Project Spotlight | The Reclamation Pits - Allstein Laboratory Diorama
|
As part of our celebration of all things dungeon-themed at Bestiarum, we invited the wonderfully grim minds at Conclave Obscura to contribute their own creations and they did not disappoint.
In this spotlight article, we'd like to bring attention to a diorama that is equal parts horror and exquisiteness created by the wonderful Squiglover (@squigloverminis).
Let's hand it to the creator himself to give us an atmospheric introduction before we wax lyrical on this wonderful project.
Narrative Introduction
Nothing is discarded in the Pits.
Flesh becomes nutrient.
Nutrient becomes growth.
Growth becomes form.
The malformed are carried to the tables and stripped of identity. Muscle is rendered into biomass, bone reduced to scaffolds, organs harvested for whatever purpose they may still serve. Every fragment has value. Every failure remains useful.
Death is considered waste.
Those who survive the process emerge altered beyond recognition. Their former selves are erased, but their purpose remains. They are not released. They take their place among the attendants, custodians of the cycle that remade them.
The Reclaimed oversee the next generation.
They drag new bodies to the tables.
They maintain the machinery.
They harvest the fallen.
They watch for signs of useful adaptation.
Occasionally a specimen awakens before reclamation is complete. The attendants do not interfere. Survival under imperfect conditions is regarded as a desirable trait.
The strongest mutations are preserved.The weakest are rendered and returned to the vats.
Nothing leaves the Pits.
Every creature, machine, and overseer within these walls was once raw material for something else.
The cycle has no beginning.
The cycle has no end.
They do not create life.
They recycle mistakes until they stop being mistakes.
This diorama draws from a wide range of sources, but the main focus is of course the dread technology of Allstein. The strange machines of those spirebound inventors draws upon the life essence of mortal beings for wyrd ends. Wandering between the tables Squig has peppered a few truly horrifying examples of the Failed Drafted - frankensteinian horrors that are stitched from Man and Beast, and stuffed with infernal engines to power them.
It's awesome to see all the strange machines collected together in such an evocative scene, it's exactly what we pictured when we were designing the Fleshcrafter's Laboratory miniatures.
The extra touches on the Failed Drafts are gorgeous details, the hair manes adds a level of uncomfortable reality that you just couldn't achieve any other way - it really elevates the original miniatures.
Models Used
Beyond the range of natural and makeshift materials used to build the environment itself, only surpringly few models were required to build this highly impactful diorama: The Failed Drafts and the Fleshcrafter's Laboratory from our Allstein range and the Infested Knights from Church of the Acarid.
What We Like About This Piece
What stands out to us most is how cohesive the whole diorama feels. The composition is busy but stays readable; our eyes move naturally across the scene, picking out different areas and discovering new details along the way.
The balance between large, readable shapes and smaller hidden elements is fantastic too. From a distance, the piece has a strong overall silhouette and atmosphere, but up close, we discover all these finer details that make the setting feel more believable and carefully considered.
Most of all, we like how consistent the piece is in tone. Every part of it supports the same grim idea, so the result feels deliberate, immersive and fully realised rather than like a collection of separate miniatures, despite these models being from different ranges.
Overall, it's an absolute triumph of a hobby project, and it's got us inspired.
Image Gallery
Artist: Squiglover
About Conclave Obscura
"Conclave Obscura is a collective of dark creators—united to share, inspire, and amplify one another through the art of horror, grimdark, and the surreal.
Whether you paint, sculpt, draw, write, or tattoo, this is where your shadows find their kin."
This post was written by one of the lovely members of our community. If there's an article, guide or other feature you'd like to share, reach out to us at contact@bestiarumgames.com!
Editing by Sam Franquet