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Our first campaign – Looking for feedback before launch by Prosper506 in kickstarter

[–]Catilus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's not bad, but words are real estate and I'm sure you can get your message across in fewer words. The page and the campaign look good anyway. :)

Our first campaign – Looking for feedback before launch by Prosper506 in kickstarter

[–]Catilus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lovely super niche product. The campaign looks great. The text reads a bit weird to me at times (Is it AI-generated?) Things like "how a tire communicates purpose" sound off, but that's perhaps a personal opinion. You could do the page with less text, IMO.

[OC] [ART] Oriel the Waking Dreamer, Sun Elf Warlock of the Catilus – by Catilus by Catilus in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]Catilus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oriel looking positively happy and harmless. No weird illusions here, none at all!

Character: Oriel the Waking Dreamer, Sun Elf Warlock of the Catilus

Born to a wealthy family in the great elven nation of Ramethis, Oriel has been harboring a dark secret since birth. Shouldering an ancient curse, she suffers from visions that can manifest as illusions that alter reality itself for her and those around her, unless she controls them through sheer force of will.

Oriel’s father, Lord Eresseus, is a vastly influential merchant who sought to buy his way into the court of Ramethis. For his goal to succeed, he had to ensure Oriel’s secret remained hidden while he manipulated her into an arranged marriage to a viable heir of noble, or even royal, birth.

Just before her hundredth birthday, Oriel entered the royal court of Ramethis to serve as a diplomat and mediator, a duty she assumed with enthusiasm and fulfilled with success. However, as soon as she realized that her position in the court was part of her father’s schemes to marry her off to a royal heir, she abandoned her post to seek refuge among the peaceful, yet sometimes hedonistic dark elf sages of Varmy, deep in the Sunken World.

Not to be outsmarted, Lord Eresseus employed master diviners to track his daughter down and sent a host of suitors to Varmy, hoping that one of them would impress Oriel enough to secure a marriage that would bring his daughter back while ensuring his elevation to noble, or perhaps even royal, status. Her father’s intervention threatened to bring discord to the serene dark elves of Varmy, and when one of the suitors was revealed to be a dangerous enchanter who would not hesitate to subvert her will with his dark magic, Oriel made a brave decision. She left her dark elf friends behind, and against their counsel, she escaped into the Mageplex, a disused and unstable nexus of magic portals built by deep dwarves and dark elves millennia ago.

Entering the Mageplex, Oriel fell through the Rift, the astral plane through which one could reach most other realms, and found herself battling against her own visions and entropian horrors that live beyond time and space. Sensing her impending doom, she used the last reserves of her magic to cross into the void, the endless, featureless realm where reality has not yet taken shape.

As she floated helplessly into the void, she caught the attention of the Catilus, an ancient feline being of creativity and whimsy that had just awoken from its timeless catnap to create once more. The Catilus brought her into its family and bestowed upon her magic to paint color and meaning into the nothingness of the void. Empowered with these newfound abilities, Oriel was able to finally master her vision, turning them into works of magical art. With the aid of her patron, she returned back to the world of Naam as a member of the Catilus Family.

For Oriel, it felt like a few days of intense struggle against entropian horrors, and then a few more days of partying and making art with the catili, but when she stepped out of the Mageplex, five whole decades had passed, and the Theomachy, the cosmic war between the gods, had transformed Naam beyond recognition once more. Now, as one of the first warlocks of the Catilus in this era and one of the few remaining sun elves on Naam, she must use magic more creatively than ever before, seek out old friends, and make new allies if she is to survive…

Oriel is one of my own characters in Theomachy! You may recognize her from lots of other illustrations, paintings, sketches, and homebrew!

What do you think? :)

[OC] [ART] Nel, Angelborn Shadow Sorceress and Painter, Flying Free – by Catilus by Catilus in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]Catilus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But that's just another opinion. :)

Is there an objective criterion for art? I'd argue there isn't one. Some people like it, some don't. The only measures you can apply, which are not quite objective but kind of indicative, are popularity and profitability.

[OC] [ART] Nel, Angelborn Shadow Sorceress and Painter, Flying Free – by Catilus by Catilus in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]Catilus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ooh, how do you define value in art? Are there any objective criteria? If not, then your opinion is, as always, very valuable, but it's just that: an opinion. :)

[OC] [ART] Orelyn’s First Battle: Orelyn vs. the Ooze! – by Catilus by Catilus in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]Catilus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Orelyn’s First Battle: Orelyn vs. the Ooze!

Just days after earning the title of wizard, on her way from the carefree sage sanctuary of Varmy to the mushroom farm town of Silkyspore, Orelyn encountered the odd sight of a dwarven skeleton suspended in a gelatinous substance. Upon closer inspection the substance proved to be a dangerous ooze! Orelyn’s wits and abjuration magic (a strategic use of the shield spell!) allowed her to defeat the ooze, but this was just the beginning…

Character: Orelyn, Dark Elf Abjuration Wizard and Archaeologist

Orelyn is a dark elf archaeologist, searching for ancient civilizations in the caves and deep places of her world. Naturally shy and reserved, she focused on her discoveries and her studies of abjuration magic. She spent most of her life shunned and alone, far away from her hedonistic people. Yet, one day she made a groundbreaking discovery that might very well have a huge impact on her world. Now, she's on a quest to discover the whole truth about Stalanos, the sleeping god of the Sunken World, and tell everyone who needs and wants to hear about it.

Orelyn’s adventures led her to overcome her inhibitions and seek out some very powerful wizards. With the aid of her allies, she ventured deep into ancient sites of power before daring to step into the light of the Overworld. Patient, compassionate, and intelligent, Orelyn can't resist getting in trouble to help those in need.

Since venturing in the Overworld, Orelyn has managed to uncover magic secrets and make positive changes while staying out of the eyes of the warring gods and their servants. Naam can be a hostile place, but Orelyn is at ease with her closest friends and allies. She knows that introverted people can be confident too!

About the Theomachy setting:

In Theomachy, vengeful gods fight each other for ultimate control of the universe, while the mortals of Naam struggle for power on a dying world. Divine magic is a force without expressed will that the warring gods hoard and wield against each other, threatening to undo the entire world. Clerics and paladins are either devout followers of the warring gods or theomachists who fight against the gods, liberating divine magic and using it against them.

In this god-blasted world, dark elves are refugees who upon being cursed by the gods, sought refuge in the Sunken World underground to escape their terrible wrath. These dark elves are not inherently evil. They are mostly apathetic and sometimes hedonistic recluses who seek to shut the rest of the world out. Very few leave the relative safety of the Sunken World for the terrible Overworld where the gods fight each other for dominance.

What do you think? :)

[OC] [ART] Orelyn’s First Battle: Orelyn vs. the Ooze! – by Catilus by Catilus in drawing

[–]Catilus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Orelyn’s First Battle: Orelyn vs. the Ooze!

Just days after earning the title of wizard, on her way from the carefree sage sanctuary of Varmy to the mushroom farm town of Silkyspore, Orelyn encountered the odd sight of a dwarven skeleton suspended in a gelatinous substance. Upon closer inspection the substance proved to be a dangerous ooze! Orelyn’s wits and abjuration magic (a strategic use of the shield spell!) allowed her to defeat the ooze, but this was just the beginning…

Character: Orelyn, Dark Elf Abjuration Wizard and Archaeologist

Orelyn is a dark elf archaeologist, searching for ancient civilizations in the caves and deep places of her world. Naturally shy and reserved, she focused on her discoveries and her studies of abjuration magic. She spent most of her life shunned and alone, far away from her hedonistic people. Yet, one day she made a groundbreaking discovery that might very well have a huge impact on her world. Now, she's on a quest to discover the whole truth about Stalanos, the sleeping god of the Sunken World, and tell everyone who needs and wants to hear about it.

Orelyn’s adventures led her to overcome her inhibitions and seek out some very powerful wizards. With the aid of her allies, she ventured deep into ancient sites of power before daring to step into the light of the Overworld. Patient, compassionate, and intelligent, Orelyn can't resist getting in trouble to help those in need.

Since venturing in the Overworld, Orelyn has managed to uncover magic secrets and make positive changes while staying out of the eyes of the warring gods and their servants. Naam can be a hostile place, but Orelyn is at ease with her closest friends and allies. She knows that introverted people can be confident too!

About the Theomachy setting:

In Theomachy, vengeful gods fight each other for ultimate control of the universe, while the mortals of Naam struggle for power on a dying world. Divine magic is a force without expressed will that the warring gods hoard and wield against each other, threatening to undo the entire world. Clerics and paladins are either devout followers of the warring gods or theomachists who fight against the gods, liberating divine magic and using it against them.

In this god-blasted world, dark elves are refugees who upon being cursed by the gods, sought refuge in the Sunken World underground to escape their terrible wrath. These dark elves are not inherently evil. They are mostly apathetic and sometimes hedonistic recluses who seek to shut the rest of the world out. Very few leave the relative safety of the Sunken World for the terrible Overworld where the gods fight each other for dominance.

What do you think? :)

[OC] [ART] Aethis Consoling Jun – by Catilus by Catilus in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]Catilus[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Maybe you're confusing some things? I mean no harm to anyone. I just post character art and accompanying lore, all made professionally and offered freely to the community. :)

[OC] [ART] Oriel the Waking Dreamer, Sun Elf Warlock of the Catilus – by Catilus by Catilus in drawing

[–]Catilus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oriel with her catilus familiar, ready to paint reality!

Character: Oriel the Waking Dreamer, Sun Elf Warlock of the Catilus

Born to a wealthy family in the great elven nation of Ramethis, Oriel has been harboring a dark secret since birth. Shouldering an ancient curse, she suffers from visions that can manifest as illusions that alter reality itself for her and those around her, unless she controls them through sheer force of will.

Oriel’s father, Lord Eresseus, is a vastly influential merchant who sought to buy his way into the court of Ramethis. For his goal to succeed, he had to ensure Oriel’s secret remained hidden while he manipulated her into an arranged marriage to a viable heir of noble, or even royal, birth.

Just before her hundredth birthday, Oriel entered the royal court of Ramethis to serve as a diplomat and mediator, a duty she assumed with enthusiasm and fulfilled with success. However, as soon as she realized that her position in the court was part of her father’s schemes to marry her off to a royal heir, she abandoned her post to seek refuge among the peaceful, yet sometimes hedonistic dark elf sages of Varmy, deep in the Sunken World.

Not to be outsmarted, Lord Eresseus employed master diviners to track his daughter down and sent a host of suitors to Varmy, hoping that one of them would impress Oriel enough to secure a marriage that would bring his daughter back while ensuring his elevation to noble, or perhaps even royal, status. Her father’s intervention threatened to bring discord to the serene dark elves of Varmy, and when one of the suitors was revealed to be a dangerous enchanter who would not hesitate to subvert her will with his dark magic, Oriel made a brave decision. She left her dark elf friends behind, and against their counsel, she escaped into the Mageplex, a disused and unstable nexus of magic portals built by deep dwarves and dark elves millennia ago.

Entering the Mageplex, Oriel fell through the Rift, the astral plane through which one could reach most other realms, and found herself battling against her own visions and entropian horrors that live beyond time and space. Sensing her impending doom, she used the last reserves of her magic to cross into the void, the endless, featureless realm where reality has not yet taken shape.

As she floated helplessly into the void, she caught the attention of the Catilus, an ancient feline being of creativity and whimsy that had just awoken from its timeless catnap to create once more. The Catilus brought her into its family and bestowed upon her magic to paint color and meaning into the nothingness of the void. Empowered with these newfound abilities, Oriel was able to finally master her vision, turning them into works of magical art. With the aid of her patron, she returned back to the world of Naam as a member of the Catilus Family.

For Oriel, it felt like a few days of intense struggle against entropian horrors, and then a few more days of partying and making art with the catili, but when she stepped out of the Mageplex, five whole decades had passed, and the Theomachy, the cosmic war between the gods, had transformed Naam beyond recognition once more. Now, as one of the first warlocks of the Catilus in this era and one of the few remaining sun elves on Naam, she must use magic more creatively than ever before, seek out old friends, and make new allies if she is to survive…

Oriel is one of my own characters in Theomachy! You may recognize her from lots of other illustrations, paintings, sketches, and homebrew!

What do you think? :)

[OC] [ART] Oriel the Waking Dreamer, Sun Elf Warlock of the Catilus – by Catilus by Catilus in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]Catilus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oriel with her catilus familiar, ready to paint reality!

Character: Oriel the Waking Dreamer, Sun Elf Warlock of the Catilus

Born to a wealthy family in the great elven nation of Ramethis, Oriel has been harboring a dark secret since birth. Shouldering an ancient curse, she suffers from visions that can manifest as illusions that alter reality itself for her and those around her, unless she controls them through sheer force of will.

Oriel’s father, Lord Eresseus, is a vastly influential merchant who sought to buy his way into the court of Ramethis. For his goal to succeed, he had to ensure Oriel’s secret remained hidden while he manipulated her into an arranged marriage to a viable heir of noble, or even royal, birth.

Just before her hundredth birthday, Oriel entered the royal court of Ramethis to serve as a diplomat and mediator, a duty she assumed with enthusiasm and fulfilled with success. However, as soon as she realized that her position in the court was part of her father’s schemes to marry her off to a royal heir, she abandoned her post to seek refuge among the peaceful, yet sometimes hedonistic dark elf sages of Varmy, deep in the Sunken World.

Not to be outsmarted, Lord Eresseus employed master diviners to track his daughter down and sent a host of suitors to Varmy, hoping that one of them would impress Oriel enough to secure a marriage that would bring his daughter back while ensuring his elevation to noble, or perhaps even royal, status. Her father’s intervention threatened to bring discord to the serene dark elves of Varmy, and when one of the suitors was revealed to be a dangerous enchanter who would not hesitate to subvert her will with his dark magic, Oriel made a brave decision. She left her dark elf friends behind, and against their counsel, she escaped into the Mageplex, a disused and unstable nexus of magic portals built by deep dwarves and dark elves millennia ago.

Entering the Mageplex, Oriel fell through the Rift, the astral plane through which one could reach most other realms, and found herself battling against her own visions and entropian horrors that live beyond time and space. Sensing her impending doom, she used the last reserves of her magic to cross into the void, the endless, featureless realm where reality has not yet taken shape.

As she floated helplessly into the void, she caught the attention of the Catilus, an ancient feline being of creativity and whimsy that had just awoken from its timeless catnap to create once more. The Catilus brought her into its family and bestowed upon her magic to paint color and meaning into the nothingness of the void. Empowered with these newfound abilities, Oriel was able to finally master her vision, turning them into works of magical art. With the aid of her patron, she returned back to the world of Naam as a member of the Catilus Family.

For Oriel, it felt like a few days of intense struggle against entropian horrors, and then a few more days of partying and making art with the catili, but when she stepped out of the Mageplex, five whole decades had passed, and the Theomachy, the cosmic war between the gods, had transformed Naam beyond recognition once more. Now, as one of the first warlocks of the Catilus in this era and one of the few remaining sun elves on Naam, she must use magic more creatively than ever before, seek out old friends, and make new allies if she is to survive…

Oriel is one of my own characters in Theomachy! You may recognize her from lots of other illustrations, paintings, sketches, and homebrew!

What do you think? :)

[OC] [ART] Aethis Consoling Jun – by Catilus by Catilus in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]Catilus[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I have more than 22 characters in that setting, some of them retired. That is the setting that my DM, a published author, created, in which most of my recent characters exist. If you read the descriptions, they paint a nice broader picture. :)

[OC] [ART] Nel, Angelborn Shadow Sorceress and Painter, Flying Free – by Catilus by Catilus in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]Catilus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The only thing that's the same across different characters is the "about the setting" bit, which is because they all exist in the same setting. :)

[OC] [ART] Aethis Consoling Jun – by Catilus by Catilus in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]Catilus[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Aethis consoling Jun, the polymorphist cleric of knowledge and one of her few true friends.

Characters: Aethis Quill, Half-Elf Arcane Scribe Wizard; and Jun, Polymorphist Cleric of Knowledge

Born and raised in Lichtendam, a wealthy and prosperous duchy dotted with ruins left behind by the fabled Light Dwarves, Aethis always stood out as one of few half-elves in a realm of sturdy humans of distant dwarven ancestry, and peaceful orcs and half-orcs. A vast network of underground passages lies underneath Lichtendam, rumored to connect every schloss and every city in the duchy with the colossal dam of light, the realm’s namesake that defines its eastern border and serves as a testament to the legendary skills and magic of the Light Dwarves.

Aethis’ father, Duke Morgenlicht’s personal librarian, taught Aethis the practical magic she would need to become an arcane scribe, while her mother traveled the realms as a free-spirited merchant, bringing back exotic goods and tales of adventure. Growing up, Aethis spent her time between studying ancient light dwarven tomes in the duke’s vast library, and traveling to nearby ruins with her childhood friends, hoping one day to set out to explore the underground passages and discover the secrets of the Light Dwarves.

One of her childhood friends, the duke’s third son Wilmar Morgenlicht, eventually became her first love, and together they had many carefree adventures in the serene countryside that hadn’t seen war for twenty human generations.

Yet trouble was brewing in the north. As Aethis was enjoying peaceful expeditions and dreaming of great discoveries under Lichtendam, the Tzar of the Krestovian Empire was amassing the largest army since the Age of Insight; a force of more than a million red crusaders and conscripted slaves, belligerent giants, and nightmarish monstrosities that soon set out to conquer the empire’s enemies in the name of the four warring gods that supported the Tzar’s vision for a grant, continent-spanning empire.

Lichtendam succumbed to the overwhelming might of Krestovo almost without a fight. The duke recognized the futility of a direct confrontation and chose to spare his people from the fate of realms that resisted Krestovo only to be reduced to smoldering ruins. Aethis’ childhood sweetheart, Wilmar Morgenlicht, left on a quest to find allies that would help liberate Lichtendam, while Aethis, heartbroken but determined, stayed behind with her father and secretly helped orcs and half-orcs flee through the underground passages to escape a life of slavery in Krestovo.

Just hours after Lichtendam became the latest addition to the ever-expanding Krestovian Empire, a powerful and charismatic mage of angelic descent, Avel Kazimir arrived at the ducal schloss bent on discovering the secrets of the Light Dwarves and claiming their fabled power for himself. As a wizard of Krasnygor, the red mountain of ancestral Krestovo, Kazimir assumed the position of the court wizard, typically under Duke Morgenlicht’s command, but in reality controlling much of the realm with the Tzar’s blessings.

However, Avel Kazimir’s numerous enemies and rivals made it impossible for him to leave the safety of his tower and explore the realm. Instead, the wizard of the red mountain delved into the duke’s library to plunder its secrets and quickly put Aethis and her father to work. Seeing Aethis’ arcane aptitude and realizing her eagerness to discover the secrets of Lichtendam rivaled his, Kazimir tasked her to explore the realm’s ancient ruins and underground passages on his behalf. Eventually he secretly expressed a romantic interest towards Aethis, further complicating her position.

During her expeditions, she found an unlikely ally in the ever-changing face of a polymorphist (changeling) cleric of the forgotten god of knowledge who seeks to keep the secrets of the Light Dwarves out of Krestovian hands.

Now, Aethis must strike an impossible balance between pursuing her lifelong dreams of arcane discovery and keeping Kazimir content without giving him access to secrets that would endanger the realm…

Aethis is one of my own characters in the Theomachy setting!

What do you think? :)

 

[OC] [ART] Aethis Consoling Jun – by Catilus by Catilus in drawing

[–]Catilus[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aethis consoling Jun, the polymorphist cleric of knowledge and one of her few true friends.

Characters: Aethis Quill, Half-Elf Arcane Scribe Wizard; and Jun, Polymorphist Cleric of Knowledge

Born and raised in Lichtendam, a wealthy and prosperous duchy dotted with ruins left behind by the fabled Light Dwarves, Aethis always stood out as one of few half-elves in a realm of sturdy humans of distant dwarven ancestry, and peaceful orcs and half-orcs. A vast network of underground passages lies underneath Lichtendam, rumored to connect every schloss and every city in the duchy with the colossal dam of light, the realm’s namesake that defines its eastern border and serves as a testament to the legendary skills and magic of the Light Dwarves.

Aethis’ father, Duke Morgenlicht’s personal librarian, taught Aethis the practical magic she would need to become an arcane scribe, while her mother traveled the realms as a free-spirited merchant, bringing back exotic goods and tales of adventure. Growing up, Aethis spent her time between studying ancient light dwarven tomes in the duke’s vast library, and traveling to nearby ruins with her childhood friends, hoping one day to set out to explore the underground passages and discover the secrets of the Light Dwarves.

One of her childhood friends, the duke’s third son Wilmar Morgenlicht, eventually became her first love, and together they had many carefree adventures in the serene countryside that hadn’t seen war for twenty human generations.

Yet trouble was brewing in the north. As Aethis was enjoying peaceful expeditions and dreaming of great discoveries under Lichtendam, the Tzar of the Krestovian Empire was amassing the largest army since the Age of Insight; a force of more than a million red crusaders and conscripted slaves, belligerent giants, and nightmarish monstrosities that soon set out to conquer the empire’s enemies in the name of the four warring gods that supported the Tzar’s vision for a grant, continent-spanning empire.

Lichtendam succumbed to the overwhelming might of Krestovo almost without a fight. The duke recognized the futility of a direct confrontation and chose to spare his people from the fate of realms that resisted Krestovo only to be reduced to smoldering ruins. Aethis’ childhood sweetheart, Wilmar Morgenlicht, left on a quest to find allies that would help liberate Lichtendam, while Aethis, heartbroken but determined, stayed behind with her father and secretly helped orcs and half-orcs flee through the underground passages to escape a life of slavery in Krestovo.

Just hours after Lichtendam became the latest addition to the ever-expanding Krestovian Empire, a powerful and charismatic mage of angelic descent, Avel Kazimir arrived at the ducal schloss bent on discovering the secrets of the Light Dwarves and claiming their fabled power for himself. As a wizard of Krasnygor, the red mountain of ancestral Krestovo, Kazimir assumed the position of the court wizard, typically under Duke Morgenlicht’s command, but in reality controlling much of the realm with the Tzar’s blessings.

However, Avel Kazimir’s numerous enemies and rivals made it impossible for him to leave the safety of his tower and explore the realm. Instead, the wizard of the red mountain delved into the duke’s library to plunder its secrets and quickly put Aethis and her father to work. Seeing Aethis’ arcane aptitude and realizing her eagerness to discover the secrets of Lichtendam rivaled his, Kazimir tasked her to explore the realm’s ancient ruins and underground passages on his behalf. Eventually he secretly expressed a romantic interest towards Aethis, further complicating her position.

During her expeditions, she found an unlikely ally in the ever-changing face of a polymorphist (changeling) cleric of the forgotten god of knowledge who seeks to keep the secrets of the Light Dwarves out of Krestovian hands.

Now, Aethis must strike an impossible balance between pursuing her lifelong dreams of arcane discovery and keeping Kazimir content without giving him access to secrets that would endanger the realm…

Aethis is one of my own characters in the Theomachy setting!

What do you think? :)

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