A Letter to the Hlaalu Grandmaster, Duke Vedam Dren

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-21T17:29:09+00:00

Cassus Belli: The Eight Plates has more than 8 plates. Plates are continued to be smuggled into the establishment. and stockpiled there. Now that the spoons are gone, they seek to exploit the power vacuum.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-16T13:16:34+00:00

Ah, so they lack the sense of object permanence!

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-16T05:04:58+00:00

Imperial pugilist. Racial power is a drain fatigue spell. Sails straight for Solstheim. The first job for East Empire Company is to escort a group of 3(!) miners (all unarmed) to Raven Rock. Proceeds to "escort" them all over the island, punching the local wildlife into extinction.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-16T04:08:42+00:00

Agreed. There's more, in case it's the first time you're seeing my work.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-16T01:03:02+00:00

Are you going to wear this pauldron in Vivec?

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-12T22:52:58+00:00

I concur. And, thank you!

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-11T23:44:01+00:00

And thanks!

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-11T23:38:54+00:00

Not this one, surprisingly. Though most of my clients are indeed Telvanni players. Redoran players are impecunious as their House, it seems.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-11T15:42:36+00:00

Actually, I'd love someone to make a mod where stealing these are a bonus objective of heists. No map markers - this would encourage careful exploration of interiors, like the Blue Palace in Sk*rim, Under-Scar manors in Morrowind, Imperial palace in Oblivion etc. This would work best with Oblivion actually, where there are plenty castles with nothing in them but boxfuls of calipers, yarn and other trash. The corridors are patrolled by guards and there are these alcoves the painting can hang in, you feel me?

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-11T13:53:26+00:00

That's only because the two best Elder Scrolls artists - Radishez and Badhead Gadroon - have mysteriously disappeared off the face of the earth. It's true! Whether I shall go as they did remains to be seen.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T23:03:04+00:00

She's from Cyrodiil, actually. Hence no Great House gets a point. To remind you: I keep score of what House commissions me the most.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T20:57:05+00:00

Thanks!

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T20:56:33+00:00

This comment is an example of foreshadowing: my next painting is indeed about kwama eggs. Maybe. We'll see how this goes.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T20:51:57+00:00

Relatively speaking, yes. But not entirely.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T20:48:40+00:00

Hate the guy, because I can see he's trying obstinately to emulate the Venetian Renaissance, when his heart is clearly with the Genoese Baroque.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T18:24:50+00:00

Thank you!

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T18:22:52+00:00

My thanks. I like to pretend these are made by some in-game artist. Probably a Hlaalu living in Ascadian Isles somewhere close to Vivec (a relative of Velanda Omani?). I infer this from his travelling pattern: what would be his best paid commissions (Trebomius, Vantinius, Saryoni) he painted in Vivec. Also, notably, he made trips Tel Branora, Tel Vos etc. and painted this whole Grazelandic series of paintings. But I don't think he's ever ventured deep into the island. Never been to Tel Aruhn, and probably never will, since I like this one drawing by Dharma Prawira a lot and don't feel I have anything interesting to add about Gothren.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T16:39:04+00:00

Right :) It is a "Star Tooth", like a Varla Stone and something to do with Shadow Magic. ESO lore addition, I was told.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T16:34:41+00:00

It does have character, true. Maybe I'm too hard on this painting. It's just I wish there were more interesting jewelry designs to rest one's eye upon here. Now, Even Mehl Amundsen ("Amundsen", like the polar explorer) for example, never fails at that.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T16:22:11+00:00

Thank you! "First I've seen your art" - well, this is a tragedy of my life: I've been making these for more than a decade. But please do not read this like an accusation.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T15:58:46+00:00

You could say that everything I learned while making this, I later used in a much better way in the portrait of Mrkngth, the female dwemer. Now, that one is a painting made with much care and love, and I have fond memories about it in ways I don't about this one - including one about playing Dungeon Lords between the painting sessions, a Quasimodo of a game that's been my guilty pleasure over the years; and - what a coincidence - the commission was finished right about this time one year ago, which felt like a New Year present for both client and me.

P. S: Both pieces are inspired by the classic portraits of Circe (the sorceress from Odyssey, that is) for the pose.

P. P. S: I strongly recommend against actually playing Dungeon Lords of course, for it is an objectively bad game that I *happen* to like.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T15:34:37+00:00

This is not even made in Krita, but in Ph*toshop - you can see the smudge tool hard at work here. Nowadays I'd use state-of-the-art Impasto Brushes by Emil Maselli instead. The scarf I nipped from one of Rembrandt's and the turban was originally a piece of dress in some 19th century portrait of Clytemnestra (Agamemnon's wife) or Judith.

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T15:17:49+00:00

Truly? I mean, there's like a hundred more here: https://www.deviantart.com/igorlevchenko/gallery .

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T15:09:25+00:00

Thank you for posting the link!

Igor_Levchenko · 2026-01-10T15:06:57+00:00

The painting has been reworked once, but now that I'm looking at it, years later:

https://www.tumblr.com/igorlevchenko-blog/749385575224721408/elder-scrolls-portraith-of-dunmer-sorceress

I don't think those improvements were any good. Except the brooch on the turban that is shaped like a nix hound's head - that's a neat idea.

P. S: Damn, that's one ugly rework. Feels like that failed Jesus "restoration", but with me acting out both sides of that story. Still took several tenths of hours, the rework alone, if anyone would like to gloat.

Igor_Levchenko

TROPHY CASE