Not an artist: Four items from Oracle of Seasons found in a temple during its restoration.

Four items from Oracle of Seasons found in a temple during its restoration.

D8: I felt the need to complete the set of RPG dice drawings. The d8 was nice because it gave me another opportunity to draw triangular objects in perspective. That sentence is only partially sarcastic as perspective is a really powerful drawing skill, but one I don’t have great mastery of yet.

The order who originally founded the temple was very fond of relying on luck and randomness. To determine how and where they began their morning rituals, a die was cast three times to determine which direction they should travel, how far they should travel, and how long they should pray to start each day.

Rusty Bell: The skeletal pirates who have been lounging lazily in Subrosia will not leave until their captain’s lost bell is returned to him. The bell was a gift from his love, Queen Ambi of Labrynna, but the captain lost the bell in the storm that saw the ship crash through the desert into Subrosia.

With the help of a talking skull that Link has to carry through a quicksand and monster-filled desert, Link can find the entrance to the cave where the captain’s bell has been rusting away for years. When Link brings the rusty bell back to the captain, he refuses to accept that it is his lost bell and demands that it be restored to its former glory. The pirates won’t be leaving until that bell shines and sings like new.

The original bell of the temple in the clouds was cracked when the monks sounded the great bell ceaselessly for eight days and eight nights to warn the surrounding lands of coming disaster. The monks struck the bell with such fervor that even the most distant inhabitants of the valley surrounding the mountain could hear the warning and escape the calamity in time. Unfortunately, most of the monks were unable to escape and perished with their bell.

Pirate’s Bell: Taking the rusty bell found in the Samasa desert to the Subrosian Smiths, Link might feel the need to politely ask for the bell to be restored. That would be a mistake. The master Subrosian smith is as inscrutable as ever and they will only accept the job if Link loudly demands that the smith do the work. As good as their title, the master smith restores the bell to pristine condition, ensuring the skeleton pirate captain will eagerly accept the restored bell. With the bell back on the ship, the skeleton pirates push their ship back through from Subrosia into the seas along the Samasa Desert and set sail for their next great adventure. Spoilers, it isn’t as far as someone might think.

The playful monks often found unique ways to observe the generally strict monastic traditions. During the month of silence, no member of any monastic order is allowed to speak, but there is no official prohibition against playing instruments. In most nearby temples, the month of silence is a subdued and introspective affair, but for the Cloud Top Temple, it is a month of collaborative and improvisational expression in which music replaces and often transcends the spoken word.

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All I could think while writing this blog post up was, "Abraham Sapien. Do you hear... sunken bells are tolling for thee. Out of caverns of Num-Yabisc, dark and terrible deep, the ocean is calling her children home." I absolutely love Hellboy and the expanded Mignolaverse. The first time I sat down and really read Seeds of Destruction and Wake the Devil in the collected library edition is one of my most treasured memories.

We are a little bit past the halfway mark through the items cards I drew for the Oracle of Seasons. There is some fun stuff on the way, including at least three cards that could be used for monster art! Wow, not just items, but monsters too?

Enough tooting my own horn. Be sure to be excellent to everyone.

-Ceph