vertsartblog

[vertsartblog]

And just as it scorches up the dunes/ Beneath the height of noon/ The pillars of the empire will be burned, in kind

My Queen, Dianora Calandrine

[vertsartblog]

Thinking of redoing this one at some point. Did this just when I was starting out painted style, and I miss these two characters. If I ever repaint it I'll post it here

[vertsartblog]

A ref for my inquisitor Taelaros! He'll be on artfight (my artfight is just Vertiline, come check it out!). Originally I wanted to give him more outfits but I simply could not find the spoons, oh well

[vertsartblog]

Some people say that your mark on the world is clear/ How you are thought of when you leave the atmosphere/ What did you conquer?/ Or what did you offer?/ Your legacy should be in place forever

—Stipulation, Go! Child

The part two to my portrait of Queen Dianora, her husband, King Thaliard. Turns out getting married to someone who you know doesn't love you and then inheriting a huge empire after your abusive father dies doesn't do wonders for one's mental state. He and Dianora will both be going on artfight soon ^-^

[vertsartblog]

Posting them together because I love them so much. And pointing out that Melisande's brooch is the circle of magi symbol

[vertsartblog]

Updating my Commission layout and pricing! I have plenty of open slots for commissions, and would really appreciate the money over the holidays. DM me here or on discord (@vertiline) if you're interested! If you don't want a commission right now, do consider reblogging so this reaches a wider audience

[vertsartblog]

And just as it scorches up the dunes/ Beneath the height of noon/ The pillars of the empire will be burned, in kind

My Queen, Dianora Calandrine

[vertsartblog]

Little wip of one of my NPCs

[vertsartblog]

A little portrait of one of my npcs

[vertsartblog]

Posting them together because I love them so much. And pointing out that Melisande's brooch is the circle of magi symbol

[vertsartblog]

My first Inquisitor, Taelaros Lavellan. A mage, a Dorian romancer, and a general hater of the Chantry

[vertsartblog]

It's amazing the difference a Soft Light layer makes. (I don't know how blending modes work and I'm afraid to ask)

[vertsartblog]

For she who trusts in the Maker, fire is her water- Transfigurations 10:1

The Inquisitor for second playthrough of DAI, Melisande Trevelyan. A mage of the Ostwick circle, and devout Andrastian

[vertsartblog]

My bard made a warlock pact last night, so in celebration I made her a new portrait. She's doing great out there in Barovia. Also tried to do some more paint texture for fun!

[vertsartblog]

Tymora, goddess of luck, wealth, and trade

"On a merchant voyage, it's not the Wildmother you should pray to to keep away the storms. It's the Lady of Luck. The coin and silks on these boats are hers, and whether they make it to market or not is entirely at her whim. Before a voyage, toss a copper into the sea. Never more, or she'll know you can afford better offerings. And if you're gambling when on the voyage, be it cards or dice, always set a cup of ale aside for her to join the table."

Tymora is a fun one, and I'm a lot happier with this redesign. I wanted to keep that Tyrian Purple color to her clothing, and all the gold and of course, Saffron flowers. She also has a lot more dice incorporated into the design- on her horn jewelry, on her chest piece, and in the pattern on her sash. She also has some draconic features, like the tail spikes, and the dice are labelled in draconic as an aspect of greed.

[vertsartblog]

Mystra, goddess of magic and wonder

All that the gods held dominion over was theirs to command, and the magic of the World was no exception. Mystra saw this, and as war broke across the world, she knew that should she fall to the blade of Bane Asmodeus as her brother had fallen, so too would the domain of magic be fractured, or worse, owned entirely by the tyrant god.

She knew, too, that she would be susceptible to the corruption that plagued her darker kin. Magic so potent was a covetous resource, and if she turned to darkness it would spell calamity for all beings. She turned then to her lover, young Caethes, the only one who would be clear-sighted enough to heed her well, and asked him to slay her. By this act, magic returned to the World, no longer governed by the divine. All who could sense its gifts could partake of it, and no gifts were forbidden. And so it was that Mystra Ancurya, third-sung into creation, was killed. - "On the Death of the Most Potent", High Priestess Carasta Tenoch of Anatavia, 728 PI

This is how Mystra appears, or, well, appeared in my setting, before she sacrificed herself to return magic to the natural world instead of having a god have control over it. She still has some worshippers even though she's dead, and many of her worshippers consider her to be the one true god, given that magic is the lifeblood of all divine worship. Before her death only the people that she granted power could wield it, and it's hotly debated whether her sacrifice and letting just anyone use magic was a good idea or not and yes. she is wearing Caethes' true form as a bracelet.

[vertsartblog]

Caethes, god of alchemy, disease, and esoteric knowledge

Perhaps there is an element of destiny in that they should ascend, for no celestial servant before or since has ever shown such ambition in their pursuit of knowledge, even their fellows in the service of the All-Knowing. Caethes strove to understand, to discover, and in doing so became a god of progress and learning. Of course, such knowledge would not come without dangers, and when the War came to the halls of wisdom, he was taken by the Tyrant, and put his cleverness to work in the Tyrant's designs. -Historian Lynaewen Aradis, 658 PI.

Caethes has got to be one of my favorite gods in my setting, and while I may be a little biased because they're entirely homebrew, I do love them dearly. And by love them dearly I mean I love torment them. In lore he was captured by the god Bane during the war of the gods, and put to work designing war crimes of magic and machinery, and tortured into revealing the secrets of ascension to allow Loviatar to claim divinity. As such they're not super trusted by most gods and mortals, but they still have quite a few cults in their honor.