click for larger view
Here is the new and improved map of Solturna.
As some of you might know I’ve been working on The Morae River’s new webpage. It’s been taking loner than we had originally expected but it’s coming together now and will be launched next week. When this happens this blog will turn into a news portal. I’ll be keeping all of the posts in place but most of the information will be obsolete. Some of the species have changed shape and some have been dropped all together.
A lot of the information on this blog is “out of date” and will be changed once the new website is up. I’ve replaced the older map of Solturna with this one but not the information – which, of course, will be replaced soon.
Things might go offline for a bit but hopefully we will have everything running smoothly when the transition takes place next week.
Hope everyone’s New Year is going smoothly.
Progress on “A Social Dispute” has been slow but I will be posting finals around the end of next week. I’m hoping to have the prints available for purchase toward the end of January. This is taking a little longer than expected. You can view the roughs on my other blog here —> FishHookStudio.com
I’m also excited to say that The Morae River will be moving to an actual website soon as well. I’ve finished the layouts and have handed it to my builder. I’m really excited about what we are doing with it. This blog will remain online but will transform into a news portal and will show more of my process and rough work as well as some inspiration.
In introducing the newest species, The Black Mardik, I’ve realized that a few of the species might need some editing. Whether it be the classification or the actual depiction, most species will be re-posted once the website is up and running. Some have been drawn mostly from speculation and might look very different the next time around so expect some new faces soon.
I’m also including a links page on the new site. If you have your own world building project or know of one you’d like to share, let me know. You can email me at: contact@themoraeriver.com
To those of you who were subscribed to posts last year – I lost all of my subscriber info during an update session. I apologize for the inconvenience and hope that you will enter your information again here:
Everything should be running more smoothly. To those of you who re-subscribed following my tweet and my news page entry – hopefully you will receive this post in your inboxes.
Thanks again to all of you who read and follow this blog, I really enjoy your support.
Female Black Mardik
The black mardik is the second largest tree climber in Yabun forest as well as the second largest mardik. Males can weigh up to nine kilograms and females up to seven. They are black in color with faint spotting and bright yellow markings along the neck. Black mardiks are social and live in large troops of up to 40 members. The whole of the troop is made up of smaller family groups, each governed by a dominant male and female. Dominance is decided through intimidation and is mostly carried through bloodlines and offspring.
Female Black Mardik and Young
The Black Mardik is the most numerous species of mardik in Yabun Forest. Dominant females give birth to two cubs every year. While they make great mothers, the entire troop (males included) collectively looks after the young. This behavior produces a tight network of family bonds among the troop. Mothers and caregivers will carry offspring on their backs until they are old enough to follow on foot – a common mode of transport among mardiks. Black mardik troops tend to exist on lower canopy levels than the red tailed mardik and so the two species have less chance of competing for the same food sources and territories. Red tailed mardiks are known to be highly protective over their territory and so the two species tend to stay wary of each other. Red tailed mardiks have been noted to attack black mardik troops, however, this behavior is rare and will occur only if the groups’ food sources overlap.
Male Black Mardiks
While this particular species isn’t the largest of mardiks, it is the loudest. Black mardiks use sound to communicate with each other and their calls can be heard up to 3 km away. They use these calls to mark boundaries between rival groups and also as an alarm system to warn the troop of potential enemies.
Juka Tree Flower
The flowers of the Juka tree are large and have thick waxy pedals. They offer up energy-rich nectar to animals and insects in order to pass on their pollen to other Juka trees in the area. Some of the pollinators rely solely on this flower for their active metabolisms.
"A Social Dispute" Working Cover Design
In the process of creating this “experiment” that I had mentioned before, I have decided to make it available for purchase once completed. The final product will be a six page comic that illustrates a fight for hierarchy between two Red Tailed Mardiks. The comic pages will be presented as individual, removable, full color prints and will be packaged inside of a cover folder (pictured here). Each one is hand made and will be available soon through The Morae River’s new store.
click on the image for larger view
Now that the Morae River’s show has passed and things have settled down a bit, I’ve been able to take a step back and really look at this project. What I have done so far has been very brief and really has only scratched the surface of everything that belongs to Solturna.
In the entires to come I will be diving deeper by exploring families and environments in greater detail. I’m still working on the presentation format of the blog and I’m hoping to have a “light-box” sort of display for the images so you can view them larger. The project might also take a turn in it’s context so the origin and placement of Solturna might be revealed in the coming year.
I’ll be posting an experiment in two weeks so keep an eye out for that. I am taking a graphic novel approach with the Red Tailed Mardik and will be illustrating a “social dispute” among the group.
In other news, I’m building a links page and will list other artists who are exploring similar projects in Speculative Biology. Don’t forget to check out the Announcements and Upcoming Events page for updates on The Morae River.
Thank you to all of you who have been following and reading along, I really appreciate the support!
Gramova
Gramova (celo novacula) The Gramova is a small tuft of grass that grows throughout Orcura. It is virtually indestructible and can grow in almost any climate. This grass reproduces by spreading seedlings underground through its root system. This results in the plants being inner-connected, making it one of the largest living things on the continent. The Gramova will flower in late spring and pass its pollen onto the female plants. Both plants can flower either male or female depending on variations in climate and soil composition.
Fulmos
Fulmos (humus arduus) The Fulmos is a large fungus that grows high in the Balandic Mountains. It reproduces by releasing tiny spores, which attach themselves directly to the rocks. These fungi feed on rotting plant material and nutrients in the rich volcanic soil. They have also been seen attached to carcasses and skeletons of perished animals in the area. Fulmos can grow up to 91 cm in height and are highly adaptable, living in some of the harshest climates in Solturna and all throughout Orcura.
