In a recent “Figure in Focus” article, we spotlighted the first member of The Bleeder’s Guild that was revealed for Cosmic Legions - the Carzynian tracker known as Noveunn Leen. In that article, it was revealed that Noveunn was once a rival of, and is now a partner with, a fellow Bleeder named Mbyra Jmgyra. In this feature, we turn our attention to the Scorrox named Mbyra and learn more about her place in The Bleeder’s Guild. We will also get a look behind the scenes at the design and development of this unique new character in the Cosmic Legions universe.
Mbyra’s Story
The reveal of Mbyra Jmgyra gave Cosmic Legions one of its most exotic looking characters to date. It also introduced a brand-new race into the line - a Scorrox. The initial bio that would be revealed for Mbyra focused a bit on the planet of Ozarra and how that environment contributed to the personality of this character:
Born and raised in the treacherous and punishing tropical environment of Ozarra, Mbyra Jmgyra was forced to be resilient from an early age. The planet’s blazing temperatures and the ever-present threat of danger tend to breed unmistakably aggressive “Ozarrian” tendencies into the personalities of its citizens. Vicious and perverse, Mbyra is no exception.
The planet of Ozarra is also mentioned in the expanded bio information on Noveunn Leen, as is the connection that the tracker from The Bleeder’s Guild has with Mbyra. That connection, and more of the Scorrox Bleeder’s personality, is detailed in this expanded information:
After years of animosity due to a botched assignment, Mbyra and Noveunn Leen have mended their relationship and have formed a partnership within The Bleeders Guild - an organization that trades in the extraction and brokering of information. Her poisonous barbed anatomy is a truly terrifying threat. Equipped with a prehensile tail topped with a venomous stinger built for paralyzing and grabbing prey, it has now become a symbol of terror for those she pursues. Dripping with malice and bloodlust, Mbyra Jmgyra takes an immense amount of pleasure in the fear she instills.
In Noveunn’s article, we speculated what crime these two Bleeders may have committed to find themselves captured and locked in Hvalkatar. We further questioned whether they may have actually landed themselves in the prison intentionally in order to “extract information” from a valuable source. This expanded biography adds yet another interesting component to this puzzle - what could have happened to cause two former rivals to join forces and put “years of animosity” behind them? What job could be so lucrative that Noveunn and Mbyra would decide that the payout was worth teaming up yet again? Most importantly - who was the target they had set their sights on to extract this valuable information?
The rest of Mbyra’s expanded bio details her “barbed anatomy”, including the “prehensile tail topped with a venomous stinger”. This is obviously the most striking part of Mbyra’s design, bringing “scorpion-like features” into the character. Those elements were also some of the more challenging ones to come up with, as we will see in some images from Mbyra’s development process.
Designing Mbyra
The figure of Mbyra Jmgyra is a great example of a character whose design took a different path than some others. Some characters, like Kanoxx Vull, have designs that date all the way back to Eric Treadaway’s childhood. Others, like Noveunn, have a personality and look that evolves during the design process. Mbyra was different than these. According to Eric, “with Mbyra I had a very clear idea of what the character was and the overall feel that the design needed to convey, but wasn’t initially 100% sure specifically how to get that across. The images here show the seeds of her design starting with extremely rough early sketches and then coming into focus as the sculpture progressed.” You can see some of those sketches and early sculptural work below.
In these images, you can see how the “scorpion tail” on Mbyra evolved, starting with a small curved spike at the back of her head, and eventually transforming into the long tail that extends down her back, ending in that poisonous barbed stinger.
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Another aspect of Mbyra’s design that evolved during this time was her armor. In the above shots, you can see a few different treatments of the character’s torso. Eventually, Eric decided to outfit her with armor that was very sculpturally rich, acting as a companion to the details seen in the armor plating on the character’s head and tail segments. This updated armor can be seen here.
The final sculptural images for Mbyra Jmgyra are shown below. Starting with those initial sketches, you can really see how the “tone” and attitude of this figure remained consistent, even as the presentation itself was changed during the design process. The end result with the long “prehensile tail”, which will be produced as a “bendable” element to allow for some posing of the tail itself, really captures a unique look for this Scorrox Bleeder. Coupled with the translucent approach to the figure’s limbs and the paint applications which were inspired by the appearance of sand scorpions, Mbyra Jmgyra is truly a character to be feared in the universe of Cosmeriumm, and a figure sure to be secured in the Cosmic Legions line!
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Mbyra and the rest of the Cosmic Legions - Hvalkatar: Book Two, Gravenight figures are available for preorder now from StoreHorsemen.com. This preorder period ends on 5/1/22 at 11pm EST.
Published on 04.28.22