Observers Guide To Kobolds #3

I love these, they make me think of something written by an elder god or a yith in lovecrafts work.

I like to imagine the first is a user manual on shoggoth maintenance, the second is a self portrait through the means of what the portraitee has in their pockets right now, and the last is a formal essay of some sort.

Santiago Ramón y Cajal (Spanish, 1852 - 1934)

Neural Drawings, circa 1900 - 1908

Delightful loveloaf!

Reblogging Wonderful boyfriends arts!

watching bf play the salmon run tutorial and he points out that Maws is referred to by she/her and now every time one of however many of them are on the map kills us it’s like “rip another tragic victim of girls night </3”

Bonus Kevin!

Here's hoping our sad lad stays on the winning team, and has many more brilliant arguments with the biggest of Dee-Dee's.

Prophet of the Potato

Despite the Golden Tuber's immensity and power, it is lodged firmly in the earth and cannot move its vast bulk. Lo, it has transformed its most faithful into rooty forms than can enact its will upon the people!

Bits and pieces of the old Orthadoxy and Pagan beliefs are stirred into the starchy stew that is the new faith, sometimes literally as these priests can give themselves bodily unto their parish. More than one proselytiser has ended up in their followers bellies to sate the unnatural hunger that pervades the lands.

Observers Guide to Kobolds #2

Art & Crafts, with Illustrations!

Fig 1:

Kobolds are a very kinestetic species; the sense of touch being very important to engage with their art & crafts. Colours are appreciated, but are not as important due to their poor eyesight. A lot of their wearable crafts also server dual function as a fidget toy; helping control the species natural high anxiety and energy when focus is desired.

Fig 2:

a) Statuary and self representation is mostly used in instructional art, and funeral markers. This piece is the latter, and a rare example of a hollow marker with a piece of the owners bones inside.

b) Assorted glass, gem and painted stone beads. Most kobolds will have at least a small collection of interesting small stones, and do not discern precious gems from common stones. As long as it catches the eye, it goes in the bag.

c) Decorated sling shot. Shot from slings will often be re-used if successful in their first conflict, and will be decorated with various iconography to convey their luck or battle prowess. This example depicts "bloody teeth" possibly depicting a kill.

Fig 3:

a) Common storage pot. Pottery is a well practiced skill in Kobold communitys, with labelling often being a primitive braille- allowing important vessels to be found even in the dark.

b) Drinking flute. Due to the misalignment of the top and bottom of this flute it seems that it was an early piece fault by the creator rather than an intentional design choice.

c) Eating plate/low bowl. Kobolds do not require cutlery, as their teeth and claws are often of utility enough during meals. plates and bowls will over time be worn down by a flurry of scratches, requiring new crockery to be made.

Very correct!

To add to this, bandits could also be:

- desperate farmers during a bad harvest

- rebels funding their cause

- mercenaries between contracts

- soldiers on campaign, both ally and enemy

- noblemen’s thugs sending a message

- refugees who are completely out of options

Banditry in fantasy and fiction has unfortunately become a sort of shorthand for “low level humanoid enemies you don’t have to feel bad for killing” but it heartens me to see people investing creatively in their settings “bad guys” backstories.

An example of how bandits in fantasy are disconnected from the way real bandits worked is Marion du Faouët, a woman bandit from Brittany in the 18th century.

Bandits in a lot of fantasy are full time bandits. They have no other job, and usually live away from the rest of society.

Marion du Faouët, aside from being a highwaywoman, was a mercer, selling, selling fabrics & cloth.

Because yeah, turn out that there isn't a special group of people called criminals... there is no "criminal society VS honest society", the two are part of a whole.

And fantasy stories should work more on that : seasonal bandits that do crime when they can't do their job. Fishers who do some pirate stuff on the side. Thief guild member that have legitimate job on the side, not just cover.

Tankard of "Wine"

Wine probably shouldn't foam this much, but I'm a cider guy so what do I know.

I like to think the Plump Caps and their resulting wine share a lot of flavour with where/what they're grown on. like if you grow them on wood chips you get a nice woody or earthy undertone.

Made using PetMate, a free PETSCII art maker thing!

(might have to click pic to get rid of any blurryness)

King (Queen?) Salmonids

Just let them kiss Nintendo. You can make it a valentines day special mission and everything.

Soggy Mochi

Disgruntled, eating his boogers.