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SPECULATION General Star Wars: ORPA Discussion Thread

Discussion in 'Star Wars: Paint Adventures' started by Capt. Andrew Luck, Feb 16, 2017.

?

Who is your favorite character?

  1. Doop Skychafer

  2. Darth Saber

  3. Missth'raw'nuruodo (Missy)

  4. Jun Bland

  5. Standard Fett

  6. Grand Admiral Snote

  7. John "Mynock" Konteego

  8. Kestrel

  9. Other

Results are only viewable after voting.
  1. Meister Yoda

    Meister Yoda Your Little Green Friend
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    Can't remember that one...
    Going to find my extended version.
     
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  2. Capt. Andrew Luck

    Capt. Andrew Luck Guardian of the Neckbeard

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    You fool! Don't you realize what you've done? Now Al's probably preparing an entire 50 page dissertation on Amethar and will burst into this thread like:

    [​IMG]

    Though it feels like we are really due a 'Behind the Paint' for Act 2. The Fallen Knights one was a blast.
     
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  3. Alamact

    Alamact Rear Admiral
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    Not necessarily, but your timing is rather exquisite nonetheless! Welcome back.
    [​IMG]

    Not fifty pages, but I'm looking back at this post as I'm ready to hit Post Reply thinking: "Damn, he saw right through me."

    If you want to learn more about Amethar, strap yourself in for a ride. If not, ignore the meticulously organized wall of text that is about to follow.
    I started writing up a reply to your seemingly innocuous question, yet as the words kept pilling on, I began to realize that there was no easy answer to explain it all - not without a proper deep dive into the lore - or at the very least, a crash course in Amethar anthropology.

    When it comes to fantasy, for the most part, you've got a setting that's either dark or high. I like to think Amethar sits comfortably somewhere in the middle. More grounded than Lord of the Rings, but also more magical than A Song of Ice and Fire. This is a reference to me being an indecisive dolt who wants to both have his cake, and eat it too. You'll see your elves and your wizards, but the more mystical races are either a relic of a bygone era or simply don't have a place in the setting. It screams vanilla flavor at first glance, but the complexities and nuance lie buried in the details. Which we're about to cover. So, bear with me - and open the map because it will come in handy.

    [​IMG]

    First thing you will want to know is that Amethar is comprised out of six continents: Atarūn to the west that spans the full length from Ruanor to the round peninsula in the south; the fabled continent of Elesai that is attached to Atarūn via a narrow land bridge and vaguely resembles a dragon's skull; the large continent of Teverra in the middle of the map, with the subcontinent of Drakorr along its rightmost end; the continent of Ikarra to the far east; the island continent of Mithria between them; and the continent buried underneath the northern ice caps, Tamrae.

    There are six (disputably five) distinct races that populate this world: Elves, who mostly dispersed around the central meridian of Amethar - existing in Teverra, Drakorr and Tamrae; Dwarves, who come from northern Ikarra; Orcs, the hardy people from Mithria; Atalans, the gray giants of northern Atarūn; the Zanmari of mysterious Ozantia, the southern wetlands of Ikarra; and the Humans - who thrived to varying degrees in isolated pockets across the three large continents.

    Below is an assortment of body templates for these races. Humans and elves, being more ethnically diverse than the other four, each have a dedicated row:

    [​IMG]

    The Teverrans come from northern Teverra, being the demographic majority in most of the kingdoms from that corner of the world. Some of them can have a tan, if they're from the drier parts of Quenrim - but for the most part, they're of fairer complexion.

    The Ikarrans date their origins from the Mindoye Valley in central Ikarra. Ethnically, they are the Africans of Amethar, and have established themselves as the most populous on the eastern continent. As a general rule of thumb, those from the Ikarran Empire to the east have darker complexion than the people along the western coasts.

    The Anteans come from Saelua and Antaroc - the western reaches of Teverra, past the great Lake Antea. They have east and southeast Asian features. Saeluans usually have fairer skin than their Antarosi cousins, whose intermingling with moon elves from the outlying villages introduced green eyes into the gene pool.

    The Ruanoans come from the Ruanor peninsula in northern Atarūn, and the island of Taruatai across the bay. The people from the peninsula have darker skin and a reputation as master shipwrights and sailors - while those from the island have roots as buffalo herders and maize farmers. In terms of features, they are like a mix of Pacific Islanders and Scandinavians. Slightly taller than the other human races, as a result of their mingling with the native Atalans.

    The Kastians are from the eastern peninsula of Ikarra and possess South Asian features, mostly with a darker complexion. Even though they were the first human ethnicity that I've developed for Amethar, I doubt you will see much of them on Teverra. Their trade revolves around the Ikarran Empire and its liberated territories, but their relations with the dwarves of Ormia and Cedoria is tenuous at best.

    The Lyrians, or moon elves, are probably the most populous of our elven ethnic groups. Their informal name derives origin from the shade of vermilion that their skin shares with Amethar's remaining moon, Rova - the Scarlet Lady. Most of them come from the merchant republic of Lyria, and have a sizable minority in the human kingdoms of Niveria and Alodia - their former puppet states. The horse lords of Qoviq are also moon elves - yet they possess a tawnier tint, blonde hair and green eyes - as opposed to the darker hair and violet eyes of their coastal cousins.

    The Korrians are known as sand elves, with their distinct citron skin and piercing red eyes. Most of them are from Drakorr, but you might find deserters and traders in neighboring parts of the world such as Ilu Ankasi and Niveria, or the Korrian freehold of Jarall, past the Ilandran Swamps. They come from a ravaged land, reeling from a cataclysmic event in its past that buried it underneath a layer of cinder and smoke. Drakorr is an acquired taste - with ash storms sweeping through the heartlands, the very air locked in a permanent ruby hue, and lava flows emerging from the black mountain of Llewendraûr, but also boasting rich, volcanic soil and pristine wildlands - it has shaped a resilient, yet guarded people in pursuit of mundane ingenuity over the arcane. Believing that the reckless use of magic in the days of the dune lords brought about the eruption of Llewendraûr, the Black Empire that rose from the ashes of the aftermath banned the use of magic on Drakorr's soil.

    The Tamreans of the far north go by the name of pale elves. Not much is known about them or their lands, yet their wanderlust tends to bring them to the warmer climates of Teverra and Mithria. Tall and lanky, they are often a subject of desire due to their exotic beauty. For a peculiar reason, the mages of their culture have never ventured far beyond the homeland.

    The Ormians, better known as dwarves, are the stout folk of northern Ikarra. Their ancestors emerged from the frigid Kaderian Mountains, abandoning their ancient underground capital of Orm in the wake of a nameless evil's wrath. In the shadow of those peaks, the dwarves have since built towering cities that dared to reach the skies themselves, establishing the Ormian Empire, the merchant republic of Cedoria, and the free cities of Vistria. Most dwarves south of Aurona have a tan, and a good deal of them have eyes of ochre and gold.

    The Mithrians, orcs, believe themselves to be the custodians of a land that once belonged to their gods. Buried under Mithria lies the most precious metal in all of Amethar: mithril. A dark green, radioactive crust resembling rust forms around its ore - one that the orcs evolved a tolerance for, becoming master smiths beyond equal. Avarice and desperation eventually brought the Ormians to their shores, and the more peaceful orcish tribes have been enslaved to tirelessly work in the dwarven mines that now litter the cavernous depths of eastern Mithria. There exists a modern movement among the scientific minds in Amethar that the orcs are a lost race of elves and should be classified as such. Needless to say, the concept was met with mixed results - as neither the Lyrians or the Korrians are keen on the idea of claiming kinship with these supposed iron elves.

    The Atalans of northern Atarūn may have lost some of their towering stature through forced intermingling to restore a depleted population, but much of their noble ancestry still flows through their purple-blooded veins. Standing seven feet tall, boasting four-to-six horns on their head, vibrant blue or green eyes, the Atalans built an empire on the ruins of their predecessors. Plagued by visions of doom, of mountains cracking open, a prophet of theirs urged them to leave the rugged highlands and cross the sea north to Zacala Temictli - the Promised Land. Those that heeded his words, aided by Ruanoan volunteers, went on a fateful exodus, crossing tempestuous waters and making landfall on Taruatai, a harsh and unforgiving island plagued by endless storms - hardly the paradise of prophecy. Incapable of going back, the survivors built a new empire on those black shores and a sprawling capital arose at the spot of their landing: Ruatoa. As their knowledge of sailing increased, the Taruans returned to their homeland to find that the cataclysm never occurred - instead, what remained, was an Empire smothered by complacency, dulled by traditions, depraved, rotten and corrupt at its core. The prophet was, in the end, right about his visions. The mountains did crack and split open, but the cataclysm came to the elves of Drakorr, and thus the Taruans were left with a bitter history that made an embittered people.

    The Zanmari are the amphibious yellow-eyed dwellers of Ozantia, a shadowy stretch of wetlands, frigid bogs and blood swamps where basilisks and other unsightly terrors lie. They are essentially spooky Atlanteans who are beholden to the will of the Leviathan, a mythical creature of countless heads emerging from a tangled pile of bodies akin to vines sprouting out from a hole. The Leviathan is perhaps the oldest living creature in Amethar, holding the wisdom and experience of a bygone era. Armed with this knowledge, it guides the theocracy of Ozantia through its high priesthood with a firm and absolute hand. You will likely see a Kastian in Teverra before you ever see a Zanmar. Unlike the naval-minded Taruans, the Ozantians are extremely isolationist in nature and only the Ikarran Empire has had (limited) success in establishing meaningful contact with them.

    Tomorrow, I'll answer your question more directly. Hopefully, this post did most of the heavy lifting for providing some context or insight into the setting. I wish I covered Lyria and a few of the human kingdoms in greater detail, but we've gone off-course enough already.
     
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  4. skychafer

    skychafer Rebel Official

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    These guys sound cool as hell, but if their homeland was ruined why didn't they just migrate to greener pastures?
     
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  5. Capt. Andrew Luck

    Capt. Andrew Luck Guardian of the Neckbeard

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    Hot take tinfoil time: they went to Mithria, got irradiated and those that survived became the orcs. I feel like Al made the orcs' skin more yellow and gray than the cliched green on purpose and the purpose was this.

    I am loving it all though. Especially the Atalans and their hilariously ORPA-like backstory.

    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Meister Yoda

    Meister Yoda Your Little Green Friend
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    But what happened to Darth Saber?
     
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  7. GingerByte

    GingerByte Guest

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    [​IMG]
     
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  8. Alamact

    Alamact Rear Admiral
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    We will return to Darth Saber once we resolve some of Jun and Stan's lingering plot lines. Though it should be noted that most of Jedha will be told through Missy's perspective, so we'll get to viciously chastise the poor bastard every step of the way.
    Some of them did, and went on to form the freehold of Jarall - away from the stifling authority of the Black Empire. Sand elves also have a foothold on the southern edge of Mithria with the port town of Telduhr, effectively controlling all naval passage from Ikarra to Teverra, thus severely limiting the influence of Lyria, its chief political rival. This passage between Tir Oad and Telduhr is also known as the Gateway of the Sun.

    Most Korrians stuck around in the aftermath of Llewendraûr's eruption and have grown to take pride in taming an untamable land. Fertile volcanic soil provides regular bountiful harvests, and as you can see from the map, most settlements in the Black Empire are built on the greener side of Drakorr. Those further inland are often the oldest settlements such as Ald Mirath, Cithadra and the rebuilt pilgrim town of Andralûr situated on the caldera.

    Much like in real history, civilizations that rose in hostile places were forced to improvise and innovate to stand the test of time, often becoming more advanced than their complacent counterparts - and I feel like this is certainly true for the Black Empire, as well as their cousins from across the ocean, the Taruans.

    The vast majority of their cities are built from dark basalt, the most common stone available in Drakorr. A modern exception to this rule is the white tower of Tir Julahn, constructed after the civil war out of limestone. Sericulture is also a profession that's thriving in the Black Empire, from moth farms in the northeast, to the more valuable, yet impractical spider caverns in the south. Their silk is commonly dyed either from crocus flower extracts or the grounded seeds of the local sildavene fruit.
    I like where your head is at, but the timeline doesn't match up for me. The orcs being bestowed stewardship over Mithria was an event that occured centuries before the eruption of Llewendraûr took place. While there has been an attempt to conquer southern Mithria by the Black Empire at some point in their history, they were rebuked in the battle of Khazdar's Ravine, they signed a peace treaty, and decided that having an amicable correspondence with the master smiths of Mithria was invaluable compared to possessing more territory.

    In recent decades, the Black Empire was on the verge of becoming a worldly power. Their legions outnumbered the Lyrians and their navy had a stranglehold on the Crescent Bay. The capital of Iriath enjoyed a golden age of prosperity, paving the way for hopeful migrants from other races to seek a better life in Drakorr for the first time in history. And then, it all went up in flames when their Emperor decreed the ban on magic lifted.

    What came after was the single greatest conflict in the history of the Black Empire as a bloody coup massacred the imperial family and plunged the realm into civil war. The might of the legions was spent fighting their own brothers and sisters, as those once hopeful migrants were now locked in the middle of a war they never asked for. Eventually, the rebellion won, and the ban on magic was reinstated, with an elective council from each the Empire's great houses placed in rule over a singular sovereign.

    Many believe that the betrayal of the imperial family - their choice to lift the ban - was a Lyrian ploy to preserve the status quo in the Crescent Bay, knowing it would destabilize the Empire from within, while others believe that the coup itself was a retaliation to the increasing influence of Lyria creeping into the heart of Drakorr's society. Whatever the truth was, it felt like the true consequence of Llewendraûr's eruption was that it arrested an entire people in perpetual fear of it ever happening again.

    Since we went on a deep dive into Drakorr, let's go through their characters first. A few of them are named and have developed stories independent of the one we might hypothetically create. They are like Chancellor Yen-Zur, in a sense, as figures whose influence and autonomy affects the setting regardless of player choice.

    [​IMG]

    The first two, we'll do as a pair. That's Daena Amallen and her father, Trevan Amallen, a newly minted noble of Drakorr and lord of Tir Julahn. He is originally from Niveria and was a student of the arcane in the famous Academy of Xuren. Despite being the center of knowledge, cutthroat nepotism and bloated bureaucracy turned Trevan away. He joined the civil war in Drakorr first as a loyalist - being a wizard himself - yet ended it as a rebel, proving himself instrumental in the rebellion's victory over the loyalists - a feat that earned him his own noble house and the holding of Tir Julahn on promise that he would never again use magic on Drakorr's soil. His staff is just a walking stick now, helping him move around after the injury he suffered in the war.

    Discontent to let his knowledge wither away, Trevan maneuvered his way into being allowed to construct an arcane library within his tower manor, collecting tomes on magic as his own personal middle finger to Lyria, who sought to achieve a monopoly on all magical knowledge, often burning or stealing books from other nations in clandestine operations. Trevan's public image has considerably sunk in his old homeland, and even in the Black Empire in select circles, as people have started calling him Trevan Turncoat. Ultimately, his actions revealed a fickle stance on loyalty and a distinct lack of honor.

    Daena is his child to an unknown sand elf mother who perished in the civil war. Genetics work differently in Amethar, and I've chosen them to work in a way that makes things easier for me. Children inherit their race from the mother - their primary characteristics, but secondary traits can emerge and stack from the paternal side. Most children born from interracial unions are stillborn, infertile or have other defects. In Daena's case, she was born with albinism.

    Maros Elwayn is the plump elf with alopecia standing next to them. He is a friend of the family and a traveling merchant conducting business in Teverra to distract himself from ruminating about his failed marriage. Maros has a crass, loud and often boisterous attitude, but his shrewd sense of the mercantile trade has earned him a reputation in the Crescent Bay.

    Areyne Seleth is the current head of her house and the Black Empire's methodical spymaster. She was a young woman fighting for the rebellion when the civil war occurred. Areyne used the chaos to climb the ranks, carving out a place for her family among the ruling elite of Drakorr as the new lords of Cithadra. Even though they fought on the same side, she and Trevan are political rivals and one of the few people still alive that know the truth of how the civil war ended.

    Next up, we have a standard issue legionnaire of the Black Empire. Clad in tempered steel, with their distinctly yellow silk sash. The helmet was inspired by stag beetles and the Mandalorian. I'm overall really satisfied with how the design came along and it's one of my personal favorites of the bunch.

    Some of you probably guessed it, but the character standing right from the legionnaire is Areyne's brother. Her younger brother - as the older one had a severe case of prematurely dying in the civil war. I'm not sure if I ever named him, but he's supposed to be the oblivious, wholesome one of the family - or about as wholesome as a privileged brat from Drakorr can be. Areyne did her best to shelter him from the brutality of house politics in the Black Empire, the end result being that I can't help but compare him to a younger Mace Tyrell.

    The old man in robes is their mage father who went missing a few years before the start of the war, wandering off into the heartlands of Drakorr - and much like Kylo Ren, never to be seen again. Red is the family color of House Seleth, so I was rather generous in applying it to their clothes. Not that it matters, but I'm irrationally fond of the silly orange sash that Areyne's brother wears. It's like his own personal fashion statement that sets him apart from the rest of his family's color scheme.

    [​IMG]

    Moving on to Ikarra, we have Thaya an-Ilora. The observant among you have correctly surmised that Ikarrans don't have standard surnames, choosing instead to use their place of origin. In their culture, a family name is something that is earned - even if you're nobility. You have to prove that you are capable of upholding the reputation and memory of your ancestors. This is usually done through a rite of passage upon reaching adulthood. The weapon that Thaya uses was inspired by the Egyptian khopesh.

    The man next to Thaya is how your standard soldier from Ilu Ankasi dresses - in silver-coated steel. I tried to go with more colorful patterns, but it's tough to translate them into the amount of pixels I'm working with. The emerald green and sky blue of their flag works well enough. The whole outfit is meant to evoke African shapes and motifs mixed with the standard knightly uniform.

    Khalim is a sand elf who deserted the legion to learn more about his magical abilities in Ilu Ankasi, studying from a disgruntled priest of Koda in the ways of the druid. While he couldn't join their society, he found fulfillment in a foreign religion and now spends his days as a smuggler, ferrying people in secret across the Gateway of the Sun - including our protagonist. His armor design evokes influence from both Ilu Ankasi and Drakorr motifs.

    The Ikarran religion worships a pantheon of four deities: Ordumat, Alesane, Natala and Koda. The Ikarrans believe them to be divine spirits - an amalgamation of virtue and sin that each represents. When you die, your soul binds itself to the patron whose virtues or sin you exemplified the most in your life. The vast majority of druids are warrior priests of Alesane, the goddess of fire and life, who are caretakers of the enchanted forest that springs from the heart of Ilu Ankasi.

    Ilu Ankasi used to be a part of the Ikarran Empire, before its slaves rebelled a few centuries back and won their freedoms with a heroic uprising that began in the silver and emerald mines of the northern end of the peninsula. Even today, the Empire still seeks to reclaim their wayward province, and their armies, led by the bold general Obi an-Kenomi, edge ever closer to Ilu Ankasi with each passing year.

    The fourth character on this list is a dwarven merchant from Cedoria. The purpose of drawing him was to show how your average dwarf looked like, because our other dwarf character is anything but average.

    The pale dwarf, clean-shaven and clad in silver and blue, is an architect from Ormia who was commissioned by the current king of Niveria to construct a grand cathedral in the capital of Jona, its intent being to rival the one in Cinbara.

    Along similar lines, the Ikarran woman next to him migrated from Ilu Ankasi and embraced the culture of the Crescent Bay, which is reflected in the way she dresses. She brought Ankasian tradition with her by establishing herself as a whitesmith in Jona and the handmade silver jewelry she wears, inlaid with blue jade from Niveria, is both a reflection of her trade and an echo of her ancestry.

    [​IMG]

    Here, we see a bit of Niverene fashion. The first sprite is a blacksmith in middle-class attire. We have a white blacksmith, and a black whitesmith. Together, they are the partners of the Black and White Forge in Jona, providing the best metalwork for both practical and decorative purposes.

    Next up, we have... well, me. A Rear Admiral cameo drawn as a Niverene librarian and the eccentric owner of the Bards and Nobles bookstore.

    The young fellow up next is an example of a Niverene noble. A lot of these outfits were inspired by traditional Hungarian folk wear, imbued with a fantasy flair.

    The fourth sprite is your standard guard or foot soldier from Niveria. Ironclad, with a green sash. It's a simple design. Practical. Captains have a purple line with a gold trim on the bottom of the sash and a golden cinbral ornament on the middle of the breastplate. The Niverians and the horse lords of Qoviq share a religion called the Cinbral faith - or Cinbri for short, albeit each with a slightly different interpretation of it. The ornament on the breastplate is essentially a Cinbral fleur-de-lis and looks something like this:

    [​IMG]

    Also known as the entánra - or sky tree that holds entire worlds in its canopy. The practitioners of this religion worship Orun, the caretaker who planted the sky tree and its immortal observer. Funeral rites consist of burning the dead on top of a tall tower so that the wind may scatter their ashes. The Cinbral clergy are dressed in traditional white robes, with distinct cloaks made of raven feathers, for they consider the intelligent birds a divine animal that understands the roads of the entánra.

    The next two sprites aren't of Niverene ethnicity, but rather come from the Antean side of Teverra. The first one is a Saeluan woman who was born in Niveria, and hence dresses in their clothes. Her color scheme utilizes the official colors of Saelua: midnight blue on faded sapphire. We see also them on the daesang, a Saeluan warrior, along with the engraved symbol of Saelua - the blue orchid - at the center of his chestpiece.

    [​IMG]

    And for a different shade of elves, we have a Lyrian noble in Cyron Ylidrith. Lyria is a merchant republic by nature, but in reality, it's a place where your magical potential is equally as valuable as the depth of your pocket. Often times, the two are interspersed, as only the nobility has access and the resources to take full advantage of Xuren's facilities. The merchant lords hold a moot every six years to both elect a new archon among the merchant lords, as well as to review the merchant council - removing and adding members that best represent and serve the collective interests of the Lyrian Archerate: a monopoly on magic, dominance of the Crescent Bay, and establishing and maintaining a lucrative network of trade routes across the known world.

    Cyron's clothes are made of the finest silks and the most exquisite of velvet. His jerkin is made from mushroom leather, harvested from a rare black variant of the towering fungal trees of Lyria. In short:

    [​IMG]

    The moon elf woman next to Cyron is actually from Alodia. It's similar to Niveria in that both countries have a bird for their symbol; both have a past as former Lyrian puppets; both have a sizable moon elf population; both have an entrance into the Crescent Bay; yet the two countries are starkly different when put in a direct comparison. There is no better way to illustrate that difference than with the following image:

    [​IMG]

    Moving on, we have a Rudonian woman. Rudonia is a fledgling kingdom unfortunately situated in the rugged highlands between Tarranth and Quenrim - who have been consumed in a bitter war for the better half of the past two decades or so. Rudonia's corrupt merchant class holds the real power in the kingdom, exploiting Rudonia's bountiful gold mines from the comforts of the capital of Rivina. Tarranth and Quenrim have lately both begun to fund a proxy war by investing in local bandit lords, transforming their gangs into organized armies and aiming them towards the bordering towns of the enemy state. This had the unfortunate effect of emboldening the bandits, as many have now started pillaging their own country, sowing chaos on the countryside, and forcefully claiming ownership of its mines.

    Next, we have an emissary of Quenrim. Quenrim, along with Ormia, are the only two remaining nations in Amethar that still practice slavery. The chief difference among them, is that Quenrim has this insidious notion that they practice ethical slavery. They genuinely treat their slaves well, and a slave in Quenrim will truly want for nothing - having all their needs taken care of - as long as that want doesn't involve freedom, that is. It's a honeyed brand of slavery that feels appealing to the downtrodden and makes the nobility feel moral and justified in their immoral privilege - which I feel is an interesting slippery slope to explore.

    Lastly, we have a Qovian horse lord. They're like fantasy Scythians - only with war paint, as opposed to tattoos. Led by an increasingly ambitious qan, they have begun barging at the gates of the northern kingdoms of Teverra, turning their eyes to a much wider horizon than just the Saeluan border. With Niveria risking war from Tarranth seeking to expand into the Crescent Bay, and with Qoviq edging ever closer from the south - their blades temporarily stayed solely by virtue of sharing a god - Niveria's hope to stay independent from Lyria may bring them some truly strange bedfellows.

    [​IMG]

    And the final group of sprites before I wrap this up and steer us back towards Old Republic Paint Adventures, the people from the Taruan Empire were inspired by taking all the famous naval civilizations of our history like the Maori, the Vikings, the Japanese - and mashing them together. The Black Empire and the Taruans are the only two nations with access to niter, and the lack of a magic ban, coupled with a neverending season of rain, forced the Taruans to develop what is known as makuteāha - arcane blackpowder. Blackpowder that is essentially waterproof.

    The first sprite was the first Atalan that I drew and served as the foundation for the clothing, color scheme and general look: with horns, gray skin, facial tattoos, sandals, ornamental patterns.

    The second was a design of their terakai, a masterful warrior clad in brass armor, black buffalo fur, and wielding a sword resembling the Aztec macuahuitl.

    The third is an upper-class take on a female Taruan. With jewerly made of wood and more elaborate sandals. The Taruans struck me as practical utalitarians who would save their brass for armaments and cannons instead of spending it on jewerly - so the choice to make it out of wood would be symbollic and traditional even in times of excess and abundance.

    The fourth was a concept of how a Taruan noble might look like - with a brass belt to signify his station. I fiddled around with horn ornaments by giving him carved wooden rings, as well as giving him a tooth necklace over a black buffalo cloak.

    The final sprite is a cameo by @GingerByte. Given that he is from New Zealand and has been a longtime reader of Old Republic Paint Adventures' sequel, I felt it was fitting to make him Amethar's first Ruanoan.

    That should about cover it, I think. I will keep these posts up until the update drops - which should be in a few days from now - upon which they will be moved to the General Discussion thread. I don't know if I'll do more with Amethar at the time. I like that there seems to be an interest, but doing the Old Republic Paint Adventures is more than enough of a daunting task for me alone. This was merely an example of what Paint Adventures could be with something resembling an actual budget. One thing that I have also toyed with was creating a specific platform better capable of scaling with the audience and player suggestions.

    This has been the Rear Admiral, and thank you for coming to my ted talk.
     
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  9. Lord of the Rens

    Lord of the Rens Gatekeeper & Avatar Maker

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    I will seriously riot....
    upload_2020-2-11_15-47-58.png


    if THIS, is NOT his name.







    And if THAT doesn't startle your Banthas I'm bringing emo, Darth Deathstick Cade with me.
     
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  10. Alamact

    Alamact Rear Admiral
    1030th Commander *** (Mod)

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    I am amazed how perfectly the name works on a phonetic level. I love it. Done.

    I'll try to draw the guy in-between the comic updates, probably clad in centurion armor, with a curious case of heterochromia or something along those lines. Hell, why not just go ahead and make Drayt one of the Great Houses of Drakorr?

    Also, here's a Zanmar wanderer, since they've been conveniently left out and I actually have a sprite on hand.

    [​IMG]

    I have also moved all the posts pertaining Amethar, as well as general Paint Adventures discussion to this place. Don't be surprised if your posts are missing in the main thread - because they're now here.
     
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  11. teline

    teline True Biscuit

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    I was wondering when the Snote character would show up in Amethar. :D

    I'm getting major villain vibes from the dude.
     
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  12. skychafer

    skychafer Rebel Official

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    I would 100% not be opposed if we got more Amethar stuff in this thread.

    Have you considered making a Kickstarter for APA? :D
    Since it's not Star Wars but your own IP, you could legally get away with it.
     
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  13. Lord of the Rens

    Lord of the Rens Gatekeeper & Avatar Maker

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    My connection to the interactive side of the force has never been strongah!!

    I feel.... legendary.



    And; as such, am emboldened to make one teeny tiny additional request for Karth Drayt.... if it pleases the maker, I'd love to see either a pair of mismatched eyes behind the mask OR, a claw on a handle as his weapon of choice.

    Seems so meta to hold your enemies in place and lecture them to death. Or something.


    This [interactive] deal keeps getting better all the time.
     
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  14. teline

    teline True Biscuit

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    I'm assuming the Qovian moon elves don't necessarily like the Lyrian moon elves (and vice versa)? I can picture the snooty Lyrians probably viewing their nomadic warlord cousins as filthy barbarians. :D

    P.S. We totally need a Missy cameo as a Lyrian archoness or something.
     
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  15. Lord of the Rens

    Lord of the Rens Gatekeeper & Avatar Maker

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    No seats; for any of them, at the High Table. Ever.
     
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  16. Capt. Andrew Luck

    Capt. Andrew Luck Guardian of the Neckbeard

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    I hope you all have been keeping yourselves healthy and sane, ORPA gang. Crazy month (year? decade?) so far.
     
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  17. Darth Bob

    Darth Bob Scoundrel

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    Cheers.

    I'm looking forward to being confined for several months so I can:
    • Reread ORPA
    • Rewatch all Star Wars visual media
    • Play Star Wars The Old Republic for hours and hours
    Bring on the quarantine!
     
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  18. Alamact

    Alamact Rear Admiral
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    I imagine some of it has aged rather abysmally, but I would love it if you kept an eye out if we had some continuity errors. I have been careful about those to the best of my ability, but I'm not exactly a supercomputer.

    Currently living under martial law. My father's company narrowly escaped bankruptcy, but I doubt it will outlast the quarantine. With the introduction of new freelancer taxes designed to seize half of my income, the ability to make money off of short gigs has been dramatically dampened.

    I am considering shopping around with Amethar, perhaps opening up a crowdfunding campaign. Conceptually speaking, I have all the pieces assembled - which may have been a rather lucky feat of foresight on my part. Problem is, I don't think we have the social media reach to even attempt it. Partnering up with someone who does feels like a plausible, if futile, way to go - but in these troublesome times, I'm out of other options.

    I am all ears.
     
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  19. Darth Bob

    Darth Bob Scoundrel

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    You can be well-forgiven for that sort of thing when you've got us making story suggestions.

    [​IMG]

    There's one thing we're never out of:

    [​IMG]
     
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