#marmora

Eastern Chipmunk Tamias striatus Sciuridae

rough doodle of keith’s blade spine tattoo + marmora tramp stamp (also i can’t draw hands so don’t mind the awkward book)

Jan Christian Sepp The Book of Marble

A representation of Marble Types 1776

Directed and produced by Benedikt Taschen

Geert-Jan Koot

Taschen , Cologne 2023, 312 pages, 32 26 cm, Hardcover in slipcase, 100 richly hand-coloured plates, ISBN 978-3836594349

euro 100,00

email if you want to buy [email protected]

Famous First Edition: First printing of 10,000 numbered copies

An exhaustive compendium of marble, Afbeelding der Marmor Soorten (A Representation of Marble Types) depicted 570 samples across 100 colour plates, accompanied by texts in five languages. Published in 1776 at the peak of the Enlightenment, it is regarded, rightly, as one of the finest illustrated scientific books of the era.Over the course of the 18th century, beautiful books that categorised, annotated, and illuminated the Enlightenment pursuit of learning across Europe had become increasingly popular. Knowledge was everything and everywhere, and these books provided it for those not wealthy enough to build their own personal collections of rare and exotic objects. Marmor Soorten, one such edition, took the standards of both aesthetics and categorisation to a whole new level.Jan Christiaan Sepp and his father Christian – himself a respected collector – had already earned a reputation for luxury publications on scientific themes, starting with Christian’s own Nederlandsche Insecten (Insects of the Netherlands). But it was his son who created the visual masterpiece Marmor Soorten, revising an existing German publication from 1775 by Adam Ludwig Wirsing. The result – published in 11 instalments to a print run of around 100 – was among the finest examples of its kind.Featuring new photography to depict the intricate details of the marble samples, this edition brings an unknown treasure back to relevance. The plates, each meticulously hand-coloured and arranged with painstaking precision, have an abstract-art feel that gives this volume an almost modern slant.This edition reproduces the pages from two copies of Marmor Soorten held at the State and University Library in Dresden and the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. Reprinting the work in full for the first time, The Book of Marble brings that rare blend of beauty and encyclopedic knowledge to a wider audience.

04/06/23

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Marmora Tower

And Shiro is all "uhhh idk bro"

We then: wtf Shiro, why don't you say he didn't steal it?? Yk he could never what is your problem

 While many may dismiss the shield in favor of weaponry, it remains an essential part of many a warrior’s arsenal. The very invention of phalanx warfare demonstrates that a shield can protect not just one warrior, but several.

Today’s subject recognizes the value of the shield, and in fact seeks to perfect the art of using such a tool, becoming a defensive “bastion” in their own right.

Such warriors come in many forms, be they champions, fighters, or others. The only real prerequisite is that they have the training to block with a shield.

Those that take this path eventually become nearly as inpenetrable as the very castle fortifications they are named for, protecting themselves and others against all manner of threats both mundane and magical.

This archetype makes for a decent stand-in for certain shield-focused archetypes that existed in first edition for fighter, paladin, magus, and so on.

 Starting off, much like many fighters, these warriors learn how to ready their shield in seconds, reacting to enemy attacks.

Not just content to block blows, bastions also learn to knock aside incoming weapons with their shield, trying to disarm their foe.

Normally a shield arm is too heavy and unwieldy to use for anything else, but though it may be clumsy, they can learn to do some basic interactions while wielding a shield smaller than a tower shield.

They also master the technique of the shielded advance, moving slowly forward with shield raised to block attacks that would punish them for moving out of position.

In the right hands, a shield can take the brunt of incoming blasts and explosions, and bastions can learn to do just that.

Just like they were in a phalanx, these warriors can use their shields to block attacks against not just themselves, but allies as well.

Though their shields are valued as their most prized tool in combat, every bastion knows that sometimes one must sacrifice to stay alive, taking the majority of the brunt of an attack on the shield, potentially destroying it.

Skilled bastions can reflexively put up their shields so fast that they even still have time to react in other ways.

Legends speak of skilled warriors with magic shields who can turn magical projectiles back on their foes. Whether or not their shields are magical, some bastions can replicate this feat when a spellcasting foe aims such a ray or bolt poorly.

The most skilled among bastions can manage to maintain their shield against a blow that would destroy it, though doing so leaves said shield in shambles, unable to take such a blow again.

This archetype is very much meant exclusively for martial classes. Sure, anyone that takes shield block could technically take it, but champions, fighters, the occasional ranger, perhaps the odd defensive barbarian or martial alchemist, or perhaps even a warpriest cleric. A swashbuckler might also find use for it if they favor a buckler or light shield as well. In theory, if the upcoming magus class has elements that allow for a revival of the skirnir 1st ed archetype, this might come in handy for that class as well. Either way, you’ll be expected to be a tough cookie that protects the rest of the party.

 With their focus on shields, I can imagine that many bastions are protective types that do not wish to see their allies and friends come to harm. They might have seen too much death in their lives, or simply have been trained in the military as part of a shieldwall. More selfish ones might instead value their lives too much to allow themselves to be brought low by their enemies.

  Menhagion has defended the borders of elven lands for hundreds of years, and the aged redeemer seems more like a part of the forest than an elf at this point. Still, he remains hearty and true, his mithral shield bearing the nicks and scars of a hundred battles.

 Smoke rises from Ilan Vale, but this is no ordinary fire, for it moves with purpose. A wicked fiery fey called a Marmora cuts a path through the vegetation, heading straight for the city at the mouth of the valley. Can the shieldwalls of Ilan hold the beast at bay, or will it take outside help to keep their lands from being reduced to cinders?