A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Member created stories, poems, & other creative work.
Zelknolf
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A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by Zelknolf »

I maintain that I am an artist who learned that writing code pays better. As such, I draw things that are on my mind, usually on account that I've just made or am making them. I've in the past cast aside the little sketchy things, because they're not "finished" enough for presentation. I think I need to get over that, and just post things. So I shall.

// edit-- Rumple suggested a consistent protagonist at some point, too, which I find rather appealing as a concept. So I'm gonna do that too.

I call this one "The Pitter Patter of Little Feet" drawn shortly after completing the obvious CR 1 quest arc for BG.
Quest_Centipede.jpg
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Spoiler:
A Well-Used Journal wrote:1 Flamerule, 1381

I came upon a village not far from Candlekeep. Or a monastery. It seems to live somewhere between the two. The barkeeper had asked me to look into some drunkard's bug bites-- damn fool I was to take her jobs, though; every piece sounded to me like the sound of gold being dropped onto a pile. I suppose it was, but even children learn that it's a bad idea to hit a hornet's nest; why would centipedes be any better?

Creatures gnawed on my legs; pretty sure they're venomous. Feet look like a pot of noodles boiling over now. Will be a few days before I can put my boots on again. Or walk in a straight line, for that matter, but the payment was good. Swear that one of the things she offered was a magic ring, but I took the bow; I can understand a good bow, and this was a fine one. Probably still not enough pull for me, but beats throwing rocks. Better than dragging mail bags about for that balding Baldurian shit, anyway.
Last edited by Zelknolf on Sun Jul 27, 2014 5:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Witchdoctor
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by Witchdoctor »

finished or not that is very impressive
FoamBats4All
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by FoamBats4All »

You arts good.

Keep it up!
Rumple C
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by Rumple C »

That is awesome.

I really like the style.
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HEEGZ
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by HEEGZ »

and an artist? color me impressed. :chin:
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orangetree
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by orangetree »

Very impressive :eek:
Twin Axes
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by Twin Axes »

Superb, thanks for sharing. Keep them coming please.
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kid
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by kid »

I love the shadowing
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Heero
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by Heero »

I name that centipede Pete. Pete the centipede.
Heero just pawn in game of life.

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Zelknolf
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by Zelknolf »

Again finding opportunity to doodle a thing about the thing I've been working on. Establishing something of a pattern, a sprawling CR2 quest that, if you don't hit any of the failure/bad ending cases, justifies some level-appropriate gear.
Quest_Westra.jpg
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Spoiler box actually contains spoilers, as this quest contains a good ending and a few potential bad endings.
Spoiler:
A Well-Used Journal wrote:20 Flamerule, 1381

Been staying at the monastery here. Seems that's what they call it themselves; I think the innkeeper thinks I'm just manly enough to be cute. Or I'm tipping better when she flirts. I guess it doesn't matter. Been paying my way by attaching myself to more-seasoned soldiers on patrol. And the lizard sent be off to be a mediator with the cook-- that sounds like a recipe for harmony. You wanna eat something made by someone you're fighting? You wanna live in a place where you're fighting the guys with the weapons?

The cook made it sound like I was twisting her arm off to say so. I thought I was just pointing out the obvious.


27 Flamerule, 1381

Seems that working things out with the cook gave me a little bit of reputation around here. Or dealing with the bugs. Few people know my name, anyway, and the creepy girl with the too-green eyes asked me to find a little girl who ran off while she was playing. I don't know. It sounded stupid, but I have a soft spot for the kids, and the ones here don't seem to be frightened by me. I guess they see stranger things. Looking like she's been nabbed, though. Probably be some days finding her.


28 Flamerule, 1381

We finally tracked the kidnappers down to their hole-- goddamn doglizards. I tried to talk sense to them. That kid's eventually gonna die, or escape, or they'll exchange her, and then every one of them is dead. Their negotiator came back with the girl's thumbs. Bloody well lost it-- when I stopped seeing red, I'd opened up the necks of a dozen kobolds and been gutshot. Wasn't much to show for it, but I did get the girl's body back, at least. Bastards beat her knees backward before they put a crossbow bolt in her neck. Looked like they took those thumbs off with a hammer, by what was left of her hands. Can't imagine what it was like before she died.

Lizard nearly laid me out for it, but he ended up more interested in seeing to the girl. I dragged my sorry ass down to the hospital, plenty of time to think while some eastern-looking lady tries to patch me up. Gotta learn to keep my cool. Probably could've gotten the kid if I just paid 'em.
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Rumple C
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by Rumple C »

Great x 2
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by Twin Axes »

Statics with their own illustrations, what a treat!
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Zelknolf
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by Zelknolf »

kob_elem.jpg
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Spoiler box contains actual spoilers, of course. Nontrivial risk of accidental metagaming.
Spoiler:
A Well Used Journal wrote:Uktar 1, 1381

I've been on patrols since I lost the girl. Trying to rebuild my standing; shaking hands, smiling at the people who can look me in the eye. It's not easy, and I don't blame them for hating me. The girl's dead and that's on me.

They still let me join the patrols. Did some scouting work for the captain; sounds like orcs to the south, still kobolds to the north. It's enough to pay for better armor, anyway.


Uktar 2, 1381

The oracle seems to have come around, or got worried enough that she's willing to talk to me without coming around first. She asked me about the kobolds I fought while trying to get Westra back. Sounds like she's looking for a really big red one. I said I hadn't; she sent me up to talk to the kobolds about it.

They were bloody terrified to see me. Maybe the gods reminding me of what I've done; maybe the oracle knew it would be a reminder. But we conversed this time-- he sent me to a cave, east of their home, where I found nothing. Apparently it was supposed to be a trap, but I managed to not rip the kobold's tongue out for that. He spat out the truth, that the kobolds had adventurers that we had to worry about, and the ones I was looking for were about, with elementals under their command. Hells if I know how, but that turned into work for me, skulking about the plains in search of kobold adventurers, until a goblin put a few darts in me.

He's in worse shape, but I'm writing this in a bed, after the nice eastern girl patched me up again.


Uktar 3, 1381

Fat lot of good the scouting was. Once I'm ready to give up, come back to Sir Ssil, and he tells me that there's a kobold and a fire elemental just on the road. Being a kobold and a fire elemental. It was slow, or I was fast, or I was lucky, or some combination-- but the elemental went down fast, without leaving too many burns on me. Brought a healing ring with me this time, which was enough to keep me going.

But the kobolds seemed to have a plan. After that one was down, I was up to a beach to catch a bunch of them on little boats trying to land. I had axes, and the path was narrow; that was a blessing. But the fight was long and bloody, and I was in no shape to continue at the end.


Uktar 5, 1381

The oracle took a look at some garbage I picked up from the beach, and told me that I'd missed one-- the one with the wind elemental had dodged south, and I was to follow. And so I did, a long march by her directions, and a rough fight with living wind-- it didn't bleed, but I could cut it somehow. Its master sounded like a pig, but the bugger shot some sort of magic in my eyes.

It was the same to Gullykin, tracking and fighting living stone this time. I walked the trip twice; seems that I was supposed to make sure the town was doing well before coming back. Paladins. I'll get used to working for them, I'm sure.


Uktar 6, 1381

Fourth elemental today, but it was a proper hell. Stepped over the corpse of another who had plans like mine to get to the water beast. It was easy enough to lure it out of the flooded parts, but it hit hard; was most of my potions to keep upright, and the master hid in some sort of awful labyrinth. Every hall looks the same, except they're not. Some of them shoot arrows.

I dragged a trail of red back to the temple. Again in the care of people who are too nice to me.

Had a dream that I tried to explain my mistake to Westra. I sounded like an idiot.


Uktar 8, 1381

Ssilintarsk tells me that none of the creatures I killed was the one we wanted, so I'm back into the plains, tracking. Must've been a bad day, or a bad time of day. I lost count of how many goblins and gibberlings I had to fight to get about. And some awful naked woman screaming in a language I don't understand; she was easy to hit, but there was some strange business with her skin that made steel not cut right. I was a bit haggard by the time I finally started finding things belonging to the critter, and so I brought them back so the oracle could magic out some information.


Uktak 9, 1381
Super spoiler; extra risk of accidental metagaming:
The oracle sent me to a cave to find big red; said he was writing a message, and he was. It was a challenge a proper duel, on the beach where I butchered his allies. Doglizard honor, I suppose. But I went, and found an ambush; some exceptionally-sturdy kobold took up my post when I fought the landing, and held me in for entirely too long. But I'm writing and he isn't.

Doglizard honor, I suppose.


But after that, Sir Ssil had better luck than me; he'd sent his knights out to chase off big red's entourage, and I was to run out and handle the big one himself. After what he'd put me through, I was feeling myself drifting back to the fury before, but I contained it somehow. It was a very typical fight when we finally met; he threw himself on my shield, frothing and swinging like mad, until he tired out, and I opened up his hamstrings, and then his neck.

And it seems to have earned me a little bit of that lost respect, and they paid me in magic again. They had a few things; I picked a ring that they said keeps evil out of your head. Sounds like something I could use.
Rumple C
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by Rumple C »

I dunno what anyone else thinks, but these drawings are great. Inspiring even. Adventure awaits! (And i've tried out the first static, it really sets a grand new level in content, seriously worth trying out)
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Swift
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Re: A Sketchbook of Potential Adventure

Post by Swift »

Zelknolf wrote:I've in the past cast aside the little sketchy things, because they're not "finished" enough for presentation. I think I need to get over that, and just post things.
This is something every writer sooner or later has to overcome. The desire to continually edit and wait until something is perfect before showing anyone often means that it never sees the light of day. I imagine this very forum is full of stuff the posters feel could be better but have put it out there anyway.

Bring on more sketches!
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