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Swords of Central Genertela


M Helsdon

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Drawing (and doing pretty much everything) in slow time... The larger version of the High Llama isn't finished, because I realised the full-sized picture resulted in too much white space. So I need to draw some smaller creatures in the 'foreground'. Impala, ostrich or bolo lizard? Not certain what the latter should look like.

thirty smaller.png

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18 minutes ago, Sir_Godspeed said:

Damn, never quite realized how *huge* those High Llamas are. You need a rope ladder just to climb up on them!

I've based it on one description of the Aepycamelus, on which I believe the high llama is broadly based, which makes them this tall, but chatting with a paleontologist, the more common description makes them a bit smaller - about eight feet at the shoulder (I'd assumed ten)... So have some rework to do tomorrow. Fortunately, the rider is drawn separately to the animal, so there's just a need to rescale...

Regarding mounting one of these beasts - would assume that they are trained to kneel on command, which makes it easier, though still not a simple action, even using toe loops/stirrups attached to the saddle.

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21 minutes ago, M Helsdon said:

I've based it on one description of the Aepycamelus, on which I believe the high llama is broadly based, which makes them this tall, but chatting with a paleontologist, the more common description makes them a bit smaller - about eight feet at the shoulder (I'd assumed ten)... So have some rework to do tomorrow.

You could just have a bigger one for the example. It doesn't have to be a typical specimen. If it's like horses solider might gravitate towards larger beasts for mounts. 

21 minutes ago, M Helsdon said:

 

Fortunately, the rider is drawn separately to the animal, so there's just a need to rescale...

Which can be done with computer, I hope.

21 minutes ago, M Helsdon said:

Regarding mounting one of these beasts - would assume that they are trained to kneel on command, which makes it easier, though still not a simple action, even using toe loops/stirrups attached to the saddle.

Have you considered some type of wood and rope "ladder" that could roll up and be dropped down to mount. 

Chaos stalks my world, but she's a big girl and can take of herself.

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13 hours ago, M Helsdon said:

So I need to draw some smaller creatures in the 'foreground'... bolo lizard? Not certain what the latter should look like.

Camptosaurus elegans is what Anaxial's Roster' has them as. I think that they haven't been changed in the RQG Besitary to Ornithomimus elegans, which makes more sense really, as Camptosaurus was a bit hulking. That said, you need the old fashioned, scientifically inaccurate scaly version of Ornithomimus. The hands in the attached image are wrong - but "old-fashioned".

ornithomimus.png

Edited by Lord High Munchkin
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5 hours ago, Atgxtg said:

You could just have a bigger one for the example. It doesn't have to be a typical specimen. If it's like horses solider might gravitate towards larger beasts for mounts. 

Which can be done with computer, I hope.

Have you considered some type of wood and rope "ladder" that could roll up and be dropped down to mount. 

MGW now V in that high lama saddle girths incorporate two mounting assists. The upper being a bone peg from which the rider does a one handed (to allow the carriage of weapons etc) pullup so as to allow the feet to reach the lower rope loop. Showy mounting involves a running leap to get the foot into the lower loop without using the peg. Hilarity ensues when the Llama takes umbrage at this behaviour.

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14 hours ago, Atgxtg said:

I love this picture! And the whole concept: dinosaur howdahs!

The howdah is a bit smaller. Latest, with corrected high llama height (loaded after third attempt).

Although I already have a height comparison chart for the majority of mounts, suspect I'm now going to have to draw most of the Praxian mounts in this manner.

10 hours ago, Lord High Munchkin said:

Camptosaurus elegans is what Anaxial's Roster' has them as. I think that they haven't been changed in the RQG Besitary to Ornithomimus elegans, which makes more sense really, as Camptosaurus was a bit hulking. That said, you need the old fashioned, scientifically inaccurate scaly version of Ornithomimus. The hands in the attached image are wrong - but "old-fashioned".

ornithomimus.png

Camptosaurus was a bit too big. Looking at the Khan of Khans game, the bolo-lizard seems to have a different build - and a frill of feathers?

8 hours ago, Rob Darvall said:

MGW now V in that high lama saddle girths incorporate two mounting assists. The upper being a bone peg from which the rider does a one handed (to allow the carriage of weapons etc) pullup so as to allow the feet to reach the lower rope loop. Showy mounting involves a running leap to get the foot into the lower loop without using the peg. Hilarity ensues when the Llama takes umbrage at this behaviour.

I'm sure that Praxians have all sorts of styles, and probably games involving mounting and dismounting in different ways.

thirty smaller.png

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11 hours ago, M Helsdon said:

Camptosaurus was a bit too big. Looking at the Khan of Khans game, the bolo-lizard seems to have a different build - and a frill of feathers?

I sadly only have the "Print & Play" version of Khan of Khans.

P. 155 of the Gloranthan Bestiary does have a picture though that looks very Ornithomimus. Camptosaurs would definitely be the wrong animal - not a suitably fast ride.

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Now 'completed' the set of Praxian beasts. This doesn't appear in the book, but uses the beasts before I add riders.

[Note: contrast and gamma not unified between the sketches; am told that the dinosaurs the bolo-lizard is based on had feathers, but decided to be 'old-fashioned' - also based the hands on those shown in the illustration above...]

Prax sizes#1 small.png

Edited by M Helsdon
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On 12/23/2018 at 9:11 AM, Sir_Godspeed said:

Damn, never quite realized how *huge* those High Llamas are. You need a rope ladder just to climb up on them!

The trick is probably to get them to sit down like camels so you can mount them.  I am considering the ramifications of the fact that an impala rider can apparently potentially ride underneath a High Llama.

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2 hours ago, Darius West said:

The trick is probably to get them to sit down like camels so you can mount them.  I am considering the ramifications of the fact that an impala rider can apparently potentially ride underneath a High Llama.

They just have to get the harpoon in the right place and they can fly ride round the Llama and tangle its legs up!

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Not sure about the latest - the rider's position has to be further back because a bison's 'hump' is all muscle resting on the spine and long vertebrae, and so a saddle there would be uncomfortable for the mount and the rider.

Hmm, think I'll have to move the saddle forward...

 

thirty smaller3.png

Edited by M Helsdon
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23 hours ago, Darius West said:
On 12/22/2018 at 11:11 PM, Sir_Godspeed said:

Damn, never quite realized how *huge* those High Llamas are. You need a rope ladder just to climb up on them!

The trick is probably to get them to sit down like camels so you can mount them.  I am considering the ramifications of the fact that an impala rider can apparently potentially ride underneath a High Llama.

Or they have some rope tack attached to the head of the llamas using some of their considerable neck musculature (at least if their bulls use similar dominance struggles like giraffe bulls) to give them an extra pull when leaping up. A service you really can expect after spending considerable time gathering browsable leaves etc. on foot to feed to your rather picky mounts.

Telling how it is excessive verbis

 

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Sadly, when used in the rough two-part spread, the bison looks messily drawn, so whilst the current one is usable as a spot illo, it will have to be redrawn (having not drawn for decades am rediscovering techniques...) The Praxian bison may look more like a bison priscus, even larger, so that may be another reason to redraw it.

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