The grim darkness of the 41st Millennium is about to change for good – the Leagues of Votann, the newest faction to join the carnage, are soon to blast onto store shelves, battlefields, and painting stations all around the world.
Armed to the teeth with practical, yet high-tech weaponry, the Leagues dispatch Oathbands and Prospects to roam the galaxy seeking out fresh resources and mounting aggressive defense of their Holds. Roving before these expeditions are the Hernkyn Pioneers – hardy outriders dispatched for days or weeks at a time to scout ahead of the main force.
It took a team effort to bring the Leagues of Votann to life. We spoke to Andy Clark and Jes Goodwin about what went into designing these aviating outriders.
“The Hernkyn are rugged survivalist types who set out in small, self-reliant bands to adventure and prospect on behalf of their Kindreds,” says Andy, one of the heads behind the lore of the Kin. “This is a big deal, as Kin prefer to remain close – family is the most important thing to them – so it’s a very brave and selfless act to head out ranging like this.”
“Visually, they’re like the Votann themselves,” adds Jes, who took charge of the miniature design. “Chunky, rugged, and tough. Even the magna-coil tech utilised in their gimballed lifter coils is unsubtle, contrasting with the sleek elegance of Aeldari anti-grav. I imagine them kicking up dust as they manoeuvre.”
“In a lot of factions, bikers are shock troops, swift hunters, or even (in the case of Orks) just marauding speed-crazed loons,” Andy explains. “By comparison, the Hernkyn Pioneers serve as armoured cavalry. They are extremely sturdy, highly mobile, and pack a tremendous amount of firepower – which to my mind makes them a more central and powerful element of the main Kin battle lines than some other factions’ bikers.
“Their magna-coil bikes are fast and manoeuvrable, even over the most difficult terrain or bodies of water, which might confound more conventional bikes with wheels. What’s more, they have some seriously big guns, and with their multiwave comms arrays and pan-spectral scanners they have all the supporting tech needed to operate as intelligence gathering assets.”
“They wear lighter void suits than the Hearthkyn,” Jes notes, “and distinctive heavy coats, no doubt lined with protective weaves and shielding. Leather skull caps, face scarves, goggles, and visors, even parka-style hoods are all in evidence. These are explorers and frontiersmen – even more so than their Hold-bound comrades.
“Their hand-held weaponry is similarly prosaic, with bolt pistols and shotguns, and big plasma knives. On the other hand, the bikes themselves mount weaponry that employs some of their more advanced technologies. Their variant uniforms and weaponry give a contrast to the more armoured Kin, adding texture to the range and a distinctive image to an important element of Kin society.”
Interestingly, as an offshoot of human civilisation from the Dark Age of Technology, the Leagues of Votann share a visual language with certain Imperial technologies.
“Rather than matching Leagues of Votann tech to a particular, existing style of STC devices, the idea was that their tech had slowly evolved from more ancient designs,” says Jes. “The Leagues and the Imperium share a common root in the STCs that were prevalent in those days, and you can spot the commonalities, but they’ve diverged over the millennia. The Leagues’ kit is less clunky and temperamental, while the Imperium has lost so much…
“That being said, their armour style has a rounded, almost muscular feel, with additional layers and countersunk bolts that are reminiscent of the Kastelan Robot used by the Adeptus Mechanicus. Some of the Imperial weapon types usually described as ‘relics’ are more commonplace in the Leagues, and they also possess better versions of most Imperial technologies – even common ones like las weapons. Just look at the HYLas rotary cannon that can be mounted on a Hernkyn Pioneer – HYLas is short for High Yield Laser.”
The Hernkyn have been dispatched and the main Oathband is on the march – meaning that the Leagues of Votann will be here sooner rather than later. Sign up to our newsletter to find out exactly when they’re going to be released.