M Helsdon
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Mallia is associated with the Runes of Death and Darkness, her foundations and heritage. Where she is worshipped by broos she also is associated with the Chaos Rune.
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Latest, and possibly last, sketch for the book (unless I can find more room). Thought people might be amused by the stages: Preparatory sketch - Sea Peoples' 'feather helmet', body armour a mixture of Mycenean/Hallstatt culture Line sketch. At this stage decided to change the axe from generic to more unusual - anachronistic, but this is based on an 18th century Indo/Persian 'antelope axe' sans antelope head. Inked shading. Axe modified to look more like an Air Rune. Basic digital shading. Shading finished; sketch annotated. This is a female Wolf Pirate in Gold-Gotti's 'regiment'. She is wearing a Sartarite panoply and her Wolf Pirate helm. Also back cover.
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Suspect that Oran is a variation of King Drona, who is similarly obscure, with a name that seems to be related to Dronar/Dromal, the First Commoner of the Westerners.
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Laughs. Falls off chair. Leaves keyboard to cat: 3ew222222222222222w6t55555555 [Genuine cat typing] Back on chair: Hmm, I had five or six hardbacks printed last year to give out to Chaosium and a licensee at Dragonmeet, and it cost an arm and a leg. I fear insets would be very expensive. Mass printing would significantly lower the price, but a 380 page book on Gloranthan warfare would have to see hundreds of copies. This is why I decided to use the back cover (I know it is usual to place artwork already inside the book on the back cover, but this gives me another page.
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Latest. Have wanted to draw a phalangite with a sarissa for some time - but these pikes were so long (this is towards the shorter variety) that it would take up too much space (so the sketches of the other phalangites have the pike cut off at head level). Realized I could create a 'back cover' (wording not final). Probably need another figure on the back cover... Possibly a female Wolf Pirate...
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Afraid I have very little information: Dunstop Foot, Gold-Gotti and his Wolf Pirates, unidentified elements of what became the Sartar Magical Union, and Sir Narib’s Company. The Warm Sisters are one of the first units of warlocks and were formed soon after the Battle of Pennel Ford.
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Well, my fan book is (again) full, with only room for a few thumbnails. I believe that 144 illustrations (sketches, maps, diagrams, images) is fairly respectable for a 379 page book on Gloranthan warfare - at least there aren't huge blocks of unbroken text, and most of the sketches are annotated regarding regiment/culture and the individual pieces of armor. Due to circumstances beyond my control, there won't be any more sketches this week, so next week am going to have to think about where to go from here.
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Which is why I ended up creating about 144 images (sketches, diagrams, maps etc.) for my fan book... Imagine it wouldn't be impossible to create an image library of (fairly free) images for use for Jonstown Compendium publications?
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Eeek! Here's a reworking of the sketch with longer pteruges. [Drew and shaded replacements and edited the two images together using... Paint].
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Because not all pteruges were, in terrestrial history, worn long, but only to defend the lower stomach. As this soldier is classified as light infantry, I chose to make some items of equipment 'light', so his abdomen is covered by his tunic and trousers. Will consider making the second set longer digitally... I have a sketch of the Marble Phalanx, but no information about Lunar marines; at Corflu the Cradle was met by a force of hoplites, priests, wyvern riders, snakes and the Watchdog. To my surprise, I can insert the latest annotated sketch into the text, but there's no room for the thumbnail in the Army Lists. This makes a total of 144 sketches, diagrams and maps in the document, but about twenty pieces I haven't created, in a 379 page document.
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Makes note not to employ Brootse as an artillery spotter... 9-) There's probably not room for the annotated version in the book without ruining the pagination... This is one of the less classifiable Lunar Army units, perhaps a relic of the very early days when the realm of the Red Goddess consisted of Torang and a few surrounding towns. If I had to classify it, it would probably be as a 'heavy peltast' with more armour than a standard peltast. His helmet design may be Carmanian in origin. In old wargaming terms, he's Medium Infantry. I have chosen to diverge from canon by giving him a full instead of closed helmet, because those are not practical for light infantry, as they seriously reduce sight and hearing - two senses essential for a light infantryman.
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Latest (used as a filler). The attendant-servant is armed and armored (have assumed a combat veteran) to protect the mage whilst she is in a trance, calling down chunks of the Red Moon. Now no white space. Room for more thumbnails in the Army Lists perhaps.
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Chariots were historically used in two ways: massed chariots (prior to the ascension of cavalry), and as battle taxis. I imagine that it is in the latter role Sartarite chariots are used: to convey war leaders and priests, stopping to let them do their mundane or magical fighting, and then used either in a pursuit, to move to another part of the battlefield, or make a quick exit. Near Eastern chariots (and so I assume Gloranthan ones) used leather webbing to provide some suspension for the crew. Here's my version of a Sartarite chariot (heavily influenced by Mycenean and Hittite chariots, and some elements from Assyrian chariots). Note the image of of Elmal and his charioteer woven into the protective covering.
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Glorantha is one bubble of many within an infinite ocean of Chaos. There are doubtless other bubbles of order, some almost indistinguishable from canon Glorantha, some very different. Every time a GM starts a new campaign set in Glorantha, one of these bubbles emerges from the inchoate void.
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Managed to fit in the sketch of the Pittance conscript (not a DX battalion) and found that there might be room for one more, but am sketched out at present.
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Here's all 92.
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After the Dara Happan revolt of the First Wane, the Lunars disbanded many Dara Happan regiments. Each of the Tripolis cities are now required to maintain a Pittance Regiment, which are made up of conscripts from the lower classes. He has a second-hand sword, is lucky enough to have an open helmet, and has a self bow. I have, perhaps foolishly, embedded the text in the sketches.
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90% of sketches in the book are fully annotated. 10% like this latest are not (either because it seemed unnecessary, or because they seemed too cluttered). For posters it might be possible to create one with annotation, and one without. Arthritis playing up, so not much fine work in this one, which may be the last for a while.
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Found a home for the latest as a filler at the end of the Army Lists chapter. Now roughing out the next... Have received a suggestion that most of these sketches might be collected together on a poster, with the figures about 8cm high. Obviously it would make sense to group them by nation/cultures. A question? Should the annotations identifying pieces of armor be retained or removed?
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Probably no room in the text for the full-sized sketch.
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Here's one by Jan Pospisil. Sartarite use of Praxian riding animals is not uncommon.
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Thought I'd group my Orlanthi together. Four or five distinct cultures here.
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Well, it's done. Final fixes made (though bugs undoubtedly remain) and document complete.
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Some taints might be invisible such as changes to attributes, whilst others might be hidden by clothing. Even some Chaos creatures might not look chaotic, such as a succubus disguising her appearance, or an ogre or vampire - Chaos isn't always obviously repellent, which is one of the reasons it is so insidious.
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Real world issues are limiting my time and energy to do anything Gloranthan. Other than tidying up a sentence about the manufacture of bronze swords did this as an experiment:
