Zephoranim, the King of Al-Kyris in Ardath, is predictably decadent, corrupt, and bored. He's taken up with the young, beautiful and evil Lysia, the Snake Priestess even though the Prophecy (there's always a Prophecy) says that when the King and the Priestess get together, the City will fall. And there's a smoking volcano in the region, ("Last Days of Pompeii") too, whose effluents have turned the water downriver blood red. This is where Theo the Modern Poet gets dropped off to find his way.
Corelli the author greatly enjoys describing features of her Decadent World, including this throne canopy for King Z. Its baldachin is held up by four giant male bronze statues. I did this illustration in Rome, where there were plenty of heroic statues and throne canopies to borrow designs from.
For your irrelevant information I first encountered "Ardath" in 1968, where I purchased a copy at a market rummage sale for 25 cents. In those days Corelli books were easy to find; not now.
Ink and watercolor on sketchbook page, 7" x 10", 1976.
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