Culture Sheet (NSFW, mild nudity).

With this ongoing health issue I've been under for the last 20 days I've had a massive backlog of things to catch up on, including squaring away about a dozen sketches that I've had sitting around in various states of 'scribble'.  Its been a slow process but I didn't want to rush through trying to get things cleaned up as well as trying to figure out some of the various bits of story behind it all.

In this case, its a cultural sheet that I often do for some of the races of the world to try and keep some kind of memory of the dozens and dozens of people inhabiting the world.  I find that if I simply write things down they become lost within what invariably becomes an unreadable phone-book (You pre-internet folks will know what one of those are!) of various writings about disparate subjects on the world (Organization isn't exactly my strong suit).

I've wanted, for ages now, to draw out the more primitive and tribal clans/herds of Lorrnath in Felwroth.  There aren't many of them left, as more of the world becomes explored, but some of the Lorrnathi people have actually gone back to living like they did in the old days, when they had an identity that wasn't marred with infernal possessions and causing a war that covered most of the known world.

In fact, Cinders is originally from one of these deeply tribal peoples (The Fokii Liinastenna) until she had to flee due to what they thought was a demonic heritage.

The Fokii byth Beorhtlic Cen-Fira (People of the Bright Torch-Flame) Reside in the upper mountain reaches to the North West, close enough to the coast that they also boast an affinity with water.  Their ties to torchlight and flames comes from the myth that one of their Gods appeared to the early settles as a being of pure flame to guide them through a blizzard that was set to kill them from the dark-frozen Goddess of ash.  Their residences are sturdy and made primarily of stone that keep harsh winds out, and often are set aglow with fires to cook and keep warm by.  They are still farmers, but are a Lorrnathi people who have developed an omnivore's diet, eating fish as well to sustain them in the more harsh months north of Stokenfire.

I like to imagine their style of fighting is akin to that of a dancing flame, moving in for a strike (burn) and quickly dancing away again when a return blow is thrust at them.  They don't have armor beyond perhaps rough hides or leather harnesses, or chest-plates of banded bone that some of the higher warriors and chieftains' might use.

Their priestesses are known as "Witches of Flame".  They are almost universally female, though rarely a male is born with the ability to pull from the weave of divine miracle of their burning God.  Others draw more from the arcane, though perhaps in a very primordial way that has a tendency to 'scare the Hells out of civilized folks'.

Hoping to get a few more sketches posted, as well as the more cleaned up version of this one, and some progress on the painting of Chirp and Muu as well.  Still ruminating on some future plans for posting as well, but I'll go more into that when/if the time comes.

Have a good weekend, folks!

-T.J.