Les Zoats et les Fimirs

[Dreadaxe]

A Warhammer Bestiary: Zoat
http://realmofchaos80s.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-warhammer-bestiary-zoat.html

Modifié le 22 novembre 2022 par Dreadaxe
BBCode error

[JB]

Du fluff 40k qu'il est bon (source WD):
[img]http://images.dakkadakka.com/gallery/2008/11/29/2078_md-Copyright%20Games%20Workshop%2C%20Rogue%20Trader%2C%20Tyranids%2C%20Warhammer%2040%2C000%2C%20White%20Dwarf.jpg[/img]

[XAW]

Salut à tous, je sais que la fig présentée est du 40k, mais qui a déjà vu ce zoat là:

 

 

Il me semble que ce n'est pas une conversion, pourtant j'espère que oui car je ne retrouve cette fig de zoat que sur un seul blog sur le net, si c'est une conversion, elle est très réussi en tout cas!

[Patatovitch]

A mon avis, c'est une re-sculpure assez bien faite (pb de grosseur des pattes avant par exemple).

[XAW]

En effet, je viens de le comparer à mes autres zoats et ce n'est pas la bonne patte qui est en l'air!

[Dreadaxe]

Forgeworld nous propose des règles pour AoS de son Monstrous Acranum. Comme à l'habitude des règles AoS, les règle et descriptions contiennent pleins de petits détails croustillants, la page sur les Fimirs ne dérogent pas à la règle. En rouge ce que j'ai retenus.
https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/resources/PDF/fw_warscrolls/aos-monstrous-arcanum.pdf

DESCRIPTION
A unit of Fimir Warriors has 3 or more models. Fimir are loathsome, one-eyed reptilian creatures, infamously degenerate and malign and possessed of dark powers. Fimir Warriors are armoured with plates of spell-forged bronze fitted to their hunchbacked bodies and wield Baleglyph weapons in combat, either in the shape of great double-handed mauls, or single-handed maces and curving hatchets, held one in each hand. Each Fimir Warrior also has a formidable weapon in its muscular tail which ends in a natural bone club with which it can smash any foes who get in close with bone-breaking force. Each unit of Fimir Warriors may be led by a Fimirach Noble - this model has 4 attacks with its Baleglyph weapon.

BANNER BEARERS
Models in this unit may be banner bearers. The glyph symbols of the Meargh matriarchs of the Fimir woven into their banners carry potent and malign magic. Enemy units must subtract 1 from their Bravery if within 3" of one of these banners in the Battleshock phase.

HUNTING HORNS
Models in this unit may carry hunting horns. The eerie wail of the Fimir hunting horns has spelled doom for many down the long ages. If a unit contains any hunting horns, you may add 1 to both their run and charge rolls.
 
ABILITIES
Unnatural Flesh: The Fimir are wholly unnatural creatures—inhuman, steeped in dark magic, ageless and able to shrug off injuries that would slay a mortal man outright. In your hero phase, any Fimir Warrior model that has been wounded but not slain is restored to full wounds.

Baleglyphs: Vile magic saturates the glyphs etched into the Fimir’s weapons, bringing withering atrophy to anything they strike. Wound rolls of a 6 with all Baleglyph weapons inflict double damage.
 
Sundering Blows: Fimir armed with two Baleglyph hand weapons are adept at delivering a ferocious onslaught of blows which can easily smash through a foe’s defences. You may re-roll hit rolls of 1 for Fimir armed with two Baleglyph hand weapons.

Shrouding Mists: All Fimir despise the light. They only go abroad shrouded in sorcerous mists which conceal them from its touch, and such mists also serve to hide them from the sight of their enemies. You may add 1 to the Fimir’s saves against shooting attacks, and if a shooting attack inflicts a mortal wound on them, roll a D6. On a roll of a 5+, the mortal wound is ignored.

[Dreadaxe]

https://graemedavis.wordpress.com/2016/12/07/of-gods-and-mortals-celts/

 

Citation

In 1986 I created the Fimir for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, basing them on a mix of creatures from Irish and Scottish legends including the evil Fomorians. Despite some very controversial aspects of the background I created for them, they still have fans today.

 

[Dreadaxe]

https://graemedavis.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/zoats-from-warhammer-to-40k-and-back-again/

 

Citation

Zoats: From Warhammer to 40K (and back again)

March 28, 2020 graemedavis Leave a comment Go to comments

 

 

 

 

 

A little while ago, I wrote a post about the Ambull, a Warhammer 40,000 creature that had a (very) short career in WFRP. I was inspired in part by the Ambull’s reappearance in Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress, and back in January Games Workshop revealed a new Zoat miniature for the same game.

 

The Zoat’s history in Warhammer and 40K is a troubled one. Its origins are tied up with those of the Fimir, which the excellent Luke Maciak discussed in a post on his Terminally Incoherent blog a few years ago.

 

In short, Bryan Ansell came in one day with a sketch of a Zoat, and wanted the creatures added to WFRP as a new race which would be distinctive and unique to Warhammer. We already had Warriors of Chaos and the recently-released Skaven, so we writers thought Warhammer and WFRP were pretty safe on that score, and to be honest we didn’t find the sketch too inspiring. By the way, I vaguely remember that Bryan put a note on the sketch giving the pronunciation as “Zow-at.” I don’t know if anyone else spotted that at the time, but we all pronounced the name to rhyme with “goat” and as far as I know everyone else has done the same ever since.

 

Bryan was not discouraged by our lukewarm response to his idea. He told us that Zoats would have to go in, or we would have to come up with something else that satisfied the same requirements. That was when Jes Goodwin, Tony Ackland, and I began to develop the Fimir.

 

 

Zoats from the WFRP 1st edition rulebook. Left: Bob Naismith. Right: Tony Ackland.

 

To be on the safe side, I also wrote Zoats up for the WFRP 1^st edition rulebook. Perhaps some memory of The Dark Crystal was rattling about in my brain at the time, because I ended up making them reclusive forest mystics and possible Wood Elf allies. Rules for Zoat allied contingents appeared in Ravening Hordes for Warhammer 2^nd edition and Warhammer Armies for 3^rd edition, but they never really caught on and by 4^th edition Warhammer they were gone. They reappeared in the Storm of Magic supplement for Warhammer 8^th edition in 2011, but never re-established themselves firmly in the lore of the Old World.

 

Zoats from Warhammer Armies.

 

 

Zoats did rather better in Warhammer 40,000. The masters for the slow-selling fantasy miniatures were given face masks and futuristic weapons, and they got a new backstory making them a servitor race of the Tyranids. More on their 40K career can be found on the Warhammer 40,000 wiki, and of course that is how they came to Blackstone Fortress, in the form of a single miniature.

 

The new Blackstone Fortress Zoat.

 

 

I don’t expect Zoats will reappear in Game Workshop’s reboot of the Old World setting, or in anything Cubicle 7 publishes for WFRP. Still, for those who may be interested I have done a quick WFRP 4^th edition profile for them, based on the entry in the WFRP 1^st edition rulebook. Let me have your thoughts. Also let me know if you feel inspired to use Zoats in a WFRP adventure, or if you know of any appearance in an official Warhammer or WFRP publication that I have missed.

 

Needless to say, what follows is in no way official and should be considered a fan work. No challenge is intended to copyrights or trademarks held by Games Workshop, Cubicle 7, or anyone else.

 

---

 

ZOATS

 

In many parts of the Old World, Zoats are regarded as creatures of legend. They are solitary by nature, living in the depths of the most ancient forests. Despite their bulk, they are quiet and reclusive, and can move through the densest undergrowth with hardly a sound. Occasionally, they have dealings with the Wood Elves, and on rare occasions they have been known to make contact with Humans. It is said that they strive to keep the forests free of monsters such as Beastmen and Goblinoids. Ancient Elvish songs tell of single Zoats coming to the aid of beleaguered Wood Elf settlements.

 

Zoats are centauroid in appearance, standing some six feet high and eight feet long. Heavy plates of fused scales cover their shoulders, back, and hindquarters. Their heads are reptilian in appearance, with a broad, slightly domed skull, large eyes, and a wide mouth that gives them a wry expression. Colour ranges from dark brown through maroon to purple. They do not wear clothing or armour.

 

Their characteristic weapon is a long, two-handed mace whose tip is a cylinder of black stone bound in a silvery metal. The head is carved with strange runes that are indecipherable by other races. All Zoats seem to speak a common grinding, rumbling tongue; they may also speak Eltharin and occasionally the local Human language.

 

M	WS	BS	S	T	I	Ag	Dex	Int	WP	Fel	W
7	59	25	50	50	50	25	43	45	43	40	19

 

Traits: Arboreal, Armour 3 (body/hindquarters, Armour 1 (elsewhere), Night Vision, Size (Large), Stride, Tracker, Weapon +8

 

Optional: Spellcaster (Amber)

 

Zoat Mace

Price	Enc	Availability	Reach	Damage	Qualities and Flaws
N/A	3	Exotic	3	+SB+6	Damaging, Impact1, Pummel, Unbreakable, Tiring2

 

1. A Zoat Mace wielded by a spellcaster is normally inscribed with a mystical rune that gives it the Impact Quality.

 

2. Only if the wielder’s SB is 3 or less.

 

[Dreadaxe]

Dans le très bon supplément Warptone #29 il y'a un article sur les autres écrits par le prolifique Robin Low qui recense pas mal de choses très intéressantes notamment sur la masse Zoat et sur leurs origines. Il y a aussi quelque chose concernant la relation qui peuvent avoir avec les Fimirs. En effet les Zoats grâce à leur masse détruisent la Malepierre, et sont donc opposé aux Skavens qui sont des collecteurs de Malepierre.

Les Skavens ayant affrontés les Fimirs à l'aube de l'Empire lors de la Guerre des Marais Maudits, ils ont donc pas très copain. Du coup les Zoats et Fimirs ont un ennemi en commun. Plutôt pas mal comme idée pour lier les deux créatures.

Modifié le 1 mars 2022 par Dreadaxe

[Dreadaxe]

Très bon article !

THE WFRP STORY XXXIII: WACKY RACES

Awesome Lies by Gideon

 

Citation

Bryan Ansell came in one day with a sketch of a Zoat, and wanted the creatures added to WFRP as a new race which would be distinctive and unique to Warhammer….

– Graeme Davis, blog post

Zoats were based on the character Adzel from Poul Anderson’s Polesotechnic League stories. He first appeared in the Analog story ‘Trader Team’ (July 1965), which was reprinted in a modified form in The Trouble Twisters (1966). He also appeared in Satan’s World (serialised in Analog May-August 1968 and published in a separate volume in 1969).

Adzel in Analog Volume 75, number 5 (July 1965) and The Trouble Twisters (1968)

He was certainly an impressive sight. Counting the tail, his quadrupedal body was a good four and a half metres long, and the torso had arms, chest, and shoulders to match. Blue-grey scales shimmered overall, save where scutes protected the belly and plates the back; those were umber. The crocodilian head sat on a metre of neck, with bony ears and shelves over the eyes. But those eyes were large, brown, and wistful, and the skull bulged backwards to hold a considerable brain….

Adzel’s dragon countenance wasn’t able to change expression, except for the rubbery lips, but his huge scaly form, sprawled across the cabin, grew tense….His cloven hooves clanged on the deck….

Adzel picked him up in two great horny hands and set him on his own back, just behind the centauroid torso. The Wodenite had had one of the sharp plates which jutted from his head, along his spine to the end of his tail, removed for that purpose. He started downhill in a smooth gallop. His musky odour blew back around Falkayn….

– Poul Anderson, The Trouble Twisters, part 3, chapters I and II

Bryan wanted a race similar in character to Adzel from Poul Anderson’s Polesotechnic League stories. But he wanted them to have a less reptilian look and so the Zoats were born.

– Tony Ackland, Realm of Chaos 80s

The first description of zoats’ appearance (in WFRP1, p248) closely matches Ansell’s brief. Zoats preserve Adzel’s centauroid physique and enlarged skull. Their colouring is similar, ranging from “dark brown to maroon through purple”. The only significant differences are a smaller size, less crocodilian appearance and absence of vertical back plates.

However, depictions of zoats in art and miniatures depart somewhat from this account. The enlarged skull is not apparent in any visual representation and they are usually coloured green and yellow.

Zoat in WFRP1

Citadel’s only released zoat miniatures (August 1987)**

Ansell’s physical description of zoats was augmented with some social details by Graeme Davis.

I … wrote Zoats up for the WFRP 1st edition rulebook. Perhaps some memory of The Dark Crystal was rattling about in my brain at the time, because I ended up making them reclusive forest mystics and possible Wood Elf allies.

– Graeme Davis, blog post

Davis is referring to the Mystics (or urRu) in Jim Henson’s film The Dark Crystal (1982). These creatures were developed by conceptual artist Brian Froud from his earlier illustrations of trolls.

With the Mystics we knew what we were doing because Jim [Henson] wanted them to look like the trolls I was drawing.

– Brian Froud, Den of Geek

Jim Henson had actually seen a cover of a book I did earlier on [David Larkin (ed), Once Upon a Time (1979)]. On the cover, it had the first painting I created when I moved to the country. It was of a troll with a waterfall coming off its nose.

– Brian Froud, Forbes

Troll from Once Upon a Time (1979)

Troll witch from The Land of Froud (1976) and Mystic from The World of the Dark Crystal (1982)

The Mystics of The Dark Crystal reflect the syncretic New Age spiritualism of Henson and Froud. They are peaceful practitioners of earth magic and divination, adorned with tattoos and amulets that synthesise occidental and oriental symbolism. Celtic knotwork, mandalas, alchemical symbols, yin and yang, neolithic spirals, the Qabbalistic tree of life and astronomical diagrams all find their way into Froud’s geometric designs.

That’s the way I approach my own art: to populate the landscape with spiritual beings. And that’s sort of what we did with The Dark Crystal. The Mystics are part of the landscape, they seem like they’re made of the rock.

– Brian Froud, Review Graveyard

… The spiritual aspect… shows up when the film was finished and we put The Dark Crystal book together with all the geometry in it. Jim [Henson] was really fascinated by the English landscape. He was interested in ley lines, he was interested in ancient stones and the myths of King Arthur, all those things that were inherent in the landscape that I exist in. He came to visit me down where I live on the edge of Dartmoor and he said “I want that in the film”. … it’s that fundamental idea that everything is linked and we’re all linked together one way or another and we’re linked to our land that shows up in [The Dark Crystal].

– Brian Froud, Den of Geek

We knew that Jim wanted the world itself to be alive and full of creatures, so you never quite knew if it was a rock or a creature, that sort of thing. I just kept scribbling away and it was really much later that the whole structure of the film came in. I suppose we just intuitively did it and I sort of fed in the geometry because I thought how do we try to imply that this world has been here for thousands and thousands of years. So I tried to come up with something not necessarily like a mythology but just a sense of it having a really ancient history. Jim really liked being in England as well, he liked its sense of history. He was also intrigued by the more esoteric side of things. Post The Lord of the Rings there was a big interest in Earth magic, lay [sic] lines, standing stones and ancient sites. Jim was really interested in that. That meant he was absolutely open to me feeding this stuff in. It gives the film this extraordinary depth.

– Brian Froud, Forbes

I steal from everywhere. I trace out of the best books!

– Brian Froud, ‘The Making of The Dark Crystal‘, Starburst 55 (March 1983)

The influence of The Dark Crystal‘s Mystics can be seen in zoats’ culture. They are protectors of the forests and powerful wizards with access to Druidic (WFRP1) or Elemental (WFB3) magic. They carry staves, and are associated with complex geometric symbolism.

Their characteristic weapon is a long wooden staff tipped with a metal-bound cylinder of black stone; the metal is silver and carved with strange symbols which are indecipherable by other races. These weapons are wielded as a two-handed mace….

– Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, p248

Designs on zoat staff head

Zoats’ use of their staves as weapons does not correspond to any feature of the Mystics, but it perhaps follows Froud’s fusion of eastern and western ideas, recalling the khakkhara (or shakujo) of Buddhist monks, commonly used as a weapon in wuxia. There may also be parallels with the Japanese kanabo or tetsubo. (Davis was at an earlier stage a keen player of the Bushido RPG.)

As for the zoats’ name, this was devised by Ansell as part of his initial brief.

I vaguely remember that Bryan put a note on the sketch giving the pronunciation as “Zow-at.” I don’t know if anyone else spotted that at the time, but we all pronounced the name to rhyme with “goat” and as far as I know everyone else has done the same ever since.

– Graeme Davis, blog post

I have been unable to identify the origin of the name. Mattel produced a contemporary toy called Zoar in its Masters of the Universe range, which was pronounced “zo-ar” in the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon (1983-1985). There is also a city of the same name and pronunciation mentioned in the Old Testament (Genesis 19:20-30). I am not persuaded that either is likely to be connected to zoats. There are no conceptual links and no other evidence that these sources influenced Warhammer. The name zoat may therefore be original.

Zoar

Zoats appeared in WFRP1, p248 (1986), Ravening Hordes, p74 (1987), WFB3, p233 (1987), and Warhammer Armies, p149 (1988), but turned out to be a peripheral race, and disappeared altogether from the Warhammer fantasy background by WFB4 (1992). The reasons for their unpopularity may be several, but it is clear that they did not receive significant support from the GW Design Studio. Graeme Davis’ initial presentation was never expanded upon, and only two miniatures were released (which were variants using the same body). It may also have been the case that wargamers cared little for factions of “hippie tortoise men”.

Nonetheless, zoats indirectly left a more significant mark.

… Everyone hated [zoats], but [Bryan Ansell] said [they] would have to go in if no-one could come up with anything better. And he did own the company, so we took the threat seriously.

– Graeme Davis, Usenet discussion

 

Citation

The Design Studio therefore set to work on developing an alternative. This was the fimir, whose origins have been carefully traced by Luke Maciak and Zhu Bajiee.

Jes [Goodwin] and I came up with the concept for Fimir, [sic] Jes did the designs and I did the culture and game stats.

– Graeme Davis, Usenet discussion

That was when Jes Goodwin, Tony Ackland, and I began to develop the Fimir.

– Graeme Davis, blog post

Fimir are based on the Fomorians of Celtic myth and in particular this Alan Lee illustration:

Fomorian in Irish Folk and Fairy Tales, volume 2

The concept of the Fimir was based on the Fomorians from Irish folklore: they are a barbarous and cruel race (much like Orcs in that respect) who were finally defeated by the more civilized Tuatha De Danann. Their most famous king, Balor of the Evil Eye, had one eye, so I applied that to the whole race….

The appearance of the Fimir was based on a book cover drawn by Alan Lee for Irish Folk and Fairy Tales, vol. 2 by Michael Scott. I showed the image to Jes Goodwin when we were discussing the Fimir for general inspiration, but I was surprised how literally he copied it.

– Graeme Davis, Terminally Incoherent

Graeme Davis had been tasked with creating a new race. So between us we came up with the Fimir, he working on the text and me on the visuals. The starting point was a book cover that Graeme found featuring a Fomorian as depicted by Alan Lee. I mutated the image and Graeme shortened the name and changed the vowels. Not the most original thing either of us did.

– Tony Ackland, Realm of Chaos 80s

Another source of inspiration … was palaeontology. I decided to give the Fimir a tail attack, which is why the Fimm warriors have a mace-like tail inspired by the Ankylosaurus. In the nobles, of course, this is a halberd-like blade instead of a mace.

– Graeme Davis, Terminally Incoherent

Fimir in WFRP1

Citadel’s first released fimir miniatures (Winter 1987)**

Ackland’s assessment of fimir as “not the most original thing” is perhaps somewhat harsh. The presentation of fimir as demonolatric creatures of the mist, organised in a strict matriarchal caste structure, was novel. Yet there is no doubt that other aspects resemble the source material closely. Their physical appearance scarcely differs from Alan Lee’s illustration. Celtic influences are evident in the spirals, triskelia and coiled dragons in fimir tattoos, banners and armour.

Fimir and banners from White Dwarf 102 (June 1988)

There are also obvious linguistic debts. The name fimir derives from the Old Irish Fomóire (most probably meaning “nether demons”). The name of the Fimm caste comes from the same source. Meargh and Dirach are the Scots Gaelic words for “confused” and “dreadful”. The origin of the term Shearl is less clear, but it might perhaps be based on “ceorl” (or “churl”), the lowest rank of freeman in Anglo-Saxon England, which comprised the peasant population. Fianna Fimm, the elite retainers of Fimm nobles are named after the Fianna warriors of Irish myth. The titles for fimir heroes (Fian, Finmor, Flaith, Flaithmor, Mistmor) seem to come from the Irish words fiann (“warrior”), flaith (“lord”) and mór (“great”), as well as the English word “mist”.

The principal deity of the fimir is a direct copy of Balor, the leader of the Fomorians in Irish legend.

At least some groups of Fimir worship a deity called Balor, of whom little is known except that he is of immense size, and has one eye; it is said that several Fimir are needed to lift the eyelid, but when the eye is open it has the power to kill every living thing it looks upon.

– Graeme Davis, ‘Fimir’, White Dwarf 102 (June 1988)

This description precisely matches that of the mythological Balor, who was a monocular giant, and whose eye had destructive powers when opened. In some versions of the story it is even said to take the effort of many men to open his eye.***

Balor is said to be represented by a geometric design that appears to have more in common with the lozenge designs of mediaeval heraldry than any Celtic design. This symbol was to my knowledge never depicted in art.

One common symbol which is found repeated on Fimir banners, armour and equipment is a diamond-shape inside a larger hollow diamond, with short rays projecting from the sides of the larger diamond. This is rumoured to be a conventional symbol for Balor’s death-dealing eye, but as is invariably the case with Fimir, little is known for certain.

– ibid

Interpretations of the symbol of Balor

The legendary capital of the fimir also has Celtic roots.

Some legends tell of a Fimir capital, a vast castle of obsidian rising from a craggy island surrounded by treacherous rocks and reefs. The location of this island is not known, but some accounts claim it periodically vanishes or sinks beneath the sea, to appear elsewhere on the western seaboard of the Old World.

– Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, first edition, p218

The idea of an island stronghold can again be traced back to Irish myth. The Fomorians were said to have had a fortress on the island Tor Inis (which is commonly equated with Tory island, off County Donegal).

The notion that the island might submerge and reappear is a little more difficult to trace precisely. There were many magical western isles in western myth, such as Emain Ablach, Hy Brasil, Ildathach, Mag Mell, Tech Duinn, Tír fo Thuinn, Tír na mBeo, Tír na nÓg or Tír Tairngire****. Some of these were said to appear and disappear out of the mists. Others were said to be sunken islands accessible only by magical means. However, I have not been able to trace in Irish legends an account which precisely matches Davis’ description of an island which submerges and re-emerges. The only example I have found of such behaviour in myth is the Slavonic Buyan. It may be the inspiration. Alternatively, Davis may simply have adapted the Irish legend, drawing perhaps on a rich tradition of floating islands^#, sunken islands^## and giant sea creatures mistaken for islands^###.

The most troubling aspect of the fimir, their reproductive habits, also had its origin in western European folklore.

The Meargh are sterile so the Fimir abduct Human women, though their offspring are always full-blooded Fimir rather than crossbreeds.

– Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, first edition, p218

All Fimir are the result of the union of Fimir and captive human women.

– Warhammer Fantasy Battle, third edition, p217

The most controversial aspect of the Fimir, their need to kidnap human women for breeding, came from an Orkney creature called a kunal-trow, which is probably a distorted folk-memory of troll-myths brought to those islands by the Vikings. When I wrote the description of the Fimir, I didn’t give this feature enough though[t], as I now realize; at the time it somehow never occurred to me that the legends were talking about kidnapping and rape. It should have, and I regret this.

– Graeme Davis, Terminally Incoherent

The fimir were not the first race in RPGs to be described in this way; RuneQuest‘s broo had similar behaviour. However, it is notable that after the comment in WFB3 (1987), there is no further mention of fimir reproduction in GW sources, even in lengthy treatments of the subject.

There are several similarities between the fimir and their near contemporaries the skaven. Both have distinct social groups (castes and clans); both have hidden capitals (the isle of the fimir and Skavenblight); both have patron deities (Balor and the Horned Rat); and both are given characteristic geometric icons (the fimir diamond design and the skaven trisceptron). This might be a consequence of Jes Goodwin’s involvement in both, or it might reflect ideas more broadly held in the Design Studio about what made an interesting addition to Warhammer‘s races.

Fimir appeared in WFRP1, pp218-219 (1986), WFB3, pp217-218 (1987) and Warhammer Armies, pp136-137 (1988). There was also a pair of articles in WD102 (June 1988), which contained a WFB3 army list and a WFRP1 adventure by Graeme Davis called ‘There’s a One-Eyed Fellow Hiding to the South of Kammendun’^####. The Hogshead adventure, The Dying of the Light (1995), also featured fimir.

Nonetheless, like zoats, they soon disappeared from Warhammer , and were entirely absent from WFB4 (1992). Their reproductive practices may have made them unpalatable for GW, especially as it increasingly targeted a younger audience. Moreover, there was a disconnect between their low points value and the large miniatures that represented them, which may have made them uneconomical for players of the Battle game.

White Dwarf 102 (June 1988) and The Dying of the Light (1995)

There is a coda, however. After a long absence both zoats and fimir made fleeting reappearances in WFB8 and WFRP4. Both races are mentioned in Storm of Magic (2011). Fimir are also described in Monstrous Arcanum (2012) and the WFRP4 rulebook (2018). Chaos snakemen, on the other hand, have yet to show their faces again.

Storm of Magic (2011), Monstrous Arcanum (2012) and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (2018)

FOOTNOTES

* I have used “race” throughout to refer to different kinds of fantastic intelligent creatures. I am aware that some prefer to avoid this word, and prefer “species”. However, “species” does not accurately capture the meaning of “race” in this context, and I have been unable to identify any adequate substitute. Moreover, although offensive attitudes are often expressed about race, the word itself does not imply those attitudes, and is widely used without such significance. Offensive attitudes are also voiced regarding gender, but the term “gender” continues to be used without problem. The language here should not be interpreted as implying any attitudes about real-world racial issues.

** There were also unreleased prototype miniatures of zoats and fimir shown in White Dwarf 89 (February 1987).

Citadel’s unreleased zoat and fimir miniatures from White Dwarf 89 (February 1987)

*** Balor’s single destructive eye also has some resemblance to beholders in D&D/AD&D, which might perhaps suggest a connection.

**** Similar ideas also occur in Welsh and Arthurian cycles: Annwn and Avalon.

^# The idea of floating islands goes back to ancient times. They were especially popular among the ancient Greeks, but similar ideas have persisted in myth and fiction as far as the present day. Examples include: Aeolia in Homer, The Odyssey, book X, line 3; Delos in Pindar, On Delos, fragment 33d; Chemmis in Herodotus, book II, chapter 156; the Symplegades in Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica, book II, lines 317–340 and 549-610 and book IV, lines 795-979; a wandering island in Edmund Spenser, The Fairie Queene, book II, canto I, stanza 51 (1590); a parody of London in Richard Head, The Floating Island (1673); floating islands of Logris in Alan Garner, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (1960); and Themyscira in Wonder Woman, eg volume 1, number 204 (February 1973).

^## The most famous example of a submerged island is, of course, Plato’s Atlantis (Timaeus, 24e–25a; Critias, 113c-121c). JRR Tolkien’s Númenor (The Silmarillion, ‘Akallabêth’, 1977) is a direct descendant. There are also examples of other sunken territories in Celtic and Arthurian legend: Ys (in Brittany), Cantre’r Gwaelod (in Wales) and Lyonesse (in Cornwall).

^### The tradition of giant sea creatures mistaken for islands includes: aspidochelone in the Physiologus; Zaratan in Al-Jahiz, The Book of the Animals; Fastitocalon in the Anglo-Saxon poem ‘The Whale’, lines 1-23, and JRR Tolkien, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, chapter 11 (1962); Jasconius from Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis; Satan or Leviathan in John Milton, Paradise Lost, book I, lines 203-208 (1667); and the whale in Sindbad’s first voyage, described in One Thousand and One Nights.

^#### A pun on “There’s a one-eyed yellow idol to the north of Khatmandu”, the opening line of James Milton Hayes, The Green Eye of the Yellow God (1911).

Title art by Alan Lee. Internal art by John Schoenherr, Brian Edwards, Tony Ackland, Brian Froud, Alan Lee, Les Edwards, John Blanche, Ralph Horsley et al.

 

[Dreadaxe]

La section Zoat du WFRP4 - Unofficial Bestiary 2.0 - Bestaire-Non-Officiel-WFRP-4e-Edition-VF-2.03 (de Chris MacLean traduit par Treki1973 et relu par Le Ratelier). La mention du terme Eonir dans le fluff fait penser que le texte est récent ou bien pensé vers WFRP4 pour le reste ça ressemble bien à la description WFRP1.

 

Citation

ZOATS

Dans le Vieux Monde, les zoats sont des créatures de légende et de mythe souvent oubliées, bien que l'on pense que, si tant est qu'elles aient existé, elles n'étaient pas une espèce agressive. Ceux qui croient aux zoats, ou qui prétendent les avoir rencontrés, ne connaissent pas grand chose de ces créatures insaisissables. Les quelques vieux tomes poussiéreux qui mentionnent les Zoats notent surtout qu'il s'agissait d'une espèce très puissante que l'on rencontrait occasionnellement dans les régions les plus profondes et les plus sauvages des forêts du Vieux Monde. Malgré leur taille, elles étaient silencieuses et solitaires, capables de se déplacer dans les broussailles les plus denses sans émettre le moindre bruit. On pense qu'ils avaient des relations occasionnelles avec les Elfes et d'autres habitants de la forêt, comme les anciens prêtres druidiques d'autrefois. Les Zoats étaient peut-être de puissants utilisateurs de magie et de féroces ennemis des Orques et des Gobelins. Il existe plus d'une ancienne chanson elfique qui raconte que les Zoats venaient en aide aux colonies elfiques assiégées par les hordes de Peaux Vertes. Si les Zoats existent toujours, on dit qu'ils pourraient encore avoir des alliances avec les Asrai d'Athel Loren et les Eonir de la forêt de Laurelorn.

 

Les Zoats ont une apparence de Centaure, avec quatre jambes en forme de pilier et un torse puissant doté de deux bras robustes. Ils sont reptiliens : de lourdes plaques d'écailles fusionnées couvrent leurs épaules et leur dos. Ils mesurent environ 1,80 m de haut et 1,80 m de long. Leur tête rappelle celle des serpents et des tortues : leur crâne fortement blindé et bombé, leurs grands yeux et leur large bouche leur donnent une expression ironique. Leur couleur va du marron sombre au violet en passant par le bordeaux. Les zoats ne portent ni vêtements ni armure. Leur arme principale est un long bâton en bois avec un cylindre de pierre noire recouvert de métal. Le métal est argenté, sculpté de curieux symboles indéchiffrables pour les autres espèces. Ces armes sont maniées comme une masse à deux mains : seul un Zoat peut les utiliser efficacement. Les Zoats ont leur propre langage, qui ressemble à des grincements et des grondements à l'oreille des humains. Cependant, certains Zoats peuvent connaître Eltharin ou, dans des circonstances extrêmement rares, Le Reikspiel appris des Prêtres druidiques.

 

MCCCTFEIAgiDexIntFMSocB

75925505050254343434038

 

Traits: Arboricole, Armure (corps 3, autre 1), A sang froid,Immunité (corruption), Vision nocturne,Se Cabrer, Taille(grande), Foulée, Territorial, Pisteur, Arme+11 ( Mace Zoat*)Optionnel: Animosité (Peaux vertes), Champion, Sournois, Élite,Préjugés (Empire), Lanceur de sorts (Ambre, Vie ou Sauvage), Studieux

 

*Mace Zoat: Ce bâton deux-mains de 2,5 mètres est très lourd et difficile à manier pour les créatures ayant un bonus de force de 3 ou moins, en gagnant les Défauts Lente et Épuisante*. Une masse Zoat maniée par un lanceur de sorts est normalement marquée d'une rune mystique qui lui confère la qualité Percutante**. L'arme est traitée comme celle du groupe des armes à deux mains, avec un Enc3, une Disponibilité Exotique,une Portée Longue, et les Qualités et Défauts suivants: Dévastatrice, (Percutante**), Assommante,(Lente*), Incassable, (Épuisante*).

 

 

[JB]

Le 19/07/2020 à 22:49, Dreadaxe a dit :

Très bon article !

THE WFRP STORY XXXIII: WACKY RACES

Awesome Lies by Gideon

 

 

 

Très bonnes synthèses des propos disséminées de concepteurs + recherches perso des inspirations. 

 

L'auteur n'est cependant pas un assez grand aficionados de wrahmmer battle pour savoir qu'il y a eu d'autres clins d'œil avant tempête d e magie, et aussi des figs zoats dans rogue trader. Je commenté le blog

[Dreadaxe]

il y a 6 minutes, JB a dit :

L'auteur n'est cependant pas un assez grand aficionados de wrahmmer battle pour savoir qu'il y a eu d'autres clins d'œil avant tempête d e magie, et aussi des figs zoats dans rogue trader. Je commenté le blog

 

Il dit justement dans les commentaires qu'il n'est pas allé trop chercher dans ce qui se fait autour de 40K.

 

J'avais fait un peu pareil dans l'article de Graeme Davis

https://graemedavis.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/zoats-from-warhammer-to-40k-and-back-again/#comment-6620

[JB]

Après le recent zoat pour Warhammer quest: blackstone fortress (41eme millénaire), c'est au tour du monde connu de voir revenir en cette année 2020 une fig de zoat:

 

[Dreadaxe]

Reste de trouver des kits de conversion pour des têtes et des armes masse zoat alternatives

[Dreadaxe]

Citation

Zoats are exceptionally rare beings, living meditative, hermetic lifestyles far removed from society – including the Blood Bowl pitch. It’s believed that most Zoats aren’t even aware of the beautiful game. Such was the case with Zolcath until a Wood Elf sought his wisdom, hoping the rumoured magical abilities of these elusive creatures might help him achieve success on the gridiron. As luck would have it, Zolcath became fascinated by Blood Bowl and asked his visitor to teach him the basics.

 

https://www.warhammer-community.com/2020/11/18/zolcath-the-enigma-revealed/

 

[Barbarus]

Chez Norba Miniatures, y'a deux régiments de Fimir qui arrivent :

 

Bon, vu les socles, les fig' semblent "légèrement" plus petites que celles de FW... Mais vu le tarif (25€ le régiment), ça peut devenir l'occaz de se chopper des renforts à pas trop cher...

 

Barbarus : après, je les trouve un peu trop allongé...

[Dreadaxe]

Oui j'ai fait craquer la semaine dernière...

Ce n'est pas la sculpture de ouf non plus...

Tu penses qu'ils sont sur les socles 25 mm ?

[Barbarus]

J'en ai l'impression (en fait, une comparaison au pifomètre avec les autres fig' de la marque), mais pas la certitude...

Peut-être demandé à Norba?

Après, même en 25mm, si tu veux les jouer, je pense que ça fera le taf (si on compare avec les Fimir de heroquest par exemple).

 

Barbarus : désolé de pas être plus "renseignant"...

[Zangdharr]

Le fait qu'ils soient présenté en régiments de 5 figurines de front me fait pencher pour du soclage en 25mm aussi

[Dreadaxe]

Le 23/01/2022 à 20:11, Zangdharr a dit :

Le fait qu'ils soient présenté en régiments de 5 figurines de front me fait pencher pour du soclage en 25mm aussi

 

Oui c'est une juste remarque.

[Dreadaxe]

 

Source : WFRP4 Winds of Magic "065 Mona Mimn v2" https://www.cubicle7games.com/wfrp-winds-of-magic-upcoming-release/

 

 

Modifié le 17 février 2022 par Dreadaxe

[Dreadaxe]

On perd un peu le style de tortue, je trouve, mais bon. Le design de la masse zoat me dérange bien plus, je pense qu'avoir donné un aspect sylvestre casse le truc.

 

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/oAdJaB

Citation

 

 

Total War: Warhammer II - Zoat

Hello!
I made these angry snapping turtles for Total War: Warhammer 2. They are known as Zoats for the Wood Elf faction, and I was quite happy to hear that I would be making and bringing back these ancient units! I had a lot of fun with them, I love anything scaly and lizardy. Thanks for taking a look! Concept art done by the amazing Tony Sart!

 

 

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/v2xbga

 

Citation

 

Total War Warhammer 2 'Twilight and Twisted' concepts (Part 3)

Some of Concepts for Total War: Warhammer II DLC 'Twilight and Twisted'
It's really nice to see characters come to life in such a great project. ))
Welcome to Instagram: @sart.tony
and VK: https://vk.com/sarttony

 

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Gaq6B4

Citation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total War: Warhammer II - Zoat

 

Hello!
I made these angry snapping turtles for Total War: Warhammer 2. They are known as Zoats for the Wood Elf faction, and I was quite happy to hear that I would be making and bringing back these ancient units! I had a lot of fun with them, I love anything scaly and lizardy. Thanks for taking a look! Concept art done by the amazing Tony Sart!

 

 

 

 

 

Modifié le 15 avril 2022 par Dreadaxe

[Dreadaxe]

Extrait du roman Storm of Magic Novel #3 The Hour of Shadows de Clint Werner [et rapidement traduit par mes soins] :
 

Citation

“[…]
Le Haut-Né resta bouche bée devant l'étrange créature qui sortit d'entre les arbres en piétinant. Elle ne ressemblait à rien de ce qu'il avait vu auparavant, une grande bête reptilienne à la peau écailleuse, brune et noire. En trombe, elle descendait le sentier sur ses quatre pattes massives, semblables à des poutres. Une grande queue en forme de massue se balançait de son arrière-train, des pointes barbelées courant le long de la boule à l'extrémité. Un torse humanoïde s'élevait à l'avant du corps inférieur de la créature, des bras musclés tombant de larges épaules, une tête de lézard perchée au sommet d'un petit cou. Dans les mains de la créature, un bâton d'argent et de blanc brillait de l'éclat d'un feu d'étoiles. Même à distance, il pouvait dire qu'il ne s'agissait pas d'un habitant naturel d'Athel Loren, ni d'une étrange manifestation des fées. Il se souvint des paroles d'Ywain, de son insistance à dire que le Gardien des Bois n'était pas une créature de la forêt, mais plutôt quelque chose de bien plus ancien.”

 

Extract from Clint Werner's Storm of Magic Novel #3 The Hour of Shadows novel :

 

Citation

“[…]
The highborn gawped at the weird creature which came stomping out from among the trees. It was like nothing he had ever seen before, a great reptilian beast with a scaly brown and black hide. It tromped down the trail on four massive, pillar-like legs. A great, club-like tail swung from its hindquarters, sharp barbs running along the sides of the cudgellike button on its tip. A humanoid torso rose from the fore of the creature’s lower body, muscular arms descending from broad shoulders, a lizard-like head perched atop the merest stump of a neck. In the creature’s hands, a bladed staff of silver and white shone with the brilliance of starfire. Even from a distance, he could tell it was no natural denizen of Athel Loren, nor yet some strange manifestation of the fey. He was reminded of Ywain’s words, her insistence that the Warden of the Wood was not a creature of the forest but rather something far older.”

 

[Dreadaxe]

Parlons un petit peu figurine.

 

Comme posté ici

https://www.warhammer-forum.com/index.php?/topic/13445-div-armée-zoats/

J'en profite pour vous présenter Living Lead, Julien a fait un très beau Zoat modulable.

http://livinglead.blogspot.com/p/ventes.html

 

2197×1668 jpg
636,3 kB

 

Citation

 ZOAT   <>    ZOAT   <>    ZOAT      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ici avec d'autres figurines pour comparer l'échelle.

Scale comparison

 

 

 

Et voici les différents choix de pièces qui vont vous permettre de personnaliser votre modèle.

Here are the different choices of parts that will allow you to customize your model.

 

 

Veillez à bien m'indiquer votre choix pour la commande :
  - bras droit
  - bras gauche
  - socle rond ou carré

Notez que chaque main du bras gauche est systématiquement fournie avec un kit de 3 positions de bras différentes, ainsi vous pourrez tester et choisir la pose qui vous convient le mieux.

 

Be sure to tell me your choice for the order :

   - right arm

   - left arm

   - round or square base

Note that each hand of the left arm is systematically supplied with a kit of 3 different arm positions, so you can try the pose that suits you best.

 

 

@Rincevent faisait l'éloge de Julien le sculpteur, je ne peux qu'aller dans son sens et j'attends moi aussi une commande sous peu.

 

---

Merci Blood Bowl

https://greebo-games.com/star-players/34949-renek-the-last-one.html

Idem que pour la version GW il faudra des armes à lui mettre dans les mains

Modifié le 23 novembre 2022 par Dreadaxe