I've updated this article with the correct storyline and an extra picture plus links
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| Roa - Eric 15 (Eric Captured) |
Defeated in battle, Eric is bought into camp
at the head of the band of captive warriors. He is renowned as the best fighter in his tribe and Roa gives him another
special, restraint arrangement that reflects his prized status - a
sort of wooden yoke in the style of a medieval pillory. He is also
forced to go naked in front of his men, whereas they seem to be
wearing crude loin cloths*.
It occurs to me that the scene in which these defeated
men were forced to strip out of their armour and uniforms, perhaps on
the field of battle would be full of rich erotic possibilities but as
far as I know Roa did not explore them. Who supplied the loin cloths, I
wonder? Maybe the impoverished locals 'looted' the POW's as they were
being marched by, forcing them to swap clothes, who
knows?
Roa
depicts Eric as a darkly, handsome man with a muscular body (of
course). His is a similar story to Graham's (shown in Part 1 of this mitchmen series on Roa's art). But whilst Graham's arrival as a captive had a certain
ironic glory, Eric's is more down-beat, almost as though he were
despised by his captors. This is reflected in a changed viewpoint, we
seem to be looking down from an elevated vantage point, secretly
watching his private humiliation.
The
escort (dressed in rather stylish, black outfits) drive their
captives along using coercion, pushing them and pulling their hair.
Eric himself has a guard's foot planted on his backside, propelling
him forward. Beyond the main group there's a pair of dejected men
being dragged along inside a mobile, timber cage. Their segregation
from the main body of men and privileged use of transport suggests
that an extra special fate awaits them.
Roa
uses the aerial viewpoint to good technical effect here enabling us
to see these separate elements of a crowded scene. He's placed the
figures so that the composition remains compact and coherent in this
view (whereas some renderers maroon their figures in vast empty
spaces when they switch to the elevated viewpoint).
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| Roa - Eric 14 (part of) Eric Defeated |
This image supplied as an introduction by Roa explains (in slightly disjointed fashion) the background to Eric's capture, you will see that it features Graham with his distinctive ginger hair, in fact the stories of these two characters are interwoven with each other
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| Roa - Ready For Torture |
Spread-eagled in an Amalaric-style, X-frame this naked
captive* awaits the pleasure of his captor who appears to be a man of
some significance, well dressed and with stately bearing. A minion
(presumably the regular torturer) kneels obsequiously before him,
offering up his whip, which is accepted with manic glee. It
suggests he has a personal animosity or grudge towards the captive.
Perhaps the captive is (or rather has been) the proverbial 'thorn in
his side', typically in these tales he's the rightful heir who has
been usurped, but I cannot illuminate further (** see footnote).
His lordship spurns the array of crude devices spread on
the torturer's table behind him in favour of the classic whip. He
does not deign to bare his torso as common torturers do. Presumably
he's indifferent to the risk of soiling his expensive clothes with
flying body fluids and not intending to labour long enough over this
man to work up a sweat, instead relying on his expertise with the
weapon to make his symbolic contribution short, but stingingly sweet.
Interestingly, the captive is hugely aroused by their
confrontation (or what goes with it). He is a marvellous specimen of
manhood and gives us another example of Roa's splendid muscular backs
with cute little buns as an unexpected bonus. Who would want to sully
such a man? (Don't all shout at once!)
**This picture comes
from a group labelled 'Savage Warrior'. The dark
hair of the captive and the black clothing of his captors seem
like a precursor to the Eric series. There is an 'Eric' equivalent of this scene but it features the near-juvenile Alphons as his tormentor so I'm not willing to include it here. This alternative fits in well and it's a great, nicely detailed
picture with more clever use of the aerial viewpoint.
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| Roa - Eric-29 (Abused) |
The scarcity of tell-tale wounds on Eric's body in this
image seems to confirm that he has suffered an economic punishment
from the whip (but not necessarily a mild one). These moderate signs
of physical damage show a degree of restraint on Roa's part as well as Eric's
captors, which I for one appreciate. After all, why mutilate such an
object of beauty and desire?
As you see, however, Eric isn't about to be spared from
further degradations and this time it's crude sexual abuse at the
hands of a different man. His tormentor this time is
Graham (from Part 1). His character in this sequence seems very different
to the romantic, ill-fated lover of Alphons. He's shown here wearing chain-mail tights, which
I suspect are probably sexier for the viewers to look at than for him
to wear - and even more uncomfortable when they're rolled up to waist high!
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| Roa - Eric-32 (Suspended) |
Eric is suspended in a painful back-breaking position
and forced to service his captor. Tormented by his own weight, which
also prevents him from freeing himself, this extreme technique
impresses on the victim just how helpless and hopeless his
predicament is.
This restraint position in full suspension is
spectacular but more dangerous than most, particularly if prolonged,
so please don't try it at home!
For on-lookers this stressed position produces some
beautiful body shaping, notably of the buttocks, but also the back
and shoulders. Both of these features are accented in Roa's image by
beautiful, grainy highlights, suggestive of body hair and sweat.
Simultaneously the downward bowing of the torso lays open the
victim's frontal vulnerabilities, especially if he is nude and free
to dangle. Roa rather cruelly draws attention to such danger by
showing Eric's tackle balanced on the blade of Graham's sword (a rare
and considerable feat for the swordsman, considering the area is out
of his sight and his full attention is otherwise engaged). Hopefully he's
only considering using the flat of the blade to tap or whack, leaving
the threat of the cutting edge as just that, an intimidating threat.
It's a particularly potent one I suppose if you are a 'rightful heir'
and expecting to father the next in line.
Given the inherent dangers of this pose in real life
rather than fantasy, it is fortunate for us that nearly all the
erotic interest can be reproduced without lifting the subject off the
ground. The earliest photo example I can think of is the classic bondage image produced by Bound and Gagged back in the 90's. Another mitchmen article on 'Rhino' posing
at Extreme Boyz also explored the potential of
this restraint, showing the suppleness demanded of anyone who tries it. More recently it's been used regularly on subjects at
Russian Captured Boys and there's a memorable Ulf image
using a hammock-like arrangement which in turn is based on a
photograph which I'm sure I've got somewhere but can never find!
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| Roa - Eric-39 (Enslaved) |
After further varied tortures, it turns out that Eric is
not facing immediate death, nor mutilation but only enslavement
(only!). This image shows him wearing a giant, metal collar
with matching manacles, which are the stereotypical symbols of this terrible fate.
The collar is obviously very heavy and extremely tight too, judging
by the stress/stretch lines in his neck. It's a reminder that his life is still very much in the hands of others.
Eric's sufferings do not seemed to have harmed his
voluptuous physique, it's mature development belies his boyish face,
but he bears those weighty nipple rings as though born to it. They
are complemented by an ugly, skewer-like dick-plug suggesting that
even if his tackle has been reprieved for now, he's not going to be
allowed to use it to sire a new pretender to the throne or for anything else, except by arrangement. His virile
response to the insertion must infuriate his tormentors!
All in all, however, these encumbrances hardly seem
conducive to a good day's work in the fields. Perhaps the real,
sadistic intention is to ensure his punishment continues as he works
or even to bring about a slow, lingering but vaguely legal demise by
working him to death.
~
More slavery in Roa – Part 4 at mitchmen (link
pending)
Read this series from Part 1
