If you go down to the woods today...

Introduction

Today it's time to show another 28mm 7th Voyage cast from Greek Mythology.  They're freshly finished, having been given their coat of varnish this morning before I went to work.  The warm, dry, summer-like weather we're experiencing at the moment is exceptionally good for spray paints, so as soon as I've finished writing this I've got some more models to take down to the garage (for undercoat, this time).  Better hurry up, then!

The Dryads

A dryad is a form of ancient nature spirit (or nymph) that is particularly associated with trees.  I believe that the name derives from the Greek word for "oak", though the term is used more generally to mean any tree spirit.  As you can see from the picture, they could take the form of young women (and indeed would sometimes live their lives amongst either humans or gods), but they were shy creatures, rarely encountered by mortals.

These models are made by Foundry and are (oddly enough!) from their "Greek Mythology" range.  4 of the 5 figures are in the process of entering or exiting a tree; they obviously have considerable magical powers!  The 5th is quite separate, though she does still have vines and flowers growing over her.

As always, my models have been given appropriate names from Greek Mythology.

In the 7th Voyage expansion "Myths and Monsters", there are no dryads mentioned by that name.  However, there are Hesperides - a form of nymph who tended the garden at the end of the world.  The garden of the Hesperides is famous mainly because the 11th labour of Heracles was to retrieve the magical golden apples that grew there.

Having looked at the description of Hesperides in 7th Voyage (in particular their seduce, sacred grove and "relocate from tree to tree" abilities), I think that these models are perfect for that role.  I'll probably call them Dryads, but they're the same creatures no matter what they are called.

The Heavies

In the "Apples of the Hesperides" scenario from Myths and Monsters, it is suggested that the nymphs are backed up by a water elemental from a sacred pool in the garden.  This should give such a group some real hitting power to deal with those heroes who are immune to their seduce powers.  That's a good idea, but I don't have a water elemental model (I've just ordered one today, mind).  However, I do have some leftover models from a bargain set that I bought a while back.

These "tree monsters" come from a Fanticide warband and are therefore made by the excellent Eureka Miniatures of Australia.  They're listed in the catalogue as "Fae Bogies", mind you.  I've mounter mine on 30mm washers; the creatures are bigger than a human but not really massive.  More like saplings, really...

There aren't any stats in 7th Voyage for tree creatures and they don't have any basis in Greek mythology, as far as I know.  However, they seem very much in tune with the spirit of the woods and it wouldn't surprise me if these were trees "animated" by the dryads.  Alternatively, they could be an angrier, less human form of the dryads.  Either way, I'll create some stats for these monsters and use them alongside the rest of the woodland defenders.

Conclusion

This group should provide an interesting challenge for any band of wandering heroes such as my Argonauts.  They're very much a defensive cast, tied to a particular type of terrain (I couldn't imagine them operating in anything other than a forest), but they'll provide strong opposition to anyone who defiles their sacred groves and gardens!