To mark the final NINE days of the Kickstarter Campaign for Napoleon’s Starship, I’m running a series of exactly nine posts to introduce you to the NINE Strata of the ancient extraterrestrial civilization that Gavroche – along with Napoleon and his pillaging soldiers – discover on planet Thror. This is the great civilization the Throrians, together with their new ally, Gavroche, are willing to give their lives to protect.
Designing an entire ancient extraterrestrial civilization is a daunting task. Luckily, as a stop motion animator, I had a few special techniques up my sleeve. I realized I had to create the characters and their world with my own hands to truly see and understand them. Now my studio is populated by ancient Throrians! I will be using the characters, traditional costumes, hairstyles, and ornaments I designed and fabricated to illustrate my posts.
Ancient Thror was divided into two main areas, the Nothingness of the Barren Surface – which is what all visitors to the planet, including Gavroche and Napoleon initially encounter – and the subterranean realm, which was occupied by a profoundly sophisticated amphibious civilization divided into nine social classes called “Strata.” All Stratinites wore complex, long-nosed masks that protected their sensitive breathing mechanisms when above water and represented their status and role. Long, colorful cerata streamed from their heads like hair, absorbing oxygen and nutrients from the air and water. The higher the Stratum, the more time its members could spend above water. I will be introducing you to all the different Strata, starting from the deepest levels and traveling up to the crust.
Each post will be dedicated to a single Stratum starting from:
Stratum 9, the Extractors
The Extractors spent almost their entire lives submerged in underground streams, sifting sand infused with priceless Gunnarium metal particles, found only on planet Thror. They wore little to no clothing most of their lives. Only the Chief of the Stratum owned a set of ceremonial robes to wear when summoned to the Grand Council.
Aside from their outstanding extracting skills, they were particularly proud of their fertility as evidenced by the substantial cod-shell you see on the Extractor below.
Their cerata were the most elaborate and bushy because of the amount of time they spent underwater.
Their masks concealed their noseless faces and helped filter the water they breathed. The Extractors always kept a low profile, acknowledging that everyone looked down on them despite the fact that the prosperity of the Nine Strata rested on their scaly shoulders.
I hope you enjoyed your meeting with the Extractors. A new Stratum debuts every day, so keep watching this blog!
If you want to learn more about the Throrians and witness their epic battle for survival against Napoleon’s invading forces, you can still grab a copy of Napoleon’s Starship by supporting our Kickstarter:
