The Burning Maw - Worshipers of the Fire Mouth

I have been thinking of a tribe name and history for a while now.  After reading the section in the OK book about the Fire Mouth, I loved it.  So I decided to theme my tyrants history and tribe around reverence for the Fire Mouth. 

So here is the beginning.  I will be adding more in the future as I begin to paint my army.

The Burning Maw

The Burning Maw tribe lives in the shadow of the great volcano known as the Fire Mouth.  They are led by the tyrant, Big Zlag the Sizzlegut. 

Zlag gained his name and reputation for devouring some of the lava that spills from the summit of the Fire Mouth.  Many ogres would doubt that one could survive devouring a piece of the deadly lava.  But his tribe know it to be true because of the heat that radiates from the tyrant's gut.  Snow melts as Zlag walks through it.  And his gutplate is burning hot to the touch which is why he is known as the Sizzlegut.  In the pitfight with the previous tyrant of the Burning Maw, the ogres watching could hear the old tyrants blood sizzling as it fell onto Big Zlag's gutplate.  After a fierce battle, there is nothing that Zlag likes more than to roast his newest meal on his sizzling gutplate.

The Burning Maw display their tribal symbol in tatoos and banners.  They use the symbol of the Maw at the peak of a volcano to represent the Fire Mouth and Zlag's blessing. Their Mawtooth bears the symbol inlade with obsidian and an amber fire in the center of the Maw.  They adorn their clothing and jewlery with piece of obsidian found in ground surrounding the volcano too.  And they are taken to dying their hair in fiery colors to symbolize the lava that spews forth from the volcano.

The tribe always returns to the Mountains of Mourn for the great feasts at the Fire Mouth.  To this day, no member of the Burning Maw has ever been fed to the fires of the volcano since the ascension of Big Zlag as tyrant.  Some foolish ogres have tried to do what Zlag did but all have died a horrible death.  Only Zlag has been so blessed to devour a piece of the lava.

The End (for now)

I was planning to give Zlag the big name of Mountaineater or Deathcheater to represent him eating the molten lava.

nice theme i like the idea of a sizzling gutplate and snow melting as he walks past id love to see a tyrant modelled like that

Yeah, I'm trying to figure out a way to make the gutplate look white hot, not red hot.  I plan to use fiery colors for the clothing and I don't want every part of him to look the same color.

its going to look awesome

My sketch of the Burning Maw tribal symbol.  A better picture will be posted in the future.  Hopefully, on the BSB.



Edit: Made the tribal symbol a little smaller to make it easier for tatoos and banners.

I like the symbol, but I think the mountain parrt is a littlwe long and thin at the moment. It unbalances the logo slightly and makes the whole thing look a little like one of those clown harts with a bobble on top. I think the mountain could be shorter and stubbier, more like the mountain symbol from the Army book, but with a flat top

Thanks
Corai

Yeah, I kind of realized that.  When I saw it on the screen, I was wondering how I was going to fit that on a banner.  I'm going to crop it down when I make a color version.

I've added some more details to the background at the beginning of the first post.  Still haven't decided on a big name for Zlag.

Why not give Zlag the Bigname Mountaineater if u wnat to be fluffy. Or, if not, why not give him Kineater, which is always useful.

I have pretty much decided that it will be Mountaineater.  After all, the lava is part of the mountain.   I just have to figure the points with his magic items before I commit to it.

Big Zlag's Slavegiant: Kark the Burned

Poor Kark.  All he wanted was to live and hunt near his cave in the eastern side of the Mountains of Mourn.  Occasionally, he would get a chance to catch some humans travelling the Silver Road foolish enough to not have adequate bodyguards.  They would make a particularly good meal.  But unfortunate for Kark, his desire for manflesh was his undoing.  Because it brought him to the attention of the Burning Maw and Zlag.

Zlag was looking to increase the prestige of his newly aquired Tyranthood.  Zlag and his Irongut tracked and captured Kark.  Kark was beaten and dragged back in chains to the tribal lands of the Burning Maw near the Fire Mouth.  There he was kept and tormented for years as his will was broken by Zlag.  Kark tried to escape once but he was captured again and paid dearly for his chance at freedom.  Zlag had Kark held down by his Ironguts and pressed Kark's face against his burning hot gutplate.  Kark's screams were heard well outside the cavernous hold.

Now, Kark is broken.  He makes no more attempts to escape.  Blinded in one eye by the burns to his face, Kark wears a tattered covering over that half of his burned face.  The blazing symbol of the Burning Maw where his eye once was.  Now, all Kark knows is hate and loathing.  Kark knows that his fate will likely lead to Zlag's gut when he is no longer of any use.  His only wish is that the tyrant choke to death at that meal.

As for painting, I'm good but I have never tried light sourcing before. 

I had already thought about the lava on the bases but I want to wait and see how "fiery" I make the ogres clothes and hair.  I don't want to have them look too orangy-red.  But the bases will definitely be a rocky color and texture.

Here is Kark the Burned, unpainted:

Very nice! he looks appropriately slavy. A cool idea would be using gs(or just knife or paint) on his back make it look like the ogres branded him with your armys tribal symbol. Just an idea however. Good job looking forward to painted pics

cheers,Gorg

Like I said in the cauldron, nice looking model. 

Is this what you mean, Gorg?


That's the ogre sigil for slavery, it's hard to make out cause I wanted it to look fresh.  I just gouged it out with a hobby knife and painted plastic glue on it to make it look fleshy and runny.  The tribe symbol you designed would look pretty cool like that, or you could use GS to make it look like scars.  Anyway, it looks awesome as is, don't let us twist your arm .  I'm looking forwarrd to seeing some more of your conversions, they should be good with such a strong theme to work with.

As I said in the cauldron, that's a great looking tyrant, And I like Gorgus' example of the slavery symbol burned into the flesh

Thanks
Corai

That is one nice Giant.

I thinking about a brand for Kark.  I don't know where I want to put it.  I thought about his gut.  I didn't post a back picture but there is a chain that runs up his back to the collar.  So a large brand on his back would be difficult.  I did think about putting a brand on the bottom of his foot or his rather flat posterior. .

I have thought of putting lash scars on his back with green stuff too.

put a brand on his other cheek maybe? or his stomach? or on his hand(the one with the millstone)

Lash marks would be cool, then if you had a giantbreaker in your army you could have a whip coiled on his belt, or just have him wielding one.

I really like the idea of the brand being oin the foot. likie its a dangerous job given to gnoblars and thats all they can reach!

Thanks
Corai

yes that sound really good corai.Ogres wouldnt bother doing it so the foot seems like a good idea

I just realized that if I put it on the bottom of his foot I'll probably have to take him of the base.  I might use the Slavery Icon like gORCUS suggested because it should be easy to make with green stuff. 

But the outreaching hand might be another option.  It would be more visible.

Here is my Battlestandard Bearer, The Bruiser Muratt (unpainted)

The majority of the conversion work is on his back.  I added some armor plates and straps so he would be more armored.

I've never used an orange shade as a color in an army before.  But I figured out a way to build the color over the darker undercoat and it has worked.  I made the pants a dark, dirty red so that the orange would stand out yet the red is still a warm color that goes well with the Fire Mouth worshiping theme.

Wow! That Giant looks amazing!!! Can't wait to see him painted! Great work!

After the Bulls are painted, the Giant is next.

i really like the way you tell the story for your tribe. Do you mind if i stole the format?

Just an update:

I actually have changed the skin tone to a warmer tan color.  I found that the light grey skintone just contrasted to much with the rest of the colors.  Also, I brightened the red pants.

I plan in the next week to begin painting the army.  So once I get a better handle on taking digital pics, I'll get the finished members of the Burning Maw up on this gnoblog.

Wow, it's been a while.

I've actually been going through a redesign of how I am going to paint the army.  I am still using a warm orange color in the scheme.  I decided to go with a natural fleshtone after all instead of the light gray.  I think that the scheme lokks warmer overall.

I hope to get a picture up by next week.  I want to get the army mostly finished by the end of the year.

It's been a while, but it's great to see so many gnoblogs in progress at once.

Muratt, Standard Bearer of the Burning Maw

Muratt is a cousin of Zlag.  He has always looked up to Zlag since the older ogre beat him in a gutslam contest and ate his ear as a trophy.   Muratt was there the day that Zlag ate the piece of the Fire Mouth and lived.  Since then, he has looked at his cousin as the walking embodiment of the volcano.  Muratt has carried the Standard of Fire as one would carry a holy relic.  He feels that Zlag is on a holy mission to devour all that stands in his way.  Muratt has a strong dislike for Zlag's other Bruiser, Fireraid.  He sees Fireraid as a petty brigand and not deserving to be a member of Zlag's holy crusade.  Unfortunately, little does Muratt know that Zlag cares nothing for holy missions but only power and influence.

i ralley like murrat its a nice model
pez

I plan to paint the interior of the maw as if it is burning.  The skulls, I hope, will look charred by the fire.

Looks cool. Could we get another picture showing the conversions on his shoulders?

I had actually posted the pictures earlier this year.  Look back on Page 2 of the gnoblog and you will see a back shot.  Once I get things painted, I am going to make some changes to the gnoblog to get everything organized.

I just went back to see that, and it looks good. Nice job.

Hurray for motivation!

After struggling to find a final paint scheme, I have turned my attention back to the Burning Maw!  I will be playing them in a tournament in two months.  That tournament has resulted in the motivation I needed to get them done.  I've only have about ten weeks.  So I have to get some paint on those miniatures quick.

Then what are you doing here? You should be at your desk painting. Chop chop chop!