Embalmer's Workshop, by H.G. Walls

The Embalmer's Workshop is the place where the servants of Anubis carry out their sacred task -- preparing the dead for the afterlife. This scenery piece was designed by Herb Gundt as a 'home base' for his Anubi warband, and gives a fascinating insight into the complexity of their Embalmer's labors.

The buildings of the Embalmer's Workshop were designed to have several playable levels, so that Characters can climb up the stairs and onto the roof. This allows some fun strategic possibilities, making the terrain piece a real feature and not just an objective or obstacle. Also, a gaming table that has multiple levels is much more visually interesting, and helps to keep your set-up from looking like a flat tabletop!

The entire workyard is filled with intricate details. Notice the bundles of linen, barrels of natron salt, cluttered worktables, and tools lying all about. A finished sarcophagus stands in a corner, and others can be glimpsed within the open doorways or protruding from the tents. A guardian statue of the god Anubis dominates the work-ward, as if watching over the work of his Children. These multiple layers of little details that give the workshop a lived in look, and are help make a terrain piece look real. It is easy to imagine the Embalmers, solemnly moving about the yard and attending to their funerary tasks.

The building was constructed as two separate units and glued together after painting the two halves. The door, window & building trim was made from card and added to the model before the 'sandstorm' finishing technique was applied. The various detail bits were purchased from many different manufacturers, which include Armorcast, Grendel, Ral Partha, Connoisseur, Hovels and Reaper Miniatures. In other words, Herb searched for Egyptian pieces from every source that he could find, even adding bandage rolls hand-made from paper to increase the detail. The palm trees were 'liberated' from a toy Dinosaur set that purchased from a discount store.

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