One of the most unpredictable and enigmatic characters in the story of Mythic Legions is the skeletal mercenary leader of the Sons of the Red Star. In this Figure in Focus article, we will take detailed look at this complex character - the master assassin known as Skapular the Cryptbreaker.
Skapular at Toypocalypse
Like many of the characters featured in the first wave of Mythic Legions, Skapular made his debut at our Toypocalypse event in 2014. This was where we presented Mythic Legions for the first time with some sample designs of the toys. As we’ve covered in previous articles, those “sample designs” proved to be very popular and they became the first named characters in the Realm of Mythoss. You can see this early version of Skapular in the diorama of Mythic Legions that was on display at this event.
Skapular Comes to Kickstarter
When the Mythic Legions Kickstarter launched in February 2015, Skapular the Cryptbreaker was one of the initial figures available for backers to add to their pledges. Interestingly, he was also the lone representative from the Sons of the Red Star that was available in that wave. According to his biography:
Born into the Congregation of Necronominus, Skapular the Cryptbreaker is anything but loyal to his Order. Living an opulent life of greed and depravity has driven Skapular to sell his deadly services to the highest bidder. As an assassin with a mastery of every weapon imaginable, Skapular is a powerful warrior, but his wealth and influence prove even more formidable. Together with a group of killers he has assembled known as the Sons of the Red Star, Skapular's dangerous methods possess the capability to change the outcome of many a battle.
This information places Skapular within the Congregation of Necronominus, which is where most of the other undead characters in Mythoss reside, but it also details that he has broken away from this faction and assembled his own group. The bio also served to introduce the splinter faction called the Sons of the Red Star.
Skapular the All Star
From the very beginning, Skapular was a popular figure. He sold very well in the Kickstarter, and once that campaign's rewards began to land in fans’ hands, we started to hear the calls from new fans of the line for “more Skapular.”
When we planned out the first “Mythic Legions: All Stars” wave in mid-2016, just a month or so after those “Mythic Legions 1.0” Kickstarter rewards arrived, we focused on a lineup that included characters that were severely underproduced in the first wave, but which suddenly had people clamoring for (Orn Steelhide and Sir Ignatius), along with popular characters that fans who had discovered the line since the Kickstarter were now asking for. Skapular fell into the latter category, becoming one of the line’s very first All Stars reissues.
Fun note – that first All Stars wave is the only one that fans did not have a hand in selecting. For All Stars 1, the studio chose the 6 figures. It wasn’t until All Stars 2 that fans began voting on the reissued characters!
The Sons of the Red Star
As we have already mentioned, the only member of the Sons of the Red Star released in the first wave of Mythic Legions was Skapular. While additional members of this band of cutthroats and mercenaries would join the Cryptbreaker in future waves, the Sons have remained one of the least populated factions in the line, especially if you remove the “Power-Con debuts”, which the studio has long said are “outside of the actual storyline of Mythic Legions.”
Going into G-con 2023, which is where the Sons of the Red Star would finally get their time in the spotlight, there had only been 5 other storyline-relevant characters revealed for Skapular’s faction since the start of the line. These additions included another skeleton that had defected from the Congregation (Pixxus), a mysterious assassin from an unknown race (Gryshaa the Slytherer), a wealthy killer who seemingly had his eyes set on overthrowing Skapular (Lord Veteris), and that killer’s changeling associate and the small army he commands (Sir Girard and the Dark Templars).
The two “splinter factions” of the Sons of the Red Star and the House of the Noble Bear would indeed get a chance to shine as the “Mythic Legions: Rising Sons” wave was formally announced in late 2023, allowing some of Skapular’s associates to finally step from the shadows and into Legionnaire’s collections!
The Red Star of Khubyrra
In the weeks leading up to G-con 2023, a short story meant to build excitement for the new wave was added to SourceHorsemen.com. Not only did this short story set the stage for the wave to come, but it also shed some light on where the name “The Sons of the Red Star” came from. You can read that story here
(Editor’s note: to avoid spoiling the surprises from that story, you may want to give it a read if you haven’t already done so, since some of the secrets from that short story will be discussed in the rest of this article)
“The Red Star of Khubyraa” reveals that the “Red Star” in the name of the Realm’s most notorious group of killers-for-hire is a reference to an actual celestial body that appears sporadically in the heavens above Mythoss. Those who worship this star find fortune and power, and the Sons of the Red Star were formed by Skapular with a goal towards understanding the movements of this Star, and by doing so being able to benefit from the fortune it was said to bring.
The short story also introduced Legionaries to one of Skapular the Cryptbreaker’s aliases – the silver-mask-wearing Emir. This mysterious character is at the center of “The Red Star of Khubyraa”, and Legionaries would learn more of his secrets once the “Rising Sons” wave was fully revealed.
Below is a new image from Trevor Williams showing the Emir seated at the tavern in Dorrin. For more details on this setting, see the Red Star of Khubyraa story.
Rising Sons
As we covered in the “Figure in Focus” article on Attlus the Conqueror, when G-con 2023 was announced as “Mythic Legions: Rising Sons”, and it was revealed to be a wave that would pit the House of the Noble Bear against the Sons of the Red Star, Legionaries immediately began wondering if they would get an updated version of Skapular. Not only did the wave include a Skapular 2, but it was revealed to be a deluxe figure complete with the parts needed to create the mercenary leader’s “Emir look.” Even better, the “Rising Sons” reveal special included the Emir’s full name – Emir Casparr! That name was a fun nod to our friend, Michael Casper, of the Legions Lair show which airs on the Mythic Legions Cabal. Michael is a long-time supporter of Four Horsemen Studios and Skapular is his favorite character, so it was fun to surprise Michael during that reveal special with this name.
The Skapular the Cryptbreaker 2 figure is nearly a head-to-toe new figure. The only existing parts that were used on this figure are the bone limbs, the leg armor, and the hands. The entire rest of the figure, including the arsenal of weapons the mercenary leader comes with, were created brand new for this release.
One fun thing about Skapular 2 is that Eric wanted to make sure that the figure could store every one of the weapons it comes with on its body. The throwing daggers slip into spots on the chest belt while the short sword and dagger have sheaths connected to the figure’s waist belts. The blowgun, dart pouch, and other various pouches and vials also attach to the belt or are looped through it, and the spear breaks down into 2 pieces, each of which can be added to the spots on the figure’s back along with the new shield he includes. Skapular is literally a walking arsenal of deadly weapons!
As we mentioned previously, the Skapular 2 figure also comes with the Emir Casparr pieces – including the silver mask which is a “face plate” that can replace the skeleton look on the head, and the red robes and neck collar seen in the “Emir” pictures below. With these parts, the Skapular the Cryptbreaker 2 figure has a pair of distinct looks that can be created with this deluxe release.
Along with a brand new Skapular figure, the “Rising Sons” wave also gave us new content in the form of character bios which offered Legionaires more insight into Skapular and the inner workings of the Sons of the Red Star. Let’s start by looking at Skapular’s new bio:
Skapular the Cryptbreaker left the Congregation many years ago. More interested in a life of excess than in bringing death to the Realm, he established the band of mercenaries known as the Sons of the Red Star. Named after a mysterious celestial body said to bring riches and power to those who worship under its light, the Red Stars have become a wildcard in Mythoss. Skapular has a connection to Attlus from a long ago meeting that helped shape both their lives. That meeting led to Attlus becoming the Noble Bear, while Skapular, and his alias Emir Casparr, became the shadowy force behind many of the Realm’s unexplained disappearances and assassinations.
This bio is very much an update from the one the first version of this figure came with, detailing his defection from the Congregation and his creation of the Sons. This particular biography also mentions the “celestial body” we detailed earlier in this article, the Emir Casparr alias, and a past connection to Attlus the Conqueror! There is definitely more of a story there – one which we will hopefully get more of in the forthcoming Mythic Legions book!
Beyond Skapular 2’s bio, there are a few other interesting pieces of content from the “Rising Sons” wave, but one worth mentioning here is the bio for the skeletal mercenary’s steed – the dark unicorn, Uumbra:
Never known for his modesty, Skapular the Cryptbreaker enjoys beauty and opulence in all things. There were those within the Sons of the Red Star who thought he had gone mad when he nearly emptied his coffers to acquire a steed he deemed worthy of his station. Those whispers were immediately silenced the first time the undead assassin rode forth on his dark unicorn, Uumbra. A powerfully magical creature whose existence was thought to be little more than a fairytale from the earliest days of the Realm, Skapular enjoys bragging about how he paid a kingly fortune in order to secure the unicorn from “beyond the shores of Mythoss.” More than just a showpiece, Uumbra’s magic has helped Skapular execute some of his most daring capers, and escape from some of his closest calls, in his time as leader of the Sons of the Red Star.
Uumbra is a fun and interesting addition to the mystique around Skapular, and the bio presented here creates a number of additional questions - including what does “beyond the shores of Mythoss” mean? This is perhaps another answer we will get as more of the Mythic Legions story unfolds.
A Meeting with the Emir
In our previously posted “Figure in Focus” article on Attlus the Conqueror, we included a short excerpt from the forthcoming “Mythic Legions: Rise of the Dark Four” book. Skapular simply would not allow us to include Lore content in Attlus’ article and not do likewise here as well. To that end, here is another sneak peek at that story for you to enjoy. This part of the book takes place after the excerpt presented in the Attlus article (where the alias of Bjorr the Victorious is introduced). If you have not yet read that article, you may want to do so before continuing here to have the proper context.
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Where are we going?” Bjorr questions as he is led away from the barracks.
“You have an audience with a potential benefactor and a friend of the Coliseum,” the Valet replies. "The esteemed Emir Casparr has specifically asked to meet with ‘Bjorr the Victorious’. You should be happy. This could be your chance to move up in the ranks here in Mercurios, and perhaps acquire more comfortable accommodations. Having a wealthy benefactor is a special privilege, and it can benefit both you and the Coliseum itself.”
The Valet leads Bjorr to an area of the Coliseum he has never been in before. Bjorr realizes that he knows little about this massive Mercurian structure.
More Black Knights are stationed along the hall of this wing in the Coliseum, evidence that there are honored attendees and special guests nearby who needed to be kept safe.
The Valet stops before a large door, bowing to Bjorr as he does so.
“Best of luck, Bjorr the Victorious,” he says. “Both in today’s audience, and in your coming fight against the Golden One.”
Bjorr opens the door and enters, refusing to acknowledge the Valet’s wishes of luck. The room is dark, but Bjorr can see glints of black armor in the shadows, a tell-tale sign that more Black Knights are in the room with them, stationed to protect this rich “Emir” from the likes of the barbarian gladiator.
Seated at the far end of the room is a man dressed in opulent red robes. A silver mask covers his face, preventing Bjorr from seeing the identity of the rich Emir who has arranged this audience.
“Bjorr the Victorious!” the Emir says, standing as the barbarian enters. He opens his arms and motions to a row of plush ottomans set before the elevated throne he is seated upon. “I am Emir Casparr! Please…come in and have a seat.”
“I prefer to stand,” Bjorr replies cooly.
“As you wish,” the Emir answers with a dismissive wave of his hand, retaking his seat and crossing his hands in his lap.
“Why am I here?” Bjorr snaps.
“Do you mean why are you here speaking with me on this day, or why are you here inside the Coliseum itself?” Emir Casparr asks with an air of amusement in his voice. “The answer to the former is that today is your lucky day! I suspect that the answer to the latter is that your days before this one have been much less lucky. One who finds themselves in the fighting rings of Mercurios is generally not a soul upon which the light of fortune has shown upon - until now, that is."
Bjorr does not reply, but the Emir takes little notice of his guest’s cold demeanor as he continues.
“I asked to see you because I wished to speak with the fighter who will face off against the ‘Golden Champion’ in the coming contests. As I am sure you are aware, this is the biggest fight Mercurios has seen in many years, which means there is an opportunity here for one who is willing to see the possibilities and capitalize on them.”
The Emir leans forward, darkness from behind the silver mask hiding this man’s eyes from Bjorr’s gaze.
“I am one who can see this opportunity,” he continues, his voice suddenly less jovial, and much more serious than before. “And I intend to make the most of it. Whether or not you will also benefit from the situation before us is up to you - 'Bjorr the Victorious.”
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Published on 01.02.24