Live-action roleplay (LARP) is an immersive form of collaborative storytelling in which participants physically portray characters in a fictional world. Costumes, props, and the environments all create vivid, shared narratives.
In the Empire LRP system, players embody the citizens of ten nations, pursuing personal ambitions and national goals amidst grand-scale events.
Project Context: The Granite Pillar Army
As part of the Winds of Fortune opportunity “The War of Thorns and Flowers,” Highguard was given the chance to raise a fourth army. However, to fulfil the opportunity, ‘inspirational’ banners needed to be created for the existing three armies.
Having volunteered to create one of the banners, my challenge was to translate the Granite Pillar army’s core virtues of loyalty, courage, and pride, into a striking inspirational banner.
One of the strengths of Empire LRP is the vast wiki upon which commonly known information is stored. This means that there are many elements just waiting to be drawn on for inspiration when creating projects such as this banner.
Symbolism
The Granite Pillar crest takes centre stage and forms the basis for the design for the entire banner.
The marvelously talented Steph Pardoe designed this crest. You should head over to Steph’s Instragram and take a look at her artwork!
There were many different ways that I could have gone when begining to design the inspirational banner. I could have chosen to use an image of a figure from history, or depict a particular battle or event in the army’s annals.
However, when I studied the history of art at university, I particularly enjoyed the work I did around semiotics, iconography, and iconology. It was for this reason that I wanted to create a banner that drew heavily on symbolism, and that would hopefully also create its own legacy of iconography within the Empire.
Pride: Sunset
A resplendent sunset radiates behind the granite pillar, rendered in deep jewel tones, ruby reds and amethyst purples, to evoke the symbol of pride often used by the Imperial Synod – the sun.
Additionally, the sunset in particular represents the certainty valued by Highguard. No matter how bad things get, the sun will always set at the end of the day, and tomorrow a new sun will rise.
Courage: Warhammers
Although many use the axe as a symbol of courage in the Empire, the lore notes that the hammer is a weapon favoured by pilgrims and is especially common in the South of the Empire. As the wiki says, “a pilgrim in the South is much more likely to encounter problems that can be solved with a hammer than with an axe.” It is as a nod to the returning grey pilgrims returning home that I chose the crossed warhammers to represent courage.
Loyalty: Chains
A continuous interlaced chain frames the panel, symbolising unbreakable bonds among soldiers of the Granite Pillar.
I chose a highly stylised version of a chain to fit with the stylised nature of the main pillar with a crown.
Jewel Tones and The Unknown Craftsman
In keeping with the Highguard art brief, I leaned into vibrant, abstract shapes reminiscent of stained glass found in cathedrals. The choice to create a quilted and appliqued banner also pays out of character homage to ecclesiastical banners and centuries of unseen textile artists who were mostly unrecognised and uncredited women. We tread in their footsteps whenever we make art like this.
In 2012 I was incredibly moved when I saw the Grayson Perry exhibition ‘The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman‘ at the British Museum. Since then I’ve had an interest in the unknown and uncredited artists and artisans behind many of the precious items in our society, both modern and ancient. This, in it’s own way, is a banner that pays homage to Perry’s exhibition and original artwork, and and all those unknown craftspeople whose work we admire.
In this way, larp is quite peculiar. My character did not make the banner, but I did. People understand when I refer to ‘my team of artisans at the chapterhouse’ as an abstraction-layer veneer over the fact that I made it out of charcter. In character I am ‘The Unknown Craftsman’ while being known as the craftsperson outside of larp.
Materials & Construction Techniques
Rather than a simple printed or painted flag, the banner is a multi-layer quilt. It consists of cotton outer layers that sandwiching wadding. This gives the banner a 3D effect. It is actually a traditional quilt that could be used for warmth to sleep under, echoing ecclestical banners found in churches, cathedrals, and other places of worship.
Thin black fabric “lead lines” trace the design edges using a technique called stained glass quilting. Each line is quilted through all layers, creating subtle relief and shadow. The design is created by laying the coloured fabric onto the base fabric, and then attaching it by adding the black lead lines over the top and stiching all the layers together with a twin needle.
This technique has fallen out of fashion in the quilting community over the years, but I remember seeing pictures of stained glass style quilts as a teenager and wanting to have a go eventually. I tried it a few years ago with another Granite Pillar banner that was much more simple, and a shield cover, but now was the time to really bring the technique to life!
I used traditional piecing techniques to assemble the interlaced chain border after completing the central pane. For simple geometric designs such as this, cutting tiny pieces of fabric and then sewing them back together is the best approach!
The bulk of the work was completed by machine stitching, but the final binding was applied by hand for precision. At this point integrated loops were added to enable game ribbons to be tied to the banner (and removed easily if it ever needs a wash).
Intentional Imperfection
Drawing inspiration from eighteenth-century painter Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA, who formulated pigments to age rapidly and mimic Old Masters paintings, I introduced controlled weak points in the construction. Within several events of use, the banner’s colours will gently fade and fabrics will fray at stress points inviting visible mending and lending the piece a storied, battle-tested patina. This deliberate degradation honours both historical textiles and the harsh realities of frontline service.
I was stuying the work of Reynolds for my PhD so in many ways this is a very personal exploration of an aging technique. I love making visible repairs to costume, and several of my larp group now have costumes with visible mending.
Behind-the-Scenes
Below is a selection of images documenting the banner’s evolution, from Illustrator mock-up to almost-finished article.
Bespoke Commissions
While this Granite Pillar banner was a one-off labour of love, I welcome enquiries for fully bespoke quilts and banners not only for Empire LRP but for any LARP, theatrical production, or ceremonial occasion.
To commission your own piece, please contact me. Lead times vary based on size and complexity, but every banner receives the same level of care and narrative-driven design.
