The world of Marguigny

Hello everyone,

    I'm very happy to present my second small group of miniatures painted for my Hundred Years' War collection.

They represent a force of mercenaries and ruffians living in the surroundings of Carmaux. I started this collection as a force to lend to friends when trying new games before they assemble their own. im considering Barons war and ecorcheur at the moment .

    The group is composed of five low-skill fighters with barely any protection—just the occasional chainmail, helmet, and spears. They are ruffians and lowlifes; possibly ex-militia or farmers whom the hard life of the era pushed into this way of living just to survive, or men looking for loot and action. They are no match for the trained men-at-arms of the Solages family, but their number is their strength.

    Next come two mounted men-at-arms. They have decent plate armor and weaponry, but their horses are second-class—cheap pintos who have everything to envy compared to a solid-colored destrier. Penniless nobles? Left-behind men-at-arms? It’s not really clear, but they command the troop, and they are a serious threat to any farmer or non-milites person.

    Finally, there are three bowmen. Unarmored, light, and nimble, they scout ahead of the party, and once engaged, they lurk in the bushes to support their comrades.

They are one of many dangers that lurked in the wilds of Occitania during this period, looting and attacking isolated farms and travelers. They are one of the reasons why the noblemen of Carmaux need to fight to secure their lands and the families who live on them. Occasionally, however, it has been recorded that they could also be hired in case of a Gascon or english chevauchées . If the city of Carmaux was under threat while messengers were sent to seek help, the Carmaux family could hire them to bolster the number of people protecting the town... but their loyalty only lasted as long as the coins fell into their pockets.

    I kept the colours as historically accurate as possible, using the research of Charles Bricout, whose work focuses on civilian clothes from the 13th and 14th centuries. His research is a great help to me, as I always want to learn at the same time I paint. Breaking some of these common misconceptions and having fun with colors—instead of just painting the desaturated, drab tones that Hollywood feeds us—is very fun. Peasants and lower-class fighters couldn't afford expensive imported dyes (like deep scarlets or rich blues), but they had easy access to vibrant madder (terracotta oranges/reds), woad (faded blues), and weld (yellows/greens). 

I also made a point to paint the horses as pintos. These patched patterns were less sought-after because the white patches were associated with leprosy and bubonic plague. 

i also adadded more bushes and wildlife to represent the fact that these men live outside of cleared, civilized areas.

I hope you like them, and if you have any questions, let me know in the comments!