[Dolmen 2.0]

Soooo....I've finally worked something up.

I owe MTS a pic of Topper fighting Cowl (in the imperial warren I s'pose). Heres what I sketched out the other day.


 TOPPER VS COWL4.jpg (66.69K)
Number of downloads: 10

It needs LOTS of work. I'd like to get your opinions on the setting and the characterization of both Topper and Cowl. There is a question of warrens employed and ages of the respective individuals. should we be seeing grey hair? What am I missing?

[D'rek]

Very nice and great choice of scene to depict!

Physical description-wise, I think Cowl gets a good description early in RotCG

Spoiler

when he shows up to murder the Ascendant

but I can't look it up for you 'cause my RotCG is in a box somewhere. I seem to recall he has some characteristic scars. I don't think he would look old, as he is a mage of considerable skill, plus he's Avowed, plus you have to stay in shape to be an assassin-mage!


Topper:

Quote

"The figure – a man by his height – was swathed in shades of green: cloaked, hooded, wearing a faded tunic and linen leggings above green dyed leather boots. A single long-knife, the weapon of choice among Seven Cities warriors, was slung through a thin belt. The man’s hands, faintly grey in the afternoon light, glittered with rings, rings on every finger, above and below the knuckles
[...]
His face was long, the skin a lighter shade of grey, the eyes dark and strangely angled. He looked to be in his early thirties, though his hair was white."

and also he's pretty tall.

Though in his Tatterdemalion/Rag-man guise he may look quite different, beyond just the ragged silks for clothing.


Weapons-wise, both seem to use long-knives and Cowl I believe had throwing knives at some point.

Warrens-wise, Topper definitely favours Rashan/Kurald Galain so voids, waves and tendrils would certainly be the way to go.

Cowl's magic seems to be most heavily favouring a lot of moving in-and-out of warrens (Topper being equally capable of this, too, though), as well as being undetectable (visually, orally and by magic sensors) and being able to pierce through all sorts of defensive wards and barriers. You could show this by having one of his weapons glowing with magic as it cuts through a wave of magic or a ward of Topper's. Cowl also hurled some projectile attacks against Silanah, so he's certainly capable of that, too.


Setting-wise, the part that I really like about the Topper-Cowl duel is how Possum muses that they'll be constantly jumping in and out of all sorts of warrens as they fight - Claws and other assassins pop out of one warren to ambush all the time, but Cowl and Topper seem uniquely capable of constantly shifting warren every few seconds to try and get the drop on each other and it's a very neat idea. I think you should try to include that, if you can - something like Cowl stepping from warren A into warren B, and Topper from warren B into warren C, mid-fight and with open portals showing other worlds beyond. Might be really hard to do, but totally worth it...

[MTS]

I'll admit, I had totally forgotten asking for this, but it's just made my day, and looks great so far.

As for Cowl, here's what I could find description-wise in ROTCG:

Quote

The lead one Kyle knew for Cowl, hatchet-faced, bearing blue curled tattoos at his chin and a thatching of pearly knife-scars at his neck.

Quote

Cowl relaxed, let his hands fall from the crossed baldrics and belts beneath his cloak.

Topper:

Quote

The other, Topper, stepped into view: long tangled white hair, dark-faced, clothes hanging rags. But his eyes! Angular and bright like lamps.

Here's a description of the first part of their fight, with more description of Topper in it as well:

Quote

He threw himself sideways but not quickly enough as a new figure appeared, leaping from a Warren to lash out, kicking him in his side, sending him tumbling down into the blast crater. This new figure launched himself after, scarecrow thin, tattered clothes flapping, his long white hair a dirty tangle. He leapt upon Cowl and the two slashed at each other, dirt and dust billowing in a blur of shifting feet, rolls, sweeps, grips attempted and broken, and throws.

A kick from Cowl sent the other flying backwards, but in the air an arm snapped forward and a thin blade slammed into the Guard assassin. He gestured, disappeared into a Warren and the other, landing cat-like on his feet, white hair flying, waved to disappear as well.

So their fighting style is fairly similar, consisting of leaping from cover with projectile weapons, knife-thrusts and Warren blasts. D'rek's idea sounds like a brilliant way to incorporate that.

[Dolmen 2.0]

It seems like topper has almost andiian features. Is there a connection? The white hair and grey skin is very odd.

Drek! You wonderful wonderful human being you! What an idea! Im thinking of having topper leaping back into meanas while topper sidesteps out of rashan...or something. Might be a bit obvious though.

[D'rek]

Dolmen+, on 25 May 2012 - 10:27 AM, said:

It seems like topper has almost andiian features. Is there a connection? The white hair and grey skin is very odd.

Topper is half-Andii (or is it a quarter Andii?), so yes!

Dolmen+, on 25 May 2012 - 10:27 AM, said:

Drek! You wonderful wonderful human being you! What an idea!

Aww thanks!

Dolmen+, on 25 May 2012 - 10:27 AM, said:

Im thinking of having topper leaping back into meanas while topper sidesteps out of rashan...or something. Might be a bit obvious though.

^^you said Topper twice. Then again, I'm sure he could make a double of himself with Meanas...

I think Topper coming out of a dark-void-like portal to Rashan/Galain and Cowl leaping back into a portal to the jungles of Tellan or fiery Telas/Thyr/Kurald Thyrllan would be a good contrast, especially if set in the plain grey Imperial Warren!

[LaymanK]

I like it. DO you have any interest in contributing some art to the Malazan Card Game?

http://www.cheekydin...-card-game.html

Let me know if you do. DO you have other samples of your work somewhere online?

[Dolmen 2.0]

@ Drek: Yeah I said topper twice indeed. Damn. But I agree, a rashan vs thyr image would really resonate well with the battle of the two.

I'll post up a mock up 2mrw evening. Oooooh the ideas are flowing!

@ laymanK: my work is all over the show actually. Have a look in the gallary or on deviantart under shadaan. Plenty of malaz related stuff up already. Can't commit much time to your project though, well not rightt now anyways, Sorry.

[Dolmen 2.0]

OK!

Slight mix up with my USB's....This is a draft back from where I'm at.

 TOPPER VS COWL6-3.jpg (141.16K)
Number of downloads: 2

I currently have fiery Thyrr (with a sun?) behind cowl and a curly tattoo on his chin. Topper is emerging
from a black tentacle leftover of rashan holding a levitating ball of darkness.

I have no clue what to do with the imperial warren. I remember no description of a light source in it. as
it is it seems pretty bland.

This post has been edited by Dolmen+: 26 May 2012 - 04:29 PM

[D'rek]

That's just a draft?!

Also, Dolmen, you work really really fast! Very impressed!

Dolmen+, on 26 May 2012 - 11:24 AM, said:

I have no clue what to do with the imperial warren. I remember no description of a light source in it. as
it is it seems pretty bland.

Yeah, I don't remember any mention of lighting in it, either - I think the whole warren is just always at about a dusky light level, with no clear source. Cowl's open warren could be adding a sort of spotlight effect shining on it, though.

As for the bland, litter the ground with sinkholes and piles of bones, perhaps? And/or hide a few skykeeps in the background

[Seiko]

Wow. Looking good.

[Abyss]

That new one is obscene.
Seriously. Damn you and all your fucking talent for that. fuck.

My only comment is that from the angle of his head Topper doesn't seem to be looking at Cowl.
And if you wanted, you could add a thin knife sticking out of Cowl somewhere to reflect the fight in the book.

But seriously, fuck.

[Imperial Historian]

I absoloutely love this. Am i completely offbase on Thyr having 3 suns? Can't place the reference, anyway having Thyr with a sun definitely fits. Agreed with d'rek, I don't think the imperial warren has a light source, in fact it's specifically described as dark when Kalam and Minala enter, dusky level of light seems right, the largly featureless wasteland you've got looks very similar to how I imagine the imperial warren.

[Sinisdar Toste]

thyr, or perhaps more accurately kurald thyrllan, seems to have a lot of suns.

DoD spoilers:

Spoiler

when the shake fall onto the light side of gallan's road, there are five suns in the sky before they manage to escape. i think. maybe four?

[Dolmen 2.0]

hah, glad to get so much feed back on this one. Its quickly becoming a favourite for me. Im currently working up on d'reks advice.

I have gotten rid of the sun in the imperial warren, added a tiny sun to thyr.

@ abyss: you're right, topper seems to be looking to the right. The angle is quite funky but i'll play around with it, see if i can get it right.

[Dolmen 2.0]

I'd like to think this is the finished article but I'm gonna run it through a few critics to see what I can tune up...


See if you can spot the dragons and the skykeeps

 TOPPER VS COWL6-5 (reduced).JPG (125.49K)
Number of downloads: 1

[Isa]

I spy both dragons and skykeeps. Looks awesome, Dolmen. It's probably just a coincidence but the red of Cowl's warren looks a bit like curled wings

This post has been edited by Isolde: 30 May 2012 - 11:09 AM

[Imperial Historian]

This looks far too awesome, hugely impressed.

[Macros]

Awesome

[Gust Hubb]

Blown away. Why don't you design our Malazan covers?

[Grimjust Bearegular]

Holy craparoo, Dolman! You've seriously levelled up your skills lately...this is fantastic!


My only crit would be that the light from Thyr should affect the picture as a whole a bit more. And Cowl should be more brightly lit, with a hard edge-light or halo of sorts, due to the suns at his back. I would also consider adding some colour to your shadows, some blues and purples maybe, and maybe add some glow to the warren portal...