Lord of the Rings: Mayor of Bree

Bree stands in the ruins of Cardolan, the former kingdom of men. Since the collapse of Cardolan Bree has owed its fidelity to no king, and in effect the major of the town has acted as an autonomous ruler. 

The mayor of Bree is not a brave man, nor especially valiant. The blood of Numenor runs very thin in his veins, and his only connection to the Dunedain is through an ancient ancestor. He is, however, good at the day to day business of keeping his town running. If Bree was threatened by a substantial force, the mayor would be expected to lead his people into battle, but the mayor is wise enough to lead commanding the troops to the captain of the watch, or to the wandering ranger known locally as Strider. 

I am not really sure who makes this figure. It's an old one with an integral base, and I have a feeling it might be Ral Partha. I picked it up on eBay, reasoning that as it was an old figure it might scale well with the Perry Twins Lord of the Rings, which it does very well indeed. 

Lord of the Rings: A Breelander and a Hobbit

Two quick additions to the blog: I apologize for the crummy photos by the camera/light wasn't quiet right.

Althric the Wanderer is a citizen of Bree, east of the Shire. He is an herbalist, who wanders across Breeland, and even as far as the Eastfarthing Wood. Most folk in Bree consider him a bit odd, if harmless. The shire-folk treat him with the same cautious politeness the reserve for any traveler who ventures into the shire.

Sandy Brandybank is a hobbit Border, which means he is among the sturdy band of hobbit-folk who patrol the borders of their lands on the look out for anyone, or anything trying to cause mischief. He enjoys regaling tales of the strange sights he has seen over a beer in the Green Dragon Inn after his patrol.
Althric is a Perry Miniatures Crusade Pilgrim. Sandy is a Games Workshop Hobbit. 

Lord of the Rings: Bree Folk and Shire Folk

My Eriador based Lord of the Rings army is at a very early stage as yet, but I have begun by painting some models I have had hanging around for ages while I wait for the new ones I have order to arrive. 

Basically, I am basing my army on the common middle-men dwelling in and around the village of Bree, in Eriador. The folk of Bree lack the noble linage and ancient blood of the men of Gondor. They can be brave, ignorant, or even foolish. They are, in short, just men: and yet their village has endured for centuries, even when their noble rulers in Arnor fell before the force of Angmar.  

Basing my army on the imagery of Bree from the Peter Jackson films, I have been souring the net for likely looking miniatures that will scale well with existing Games Workshop Lord of the Rings range. 

This is the first of my Bree-folk, a villager. The model is by Perry Miniatures  in their crusades range, and as Michael and Allen Perry sculpted a lot of the GW Lord of the Rings figures (well the better ones anyway) it is little surprise to find out she scales really well. 

 There are a few hobbit dwelling in Bree, but most of their folk live in the Shire, just to the west of Bree. Trade between the two is common, and so the inclusion of a handful of 'halflings' in the Bree army is not unreasonable. These ones are borderers, the closest thing the shire has to a standing force.