Bolo Lizards? Illo's w/ or w/o riders?

[g33k]

I recall (years ago when I first met them) visualizing the Bolo Lizards as having a build very akin to an ostrich, but slightly larger.  At this point, I envision something more akin to a medium/small Iguanodon, or maybe a Hadrosaur without the duck-bill:  a three quarters of a ton (or so) of Bolo Lizard, body carried roughly-level head-through-tail.  The rider (if any) likely mounted directly over the legs, or maybe just fractionally forward from there...

I contemplate running a Glorantha campaign  using the forthcoming "RQClassic" + some Stretch Goals.  I'm hoping to show some illustrations for various places & beings, and I'm hoping "Bolo Lizard" and/or "Bolo Lizard Riders" will be among them.  I'm figuring that existing pix of (some species of) dinosaur will adequately handle the Bolo Lizard... but what about one with a rider?  Any hints/help/etc (including canonical text-descriptions, if they change/improve my visualization) will be welcome!

 

- Steve, the g33k

 

[TRose]

 I have always thought the Bolo Lizard rode something like this dinosaur or a close relative.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithomimus

[Mankcam]

I always thought they were more like reptilian dinosaurs as well (hence the name Bolo 'Lizard'), but perhaps they could have some bird-like features or some other unusual traits to make them stand out. 

This may be a good compromise:

 

Edited January 21, 2016 by Mankcam

[M Helsdon]

Not canonical, but perhaps something like this...

http://www.fancyscribbles.com/images/gallery/sketchbook/thumbnails/sketch_01.jpg

[David Scott]

The first port of call would be the mounted bolo lizard counter from Nomad Gods. I'll post that tomorrow. There is an illustration of a mounted one that I've seen in the last few days in a supplement - can't remember where!

[Noita]

9 hours ago, David Scott said:

The first port of call would be the mounted bolo lizard counter from Nomad Gods. I'll post that tomorrow. There is an illustration of a mounted one that I've seen in the last few days in a supplement - can't remember where!

It's what i use as reference. My fave Praxian nation. I was hoping my players would choose them, but we got Bison riders instead.

 

Edited January 22, 2016 by Iskallor

[Joerg]

If you want to adapt more recent dinosaur lore for the bolos, please keep in mind these "design" restrictions based on the Nomad Gods boardgame:

- they are herbivores

- when running (on two legs, ostrich-like) they extend their heads on their long necks horizontally to the front and their tails horizontally to the rear, allowing their riders maximum freedom to whirl their bolas about.

I'd make their tribal element earth and refrain from giving them downy feathers. The beasts aren't supposed to be intelligent, that's what they have their riders for.

Like the ostrich riders, bolo riders are rather territorial for Praxians since they have to guard their nesting sites. Bolo lizard eggs ought to resemble dragonewt eggs more than ostrich eggs, with quite leathery, not very chalcic shells. The used shells might be a good material for Praxian armor.

I don't think that they have any relation to Storm Bull other than through the Waha chieftain lineages that probably married into the tribe at the time of the Covenant.

IMO the lizards are beasts of the Covenant and can be ridden by Impala Riders, Ostrich Riders and not too large Sable Riders, or by children or midgets of other tribes. Bulls/cocks are ridden or slaughtered, while cows/hens are kept for laying eggs.

[Noita]

They claim to be direct descendants of the people of Genert too. The stronger the genes the more important the person. My Bolo lizard riders run up and down their lizards whilst riding, showing off, just like surfers walk along their boards.

I've seen it written somewhere that they are connected to the movement rune, and I agree with Earth as their element.

[David Scott]

The Bolo Lizard outline is seen in more detail in HeroQuest Glorantha page, 209 Comparative Creature Sizes. Their description is on page 215. The best description is in Anaxial's Roster page page 77.

As with all of the Herd Beasts, their Rune is the Beast Rune. They are also associated with the movement rune.

1 hour ago, Joerg said:

I don't think that they have any relation to Storm Bull other than through the Waha chieftain lineages that probably married into the tribe at the time of the Covenant.

That's correct, the Bolo Lizard Founder is unknown to me at the moment, but undoubtedly the source of their movement rune. It's clearly the "Lizard God".

 

[Joerg]

1 minute ago, David Scott said:

That's correct, the Bolo Lizard Founder is unknown to me at the moment, but undoubtedly the source of their movement rune. It's clearly the "Lizard God".

The bola is the physical manifestation of the movement rune.

Do you think that the Bolo Riders have a special connection to Ronance (after all a god with reptilian associations and the movement rune)?

[Joerg]

More thoughts on the bola:

It attacks by attacking the mobility of the target. I suppose that magical bolas would be able to capture a target's movement and transfer it to the rider. Maybe a standard Mobility charm among the Bola riders.

[David Scott]

8 minutes ago, Joerg said:

The bola is the physical manifestation of the movement rune.

Yes, very clearly.

8 minutes ago, Joerg said:

Do you think that the Bolo Riders have a special connection to Ronance (after all a god with reptilian associations and the movement rune)?

No I don't think so. Ronance is a fertility spirit at the Paps. Okay so he has a chariot, but that doesn't give him the movement rune, just an association. It's pulled by Serpent Guardians which are Earth Spirits, not reptilian. In Nomad Gods, the counters and illustration don't give me any movement rune feel. The chariot comes from elsewhere, he can lend it out if you are lucky. It's got a Solar feel to me.

[M Helsdon]

2 hours ago, Iskallor said:

It's what i use as reference. My fave Praxian nation. I was hoping my players would choose them, but we got Bison riders instead.

 

Looks a little like Therizinosaur, a herbivore therapod, though the more recent recreations are feathered.

[Joerg]

I would prefer something Jurassic rather than Cretaceous. And I imagined them to have much mor musculous upper thighs on their hind legs.

Ronance and movement: His connection to the magical roads is well documented. He doesn't cause fertility, but helps find it in the Wastes. His chariot wheels are movement runes.

 

[Mankcam]

I kinda always envisioned Bolo Lizards along these lines (this beastie would certainly be a fast runner, and it fits the silhouette of the Bolo Lizard counter from Nomad Gods ):

 

Edited January 22, 2016 by Mankcam

[David Scott]

1 hour ago, Joerg said:

Ronance and movement: His connection to the magical roads is well documented. He doesn't cause fertility, but helps find it in the Wastes. His chariot wheels are movement runes.

What's your reference for the wheels being movement runes. Both the Nomad Gods counter and illustration disagree with that.

 

[Joerg]

The artwork that was used as the basis for Daniel Fahey's model of Ronance's chariot, IIRC featuring a Ken doll as the rider. I don't have my NG rules scanned in yet, so I cannot look those up, but knowing Daniel Fahey wearing his hat as a Praxian shaman this is based on good source evidence.

[Noita]

I interpreted the serpents pulling Ronance's chariot as being seasonal rivers which fertilised the wastes.

[Noita]

2 hours ago, Joerg said:

More thoughts on the bola:

It attacks by attacking the mobility of the target. I suppose that magical bolas would be able to capture a target's movement and transfer it to the rider. Maybe a standard Mobility charm among the Bola riders.

Old fashioned Binding matrix....

[Joerg]

43 minutes ago, Iskallor said:

I interpreted the serpents pulling Ronance's chariot as being seasonal rivers which fertilised the wastes.

A myth comes to mind - Ronance, the lover of the many oasis spirits, who can make them gush forth...

Edited January 22, 2016 by Joerg

[David Scott]

@Iskallor, this the problem with serpents, they have a number of interpretations. Water & Earth being two of them

[David Scott]

@M Helsdon what did you use as the Bolo Lizard basis for the size chart in HeroQuest Glorantha?

[M Helsdon]

2 hours ago, David Scott said:

@M Helsdon what did you use as the Bolo Lizard basis for the size chart in HeroQuest Glorantha?

It was a composite - the body of a raptor with a smaller head, and modified legs - with the SIZ derived from the RQ2 description. I may have lengthened the neck a little to be more similar to the Nomad Gods counter.

 

 

Edited January 22, 2016 by M Helsdon
removed erroneous illustration.

[Noita]

19 hours ago, David Scott said:

 

Where does someone sit when riding a Bison? It looks like they and someone on a High Llama are the same height.

[M Helsdon]

56 minutes ago, Iskallor said:

Where does someone sit when riding a Bison? It looks like they and someone on a High Llama are the same height.

Perhaps I shouldn't have uploaded the draft (now deleted). No, the bison is slightly too large in that version, and the rider doesn't sit on the bison's 'hump' but well behind it - see Gene Day's illustration in Cults of Prax, page 43.

Edited January 22, 2016 by M Helsdon