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Artigas — Stiffbeards
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Published: 2019-03-18 21:08:55 +0000 UTC; Views: 13838; Favourites: 261; Downloads: 0
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Description
Stiffbeards: Renowned Craftsman, they make their homes in ice caves on the vast frozen lands up north, starting around the ice bay of Forochel and all the way down in between the mountains of Angmar and the grey mountains (Ered Mithrim). Very secretive and peaceful, they avoid taking part in any troubles from the outside world at all costs. Despite their secretive ways, they are also accomplished merchants, and regularly travel vast spans of the frozen lands to trade with many diverse cultures. The items they create from exotic materials such as Ivory and bones from sea monsters are very sought after, in particular their fabled toys. Stiffbeards are ultimately free spirits, lovers of music, stories and the tribe above everything else.🎨 Your encouragement and appreciation fuel my passion for creating art. If you've enjoyed my work and would like to support it, I'd be incredibly grateful for any tips you're willing to give. Your generosity allows me to continue pursuing my artistic endeavors, and every little help counts.
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Comments: 7
Hunter and carvers. Such a very nice, and somewhat bold, take on the Stiffbeards. Perfect. Not least for how it adds to the setting as a whole by this exploration up in the far north. I'm particularly curious as to what happened with the Stiffbeard lords' magical ring.
Besides, any thoughts as to Stiffbeards and the legacy of Utumno? Could there be a long and hidden history of Stiffbeard struggle against the creatures of Morgoth up in the frigid north (kept alive in Stiffbeard songs and stories)? Perhaps they had more than enough of their share of involvement with the outside world in having to fight to survive and eradicate monstrosities who preyed upon them in these lost ages, in the cold lands outside the ruined remains of Utumno? As a clue as to their (later) peacefulness and reclusiveness. Could there have been assaults from northerly Goblins, and Angmar during its heyday in the Third Age, against some Stiffbeard holds? Perhaps the far north of Middle-Earth harbour more than emptiness and cold. Hidden away from the eyes of the southern world, under the dancing boreal lights...
And just for across-the-board consistency in the record (since you've taken the time to present each of the seven houses from this masterwork individually
and since I always leave an explicit mention under other artists' artworks whenever I've drawn particular inspiration from it), a non-Lotr drawing inspired by master Artigas' sterling work above:
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All your suppositions are excellent and close to what I imagined for the Stiffbeards. The scars left by Morgoth's citadel would be long lasting and terrible indeed. One of the Balrogs was said to be white btw, I wonder if a Icy Balrog would actually be in order.
Your concept is really nice and detailed. One of your best for sure.
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Thanks! Fleshing out Tolkien's world and bringing it to life so often is about injecting colourful takes into it, whether for cultures or creatures. Lotr is of course more restrained in most regards compared to something like Warhammer with it's bold excesses. But gut feeling alone says it's worth a try.
I like the idea of an ice Balrog, and particularly since that would make Morgoth's power over elemental nature manifest in his court. Echoes of Muspelheim and Niflheim, under the same roof.
Cheers
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Also don't forget Morgoth invented cold and Ice.
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I love all these dwarf designs! Excellent job. Is the text for each derived from Tolkien or have you expanded upon it? Most of it sounded familiar but I don't recall a dwarf house living up north in Forochel. (Then again, I'm still working my way through the History of Middle-earth so I may have missed some details.)
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Thanks for your appreciation and kind words.
It was expanded on but still as close to the source material as I managed to be, drawing conclusions from every little crumb or hint I could find.
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