My first and only chance to show the illusive Count Lortan, who was always one favorite and least favorite characters. He was fun to write, as he gets away with things that would ruin any other character (even the villains), but at the same time, I came to rather despise him at times in this book. Still, this is his biggest moment, rescuing a page from the Phantom’s book just before it is destroyed in fire. You will notice that he has a large, wide-brimmed hat. This came directly from Odin, who was always recognizable by his wide-brimmed hat and one eye. Lortan was originally going to have one eye, but then I decided that his kind would be invulnerable, I couldn’t decide how he would lost that eye. So, Radan lost his eye instead. Notice also his leather coat. Those intricate stitches were very challenging to create and pose, but I was determined not to rely on textures to create the effect. I think it was worth it.

This is the second giant book that appears in the story, the other being Navaro’s journal in his forge. I did not realize that I had written two such books until I started modeling this book, and considering editing out the first one. But then, as I thought over other stories I have written, including several future projects, I realized that nearly every one of them features an oversized book, and in more than one, we ride around on that book. I decided it should stay, as it is clearly some deep-seated archetype permanently imprinted in my mind—that or I saw Fantasia too many times as a kid.