#khartkho

[villiedoom]

The more or less finished model of the Mr. Long Alien Wolf ~

What a weird creature it is! I think this is one of my favorite models I've made so far. (WIPs I shared some time ago)

These guys don't have detailed story or lore (yet?), though I shared a bit about them under one of my illustrations. With this model, I tried to shape their realistic appearance, following my idea of a very thin (it's the old idea of my world that almost all its creatures are weirdly long and thin) and alien canine-like creature, which isn't actually canine.

It's also fun to compare them to Solfshein, likely related arctic species which is much heavier and fuffier.

[villiedoom]

Some process of my new Khart-kho 3D model. Their idea is like "a Kotie but sighthound". Such a long, thin and surreal alien "dog". In the newest version I decided to make them even more sighthound-like.

It may not be obvious, but they are distand relatives to Solfshein, and both belong to the Shufaet family.

This fictional species has a long and thorny history, at certain moments even completely disappearing and giving birth to a different interpretation - which is known as Setow - in a completely different world. Now I'm trying to bring them back into the Kotie world, and also form a better vision of them.

[villiedoom]

[Song of the Khart-Kho Queen]

Another experimental piece, this time featuring Khart-kho, Shufaet-related species. I wanted to illustrate their idea and nature in a stylized, symbolic and intuitive manner, following some of my recent Kotie illustrations, such as "Mafira Erkhandae", "Sundance" and some others, which I haven't posted yet.

Unlike their arctic (Solfshein) and smaller forest relatives, Khart-kho (Khart for short) are highly social and hierarchical, having a form of a class system, which is determined not only by their culture but also by their biology and symbiotic relationship with the Towers (mysterious magical entities from my world).

Royal ones are huge, have elongated bodies and extraordinary long claws, which they use to interact and control the energy of the Towers, but which prevent them from walking properly. Their powerful mental and energetic abilities turn into a form of physical disability, so they spend their lives isolated from the world, connected to the Tower's mental network. The other ones provide them with food and protection, being agile and intelligent predators. However, they cannot use the Towers effectively, so the royal ones are undoubted monarchs, being mediators between the Tower and the entire family, having control over all the resources, laws and archives of information. They are honored and respected, and are mostly females seen as queen-mothers.

Their Towers are different from those used by the Koties, being more "wild" and looking like huge and complex networks of glowing crystalline caves. But enjoying this beauty can be risky - the Kharts do not welcome guests, and strangers are strictly prohibited from entering their shining royal castles.