Hoof and Horn

No painting this weekend (unless I change my mind tomorrow), but assembly in an attempt to redress the Hero-Villain balance.
What have I been assembling?
Have a look:

 That's the core of my Beastmen for the dungeoneering/chivalry/fantasy project. I've still to assemble two more of the greater beastmen, the lesser will remain at eight. I gave some of the lesser beatmen the large shields that the manufacturer (GW) intended for the greater beastmen, to make them look less uniform. Where the lesser beastmen are the rank and file (and dogsbodies) of the clan, the greater beastmen will be more individualistic, warriors of note. I hope to give each of them an individual and evocative  attitude and choice of wargear. An interesting challenge, as I'm using the older, and more limited GW Gor/Ungor combined kit. I'll take some pictures once all four greater beastmen are assembled, to see/show if I've succeeded in this.
There's also the leader of the warband to still  assemble, and at some point I'll need to get a shaman for spiritual guidance as well.
These won't go on dungeon bases, as they're creatures of the deep wilds. I think I'll base them similar to the Knight and his retinue.
If you look carefully at the back you'll see a hero sneaking in, a stour armoured dwarf. (a bit headless at the moment, as I want to reach his breastplate and crooks of his beard properly when painting him.)
And an other figure, whom I'm still deciding on if she'll be a force of good or evil (leaning towards evil right now, though).

I'm also slowly collecting ideas and bits of pieces of lore to assemble something resembling a setting out of. As far as beastmen go, I'm starting from this point:
Beastmen are an evil, a species without redeeming features. Vicious and cruel, they live only to destroy and defile. Favoured children of one of the old, inhuman gods, they are corruption and insanity made flesh.
Where a barbarian merely eschews civilization and it's trappings, the beastmen actively seek to destroy it. They see the spread of civilization as a plague, taking the danger and need for survival out of the land and allowing the weak to survive when they shouldn't. The world should be uncaring and cruel, only those who are brutal and strong enough to force life to give up what they need have the right to survive.The beastmen refer to themselves as the Tribes of the Thousand Young. It is a common belief among the beastmen that all of their tribes and clans descend from the original 1000 young of their deranged, goat-like deity. Dwelling in the wild and forbidden places of the world, they prey on anything and frequently raid the surrounding lands. They partly raid for food* and supplies, but mostly to cause havoc and tear down what others have built. To force their targets to prove their strength and right to survive, or otherwise punish them for being to weak to survive without the crutch of civilization.
*: Meat mostly, and strong drink. They'll eat any meat, dead or alive, of non-sentient or sentient species, but they prefer the latter options as it represent the greater atrocity.


There is a reason people feel ill at ease in the deep woods, and get shivers out on the moors, when the light is fading...
It's where the Tribes of the Thousand Young dwell.