Kerogane is a lagano city in southwestern Lustra, which we’ve actually spent some time in, thanks to Aaron Canton’s story The Tale of the Lagano Priestess.  The majority of the citizens of Kerogane pray to Hakar, the salamander god which is emblazoned on the black field of their sigil, which you can see below.  Though Kerogane was introduced in story form in that tale, it had been used internally in Tellest for years before, in the collectable game prototype that would have preceded TowerSphere.  We’ll be working on adjusting accordingly.

As far as the lagano go, Kerogane is one of the race’s longest-standing cities.  Because of its history, and its presence in the somewhat tropical biome it is a part of, many of the earliest forms of the sigil have fallen into disrepair.  It also doesn’t help that this city has a lot of infighting between priests and priestesses who claim to hear the word of their god.  Bloodshed has been spilled plenty of times before, sometimes to the detriment of the buildings in the city.

Though Kerogane is a bit farther away from the coast, there are some rivers and lakes nearby. Though full ships are not out the question in getting to the coast, it would be likely that they would have smaller crafts with their tapestries upon it.  This would be especially true if they wanted to ward people away from the waters, as they are just as sacred as their fire-breathing god. As a very religious city, it would also stand to reason that the emblem of Hakar would fly upon temples and shrines in Kerogane.

Though the sigil might travel far and wide, and has existed for a long while, the citizens of Kerogane have much pride, especially in their salamander god.  They would place their sigil to the Hakar everywhere.  Black and gold banners would hang from plenty of buildings, and the surfaces—often gold or yellow thanks to the material they use in their construction–would often have the black squares painted about them to immortalize Hakar.

As always, we leave you with one final picture: the phone background.  I hope you enjoy it!

We have still got plenty of sigil goodies to come, and they might take us through the end of 2025, and beyond!  Thanks to Francois for constantly delivering awesome content to us.  We’re so excited to keep showing off his great work!

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We’ve spent a little bit of time in some of the ritzier cities in the world, but the one that we are looking at today is particularly affluent.  Appropriately called Kingsly, this city is home to a lot of wealthy and affluent people along the northern coast of Aeratul.  We haven’t spend a considerable amount of time in Aeratul yet, but we did see a city called Winthrop (which we’ll be seeing more of in their own sigil post next year, as we’re working on that with Francois at the time of this writing) that’s nearby.  It will be nice to expand on that part of the world there.

In any case, Kingsly’s sigil is a golden crown on a striped field of white and royal purple.

There is a very good chance that you wouldn’t really see a chipped version of the Kingsly sigil unless there was some recent disaster or attack by someone who thought the magnificent city would make an easy target for banditry or the like.  These wealthy chaps aren’t the type to let things fall into disrepair, not from a functional standpoint, but because it doesn’t leave them looking right.  It’s a peasant’s move to allow things to remain damaged, after all.

With all the infrastructure that Kingsly has, there are plenty of places for the city’s banner to hang from.  Though they are affluent, they’re not oblivious all the time, so there are quite a few people who reside in the city who work at earning their coin due to the nature of their work, from construction, to even blacksmithing.  Of course, there are also plenty of ship captains who bear the Kingsly sigil on their vessels, as the city is a host of collectors of special antiquities.  They are very protective of the things they’ve acquired, so they equip their collaborators with only the best.

We mentioned before that Kingsly isn’t about to let their sigil chip and fade.  On the other hand, city pride would compel people to leave their mark in a lot of places.  You don’t get wealthy by not putting your name on things, after all.  To that end, in northern Aeratul, you’d likely see a great many versions of the painted sigil.

As always, we leave you with one final picture: the phone background.  I hope you enjoy it!

We’ve still got plenty of city sigils to look at.  It’s enough to have us covered throughout 2024 and then some, so make sure you’re popping back every few weeks (or quicker) to see it when we have these to show off!

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Specifically, today we’re looking at the gnome city of Lantegos, which is in Algea.  Algea is as close as it gets to the divine in Tellest, because the seat of the gods, Golernus is there, and Lantegos is only separated by some mountains and cliffs.  While they probably aren’t too much aligned with the gods themselves, they would likely be aligned with the Godhand dwarves that once served the gods back when they were around.  As it stands, no one has physically seen the gods on the continent for some time.

Regardless, the gnomes of Lantegos likely channel their own feelings of divinity, and are thus expressed through their sigil, a pointed starburst on a blue field.  It’s a gentle symbol compared to some of the ones we’ve seen.  They definitely lean into their magic a bit more.

Algea is, in a way, the place that the new age of Tellest began.  The deep history of the world that reaches back to the convergence say that’s where Mathias, the King of the Gods, established his throne after wandering Tellest.  It is also said that the gnomes first appeared in Algea not long after that, and as such, Lantegos has a centuries-long history.  Many of their earlier emblems would have fallen into disrepair, but they also speak to how long they’ve found stability there in that part of the world.

While there ought to be some banners flying here and there for the gnomes of Lantegos, it would be used sparingly.  They’re so far inland that they wouldn’t have any banners on a ship for either trade or fishing, and they’re not as inclined to mine as their dwarven neighbors.  It might still be seen waving on a building that was important in the city, but outside of that, they would mostly utilize other means to show off their city’s colors.

The painted marks would likely be used to identify those mines we talked about earlier, but they would also be used to denote citizens of Lantegos that might not be directly within its influence.  There might be some straggler families that live out in the wilderness, and they would bear the golden star to identify that they have fallen under the protection of the city, even though they do not live close by.  In any case, there are plenty of reasons to use the sigil, and the gnomes of Algea would be proud to bear it.

As always, we leave you with one final picture: the phone background.  I hope you enjoy it!

We still have plenty of sigils that are going to show up on the Tellest site this year, and we’ve recently committed to another set of twenty with Francois, so we’ll have plenty of content leading us into 2025 as well.  We hope that you’ve been enjoying this look into the greater world, and are excited for more!

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A city that perhaps sees him as a necessary means to an end is Narwynne.  They’re a goblin settlement along the southern mountains of Tarson that is known for their mining exploits, hence what you’ll see on the sigil.  Because of the demons that try to encroach on the continent—and the doorways therein usually being underground—mining is even more hazardous than in many other places in the world.  That said, Tarson is also known for the volume of their gems and precious stones, so the greedier goblins push through with less caution exercised than they should.

While the blue gem and the mattock are the most prevalent version of the Narwynne sigil, and it would have been for all of its history, there are likely to be cadet houses, of sorts, which might present in different ways.  You could see gems of different colors and shapes, or even different tools.  They would all be bound together by their common city, but would always be vying for some sort of importance, and would want to throw around their influence.

Part of what has earned Narwynne some of its strength is that they’ve been able to make use of what they mine to great effect.  They’ve established some sizable trade routes.  While they are likely to have a strong naval presence, they are somewhat of a landlocked city.  It’s more likely that if you saw a banner flying with the gem and mattock, it would be from the entrance of one of their many mines, or a watchtower meant to protect them.

Of course, not every mine is going to have a banner flying, especially those which have been newly fashioned.  If a new tunnel has been blasted out, or a previously unseen entrance into the mountains has been discovered, a quick smattering of paint would serve just as well as a flowing tapestry.  Of course, that carries its own risks, as the goblins of Narwynne are already stretched thin, and knowing that a new mine shaft has been discovered might make those using the tunnels an easy target.

As always, we leave you with one final picture: the phone background.  I hope you enjoy it!

We’ve certainly got more to come, and as of this writing, I’m happy to let you know that we have another set of 20 sigils that are on the way, thanks to Francois Jooste.  We’ll be adding them to the World Anvil, and will continue to bring more information about these awesome places from the world of Tellest!

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Radzryn is a goblin city along the southeastern coast of Mistfall.  They’re relatively close by to the Black Lantern, though they know well enough to start any problems with them.  And it probably helps them to both stay clear of everything that the goblins of Radzryn mostly stay ashore.  Still, both areas have considerable strengths, and the goblins are no pushover.  They’re fierce, tough, and persistent.  You don’t have a blade on your sigil if you’re not afraid to use it.

Radzryn stretches far, and its main settlement is old.  The goblins of Tellest aren’t foolish, and they know that stone offers better defense than wood.  Many of their forts and walls are hewn from stone, whether its carefully crafted or constructed out of what is available.  With that in mind, it’s likely that their simple sigil would have found a home atop many a stone surface throughout the years, and weather and age would have contributed to some wear and tear.  The goblins of Radzryn are devoted to their city, and would plaster their sigil everywhere, especially when they are trying to make a claim for land in a place that might have otherwise been seen as contested.

While the Black Lantern has certainly made their presence known on the water, Radzryn’s goblins are amongst the most proficient warriors on the eastern island of Mistfall.  They’ve got a lot of influence over the place, and in a lot of ways, the continent is there’s to do with what they will.  While you might not often see their flag flying atop a ship, you’re more likely to see it waving in the air atop a fortress or tower out in the wild.  Though goblins aren’t exactly known for following rules, there is a bit of a border that their constructs represent, and folks would be wise not to cross that line.

To that end, there are likely goblins to this day who are painting more recent versions of the sigil in places.  Again, it’s a simple enough drawing that most goblins would be able to carry it out, whether it’s intended to proclaim ownership, or just to drive fear into the hearts of their foes.  And in any cases, they spread their sigil as they spread their influence, and those they border their land with ought to know that their borders are bound to change.

As always, we leave you with one final picture: the phone background.  I hope you enjoy it!

That is it for our sigils for this year, but for those of you who like these posts, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve got enough currently to take us all the way through the rest of 2024 as well!

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While we haven’t exactly spent time there yet, we know where the Black Lantern is, and what sort of refuge it is.  It’s a place for seafarers and pirates to find sanctuary, and as such, it’s not exactly known for having a good reputation.  Still, there is sometimes honor among thieves, and there’s been a sort of code of conduct implemented for any denizens who call the Black Lantern home, even if it’s just temporary.  It’s because of such promises of safety (or swift retribution if the code is ignored) that you have people who are willing to make it part of their day to come up with beautiful things like this sigil, which would be impossible without some sort of tremendous skill or magical prowess.

While most of the sanctuary would likely be made of wood—there are plenty of pirate ships and merchant vessels that might have run ashore over the years, and they could use the materials to develop their haven.  But that’s not to say that there wouldn’t be cause to have some stones painted with the wonderful Black Lantern sigil.  I imagine the sigil being painted on rocks that jut out of the sea, leading seafarers to the safety of the city.  With the magic at hand in the Tellest universe, they could even have done such a thing to serve as their own sort of lighthouses, ensuring that the glow of lantern is actually visible like real light, instead of just paint.

Just because the Black Lantern exists as a refuge for privateers and pirates bearing any flag doesn’t mean that they haven’t acquired seadogs who have begun to think of their new sanctuary as a home worth representing.  Many of the ships that have been exiled from their previous homes have found new life within the kinship they have with other sailors.  Together, they’ve amassed a sort of armada of their own, each of them happy to fly the Black Lantern banner.

We’ve made mention of the painted version before, but this is a more artistic style than the chipped paint one you see above.  Whoever it is that’s responsible for coming up with the idea of the sigil of this grand place has got some talent both artistically and magically, so it’s very cool to see this all come together.

As always, we leave you with one final picture: the phone background.  I hope you enjoy it!

We’ve got a very different sigil coming your way in a few weeks.  Make sure you pop in on Wednesdays to see all the great art we show off!

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We’re going to be looking at a sigil of a city that’s a little less apparent in Draconis now.  We’ve spent a lot of time with humans and elves and dwarves, but there are a lot of other races that call Draconis home, and in Daltain, we have a city of gremlins that is called The Undermire.  We’re going to be spending a little bit of time with them now so that we can figure out what’s going on with these clandestine gremlins.

Just like most spiders you know, the most dangerous ones are the ones that you don’t see.  The Undermire is quite possibly the one place on Tellest where all the most dangerous gremlins in the world like to hang out.  It’s not the kind of city that is very welcoming to anyone else, and that includes even the races that are usually aligned with them.  The spider, therefore, represents them very well, and a green background helps to convey their relationship with the world rather well.  It’s sort of a reference to their skin, but it also references their toxicity.

From what you likely know about Tellest gremlins (or goblins in many other fantasy worlds—perhaps most namely the Warcraft universe), they can be very volatile.  From dangerous experiments, to machinery and tinkered objects that they know are a little unwieldy, the gremlins of Tellest can mess things up a lot.  To that extent, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to see their sigils smashed up here and there.  And those who live in the Undermire might not care too much to clean it up.  These are some of the toughest gremlins there are.  Who is going to ask them to make reparations?

While the gremlins of the Undermire are fierce, they’re are brave perhaps because they know they have a place to go and lick their wounds.  To that end, they’re not going around announcing where home is.  There are not a good deal of cases where you would see them flying their banners with the exception of within their hidden city.  And even then, they might not last long, as those volatile acts I mentioned earlier?  They more than likely have led to the destruction of more than a few banners and tapestries bearing the Undermire sigil.

Now, while the sigils might not last long, that’s probably not enough of a reason to stop those gremlins who have style and pizazz from finding fun and interesting ways of throwing the sigil to the ground or on the sides of buildings.  Heck, it may even be a rite of passage for an Undermire gremlin to sneak into a nearby city and tag their sigil on them.  Maybe it’s a pilgrimage of sorts, and those who travel to the farthest cities to make their mark have the greatest stories told about them.

As always, we leave you with one final picture: the phone background.  I hope you enjoy it!

It has honestly been so long since I’ve taken a look at what sigil is next that I don’t have the faintest idea of what comes next, but suffice it to say we have more on the way!

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Theria is a place that we haven’t seen up close and personal yet, but we do know of some of our characters who hail from there.  All three of them were introduced in Quantum Quest, with the first two, Lannis Jarl and Noth Vox, coming from our first set, while Roka Berasia once hailed from Theria and was introduced in the Reinforcements set.  Folks from all walks of life come from Theria, which is a big, beautiful city that sits along the northeastern coast of Saveon.  This sprawling city is giant, and while they don’t often travel by sea or have a powerful navy, their city can be easily seen from the sea, especially their immense building to their god, Cerox.  Though no one knows for sure anymore, it is suggested that he was the inspiration for the sigil.

You don’t get to be the biggest and best by being last (usually).  Theria has been around for a while, having found a place where they can make trade with other kingdoms, spread out as much as they need to, and fend off anyone who tries to take their land.  As such, some of their sigils are showing their age somewhat, so it’s not unlikely to see the image of the rhinotaur get some nicks and chips, especially when they’re seen on the ground.  It’s not easy to persist under the weight of the heavy citizens!

We mentioned that Theria is on the coast, but also that they’re not typically known for their naval prowess.  We also mentioned the weight of these massive people, so when you put two and two together, you might see why their not quite known for their presence aboard ships.  That said, there’s still plenty of reason to wave their banners high.  The flag of Theria hangs from some of their tallest buildings (no idea how they managed to get them safely up there, however), and it’s also been known to be present upon pilgrimages from citizens who have left the city some time ago.

The painted version of the sigil is probably used a little less these days, just because it’s a little unwieldy being a rhinotaur and trying to paint with your hands.  But there are likely still some artisans within the city who take it seriously, and work their talents despite whatever might get in their way.  The painstaking process of getting everything right, and knowing that over time wear and tear will present itself might make it seem like a waste of time, but there also might be no better way to honor the gods, Cerox first among them.

As always, we leave you with one final picture: the phone background.  I hope you enjoy it!

That will be it for today, but as you can likely tell by now, we’ve still got plenty of sigils that we’re planning on bringing your way.  We love fleshing this world out, and bringing forth more life from all corners of it!

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Because Trenton’s Blade is a relatively new city (sort of the antithesis to Atalatha, which is about the same age but came up by nobler means), you likely wouldn’t see too much by the way of chipped paint, but you could definitely see their mark in other fashions.  As Trenton’s Blade is also known for its darker arts and thievery, it’s likely that the sigil wouldn’t often be found in too many places, especially leading into the city.  Even as it grows, they’d be likely to hide its presentation from the outside world, ensuring they have a better chance at survival and prosperity.

It’s not often that people would see a banner flying about, but Trenton’s Blade has expanded enough to become a pretty powerful coastal city.  It’s likely that any ship bearing a Trenton’s Blade flag would be seen as the Tellest equivalent of a Jolly Roger.  As helpful as orcs have been in other parts of the world to the fairer races, it’s likely that those from Trenton’s Blade would be a bit on the xenophobic side, using every opportunity to push those from their sights.  It also wouldn’t hurt to go hunting ships that come too close to the southwestern coast of Lustra.

It wouldn’t be completely out of left field to see an aspiring thief from the city making the mark of Trenton’s Blade known to those who they had stolen from, whether that’s on dry land or at sea.  And then, whether it’s by pride or arrogance, even if they were caught, those who call Trenton’s Blade home wouldn’t dream of giving anything back, even if their calling card was left behind.

As always, we leave you with one final picture: the phone background.  I hope you enjoy it!

Our next sigil will be taking us to another continent, where we’ll be looking at another race.  And not quite in the shadows as much as Trenton’s Blade, that city proudly basks in the sun.  See you for that soon!

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Conceptually, Valtega is meant to look very similar to Mdina in Malta.  You might also conflate your perception of it with King’s Landing from the Game of Thrones series, since that’s where a lot of it was filmed.  Valtega is a bit smaller, certainly, but it also doesn’t have nearly the height variance that the city in Westeros does.  It just has that sort of closed-in, intimate spacing that you feel in that area of our world.  Valtega is a bit on the older side as well, and while there are parts of the city that have been restored thanks to the riches that pass hands amongst the nobles and merchants, there are also low-lying sections of the city that would show the sigil displaying some wear and tear.  Old administrative buildings, long since abandoned to be made anew in wealthier sections of the city, would still have the sigil on the ground outside, the brickwork becoming dilapidated over time.

One place that the sigil would certainly show up on is atop the masts of any of Valtega’s many ships.  Valtega is one of the cities in Tellest that has a tremendous naval presence, whether it be serving under the military rule of the city, or a privateer or pirate vessel owned by one of the more influential people from the city.  In any case, it’s very likely that if anyone saw the compass flying atop the brown sea of canvas, they would know to give it a wide berth if possible.  The people of Valtega are more than equipped to handle any sort of encounter at sea.

Valtega keeps expanding southward into Saveon, and as it goes, great and gorgeous limestone walls continue to be expanded upon in the fields.  The path into Valtega is lined with beautiful stonework as well, and while the main road displays the sigil in that style, there are plenty of places within each of the sections of the city where the compass would be quickly painted instead.  More often than not, the sigil is used for representation of the seafaring professions, so it is seen most frequently around the coastal sections of Valtega.

As always, we leave you with one final picture: the phone background.  I hope you enjoy it!

In a few weeks, we’ll be taking a look at another coastal city, but this one is on another continent, and populated by a completely different race than that of Valtega.  We’ll talk about that soon!

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