Curious if anyone is aware of iconography associated with the different rulers? And has examples of Images?
I know of course Hamanu is repeatedly referred to as ‘The Lion of Urik’ but I’m curious if it the lion we know and thus some mythological creature for the rest of Athas (I think this is true as he is described in very typical leonine features when transformed) or some new version of lion?
I’m running City by the Silt Sea currently and it mentions Abalach-re’s signet ring and I’m curious how it may appear. This is mostly for my own edification in the lore but I’d be happy to know how the different rulers represent themselves.
I’m trying to recall where else they refer to possible images such as stamped on ceramic pieces or carved onto walls.
City by the Silt Sea does give two different versions of Dregoth’s amulet and describes dragon and scale motif’s throughout the ruins of Guistenal.
There are mentions of lions in the encounter tables in the setting guides/monstrous manuals but as far as I’m aware that is about the limit to what is said about lions. I’d guess that what lions are around are rare and probably a little bit warped compared to what we are used to. Possibly with psionics as well because everything is better with psionics.
The City of Nibenay uses the Cilops on it’s flag and given the Shadow-King crossed his son Dhojakt with one in the amber enchantress I believe it to be his personal animal.
More to the point of your post OP. Abalach-Re is known for encasing her favoured lovers in amber crystals to preserve their beauty. I my campaign I associate that behavior with bees making amber crystals from hardened golden royal jelly.
The Veiled Alliance book refers to Abalach-re as the Grand Vizier and mentions her trying to promote worship of a fake deity named “Badna” which is represented by a grinning sun.
That sounds fairly recent and to me a little off, considering most of the Sorcerer-monarchs prefer the worship and adoration be directed towards them, but this was maybe a conscious choice considering that Tectititlay specifically promotes himself as a God.
the VA also references Raam as having previously earned wealth through mining and specificaly calls out a famous blue sapphire the ‘Star of Badna’.
I think the Badna name came later on but I’m sure that references to Abalach-re claiming her right to rule came from a higher power was referenced back in the initial Wanderers Journal.
There was an article in a Polyhedron magazine that described the coins produced in the various city-states, with the gold coins having imagery associated with the SKs. Urik was a fire maned lion, Nibenay a cilops, Balic a sheath of grain, Tyr a ziggurat, Gulg an agafari tree, Raam was a four armed man who is meant to be Badna and Draj a mythical smoking obsidian mirror.
Abalach-re always promoted a higher power than herself. Even in the original boxed set. She believed (falsely) that her people were too stupid to realize badna didn’t exist and that they would blame it for their lot in life instead of her.
Gave it a bit of thought and I don’t think Draj has a specific animal as their symbol. Tectuktitlay is the father of Ral and Guthay. He is the god of the moons and as such his city must have the two moon on it’s flag.
With know before his demise Dregoth was obsessed with Dragon iconography and the city architecture reflects this. With his undeath and creation of the Dray I don’t see this changing. So Giustenal symbol must be the Dragon.
Moving on we have Gulg. The Oba presents herself as the forest goddess but I don’t recall reading anywhere mentioning an animal so from my head cannon I would probably go with some sort of jungle creature. I would like to avoid the cliche of a black panther so instead I would suggest something serpentine. A giant psionic constrictor which is also deadly venomous. Snakes are often presented as being sinuous and beautiful which would reflect well on the Oba.
Andropinis I have no idea. Balic is a port city so perhaps some long forgotten Fish emblem like a huge Athasian Shark.
This is correct, thanks for pointing me back to the box set. It does talk about a higher power but not ‘Badna’ specifically, which probably was added in VA.