Jorund Runeshaper

We started these Mythic Legions reviews with a dwarf, but now this one is an actual character with a name and everything! One of the mysterious magic wielders from the Evergray Mountains, Jorund Runeshaper is a great harnesser of the natural elements. While dwarves are not typically known for learning the magical arts, Jorund showed great promise from a very young age. Wizened and hardened by years of confilct, he is not only a powerful warrior, but also a mentor and a guiding voice to his allies. Judging by the icon on the side of the packaging, Jorund Runeshaper is a devotee of Bassylia, which jibes with the knowledge that she(?) is the patron of the world's magicians. It's also pretty cool that the biography suggests he's sort of an elder statesman to the heroes of Mythoss, because it subtly adds to the reality of world without flat-out declaring "here's a storyline for you to follow." It's just a hint of personality and his way of relating to the other characters in the setting, giving you a starting point for your own imaginative fun. Below the neck, this figure is almost identical to the Bronze Dwarf Legion Builder - the same short limbs, the same squared off armor, the same pointy boots, all that. He does have a different loincloth (the angular one Vorgus Vermillius wore, rather than the overlapping scale armor), but the mold is mostly the same. What really sets Jorund apart is his paint. The major color on the armor is metallic blue, with the patterns on the armor done in green, and the outlines accented in gold. His chainmail, visible by the inner biceps and the hips, is purple. This is one bright set of armor, which is why we affectionately refer to him as "the Sprite knight." More than the body, however, it's the head that sets Jorund Runeshaper apart from the crowd. To begin with, he has a truly epic beard! Beneath his bulbous nose rests a short mustache that curls up at the tips, and then a beard so thick and so longthat you can't even see evidence of a mouth behind it. It's sculpted well, and reaches all the way to his belt. He's also got some pretty intimidating old-man eyebrows. His headgear is purple, matching the chainmail, and there's a large green gem on his forehead. The sides have large circles to allow ornaments to be plugged in - in his case, big wings that would make Thor proud. They're bright green, even brighter than the color on the armor, but they get a darker shade airbrushed right at the point where they bend. But that's not all! Unannounced as one of Jorund's accessories is a second head, a full bucket helmet to make him ready for war. It's blue, like the rest of the armor, with a green cross over the face and golden rivets. A big hole on the flat top allows you to plug in the included plume of giant green feathers. It really is a wild look, and gives you multiple options for how you want to display him. On a real medieval helmet, those probably would have been ostrich feathers - does Mythoss have ostriches? And are they green? Just, big green ostriches running around squawking and kicking people? Also, has there been an ostrich in the Gothitropolis line? The figure also includes the usual shoulder pauldrons, though you'll really only want to use them with the alternate head - they don't play very nicely with the ear-wings and that big ol' beard! His weapons are what you'd expect: a sword, a dagger, a spear, and a brown strap to go around his chest. He also gets a cape, made of purple cloth and cut slightly shorter than the others to better fit his diminutive frame. And of course he has all the usual articulation, a lot of swivels and hinges and swivel/hinges that will allow you to pose him in all sorts of mystical ways. The only thing we'd add would have been some "spellcasting" hands, with different poses instead of the usual grips. I picked and chose which Mythic Legions figures I wanted, and Jorund Runeshaper made the cut either in spite of or because of his crazy colors. I can't remember which. He would have been pretty neat even if all we got was what was shown in the Kickstarter, but the additional armored head makes him even a little bit better. -- 08/28/16

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