Lands of Red and Gold: Artwork, Imagery and Maps

This thread is designed to showcase all of the maps, artwork and imagery which various contributors have developed for Lands of Red and Gold over the years, and to allow some posting of new works which have recently been designed. There's been a lot of this posted over the years, but being scattered throughout the endless LoRaG threads makes it difficult to track down. With this thread, it will be available in a much more concentrated form.

I will be gradually going through all of the maps, imagery and other LoRaG artworks in the old threads, and posting links to them within this thread. If any of the creators want to pre-empt that by posting links themselves, feel free to do so.

Please only post discussion here if it's specific to a particular piece of artwork, imagery, or map. I'd like to keep the thread from overflowing with general discussion. If there's any more general discussion, please keep it in the main Lands of Red and Gold thread.

To kick things off, here's the first published map of the Lands of Red and Gold timeline: EdT's map of the Formative Gunnagal.

In a past two weeks or so, I've sent Jared many illustrations of weapon designs that might fit in LoR&G to get them vetted by him. I'm going to post them here along with my description of them. If you want more information as per it's context in LoR&G universe such as for how long, exactly where was it used, by how many cultures, then you might ask Jared about that, since I don't know the LoR&G continuity that well to decide that myself.

I'm going to start in chronological order, by the time these weapons were used, and as such we start with the bronze weapons:

Early Period Bronze Sword:



This is a sword with a 2 ft. blade, weighted towards cutting. This is a common and archetypal Aururian sword design, and we shall see swords of the same shape appear in steel when iron is available. This form of sword is usually cast in one piece and the handle consists of carved pieces of hardwood attached to the hilt.

The edge is commonly cold-hardened, in that they're hammered, using special guides and tools, to a thin wafer, and that's harder than the rest of the sword. There may even be examples of swords cast using a special technique which uses higher tin bronze on the edge of the sword while using lower tin bronze on the flat of the sword, leading to a hard edge, and soft back.

Early Period Bronze "Halberd" :



This "halberd" is a common infantry weapon and combines the spear with a pick. The overall weapon is perhaps 5 ft. in length and is usually utilized by anti-formation troops, due to how versatile this pole-arm is. The pick can be used for downwards swinging, piercing blows. It can also be used to pull down shields, parry swords and redirect spear thrusts, opening up the opponent to a deadly thrusting attack.

Bronzen Maori Taiaha:

I made two designs for this weapon. Since I didn't know the specifics of the dissemination of bronze casting technology amongst the Maori, so I kept in mind two possibilities; that they learned to and cast bronze blades by their own, they traded for bronze blades with Aururians. These are early weapons, so it is a bit before Maori warfare and equipment, or their martial arts, properly adjusted to the introduction of metal weapons, so what we see here are traditional weapons with bronze introduced in there. Most probably it wouldn't be long before adaptations were made, like armour.



This first taiaha is based on the assumption that the Maori do cast bronze blades on their own, and so this has a bronze "tongue" that is a cutting blade, but blunt on the tip. It's quite a bit longer than the tongues on traditional wooden taiahas.



This second taiaha is based on the assumption that the Maori do not cast bronze blades on their own, and instead trade for them. So what we see here is actually an Aururian bronze dagger blade that's been hafted onto a taiaha.

Death Warrior Helmet:



Not a weapon per-se, this is a helmet that could probably have been used by the earliest death warriors in battle in order to present a fierce and macabre image to their enemies to maximize their shock and awe capabilities.

The helmet is carved from a hardwood and painted white and black and is in the form of a large skull. The closest reference for what it'd look like in form and function would be Mesoamerican helmets, the ones utilized by Jaguar and Eagle knights for example.

The opening would be big enough for most of the face to show through.

Aururian Steel Sword:



A common design of sword, built to specialize as a cutting sword. Usually used by infantry along with a shield. About 2.7 ft in length and has a one-handed hardwood handle.

Aururian Longsword:



This is a specialized anti-infantry and anti-formation sword is nearly 4 feet long, having a two-handed grip. This would be used by fast moving elite troops to break into formations and cut their way through, this could also break through formations of spear or pikemen by cutting off the points of the weapons or damaging them greatly.

Battleaxe:



This form of battleaxe would be common in Atjuntja around the 13th century. Elements include the spike on the top and the small bit behind the blade. The spike could be used to thrust into enemies after their weapon or shields has been pulled away or caught between the main blade or the bit.

Excellent, do you have any ideas for post contact weapons?

altwere said:

Excellent, do you have any ideas for post contact weapons?

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Since horses were introduced we would see cavalry weapons and anti-cavalry weapons. Depending on trade connections with Europeans, we might see an influx of European arms, firearms and swords specifically. What might become common is blades from Solingen, which historically made their way across the world, from Africa to India, through trade. Solingen blades were of a reputable quality, with consistent carbon content and such.

Cochlea has provided the physical descriptions of these various Aururian/Aotearoan weapons; what I'm providing is the cultural context for where and when these weapons were used.

Cochlea said:

Early Period Bronze Sword:

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This first bronze sword is what developed during the early Classical Period in the Five Rivers, c. 400-300 BC. This was an era where tin bronze was becoming gradually more available thanks to tin imports from the distant *New England highlands. With bronze becoming common enough for weapons, but not so much for armour, bronze swords such as these became employed by elite troops in the Classical Five Rivers kingdoms, because of their ability to cut through the wooden shield and quilted/leather armour which was more common amonst regular soldiers. (Regular soliders were more commonly armed with bronze-tipped spears and, if they were lucky, shorter swords).

Descendants of this sword-making style would persist for centuries, although other kinds of weapons (polearms, crushing weapons) became more common during the later Bronze Age. A similar style of sword would re-emerge in the Iron Age when the spread of iron-working meant that much more metal was available for making weapons.

Early Period Bronze "Halberd" :

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This halberd is part of the evolution of polearms in the Late Classical era. This type of weapon was first invented by the kingdom of Gulibaga (later called Watjubaga) that controlled the tin trade after the mid-fourth century AD, and acquired a near-monopoly on bronze. They developed professional soldiers (who sometimes had bronze armour), too. This halberd developed as part of the evolution from the more traditional spear, and was adopted in part because more bronze was available for the head of the weapon, and also because the increasing military professionalism of Gulibaga's armies meant that they could have better-trained troops who could make use of weapons like this halberd. (Some of them had pikes instead.)

Variations of halberds and other pole-arms became common throughout the Five Rivers - and some of the more organised other regions, such as *New England - with the collapse of the Empire.

Bronzen Maori Taiaha:

This second taiaha is based on the assumption that the Maori do not cast bronze blades on their own, and instead trade for them. So what we see here is actually an Aururian bronze dagger blade that's been hafted onto a taiaha.

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Both of these kinds of taiaha were used by the Maori. In the early days, more would be of the second type, since the Maori sometimes could not cast bronze, or even when they could, had limited resources to do it and preferred to re-use imported weapons instead. By about AD 1410-30, most of the taiaha would be of the first type.

Death Warrior Helmet:

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This was one kind of ornamentation (among many) that the death warriors developed. Death warrior ornamentation has become quite individualised, particularly after the Yadji become a full empire. Some death warriors go for helmets such as these, while others just use face paint to make them look like their face is already a skull.

Aururian Steel Sword:

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A descendant of the ancient bronze swords, this is what started to be used in the Five Rivers once iron became more common. Variants of this kind of sword would also spread to other iron-using cultures such as the Yadji and the Mutjing.

Aururian Longsword:

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One of the more recent innovations in eastern Aururian military technology, this is a style of sword developed within the Five Rivers. It is used by a few elite troops: some of the more specialised factionaries (faction-backed soldiers) in Tjibarr, and Gutjanal specialists have adopted a similar form. Its use has not yet spread to Yigutji or the Yadji by the time of European contact.

Battleaxe:

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As Cochlea mentioned, this form of battle-axe was developed by the Atjuntja during the early Iron Age (thirteenth century AD). Atjuntja weapons technology developed largely independently of that in eastern Aururia. While battle-axes were known in eastern Aururia, they never become the predominant weapon there. In contrast, the Aururia took them up as a key part of their weapon technology, and they were generally more common than swords. (Although swords were also known).

I like the detail work on these, especially the Maori weapons. Were some of them influenced by my old illustrations? The axe looks kind of familiar...

Kaiphranos said:

I like the detail work on these, especially the Maori weapons. Were some of them influenced by my old illustrations? The axe looks kind of familiar...

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Maybe? I don't remember but I did look at your art a while back. It would be cool if you could make some pictures of soldiers based on these illustrations? I can send you details on ideas of armor and such I had.

Cochlea said:

Maybe? I don't remember but I did look at your art a while back. It would be cool if you could make some pictures of soldiers based on these illustrations? I can send you details on ideas of armor and such I had.

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This is the one I was thinking of. Unfortunately I don't have as much free time as I used to; it could be fun to do a few more, like a Pakanga raider, or a Nangu.

Kaiphranos said:

This is the one I was thinking of. Unfortunately I don't have as much free time as I used to; it could be fun to do a few more, like a Pakanga raider, or a Nangu.

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What software do you use to do the art? I can try my hand at something similar. I wanted to improve upon that art to change some details which were unrealistic, like how big that bronze axe was and how Aururians were said to wear trousers as confirmed by Jared.

I forget if Jared said anything about this, but scale armor was actually historically quite rare, and always played second fiddle to either chainmail (big time), plate, or lamellar, and it would make sense for a lamellar or brigandine armor to come around rather than scale.

Another thing to point out is how some armor designs are too close to armor from outside sources, some even too European. This is odd because Aururia has been closed off to most outside civilizational and cultural complexes for most of history, and it's probable that arms and armor that will be produced will be quite alien. One more thing about isolated areas is, that once a weapon or kind of armor comes into use, it stays into use for centuries. That can be seen in Japan, which has been exceptionally conservative in those regards.

Cochlea said:

What software do you use to do the art? I can try my hand at something similar. I wanted to improve upon that art to change some details which were unrealistic, like how big that bronze axe was and how Aururians were said to wear trousers as confirmed by Jared.

I forget if Jared said anything about this, but scale armor was actually historically quite rare, and always played second fiddle to either chainmail (big time), plate, or lamellar, and it would make sense for a lamellar or brigandine armor to come around rather than scale.

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Sketched them by hand, then scanned the pen-and-ink drawings and colored them using GIMP.

Somewhere back in LoRaG thread 1, when I was originally posting these, I think I described the basis of some of the designs--Jared has elaborated somewhat in the meantime. I'd be interested to see your take on them. There are definitely some things I'd do differently today--just this morning I had a "what was I thinking" moment looking at the briyuna's tunic/loin... thing.

Kaiphranos said:

Sketched them by hand, then scanned the pen-and-ink drawings and colored them using GIMP.

Somewhere back in LoRaG thread 1, when I was originally posting these, I think I described the basis of some of the designs--Jared has elaborated somewhat in the meantime. I'd be interested to see your take on them. There are definitely some things I'd do differently today--just this morning I had a "what was I thinking" moment looking at the briyuna's tunic/loin... thing.

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Damn, don't think I'll be able to draw anything by hand. If I make this sort of thing it'll end up like mannequins.

I'll try my hand at making illustrations of fighting men.

One thing I would like to see you make would be the Yadji Death Warrior with the helmet in my previous post, I'd like to see what that'd look like in a more lifelike drawing.

I tried my hand at what a better off Gunnagal Warrior might look like, worked off of a suitable template I found, just a test to see if I can make more of such illustrations



EDIT: And to specify, he's wearing knee-length trousers, obscured by shield

So someone mentioned weapons in post-contact Aururia, one probable development would be imported weapons from Europe, most probably sword blades from Solingen.

So we have here a Aururian sword from around the early 18th-century, the blade is manufactured at Solingen and is about 3 ft in length, the hilt is native Aururian and has a brass or bronze crossguard coupled with a hardwood handle. There are many places a sword like this could pop up, I think Jared could give a better explanations of exactly who might get a hold of import swords like these and use them.

Cochlea said:

So someone mentioned weapons in post-contact Aururia, one probable development would be imported weapons from Europe, most probably sword blades from Solingen.

So we have here a Aururian sword from around the early 18th-century, the blade is manufactured at Solingen and is about 3 ft in length, the hilt is native Aururian and has a brass or bronze crossguard coupled with a hardwood handle. There are many places a sword like this could pop up, I think Jared could give a better explanations of exactly who might get a hold of import swords like these and use them.

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Imported steel is used most commonly by Tjibarr, and to a lesser degree the Yadji. By the early eighteenth century the Atjuntja aren't much in the business of ordering in weapons, while Tjibarr still has a flourishing trade in kunduri; the drug is not the monopoly it once was, but the Five Rivers is still a major centre of production. So Tjibarr can afford imported steel most readily.

This general style of sword would be used by the wealthier factionaries; either sons of aristocracy, or other proven soldiers who have "qualified" for imported steel swords. The regular troops (i.e. royal-paid) of Tjibarr wouldn't be able to afford them, really; the factions have more wealth to spare than the monarchy for that sort of extravagant importation.

Jared said:

Imported steel is used most commonly by Tjibarr, and to a lesser degree the Yadji. By the early eighteenth century the Atjuntja aren't much in the business of ordering in weapons, while Tjibarr still has a flourishing trade in kunduri; the drug is not the monopoly it once was, but the Five Rivers is still a major centre of production. So Tjibarr can afford imported steel most readily.

This general style of sword would be used by the wealthier factionaries; either sons of aristocracy, or other proven soldiers who have "qualified" for imported steel swords. The regular troops (i.e. royal-paid) of Tjibarr wouldn't be able to afford them, really; the factions have more wealth to spare than the monarchy for that sort of extravagant importation.

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This really would depend I think on whether individual warriors are allowed to trade for / purchase foreign weapons or if there's an outright ban. All the Solingen blades found in India for example may well have been due to colonial British monopolies but also because individuals could purchase the items. Chinese didn't allow subjects to buy foreign items at all, so that led to a dearth in foreign blades. Many common infantry swords were found with Solingen blades in India, so it may not be that expensive, or perhaps these blades circulated in second-hand markets.

Another thing to note, is the quality of steel and the skill of ironsmiths / bladesmiths in Aururia, if the blades they manufacture are lesser in quality, say without uniform carbon content, and such, then European blades will become a sign of prestige due to quality.

So this is part of a work in progress and is a door that would be found in the Palace of a Thousand Rooms. The complete work includes the complete doorway. This is just the door and in it one can notice specifics of Atjuntja architecture and craft.

The bottom half of the door includes a painted relief and an example of a specific form of carved Atjuntja calligraphy.

The Atjuntja writing system is a syllabry, but the number of glyphs are numerous. In fact, for any one given syllable, there might be tens of glyphs, and independent scribes may have invented some in their own writings. The Atjuntja state underwent a process of standardization to alleviate the issue, and a standardized syllabry was created with a single glyph per syllable. This was in the interest of the mercantile and bureaucratic strata, but this standardization did not reach everyone. In fact, certain craftsmen; wood carvers, pioneered a form of carved calligraphy, in which the calligrapher would pick whichever glyph he wished to construct a word for aesthetic affect, and if if words and syllables were repeated, they would not be written using the same glyphs. Furthermore, glyphs would be formed in such a way that would maximize aesthetic value, but make it essentially unreadable to the untrained eye.

This script would be written from top down, and left to right. In this form of calligraphy, a word would be formed top down with the next word in sentence next to it. The calligraphers literary skill would come into play as well, since it was preferred that sentences be constructed in poetic form, or even as complex palindromes.

The calligraphy on the door describes the scene below it. The relief is of a famous kaat-kaat of Atjuntja. This kaat-kaat notable elected to undergo ritual sacrifice at the end of his reign, in his old age. He was ultimately killed in the House of Pain with a ritual bronze dagger driven through his heart.

He is depicted with the so-called "cockatoo crown" the symbol of office for the kaat-kaat, which was decorated with gold gilt. The ritual dagger is depicted as well. He is accompanied by two crocodiles, which are seen as deities, and servants of the Lady, and is doing battle against the giant snake, who represents excessive evil and is a servant of the Lord.

The idea behind this relief being that in sacrificing himself, the kaat-kaat went on maintain cosmic balance by fighting evil.

Ah it sounds like Mayan writing, which was one of the things which took it so long to be figured out.

altwere said:

Ah it sounds like Mayan writing, which was one of the things which took it so long to be figured out.

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Close, Mayan was a syllabry but IIRC it was used mostly to write names and such. Also with Aururian syllabries, syllables ending in consonants have glyphs unto themselves, to make matters more complicated. So syllable "wa" and "wak" would have different glyphs depending on the word. Furthermore, orthography wouldn't be standardized.

Thus making sure that the scribes are always in demand.