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Boztakang iconography?


Michael Hagen

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I'm been obsessing lately over the image of Boztakang in the Gloranthan Sourcebook. It doesn't seem to draw on any previous descriptions of "The Chaos Killer" that I'm aware of other than the blue bat/Annilla/Quatanara under his left arm. I have a theory about the colored balls he's juggling but I'm stumped on what the "cloud"? might be behind his head. There may even be a Black Sun in there too but, again I wasn't aware of his connection with Blasko.

So - short of asking Jeff Richard what his art direction was for this picture (and that's the real answer BTW) I'm wondering whether the loremasters here might have any insights? Curious to hear if I'm missing any sources.

Thanks!

BOZTAKANG.png

Edited by Michael Hagen
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The Blue Bat is probably Mahaquata, the troll version of the Blue Moon, otherwise known as Anilla and Veldara:  Boztakang led the first trolls to settle the Blue Moon Plateau, it was their prayers and ceremonies that revived and reshaped the fallen Anilla into their bat goddess.

The Black Sun is also called Basko, the shadow of Yelm, the darkness that always rests in the one corner Yelm isn't looking.  He had almost ceased to exist, like Anilla/Mahaquata, by the time the trolls emerged from the Underworld in the Storm Age, but a troll host found Basko soon after emerging and with worship and sacrifice strengthened him into a formidable god still worshiped in the Kingdom of Ignorance north of Kralorela.  He's famous for fighting the battle called Glory of the Black Sun, where his trolls defeated elements of the horde that'd brought ruin to Genert's Garden.

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12 hours ago, metcalph said:

The balls are the Stones to Kill Chaos (Troll Gods p78).  

The blue cloud might be the spirit of Arrquong that Boztakang fought and defeated (Trollpak PDF p9)

The Black Sun and the Blue Bat are allies of his in the Winter Win (Trollpak PDF p12).

Thanks @metcalph - that is exactly what I was looking for. Even though I had already looked in Troll Gods I missed the Stones to Kill Chaos connection - I can only assume the Dobyski shaman made my brain seize up. Glad to know there's not some other source I'm missing.

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