cynthialee wrote:I think it is meant to just be an anklet as adornment.
But I like to think they are manacle remnants.
torilen wrote:I know nothing about the history of the fimir, so I'm just spouting here...
I would imagine it to be the remains of shackles of some sort. Fimir could
have been slaves and those are the reminders of their slavery, to never allow
it to happen again. All adults put them on at a certain age.
cynthialee wrote:Fimir are pretty tough dudes, not slave material.
Here is some information from Wiki on them:Fimir society is divided into a caste system, consisting of Meargh, the Dirach, the warriors, and the Shearl. The Meargh - also known as witch-hags - are the leaders of Fimir colonies, as well as the only females.[1] A Meargh would typically also be a very powerful user of magic. The Dirach - described as "daemon-friends" - are a caste of wizards specialising in the worshipping of Daemons. The warrior caste - consisting of Fimm (warriors), Fianna Fimm (elite warriors), and the various nobles - take the brunt of raiding and fighting. The Shearls - the slaves of a Fimir settlement - exist only to work and die. The ruling Meargh hold the clans together. In the event of a Meargh's death, the Fimir of her stronghold separate, either working as mercenaries for other evil creatures or seeking out another clan to join. However the Meargh is sterile and therefore unable to breed. So as to replenish their numbers the Fimir kidnap young fertile human women to use as breeding stock.
p.217 WHFB 3rd edition. Witch Queens also have smooth tails and horns.WHFB 3rd ed. wrote:"They have tails, the shape of which varies depending upon their social standing and age. Warriors have tails which end in clubs and maces, for example whilst nobles may have spiked or slashing tails. The demon-fiends (the caste of wizards, the Dirach) differ from others in having horns and smooth tails."
HQ fimir are warrior caste identifiable by their club tails, Shearls have different tail morphology (presumably, the text doesnt say specifically.)
WH Armies 3rd ed. wrote:"If the Meargh should die without a successor, the clan will disperse, with the various retinues of Fimm warriors setting out on a death-quest as they seek a new Meargh or their ultimate annihilation. Sometimes a Meargh will banish a noble from the clan, who will then take his followers with him. It is such restless and disturbed bands of Fimir which make common cause with other Evil races as allies.
Only the Warrior Fimm and the elite Fianna Fimm (retainers of the Fimm nobles) appear as allies. Such contingents will certainly contain Dirach wizards or possibly even a Meargh, but the wretched shearls, as the Fimir slave caste is known, perish with the sundering of the clan."
Warhammer Armies p.136 WHFB 3rd edition
While slave fimir do exist in their society, they are never found outside the clan and "perish with the sundering of the clans."
The HeroQuest fimir are warrior fimm based on their tail morphology and willingness to ally with or employ as mercenaries for other evil races, however, in the Warhammer book illustrations the warrior fimm are unarmored while the Fianna Fimm (elite warriors) have the round belly plate armor of HQ fimirs and are armed with axes, but with spiky tails instead of clubbed. The Fimm Warlord also has belly plate armor and a spiky "morning star" instead of "mace or club" like tail.
Fimir models were made for Warhammer but were too large on monster sized bases but with "man" sized stats which made them weak troops for their base size (allowing more enemy troops to engage at once in WH) which made them very unpopular and poor sellers. Possibly the reason they were eliminated from 4th edition on.
The only WH model that was manufactured in the correct size (slightly taller than a human) has the club tail and belly armor, with a double headed battleaxe, very similar to the HQ Fimir.
in the back of the HQ game system quest book the monster description reads: "Fimir These one-eyed, lizard-like creatures are stronger even than Orcs. They are sometimes found leading small bands of Orcs and Goblins but are dangerous enough even when encountered singly."
the left leg ring of the HQ model must be jewelry rather than a shackle, as Fimir are the leaders when encountered with orcs and goblins, not a captured monster forced to fight.