BANNER OF DOOM
☾ Your quest begins under the beaming moonlight on smoldering, eerily quiet battlefield, where you awaken abruptly. The battle is over. You don’t recall why you are there, and you don’t recognize the parties on either side of this fight. You get up, gather yourself, and decide to walk out of there.
☾ On your way towards a close road that runs along a forest of giant trees, you pass a tent. Your eyes fall upon a tattered banner resembling faces and eyes of monsters melded together. It seemingly feels alive. The wind moves it in a somber manner. At the very least there is magic, powerful magic, rippling through this cloth.
☾ A sudden gust blows this peculiar banner toward you. As the banner of doom hits your face, you receive a flash of memories inside your mind’s eye. You were conversing with a powerful being before arriving to your current location. There was an exchange. Power was exchanged, terms and conditions were set.
☾ You tremble as you realize what occurred at that battle back there. You were responsible for ending the fight and stopping both sides in one grim, relentless moment.
☾ Why were you sent here? What did you ask for this power for? Why can’t you remember your quest? Answers await you out there if you seek them.
☾ So, how will you proceed?
1. Take the Banner Of Doom down and bring it with you on your adventure.
2. Take the road to the north.
3. Take the road to the south
4. Wrap yourself in the banner and try to make contact with the being you received this terrible power from. Requires attunement and an intelligence check.
5. Leave.
BANNER OF DOOM Origins
The idea of a monstrous banner in the story inspired this digital piece (done in Procreate.)
Procreate WIP
This work in progress spot shows the banner’s shaped being carved out from the black shape in the center.
This type of illustrating, freely and without much direction (or, let’s face it, without deadlines) can become meditative. You should try it.
For the final design a gradient was chosen as seen in the shirt image below.
Speaking of digital art reminds me that we ought to discuss mediums used. In my career I’ve used pencil, ink, paint (oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache), and digital. I’ve never stuck to one type of medium and it makes me happy to clumsily learn to use all of them I can. The only thing I have trouble finding acceptable to use is AI art, because as of writing this there’s no way the current AI companies are doing anything but stealing from other artists.
The Merch
The design was always meant for shirts and posters. Head to the shop for more items to find or fill up your treasure chest with Clairvoyance LVL.99 posters here.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading. See you in the next castle. - K