April Release Preview
View the Collection Files
April is usually still cold where I'm from, but here in Jebel Irhoud, it's always hot! This collection is centered around the Geometer's Guild, the engineers and mage-scientists of the CobraMode world. Sometimes the study of the intricate workings of the world introduces an element of mysticism, and this is no less true for the Geometers. Their study of magic and its mechanisms spawns a lot of strange ideas, theories, and practices, and some of the fruits of these studies can be seen in our Tara'iq Geometers, Sarab and Qamar. The Tannit Geometers who deal with stars and heavenly bodies are only slightly more practical, with young Thuraya being somewhat of a mischievous outlier. Keeping them all in line with the Guild Laws is Naila, a Hakam Geometer who watches over and regulates the other Geometers, no matter how powerful. We also have a fantastical and eerie terrain piece which might be sentient...
Speaking of terrain, our bases and terrain pack was sculpted by Kittifizz and Calrais, with concept art from Paul Ferret! As usual they've done a fantastic job, and there are a lot of great pieces to build out mini scenes or dioramas.
We have caught up with March stats, and Conflux Creatures is starting work on April. Hoping to get that knocked out by mid-month, while I load the stats into our MMF listings. It's going to take awhile, but for now you'll be able to access all the stats through our Patron Download Links according to Collection. If you need to reference a model's collection, you can search our CobraCompendium, which has a numbered listing at the end (along with all our lore so far, an impressive 86 pages!!)
Here's this month's lore:
Thuraya - Tannit GeometerThuraya is a young geometer who studies constellations and the power that comes from connections between stars. A bit of a trickster, much of the focus of her studies is in the creation of practical joke magic which she uses on her peers, to the dismay of her tutors. She’s particularly adept at levitation using the joined gravitational pull of distant stars, a delicate and impressive magic - if only it were put to good use, instead of being used to float her classmates and their belongings over balconies and fountains. She has much potential to be a great Geometer one day, but has no aspirations to that end.
The Tara’iq Geometers are concerned with the laws and systems that govern the workings of the universe, which can range from physics of all types, to prediction of weather patterns, or even studying behavior.
Qamar - Tara’iq GeometerPossessed of a lifelong fascination with the seemingly unpredictable, Qamar has spent much time experimenting and studying chaos theory. His discovery and connection to the Barrow Realm of Al-Badri led to much exciting research surrounding the intricate effects of cascading conditions, his chief invention from this being the Barzakh Orb. As the outer patterns shift and swirl, it is able to adjust the probability of conditions within its field, causing surprising transmutations of whatever is placed inside. Eager to observe the effects on a living creature, Qamar tested it on himself. He must now continually wear the Barzakh orb, with its ever-shifting surface, in order to keep his body stabilized. Due to the conditions imposed on his cells by the orb, he may now spontaneously mutate or even disintegrate without it. The shifting orb's field counteracts unfavorable developments in real-time, which also has the interesting effect of making him nigh immortal. His peers are split in opinion on whether this is a horrifying consequence or amazing discovery, with Qamar himself falling somewhere in between. Though he mourns the necessity of wearing the Barzakh Orb permanently, it has also furthered his research exponentially. There are many Geometers who think it reckless, however, to play with the delicate balance of natural systems the way that he does.
Sarab - Tara’iq Arch GeometerInducted as Arch Geometer, Sarab has reached the highest echelons of the Tara’iq School, a feat accomplished through demonstrating superior contributions to the Guild. Sarab’s deep study into the workings of the Barrow Realms catapulted Jebel Irhoud as a whole ahead of other societies in terms of exploration and containment of magical energies, including the use of the Stygian Realms as a source for magical power and artifacts. Her obsession with the Barrow Realms has not come without consequence, however. It is well known amongst the Geometers that time spent in any Realm exposes one to mutational risk, which increases exponentially as time goes on. Sarab has endured such mutation, though luckily was able to keep her persona intact despite significant changes to her cerebral structure. Her skull has grown a large bony plate that appears almost manmade, with sensing nodules protruding from the underside. Her eyes have melded into one large eye which no longer sees in the traditional sense. Sarab claims to be blind to visible light with this organ, and instead navigates and identifies what is around her through other means, though she cannot adequately explain what those means are. The finest Raqquam doctors have studied, and continue to study her physical changes.
There are many who are uncomfortable with her continued status as an Arch Geometer, and consider her a freak or outside of the natural order of things to which Geometers adhere. Though on the surface she is still an esteemed faculty of the School, she is feared and hated, not least of all because her deep studies have made her incredibly powerful as a mage.
The Hakam Geometers serve to both protect and police the Guild. They uphold the Guild laws and regulations, subdue rogue Geometers, guard and patrol the University grounds, and provide armed escorts for high ranking Guildspeople. Some scorn them for being more brawn than brains - but only in private.
Naila - Hakam GeometerNaila is known to be a rigid lover of rules, even amongst a guild of people who love order and logic. As a Hakam Geometer, she takes her role as a justiciar very seriously, meting out fines and punishments against high and low ranking Geometers alike without bias. This has made her uniquely hated by almost everyone, but she remains unswayed in her cause. Despite being personally disliked, nobody can deny that Naila is incorruptible and fair.
She is the successor to a technique called the Sword of the Golden Ratio, which uses elegantly precise movements to target an opponent’s weak spots. This allows her to find and attack the weak spot of any opponent, no matter how strong, making her one of the toughest Geometers in the Guild. The threat of Naila’s presence alone is enough to keep most Geometers in line.
The Astral Armillary
A powerful Stygian artifact acquired by the Guild, the Astral Armillary pulses with consciousness and magic in a disturbing way. Some of the Geometers who worked with it reported hearing voices or thoughts, or feeling unexplained compulsions while in close proximity to it. It is unclear to them what its purpose is, but there are some conjectures. Some believe it to be a calculator for cosmic events, some believe it could influence cosmic events, and still others believe that its use cannot possibly be determined because it was built for the Stygian Realm, which does not share the same cosmos as the mundane Realm. All agree, however, that it is an uncanny and frightening artifact, and thus it is currently contained in the deepest levels of the University within a magical containment field.