"Fall in!" the officer shouted at the platoon of recruits.
An unorderly thunder of stomping feet raised a fine dust cloud that caused some coughing amidst the restless murmur. The sound of footsteps coming from the officers' barracks silenced and straightened the motley group. Ever closer, the boots would strike the wooden floor with perfect rhythm, not once disrupting their beat.
The figure of a hetman set foot in the courtyard and stopped in front of the display of men, women, and ghent before her. She was a woman in her forties with ebony skin and glimpses of bronze, in typical Micenghai fashion. Her back-combed hair was short, dark, and glossy. Her armor shone like the summer sun despite the dark clouds that covered the sky over Hawthorn Point. Of average height, she needed not to be taller in order to look down on everyone.
"At ease," she said calmly while addressing the officer.
"At ease!" the officer yelled to the recruits.
"What do we have here, Captain Strelka?" she asked.
The gray-haired man with the prominent mustache replied without taking his gaze off the front. His military rictus was simply exemplary.
"These are the new recruits whose training starts today, ma'am. They disembarked from the Legacy last night."
The Hetman studied them with a scrutinizing look, one by one, from left to right and from top to bottom. She clicked her tongue before speaking: "Alas, yet another wretched specimen from our illustrious motherland. Much needs to be done before you all become worthy of representing the Hegemony of Embersig. Yet harbor not a single doubt that I shall correct that demeanor and—be certain—that lack of hygiene."
"You can come wipe me arse, ya little Micenghai whore," someone uttered in the back, hidden among the giggles of those surrounding him.
The Hetman raised her head as if triggered by a spring. In a bird-like fashion, her eyes moved without blinking for a moment until she located her target. She held the sheath of her sword with her left hand and walked with powerful strides until she confronted the recruit. The giggles ceased immediately, but the gazes couldn't help but satisfy their curiosity.
"Could it be you have a problem, recruit?" she asked calmly, raising her left eyebrow.
The burly man didn't respond, instead, he kept looking forward to avoid meeting the Hetman's black eyes. He didn't bother to hide a wide, smug grin.
"I see…" she said while turning disdainfully towards the officer. "Captain Strelka, you are to take the recruits for a walk this afternoon. Take them to see the Fog up close."
"The Fog, ma'am?"
The Hetman just gave him a fleeting, jet-black glance and that was all that was needed.
"Yes, ma'am!" he stiffened. "Did you hear that!? Put on your best outfit, 'cause, after lunch, I'll show you the fine landscape of Hawthorn Point. We'll see how many of you resist the urge to flee like rats on the first ship on our way back.
Amelia is the Hegemony
When we were in the process of deciding which characters would complete the cast of the core box, there were several requirements we needed to meet. One of them was to fully represent each faction.
We already had Nayra and her brother Naergon to stand for The Hegemony but, as aestari, they were a minority within the vast, human-dominated Hegemonic lands. We wanted a character who symbolized the Black Legion, the professional army, and the main expansionist tool of the Hegemony of Embersig.
However, we couldn't have an ordinary soldier accompanying a group of odd explorers around Hawthorn Point in their search for magical relics; so, to give the character some freedom of movement and to link it to our family of adventurers, we thought it would be best if the character held a high rank, a hetman. Thus, we could also show something about the Hegemonic army's hierarchy.
We already knew that this character would be a woman (the gender distribution was done by attending the classes) and a hetman. This rank suited us well since one needs to be an accomplished veteran with a well-rounded service record to become a Hetman.
When looking for inspiration for her personality, we took Captain Amelia from the animated film Treasure Planet (portrayed by Emma Thompson) as a reference. Exquisite British manners, immaculate, firm, and disciplined. She seemed like the perfect model upon which to build Amelia... Hellbroth.
That's how we envisioned her, a woman capable of turning any group of rough recruits into diamonds. Although she's been assigned to Hawthorn Point, she'll never stop in her daily struggle to uphold order and discipline, manners, and cleanliness. She's an officer who recognizes herself as a symbol and representative of the Hegemony wherever she goes.
Game Profile
As expected, Amelia Hellbroth stands out for her charisma. She wears a good set of armor and uses a pistol that she can change to other firearms throughout the campaign, each with greater firepower than the last.
With this character, we're introducing a new class: Leader.
Design and sculpting
The guys at concept design naturally focused on Amelia's equipment as a Black Legion officer. However, they not only worked based on her rank as a Hetman, but also took the opportunity to present the whole military hierarchy that will be featured in the wargame.
In other words, when you place a soldier's miniature next to Amelia's, you will immediately know who is in command and who isn't. In concept design and sculpting, establishing this visual language from the beginning plays a key role, especially when designing a whole range of miniatures.
The sculpting and painting are simply amazing. They flawlessly capture the essence of the character, her rictus, as if she was the very personification of leadership.
Any group of adventurers including Amelia will have their effectiveness, lethality, and even mobility increased. Our hetman is a great addition to the game, bringing order and discipline.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Black Legion, where every day is a field day; every meal is a banquet; every payment, a fortune, and every formation, a parade."
