tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91545305163246077842024-03-05T07:31:15.257-08:00Drakenwrath DesignsDrakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-18887894434953216052023-10-22T18:47:00.001-07:002023-10-22T18:47:56.026-07:00Halloween and Beyond: The Thorn Rebuild Project<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQlK19yO_92Xy4tZQ0qMQ6G3ZDd20Sq24L1lQR66WJkbV_mNYz3rYWdaZm8fSfu_lzhwYBcG9K4AVPIuC0IzFe84QNSzZ8eurAvUVDZGdtUuqeRZNlAJd9Mq-LDxR1wl_svkNSzG9-s9dxm4Urji4eijVvYz6O6_lJ_6UfiE7i6qzwxneFrKStxM5pmg/s200/Avatar%20Icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQlK19yO_92Xy4tZQ0qMQ6G3ZDd20Sq24L1lQR66WJkbV_mNYz3rYWdaZm8fSfu_lzhwYBcG9K4AVPIuC0IzFe84QNSzZ8eurAvUVDZGdtUuqeRZNlAJd9Mq-LDxR1wl_svkNSzG9-s9dxm4Urji4eijVvYz6O6_lJ_6UfiE7i6qzwxneFrKStxM5pmg/s1600/Avatar%20Icon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /> Fall Greetings, <p></p><p>The seasons have officially changed and we are now plowing headlong into the Fall season. This year for Halloween, I want to do something different from previous years. In the past, I've developed entries in the long-running story of the Faceless Summoner. While I don't intend to abandon that project, this year will be the start of something I haven't attempted before.</p><p>Long ago, when I first started creating Papier Mache monsters, one of the first I ever posted anywhere was a gremlin-like creature named Thorn. He was a full-sized monster covered in spikes and lived in my work office for a while. When I moved in 2018, I packed up all of my sculptures, dragon heads, masks, and full-sized pieces and took them along. Many of them are in storage with the dragon heads hanging in my garage. The move was not kind to Thorn, however and the following pictures shows his current state:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZBK1DhPmMfFoNOrne6Uw2Uy_MyecETV_7XltZ2wJt34WKT0CKyfQte-tpbVjgRLQ6Nb3H7VpbSX9j-oUtLgAhV0NZDTgYWT1I-oAThGngQtM2koI20DwINCqFQVywye4cZRu5fNx-L8QQuWSkUFuzfCIxuxCX-nU9hQHYDRP8neX7p3_iLzxDJdbiDA/s4000/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZBK1DhPmMfFoNOrne6Uw2Uy_MyecETV_7XltZ2wJt34WKT0CKyfQte-tpbVjgRLQ6Nb3H7VpbSX9j-oUtLgAhV0NZDTgYWT1I-oAThGngQtM2koI20DwINCqFQVywye4cZRu5fNx-L8QQuWSkUFuzfCIxuxCX-nU9hQHYDRP8neX7p3_iLzxDJdbiDA/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswYSHYa00HSA3ipHRHvQyE3DP0Bv1UOxNedcvPL5aICGAHDJAYAaw3gpn0_uYpikuA3Je1t0Exu-Bz4l8tYQzNodX38v_cSS3zAd16ELbJU69BBd6uPkDCqMg6mhd_9ieb6-SWIk0p63JZ4wyPkx1jzcJndD_7uTYmd9JXl5QkfDJ-XaP9rAuEBEJvIY/s4000/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswYSHYa00HSA3ipHRHvQyE3DP0Bv1UOxNedcvPL5aICGAHDJAYAaw3gpn0_uYpikuA3Je1t0Exu-Bz4l8tYQzNodX38v_cSS3zAd16ELbJU69BBd6uPkDCqMg6mhd_9ieb6-SWIk0p63JZ4wyPkx1jzcJndD_7uTYmd9JXl5QkfDJ-XaP9rAuEBEJvIY/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>It might be tough to make out in the pictures but most of his spikes were broken and his overall position sort of sagged down to the ground. For comparison, here is what Thorn looked like when I made him:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aJvSrzGivo9HBqwhqPJo4P3_OFuNUJ3_8-7_36YM1OOBXpiPhk-zkAdoElpeF8NWmc5QyHgOb1kO_cWET3skFbkY8LvmiW3Dpyp34714JuAYs-WkAfGyHeUKs52wR9ECceEGtkNlLR8U64rHykakyCbN-aMA_ax3pZcJ00Q7VgC6VznUh0na5MJv38I/s4000/Thorn-Front.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aJvSrzGivo9HBqwhqPJo4P3_OFuNUJ3_8-7_36YM1OOBXpiPhk-zkAdoElpeF8NWmc5QyHgOb1kO_cWET3skFbkY8LvmiW3Dpyp34714JuAYs-WkAfGyHeUKs52wR9ECceEGtkNlLR8U64rHykakyCbN-aMA_ax3pZcJ00Q7VgC6VznUh0na5MJv38I/s320/Thorn-Front.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>As part of an experiment, I plan on "rebuilding" Thorn. I will be completely revamping his spike concept in addition to adjusting his position. The plan is to reinforce his body and limbs, add new details, and then re-skin him entirely. Finally, this will result in a brand new coat of paint. Unlike the original, the idea this time is to incorporate the blackwashing effect to give some better shadows.</p><p>While this project is officially launching this month, I don't know if it will be completed by Halloween. I plan on capturing all the phases of the rebuild and will compile them into a full video for Youtube. This format tends to be better than smaller sporadic updates so the next time I post here should be with the finished piece. </p><p>I don't plan on going back to rebuild all my old works but this project will be a good test to see how effective it ends up being. </p><p>Stay tuned!</p><p>~Zan<br /></p>Zanshinretsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242069642961032500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-78759978724043013362023-08-07T14:35:00.001-07:002023-08-07T14:35:52.348-07:00The Summer Update Post<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMhxMzOxhTit96kBO1tW9jl7RX3Ovn0YRo4wvKaCtOUrP5_KPT98JolpDZYqBdKXo-kO75S71rsSDNXYmBwTTmbjpJ17Kqfl9GqN3rO8vAj6UmBU734WihS_c6k6s9D8S5Wc_tXEKDfC87Vu3DjFY-yluGSYKnNGOn4DH47uaxtVYacHmCrUJJk2Pm3I/s200/Avatar%20Icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMhxMzOxhTit96kBO1tW9jl7RX3Ovn0YRo4wvKaCtOUrP5_KPT98JolpDZYqBdKXo-kO75S71rsSDNXYmBwTTmbjpJ17Kqfl9GqN3rO8vAj6UmBU734WihS_c6k6s9D8S5Wc_tXEKDfC87Vu3DjFY-yluGSYKnNGOn4DH47uaxtVYacHmCrUJJk2Pm3I/w200-h200/Avatar%20Icon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Greetings,</p><p></p><p>It's nearing the end of Summer. I live in the states on the west coast and while it's been warm, I feel for people in other parts of the country that are experiencing scorching temperatures right now.</p><p>Updates have been slow here on the studio's main site. A couple of large-scale papier mache projects I hope to complete have been delayed due to some real-life obligations. I am still working on things though and plan on posting a different type of project by Halloween. While the activity on the main site has been slow, I continue to post regular content on <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/zanshinretsu" target="_blank">Deviant Art</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtnvEcMs712ZwTsMYP9acw" target="_blank">Youtube</a>, and stream on <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/zanshinretsu">Twitch</a>. </p><p>I was recently asked why I create content on the internet. Specifically, why I choose to create things on the main platforms listed above. While I do not consider myself a high-profile content creator and do not actively make money from any platforms aside from our Redbubble store, I have always been driven by the desire to make things. Things like profit or fame have never motivated me. I just have ideas that I want to get out into the world. This ends up resulting in me experimenting with many different mediums for creating things which can be a double-edged sword. I sometimes think I've taken on too many hobbies.</p><p>That being said, Drakenwrath Designs is the face of my content creation brand. Even though activity may slow or become sporadic, I don't intend to ever stop. The only thing that will stop me from creating content is when I no longer enjoy it. Once I feel it's become a job, I will probably move on to something else. </p><p>To date, I have posted on this site for over a decade with the first entry being in 2012. Things have evolved from a mere art blog to a collaborative place with other artists, to multi-media creation on many different platforms. It's been an interesting ride so far and I thank everyone who's come along with us so far.</p><p>So, what's next? I plan to continue the regular posts on the usual platforms but I also want to push some new updates to our Redbubble store. There are many designs that have been posted but not included in the store, including the recent Hunting Fleet series based on Monster Hunter. I also want to do another Redbubble product test with some of the more recent designs so that may also be coming in the future. As far as why I don't post Let's Plays or commentary video on Youtube any more, it started to become difficult to manage the volume of recording, editing, and posting of that content. I don't know if they'll ever make a return though I wouldn't mind picking up on the Drawing Commentary series at some point.</p><p>I think that will do it for this somewhat lengthy update. Things will continue here and I hope you'll join us for the ride.</p><p>Thanks for visiting,</p><p>~Zan<br /></p>Zanshinretsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242069642961032500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-84380698685821407452023-03-10T15:06:00.002-08:002023-03-10T15:06:34.055-08:00Taking a Content Break This Month<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lUs1riE_F3hokkMJcusyh7bVhr8EFxTMy38JaNXFom0MBZgOOrSff3oWESAAMBfCeTNm9_SEhR3Pe2_WaG8Pr2VKgot4Xnvtt16p1RsGHcMDxBDTJeJXaKW4HqkjBhYORskPC5FV5BwCB6lyArO0NvB8ZMHXnnNZ5ZW4iLBesHBj5SHyfW2Hdq_A/s200/Avatar%20Icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lUs1riE_F3hokkMJcusyh7bVhr8EFxTMy38JaNXFom0MBZgOOrSff3oWESAAMBfCeTNm9_SEhR3Pe2_WaG8Pr2VKgot4Xnvtt16p1RsGHcMDxBDTJeJXaKW4HqkjBhYORskPC5FV5BwCB6lyArO0NvB8ZMHXnnNZ5ZW4iLBesHBj5SHyfW2Hdq_A/s1600/Avatar%20Icon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Greetings,</p><p></p><p>With Winter winding down, we're already headed into Spring. While I haven't had a ton of updates lately, I did want to confirm that I'm still creating content, mostly in the form of videos on Youtube and streaming art on Twitch.</p><p>Starting on March 17th, I will be taking a break from creating content for about 3 weeks. When I return, the regular content will resume and I plan on bringing back the somewhat frequent Papier Mache projects. I've got a couple interesting ideas lined up that I will be posting.</p><p>Thanks for stopping by!</p><p><br /></p><p>~Zan<br /></p>Zanshinretsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242069642961032500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-34781427560858070962022-10-31T23:02:00.000-07:002022-10-31T23:02:57.030-07:00Halloween 2022: The Void Guardians<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6ZJssw56-nosRNooalcPxU33WwM1KXjCatETUn_I_0YcxKLeltZC98URu5DvjydBDpD3R6WKdL4c4aRCO2wYGvVR6t05OjKpkofqha5DzIOyVB-0diQPk_4fRinfKl4pyuuDSfaRraVEdjDO7vpXgOMKlv7tfZPEJFxaVfU9j8ukNFciMr14FfUJ/s200/Avatar%20Icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6ZJssw56-nosRNooalcPxU33WwM1KXjCatETUn_I_0YcxKLeltZC98URu5DvjydBDpD3R6WKdL4c4aRCO2wYGvVR6t05OjKpkofqha5DzIOyVB-0diQPk_4fRinfKl4pyuuDSfaRraVEdjDO7vpXgOMKlv7tfZPEJFxaVfU9j8ukNFciMr14FfUJ/s1600/Avatar%20Icon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>Hello,</p><p>It's Halloween once again and like years past, I have prepared another papier mache project. This one is a new entry in the tale of the Faceless Summoner and continues the travels of Ardelrius with some more lore:</p><p> <></p><p>The Faceless Summoner and I continued our travels across the realm to the far northern continent. We made a few stops along the way but something seemed to call my odd traveler friend onward. There were very little conversations and I could do nothing but follow, resigning myself to the journey as some sort of observer.</p><p><br />We arrived at the fringe territory of Taeruth outside the borders of some towns just shy of the northern tundras. Our target was apparently another temple built into the face of a sloping cliff side. We managed the treacherous path easily enough and the two of us found ourselves standing at the mouth of the temple. It was crafted from pure obsidian and extended into the mountain. Upon entering the seemingly vacant temple, Ardelrius made its way to a central altar at the heart of the structure. The spire-like piece was constructed out of bone and bore runic seals around its base on the floor of the temple.</p><p><br />“This seal binds the gate of the Void so that none shall escape.”</p><p><br />Those were the words written in an ancient tongue and scrawled around the seal. Invoking energies from the Tree of Souls once again, Ardelrius conjured an otherworldly force and the altar began to resonate with the same arcane light.<br /> </p><p>“Those that stand before the gate must pass the challenges of its guardians,” a hollow voice growled from the shadows.</p><p><br />“The Umbral Crested bird and the sorceress of the Scattered Tides protect this place.”</p><p><br />Two glittering jewels appeared at the base of the altar. One gold and one deep blue, they shined with magical power, seemingly waiting for our next move.</p><p><br />“What are we doing here?” I asked the Faceless Summoner.</p><p><br />“To combat the threat to this world, we must dive into the banished void in search of power,” my companion answered. “Defeating these guardians will grant us passage.</p><p><br />With that, Ardelrius knelt and reached towards the jewels. I knew a fight was approaching. This was the way things always happened and I knew my friend’s power would be tested once again.<br /></p><p><></p><p>The two masks represent the guardians, Umbral Crest Valdamos and Scattered Tide Mierkharesha. A summary video of the entire process along with the final results is up on Youtube:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LGGrWZDcm8g" width="320" youtube-src-id="LGGrWZDcm8g"></iframe></div><p></p><p>This year's project was an interesting return to form. I'd like to continue the Summoner's story and will be thinking about the next steps for future entries. There should be some new mache things coming in the next couple months.</p><p>Thanks for visiting!</p><p></p><p>~Zan<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><br /> </p>Zanshinretsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242069642961032500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-24789779762468579122022-08-15T11:54:00.000-07:002022-08-15T11:54:35.101-07:00End of Summer Update<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLCU4ZV0ztU2LhepXgA-dNOOC1DNHuuKbniLqUKDCSolHjx7IH44YgAq5ecfAnROZY0hAz1FhButWzF-kS6wGQ6liIkcMg11tsGzoaT1IZXqov3f9Q5KrW4Su1XzTSsyfcMVdNouqi8aft0wfE4QOx82Wx0xYs1orSFx3U9twSkCWQ_6_yfGrWI6a/s200/Avatar%20Icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLCU4ZV0ztU2LhepXgA-dNOOC1DNHuuKbniLqUKDCSolHjx7IH44YgAq5ecfAnROZY0hAz1FhButWzF-kS6wGQ6liIkcMg11tsGzoaT1IZXqov3f9Q5KrW4Su1XzTSsyfcMVdNouqi8aft0wfE4QOx82Wx0xYs1orSFx3U9twSkCWQ_6_yfGrWI6a/s1600/Avatar%20Icon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Greetings,</p><p> </p><p>Summer is nearly over and it's been quite some time since the last update on the main site here. I understand the content posts in general from me have been a bit more spread out and sparse lately. The Design videos are still continuing with one to two uploads a week and I consistently post new sprites over on DA every Wednesday.</p><p>On the Youtube side, I'm not sure what I want to do with my channel. It's become difficult to manage the recording, editing, and planning of Let's Plays due to a bunch of other competing priorities. While I can't promise that the LPs will return soon, I definitely want to finish what I've started. </p><p>Even if the content posts have been less, I am still working on some larger projects. I've been slowly working on the next Halloween project which will mark the return and continuation of the Summoner's lore. There should be more news on that front as we get into the Fall.</p><p>That's it for now. I just wanted to get a small news post up to let the world know that this site isn't dead. The primary sources for content will remain on YT and DA for now. </p><p>Thanks for stopping by,</p><p><br /></p><p>-Zan<br /></p>Zanshinretsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242069642961032500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-59243354055106153152021-10-31T19:52:00.001-07:002021-10-31T19:58:55.605-07:00Halloween Project 2021: Sunderbrand Beast Ganthrios<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFgSMe6tnLQ3P8_ntxZBnvCrGpp2RS2Ru7tThwAaa01RF5R3A3i6pAPh4DcWTxR292x79nTapXpwDzQ7Y3zD_IhiVyB4V8sHw63l_TZ7V9Q_F0pIEjxBXOwAlQ3zEK2LWc3IAK_zyyn8/s200/Avatar+Icon.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFgSMe6tnLQ3P8_ntxZBnvCrGpp2RS2Ru7tThwAaa01RF5R3A3i6pAPh4DcWTxR292x79nTapXpwDzQ7Y3zD_IhiVyB4V8sHw63l_TZ7V9Q_F0pIEjxBXOwAlQ3zEK2LWc3IAK_zyyn8/s0/Avatar+Icon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> Happy Halloween!</p><p> </p><p>The year's project is a mache miniature sculpture representing the Sundered Idol. Check out the spotlight video here:</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n6lMVoXFVek" width="320" youtube-src-id="n6lMVoXFVek"></iframe></div><br /> Unfortunately the construction and skin phase footage of for this project was lost. I had an archive with images from my old phone but I couldn't find them when I was putting this project together. As a result, the spotlight video includes some recently-taken still shots along with a video highlighting the piece.<p></p><p>I created this sculpture using the same mache techniques as my other pieces. The main body and frame was constructed using paper, masking tape and papier mache pieces. After getting the body and limbs attached, I added the round glass stones, clay spikes/horns, and eyes. The final part of the pre-paint process was the application of skin. I used torn up sheets soaked in white glue as usual but due to the smaller model size, I had to work with much smaller cloth bits. That was a bit of a challenge. Finally, after the skin was completely dry, I painted Ganthrios using latex paint and applied a blackwash layer once the first coat had dried.</p><p>Overall, this was a fun project to work on. The miniatures are definitely a different scale than some of my larger sculptures or wearables. I have a couple others that are in development and hope to post them in the future. For now, this entry is going to bridge the lore gap and lead into the next chapter of the Summoner's story. Once I have the next pieces done, I'll be posing some prologue lore articles that will kick the chapter off.</p><p>Thanks for stopping by!</p><p><br /></p><p>~Zan<br /></p><p><br /></p>Zanshinretsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242069642961032500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-77021195255677543152021-10-31T01:24:00.001-07:002021-10-31T01:24:32.377-07:00Halloween Project Prologue: The Search for the Sundered Idol<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFgSMe6tnLQ3P8_ntxZBnvCrGpp2RS2Ru7tThwAaa01RF5R3A3i6pAPh4DcWTxR292x79nTapXpwDzQ7Y3zD_IhiVyB4V8sHw63l_TZ7V9Q_F0pIEjxBXOwAlQ3zEK2LWc3IAK_zyyn8/s200/Avatar+Icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFgSMe6tnLQ3P8_ntxZBnvCrGpp2RS2Ru7tThwAaa01RF5R3A3i6pAPh4DcWTxR292x79nTapXpwDzQ7Y3zD_IhiVyB4V8sHw63l_TZ7V9Q_F0pIEjxBXOwAlQ3zEK2LWc3IAK_zyyn8/w200-h200/Avatar+Icon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Greetings,</p><p>Halloween is upon us once again and it's time to look at a short piece of lore for this year's project! I'm trying out something different this year to break up the past few wearable pieces. This year's Halloween piece is going to be a miniature sculpture that connects to the Faceless Summoner's lore. In fact, this entry is going to tie into the next major chapter of the Summoner's travels. Here's the prologue to the piece which should get posted tomorrow.</p><p> <></p><p>The Search For the Sundered Idol <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"> My travels with the Faceless Summoner took is across the
realm to places I never dreamed of. The mysterious wanderer always moved with
purpose, seldom talking but always watchful. After acquiring the Soulsealer
Aegis and leaving it with some allies in one of the remote kingdoms, our travels
directed us south. Another vast mountain range bordered with desolate sandy
wastes was to be our target. I asked my companion of our goal in this bleak
place and was met with a single response:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“We seek the Sundered Idol.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I remember hearing tales of this artifact whispered among
the elders of our village. Legends tell of a powerful creature that walked the
realm centuries ago. An ancient beast said to be born from the molten depths,
it knew no master and simply wandered about aimlessly. It was said that this
creature brought fiery wrath upon those that angered it but it was never
confirmed whether it was good or evil. Still, with such uncontrolled power
roaming the lands, a collective of mages managed to seal its spirit in a stone
idol. Records of the relic’s location were lost to time, the mages having died
out long ago. It must be the target of the Summoner. What sort of terrifying
power will we find? Will my companion be able to control it? </p>
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<![endif]--></p><p><><br /></p><p> That's it for the short intro lore piece. The rest will be posted tomorrow!</p><p><br /></p><p>~Zan<br /></p><p> </p>Zanshinretsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242069642961032500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-26895016741335980932021-07-19T15:28:00.000-07:002021-07-19T15:28:00.856-07:00Mid-summer Updates<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFgSMe6tnLQ3P8_ntxZBnvCrGpp2RS2Ru7tThwAaa01RF5R3A3i6pAPh4DcWTxR292x79nTapXpwDzQ7Y3zD_IhiVyB4V8sHw63l_TZ7V9Q_F0pIEjxBXOwAlQ3zEK2LWc3IAK_zyyn8/s200/Avatar+Icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFgSMe6tnLQ3P8_ntxZBnvCrGpp2RS2Ru7tThwAaa01RF5R3A3i6pAPh4DcWTxR292x79nTapXpwDzQ7Y3zD_IhiVyB4V8sHw63l_TZ7V9Q_F0pIEjxBXOwAlQ3zEK2LWc3IAK_zyyn8/s0/Avatar+Icon.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Happy Summer!</p><p></p><p>I know things have been a bit slow as far as updates here on the studio's main site but things have still been busy behind the scenes! Weekly design streams and frequently uploads on my Youtube channel have continued with little disruptions. I've been trying to keep up the recording sessions for the ongoing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWAEKy-3KOtpA2f-kitVCqw6E38IV50ba">Hollow Knight LP</a>. The latest section of footage is done and is being edited now. That series is going to continue until I reach the end of the main game. I'm considering switching to a different game after that just to mix things up before getting into Hollow Knight's DLC. The LP itself will be one of the longer ones on the channel.</p><p>Store updates will be coming soon as well. I'm working on a large update to the store content that's going to include a large section of the Draconic Council designs. I think the dragon face and full renders would adapt well to the product layouts on Redbubble but I want to do the update in one set of uploads. I'll probably post a Twitter update when that happens.</p><p>That should do it for the studio updates so far. I have begun some concept development on this year's Halloween project as well. I'm hoping to start work on it a bit earlier so I can devote more time to lore writing. Once things are underway, there will be updates here on the main page.</p><p>Thanks for stopping by!</p><p><br /></p><p>~Zan<br /></p>Zanshinretsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242069642961032500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-51228825314533156322021-03-02T08:42:00.000-08:002021-03-02T08:42:41.202-08:00Pre-spring Update<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFgSMe6tnLQ3P8_ntxZBnvCrGpp2RS2Ru7tThwAaa01RF5R3A3i6pAPh4DcWTxR292x79nTapXpwDzQ7Y3zD_IhiVyB4V8sHw63l_TZ7V9Q_F0pIEjxBXOwAlQ3zEK2LWc3IAK_zyyn8/s200/Avatar+Icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFgSMe6tnLQ3P8_ntxZBnvCrGpp2RS2Ru7tThwAaa01RF5R3A3i6pAPh4DcWTxR292x79nTapXpwDzQ7Y3zD_IhiVyB4V8sHw63l_TZ7V9Q_F0pIEjxBXOwAlQ3zEK2LWc3IAK_zyyn8/s0/Avatar+Icon.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p>Hello,</p><p><br /></p><p>I know updates have been somewhat sparse here on the main site. Despite the lack of updates, I have been busy working on things in the background. One thing I started earlier this year is the series of Tier List videos. The latest series has been focusing on Monster Hunter monsters and you can find the first episode here:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ubg4krqCjW4" width="320" youtube-src-id="ubg4krqCjW4"></iframe></div><p></p><p>I've also started working on a new Let's Play featuring the popular indie game, Hollow Knight! It's been an interesting look so far and you can find the first episode here:</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j7L6qt4TqW4" width="320" youtube-src-id="j7L6qt4TqW4"></iframe></div><p>That should do it for the Youtube-related content updates. I have been working on some papier mache-related things but I don't know when they're going to be done. It's a mix of smaller sculptures like the Christmas project in addition to some larger pieces and masks. There will be some lore written around those pieces and I'll be posting those here.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks for stopping by!</p><p><br /></p><p>~Zan<br /></p><p><br /></p>Zanshinretsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242069642961032500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-54213747014397229922020-12-26T00:10:00.003-08:002021-01-30T01:43:58.901-08:00Christmas 2020: Festivus Terror Vevryx<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFgSMe6tnLQ3P8_ntxZBnvCrGpp2RS2Ru7tThwAaa01RF5R3A3i6pAPh4DcWTxR292x79nTapXpwDzQ7Y3zD_IhiVyB4V8sHw63l_TZ7V9Q_F0pIEjxBXOwAlQ3zEK2LWc3IAK_zyyn8/s200/Avatar+Icon.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFgSMe6tnLQ3P8_ntxZBnvCrGpp2RS2Ru7tThwAaa01RF5R3A3i6pAPh4DcWTxR292x79nTapXpwDzQ7Y3zD_IhiVyB4V8sHw63l_TZ7V9Q_F0pIEjxBXOwAlQ3zEK2LWc3IAK_zyyn8/s0/Avatar+Icon.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p>Merry Christmas!</p><p></p><p>I haven't done a "holiday" themed mache piece in what feels like years. As I mentioned over on Twitter, I thought I'd end the yearly criticism and make a festive piece. That piece took the shape of the tree demon, Vevryx. Here's a short lore post explaining the project and then I'll talk a bit more about it further down.</p><p><Lore></p><p>Legends speak of a time of year when all the wars and conflicts stop for a single day of peace. No matter what one believes, this time is always sacred and the realm rests for this one day. Still, there exist those that refuse to accept the traditions and seek to destroy the fragile peace for the sake of chaos. When this happens, it's said that the spirit of the Festivus Terror is summoned. A massive tree demon, the creature known as Vevryx is said to spring forth from a single crystalline seed amidst the offenders. Its spindly branches beckon towards a fang-filled maw while rows of multi-colored jewels line its armored trunk. Hanging from the branches of Vevryx are large spherical eye-shaped ornaments. Called "Judgement's Gaze", these round crystal eyes are grown from the souls of the punished that are devoured by the tree. The glowing white eyes pierce through all and cannot be harmed by weapons or magic. The rare red eyes seal the movement of any foe that meets their gaze, rendering them helpless. Finally, the most rare of Judgement's Gaze are the all-black onyx eyes. The empty glare of these dark spheres steals the souls themselves and the more hanging from Vevryx's branches the more the victims. Once it's purged the sinners and restored peace, the Festivus Terror is said to vanish into the ether. A single emerald seed is all that remains with a lone phrase etched onto its surface:</p><p>"Adorn Judgement's Gaze... and observe the Festivus."</p><p></p><p><></p><p>Spotlight Video:</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sZgrj9U5l4c" width="320" youtube-src-id="sZgrj9U5l4c"></iframe></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>Vevryx is a medium-sized papier mache sculpture. WIP shots of its development can be found in the Imgur gallery linked <a href="https://imgur.com/a/B4dwulZ">here</a>. While not being as large as some of my other projects, this one was fairly complicated and took a few weeks of work to finish. It turns out the biggest challenge was making the branches and applying the cloth skin. I had to use small pieces of cloth and work around both the branches themselves and the glass stones embedded in the trunk. It took a couple sessions to apply the skin. I went with a mix of brown and green shades to keep with the whole tree theme and had to pay extra attention to the undersides of the branches. Finally, I wanted a way to "decorate" the tree so I went with polymer clay eyes with a copper wire anchor and hung them from the branches. I plan on making more "ornaments" so I can switch up the decorating style of Vevryx each year. If I can find some garland or enough lights, that could also be an interesting experiment.</p><p> Overall, it was a challenging but worthwhile experiment. I hope to do more with the look of this one and will update here on the site when I do so. With 2020 (finally) drawing to a close, I wish everyone a happy set of holidays and happy New Year! A Retrospective is in the works for 2020 as well and I hope to post that before the end of the year.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks for visiting!</p><p><br /></p><p>~Zan<br /></p><p> </p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Zanshinretsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242069642961032500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-69367362713780867322020-10-31T16:28:00.000-07:002020-10-31T16:28:45.626-07:00Halloween 2020: Chaos Omen Yzrinn<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s2912/Zanpic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="2844" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/w196-h200/Zanpic2.jpg" width="196" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Happy Halloween!</p><p>It's my favorite holiday and time to present this year's papier mache costume. Building upon the Faceless Summoner lore, here is Chaos Omen Yzrinn! As an intro to the piece, here's the final piece of lore.</p><p><></p><p>The Chaos Omen</p><p>After days of violent fights between the various champions, one emerged and stood atop the bodies. A young warrior named Yzrinn of the Illithid clan that called themselves the Nightmare Veil was crowned the winner of the contest. Possessing rare genius knowledge of reality-distorting spells, he managed to stop or completely subdue all challengers, leaving all in twisted agony.</p><p>Upon completion of the Merciless Tournament, the sages ordered all the bodies of the defeated to be transported to their arcane forge. There, they used alchemy and an ancient soul-sealing technique to transmute the corpses into an artifact. The artifact, a twin-bladed glaive set with yellow stones was born and infused with the rage of those killed in combat. Named “Sanity’s Requiem” by the sages, the weapon was tailored towards Yzrinn’s mind-destroying abilities and presented to the victorious warrior along with the title of “Chaos Omen”.</p><p>The victory ceremony complete, the sages set Yzrinn before the rift and used their incantations to open it.</p><p>“Go unto the plane of the mortals as the Omen of Chaos,” they declared, sending the traveler through the swirling void.</p><p>What awaits the warrior from the Sealed Dimension? Will he emerge in the mortal realm and finally open the gates to the forbidden ones? Only time will tell.</p><p><></p><div>Youtube highlight video:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k0yKqIeZCGo" width="320" youtube-src-id="k0yKqIeZCGo"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This year I wanted to try and make a Mind Flayer/Illithid type of mask. While I've never been much of a D & D player or Lovecraft reader, I find some of the creatures of the respected mythos to be fascinating in design. As a result, I wrote Yzrinn's story and designed based on those design elements. For his weapon, I thought designing a glaive would be an interesting change of pace. Taking some inspiration from the Insect Glaive from Monster Hunter, I designed Sanity's Requiem to be a sharp and spiny weapon with an organic look.</div><div><br /></div><div>That should do it for this year's Halloween project. I've been working on some other masks for the Summoner and am planning how I want to post them. I definitely want to focus on more mache content as we get ready to go into 2021.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for visiting!</div><div><br /></div><div>~Zan</div>Drakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-77984360578349904762020-10-30T23:16:00.000-07:002020-10-30T23:16:09.303-07:00Halloween Project 2020 Lore: The Merciless Tournament<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s2912/Zanpic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="2844" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/w196-h200/Zanpic2.jpg" width="196" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Greetings,</p><p>Halloween is one day away! As an introduction to this year's project, here's some lore:</p><p><></p><p>The Merciless Tournament</p><p>While the mortal plane began the fight against encroaching destruction, the denizens of the Sealed Dimension faced their own challenges. The constant fighting between the demon factions continued to ravage the various continents. Over time, a small unified group of arcane sages that had been born in the Sealed Dimension began to watch a rift that had appeared far to the north. It looked like a previous point of entry to the mortal plan was sealed with a runic barrier as was the case whenever something was banished. This particular seal had started to weaken over time, resulting in the rift. </p><p>Seeing the rift as an opportunity, the sages were able to peer through the tiny opening and gain insight into the conflicts plaguing the mortal plane. They saw the increasing power of the demons along with the looming return of the god-creature, Trinitus. The sages formed a plan. If they could combine their strength, it would be possible to widen the rift briefly and allow something through before it closed again. Perhaps someone from the Sealed Dimension could cross over and find a way to free them. </p><p>For weeks, the sages contemplated their strategy. Would they create a homunculus infused with arcane power? Perhaps a catalyst sealed with a summoned spirit could manifest itself beyond the rift? Ultimately, the sages decided that it should be a warrior from the Sealed Dimension that would make the journey.</p><p>In order to determine the strongest warrior, the sages gathered thirty skilled individuals from the various territories. Fighters, mages, assassins, and more were brought to a great arena within the arcane territories. They were set against one another in fights to the death in what has been known as the Merciless Tournament. The winner of the bloody contest would be selected to enter the rift and journey to the mortal plane.</p><div><></div><div><br /></div><div>Tomorrow's post will have some additional lore along with links to the project itself.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stay tuned!</div><div><br /></div><div>~Zan</div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p>Drakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-31981437897443158262020-09-27T14:48:00.001-07:002020-09-27T14:48:55.913-07:00Early Fall Update<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFgSMe6tnLQ3P8_ntxZBnvCrGpp2RS2Ru7tThwAaa01RF5R3A3i6pAPh4DcWTxR292x79nTapXpwDzQ7Y3zD_IhiVyB4V8sHw63l_TZ7V9Q_F0pIEjxBXOwAlQ3zEK2LWc3IAK_zyyn8/s200/Avatar+Icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFgSMe6tnLQ3P8_ntxZBnvCrGpp2RS2Ru7tThwAaa01RF5R3A3i6pAPh4DcWTxR292x79nTapXpwDzQ7Y3zD_IhiVyB4V8sHw63l_TZ7V9Q_F0pIEjxBXOwAlQ3zEK2LWc3IAK_zyyn8/w200-h200/Avatar+Icon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Greetings,</p><p> </p><p>Summer has officially gone and we're still here. I apologize for the slow posts here on the main site. Though there haven't been many updates things are busy. I'll summarize a few of those things here.</p><p>For current projects, I've been working on an LP of the fan game Shadow of Naju, the unofficial sequel to the NES classic, The Guardian Legend. It's a fun trip through video game nostalgia and I recommend giving it a look here:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZHbXf3R-cBc" width="320" youtube-src-id="ZHbXf3R-cBc"></iframe></div><br /><p>I've also been working on a series of Drawing Challenge videos in the Sunday/Wednesday video slot. This multiple part series has me trying to make 2D designs out of random shapes in Rhino! If you're curious, check out the the first episode here:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VOIvZTUPVqk" width="320" youtube-src-id="VOIvZTUPVqk"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Finally, the Halloween project for this year is underway. I haven't spoken much about it but I will be creating a new papier mache mask and costume for Halloween. You can expect some lore posts as we get into October setting up the piece.</p><p>That should do it for the current studio updates. I'm going to try and make the posts more frequently here and there should be some Redbubble store news coming soon.</p><p><br /></p><p>Stay safe and thanks for visiting!</p><p><br /></p><p>~Zan<br /></p>Zanshinretsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10242069642961032500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-83323835118584867282020-05-19T18:17:00.000-07:002020-05-19T18:17:15.785-07:00New Article Series: The Inspiration Chronicles feat. Boglins!<br />
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Greetings,</div>
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As we move into Spring amidst the global health crisis, I want to debut an article series I've been planning for a while. Called the Inspiration Chronicles, I intend for this series of written articles to be one part nostalgia, one part design, and one part personal lore. The plan is to explore brands, themes, or any past things that have shaped my personal artistic tastes and style. As these are a bit more in-depth than the usual posts, I don't know how often I'll be posting them. That said, let's get in to the first entry.</div>
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<b>Boglins</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><b></b><b></b></span>Enter the subject of the first entry in this documentary series: Boglins. I don't know how widespread these toys were but my research shows me that at least in the States and Europe Boglins had a presence.</div>
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Original caption from the box</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Originally debuting on 1987, Boglins were these grotesque monster-like hand puppets made of a rubber latex-like material. Capitalizing on the "gross out factor" of many toys in the 80s, these were promoted as a way to antagonize people (like sisters in the commercial) or at the very least creep them out. There were several runs or "series" of Boglins that were sold in major toy outlets over the several years the toys were primarily in circulation. The products ranged from smaller hand puppets that had some minor eye controls and mouths to bigger more complex models with moveable glow-in-the-dark eyes. Some of these even had a plastic infrastructure inside the puppet that would allow you to manipulate the expressions of the creatures.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the left: Vlobb and Squidge</td></tr>
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An aquatic themed "Soggy Boglins" series was also released and featured three sea-life type creatures.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the left: Snish, Slobster, and Slogg</td></tr>
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As a minor aside, the blue fish Boglin, Snish was one of the most rare and hard to find of these three. Ever since I saw the promo art on the boxes, I was obsessed with finding it as a kid with no success. It wasn't until much, much later after the advent of eBay that I was able to get my hands on a brand new one in-box. Since I obviously don't care about collector's value, I opened it and put it on my display shelve. It's one of the few times I've been able to fulfill a childhood dream.<br />
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The Boglins eventually waned in popularity and their production was halted. They would eventually fade from the public consciousness with some more avid fans becoming collectors and traders on-line later. If you look around places like eBay, you can see different Boglins of varying conditions go for some rather large amounts of money. I feel fortunate that I was able to secure that fish one all those years ago. <br /><br />
It wasn't until recently that I discovered a fascinating new development in the chapter of these unique toys. One of the original creators, Tim Clarke started up his own production of brand new Boglins out of his home. Using some of his proprietary techniques, he started developing and selling Boglins via his <a href="https://www.totims.com/shop-2" target="_blank">website</a>. These are not mass produced and as mentioned by Tim he makes them to order. As a result, they do run relatively high in price. Avid collectors or fans should probably approach this more from the art angle than just a toy.<br />
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After discovering Tim's site, I did order a couple of his new model Boglins to one, support his work and two, take a look at the design and quality of the products. Here are the ones I ordered:<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/DIJgDrH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://i.imgur.com/DIJgDrH.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the left: Grumph, Vlogg, and Swogg</td></tr>
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These new era Boglins are very similar in design and material to the original runs from the 80s. The material is still a rubbery vinyl but feels a bit less elastic than the old models. The material is tacky but doesn't leave significant residue when handling them. It will stain surfaces if left in prolonged contact. The puppets themselves have mouth controls but no internal infrastructor for expression manipulation. I imagine it would be more difficult to construct a rigging system on a per-order basis. That being said, the overall puppets are well constructed and feel sturdy. Because of their higher value, I'd be hesitant to give them to small children though.<br />
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Looking at the background behind these toys, I'm sure it's no surprise that they were one of my favorites back in the 80s. While the mainstay franchises like Transformer or Ninja Turtles were present, the unique style of the Boglins left a significant impression on my art style. I can definitely see some traces of inspiration on things like my mache projects. I'm very interested in seeing what Tim's new line of Boglins will become and keep regular tabs on his main site. I have no problems tossing him some cash to support his efforts based on what I've seen of the products. I might do some more in-depth photo shoots of my collection and put it into an Imgur album if that's something people would be interested in seeing.<br />
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That should wrap up this look into some nostalgia. I'll be doing more articles like this in the future.<br />
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Thanks for visiting!<br />
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~Zan<br />
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<br />Drakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-67370565233019769702020-04-06T15:53:00.001-07:002020-04-06T15:53:49.093-07:00Store Updates!<br />
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Hiya!<br />
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What's this? A post from TK? It's more likely than you think! I hope everyone is staying safe with all the virus craziness that's going on right now.<br />
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This is a short post to announce some updates I've been doing on our store. After taking what looks like way too long, I've resumed uploading the Clans' chibi designs. A bunch of wave 1 designs are now live on the <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/drakenwrath/shop?artistUserName=drakenwrath&collections=589649&iaCode=all-departments&sortOrder=relevant" target="_blank">store</a>. I'm working on formatting and uploading the rest. I might order some and do a sort of product test to see how the quality is on the vinyl stickers. In the meantime, if you want to check out wave 2 of the chibis, hit up my <a href="https://www.deviantart.com/tyvridkizuna/gallery/51341259/concept-art" target="_blank">DA</a>!<br />
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Wash your hands!<br />
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-TKDrakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-33536638719794680282020-03-27T09:18:00.000-07:002020-03-27T09:18:12.792-07:00Spring Updates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings,<br />
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Spring is well underway and the world is now a little bit crazy. I hope everyone is staying safe and indoors while the pandemic is ongoing. While I haven't had to do much to my regular routine, some folks I've talked to have been getting tired of the quarantine.<br />
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Fortunately, many of the studio's projects are still underway so I won't be running out of things to do any time soon. Ongoing design series on DA are still going strong and won't be slowing down at all. Last week on my <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/zanshinretsu" target="_blank">Twitch channel</a>, I started experimenting with a new art medium. As a way to build on the design process, I've started doing digital concept sketches. The results have been interesting so far and I'm looking at a way to adapt that style into some posts for DA. I'll link them here when they eventually go up.<br />
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On the Youtube front, the Bloodstained Let's Play recently concluded. That game was a fun ride and I definitely recommend it. Next up, I will be playing through one of my favorites from the SNES era, Demon's Crest. You can check out the first episode here:<br />
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That's all for now. I'm looking at planning some new mache projects so those details will be coming in the future along with some Redbubble store updates.<br />
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Stay safe and wash your hands!<br />
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~ZanDrakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-88163261886077341322020-01-06T18:34:00.003-08:002020-01-06T18:34:49.423-08:002019's Design Retrospective is Live!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s1600/Zanpic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1563" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s200/Zanpic2.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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Happy New Year!<br />
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2020 is underway and the schedule is looking to be busy as usual. As I've done before, a Design Retrospective series of videos has been uploaded to Youtube. This 2-part series focuses on the Pixel Sprite and 2d designs posted in the year of 2019. I took a sample of works posted on DA from both sets and talked a bit about them. <br />
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For the Pixel Sprites:<br />
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For the 2D designs: <br />
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That's it for this post. Here's to a busy 2020!</div>
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~Zan</div>
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Drakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-26631871441302992062019-10-31T23:22:00.001-07:002020-10-18T17:40:13.842-07:00Halloween Project 2019: Insight Vengeance Vrethkol<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here is the official post for this year's Halloween Project. There's one more lore post and then a breakdown of the piece.<br />
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Entry 3: Retribution<br />
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The Eye Collector continued its reign of the terror having
evaded all attempts to capture of kill it. Desperate, a group of mages from
Tirald and its neighbor, Ceran-Kal sought out the aid of the legendary Demon
Smith. The elusive smith known for crafting many of the powerful artifacts in
the realm was known to offer his services to the right cause for the right
price. After weeks of searching, the team of mages managed to find one of the
smith’s forges in the south deep within the caverns of Mount Kemdraes, an active
volcano. Laying themselves at the feet of the arcane smith, the mages pleaded
for help. The attacks had been growing in frequency and it seemed none were
able to stem the efforts of the Collector. After considering their case, the
Demon Smith offered one of his relics. A great metal club known as the “Binding
Crusher Rivulgrem” was known for being able to dispel arcane runes and could
combat the spells of the Collector. The Smith urged the mages to find a
suitable warrior and invoke the power of the artifact at the site of the Eye
Collector’s power. If wielded with conviction, the weapon contained enough
power to stop the demon once and for all.<o:p></o:p><br />
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A lone knight named Felrinn, heralded among the Ceral-Kal as
the “Huntress of Purity” was tasked with confronting the Eye Collector in its
layer within the caves. Taking the artifact, Felrinn carefully traversed the
winding caverns until she came upon a massive altar at the center of the caves.
Carved out of black obsidian and filling a vast hollowed section of the
caverns, the altar was decorated with thousands of preserved eyes. Waiting at
the center of the altar was the Collector itself. It had foreseen the coming of
the knight and sought to take the Demon Smith’s artifact from her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 115%;">Felrinn
fought the Eye Collector to a stalemate using her unmatched combat prowess and
the spell-countering power of Rivulgrem. Though she was able to keep the demon
from trapping her in its spells, she was likewise unable to overpower it. Over
time, the knight started to tire and the Eye Collector began to gain the
advantage. Bloodied and backed into a corner, Felrinn remembered the words of
the Smith. Using the last of her strength, the knight invoked the sleeping
spirit of the Binding Crusher. The resulting force that conjured forth knocked
the Eye Collector back while drawing a powerful arcane energy from the stolen
eyes on the altar. Felrinn’s physical form was absorbed and reborn, imbued with
the souls of those taken by the Collector. A black-robed creature emerged from
the vortex. Narrow fanged jaws split the dark flesh of its face while the head
was round and bulbous in shape. Adorning the head’s surface was countless
unblinking eyes. The Binding Crusher was also altered by the ritual, its
surface covered in eyes of various colors. Hefting the great club before the
Eye Collector, the newly created being introduced itself as Vrethkol, the vessel
of Insight Vengeance. Empowered by the rage of all the souls plagued by the
Collector, Vrethkol renewed the attack and eventually dealt the demon a fatal
blow. After scattering the remains of its foe, the Insight Prophet split the
unholy alter apart and buried it beneath the rocks. The victims avenged at
last, Vrethkol disappeared into the world. It’s said that the many-eyed one appears
at the site of great tragedy to gather wandering souls and seek out retribution
for them.</span><br />
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<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 115%;"><></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 115%;">Vrethkol's mask was definitely a focus on detail rather than complexity compared to previous entries. The idea of a creature whose head was adorned with numerous eyes was the main theme. I've linked an Imgur folder of the various project stages <a href="https://imgur.com/a/SWA9Xsg" target="_blank">here</a>. For the mask itself, I followed the same process as previous entries with a foil face impression/shell and then the layers of construction before a cloth skin. The numerous teeth and glass "eyes" were definitely the most tedious part. The robe was bought on-line from Amazon</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 115%;">For Vrethkol's weapon, Rivulgrem, I wanted to create a larger club-type object. This project was the first time I've used Styrofoam as the core of the weapon before moving on to the construction phase. This proved to be fairly versatile but very messy as the foam tended to flake into particles. Rivulgrem's handle is a PVC pipe that I twisted and glued into the Styrofoam blocks. The rest of the details like the eyes and spikes were added during the rest of the construction. After the skin and paint were applied, the weapon remained very light and easy to carry.</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 115%;">Here's the Youtube video for the project:</span><br />
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vSSGMSw6aM4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vSSGMSw6aM4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall this was an interesting project. I'd like to do more experimentation with wearable body pieces in addition to just the masks. Also, I will be trying out some EVA foam instead of Styrofoam. I know that's what a lot of cosplayers use.</span><br />
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That does it for this year's Halloween project. I'll be back soon with more updates!<br />
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Thanks for visiting!<br />
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~Zan<br />
<span face=""arial" , "sans-serif"" style="line-height: 115%;"></span>Drakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-68225182843021934192019-10-30T21:33:00.000-07:002019-10-30T21:33:01.519-07:00Halloween Lore Post 2: The Fall of Demons<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1563" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s200/Zanpic2.jpg" width="195" /></div>
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Greetings,<br />
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Continuing on the lore posts leading up to Halloween, here's entry two:<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Entry 2: The Fall of Demons<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">While the attempts of humans and the Ogre tribes were unsuccessful
in stopping the Eye Collector, the demons plotted among themselves. Attacks on
demon villages by the Collector were becoming more common and the various
leaders became increasingly concerned. Using demonic rituals that drew power
from the Sealed Dimension, the demons attempted to divine the lair of the
Collector. Their efforts led them to the same mountainous caves where the Ogres
had fallen. After sending a scouting team, three of the demon warlords combined
their strength and sent a small army of forty warriors to the cavern outskirts.
Their plan was to lie in wait for the Eye Collector to return from one of its
raids and then lay siege to the caves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Perhaps
it was the carelessness of the demon army that did them in. Or perhaps the
insight of the Eye Collector caused it to be one step ahead of its enemies.
Either way, the demons did not succeed in stopping the threat. The Eye
Collector cast a debilitating curse over the entire set of demon camps. The
arcane runes sealed the troops as they slept leaving them Collector free to
harvest them at its leisure. Once their eyes had been taken, the Collector
burned the camps to the ground as the blinded demons lay still paralyzed by its
incantations. Nothing but charred buildings and corpses remained.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">That's it for this post. The next entry will be the final lore piece to introduce the completed piece.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Stay tuned!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">~Zan</span></span>Drakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-87935036287604816922019-10-28T16:24:00.001-07:002019-10-28T16:24:37.420-07:00Halloween Lore Post 1: The Blinding Plague<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s1600/Zanpic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1563" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s200/Zanpic2.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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Hello,<br />
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Halloween is getting closer. Just like I've done in the past, I've prepared several pieces of lore that will explain some of the background behind this year's project. The first one is included below.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Entry 1: The Blinding Plague<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Legends found in the realm’s archives tell of a terrible
scourge that plagued the lands for quite some time. A demon that called itself
the Eye Collector roamed the different territories of the realm with the simple
goal of tearing the eyes from its victim and adding them to an ever-growing
collection. Using an arcane ritual, the monster would preserve its treasures
and it’s said that each stolen eye contained the insight of its owner. The
hapless victims would be left blinded but alive. Perhaps the goal of the Eye
Collector was to gain ultimate knowledge of the world. Humans, demons, and even
the Ogres were prey to its unending hunger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For five cursed years, the Eye Collector traveled throughout
the realm. Sightings and tales of its wrath would crop up randomly among all
manner of folk. Several leaders attempted to rally together groups to hunt down
the Collector. A detachment of knights from the small kingdom of Tirald
famously tracked a string of victims through the northern frozen wastes.
Scattered accounts from the hunting party tell of an ambush as the knights
camped in the darkness of the icy cliffs. The Eye Collector struck swiftly
under the cover of shadow, subduing each of the knights as they slept and
claiming a bounty of treasure. The blinded party was left stranded in the
mountains to wander to their deaths in the frigid dark.</span></span><br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Not
long after the Tiral knights failed to stop the Eye Collector, a pack of Ogres
led by one of the highly decorated chieftains, Gnar took it upon themselves to
end the terror. Using<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>some enchanted
charms from their shamans, the Ogres followed the trail of several grisly
attacks for one month with the intention of discovering the lair of the Eye
Collector and killing it. These hunters were successful in following their
target to a secluded cave west of Agrist on the northern continent. However, it
seems their prey had led them to their doom as the Ogres found themselves
entangled in a powerful illusion while searching the network of caves. As it
had done before, the Eye Collector stalked them and slowly picked off the
warriors until only Gnar and one of his captains remained. Standing his ground
against the Collector, Gnar fought fiercely but was ultimately defeated. His
captain watched in horror as the enemy ripped out his leader’s eyes before
removing his head in a bloody display. The Ogre captain fled the caves and
managed to elude his pursuer. The only survivor of the Collector returned to
the Ogre territories in a state of near-madness. He told his leaders of their
failure and of the caves. Urging the others to stay away, he told them that
none could hope to stop the unholy beast.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">That's it for this entry. There will be one more posted in the next couple days before the project's reveal on Halloween.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Stay tuned!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">~Zan</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span>Drakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-39062442868289652482019-08-19T19:18:00.000-07:002019-08-19T19:18:55.685-07:00Late Summer Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s1600/Zanpic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1563" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s200/Zanpic2.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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Hello,<br />
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Summer is wrapping up soon and updates to the main page have been a bit sparse. For my project updates, normal designs and sprites posts have been continuing as normal. In Youtube news, have you seen my currently ongoing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWAEKy-3KOtogM81J8B50OS9kl4ZWdyXe" target="_blank">Let's Play of PS2 cult classic, God Hand</a>? It's a brutally difficult janky game with tons of wacky humor and action. It's one of my all-time favorites.<br />
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I've also been mixing up the weekly Pixel Sprite posts with entries from the new Eternys Core Mecha series. These designs are a bit more complex than some of the other entries and draw upon many mecha influences from popular media. I've also started putting the designs up on our Redbubble store using the following layout:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihnZfp6tTeOlrOHZ6SfrXzuWdMDqRBrmJLKYsChiLRWvROk9vqtZKvcnlVw1WO8bWe88QNouzQ6aNF88dN05tpud44hNC6Rvkx2a1tvOfDeAWlFpm_t8A1LidJUusr7TNgo93g7qDTp5sV/s1600/Brigandine+Sample.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="1600" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihnZfp6tTeOlrOHZ6SfrXzuWdMDqRBrmJLKYsChiLRWvROk9vqtZKvcnlVw1WO8bWe88QNouzQ6aNF88dN05tpud44hNC6Rvkx2a1tvOfDeAWlFpm_t8A1LidJUusr7TNgo93g7qDTp5sV/s320/Brigandine+Sample.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sample template of the Brigandine model</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Finally, with the end of August approaching, I will be attending PAX West again as a regular attendee. If I see anything noteworthy, you can probably find me talking about it over on <a href="https://twitter.com/Zanshinretsu" target="_blank">Twitter</a>.<br />
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That should be all for now. With some anticipated downtime around PAX, I'm hoping to get some new Sprite Challenge videos recorded along with some progress on this year's Halloween project.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by!<br />
<br />
~Zan<br />
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Drakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-67205193848391980412019-03-08T22:25:00.001-08:002019-06-07T21:05:25.486-07:00New Video Series Starts: Drawing Challenges!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s1600/Zanpic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1563" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s200/Zanpic2.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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Greetings,<br />
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We're headed into Spring now and I realize this main page has been pretty bare since Halloween. It slipped my mind to update this page at the New Year and I didn't get to link 2018's Design Retrospective. If you're interested, check out part 1 <a href="https://youtu.be/Frq1fGwNfpY" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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I'll be drafting a up a more detailed studio update as we get into Spring. For now, I wanted to spotlight the debut of a new video series on my Youtube channel: Drawing Challenges! Because there haven't been any drawing videos for the Pixel Sprite designs, I've started recording some "challenge" videos to switch up the commentary formula. You can check out the first one here:<br />
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I will be working on some more videos in this style. They'll rotate into the upload schedule along with the other videos.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by!<br />
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~ZanDrakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-45344812327049646852018-10-31T19:31:00.000-07:002018-10-31T19:31:25.191-07:00Halloween 2018: Corrupted Seed Maelvyrda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s1600/Zanpic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s1600/Zanpic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1563" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s200/Zanpic2.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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Greetings,</div>
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It's Halloween Day and time to reveal this year's project! As the recent lore posts would suggest, the subject of the project is Ardelrius' antithesis, the Corrupted Seed Maelvyrda! Check out the spotlight video here:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BVbEakrgzlk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BVbEakrgzlk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Like last year, I put up an album of the WIP phases of the project on <a href="https://imgur.com/a/WK1qfeQ" target="_blank">Imgur</a>. They're the same images from the spotlight video. This particular project was interesting since it was the first time I've focused on a body piece in addition just a mask and weapons. The Cloak of Roots is meant to be a series of tree-like tendrils protecting Maelvyrda's body. The glass eyes on the roots mimic its origins of the Tree of Souls. I also made the tattered cape as well. By cutting up an old sheet, I frayed the edges and drew the runic symbols by hand. The cape didn't need to have too many unique details since it's worn under the cloak. </div>
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Maelvyrda's two weapons are called "Sin" and "Punishment" with the red sickle being Sin and the blue one Punishment. I like the idea of them having elemental affinities and Sin would probably be fire while Punishment controlling ice. Originally I wanted to have the two sickles join at the ends to make a long double-ended scythe but they proved too heavy for the rare earth magnets. Instead, I attached them at the top to make a dual-sided hand sickle. The combined shapes could possibly pass as an axe too. The stone "eyes" on the blades helped add some color variation.</div>
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For Maelvyrda's mask, my initial concept art revolved around the idea of a plant monster. Since this creature is supposed to be a twisted version of the Tree's Will, I drew up some ideas with the upwards opening multiple "petal" jaws. This turned out to work well when building all of the opening parts outwards from the standard face-shaped shell. I added the white stones for contrast and glow-in-the-dark fangs along the jaws. It produces a neat effect in the dark after the teeth have absorbed light. Finally, I went with a blend of light and dark greens for the mask's colors. The greens were meant to contrast with the red color scheme of Ardelrius.</div>
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Overall, this was an interesting experiment. I learned a bit about crafting wearables on the body and would like to try my hand at armor next time. I teased another character a few entries ago and I hope to build on that idea soon. In the meantime, stay tuned for more project details and have a happy Halloween!</div>
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~Zan</div>
Drakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-9389975178990785452018-10-29T16:44:00.000-07:002020-04-28T16:38:52.584-07:00Lore Post: The Banished Seed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIs6AXMY-XooEP3231rmKd1viqjwpnOotzgG3-uRCyTXzVsVc8j6iRNf4WA2Vp2Oqx132vCero6I_BMvqz5Fv6ROjSa6RJZdCrGUfDfgSj5aysHepaFu903FvkZRyb_vVHkhzfv0BEb0K/s1600/Zanpic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1563" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIs6AXMY-XooEP3231rmKd1viqjwpnOotzgG3-uRCyTXzVsVc8j6iRNf4WA2Vp2Oqx132vCero6I_BMvqz5Fv6ROjSa6RJZdCrGUfDfgSj5aysHepaFu903FvkZRyb_vVHkhzfv0BEb0K/s200/Zanpic2.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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Hello,<br />
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Here is the second lore post leading up to this year's Halloween project.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Banished Seed<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In all the pieced together records of the Tree of Souls,
only one stands out as a “failure” of the mysterious entity. Legends have
suggested that the tenth vessel of the tree’s will fell to corruption. With the
Seal of the Abyss starting to weaken, the shadowy influence of the beings
sealed in the alternate dimension began to seep into the mortal realm. The
tenth person to take up Ardelrius’ mantle was enticed by the Insanity Prophet
Rengal, one of the most insidious of the Sealed Ones. By binding the essence of
the Summoner before it could realize its power, the tempter ripped away the
Tree’s control and instead twisted the Seed. A monstrous demon was born whose
power rivaled many of the Sealed Ones themselves. The corrupted Seed decimated
the realm with unholy power. While it did not have the ability to store and
wield souls, this creature instead commanded powerful arcane energies that
could distort and bend reality itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The bloodshed and terror of the corrupted Seed raged on for
two years before it was finally cornered. An alliance of humans, dragons, and
even the elusive Araknyos Weavers was able to overcome the Seed and subdue it.
The power of this alliance could not completely shatter and destroy the Seed.
Instead, they were able to seal the creature and put it into a dormant state. Heavy
runic chains bound the Seed and it was buried in a stone tomb deep within a
mountain on the northern continent. The surviving members of the alliance knew
the seals would not hold the Seed forever. With the Demon Smith having gone
into hiding, it would only be a matter of time before the corrupted Seed would
break free and return. Perhaps the ethereal will of the Tree of Souls would
give rise to a new Seed in time to destroy its corrupted brethren once and for
all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The next post should go up on Halloween day. <br />
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Stay tuned!<br />
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~ZanDrakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9154530516324607784.post-77019211143248207902018-10-25T21:56:00.000-07:002020-04-28T16:37:15.526-07:00Lore Post: Cycle of Birth and Judgment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s1600/Zanpic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1563" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4rwBh5Z_K8TR2kO8wQkomm0v92sEUJ1nmRRXHeIJLMgY80V8YZmuCNh-mRZHIlaKlOVYTkvsYPiWtWHUp4z0jKjwko6uZpBpCvQnYwMuNjZ0iIGDD46N3EnMhgX0h7uINE7foZpXOpsQ/s200/Zanpic2.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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Greetings,<br />
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As part of the lead-up to this year's Halloween project, here's some background lore:<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Cycle of Birth and Judgment<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Tree of Souls is one of the few artifacts that was not
forged by the legendary Demon Smith. It’s suggested through the scattered
mythology that its essence was formed from the wayward souls of those that had
fallen to tragedy. Sometime around the second recorded age, travelers made note
of a mysterious tree that grew from a tomb of solid rock somewhere on the
Eastern Continent of the realm. The traveler records described a gnarled tree
with dark crystalline branches and bone-like roots. Decorating both the body
and branches of the tree were various colored jewel-like “eyes”. Would-be
treasure hunters were unable to dislodge these jewels and those that tried supposedly met with terrible fates. This mysterious tree persisted through
ages and was noted in several accounts as an unusual spectacle.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Later, during the second recorded age of the realm, many
wars began to throw the lands into chaos. The rise of the demon armies and the
reign of those that would eventually be sealed away in the Abyss threatened
peace. During this period of strife, the Tree of Souls was said to bear a
single fruit. This fruit would take the form of the Vessel Mask. While the
early accounts and documentation of this object are inconsistent, sketches and
other recovered pieces of writing describe a featureless flesh-like mask that
hung from the branches of Tree. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nobody knows the name or past of the first person that took
the Vessel Mask from the tree. Perhaps desperation or a call to action drew
this person to the Tree’s altar. Upon taking the mask and putting it on, the
person was consumed by the power of the Tree of Souls and reborn as the
Faceless Summoner, Ardelrius. After taking a single branch of the gnarled tree
as a staff, this new being set forth into the chaotic war-torn realm in search
of strong souls. The staff itself possessed the ability to channel consumed
souls and use them as powerful weapons. Throughout the various times of chaos
and turmoil, it’s said that Ardelrius rose again and again to drive back the
destructive forces that threatened peace. Some witness accounts described the
enigmatic being as a silent yet just warrior that fought the hordes of darkness
while demanding no thanks and simply vanishing into the night once its work was
done. Other accounts began to call the Faceless Summoner the Seed of Judgement,
named after its merciless nature when striking down its foes. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s said that once peace was restored and the dark chaotic
forces quelled, the Seed would return to the tree and seal itself away until
its power was once again needed. No record of the original person remains and
it's said their spirit was infused back into the tree as one of the noble souls
that sacrificed their existence to wield its power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Many generations after the last recorded glimpses of the
Seed, it seems a new vessel now walks the lands to gather souls for the next
great conflict.</span></span><br />
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Stay tuned for more updates as Halloween gets closer!<br />
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~Zan</div>
Drakenwrath Designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03820517957861957333noreply@blogger.com