Sisters of Silence
Ossi Hiekkala
Sisters of Silence is an interesting card in that it is very unique and 'classic' looking, true to Ossi Hikkala's artistic style. Ossi draws his artistic inspiration from the 1900-1970 time frame; women's magazines of the 50s and 60s, MAM's and old paperbacks. A fantasy TCG is a bit different from the genre he is typically accustomed to, but it works very well for the breadth of artistic styles in Sorcery: Contested Realm.
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The artistic direction for Sisters of Silence was as follows:
A group of nun-like (not necessarily Christian, it could be more of a fantasy look) worshippers. I imagine a scene with bright light falling on them from above, almost like they get a god ray of light on them through a large window. Though I am open to other ideas too. The gameplay effect of them is that that you can't fight or cast spells near them.
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And so as such, the flavor text mirrors that of the card mechanic's intent:
"Since long I've held silence as a remedy for harm." - Aeschylus
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Aeschylus was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as "the father of tragedy". Academic knowledge of this genre began with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is largely based on inference made from reading his surviving plays.
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Ossi described his approach to the piece as follows:
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I wanted to have a quiet atmosphere and very simple design. Very few colors and strong contrasts. I draw my inspirations mostly from the illustration art between 1900-1970. I also wanted there to be a movement, action, where the sister who has turned towards us has stopped abruptly, making the one following her almost bump on to her, and the one before her has moved a step further, breaking the rhythm. Very little thing. I don't know anyone else pays any attention to it, but for me it's the nicest thing in the picture. And the fact that my spouse likes it...
