Kalis - Tumblr Posts

2 years ago

Peace of Mind

Peace Of Mind
Peace Of Mind
Peace Of Mind

The Sorrow-Song Swordsman fought as he wept, wept as he sang, sang as he fought.

The tears would leak from sleepless eyes and fall into shadow and fire, dissolving in the chords of throats-cut-screaming by a blade that is a nail strumming strings.

Burning blood makes iron, and it takes more than iron to forge cutting-steel.

But a spoken word cuts deeper still.

When your words are blades, and your blade can sing, and your songs stain all your words with blood- can you find solace in your mind?

Where does a slayer find peace?

-- Slowly reposting art from my Twitter account and taking full advantage of the more relaxed text limits. This one was for a Kadungganan whose singing words could cut, from an old Gubat Banwa TTRPG campaign- esteemed warrior-braves battling across the isles inspired by classical/early colonial Southeast Asia, perpetuating a river of blood and violence, asking themselves why they fight.

-- Blade design is based on a particularly long Lumad kris, which I've been told are made from the deconstructed blades of their defeated enemies, repurposed for their own use.


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1 year ago

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

And so- in the end- the wheel must turn, and a new day must usurp the old. Perhaps then, these long-fallen flowers will feed the soil, and nourish a new bloom. Perhaps the fire will find home in the bleeding rivers and cauterize the land, and the steam will rise into skies of the clearest blue. Perhaps our songs will be of triumphant yesterdays, hard-won and now bearing fruit. But we are Kadungganan- we do not sit idly to await the dawn. We claw at heaven to bring forth our own tomorrow! One more day until the launch of the Gubat Banwa Kickstarter! Fight for another day in the turbulent fires of the Sword Isles, carving out your own story by blade and sheer will in this tactical martial arts TTRPG, inspired by the thousand, thousand colors of Southeast Asia.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

I've been posting weapons I've drawn for the game to count down the final week before the launch. This was supposed to be for Swordtember, but the deadline had to be pushed back. 7/7 blades, ending with the KALIS

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

This blade adorns the logo of Gubat Banwa, at once uniting and splitting in twain. Kalis refers to a number of uniquely Philippine variants of the more widely known collective of kris blades, which appears in several forms across Southeast Asia.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Diagram by Lorenz Lasco) What separates Philippine kalis from kris seems to be an answer with multiple facets. Some say it's a linguistic matter, others say kalis refers specifically to certain blades from the Sulu archipelago.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge
The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Photos from Raymundo Lucero)

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(For comparison, an Indonesian kris) Admittedly, the kalis is a bit of a blindspot in my knowledge. I've done what research I can, and asked those who know better, but I exist a considerable distance away from where these blades belong- physically and culturally. This is, perhaps, where I will be most prone to making mistakes of fact with the information I present. If I make any mistakes, please do not hesitate correct me!

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Photo from Zambasulta Pakukus) On the heels of that disclaimer, let's take a look at the blade. This is definitely one of the most beautiful weapons I've ever had to draw. Philippine kris/kalis tend to be longer and more "sword-like" than those of our neighbors.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Photos from Johnwick Cabrera) The hilts tend to differ depending on who makes them. Some sport what might be cockatoo/"kakatua" bird-head hilts, some have very ornate junggayan hilts, some feature okir carvings, some are more rudimentary.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge
The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Photos from Dennis Andrew Golez) The blade is used by several peoples in the south Philippines, including the Maranao, the Tausug, and the peoples of Maguindanao. I am most definitely missing a few groups, this is not an exhaustive list. There are differences between the way they build hilts and assemble blades that I don't feel qualified to speak about. And yes, the blades are like that because they are an assembly near the handle.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Photo from Sulu Utak Shop) Apart from hilt shape and assembly, variations occur in blade thickness, ornamentaion, presence and type of okir carvings, number of curves or seko (odd numbers), length (kalis sundang = "swords", kalis gunong = "daggers") Actually- you know what?

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Photo from Richard Hudson) Since this is the last one in the countdown, I'm going to do something different. I invite you to find the answers yourself. That is part of what Gubat Banwa is meant to be: an invitation to engage in a fantasy setting centered on our cultures, so you can tell stories built on our terms. The cultures in the Sword Isles are NOT the cultures in the real world from which they draw inspiration. It is very much still a fantasy setting. But part of engaging with the setting in good faith is doing your own learning, on things for which you are not owed an explanation. Curiosity rewards the adventurous. The kalis is well-researched. If you're curious about something, you'll find the answers. You don't need me to hold your hand.

Instead, I'm just going to show you some of the coolest kalis I've seen.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge
The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Silver and ivory-hilted kalis from the NCAA) A (relatively) simple but gorgeous build by a modern smith.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Blade by Zambasulta Pakukus) A pair of kalis from a smith in Zamboanga.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge
The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Blade by Panday Onsboy Maktar) Silver-hilted kalis from Sulu.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge
The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Photos from Arma Filipinas; Polished by the "Blade Barber") Kalis with some gorgeous carvings on it.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge
The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Photos from Sulu Utak Shop) Kris inlaid with a brass naga.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge
The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Photos from Ron Zambaranno) Kalis rehilted by a Lumad group- uncertain which group. Supposedly, the Lumad would take kris they captured from enemies, disassemble them, and rehilt the blade.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

This one appears to have a blade that looks like most of the kalis we've seen, but with a hilt similar to Indonesian or Malaysian variants.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Photos from Raymundo Lucero) Antique Moro kris sundang with a hilt made of fossilized mammoth tooth, ornamented with a silver coin from the 1700s. A personal favorite, as I used the hilt as a reference for one of my favorite designs.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Photo from Richard Hudson)

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Art by yours truly) As with the panabas, the people who make and use the kalis are still around. There are bladesmiths, scholars, practitioners of Moro Fighting Arts, historians, and just people who live alongside these blades who can tell their own stories better than I ever could.

The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge

(Photo from Richard Hudson)

I hope this and all the other threads I made inculcated an interest in some of you- even those who just look at the pictures (I see you)- to look into these blades yourself. Do your due diligence, treat people with respect, and approach what you are unfamiliar with in good faith- and you should be well on your way to learning more than you thought there ever was to know.

The Gubat Banwa Kickstarter launches in 1 day! Check it out here:

Coming soon: Gubat Banwa - SEAsian Martial Arts Tactics Fantasy RPG
Kickstarter
A Drama and Martial Arts Tactics RPG set in the Sword Isles: a Fantasy setting inspired by the refulgent history of Southeast Asia.

A very special thanks to GB team-member onefloor who helped expand my knowledge on this blade. This legend scores the music for Gubat Banwa, check them out here! This will be the last blade post I do for the promotion. I'm going back into the hole I dug in the ground to work on the rest of the weapons I'm drawing for this game. If there's interest, I might do another series of 7 before the Kickstarter campaign ends. Anyway, help us get the word out, small team of creators from the global south, too broke to advertise, etc. etc. you know the drill by now if you've read the other posts. Until next time! Until glory!


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1 year ago

Seven Blades Until Glory

Gubat Banwa launches on Kickstarter TODAY! Just a few more hours before the highly-anticipated launch of this award-winning, SEA fantasy-based, tactical martial arts TTRPG. Godsfuck, that's a lotta adjectives.

Seven Blades Until Glory

I've been posting the weapons I've drawn for the game to count down the final week before the launch. These were supposed to be for Swordtember but we had to move it back a little bit.

Seven Blades Until Glory

Below are links to all the individual threads, providing details on each of these individual blades, including which cultures they belong to and how they might have been (and still are) used.

The First Blade: Balaraw - Winged Dagger
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I realize I haven't been explicit about it on here yet (mostly because I'm not the best at keeping all my social media profiles up to date),
The Second Blade: Diplata - Extinct Bolo
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Continuing the countdown to the launch of the Gubat Banwa Kickstarter coming up on the 10th of October- 6 days to go! Gubat Banwa is a tact
The Third Blade: Hinalung - Handheld Speartip
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Five days left to go before the launch of the Gubat Banwa Kickstarter campaign! Gubat Banwa is a TTRPG that allows you to play as warrior K
The Fourth Blade: Panabas - "For Chopping"
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Four days to the launch of the white-hot lightning that is the Gubat Banwa Kickstarter! Gubat Banwa is a TTRPG supported by the twin pillar
The Fifth Blade: Kampilan - Warrior Made
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Down to the last three days before Gubat Banwa launches on Kickstarter! Moon-eating titans, sword-souls and bullet devils, giant flying cro
The Gubat Banwa Kickstarter launches in 2 days! Check it out here:
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Forging onwards! It certainly doesn't help when blades are found far from home and are labelled with confusing specific terms or useless ge
The Seventh Blade: Kalis - Bleeding Edge
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And so- in the end- the wheel must turn, and a new day must usurp the old. Perhaps then, these long-fallen flowers will feed the soil, and

The Gubat Banwa Kickstarter launches in a few hours! Check it out here:

Coming soon: Gubat Banwa - SEAsian Martial Arts Tactics Fantasy RPG
Kickstarter
A Drama and Martial Arts Tactics RPG set in the Sword Isles: a Fantasy setting inspired by the refulgent history of Southeast Asia.

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