Tag Archives: Plane of Dreams

It Figures: the Garruk

Because in the end you need to show, not tell

WHO:

Created with Nokia RefocusThe Garruk are a created race of Despair, perhaps Mauglor’s answer to the birth of Dwarves and Halflings by the Hopelords in the Age of Balance. Roughly humanoid in shape, Garruk have dark, swarthy skin and pronounced musculature, jutting underjaws and lethal tusks. Garruk males are so warlike that they cannot remain long with females or young, and they even attack other males unless driven by a strong leader or powerful magic to cooperate for a time. Their combat prowess is fearsome, and if they did not weed out so many of their own number waiting for battle they might have proved a truer weapon in the hands of Despair’s Lieges. Since the Battle of the Razor the peace of Hope brought order and stability to most kingdoms, wiping out the garruk nearly everywhere. But in the Percentalion and in other remote unsettled corners, this race can still be encountered.

WHY:

It’s an important distinction of epic fantasy– I would argue essential– that there are beings whose complete evil is evident on first sight. Sometimes you can judge the book Created with Nokia Refocusby its cover, and creatures like the garruk (and the undead) mean that restraint is no longer required. Certainly every effort is usually needed to defeat even a small band of roving garruk: Treaman’s party encounters them in the upcoming Tale of Hope Reunion of Souls:

“Light of stars,” Mhoral breathed, “so many.”
The party had heard of the evil garruk in the taverns of Trainertown, and Haltar spent several evenings with the veterans, getting stories for liquid cheer. Mhoral claimed to know much from his Elven heritage, and Linya had consulted the town sage–scribe, really–for a look at the kingdom chronicle. There were no garruk in Novar, Treaman knew, nor would any other Hopeful kingdom suffer the presence of the ranks of Despair. Only in the midst of chaos could their tribes exist on this side of the Swords of Stone; where they had hidden for the first ten centuries after the Battle of the Razor, no one could say. Pitted against the land the same as the kingdom’s true inhabitants, they seemed somehow better used to the flux cursing the badlands between those pockets of calm like Maladon that still survived… On their first foray, the party had encountered a small band of five warriors, and defeated their reckless charge by Haltar’s prowess and Linya’s bolts. In more ancient times, stories claimed war-bands as large as sixscore or more, but recent tales only told of roving, disorganized packs between four and ten.
But now, seventeen stocky, gnarled humanoids marched into view, led by an example of masculine horror taller than Treaman and moving, like his warriors, to the wounding hammer-beat of the Thralltap.

-Judgement’s Tale Part 3, Reunion of Souls

The fabled Thralltap is one of the only ways a band of garruk males can be controlled, and the powers of these sorcerous drums, as shown in that battle scene, are truly incredible.

Over the centuries, it would appear that the original Garruk race split off into two or perhaps three factions. Most creatures seen by the Children of Hope are nearly human-sized and act as described. But according to legend the first garruk ever created were enormous, more upright and powerful, still warlike but able to direct themselves as well as an evil Man or Elf. These Garruk-thann, whose existence is doubted by sages, but whom the Tributarians met in The Plane of Dreams, would immediately obtain obedience from any number of garruk they encountered.

Created with Nokia RefocusOn the other side of the ledger, it would appear that the bloodlines of the garruk race degenerated in places, leading to the creation of a smaller and decidedly-less dangerous offshoot known as Grinaki. Though weak and far less brave than their larger cousins, grinaki are incredibly fecund and able to live together in tribes for greater safety. Treaman’s party sees sign of grinaki in the pine barrens around Oncario, in the upcoming Tale, The Eye of Kog. Grinaki rely on numbers, traps, surprise and almost absurd rituals of morale-boosting whenever possible before facing Children of Hope: in combat they are of course dangerous, but not able to withstand much poor fortune, and often flee after the first pass, or in the face of any open display of magic. This can mislead adventurers into believing that their larger cousins will also rout, but garruk seldom do.

HOW:

I pulled the display table next to the back door and tried natural sunlight, which Created with Nokia Refocusseemed to work a little better (maybe next time I’ll go for full sunlight, but I have a feeling it will be too much). The figures used here are fairly good representations, despite the curious habit that Ral Partha and other figurine sculptors had, of labeling them “orcs”. I fault myself for the skin-tone choices on the Garruk-thann; as I mentioned in an earlier column I wanted the musculature to show, but in fact his skin would be near to ebony. These archetypes of war often bear heavy armor (without the usual encumbrance due to their tremendous strength). I show each of the sub-races together for scale; if that were an actual shot the Grinaki would most likely be prone in worship. I tend to stay away from “action-shots” as that strays too close to the bounds of the writing itself. But I wanted to show heroes in contrast to the grinaki, again for scale, and went back to the normal Nokia lens as the Refocus is no good outside of six-inches distance! This shows the grinaki in their usual tactic- they believe outnumbering their foes by more than two to one and attacking from behind will be enough to carry the day. Most likely they are headed for deep disappointment, as usual.

I hope this column will serve to amuse and inspire authors and readers alike, and I encourage sharing and feedback. Let the internet know it’s not always bright and beautiful in the Lands of Hope!

 

It Figures: Galethiel Nomenseer

Because in the end you need to show, not tell.

WHO:

Galethiel is the heroine who very nearly wasn’t– and unlike other heroes of the Lands who died or went away, we would have had no story at all to tell without her. In fact, we could not even have dreamed it.

Created with Nokia RefocusGalethiel, a human sorceress later known as the Nomenseer, was one of the Tributarians, with the band for their epic (as yet unchronicled) adventures on the Shimmering Mindsea. Many things happened there– a whole book’s worth, in fact– but for our purposes mainly two. Galethiel acquired a mystic headpiece or tiara called Nomen, possessed of rudimentary intelligence and able to name any being she comes in contact with. And Galethiel had a very strange experience with a black stone globe, which put her to sleep and gave her a dream unlike any other. When the Tributarians returned from the desert awash in treasure, she began to study the meaning and purpose of dreams, coming to suspect there was a tangible reality behind them.  As The Plane of  Dreams begins, Galethiel retires to study, apparently removing herself from any chance to play the hero with her former companions. But the best-laid plans…

Galethiel is a red-haired human and a mage, which in the elven kingdom of Argens are the three perfect ingredients in a dish called “impulsive and dangerous”. Her dress Galethiel2sense is far beyond that of most adventurers, who generally opt for armor and weapons that work well, rather than match. Her tall headpiece only adds to the imposing figure she cuts, and the thick black cedarwood staff she carries, topped by a golden spinning sphere, is sufficient to clear a path in the mall or on the road. In truth Galethiel is quite kind and honest, perhaps even a bit introverted, at least until someone provokes her. But it’s no use– everyone knows human mages are on a hair-trigger, learning too much and having too few years left to live!

WHY:

It is one of the most amazing experiences of my long chronicling career, that there appear to be no coincidences. Galethiel is a prime example. After the adventures I describe, she gained an interest that I thought would take her forever out of the world I was following. But this discovery, and a small, seemingly-random conversation with Meandar, changed the course of history. By doing what she thought was best, following her heart on a path of discovery, she found not less peril but more, and eventually was Created with Nokia Refocusthe key to saving the known world. Other adventurers I’ve seen HAVE indeed retired, but Galethiel, as well as Sir Qerlak on the foef where she lives, have both discovered that traditional “out there” adventuring is not the only stage for heroism.

Galethiel also has numerous interesting relationships, both friend and foe. Chief among these of course is Qerlak Barleybane, former Trib and newest lord of Mon-Crulbagh. The barony of Dargor is starting to buzz about the rumored relationship between the elven lord and human commoner, all but forbidden in polite society. The bond between adventuring companions is hard for most to fathom, but if any of Qerlak’s peers were wont to sneer at his eccentricities, it gives them pause to know that he has a sorceress on his staff.

Created with Nokia RefocusGalethiel attracts some attention from a roving bard named Bleys Eversong (in the upcoming Tale of Hope, The Test of Fire). Thanks to her part in saving the world in its dreams, Bleys is either in love with the sorceress or perhaps agog at her celebrity. He has dedicated a song to her, and taken to wearing her colors. Qerlak’s reaction to this is as yet unclear– Bleys knows a lot of history the new lord does not and has been helpful in other ways.

And her chief nemesis from the Plane of Dreams is Nightmare, who put a chill into her on several occasions, and into me as well:

{Galethiel in her dream can see a row of herself, stretching back into the past, but now notices something else}

… this time, she could make out a vaguely man-like shape.
The darkness appeared next to the row of doubles: Galethiel kept her focus on it as she rose, and when the line came in view, she could still see the shadow. The figure was not actually black, but of such a dark shade of green as to seem so: contrasted with the ivory glow of the world its shadow was magnified.
And moving.
It was a he, Galethiel felt certain- twisted, alien of features and moving as someone used to absolute command, yet draped in what looked like a shredded covering of moss or dirty emerald tar. Now the tug of consciousness sharpened like a fisherman’s line. As she watched in repulsion, he loomed close to the side of one of the row, inspecting her double from head to toe and searching for something. After a long minute, it was clear he did not find it; turning away from the line, he seemed to extrude a part of his clothing, or himself, into an irregular, curving horn: though its narrow end was far too small to contain him, he entered it nevertheless and disappeared, drawing the substance of his conduit after him.
In no time at all, another horn appeared, next to the Galethiel one closer to Created with Nokia Refocuswhere she stood. The tattered green figure emerged from it, and began to inspect this self. It was as if he could not see any of the others in the row, but had only himself and this copy in all the white world. By now, Galethiel was practically gasping for breath, fighting to contain her fear and to stay asleep as well, and losing on both fronts. How many more, until he caught up to her sleeping on this night?
His inspection completed, the green man turned to leave, but just as his horn was forming, he seemed to start, aware of some other presence. As he turned back in Galethiel’s direction, she could tolerate it no longer, and retreated towards the waking world with unpracticed haste. Just before she awoke, she saw from full-on a glimpse of a hateful, omnipotent face, who saw her in turn…

The Plane of  Dreams

HOW:

Created with Nokia RefocusIt’s official– I am obsessed about light and I cannot seem to get it right when I shoot. I turned on every lamp in the room, put a Coleman lantern just out of frame to one side, and I still needed to balance a flashlight over my head while trying to snap the shots with my other hand. The red satin background was, I thought, more appropriate to the Plane of Dreams setting, because it bubbled up so easily as the terrain does there. Plus it sets off Galethiel’s hair! But I think it made contrast and bringing out detail more difficult.

She doesn’t have her famous staff, but is clearly holding her arm out for it, and most everything else about the Galethiel fig is right, so kudos once again to Ral Partha. She has some wear and tear as appropriate to such a long-standing heroine. The Nightmare Created with Nokia Refocusfigure is so not, obviously– he’s Gothmog, the Mouth of Sauron, but the color of him was about right, so that’s what I used at need.

I hope this entry serves to inspire and amuse writers and readers alike. Some day you’ll hear more of what Galethiel achieves in The Test of Fire.

I’m getting wonderful shares from this column and I thank all of you whoever you are for that- please keep it up! Ar Aralte