Monolith are closing in on the $1 million mark on Kickstarter and the update here brings with it an awesome Conan the Warlord miniature by Jacques-Alexandre Gillois and Kerim Shah draws his swords too!

Update: For the birthday of Robert E. Howard the Monolith team have come up with something special to mark the next milestone after the million dollar point. Welcome Balthus & Slasher!

The Howard tribute (to which this entire Kickstarter has pretty much been) is to bring these two into the world. Balthus & Slasher are special because they represent Howard and his own real life pet in the world of Conan! Above you can see some of the artwork for Balthus but here's a closer look...

Sadly there's no sculpt of Slasher just yet but above you can see what Balthus looks like from the front and back thanks to more render work by Basiliskus 3D. Blathus is a die hard ranged combatant in the Conan game and while you might think that leaves him vulnerable to attack in combat that's where Slasher comes in. Like a proper ranger/scout his faithful hound will keep his enemies at bay while Balthus fills them full of arrows.

You can read more about Balthus & Slasher on the Kickstarter page HERE.

We'll have a look at Kerim Shah to begin with who has been 3D sculpted by Basiliskus 3D below. He's more of an ally of convenience with Conan than anything and while a demon at ranged combat he isn't adverse to swinging his swords either. To give you an idea of how he plays, think Legolas but a lot more surly looking according to Monolith!

He's got a very cool sculpt and he sort of reminds me of the Caldeum Iron Wolf soldiers in Diablo III in his design. Of course both of these have an Arabic feeling to them and Kerim is distinctly older but it's cool to see that link. A big fan of the curved swords and the short bow for use in tight situations.

As promised however here's the amazing looking Conan sculpted by Jacques-Alexandre Gillois who is looking like possibly THE best miniature for the game. Conan as a Warlord is one of the best fighters out there (just look at the axe) and can spend up to six gems to smash through his foes. Add to that his ability to interact and shoot without being hampered by enemies makes him a deadly force.

Will this sway you?