FA+
Shop
997
Views
Views
24
Favorites
Favorites
Category
All / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 758 x 1280
File Size 145.4 kB
Report this content
More from baroncoon
In 14th century Andur, and the modern world, the largest non-mythical people you will come across are the elephants. With a height topping out at just over 8ft they are the titans of the world. They also represent about the maximum size that the human-style non-magical body can take before gravity starts making it a game of diminishing returns. Even with their massive skeletons, joint and impressive muscles they're prone to suffering from joint and back problems. Combined with their somewhat low fertility rate it makes the sight of an elephant moving through the marketplace in Andur an occassion that even the jaded locals take notice.
Therefore it is rather unprecedented that there is in Andur about 90 to 100 elephants residing within the city walls. Usually semi-nomadic herders who keep to the interior where they move their herds of bindals on a year long circuit from watering holes and grazing land, the elephants way of life has been recently disrupted by upcoming war between Andur and Caliphate in Baghdad. In an effort to secure watering holes and grazing lands for the Caliphate's army and cavalry of the Caliphate has begun seizing their waterholes and herds along possible routes of invasion leading over the mountains into Andur. This has befuddled and enraged the elephants since they've borne no ill will to Caliphate in the past and being Muslims they can not understand why brothers of Allah would do such things to them.
As a result many have fled over the mountains and have sought out refuge in Andur. There many have agreed to join the Sultan's army in an attempt to stop the Caliphate's aggressive expansion south, and in an attempt to regain their territories. Sultan has agreed to return their lands if they are successful in driving the Caliphate away.
While great warriors, the elephants do present certain challenges to Dawn and the Andurian Army. They come from a warrior tradition and their bravery is not in question; however they are now receiving a crash course in learning the difference between being a tribal warrior and being a soldier. Also the Sultan is left grappling with how equip them and use them best in his army. By nature they are axe wielders both hand held and throwing. However with the exception of their massive hide shields they wear almost no armor, and they have discovered unfortunately that their shields only provided some protection against the recurved composite bows of Andur and the Caliphate. Also their consumption of rations threatens to scramble up the carefully calculated logistics for the army.
To further aggravate the problems other tribes of elephants that have not yet been impacted by the Caliphate but upon hearing the tales of woe about their fellow elephants have converged on Andur to lend solidarity to their brother's and sister's cause and to find what the Sultan is going to do about! Therefore the Sultan suddenly finds his "things to do" list even more crowded!
Therefore it is rather unprecedented that there is in Andur about 90 to 100 elephants residing within the city walls. Usually semi-nomadic herders who keep to the interior where they move their herds of bindals on a year long circuit from watering holes and grazing land, the elephants way of life has been recently disrupted by upcoming war between Andur and Caliphate in Baghdad. In an effort to secure watering holes and grazing lands for the Caliphate's army and cavalry of the Caliphate has begun seizing their waterholes and herds along possible routes of invasion leading over the mountains into Andur. This has befuddled and enraged the elephants since they've borne no ill will to Caliphate in the past and being Muslims they can not understand why brothers of Allah would do such things to them.
As a result many have fled over the mountains and have sought out refuge in Andur. There many have agreed to join the Sultan's army in an attempt to stop the Caliphate's aggressive expansion south, and in an attempt to regain their territories. Sultan has agreed to return their lands if they are successful in driving the Caliphate away.
While great warriors, the elephants do present certain challenges to Dawn and the Andurian Army. They come from a warrior tradition and their bravery is not in question; however they are now receiving a crash course in learning the difference between being a tribal warrior and being a soldier. Also the Sultan is left grappling with how equip them and use them best in his army. By nature they are axe wielders both hand held and throwing. However with the exception of their massive hide shields they wear almost no armor, and they have discovered unfortunately that their shields only provided some protection against the recurved composite bows of Andur and the Caliphate. Also their consumption of rations threatens to scramble up the carefully calculated logistics for the army.
To further aggravate the problems other tribes of elephants that have not yet been impacted by the Caliphate but upon hearing the tales of woe about their fellow elephants have converged on Andur to lend solidarity to their brother's and sister's cause and to find what the Sultan is going to do about! Therefore the Sultan suddenly finds his "things to do" list even more crowded!
Category All / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 758 x 1280px
File Size 145.4 kB
The sultan has to move carefully there. A lot of warriors would be offended by the idea of being called or treated as mercenaries. Besides, it wouldn’t solve the problem of integrating them into Dawn’s planning and organization, which is critical. As well, it might seem ungrateful, after they’ve traveled so far to offer their alliance, to fob them off like that.
A lot of warriors would be offended by the idea of being called or treated as mercenaries.
Is this an Andur thing? My own reading has indicated that a lot of tribal warriors were pretty happy to rent themselves out to neighbors who needed fighters. Heck, one Sogdian (Iranian Central Asia) city-state asked a Turkish chieftain to 'bring whoever he could find' when they were fighting the Tibetan Empire. He showed up with approximately 200,000 men!
Is this an Andur thing? My own reading has indicated that a lot of tribal warriors were pretty happy to rent themselves out to neighbors who needed fighters. Heck, one Sogdian (Iranian Central Asia) city-state asked a Turkish chieftain to 'bring whoever he could find' when they were fighting the Tibetan Empire. He showed up with approximately 200,000 men!
Wow. I'd never thought of a Moslem, and herding, culture of anthro elephants. I'd actually thought about it and assumed because of the large size and because of ties to India and Thailand, that they'd be farmers and quasi-Hindu. What's their tribal structure like, are they matriarchal?
Well first off these are African elephants not Indian. On the subcontinent you'll elephants there to. Some have converted to the teachings of Muhammad while others still adhere to the Hindu fatih. Even Africa there are elephants who following the animistic religions of Africa.
Concerning their herds, bindals are a large proto-bison creatures that takes the place of cattle in my dreamscapes. Their raised primarily to provide milk and cheese for the tribe along with leather, sinew and meat that they trade with our non-elephant tribes for trade goods. They only eat a small amount of meat themselves. Sometimes they trade livestock itself for barter or coin.
As I said they are semi-nomadic and part of tribe stays at the tribe's main water source and raises crops. Unfortunately for most of the tribes there is not enough water to raise the crops, serve the needs of the village for water consumption and tend to the herds needs. Therefore most of the males will go with the herds and take them to watering holes in the area and to graze the herds up in the hills. Since other tribes, of various species, will sometimes try to rustle bindals from the herd the men of the tribe go along to protect them from that and from wild predators that would attack the herds. In fact going out with the herd is considered one of the rites of passage for young males. Only under cases of extreme hardship will the entire tribe move at once.
The tribal structure and pecking order is very location sensitive. Outside the village the males are dominant. Within the village the females exercise a wide degree power over decisions. Especially concerning the children, or until the boys reach the age of 12 which is when they start following the herds up into the hills. Hope this wasn't too long of a reply.
Concerning their herds, bindals are a large proto-bison creatures that takes the place of cattle in my dreamscapes. Their raised primarily to provide milk and cheese for the tribe along with leather, sinew and meat that they trade with our non-elephant tribes for trade goods. They only eat a small amount of meat themselves. Sometimes they trade livestock itself for barter or coin.
As I said they are semi-nomadic and part of tribe stays at the tribe's main water source and raises crops. Unfortunately for most of the tribes there is not enough water to raise the crops, serve the needs of the village for water consumption and tend to the herds needs. Therefore most of the males will go with the herds and take them to watering holes in the area and to graze the herds up in the hills. Since other tribes, of various species, will sometimes try to rustle bindals from the herd the men of the tribe go along to protect them from that and from wild predators that would attack the herds. In fact going out with the herd is considered one of the rites of passage for young males. Only under cases of extreme hardship will the entire tribe move at once.
The tribal structure and pecking order is very location sensitive. Outside the village the males are dominant. Within the village the females exercise a wide degree power over decisions. Especially concerning the children, or until the boys reach the age of 12 which is when they start following the herds up into the hills. Hope this wasn't too long of a reply.
Glad your enjoying the show. In a way I'm just using FA along with my sketchbook as expanded version of my dream journal. Before this my sketchbooks had to do all the work. now I flesh things out in more detail. I'm also using some these posts as very rough outlines for my someday Andur book project.
Fascinating! I thoroughly enjoy reading all of the details you have explaining the context these drawings take place in, and this one is no exception. I wonder what happens next in this tale.
I also love how you included the fennec (Abdul, I'm guessing) for further size comparison. I bet he's barely waist high to this elephant visitor!
I also love how you included the fennec (Abdul, I'm guessing) for further size comparison. I bet he's barely waist high to this elephant visitor!
Some but even still it can be a dicey situation against a recurve composite bow. Especially at closer ranges, 200m or less, with bodkin style arrowheads and with draw weights approaching 150+ lbs in some cases there is very little short of full plate that won't have problems, At this time armor styles of area are Lamellar, chain mail, scale, and various forms of curboilli harden leather with assorted metal bits attached.
It depends on the cultures involved and their notions of honor and warrior virtue—many were perfectly happy fighting for money; many others regarded it as beneath them. Until he knows how the elephants in particular feel abut the idea, the sultan has to err on the side of discretion and assume they might be offended by the idea.
Also, he and Dawn are trying to pursue a policy of professionalization, based on hard lessons learned by modern military organizations, which eschews mercenaries in favor of locally raised and trained forces. Baron’s mentioned specifically the headaches they’re having trying to figure out how to integrate the elephants into their plans.
Also, he and Dawn are trying to pursue a policy of professionalization, based on hard lessons learned by modern military organizations, which eschews mercenaries in favor of locally raised and trained forces. Baron’s mentioned specifically the headaches they’re having trying to figure out how to integrate the elephants into their plans.
Comments