King of Swords 1-1
Chapter: 1
“The Star Emperor is a man of great stature, with an oiled beard and stern countenance. He does not concern himself, as his kin do, with plotting and scheming against each other, but chiefly with the exercise of ruling. His primary concern is justice. His subjects live fairly, peaceably, and one might say even well, if not for the heavy blade of the law constantly grazing the tender skin of their necks.”
-Payapop Pritram, Chronicles of the Seven
Salami Dave, Deus Pater – The Godfather
I love this already!
I wonder if Solomon is as righteous as he appears.
Oh he certainly thinks he is
Welcome to beardy beardland, the beardiest beards in all of bearddom!
You can tell, whether they can actually grow one or not, they’re all trying to match Salami Dave’s magnificent prism beard.
I bet my left ovary that all of those men in that room are descended from him, if not outright his kids. Solomon and David in our world got it on…a lot. And this dude is straight up named Solomon-David.
Behold The Blessed Tyrant!
Strong and youthful is His visage, and His soul doth not rot as the souls His star-kin do. For His atum is as incorruptible as his form, and His Will is tempered steel.
Adore Him! Or suffer eternal damnation!
Nah, I’m good. But I do know a guy who has some land to sell you in the great abyss.
I think this is the most beardy page we’ve seen
There’s an amazing amount of visual coherence in this page.
Marlow comes upon a white
sepulchre and sails south to light
The air ablaze in dark of night
Dayum, I don’t think I’ll ever get over this beard.
On another note, I’m digging the architecture and all the details you’ve put into the page. Really brings the scene to life!
Now here is a man who knows Royalty.
I met a beggar once on the road to Al’Hwarizi. Upon seeing my robes, as tattered and ragged as his own, he hailed me and spake thus:
“Speak thou not to the noblemen, nor to the ladies, if thy head thou wishes to keep. The lords of the city are not cruel, but a single glance of their eyes could sever a man’s neck should they wish it.”
Empire and Stagnation tear at one another’s throats, snares that have swallowed their aspirants whole, and now hunger for more.
Behold now the third snare, most subtle and devious of the traps the Great Enemy has strewn on the path to Royalty.
Apotheosis.
To consider oneself above the cycle. To believe the cutting blade can touch you no longer. To have taken one’s final name, and writ it in marble across the world. To consider Royalty achieved.
Not the slow, terrified death of Empire, or the sweet rot of Stagnation. Bold and glorious is Apotheosis, shining and magnificent. A light that hangs in the sky, pure, unchanging, and infertile.
Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away.
see the court assembled
=//=
THE EMPEROR RULES ABSOLUTELY
STOP. HAMMURABI TIME.
“Our consensus is ‘We’re fuck’ my lord.”
-reportedly the response the councilors gave
As the Black God who thinks he’s the good guy, I’m ready to learn why Solomon David is not…
Power level in this society is clearly measures in beard length.
A superpowered, immortal chairman presiding over a Senate of nervous, powerless old men, who he probably appointed himself… Ruling in justice.
Yeah, there is nothing wrong or injust here.
Except for a can of worms that even Gog-Agog would envy him for.
I am fairly certain that they are his kin, on top of everything else.
For shame, Solomon, for shame…
A glorious first page of the book by the way.
Either they are currently deciding whether or not they should enter the war and on which side…
Or they are debating the funding of a new waste disposal system in the co-capital of the seventeenth-most-populous universe that Solomon governs.
Hey Abaddon, can you talk somewhere about your architectural design decisions between the 7 Emperors?
It’s a mix, and that’s why you make these panels work so well, but it’d be interesting to see you talk about your sources for the various palaces non-the-less. The white stone, flourishes, and vertical space here remind me of some Mughal style palaces and famous mosques from that time.
Holy hot damn, seems like Soloman isn’t just simply a random old guy in a robe, he’s some old guy with a council in robes.
Councilors: We think it unfair, nay, unjust that you’re hogging all the immortality. We could use some. Like just a little. Please?
“Sire, we are in agreement: Your beard is magnificent. Also, you look very nice in purple.”
Nothing is so terrifying as impersonal wisdom and unswerving morality
Solomon David’s nipples are frighteningly high
Ah yes, but his voice is a calming purple.