The Realm of Altania

Like a lot of eighties kids, I was a fan of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe when I was a kid. I wasn't quite as big into it as Star W

Like a lot of eighties kids, I was a fan of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe when I was a kid. I wasn't quite as big into it as Star Wars, Transformers, GI Joe and MASK, but I liked the toys and the cartoons and it certainly sparked my imagination. In the UK, there were a series of He-Man storybooks that I had which were favourite reads of mine on long train journeys. The inside cover had a montage of images of the world of Eternia that left an impression on me. Like with Star Wars and Transformers, I was always fascinated by the level of world building within the franchise, and when I had the idea of illustrating scenes from the realm of the Altawomen, it was that map of Eternia from those old storybooks which really inspired me.

Descriptions of the images clockwise from the top left:

1) Alta Sky Sled-- This is my most overtly MOTU reference here. I always liked the intersection of Sci-Fi and Fantasy tropes in stuff like this and Flash Gordon (the 80's movie, natch). There's no real reason why an Altawoman would need a mode of transportation like this except for fun, I guess. Maybe it's that world's equivalent of souping up a hot rod and racing it around the countryside.

2) Unicorn Field: What could be more fantasy than a unicorn galloping free in a mountainside pasture?

3) The Great Crystal- Source of the Altawomen's power, the Great Crystal is kind of like the Matrix of Leadership to the Autobots, I guess. It sits in the heart of the Royal Palace (immediately to the left), which is also the main residence of Queen Lauress.

4) The Retreat at Jorna:  The Retreat is a kind of luxury spa resort for Altawomen in the jungle realm of Jorna.

5) The Gateway to the Dungeon Dimensions:  A war between the Altawomen and the Dungeon Demons laid waste to a part of Altania's northern territories and created The Desolation. In this stark land where it is forever night and no living thing dwells, a portal to the Dungeon Dimensions is guarded by powerful Alta-Sorceresses. Permanently open, They work tirelessly to undo the dark spell that opened the rift. Mainly they are charged with making sure that whatever tries to enter the Alta-dimension is strongly deterred!

6) The Forge: This is the dwelling place of Gretta, the Alta-Blacksmith. Using her great strength, she and her Dwarves create the armaments for the Alta-Sisterhood's warrior cadre.

7) and 8) The Temple of Time and the Temple of Transformation: One of the earliest surviving structures in Altania, the Temple of Time is a place of contemplation and study for the Alta-Sisterhood. The Temple of Transformation (as has been previously detailed here)  is the main place where initiates into the order of the Alta-Sisterhood are transformed into powerful, Amazonian Alta-Forms.

Altawoman and the Altaverse are featured here with kind permission from Leee!