I painted some Shen Warriors from Howard Fielding’s Tékumel Club.

I painted these figures as the Legion of Gr-Gá the Egg Layer, 5th Imperial Shen Auxiliary Heavy Infantry, The Army book says “This legion was started recently by an upstart Shen rebel who had to flee Shényu. Other Shen legions refuse to fight beside it. It has attracted some very tough troops, however.”

I used Howard’s gorgeous “Shen Diplomat” figure to represent the Kerdu Gr-gá.

The other “Shen civilian” figures I imagined as camp followers, agents, and hangers on: That is, Shen who mediate the between the tough troopers, many of whom probably only speak the Shen language, and the human world.

I love Howard’s command figures, though I am not sure why the standard faces backward. Perhaps mine got twisted?

(At the suggestion of Jeff Berry, I used a very diluted silver wash to leaven the intense black of the figures. I applied it more heavily where the sun would hit the scales. You can see that effect above.)

The standard on my first standard bearer actually snapped so I used it to represent a Shen officer with a Yan Koryáni head on a pike.

Naturally, Berserkers would be in the lead. Those spears are actually cannibalized from some Ral Partha Shen figures I have owned since high school!