demeanor gone, and in it’s place the dark heart of a cynic. He was colder, worked for whomever paid highest, and cared only for himself. He’d stopped looking for April years ago. Now his only interest was to buy his freedom out of Malifaux. Get as far away from the rift, and return to New Amsterdam. This last job would secure his way out. The party’s attention was shifted to the stage in the grand ballroom. The children seemed most excited. The Master of Ceremonies begun to call out loudly for all’s attention. A marionette show, for all to see. Felix shuddered. Puppets were a thing he hated. It made him think of the past. Of things that threatened tears to swell to his eyes. Make him think of a little blonde haired girl with emerald eyes. He took the crowd’s shift in attention as a chance to abscond with his employer’s prize. However, he would have to make educated guesses as to what gift was the necklace. It was said to be small, and a brilliant blood red heart shaped soulstone on a golden chain. Simple and elegant. As he scanned the brightly packaged boxes from behind his mask, he could hear the laughs and applause from the audience. He removed the mask on his face, to wipe his brow. The mask in his hands was rather dull. A crude full-face depiction of a smiling crescent moon. Felix placed the moon back over his own face and looked back at the presents on the gift table. He noticed a necklace case covered in a red ribbon and bow to match. With a quick glance to see if any were looking, Felix snatched up the box and tore the ribbon from it. Upon opening it, he knew he had chose correctly. His ticket out of Malifaux. The Doll’s Heart. He placed the case in his breast pocket. He knew he was in the clear. The job couldn’t be easier. So with nothing more to fear, Felix assumed his role of a party go-er once more, and turned to make an exit, near the stage right door. He could hear loud applause and cries of “encore!” as he made his way out. Perfect timing on his part. None were the wiser. He slipped into the dark back alley behind the grand hall where the party was being held. Passing the Puppet Show’s carriage, a strange dilapidated vehicle that gave him chills, and stopped to breathe a sigh of relief. He took a rest against the cold damp alley wall. Then he felt a sharp pain in his left ankle. Felix yelped and reeled back from the bricks looking down at what could have possibly hurt him. Perhaps a nail jutting from a board or some broken glass? As he stared down at the spot where he’d been, all he saw was a single Marionette. It had blonde hair, and emerald green eyes, in the tortured visage of a sweet little girl he once knew. It was grinning up at him with jagged teeth, and held up one blood covered clawed hand. Felix let out a scream and tried to run, but his ankle gave out. Pain rocketed up his side, causing another yelp of agony to escape his lips. Felix began to crawl away from the devil image of his lost daughter. Digging down through his frock to grasp the single dagger he kept to defend himself. However, to his horror, another little stringed puppet stood ahead of him, and a third to his left, and a fourth to his right. He was surrounded by clawed, evil looking daemon dolls. Then the single most blood chilling sight of horror that he could ever lay eyes on came before him in the blink of an eye, and the sound of repelling wires. A four armed, jester masked man whom seemed to be made of wood himself. Red glowing eyes glared down at Felix as the hell spawned puppet master reeled in his Marionettes so that they stood before Felix. Each one with glowing eyes, looking like devil automaton children in this puppeteer’s grasp. Felix lay there on the alley floor, quaking for what felt like eons before he heard a voice. The crinkled old voice of the very old hag who had hired him to do this job. “Dear, dear Felix. Don’t you feel the twang of familiarity from that little blonde puppet?” The old crone asked, seemingly from nowhere. “A coincidence! A dream! It can’t be real!” Felix sobbed. “There are no coincidences.” The hag’s voice chuckled. As if acting on the old woman’s unheard and unseen signal, the Puppeteer, and the Marionettes, were upon Felix. His screams echoed from the alley walls as the sounds of flesh being torn from bone filled the darkness. It was less than an hour later when a couple had stumbled upon what remained of poor Felix. Soon, Guild Guards had secured the area, and investigations begun. Felix was easily identified. He’d been wearing a mask, which was stained a deep sanguine, and whoever had killed him had left his face alone because of the grinning moon mask. The rest of him had not fared as well. Anything below the shoulder was bloody ribbons. What was the most puzzling fact, was the blonde haired and emerald eyed little Marionette Puppet that lay next to Felix. It wore a little green dress, and was rather cute, save the clawed hands and jagged teeth. It also had a knife buried in it’s forehead. Felix was a wanted thief in Malifaux. It seemed only fitting that his death be met in it’s back alleys. However, a gift of some importance had been stolen from the Governor General’s Niece’s birthday ball. While Felix was clearly the culprit, the soulstone necklace known as The Doll’s Heart was still unaccounted for. A gold chain and necklace box had been found amongst the grisly pool of blood and scraps of flesh, but the heart shaped soulstone was nowhere to be found. It was in the clutches of the Hag, Zoraida as she rode out of the city in the back of the traveling puppet show’s wagon. Smiling a crooked grin as she and her accomplice, Collodi, made their escape. To Zoraida, it seemed only fitting to enlist the help of Collodi, who had stolen Felix’s daughter years earlier. It was humorous to her to bring about the man’s death at the hands of the creation Collodi had made with Felix’s daughter. In addition, the Doll’s Heart was in her clutches once again. Two birds with one stone. For such a small piece of ether, it held great power within. She could feel it, and she knew the terrors she would wreak upon the outsiders with it.

Consider this my first shot. I will enter this!

Betty White as Zoraida... shirtless and all. Seriously though, I think a good actor for Jakob Lynch would be Jack Huston. The man who plays Richard Harrow on Boardwalk Empire. And even though I know this is about Masters, if Lazarus can talk, Ron Pearlman for the voice. Also hire Madd Chad to play Collodi.

Hello everyone, I'll quote my post from the new players section, and then add a few details. Now on to some things I haven't included. I'm a veteran player of Warhammer 40k. I've been playing since 3rd edition. First as Orks, which I have since sold, and have been creating an Imperial Guard Army for the past year and a half. In addition, I'm planning a Chaos Space Marine force of the Nurgle Persuasion. I'm very new to Malifaux. I also love the system dearly. So much so I've been playing solitare with my fate deck. I have a real love for all things creepy and macabre, and Malifaux came naturally to me. Collodi especially since I love red nosed circus comedians. While he certainly is not one, he definitely gives off that creepy circus vibe to me. I'm glad to be here everyone. Hopefully you can stand my creepy Neverborn ways. Also, I have a tumblr blog. Check it out, as it is focused on miniatures. Mine to be specific. It's a good way to see how just your average gamer goes about building, and painting models. I'm not that good at painting, but I don't let that stop me.

I know it's a rather large photo, but I'm posting it from my tumblr. I'll also admit it's not my best work. Heck, I think the Wicked dolls I painted look better than this. That white stuff at the edge of his base is snow. It's a mixture of snow flock, white paint, and PVA glue mixed together in a mixture that molds well. Used a black wash on him and then added the blood stains on the front. I painted the master of marionettes using Reaper paints. I like to blend the paints while still wet for some interesting effects. I had to mix several paints together to create the sickly "Vein Purple" color of his coat. All-in-all I think I captured the creepy factor that comes with Collodi's fluff. Although I added a dash of Testors glossy red for his eyes, to give him a really daemonic look. The Marionettes were all painted with aged Brass and steel metalics. Rather than make the Marionettes look wooden, I wanted to capture a real steampunk kind of look to them. They come off very robotic I think. Added touches of blood stains, and glossy red eyes, leaves them looking almost possessed as they zip around the battlefield with their master in tow. I named two of them after a famous puppet duet, and the other two named after an internet joke. And finally the Wicked Dolls. I used Sewer bases because, well, what better place for the creepy little devils? I painted their patch working to look very... oh, wait that word is forbidden here... hmm.. They've been painted to look like a funny, and common performers in circuses, with red noses and large shoes. Guess that works. Anyhow I used glossy paints for their button eyes, and was sure to trace their stitching with some extra black wash. Green Gloss was put on each needle fingered tip, to accent their "Little Drop of Poison" rule. Names were made at random, although one is named after a famous silent comedian from the Marx Brothers. Soon to be showcased, a Weaver Widow, 2 Stitched Together, Zoraida, the Voodoo Doll, Teddy, Lazarus, and Desperate Mercenary 1.

Hello everyone, new to the forums, and new enough player to ask a few questions about my chosen force. My crew is led by Zoraida. While not at first. I'd purchased the Collodi Starter set on a whim, mainly due to an affinity I have for evil face painted jokers. Don't ask... anyways, while I really enjoy Collodi in play, he comes off to me as a bit of a glass cannon. So to help him out I started to look for members that could help him. The Weaver Widow, Mysterious Effigy and a couple of Stitched Togethers were my first choice. Then, I realized I was somewhat limited in my force, without a good Master at the reigns. Thanks to the wiki, Pull My Finger, my choice was clear. Zoraida and her totem the Voodoo doll were my next purchases. I also bought a teddy, for the Weaver to summon. I've yet to play at one of the larger "Malifaux Nights" that the shop I play at holds every month. Large events where 15+ players show up. I was informed of a large number of Guild players show up at the events, and the tendency to play 50 soulstone battles. So, on another whim, I picked up Lazarus. I love plastic models, and they come naturally to me thanks to years of playing 40k. I also bought Desperate Mercenary 1, cause I liked the model and he could help fill in for some extra ranged attacks. So I am simply looking for input and advice on how to fully use my force. The wiki gives some good advice, but I always prefer hearing input from others. I don't know if there's any real rivalry or outspoken bias to one group or another on here, so I'll simply ask that folks leave any personal bias at the door for my sake. I'll list all the models I own below, and you can weigh in on how I can best use them. Base Crew: Zoraida Collodi x4 Marionette x2 Stitched Together Weaver Widow Mysterious Effigy Summonable Crew Members: Teddy x3 Wicked Dolls Voodoo Doll Mercenaries: Lazarus Desperate Mercenary

Greetings chaps. New player to Malifaux, but no stranger to miniature war games or painting said miniatures. Located out of the Canton area of the fine state of Ohio. I run a crew made up of Collodi (obviously) and Zoraida. I find the two to work well together. I also have 2 Stitched Togethers, a Weaver Widow, a Teddy (for the widow to summon), and Lazarus. Why Lazarus? Well, the shop I play in has a lot of Guild Players. I also have the Mysterious Effigy, but I have been having bad luck with the little blighter. The Shop I play at in Question is Jac Games, in the Akron area of Ohio. After lurking for a bit I decided it best to join the forum. I am a real fan of the writing area, as I fancy myself an amateur writer of sorts. Mayhap I'll join one of the competitions.