Valiardes Adventures in the Forgotten Realms

Tanzenwolfe wrote:What a fantastic set, beautiful walls, and thank you for reminding me of the many fantastic hours (weeks..months..who knows…) spent playing Baldurs gate way back a while….. they really are coming to life!

Aaah Baldurs Gate my first love - what a fascinating game. LOVED it.

Valiarde wrote:
I'm also growing on the traveller, he has that seventies-eighties movie actor feeling, where men were still rough, craggy and dirty on screen and not BRad Pit meets Cavill. 

Exactly, that's perfectly stated!

He reminds me a bit of Mrakomor, the villain from the '70s Czechoslovak fairytale film, The Prince and the Evening Star:




And about the fireplace --- I fully admit that I am currently FREEZING in my own house, so I am probably just projecting my wish for a warm fire onto your scene.

Also agree wtih davidd that your figures and diorama successfully capture that D&D aesthetic, just like one imagines it!

skywalkersaga wrote:

Valiarde wrote:
I'm also growing on the traveller, he has that seventies-eighties movie actor feeling, where men were still rough, craggy and dirty on screen and not BRad Pit meets Cavill. 

Exactly, that's perfectly stated!

He reminds me a bit of Mrakomor, the villain from the '70s Czechoslovak fairytale film, The Prince and the Evening Star:




And about the fireplace --- I fully admit that I am currently FREEZING in my own house, so I am probably just projecting my wish for a warm fire onto your scene.

Also agree wtih davidd that your figures and diorama successfully capture that D&D aesthetic, just like one imagines it!

Oh, I didn't know that character - went to youtube and found the whole movie and some scenes with him. Very good example.    

Yeah sometimes stereotypes are a good thing and I have no problems using these for some of my chars or stories. You don't need to invent the wheel anew for some things. I'm still searching for a balance between my fascination for dark/horror/mature stuff and using a lighter more humorous tone which I also like. 
Often when my gf and I are watching a movie, she will be asking: "You are rooting for the villain again, am I right?" And I'm "Ummm, he/she is SO cool how can I not root for him?"     (Vader fans can relate I guess)


PS: I hope you don't overdo it with freezing at your home for your own health. But yeah, I shouldn't let my characters freeze in the dio.

That bartenders appearance is just perfect, the other characters are too but my favorite is that guy, he's the most bartender bartender I have seen in fantasy.

Dark & Dangerous: Episode II 

Moments later that evening a small group is gathering at the counter... 


Traveller: "Pala, I'm searching for Princess Merwenna, have you heared anything about her on your travels?" "King said she has disappeared and is offering a great reward"
Paladin: "I'm afraid I haven't heard of anything about her" 
Bartender: "Brrraaah...someone is always looking for something here...A demon! A Princess! A woman upstairs is missing her expensive pendant she's searching now. Some looking for love some searching for glory or whatever..."
Tiefling: "Ahem"



Tiefling: "Sorry if I'm interrupting, but...I've been looking for my good friend. She stayed at this place three days ago and I have not heard from her since"
Bartender: "..." 


Bartender: "I'm gonna tell you all, you won't find anything you are looking for here, except a damn good stew and a quiet rest. You all should take a room for the night and get a clear head...and then you can look elswere for your problems - I don't need them"



Redhaired Lady: "Well, he isn't totally wrong...it's becoming late and you shouldn't go outside in this area at night anyway"
Bartender: "Aah, someone with a little bit of sanity here"




Tiefling: "Pala, my friend told sth about a demon before she left. Maybe you can help me looking for her she has more information for your case!"
"But...to be honest, she's a Drow and doesn't like Paladins much...but for a drwo she has a good heart you know..."
Pala: "Well if she is in danger, which is real possible, I will help, no matter what her beliefs are - and if I get more information all the better!"



Tiefling: Oohww really?! That's so awesome, you have a great heart! My name's Cindana by the way!


Cindana: But one more thing, I've been meaning to ask you since I've seen you, that cape you are wearing...it reminds me of the one from Darth Vader but it suits you well
Pala: Darth who?!


Traveller: (whispering) "Mylady, we could share a room to save some gold, what you think?"



And so our little group is ending up at the Inn over night

Will they find the Demon? the Amulet? Cindana's Drow friend? the lost princess?
The adventure has just begun...

...and it is still dark and dangerous  



PS:
Maybe I should move the whole thing to the comic section. Because it is getting a bit longer than intended (part 3 is coming soon, too)  

Cindana is adorable, the detailed characters look like actual people, the setting looks full scale real, and the lighting is superb.

This is showing some serious promise, as always. I agree about how adorable Cindana is. But, I honestly love all of these characters — they all look so cool. I’m a little concerned that the redhead doesn’t have a name, though.

Well, I can only parrot what everyone else has said. Excellent characters, lighting and photography. You make it look easy

Brilliant! The positioning of the figures is superb. I do like the barkeep, he seems like a crafty, yet interesting fellow. Looking for to seeing more.

Awesome entry! That traveller dude, so cheeky! The Darth Vader cloak, lol. And the Cindana the Tiefling is seriously adorable.

Great vibrance with those colors, the reds and the metal especially. Excited to see how it continues.

How do you make the horns on the little demon girl? Did you custom craft them? Are they from a toy animal? Are they some kind of natural element you found?

Your make-up skillz on the figures and faces are astonishing. How do you bring the artificial doll faces to life like this?

Great craftmanship on each of these figures with all of the design and details! Plus, the diorama scenes and backdrops are also expertly done and original. I'm enjoying the story as well. Thanks for sharing!

The bar-tender, that's the guy from Squid Game
This is the 1st time i have seen him in something else other than Squid Game

It's great to see your characters again, in all their glorious detail. And I just can't get over the realistic, striking feel of the room's walls, floor, furniture, everything creating this perfect cozy feel. Guess who also got that pig's head! The Tiefling really works out perfectly. Looking forward to your next installment.

Thanks all - this was merely a filler episode to set up some stakes. Still glad you liked it. Stories can be a bit tiresome sometimes, especially for me, who isn't the greatest storyteller in town, but just likes to make some nice pics and scenes.  

skywalkersaga wrote:Awesome entry! That traveller dude, so cheeky! The Darth Vader cloak, lol.  And the Cindana the Tiefling is seriously adorable.

A bit cheesy with the Vader thing, but you will see more of Cindanas character and humor later on. Thanks for your comment

davidd wrote:How do you make the horns on the little demon girl? Did you custom craft them? Are they from a toy animal? Are they some kind of natural element you found?

Your make-up skillz on the figures and faces are astonishing. How do you bring the artificial doll faces to life like this?

Oh for the horns I have to disappoint you, I didn't use any external materials - just painted and rooted a 3D printed head from ebay:


As for the lifelike face, part of it is probably from using ideal lighting. Lighting can do much, like direction of light, intensity of light, or color temperature... 
And I avoid common stock heads - while I'm not as good of a painter/artist as the professional companies, I think it gives those faces an unique touch which may be more interesting than another pretty model girl head.

All of the figures above have the heads painted and rooted by myself (edit: except Emmara the maiden from part I)

ukshaun wrote:The bar-tender, that's the guy from Squid Game
This is the 1st time i have seen him in something else other than Squid Game

Haha yeah, I made this character before I watched Squid game. But even after watching it, I think it was not the worst choice for him. 

GubernatorFan wrote: Guess who also got that pig's head!  

Oooh nice!   Will it show up in your next gopnik installment?

Thank you for the information about the head with horns and about your approach to character faces.

Oh that's very interesting, I had thought you used the horns from something else. For not being a painter you did a great job painting her and the horns.

Valiarde wrote:GubernatorFan Guess who also got that pig's head!  
Oooh nice!   Will it show up in your next gopnik installment?

Well, you've given me an idea (I had nothing specific in mind, just knew I had to have it). So maybe. Unless it shows up in the Lady of the Lake "story" first. Or why not both?

Late reading, but... Bwahaha, I love it! I'm really enjoying your approach here. Feels very much like I'm in a D&D game! Bet you're an awesome GM.

Cindana is cool. The name, too! I think you've presented her before somewhere, probably in her own thread. Nice to see her here!

Glad you enjoying it, like I said, I'm doing the storytelling on the fly and often think about scrapping it all together and going back to just a few cool pictures. 

As for being a good GM - I think a youth friend of mine was the best storyteller. He told us stories on the fly (my brother and I were like 8 and 10 years old) and he always had this fun and crazy imagination for his adventure stories. 



Part III: Dark Revelations


Midnight's calling and our heroes happen to find themselves in the hallway...

Cindana: You guys can't sleep either eh? 
Paladin: Something isn't right in this Inn, I can feel...something like a evil enchantment on it. 



Stranger: Yes, I feel it too. And have you realized the interieurs are somehow MUCH bigger than from the outside view on the Inn?
Cindana: Yeh, it is huge and unnatural.



Cindana: Before I went to the bar I put my travel bundle in here, let me get it out and then we go to the host.




squeak


Cindana: Oh no!!
Traveller: Holy...what


Cindana: That...that's Merik'al my friend! oh dear, who would do sth like that?!


Cindana: Kinda like in the movie "Seven" with Brad Pitt...
Other two whispering: Movie? She must be shocked, talking nonsense.



Enough with that horror, let us go back to the main room over here


Stranger: What is this?! Where is the bar room?

Spoiler:

Very cool sequence, Simon! I love the diorama walls and door. I guess you rearranged the pieces to make the hallway out of the guest room of the Inn?

The Bloodborne characters in the Spoiler are phenomenal. Is that a self-painted Cara-head? Great work (as always)!!!
   

I really hope you'll keep the story going, cause it's fun!!

I like the shifting subtle madness of the labyrinthine Inn. The new characters were a great surprise. Old man looks like the architect of all that insanity, but we will see.

Personally, I'd skip the pop culture movie jokes, the severed head in the box was surprisingly disturbing in a positive way, but the moment was weakened by the joke. A bit like those Marvel movies that can't maintain tension for too long and crack a joke
in dire situations to release it, sacrificing a chance for good drama for a cheap laugh. But that might just be me, taking toy puppet photo stories too seriously.

That was another great sequence. And disturbing. Looks like the guests are headed for more trouble. The new hair on the Cara head is perfect.

Randam Hajile wrote:Very cool sequence, Simon! I love the diorama walls and door. I guess you rearranged the pieces to make the hallway out of the guest room of the Inn?

The Bloodborne characters in the Spoiler are phenomenal. Is that a self-painted Cara-head? Great work (as always)!!!
   

Yeah you guess it right, I dismantled the Inn room to use the walls for the hallway. (I have another diorama Wall part in the making, that will appear later on) 
And also correct on the cara head, self painted and rooted. 

Diana wrote:I really hope you'll keep the story going, cause it's fun!!

Thank you very much Diana! 

Ovy wrote:I like the shifting subtle madness of the labyrinthine Inn. The new characters were a great surprise. Old man looks like the architect of all that insanity, but we will see.

Personally, I'd skip the pop culture movie jokes, the severed head in the box was surprisingly disturbing in a positive way, but the moment was weakened by the joke. A bit like those Marvel movies that can't maintain tension for too long and crack a joke
in dire situations to release it, sacrificing a chance for good drama for a cheap laugh. But that might just be me, taking toy puppet photo stories too seriously.

I think you are correct, the pop culture thing doesn't really fit the horror mood I'm going for - even though I had some fun things in mind just by thinking abour the story and the possible connections, but in the photographed scenes they come over as super out of place. I think you are right and I will skip them in the future.

Yeah all these old men in the inn, what is going on

Stryker2011 wrote:That was another great sequence. And disturbing. Looks like the guests are headed for more trouble. The new hair on the Cara head is perfect.

Thank you Mark, glad you like it. 

Love this! Your dios are always so wonderfully atmospheric!

Gorgeous follow up. Your architectural and diorama achievements are usually impressive enough by themselves, but the excellent photography and all the detailed work on the characters makes it twice as amazing. The tiefling and the severed head are remarkably well done, as is that vampirical? makeover of Cara. The whole spoiler image is just superb. I'm with Ovy -- don't mix in modern popular culture references.

Those are great! the dark elf head in the chest was a nice touch! Will we se more of their adventure?