Wildlife of Sector B67 - Sludge Grubs and Sump Mites

From the stinking 'water' of The Cut, to the gigantic Scavvy-infested area known as The Pond, there are all sorts of pools, puddles and lakes of sump and effluence from further uphive.

Of course, even in such rancid and, often, toxic environments life finds a way - sometimes very successfully, such as the Sludge Grubs.  These bloated, rubbery, maggot-like creatures are the size of attack dogs - some feature venomous barbs, some have needle-sharp fangs, but all seem to share the ability to spit forth foul globs of acidic phlegm that can melt even a bulkhead.

Despite being utterly unpleasant and downright dangerous, these Grubs have become somewhat of a delicacy in certain parts of B67 - slow-cooked to soften their otherwise rubbery flesh and with fried sumpshrooms they can be found being hawked by vendors in most large settlements.

I picked up the Sludge Grubs from the Gellerpox Infected Kill Team set from a box splitter - I knew I wanted these as a random monster (or for the hunting credit-making scenario we used to play lots back in the day!). 

I made sure to keep them suitably nasty looking!

Another creature that can be found around B67 has only recently come to be found - most that pay attention to these things reckon they first came from B70.  These little things, known as Sump Mites, are almost playful - and seem to have some level of intelligence, mimicking human behaviours.  This has earned them some fans - with some B67ers even adopting them as pets and welcoming them into the settlements.

It's strange, but even though they rarely attack those that get to close tend to develop some nasty disease or another - but hey, that's probably just from exposure to the sump itself, right?

It seems there's something a little unclean afoot in B67 these days... if these Nurglings are anything to go by... (it's a pity the poor people of the sector don't really know what a daemon is!)

I can't lie - I am a Nurgle fan... but is there more to the appearance of these little chaps than might first appear?

Wildlife of Sector B67 - It came from the sump...

Like most sectors of the Underhive, B67 has its fair share of sump pools and lakes.  Those who make a living fishing for sump-pike and sludgecrabs tell tales of something that has made B67 its home.  They aren't sure what it is, but they know it's not quite right - some swear they have seen monstrous tentacles reach out of the sump, others claim to have collected mucus left behind by a giant beast as it returned to a sump lake.

Most right-thinking B67ers don't pay much heed to the tall tales of anglers - all those hours out on their own breathing in whatever comes off the sump must surely have caused them to have hallucinations.

I picked up a random second-hand miniature from Wayland's Forge in Birmingham many years ago - it was just in a baggy and I didn't know much about it, just thought it was cool - turns out it's a Rackham Chthonian Larva:

At one point it was going to be a Nurgle Chaos Spawn in a Chaos Space Marine army, but that got dropped so I thought it would fit in as some kind of unknown sump-beast for Sector B67.

Wildlife of Sector B67 - Six-Limbed Terrors

There are occasional sightings in some of the less-used domes of Sector B67 of fearsome creatures - with six limbs they walk and climb on their hind legs, having two sets of 'arms' which they use to clamber the bulkheads and gantries and attack their prey.

No one knows exactly what these terrible creatures are, or when they first appeared - but they have gained a few different nicknames: Sixers, Purps and Disembowelers.

I had a couple of random genestealers left over from a long-abandoned Tyranid army.  I'd got them from the Space Hulk re-release years ago.  Rather than scrap them they found a home in Sector B67 - although woe betide any newbie gang that runs into either of these:

I won't lie, I really didn't enjoy painting these - so it's just as well I never did progress that Tyranid army!

As fearsome as those creatures might be, there persist tales of a larger, ever more dangerous fiend stalking Sector B67 - known only as the Green Ghost, it seems able to hide in plain sight, lashing out at its unsuspecting victims with gigantic claws, before melting back away into nothing.  A few famous Monster Hunters have turned up from Sector DY4 aiming on making a name for themselves by taking the Ghost out - they haven't found it yet though...

From the same abandoned project I had a Lictor - I think it's the only finecast mini I own - rather than let it go to waste I gave it a quick paint job and now it's a rather nasty threat to the poor gangs and underhivers of B67:

This was actually more fun to paint than the Genestealers!

Wildlife of Sector B67 - Things that Crawl and Float

Milliasaurs, known (and hated) throughout the Underhive are present in Sector B67 - mostly found around The Patch or the lower levels of Grimview.  Whilst they can be found in various colours, the most common locally is a vivid green, the source of the B67 nickname of 'Bogeys'.

I was never able to find original Milliasaurs going for a reasonable price, so figured that Tyranid Rippers would be the next best thing:

Whilst even the most green Underhiver has at least heard of Milliasaurs, there are some strange things that aren't often encountered.  One of these, the bizarre Float Spores, can sometimes be encountered near to Allbright's.  Some have suggested that Allbright harvests these things to make Kite, a popular drug these days with the more wayward juves of Sector B67.

I had some Spore Mines from a very long-abandoned Tyranid army and thought they might as well find a home in Sector B67:

I always enjoyed the monster hunting scenarios back in the day so having a range of gribblies to include in my games of Necromunda will help me relive it a little!

The Grandfather's Hand

+++Report by Sgt Mahoney, K2 Command+++
Heard complaints from the Zoho and Vick neighbourhood traders about an unaligned gang going around scaring their customers away and generally being a nuisance until the traders pay them off.  Apparently they call themselves 'the Grandfather's Hand' - my guess is this Grandfather is some wannabe kingpin starting to make his move in a low key way.

Suggest we up the contributions required from Zoho and Vick for the K2 patrols to continue there and deal with these new chumps how we deal with the old chumps...
+++Report Ends+++

Long-time readers may remember The Heralds of Hope - well these newest guys started in the same way - survivors of a long-abandoned Chaos Space Marine army.

Here's the Leader - Drahoslav:

He's a second edition Scavvy mini - autopistol and flail are his weapons of choice.

Next is the Heavy Stubber toting Kamil:

Here's Juraj - I'm not sure if that pipe is draining something away, or pumping something in:

Next we have Kazimir:

This is Matej (one of my favourite cultist minis):

Next is Vratislav:

Finally there's Teodor - I switched his combat knife out for a rough blade from GW Zombies sprue (I think they call them Deadwalker Zombies now):

Quick and dirty paintjob - but kinda suits them I think!

Ziminiar - Daemonhost

The ancient daemon known as Ziminiar was summoned and bound by the demagogue of the Cult of the Green Flame and used by them as a weapon for months. Growing in power, Ziminiar was able to slaughter the Cult, killing the demagogue last.

Now masterless, and coursing with warp energy, Ziminiar drifts in the shadows, attaching itself to gangs where it can control the thoughts of the leader with his wyrd powers. Ziminiar, although powerful, is cunning and knows that it must be careful as it continues to build its strength – if the flesh host it inhabits is destroyed, Ziminiar will be cast back into the warp; Ziminiar is not ready for that yet...it has work to do for Grandfather...

I picked up this old metal Daemonhost from eBay years ago with a view to adding it to the hireling agency.  

Yuan Xue Min - Rogue Medicae

A medicae and biologist from uphive, Yuan Xue Min has travelled below the Wall to gather samples of the myriad species of flora that grow in the underhive. Xue Min is convinced that amongst the mushrooms and algae there will be some with medical applications that can make him a wealthy man – the Noble Houses pay handsomely for anything to extend their corrupt and decadent lives.

I kitbashed Xue Min from the pilot miniature from the old Battle for Macragge box set.  The needle pistol arm is from the Scions kit and I don't rememer where the camera/scanner gubbins I added came from!

Xanthis Bibliothicae - Inquistorial Acolyte

An acolyte of St Munje, Xanthis is a researcher and historian of note, plucked from his dusty dataslates and books and forced to investigate rumours of heretical activity that has recently been rumoured to be spreading throughout Sector B67.

Given the sizable population in the Sector, the Saint wants to make absolutely sure of the nature of this rumoured activity before she comes to Necromunda to personally lead a purge...

Xanthis is, of course an Acolyte mini - he got his name from the collection of books and parchment on the mini!

Wellington Duo - Agent of House Ty

An agent of House Ty, Wellington Duo carries himself with the bearing you'd except of an envoy of a noble house.

He travels with gangs throughout Sector B67, charging them a nominal fee for his assistance – in reality he is using them to try to find a runaway from a rival House that he has been ordered to bring in dead or alive.

This is an old (by modern standards I suppose) Imperial Guard officer.  It's one of my favourite Guard sculpts - utter disdain for eveything around him!

Vlasic Blackheart – Sump-Dwelling Maniac

Considered insane at best, psychopathic at worst, Vlasic lives in a single homestead on an island in one of the most polluted sump swamps in Sector B67. Even the scavvies in the area avoid his swamp, although it is unknown if this is out of fear, or respect.

When low on provisions, Vlasic has been known to work for some of the worst outlaws in the Sector – his natural hatred for every living thing makes such arrangements short-lived but mutually beneficial: Vlasic is a brutal fighter and his hive-ken is second only to the Ratskin people.

Vlasic is a Forgeworld Renegade Miltia mini from the Siege of Vraks campaign line.

Vanto the Off-Worlder - Squat

There aren't all that many Squats left these days, but they are still present on thousands of planets across the Imperium as traders, researchers, artisans and warriors in the service of PDFs, private armies and even as mercenary platoons hired by the Imperial Guard.

One such abhuman, Vanto used to work with the Sector B67 Union of Dome Reclaimers as a site pest controller. He would use his small size to his advantage, crawling between ruins and wreckage, flushing out nests of vermin and other foul creatures with blasts of boiling prometheum.

When a crew he was working with was trapped in a dome collapse, Vanto panicked and fled to Rude End, fearful that as an abhuman he would be made the scapegoat for the accident. He now plies his trade as a gun for hire, using his trusty Flamer for whoever will pay him a handful of creds.

Vanto here is one of the Iron Claw Squats - his flamer is a bit bonkers; it has a sight and other gubbins on the side!

Uri - Scum

A former member of House Delaque, Uri went rogue not long after graduating to a full gang member within The Cobra Kai Crew. Chafing under the leadership of Kreese, Uri left the Crew and struck out on his own, leaving Grimview far behind him.

Uri now wanders between the settlements of Sector B67, although he can be found most often in Smedrock itself – away from Grimview and the prying eyes of his former House-mates.

This is the last of the classic Scum minis, really pleased to have them all in the Agency!

Two-Pistols Toirneach - Eldar Adventurer

The Eldar have a long history with mankind; war, peace, trade, friendship and hatred have all marked the relationship between the two races. Eldar traders, mercenaries and diplomats can be found on hundreds of human worlds and Necromunda has its fair share.

Toirneach walks the path of the outcast; he has been a pirate, a smuggler, an assassin and a thief. Finding himself underhive after fleeing a deal with a House Greim noble that went sour, Toirneach is making the best of the situation he finds himself in and joins up with any gang that will hire him.

Toirneach is, of course, an old Eldar Scout mini.  I picked it up specifically to include in the Hireling Agency for B67.

Technomancer Batiatus (and Servoskull XV1001b) – Techpriest

An explorator magos of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Batiatus casts a sinister figure as he roams Sector B67 for undiscovered archeotech. He seems more machine than man and has difficulty forming relationships with humans; he is more at ease with his favourite Servoskull, XV1001b.

Batiatus has heard rumours of an ancient self-aware automaton; he believes this to be a remnant from the near-mythical times when the armies of the Machine Cult marched to war. He has commited to remaining in Sector B67 until he can find this mysterious robot.

Batiatus is one of the LE Skullz Mechanicus set - Tech Priest 1.  I gave him a little buddy by kitbashing a spare Servo-Skull with an old laspistol and some other bits and bobs.

Stinky Bob (and his Amazing Rats) - Wyrd: Beastmaster

A pungent Wyrd that can control the mammalian vermin of B67, Stinky Bob uses his abilities to summon giant rats to fight at his command. While not the most dangerous creatures individually, Bob's rats will swarm on his enemies and fight with a ferocity and intelligence far exceeding typical members of their species.

In between conflicts, Bob has been known to run a show for a handful of creds where he gets his rats to perform tricks like walking on their forepaws or creating a rat-pyramid like some verminous cheerleader squad.

Bob is one of the OG Beastmaster minis, his rats are plastic Skaven minis from some sprue/kit or another (I can't honestly remember!)