I’m working on a homebrew campaign world for my home group and would love an artists vision of the world - some background art and NPCs to set tone and eventually character portraits once we finalize characters.
Here’s the setup for the world:
Tales from the Astral Sea
No one knows how long ago the Shattering happened or what the world was like before. But the beings that live here now have adapted to the new environment.
Land masses float in a sky of breathable gasses called the Astral Sea that circle a cold blue star. Some scholars believe that this star, the giver of light and life, is made of pure aether. Others point to legends that say the star is a prison for the daemons who were responsible for the Shattering. Either way, the star, usually called the Core, is the source of light and the aether that coalesces in the Lower Depths.
Aether is the stuff that fuels the technology of the Astral Sea. It is pure magic in gaseous form, heavier than the gasses that form the Astral Sea. It is a dense, blue fog that is corrosive to most materials. Specially designed sky ships fly low to mine the gas for sale. Some pirates and criminals also use the Lower Depths to hide their ships, evading Imperial patrols and launching raids. But this fog also conceals creatures - sky squids, kraken, and other monstrous things.
Sky ships sail on the Astral Sea, carrying passengers and cargo between the worlds. Land masses in the Astral Sea range from the size of a single tower to the span of an entire city or forest. Many of these land masses are devoted to vast farms, some are completely covered with buildings, and some are just a port or a mansion of a rich noble.
The dominant force in the Astral Sea is The Imperium. This is a human-centric society that is the height of civilization, housing universities, cities, commerce, and a vast military structure. Ruled by the Imperator and a hierarchy of nobility, the Imperium is a source of hegemonic good. Other factions are at play within the political structure of the Imperium as well — the Church of Unity and the Arcanum. The Church is the dominant religious force, sometimes clashing with the decadence of the nobility. The Arcanum is a collection of wizards and scholars, insulated from the society at large and claim to be the descendants of the mystics that saved the world from the Shattering, though not all accept that as truth.
Imperium scientists long ago used the aether to craft a slave race of Dwarves. They made Dwarves tougher and more resilient to the gas so they can mine the aether. But because of their access, Dwarves are also the masters of Aethertech. They have invented terrible weapons of war for the Imperium: Aether Cannons, Aethermechs, and more.
Adjacent to the Imperium is the Expansion, which is outside of the core Imperium worlds but being actively colonized. Within the Expansion live all manner of creatures, including Goblins, Hobgoblins, Trolls, Thri Kreen, Plasmoids, and Aarakokra.
Beyond the Expanse are the Free Worlds. These are unaffiliated communities and settlements that do not care for the over reach of the Imperium. They prefer their independence. The Free Worlds are an assortment of races, sometimes in solitary communities and sometimes mixed. And there are as many uncharted worlds as there are cataloged ones.
The last area of note is a place of chaotic movement, a dangerous place to navigate a sky ship. These Remnants are wildly spinning world fragments. Within the Remnants is The Rift, a tear in the fabric of space that opens into another dimension. It is said that the Rift opened when the Shattering happened, and it is from this Rift that the Astral Elves have come to the Astral Sea. Some elves reside in the Spire, a massive structure that guards the entrance to the Rift and prevents non-elves from entering. These elves were born on the Astral Sea. Those that stayed in the Spire call themselves High Elves. Those that left the Spire are called Wild Elves. There is also said to be a dark sect of Elves, Drow, though many claim that to be a myth.
The tales from the Astral Sea are legendary, and this is where our story takes place.
So this is kind of a Spelljammers, space pirates, steampunk, Lady Blackbird, Iron Kingdoms, 7th Sea mashup of sorts. The players wanted space/spelljammers, post apocalypse, and political adventure with some cartoony/humorous hijinx.
PM me if this inspires you.
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Writer • Podcaster • Professional Gamemaster
playing Jin Wei, human (Kara-tur) way of the Four Elements Monk in the Princes of the Apocalypse
Hello, I'm Noemy, I am a freelance artist and I would love to work on this! The set up and the environment sound amazing! I've worked on some DnD characters and props before, and some maps work-in-progress.
You can check my artwork here or on Instagram @ jvstnoemy. If my art style fits your vision for this project I'll be so happy to work with you!
Thought I'd be a good fit for this, please check out my portfolio page at https://flygohrcommissions.carrd.co/ :) If you are interested, my DMs are open!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
🎨 Gabriele | Flygohr Digital artist specializing in fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. Dungeon Master with a decade of professional artistry. Hundreds of original artworks, no AI used. Bookings: Website | info@flygohr.com | DM on Reddit. Portfolio: Flygohr's Portfolio
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I’m working on a homebrew campaign world for my home group and would love an artists vision of the world - some background art and NPCs to set tone and eventually character portraits once we finalize characters.
Here’s the setup for the world:
Tales from the Astral Sea
No one knows how long ago the Shattering happened or what the world was like before. But the beings that live here now have adapted to the new environment.
Land masses float in a sky of breathable gasses called the Astral Sea that circle a cold blue star. Some scholars believe that this star, the giver of light and life, is made of pure aether. Others point to legends that say the star is a prison for the daemons who were responsible for the Shattering. Either way, the star, usually called the Core, is the source of light and the aether that coalesces in the Lower Depths.
Aether is the stuff that fuels the technology of the Astral Sea. It is pure magic in gaseous form, heavier than the gasses that form the Astral Sea. It is a dense, blue fog that is corrosive to most materials. Specially designed sky ships fly low to mine the gas for sale. Some pirates and criminals also use the Lower Depths to hide their ships, evading Imperial patrols and launching raids. But this fog also conceals creatures - sky squids, kraken, and other monstrous things.
Sky ships sail on the Astral Sea, carrying passengers and cargo between the worlds. Land masses in the Astral Sea range from the size of a single tower to the span of an entire city or forest. Many of these land masses are devoted to vast farms, some are completely covered with buildings, and some are just a port or a mansion of a rich noble.
The dominant force in the Astral Sea is The Imperium. This is a human-centric society that is the height of civilization, housing universities, cities, commerce, and a vast military structure. Ruled by the Imperator and a hierarchy of nobility, the Imperium is a source of hegemonic good. Other factions are at play within the political structure of the Imperium as well — the Church of Unity and the Arcanum. The Church is the dominant religious force, sometimes clashing with the decadence of the nobility. The Arcanum is a collection of wizards and scholars, insulated from the society at large and claim to be the descendants of the mystics that saved the world from the Shattering, though not all accept that as truth.
Imperium scientists long ago used the aether to craft a slave race of Dwarves. They made Dwarves tougher and more resilient to the gas so they can mine the aether. But because of their access, Dwarves are also the masters of Aethertech. They have invented terrible weapons of war for the Imperium: Aether Cannons, Aethermechs, and more.
Adjacent to the Imperium is the Expansion, which is outside of the core Imperium worlds but being actively colonized. Within the Expansion live all manner of creatures, including Goblins, Hobgoblins, Trolls, Thri Kreen, Plasmoids, and Aarakokra.
Beyond the Expanse are the Free Worlds. These are unaffiliated communities and settlements that do not care for the over reach of the Imperium. They prefer their independence. The Free Worlds are an assortment of races, sometimes in solitary communities and sometimes mixed. And there are as many uncharted worlds as there are cataloged ones.
The last area of note is a place of chaotic movement, a dangerous place to navigate a sky ship. These Remnants are wildly spinning world fragments. Within the Remnants is The Rift, a tear in the fabric of space that opens into another dimension. It is said that the Rift opened when the Shattering happened, and it is from this Rift that the Astral Elves have come to the Astral Sea. Some elves reside in the Spire, a massive structure that guards the entrance to the Rift and prevents non-elves from entering. These elves were born on the Astral Sea. Those that stayed in the Spire call themselves High Elves. Those that left the Spire are called Wild Elves. There is also said to be a dark sect of Elves, Drow, though many claim that to be a myth.
The tales from the Astral Sea are legendary, and this is where our story takes place.
So this is kind of a Spelljammers, space pirates, steampunk, Lady Blackbird, Iron Kingdoms, 7th Sea mashup of sorts. The players wanted space/spelljammers, post apocalypse, and political adventure with some cartoony/humorous hijinx.
PM me if this inspires you.
Writer • Podcaster • Professional Gamemaster
playing Jin Wei, human (Kara-tur) way of the Four Elements Monk in the Princes of the Apocalypse
Hello, I'm Noemy, I am a freelance artist and I would love to work on this! The set up and the environment sound amazing! I've worked on some DnD characters and props before, and some maps work-in-progress.
You can check my artwork here or on Instagram @ jvstnoemy. If my art style fits your vision for this project I'll be so happy to work with you!
Have a lovely day!
Thought I'd be a good fit for this, please check out my portfolio page at https://flygohrcommissions.carrd.co/ :) If you are interested, my DMs are open!
🎨 Gabriele | Flygohr
Digital artist specializing in fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. Dungeon Master with a decade of professional artistry. Hundreds of original artworks, no AI used. Bookings: Website | info@flygohr.com | DM on Reddit. Portfolio: Flygohr's Portfolio