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Fantasy literally means anything that isn't real. But in this case, and
in most uses today, it specifically means medieval fantasy: stories set
in a medieval era with magic, monsters, and other mythical elements.
That's what you'll find here: medieval fantasy and pretty much only
medieval fantasy. This includes the Lord of the Rings, Dungeons &
Dragons, and my own original works.
(a background story for two of my characters in
So You Wanna Be An
Adventurer?, relating how they first met)
Originally written summer 2005, updated and posted summer 2007.
Part 1 - A War in the Dark
Part 2 - Unexpected Alliances
Part 3 - Into the Light
Begun March 1, 2007
I usually end up writing science fiction stories, but I actually
enjoy medieval fantasy equally well. And although I have a brother, Ryan,
who enjoys sci-fi more than fantasy, I also have a sister, Maegan, who is
exactly the opposite. So when I began working on a concept for my own little
medieval/fantasy world, my sister Maegan picked up on the idea and ran with
it even more than I had, creating her own set of stories called The Legend
of the Five. Since her stories have picked up some popularity on my forums,
I decided to post this story I've been working on set in the same world.
This story is rather unlike, say, my Star Wars fan fictions, and I'm writing
it more for my own entertainment than anyone else's, but here's hoping
someone else out there will enjoy it too. The story features the Five,
Maegan's titular lycanthropic characters, but the focus is actually more on
the Valkyrie, the Choosers of the Slain. Since the as-of-yet-unnamed fantasy
world Maegan and I are creating is based very closely on classic myths and
legends, the Valkyrie of Norse Mythology play a key role in the lands of the
North, where they choose those warriors killed in battle who are fit to
enter the great eternal halls of Valhalla in the afterlife. However, this
job doesn't always go smoothly, as there are some who do not show the same
respect for death as the Valkyrie. For the souls of the dead, they have
their own dark uses...
Chapter One - Kara the Shieldmaiden
Chapter Two - A Jewel for Roata
Chapter Three - One of Five
Chapter Four - Gondul and the Earth
Chapter Five - Where Chaos Reigns
Chapter Six - The Blood of Skogul
Chapter Seven - The Shadows Strike
story in progress...
Artwork
 
Skogul
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Angelic Archer
2007
Although originally intended to be a Sarran warrior in
traditional garb from my world of Nova Refuge, this sketch could also
serve as any generic angelic archer from a fantasy world, especially an
Avariel from D&D. Well, except for the small ankle-wings, I guess... |
Kneeling Valkyrie
2006
Forum moderator Osolis Mantis pointed out to me that I
had not yet posted this, although I did have it available as an avatar.
Well, here it is. It's my latest and probably best valkyrie sketch so
far in my long-running valkyrie series. I really like the way it turned
out. Not much else to say really... |
Dwarven Mine of Clan Firebeard
2006
I drew this around the time the Lord of the Rings: The
Battle for Middle-Earth II was coming out, because I was ecstatic that
the Dwarves were now their own civilization. I'm not sure if I like the
way they turned out in the final game, but I do like the way this sketch
turned out. It features a few dwarf characters that my siblings and I
have made up in various RPG's we've played together. Specifically, the
four dwarves in front. They are, from left to right, Frummo (Ryan's),
Vegnar (Maegan's), Dabfrag (mine), and Bommlech Hellaxe (mine).
Also note the various other details in the sketch, such as the archers
using crossbows (which they should have done in BFME2, instead of just
throwing axes for ALL ranged attacks), the Clan Firebeard emblem (a
dwarf with a flaming beard), and also... GASP! A female dwarf! They do
exist. |
The Adventurers Window
2006
In case you haven't noticed, I like drawing my
adventuring party... almost as much as I like drawing valkyries. This is
supposed to be the whole group portrayed in a stained glass window. I
was trying something different here. Of course, it's not very impressive
without color, but I'd like to color it eventually (if I wasn't so
terrible about getting around to this sort of thing). The characters are
(from left to right) Adriana, Cynthia, Dabfrag, Justyn, Joedar, Whisper,
and Daemonique. As usual. The circle in the center of the drawing
includes representations of the six elements. Usually they are just
fire, air, earth, and water, but I added light and shadow. |
Ambushing a Giant
2006
Okay, so I just wanted to draw a picture with my whole
adventuring party in it, all of them fighting. When I came up with the
idea of having them climbing all over a giant, I stuck with it. Up in
the corner is Daemonique, the part-demon, who, yes, sprouts wings
whenever I want her to. On the giant's head is Dabfrag, Joedar is
hanging from his beard, Whisper is climbing up his arm, Cynthia is
hanging from her spear imbedded in his elbow, Adriana is firing magic at
him from the cliff (which is how they jumped onto him), and I myself am
stuck in his hand, cutting off one of his fingers. The scan can fool you
about the size; believe it or not, this was just drawn on regular printer paper: 8.5 x 11 inches. |
Goddess of the Star
2005
Not really sure what to call this one. I actually drew
this on the ride back from my first visit to any art museum ever. I was
inspired by some art nouveau style statue of some nature goddess or
something, with golden hair flowing crazily everywhere. I thought about
drawing an image of the Winged Victory (Nike) statue of Samothrace with
a head and arms, but I knew I could never do it justice, so I went with
this instead. I drew it in the half-light of one of those dim yellow
little lights in the back of a car at night. With that in mind, I think
it's pretty good, don't you? Parts of it are kind of messed up, but I
still like it. |
Joedar and his Pack-Mule
2005
This is Joe, friend. He's a character I invented when
playing Dungeon Siege. I wanted to play through the game with no other
party members, just him and a bunch of mules to hold his stuff. So I
did, and I named him Joe the Barbarian Loner. This sketch kind of
captures the feel of the character that I was trying to get, which could
not, of course, be accurately represented in a game as simplistic a
Dungeon Siege. Joe is the epitome of the adventurer: a loner, brooding,
mysterious, a survivor, and of course a powerful fighter with a penchant
for doing good deeds and saving the innocent. Yeah, I know, the mule
looks kind of screwy, but I didn't have anything to go by, and I had
never really drawn a mule before, so bah. They look screwy in Dungeon
Siege also. |
Lord Agruzgakbalat the Ogskittersnagbooloob, Lord of the 666th Pit
of the Netherworld
2005
This one is meant to be as extreme and stupid as
possible. My younger siblings (Ryan and Maegan) and I were bored while
riding in the car, so I asked them to help me design the most utterly
ridiculous monster ever conceived... sort of like the totally idiotic
things you'll find in the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manuals. I started
with a baboon head (ala Demogorgon) and we kept adding bits and pieces
from there. Though I drew everything, Ryan and Maegan helped with ideas.
He has just about everything a monster can possibly want. He even has a
demilich (see D&D if you don't know what that is) stuck on one of his
arms! I hope to make him a villain in a comic eventually. |
Valkyrie Queen
2005
What do you think? Is it about time I drew another
Valkyrie? Well, I think so. I drew most of this one during someone
else's birthday party (yes, I know, I'm terribly rude), and I tried to
make her armor as ornate as possible. That's why I call her the valkyrie
queen. She's armed with a spear, a sword, and a shield (across her
back). Her armor is covered in bird designs. Her cape is supposed to
look feathery also. |
Fantasy Justyn
2005
I've still been working on the idea of my "Fantasy Scorp"
shown below in the red armor. This "Fantasy Justyn" is the same character, but with his
helmet removed and wearing clothing over his red dragon-scale armor. Why
wear clothing OVER armor, you ask? Well, a lot of people might get
jealous if they saw someone walking around in red dragon-scale, you
know. Besides, I extended the idea in the next picture. Look to the
right... |
Fantasy Justyn/Scorp
2005
Here is the fantasy Justyn on the left, with all of the
cloth burning off to reveal the fireproof red dragon-scale underneath
(the suit shown in the images above). I thought this was a pretty cool
idea, myself. You can imagine a wizard over there casting a fire spell
at Scorp, or perhaps even a dragon breathing on him. He is, of course,
shielding his eyes with his arm. |
The Scorpion Sword
2005
In case you didn't notice in my first two drawings, Scorp
has a sword in his right hand with a scorpion-shaped hilt. This is a
larger drawing of that same sword. Scorp is about to have a showdown
with an unsuspecting werewolf. |
Archer Girl (Painted)
2005
More practice in Corel Painter 8 with my Wacom tablet. I
was trying to color the sketch to the right. At first everything seemed
to be going fine, with the hair, the diadem, and the eyes... and then
the nose and mouth screwed all up and I lost all hope for it ever
looking as good as I wanted it to. I guess it will never be finished
now. |
 
Archer Girl
2005
I put a lot of work into this image, but I'm still not
really satisfied with it. I have various complaints, but mainly that her
armor falls under the
"extreme
fantasy" look that I dislike. Still, I guess that's what I get for
basing the image on a lingerie model. Yeah, go ahead and laugh. It's
better than taking figure drawing classes in front of a nude. *shudders* |
Mounted Valkyrie
2005
As you can see, I really like valkyries. This one is mounted on
horseback. I put a lot of detail into this drawing, since I had nothing better to
do during break in Biology class. Ha! |
Whisper Dangling
2005
I drew this as a study in perspective, sort of. Once
again it is my elven thief character, Whisper, but
she seems to have slipped and is now hanging precariously by her dagger
imbedded in a crevice in the rock. This one was fun to draw. Don't
worry, she makes it back up just fine. |
Whisper and Daemonique
2005
This was drawn while riding in the car on the family
vacation out West (see photography section). I ran out of paper, so I
drew it on the back of the cover of the sketch pad. As you can tell in
the scan, the cover wasn't in very good shape. |
Daemonique
2004 (or 2005?)
Usually I think that fantasy females in ridiculously
revealing outfits is stupid. I mean, the women need armor too. But
Daemonique is my main character exception to this rule. She's
part-demon, so she has thicker skin than normal humans, and she has a
knack for seducing mortals to do her bidding. That's hard to do if one
is wearing a full suit of plate mail, you know. |
Whisper Blade Dance
2004
After I started drawing pictures of Whisper, she quickly
became one of my favorite characters. I drew this some time after the
first image, trying to come up with a more unique standard look for her.
When her elven hometown was burned during a war, Whisper was orphaned
and grew up as a thief in a human town. Now she is just starting to
rediscover her elven heritage, hence the curved, lightweight elven
swords. |
Dragon Knight
2004
I call this one "Dragon Knight" because of the
spiky
armor and the dragon emblem on his shield. I actually drew this sketch
during breaks at school... during one of my few classes in a classroom
environment. I was just doodling, and I decided to draw a concept sketch
for some cool armor. So here it is. Enjoy. |
Whisper on Rooftop
2004
This picture was inspired by the game Thief - Deadly
Shadows, but that's not Garrett in the image. That's Whisper, my elven
thief character. She's lying on the rooftop, just about
to take out the guard and make off with the loot. Though Whisper was
originally invented for 2D games with no Z axis, I've always liked to
imagine her climbing on rooftops. More RPG games really need to
incorporate this sort of thing. |
Valkyrie
2004
This is a Valkyrie, from Norse mythology. The Valkyrie
were the choosers of the glorious dead who will go to the halls of
Valhalla. For some reason, I have a slight obsession with them. I drew
this sketch after playing Age of Mythology and deciding that I wanted to
make up my own design for the Valkyrie appearance. This was the third
sketch that I drew. The other two were trashed. |
Fantasy Scorp
2004
The classic picture. I drew this quite some time ago (I
think the original sketch was drawn in 2003, actually), but I still
think it's great. I sketched it on paper and then colored it in
Paintshop Pro. Since then, I have used it in every RPG game I've played
that requires portraits for characters. The character, Justyn Sabre-Scorpion,
is wearing red dragon scale armor and armed with a bow and his two
swords, originally named Chathkillian (D&D Drow for "fire-sword") and
Nuarmegil (Tolkein Elvish for "fire-sword"). One blade is Drow, the other
Elven. |
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Uruk-Hai vs. Orcs
2006
It's about time I drew some Lord of the Rings fan art, so
here's a piece for you. On one side are the Uruk-Hai, on the other the
regular old orcs (Mordor type). I figure this is is taking place some
time after the War of the Ring, when the leftover tribes of the two
types of orcs continue their feuding amongst themselves, waiting for the
rise of the next Dark Lord to lead them into war. |
Fall-From-Grace and Morte
2004
When I was playing through Planescape: Torment, I really got sucked into
the bizarre world and characters. And whenever that happens, I feel
inspired to draw. So I drew this picture of Fall-from-Grace and Morte. |
Dwarven Cleric of Clangeddin
2004
I sketched this picture to use as the portrait of my
dwarf character, Dabfrag Firebeard, cleric of Clangeddin, in games like
Icewind Dale 1 & 2. The holy symbol of the dwarven god Clangeddin, a
pair of crossed axes, can be seen on his breastplate. I was very proud
of the detail of this piece, and I still think it looks surprisingly
good for a sketch I did so long ago. |
Paladin of Helm
2004
This is just a generic Paladin of Helm. Helm is the god
of guardians in the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons world, or
campaign setting. You can see Helm's holy symbol (a hand with an eye on
it) on certain parts of his armor. I was sitting in the car waiting for
someone while I drew him, and I couldn't think of anything else to draw. |
Minsc the Mighty Ranger
2004
This is a picture of Minsc, one of the main characters in the Baldur's
Gate series. He is a ranger who sustained a bit of a head injury and
went a little crazy. He is very attached to his hamster, named Boo,
which you may be able to see poking out of his backpack in this picture.
Again, not my best work, but... |
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"So You
Wanna Be An Adventurer?" -
Generic
- Lord of the
Rings -
Dungeons & Dragons -
The
Elder Scrolls |
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